A couple of months had passed, things running smoothly, everyone happy. That was until one morning when Cora found herself waking up herself. She pushed herself up on her bed and rubbed at her eyes, slowly waking up. She presumed as Regina had not been through to wake her up that it must be very early but the sun streaming through her windows made her doubt herself. Regina was always practically as the sun came up. So she glanced over at the alarm clock that was sat on the bedside cabinet and frowned even more when she saw that it was nine o'clock in the morning.
Regina was always up way before now. She never slept in. Cora ran her fingers through her hair, tidying it a little before pushing the covers off of her and getting out of bed. She walked over to her dressing gown that was hanging on the back of the door and pulled it on before she left her bedroom. She made her way down the hall towards Regina's room. The door was slightly open as always and Cora gently pushed it the door open some more and peered into Regina's room to see Regina still lying in her bed fast asleep.
Cora walked into the room and over to Regina's bed kneeling down beside it and gently running her fingers through Regina's soft brunette hair. "Regina sweetheart…" Cora said softly. Regina stirred a little, letting out a groan but she didn't open her eyes. "Wakey wakey darling. The sun is up." Cora said.
"Mama…" Regina groaned turning onto her side. She opened her big brown eyes and Cora frowned a little as she could see in Regina's eyes that something was wrong. It was always Regina's eyes that told her story and how she was feeling. You could tell everything through her eyes.
"Are you okay darling?" Cora asked moving her hand to Regina's forehead. She started to feel a little worried as she felt how warm Regina was.
"Don't feel good mommy." Regina groaned.
"You feel very warm sweetheart. What's wrong? Do you have a sore tummy?" Cora asked. Regina shook her head and put her hand to her throat. "You have a sore throat?" Cora asked and Regina nodded her head. Regina then sniffed and Cora could hear how bunged up Regina was. "Oh my darling. You sound stuffed up with the cold."
"Don't like it mommy." Regina said beginning to cry a little. "Hurt up here." She said as she placed a hand on her head.
"Oh sweetheart." Cora said softly. She then leaned down and lifted Regina up and held her close to her, cuddling her. Regina cuddled into her mother, her hands grabbing at her mother's dressing gown to get as close as she could to her. Cora reached over and grabbed Regina's minion toy and her blanket. She gave Regina her minion and then wrapped the blanket around her. "Let's go downstairs for a little bit so mommy can take your temperature and see what I can get to make you feel better." Cora stood up and she carried Regina out of the bedroom and took her downstairs. She walked into the living room and placed Regina down on the sofa and made sure she was surrounded by pillows and all cosy with your blanket. "Okay sweetheart I will be back in a moment okay? Mommy just needs to get the thermometer so I can check how hot you are."
"Mommy don't go." Regina cried and she grabbed onto the sleeve of Cora's dressing gown.
"Regina honey I will be back in a moment I promise." Cora said placing a hand on Regina's cheek and rubbing it softly. She then moved her arm managing to get Regina's grip to loosen. She quickly left the room and felt the guilt rising in her as she heard Regina cry in the living room. She quickly went into the downstairs bathroom and into the cabinet finding the thermometer. She quickly made her way back into the living room and sat down on the edge of the sofa beside Regina. She placed her hand on Regina's head and ran her fingers through Regina's hair hoping to calm her crying child down. "Shh sweetheart. I'm here. It's okay."
"Mommy…" Regina cried shuffling closer to Cora on the sofa.
"It's okay Regina. I'm going to try and make you feel better. Let's take your temperature." Cora said getting the thermometer and taking the top off. She then placed it into Regina's ear and pressed the button waiting for the beep. It beeped and Cora lifted it up and looked. She gasped a little as she saw just how high Regina's temperature was. "Alright Regina mommy is going to see if she can find any medicine to try and get your temperature down."
"Okay mommy." Regina mumble as she rubbed at her eyes.
Cora stood up and quickly walked back to the bathroom and searched through the cabinet to see if there was any medicine. She cursed under her breath and she could find no medicine for a child. She quickly ran upstairs to the bathroom up there and searched in the cabinet but once again she couldn't find any. She sighed and walked back down stairs getting her phone from her bag she scrolled through her contacts until she came to Rumple's number and pressed call. She really hoped Rumple could help her out. She really didn't want to take a sick Regina out to pick up medicine.
"Hello…" came Rumples voice through the phone.
"Rumple it's Cora. Listen I need you to do me a big favour." Cora said as she walked back into the living room. She sat on the sofa beside Regina again and she gently pulled Regina onto her lap and Regina cuddled into her and grabbed onto her dressing gown.
"What favour do you need?" Rumple asked her.
