April 22nd 2013
As soon as David walked out of the elevator, his heart sank. Emma and Mary Margaret were trying to comfort a heartbroken Henry. The kid was sobbing on his mother's shoulder. Snow was soothingly rubbing his back, trying to contain her own tears. When she met her husband's eyes, she gave him a weak smile, followed by a questioning look. She walked toward him and hugged him tight. David automatically wrapped his arms around her, but Snow could feel his distance. There were no feelings in the hug.
She whispered so Henry couldn't hear her. "We just got here. Why are you in scrubs?"
"Regina was bleeding. We didn't want Henry to see…"
Snow nodded against his chest. "He's been crying since we arrived. Emma hasn't had a chance to tell us what happened."
"She miscarried." Before Snow had a chance to ask any further questions, David broke from her embrace and kneeled by Henry. "She is in good hands. Dr. Whale will take good care of your mom."
"What happened to her?"
Emma grimaced. She had hoped that Henry would not ask her this question until Regina made it out of surgery. She repositioned herself to face her son. "She was pregnant. But the baby didn't make it all the way to her womb." Henry frowned but before he could ask any questions, Emma continued. "And it started growing where there was no place for him to go so it did some damage."
Henry let the tears flow freely once more. "But she'll be ok, right?"
Emma swallowed hard, trying to keep the tears from her eyes. How was she supposed to tell her eleven-year-old son that his adoptive mother had only a fifty percent chance of surviving her surgery, probably less since absorbing the curse weakened her? He would blame himself. She blamed herself already.
David saw the distress in his daughter's eyes. He didn't have all the details but he had felt how weak Regina was before she went into surgery. He placed his hand on Henry's knee and gave it a light squeeze. "Your mother is the strongest person I know. And Dr. Whale is taking great care of her. She'll be walking out of here in no time."
Henry wasn't fooled by the reassuring words but said nothing. He wanted to believe them. He hesitated before asking the question that had been burning on his lips. "Who is the father?"
Snow looked intensely at the trio. She had been wondering the same thing but had decided to wait for the privacy of their home to ask that question. Emma looked at her father. David smiled uneasily at Henry before answering his question. "Somebody who cares deeply for your mother."
The answer seemed to appease Henry momentarily while having the opposite effect on Snow. She had noticed the silent exchange between him and Emma, the way David had avoided a direct answer, the way he had been searching for Regina after she woke him, and how difficult it had been to raise him from the curse. An involuntary gasp escaped, tears springing in her eyes. She put a hand in front of her mouth before excusing herself. "I'm going to get us some hot chocolate."
David grunted but followed his wife reluctantly. He caught up with her in front of the vending machine in the hallway outside the waiting area. "Snow." He tried to place his hand on her forearm but she pulled it away. "We need to talk."
She looked at him with tears in her eyes. "There is only one thing I want to hear right now. Tell me that this baby wasn't yours."
David looked away from his seething wife before answering. "I can't do that."
Snow cried out. "How could you? With Regina of all people? Emma and I …" She stopped herself and raised her hand to prevent him from speaking. "You know what. I don't want to talk about it. Not here."
Before she gave him a chance to answer, Snow walked back to the waiting area. David sighed and started ordering the hot chocolates his wife had promised. He needed the moment alone anyway. Right now, all he cared about was the woman fighting for her life on the operating table. He hoped she was fighting harder than he was to save his marriage. He slowly walked back toward the waiting area with the hot chocolates. Henry was already asleep across Emma's lap, his feet resting on Snow's. David offered one of the drinks to his daughter, who accepted it gingerly. Snow looked away as soon as he walked toward her. He backed away from her, leaving her her much needed space. He sat next to Emma and started sipping on the hot chocolate. This was going to be a long night. He just had no idea how true that statement was yet.
