A/N: Hello, my darling readers! I literally just got back from my trip to Las Vegas just a few hours ago, so my body is all out of whack and I can barely think straight right now! lol But alas, I have finally regained access to my laptop and can update! Thank you so much for your patience, reviews, and ongoing support. Some of you reacted very strongly to the previous chapter, but I'm sorry I'm not sorry! hahaha! Like I said, I'm an evil author. =) Onwards to the next chapter! xx IFHD
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Chapter 5: That Which is Born of True Love
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Inspired by:
"Kissing You"
By: Des'ree
Pride can stand
A thousand trials
The strong will never fall
But watching stars without you
My soul cried
Heaving hard is full of pain
Oh, oh, the aching
'Cos I'm kissing you, oh
I'm kissing you
Touch me deep
Pure and true
Gift to me forever
'Cos I'm kissing you, oh
I'm kissing you
Yeah hey
Yeah
Where are you now?
Where are you now?
'Cos I'm kissing you
I'm kissing you, ohh
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Emma's expression screamed of unbridled distress as David placed two, steady fingers upon the pirate's neck. She attempted to clean the warm blood off of her hands, wiping them frantically upon her jeans, and then willed her attention back to Killian's body below her. Dreading the worst, she sputtered, "I-is...is he...?"
"His pulse is weak," David finally announced with a sigh. His blue eyes flickered with worry as he met his daughter's stunned stare, "and he's fading fast."
Emma's panic reduced slightly at the news that Killian was still alive. However, adrenaline continued to pump through her system as she learned of his deteriorating state. She resolved that couldn't waste anymore time; focusing on her shock wasn't the priority at this moment. As she stood, she pulled Hook's immobile body up with her, sitting him in an upright position. David immediately shot forward to help. Emma slung the pirate's right arm around her shoulders and David slung the pirate's left arm around his. They hoisted him up to his debilitated feet in unison. Hysteria refused to abate within the young woman as she declared: "We need to get him to the hospital now!"
With the help of Mary Margaret and Granny along the way, they hauled the unconscious pirate through the forest and back towards civilization. Luckily, they didn't encounter any more of Cora's minions, though Granny was prepared to defend with her loaded crossbow the entire journey back. Emma couldn't determine how long it took them to reach the hospital; her sense of time became slowed, almost to the point of stagnation. She could barely hear the instructions that David and Mary Margaret were giving her concerning how to carry Hook and which path to take. Emma still moved at a good speed, but her feet had suddenly become numb, akin to the rest of her body. Truly, she felt as though she were the one who needed to be hospitalized at the moment.
Emma didn't falter for a second as soon as they reached the front of the hospital. When she burst through the threshold of the automatic sliding doors of the entrance, she called out frantically, "Dr. Whale! Dr. Whale!"
In the mean time, Mary Margaret and David rushed to place the pirate on an empty bed with the help of one of the charge nurses. After a few moments of scouring the building for any sign of Whale, Emma's distress grew when she realized just how deserted the hospital was. Seeing only two nurses in total at the moment - who eyed her with bewildered expressions - she directed her question to them. "Where's the doctor?"
"He left an hour ago to join the hunting party," a petite, red-headed nurse replied succinctly. She frowned when she saw Emma's tightened expression and promptly explained, "He asked us to stay here just in case..."
Emma released a frustrated groan. She couldn't care less about where Whale was gallivanting off to right now - even if it were to hunt for Cora; Hook's matter was more pressing at the moment. She attempted to calm her rising emotions before pleading, "Please get on the phone and tell him to get here as soon as possible! This is an emergency!"
Feeling her haste, the red-head nodded obediently and bolted from the room. The other nurse, who had helped them earlier, did her best to survey Hook's state and dress his wound. While retaining her composure, she hooked him up to an IV and a portable cardiac monitor.
Emma eyed the beeping machine nervously.
They hadn't been too late.
Albeit weak, Hook's heart continued to beat in a steady rhythm.
Even though the nurse was doing as much as she can on her own, Emma was still tense as she plopped down on the chair at the side of the bed. Mary Margaret placed a hand on her shoulder for comfort while David and Granny keenly observed the nurse do her best with the newly-admitted patient. To relieve some of the anxiety and stress in the room, Dr. Whale appeared several minutes later, bursting through the paired swinging doors unannounced. The red-headed nurse jogged to his side and handed him his lab coat and gloves; the doctor readied himself.