"Regina's sick." Cora said quickly as she looked down at her little girl.
"Regina's sick? What's wrong with her?" Rumple asked the panic and worry showing in his voice.
"I think she might have the cold…She feels really hot and she seems to be shivering a little so I think she has a fever and she says her throat and her head is sore and she sounds just full of the cold. I just took her temperature and it's really high but we don't have any medicine and I was wondering if you could pick some up for me?" Cora explained.
"Yea I can pick some up for you. I don't want you having to take her out if she isn't well."
"She really isn't Rumple." Cora sighed as she stared down at Regina. "I have no idea what I am doing. Before when she got ill she had her nanny and maids to look after her. I never looked after her if she got ill back in the Enchanted Forest. So now I have no idea what to do. I don't even know if this is just the cold."
"It's alright Cora. I will come over and help you out. Regina will be fine."
"Thank you Rumple." Cora replied.
Within half an hour Rumple had arrived, medicine in hand. He was now sat in the living room with Cora and Regina, Regina still clinging onto Cora. It seemed that when Regina was ill all she wanted was her mommy. Rumple had got a spoon and poured some of the medicine on and they were now trying to convince Regina to take the medicine.
"Come on Regina. I will make you feel better. I promise." Rumple said tying manoeuvre the spoon into Regina's mouth.
Regina shook her head moving her mouth away from the spoon her father was holding. "No daddy! Look yucky! Not want it!" Regina cried and she hid her face into Cora's chest.
"Regina daddy's right the medicine will help you feel better." Cora said softly.
Regina shook her head again. "No mommy. No want it."
Cora sighed and she looked over at Rumple. "What do we do if she won't take it?" Cora asked.
"We need to get this medicine into her somehow. It will help bring her temperature down which really needs to come down." Rumple replied.
Cora nodded and she leaned over picking up the thermometer and taking Regina's temperature again. She looked at it and saw that it seemed to be rising dangerously so. "Okay so how are we going to get the medicine into her then? She is refusing to take it off the spoon."
Rumple sighed and then he stood up and left the room making Cora frown in confusion. He soon returned with a medicine syringe in his hand and he picked up the medicine bottle putting the syringe in and getting the correct dosage of medicine into the syringe. "Okay now I know you aren't going to like this but you're going to have to hold her down so I can get this medicine into her."
"Oh Rumple I'm not sure about that. It will upset her…" Cora said the worry showing in her voice and on her face.
"Whatever we do to get this medicine into her will upset her Cora. You saw the thermometer. Her temperature is rising and we need to get it down before it gets too high and she gets worse." Rumple explained. He didn't like the idea of forcing medicine into Regina either but he didn't want his little girl getting worse with her illness. He really didn't want to have to take her to the hospital because they couldn't get her to take medicine.
Cora sighed and she looked down at Regina who still had her face hidden into her chest. "Okay. If that is the only way we can help her."
"It is." Rumple nodded.
Cora sighed again and then she shifted Regina in her arms so her face was no longer hidden. She held her arms down so that she couldn't hit out and knock the medicine away and Rumple moved forward to try and get the medicine syringe into Regina's mouth. "NO Daddy!" Regina cried and moved her head from side to side trying as hard as she could to not take the medicine.
"Please Regina. The medicine is good for you." Cora said softly. She really did not expect this much hassle to get Regina to take some medicine. She had expected Regina to take it with no problems.
"NO!" Regina shouted.
"Okay this isn't working. I will hold her hands down you are going to have to hold her head to try and stop her moving it." Rumple said.
Cora nodded and she did as Rumple said and Rumple used his other arm to hold Regina's arms. He moved forward again and with a struggle he finally managed to get the medicine into her mouth and emptied the syringe. He felt horrible as Regina cried her heart out but he just wanted her to take the medicine to get better. He sat back as Regina swallowed the medicine and continued to cry her heart out. "Mama." Regina cried and cuddled into Cora and clung to her as much as she could.
Cora moved her hand up and down Regina's back to try and sooth her and kissed the top of Regina's head. "Shh my darling. It's okay." Cora whispered softly to Regina over and over again as she gently rocked her.
"No like yucky medicine." Regina mumbled.
"I know darling but it will make you feel better." Cora said.
She continued to rock Regina and soon Regina fell asleep in her arms, clinging as much as she could to her mother. Cora then looked up at Rumple and could see how bad he felt for making Regina so upset to take her medicine. "You did the right thing you know, with us having to hold her own to get the medicine into her. Like you said she needed to take it to try and bring her temperature down." Cora said.
"I know I just hate how upset it made her." Rumple sighed. "I don't like being the cause of her being upset."