EC
As soon as she left the Prince, Sarah walked to the gallery above the operating room. She wouldn't be able to assist with the surgery but she wanted to be with Regina when the mayor woke up from the anesthesia. She arrived when the anesthesiologist had finished intubating the mayor. She smiled when she recognized Jonas, the former royal doctor. He had replaced the previous doctor after Queen Eva's death since Snow had refused to let that doctor touch her after he had let her mother died. The man hadn't been responsible but King Leopold had humored his daughter anyway. Jonas had been at the court for all but two weeks when Sarah had called him to tend to the Queen after her wedding night. Jonas had been gentle and reassuring and Regina had learned to trust him. He had been with her for every miscarriage but was dismissed promptly after her last one. Sarah didn't know all the details but after that night, Regina was never called in the King's bedchambers again. Sarah wasn't sure about his feelings toward the Evil Queen but she suspected that, much like herself, he knew that Leopold had been partially responsible for creating the monster. Jonas and Whale exchanged a few words before starting the procedure.
Regina's surgery lasted over two hours. Sarah had watched apprehensively as Whale had tried to stop the bleeding. Once he had managed to get his patient stabilized, he had started repairing the damage. Sarah had smiled when she had realized Whale was able to remove only the damaged tube, leaving her uterus intact. Future pregnancies may be difficult but not impossible, and she knew from experience that this knowledge helped with recovery in most patients. But Regina wasn't most patients. Since learning about the mayor's miscarriage, Sarah couldn't help but wonder who the father was. Regina would never let anyone touch her after her experience with Leopold. They had been rumors of the Queen's sexual prowess in the Enchanted Forest but Sarah had always believed that Regina had started the rumors herself.
Whale thoroughly looked for further signs of damage before closing. He exchanged a quick worried glance with Jonas. They both knew that her chances would be better if she woke right away. Whale took Regina's hand as Jonas stopped giving her the anesthetic gas. "Come on, Regina. I repaired everything. Now it's your turn. You need to open your eyes." Jonas rubbed her cheek gently as Whale kept talking to her reassuringly. Finally, after five agonizing minutes, her eyes fluttered open and Sarah let out the breath she had been holding.
Both men smiled down at their patient. "Welcome back, Your Majesty!" Regina whimpered and tried to fight the tube in her throat. Whale gently rubbed her arm until she settled down. "We're going to take the tube out. You're doing great. It's over."
Regina coughed as Jonas pulled her breathing tube out. She started shivering from the shock of the surgery and her mind was foggy. She tried to talk but they both stopped her. Jonas stroke her hair. "Shh…. Give yourself some time to wake up."
Regina nodded, fighting to keep her eyes open. She whimpered when the team moved her from the table back to her bed. They covered the shivering woman with blankets and waited for her to settle once more. Whale couldn't believe that she had made it through surgery and let alone woke up right after it. He had to admire her strength. And his only job now was to help her fight so he wasn't going to move her until he was absolutely sure she was better than should be expected. He watched as she was more fully waking up from the anesthesia. "How are you feeling? Any pain?"
Regina shook her head. Whale smiled. He knew she wouldn't be feeling much until morning. He had given her a local anesthetic before waking her up. She should be wonderfully numb for the next few hours. She looked at him and spoke softly. "Cold."
Whale readjusted the blankets around her. "You're still in shock. Just give yourself some time. You're doing great. Better than great." He smiled at her.
Both men watched the Queen carefully for the next twenty minutes. Once they were satisfied she was waking up with no complications, they moved her to the recovery room where Sarah was waiting for her. While Jonas was checking on Regina's vitals, Whale gave Sarah the post-operative care instructions.
Regina whimpered when Jonas moved the blankets. "You're ok, Regina. I just need to check your IVs." He smiled at her and rubbed her arm in comfort. "You're doing great. It's over."
Regina smiled as soon as she recognized the doctor. Jonas had helped her after her nights in Leopold's bed. He had been gentle and caring back then and his presence now was reassuring. Leopold had banished him after her last miscarriage. She had not known back then what had happened to him or where he had gone but she was happy to see him now. She took his hand and squeezed it weakly.
Jonas squeezed her hand in return. "Viktor stopped the bleeding and repaired the damage. You're going to be just fine."
Regina turned her head toward Whale as tears sprang in her eyes. He had offered to help her before but she had not been able to trust him then. Maybe she should have; things may have turned out differently.
Jonas rubbed her cheek in comfort. He had never met the Evil Queen. When he had first heard the rumors, he had not believed them. He had not been able to reconcile the images of the traumatized child in her bed with that of the powerful sorceress everyone feared. "Regina?" He waited for her gaze to settle on him once more. "You need to take it easy. Let us take care of you. Can you do that?"
