Next chapter as promised! Thanks again to my marvelous beta! And your guys' support keeps me going! You rock! This couple is going to see the light, yet. :)

Holiday Spirit

Chapter 15

David was at the hospital in less than five minutes, abandoning his truck pulled partially up on the sidewalk not far from the main doors. He rushed inside, looking around frantically for any sign of his family, and he spotted Henry's back as the boy paced furiously up and down the hallway. As he got closer, he saw the frightened and tired twins sitting in chairs far too big for them and Regina sitting across from them holding a fussy Benjamin, her face pale and fear plain to see.

"Henry, darling, please sit down. I understand how you feel, but you're scaring your brothers and sister."

"What's going on?" David asked breathlessly, finally coming to a stop in front of them. "Is she okay? What happened?"

Ellie reached her arms up as her lower lip quivered and David swept her up onto his hip without taking his eyes off Regina.

"She's got a fever," Regina started, still swaying Ben in her arms to try and calm his fussiness. "I woke up when I heard her crying in her sleep and she was drenched in sweat. I tried to lower her temperature, but it was higher than usual even for a fever, and it wasn't long before I decided I needed to bring her in."

"How long has she been in there?"

"Not long. I called you as soon as we arrived. Thank you for coming," she added quietly.

"Thank you for calling me. Of course I would come." He took a seat next to her, settling Ellie in his lap and pulling her against him. She wrapped her arms loosely around his waist and her head rested against his chest as her eyes started to droop. Looking over, David found Oliver had already fallen asleep in his chair. Henry was now sitting, chewing nervously at his thumbnail.

"Henry," Regina called softly, earning his attention. "Why don't you go over to the cafeteria and get some juice?"

Eager to do something other than just sit there, he nodded and stood up. "Do you guys want anything?"

"No, darling. We'll be fine. Thank you."

As his footsteps faded down the hallway, Regina sighed and hung her head.

Before he could stop himself, David reached out and took her hand on impulse. She jumped at the contact and looked up at him in surprise, but didn't pull away.

"She's gonna be okay," he found himself saying, though he didn't know that at all. He was afraid, but so was Regina, and for some reason, he needed to reassure her. He wanted to help soothe her fear, and he found that the contact helped him as well.

She gave his hand a small squeeze in reply and they sat in silence until Henry returned. Regina slowly pulled her hand out of his as Henry opened his juice, drinking it as he sat down. He hadn't noticed the contact between the two.

It was obvious Henry was exhausted. It was the middle of the night, he'd been up for a while, and they'd had a long day that day. After he'd finished his juice, he started to drift off, and only minutes later, he was sound asleep along with all of his siblings.

"They've been in there a long time," Regina said, and David almost didn't hear her. Her voice trembled, and before he had time to respond, he felt her hand in his once more. "Why wouldn't they come out and tell us what's going on? I should go ask. I need to know what's happening."

She shifted in the chair and just as she moved to stand, a door down the hall opened and Dr. Whale appeared.

Both parents tried to gauge from his expression if the news were good or bad, and both were relieved when he gave them a small smile.

"How is she?" Regina asked as she stood with Benjamin still bundled in her arms.

David managed to awkwardly rise with Ellie, and though she mumbled when he shifted her up onto his hip, she snuggled her face against his shoulder and remained asleep.

"She's alright," Whale immediately told them. "It took some time, but we managed to get her fever down and she's resting comfortably now."

Regina let out an audible sigh of relief. "What was the matter with her? Is the fever gone for good?"

Whale glanced around at the sleeping children, an indecipherable expression on his face. It turned to a sort of curiosity when he looked between Regina and David. "It should be. We'd like to keep her overnight, obviously. Monitor her and make sure it doesn't come back, but if she makes it to morning without incident, you'll be free to take her home again."

"But what caused it?" Regina asked again. "She was fine before bed."

"My guess? Stress."

"What do you mean?" David asked. Regina raised an eyebrow at the doctor, waiting to hear his explanation.

"It's not the first case of stress related illness since we woke up under these new…circumstances. We were talking to her, trying to keep her calm, and she mentioned that David's been spending nights outside the home?"

David nodded. "With Snow."

"That can't be what's made her sick," Regina said disbelievingly.

"Well, no…" he trailed off, "But she mentioned she was afraid the two of you were splitting up."

"We've been spending every day together," David defended.

"That may be true, but children are perceptive. She knew something had changed, and it manifested into a fear that she repressed, and I believe it eventually caused this sudden illness. She mentioned she's been having nightmares when we asked if she knew why she wasn't feeling well. Beyond that, I think it would be best if you set up an appointment with Dr. Hopper."

Regina scowled at him. "My daughter does not need a shrink," she snapped at him, but Whale didn't even flinch.

"I wasn't suggesting the appointment for Isabella, I was suggesting it for the two of you."

At their incredulous expressions, he continued. "He might be able to help you deal with this for the time being. It doesn't look like anything is going to be changing anytime soon, and you can't keep avoiding this."

"Telling me how to raise my children again?" Regina growled, her mind flashing back to a wailing baby Henry.

David looked over at her in confusion, not understanding what she was referring to, but Whale had.

"Was I wrong the first time?"