"I don't think it was you or I but the fact she had to have medicine. No matter what she will love us."
"I know your right." Rumple replied. He leaned forward and ran his fingers through Regina's hair. "I think if she doesn't improve at all by tomorrow that we should get a doctor out to her."
Cora nodded her head. "I think that would be wise." Cora bit her lip and looked up at Rumple. "Will you be staying or are you going home?" She asked. She had to admit she wanted to take the selfish option and have Rumple stay here with her to help look after their sick child. She didn't have a clue what to do to help Regina and Rumple seemed to have some sort of idea, not only that but she wanted to have him around.
"I think I will stay here if it's alright?" Rumple said. "I don't really want to leave Regina…I mean I am sure you would do fine looking after her but I still don't want to leave her…"
"I understand." Cora said trying to hide her smile. "I would like it if you stayed to help out. It would be a great help to me since I don't really know what to do. Will Belle be alright with you staying?" Cora asked.
"I am sure Belle will understand." Rumple replied.
Rumple and phoned Belle and explained everything with Regina being ill and how he felt he should stay at the mansion to help Cora to look after her and the fact he really didn't want to leave his sick child. He wanted to do everything he could to make her feel better and didn't want to leave her for a second. Belle seemed to understand and told Rumple to let her know how Regina gets on and that she wishes Regina a 'Get Well Soon.'
Once he got off the phone he went upstairs to Regina's bedroom where Cora was trying to settle Regina back into bed thinking it was the best place for her. He smiled as he looked in to see Cora sat down at the side of the bed running her fingers through Regina's hair and singing to her softly.
"Lullaby and goodnight, in the skies stars are bright. May the moon, silvery beams, bring you sweet dreams." Cora sang softly. Regina rubbed at her eyes her eyes drooping slowly as she tried to fight sleep but sleep was beginning to win over. "Close your eyes now and rest, may these hours be blessed. Till the sky's bright with dawn and you wake with a yawn. Lullaby and goodnight, you are mothers delight. I'll protect you from harm and you'll wake in my arms."
"Mama…" Regina whispered.
Cora leaned down and kissed the top of Regina's head and smiled a little as Regina rubbed her eyes again, she really could fight off sleep. "Sleepyhead, close your eyes, for I'm right here beside you. Guardian angels are near, so sleep without fear. Lullaby and goodnight, with roses be-dight. Lilies over head, lay thee down in thy bed. Lullaby and goodnight, you are mother's delight. I'll protect you from harm and you'll wake in my arms."
Cora stopped singing as Regina's eyes finally closed and she knew Regina had finally given into the sleep she needed. It was then that she felt someone behind her and looked round to see Rumple. She gave him a smile and then out a finger to her lips. She stood up, made sure Regina's night light was on and ushered Rumple out of Regina's bedroom, closing the door over a little but not fully. Rumple turned to Cora. "I didn't know you could sing."
"I can't." Cora shrugged her shoulders.
"You can. You have a lovely voice." Rumple complimented her.
Cora blushed a little and dipped her head down, tucking a bit of hair behind her ear. "Well thank you."
"That seemed to really settle her." Rumple said as they started to head down stairs.
Cora nodded her head. "I used to sing it to her when she was a baby, way back in the Enchanted Forest."
"You did?" Rumple asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well when I say I used to it was once…one time when I put my heart back in." Cora sighed.
"You put your heart back in?"
"Yep. I wanted to know what it would feel like to fully love her…I wanted to experience it just once. So I put my heart back in and experienced a full day where I loved her unconditionally. She spent the whole night crying, nothing settled her. I guess looking back I couldn't settle her because she wasn't used to me settling her. She was used to her nanny on her maid." Cora explained. "Anyway I remembered my mother singing that lullaby to me when I was little so I sang it to her and it settled her straight away. So when I took my heart back out I told her nanny to sing it to her when she was going to bed."
"Was it not hard to take your heart out again after experiencing unconditional love for Regina?" Rumple asked.
"Hardest thing I have ever had to do and I regret doing it now. I wish I had forgotten the lust for power and the need for revenge and just stuck by the love I had felt that day." Cora sighed. "You may have found out a lot sooner about Regina if I had…"
"I guess that was just not how things were suppose to go." Rumple said.
"Yes I guess." Cora said. "Shall we go and get something to eat while Regina sleeps? We can check on her in a little bit."
"Sounds good." Rumple replied as they made their way into the kitchen to grab something to eat.
Okay so I want to ask you guys for your opinions. A couple of people have asked if I am going to have Rumple and Cora get together and I was wondering what everyone thought of this? Would you like to see Cora and Rumple get together? Or should they remain friends? What do you all think? Let me know!