She tried to talk but her throat was on fire. She whimpered and placed her hand on her throat. "Hurt."
Jonas gently took her hand once more. "We're going to get you some ice. Are you hurting somewhere else?" Sarah rushed to get her some ice chips while the two doctors made her comfortable.
Although she was still groggy from the anesthesia, Regina was responding to them. She shook her head. She could not feel much below her chest. "Cold."
Jonas grabbed another blanket and placed it on top of the others. "You're still in shock from the surgery. But you're doing great, Regina. And you're going to be fine, ok?" Regina simply nodded, still too groggy to fully process what had just happened to her.
Whale patted her arm gently. "I'm going to go reassure some people downstairs." Regina looked at him confused. "Your family. They're waiting to hear how you're doing." She sobbed. She couldn't believe than anyone had stayed for her. Whale patted her arm one last time before heading to the waiting area.
EC
David willed himself seated. He wanted to be anywhere but here. He wanted to be with Regina, to know that she was alright. He had left her almost three hours ago. He didn't know how long these surgeries normally took but his anxiety rose with each passing minute. He lowered his head in between his knees and ran his fingers through his short sandy blonde hair. He wanted to cry. Cry for the woman he cared so deeply for; cry for the son she would leave behind. Regina's death would destroy Henry. He cared deeply for his mother and David knew he was ashamed of the way he had treated her. Since he didn't know how to ask for forgiveness, Henry had hoped that his mother would make the first step. But Regina was too afraid of rejection to do so. And now they may never have the opportunity to mend their relationship.
After they had been convinced that Henry wouldn't wake, Emma had relayed Whale's prognostic. The pregnancy had been ectopic and the embryo had lodged itself into her left fallopian tube. Whale had assured her that its rupture at the well was pure coincidence and had nothing to do with the curse. But it had weakened Regina and Whale hadn't hid his worry that she wouldn't survive the surgery. Whale had also mentioned that it was late in the pregnancy for a rupture and that she must have had symptoms before today. David had tried to keep his expression neutral, not wanting to further upset his wife. But he had been dying inside. He had seen Regina's pain. He should have prompted her further. He should have forced her to the hospital.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and jumped. He looked in Emma's direction who pointed toward the elevator with her head. Whale was walking toward them. David's heart was hammering in his chest. He sighed in relief when he saw the doctor smiling as he approached them. Whale whispered as to not wake Henry. "She is doing better than I'd have expected. She is awake and responding to us. She is still in shock from the surgery and the blood loss. I will keep transfusing her until tomorrow." He watched as David and Emma's expression changed from fear to relief. Snow hadn't said a word and Whale couldn't read her features. It was as if she didn't care whether Regina lived or died tonight. He continued after assuring himself that Henry was still asleep. "I removed her left tube but managed to leave her uterus in place. Once she's recovered, I'll do another sonogram to make sure the right tube is intact." Given her reaction in the emergency room, he wasn't looking forward to the test. "There was… there was too much blood and swelling for me to be able to see anything. If she keeps improving, she should be able to be discharged at the end of the week."
David nodded. He had stopped listening after Whale told her that Regina was awake. "Can I see her?"
Snow's head snapped toward her husband, hurt showing in her eyes. But Whale ignored her. His priority was Regina and seeing David would only help her at this point. "Ten minutes. She needs all the rest she can get. Follow me." David nodded and followed the doctor swiftly without sparring a look at his wife.
David smiled as soon as he entered the recovery room. Sarah was feeding ice chips to a very awake and responsive Regina. Sarah gave him a weak smile in return. She still wasn't sure about her own feelings toward the Prince. But for right now, she knew Regina would be thrilled to see him. She stood and rubbed the Queen's arm. "Look who is here to see you."
Regina's expression changed from confusion to joy at the sight of David. The Prince took Sarah's place by her side and leaned in to kiss her forehead. "Thank you." Regina looked at him questioningly. "For fighting. For coming back."
She smiled softly. He had wanted her back. But fear quickly replaced the moment of happiness she had allowed herself. Surely, he didn't want her; he wanted an explanation. David grew concerned as he watched her internal struggle being reflected in her brown eyes. Her voice was faint when she finally spoke. "I'm sorry… for not telling you."