Regina's only response was a glare. He hadn't been wrong in his assessment of maternal love, but she wasn't about to admit that to him.

When she didn't say anything, Whale sighed. "She's sleeping right inside," he told them, pointing to the door he'd come from. "You can see her if you'd like, but if you do, I'd ask that you don't wake her. She needs the rest."

Regina looked down at the baby in her arms and then over at David, and he understood the question without her even having to ask it. He gently laid Ellie down in the chair he'd been occupying and then took Benjamin from her.

"I'll only be a few minutes," she told him. "And then you can go in and see her."

He nodded and took a seat, waiting patiently.

True to her word, it was only a few minutes before she reappeared in the hallway, glancing behind her with furrowed brows.

"How is she?" David asked nervously. Despite Dr. Whale's assurances, Regina's look had him on edge. A lot could change in just a few short minutes, and David wondered if maybe her condition had worsened.

"Asleep," Regina told him, her face softening when she saw his look of fear. "She's alright. She looks much better. I just… I don't want to leave her. What if she wakes up? She'll think I abandoned her. I don't want her to wake up alone."

He nodded, agreeing with her, but also feeling a small streak of fear. How could he take care of the rest of his children without her, even just for a night? He was terrified of doing something wrong. The impact of just how much Regina had been doing alone hit him full force, and he looked at her with amazement and regret.

She caught his look and her eyebrows rose. "What?"

He shook his head. "Nothing." Now wasn't the time to explain, though he wanted to tell her how sorry he was; how grateful.

"Do you want to see her before you go?"

He nodded eagerly and she leaned forward, carefully pulling Benjamin's bundled form into her arms.

"What's going on?"

The pair jumped and stepped apart. Ben squirmed a bit, but didn't wake.

"I'm sorry," Granny told them, coming to meet them in the hallway. "I didn't mean to startle you. Snow told me what was going on and I thought I'd come to see if there was anything I could do to help. Watch the little ones maybe?" Upon closer inspection, Granny looked frazzled. By the way she sounded slightly out of breath, it was obvious that she'd been in a hurry, and she was looking quickly between the couple, searching for something in their faces. Seeming to find what she was looking for, she relaxed slightly. "No one's dying then?" she asked gruffly, but there were hints of relief and an unexpected softness that caught Regina by surprise.

"She'll be alright," Regina nodded. "She had a high fever, but it's down now and she's sleeping."

Granny gave a stiff nod. "You two'll be staying with her then?"

"I uh…I…" David trailed off, but looked quickly over at Regina when she answered for him.

"Yes. I was going to stay alone, but I think it would be best for Isabella if we were both here when she wakes."

"I agree. Well, I can take them back to the inn with me, or to your home, if you'd prefer."

Regina studied her for a moment, seeming to think about her answer. Finally she said, "They've had quite a night. I think they'd be more comfortable in their own beds, if you wouldn't mind."

Though it wasn't said aloud, they both knew that Regina's hesitation hadn't been about deciding where the children should sleep. It had been about letting Granny into her home.

"Then that's where I'll take them," Granny said, not breaking eye contact.

Regina reached into her pocket for her keys and held them out for the older woman. "You'll need to take the van. It already has their car seats. We'll help you take the children to the car." Reaching over, she brushed the back of her hand across Henry's cheek. "Wake up, darling."

Henry's eyes fluttered open and there was a brief second where he tried to remember where he was before he sat up quickly. "Is she okay? Did Dr. Whale come out? What's happening?"

"She's alright, Henry. We're going to stay here with her tonight and bring her home in the morning."

"She can come home tomorrow?" he asked, calming a bit when he saw that she wasn't worried the way she'd been before he'd fallen asleep.

"Yes. David and I are going to stay and Granny is going to take you all back home."

Henry blinked over at Granny, seeing her for the first time and looking a little confused at her presence. "Okay…" He stretched, trying to wake up a bit more.

"Would you mind helping to get your brother out to the car?" She used her free hand to gesture at Oliver sleeping next to him. David was already scooping Ellie back into his arms.

"Sure." He stood, still shaking out his head to clear the sleep when Granny reached an arm out to him.

"I've got him," Granny said. She bent down, and with a soft grunt, Oliver was hoisted up against her, not even shifting in his sleep.

"Are you sure?" Henry asked.

"I'm fine, boy," Granny said, somewhat affectionately as she waved him away. "Let's just get going so you can get back to sleep."

Once the sleeping children were all buckled into their seats, David shut the side doors and turned to face where Henry was lingering next to Regina and Granny.

"We'll be back in the morning," Regina told her son. She wanted to kiss his forehead, but because he was now taller, she settled with kissing his cheek instead. "All three of us, safe and sound. I promise."

Henry nodded, and the group fell into an awkward silence.

"We should probably head back inside," David said, looking at Regina, who nodded in agreement.

"We'll see you tomorrow."

Standing next to Granny, Henry watched his mom and grandfather head back toward the entrance. "Do you think they'll be okay staying alone together?" Henry asked, frowning a bit in his worry.

Granny watched as David's hand came up to rest on Regina's lower back and in response, she took a subtle step closer to him.

"Oddly enough, I think they're going to be just fine."