His heart broke. She shouldn't have to apologize. He rubbed her cheek and made sure she looked him in the eyes when he replied. He wanted her to believe every word. "No. No. No. You shouldn't be the one apologizing. I'm sorry Regina. I'm sorry that I made you feel like you had to hide this from me… that I would take you child away." Her eyes were rapidly filling with tears. He cupped her cheek and rubbed it softly with his thumb. "I'm sorry you couldn't get medical attention sooner. I'm sorry it almost killed you." He placed his forehead on hers. "I'm sorry we lost our child. I would have been honored if you had allowed me to be in his … or her life." She sobbed softly. She hadn't expected an apology from him. Truth be told, the time he had spent in the shower had allowed him to work out his anger at the situation. He had never been angry at her. Not really. It wasn't her fault. But he was just angry for her. Angry that one more chance at happiness was so cruelly yanked away from her again. He let the tears flow down his cheeks and onto hers, mixing with her own. Her lower lip was quivering from relief. She had not known how much she had needed to hear those words until now.
Sarah watched the pair closely. She shook her head, knowing that nothing good could come out of this situation. David would be caught between Snow and Regina. And she couldn't shake the feeling that once again, Regina would end up getting hurt. She interrupted them gently. "She needs some rest."
David turned toward the nurse and nodded. But Regina held onto his arm. "Please stay."
Sarah saw the plea in her eyes. "Until you fall asleep."
David kissed her forehead. "Close your eyes."
Regina listened to him and she soon fell into a deep drug-induced sleep. Sarah had to raise the man from his thoughts. "You can see her in the morning."
David looked around for a pen and paper. Once he found what he was looking for, he jotted down his cell phone number and handed it to Sarah. "Call me if anything changes or when she wakes up."
Sarah took the piece of paper and nodded. "I'll call you when she wakes."
David thanked the nurse before heading back downstairs. As he stepped out of the elevator, he was confronted by an angry Snow. "We need to talk."
ECECEC
March 1st 2013 - Afternoon
David watched as Henry unpacked the boxes he had gotten from Regina's mansion in the morning. It had been two weeks since Henry came to live with him and his grandson had insisted he couldn't live without a few 'necessary' items. And by necessary, Henry had insisted that David rescued his comic book collection. He had been thrilled to discover that they were all safe and sound.
Regina had helped him pack the boxes and added a few more items that she thought Henry would like. David had also taken some of the framed pictures of Henry and his mother. Henry was going through this particular box right now and looked at the items in disdain. "Why did you bring these here?" Henry was holding the pictures and a very well-loved teddy bear.
"Your mother and I thought you might want them."
"I don't want anything from the Evil Queen!" He threw the bear and pictures back in the box.
David walked purposefully toward his grandson. Although he and the rest of the town had a lot of reasons to be angry at Regina, she had been anything but a fantastic mother to her son. And although he knew the townspeople validated his hatred toward her, he was not going to allow it any longer. "Henry, I have been in your room. I helped your mother packed those boxes for you. She knew where every item was, she knew which comic book you would want to open first, and the clothes you would need soon. That's not the sign of an abusive parent."
Henry grabbed his book and pointed to the image of Regina interrupting his wedding to Snow. "But she is the Evil Queen! She tried to kill all of you! She cursed you!"
David sighed. "Yes. She did. To me. To the people in this town. But she wasn't the Evil Queen to you! Do you think the Evil Queen would buy her son the latest comic books? The latest video games? Or whatever else struck his fancy at the time?"
Henry grunted. "She made the entire town think that I was crazy!"
"Henry, she was scared and she didn't know what else to do. It wasn't the best decision but she did it because she didn't want to lose you."
Henry crossed his arms over his chest. "I can't forgive her for taking me away from my mom! For everything she's done!"
David pinched the bridge of his nose. "Regina didn't take you from your mom. Emma abandoned you to give you your best chance. And she was right to do so. You had the best life she could have hoped for you." Henry started to protest but David stopped him. "And she isn't asking you to forgive her. But I'm asking you to."
"Why?"
"Because she loves you. She loves you enough to let you go."
"Because you forced her!"
"You and I both know that if your mother hadn't been willing to let you go, I would be dust by now. She has magic Henry. And she decided not to use it. For you."
Henry was at a loss for words. David could see the tears forming in his eyes. "Henry, what is this really about?"
David had to strain to hear the word coming out of his grandson's mouth. "School."
The Prince frowned. "School?"
Henry nodded. "The kids at school…. they keep telling me that I'm… I'm better off without her. I tried to defend her and they mocked me." He sniffled. "They told me that sooner or later, she would pay for her crimes... that I would watch her get executed for everything she's done. That I should let go of her because she wasn't worth it and that if I tried to defend her I would get hurt too."
Henry was openly sobbing now. David gently hugged his grandson. "And you thought that if you hated her it would make the pain go away? That everything will be easier?" He felt Henry nod against his shoulder. David gently pulled away from the hug to look at his grandson. "Nobody will hurt your mother. You have my word. And I know you love her deeply. I could see it when the mob gathered right after the curse broke and again when you came with me. You wanted to go back and hug her." He waited for Henry to acknowledge the truth. "And that's ok Henry. She loves you deeply and if you want to see your mother, then you should go see her. Don't let anyone tell you the contrary."
"Wouldn't that make me a villain?"
David winced. Henry saw the world in black and white much like his grandmother, but life was rarely that simple. "The biggest quality of heroes is their ability to forgive and to look past the evil to see the good in people. And I know you see this in your mother. That makes you a hero Henry."
Henry nodded. "I don't know… I don't know what to tell her."
David smiled. "How about how you feel?"
"I'm not really sure."
David took one of the framed pictures and showed it to him. "You seemed happy here." Both Regina and Henry were smiling widely on the picture.
Henry took the frame and nodded. "It was after a trip to the beach. She loves the ocean and we would go on the weekends to make sand castles. She took the picture after we went back home…. she made me a chocolate cake." Henry hugged the frame tightly against his chest.
David smiled and walked toward the kitchen. He came back with the biggest jar he could find. Henry looked up to him questioningly. "Sometimes it helped to keep the good memories somewhere. And when things get tough, you can go back and read about them." Henry took the offered jar. "Just write it down while I make dinner." Henry gave him a soft smile before running upstairs with the box containing the pictures and the teddy bear.
David wasn't the best cook but Henry didn't seem to mind to go from his mother's wonderful cooking to his attempts at a decent meal. Currently, the Prince was attempting the macaroni and cheese recipe he had found on the pasta box. Once he had set the water to boil, David carried the remaining boxes upstairs. He was pleased to see his grandson sitting on his bed, writing down his memories and filling the jar progressively. The previously neglected bear was comfortably resting on the pillows next to him. "Dinner will be ready in thirty minutes."
"What's for dinner?"
"Macaroni and cheese." Henry gave him a polite smile. Maybe Henry missed his mother's cooking after all. And David hoped that it wasn't just her cooking. "How is it coming?"
Henry gave him a soft smile. "I don't know about the jar."
"You'll fill it up eventually."
Henry shook his head. "I don't think it's big enough."
David smiled. "I'll get you a bigger one tomorrow."
Henry hesitated before asking. "Can we go to lunch with her tomorrow?"
David handed Henry his cell phone. "Call her and ask."
Henry took the phone tentatively and dialed the number. Regina picked up on the fourth ring. She was clearly out of breath. "David, is something wrong?"
Henry sobbed into the phone. "Mom?"
David made his way back downstairs to give them some privacy. After the morning he had spent with Regina, he wanted to give her a chance to spend some time with her son. As long as Henry was willing to. His quest to get his family back had come to a halt after George had burned the hat. He had gone to the fairies for help but they didn't know much about the curse. Or at least that's what Blue had told him. As he had driven to the school to pick up Henry, he had finally realized that in his quest to get his wife and daughter back, he had forgotten about the family he had in Storybrooke. Henry needed his mother even though he wouldn't admit it yet and David was going to help him realize it.
David was serving the macaroni and cheese when he heard Henry's footsteps running down the stairs. His grandson was smiling widely. "She said she could meet us at noon at Granny's!"
David smiled. He knew that the joy on his grandson's face was mirrored on the other side of Storybrooke. He chuckled and softly shook his head when he thought about lunch tomorrow. At least it would give the town something new to gossip about: the Evil Queen having lunch with Prince Charming and the boy they were co-parenting. That scenario was not in any Disney movie David Nolan remembered.