Emma shot up from the chair at his sight. "Dr. Whale," she greeted tersely.
"Emma! I was on my way back when I received a call..." He gave her a nod while purposely striding towards Hook's form. He shot the young woman a questioning look. "What happened? Who is he?"
"He's been stabbed. It happened just a few minutes ago." Emma gulped. She didn't feel the need to relay anymore information that that to the doctor. She chose her next words carefully: "He's a...a friend. He's not from around here."
Dr. Whale paused for a few moments, eyeing Emma with a hint of doubt. Not from around here? he thought, but didn't pursue the topic any further. He gave her a firm nod. "Alright. I'll do my best to help him."
"Doctor?"
The red-headed nurse reappeared at his side. A look of concern flushed over her round face as she shakily pointed to the cardiac monitor.
All within the room followed her gesture.
None of them needed to go to medical school to recognize that the images that they were seeing before them didn't resemble a normal heart beating. The zigzagged lines were now moving upon the screen as though they were agitated sound waves; their movements were so erratic and abnormal that, even with his many years of experience in the field, it was something that Dr. Whale had never seen before.
Emma grabbed the bed's railing while she examined Hook's form. Her eyes widened once more. "Dr. Whale, what's happening to him?"
"I don't know, Emma." The doctor checked the bandaged wound, then listened to Killian's heartbeat with his stethoscope. "It's the first time I've ever seen anything like this. The cardiac readings...they're highly abnormal, and..."
Suddenly, the line on the monitor went dead.
The long, steady beeping sound ensued.
"I can't read a pulse." Dr. Whale announced, his face ripping with consternation. Panic flashed through his eyes. What the hell just happened? Frantically, he and the nurse began cardiopulmonary resuscitation, finding no other recourse. However, even after several cycles, Killian didn't stir. The nurse continued the procedure as Dr. Whale injected the pirate with a green liquid that was unfamiliar to any of the onlookers. The doctor waited a few more moments for a response to his last-ditch treatment, but still received nothing. After a few more, tense moments, Dr. Whale stepped back, turned to face Emma regretfully, and sighed, "I'm sorry, Emma. There's nothing else I can do."
Emma felt as though the world around her had suddenly imploded. It didn't take long before the beeping of the flatline on the monitor became too unbearable for the young woman; the sound's effects felt like shards of glass digging into every inch of her skin. Even before David, Mary Margaret, or Granny could say a word to her, Emma promptly exited the hospital, overcome by emotions haphazardly colliding within her. A part of her didn't want the others to see just how affected she was by these turn of events; yet, another part of her also couldn't believe just how much she was being affected. Her audible breaths were shallow, her chest heaving up and down visibly, as though she were hyperventilating. The unwelcome words eventually trickled into her mind, despite her best efforts to block them out:
Hook is dead.
"Emma?"
She heard Mary Margaret's steady footfalls sound behind her. She couldn't immediately respond to her mother's voice.
Mary Margaret paused for a few moments, then tried once more in the same, soothing tone, "Emma, you need to rest."
Eventually, Emma lifted her forehead from the palms of her hands and found her voice. "I will, Mary Margaret, but..." her eyes darted back to the entrance of the hospital, "...I think I'll stay here for a little while longer."
"But..."
"He saved my life," Emma said firmly with the shake of her head, "whether we like to admit it or not."
Mary Margaret's furrowed brows cleared at this statement; neutrality set upon her countenance. She finally nodded in acceptance a few moments later as she embraced her daughter tightly. Tears began to form in her eyes. "Call me if you need anything, sweetie. Anything at all." She cupped Emma's face in her soft hands and waited until the young woman met her eyes. "I'll see you in the morning, okay?"
Despite a brave expression, Emma's voice faltered. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Don't worry."
Mary Margaret escorted Emma back inside, arm in arm. After sharing a few words with Dr. Whale and discussing the procedures for deceased patients, Emma said farewell to Mary Margaret, David and Granny. As they exited the room, she sat by Hook's bedside once more. The doctor and nurses allowed her to have some privacy.
Though Emma wasn't sobbing, she could feel rivulets of tears streaming down her face as she observed the pirate's peaceful form. It is true that, most of the time, you never realize what is there until it's gone, Emma thought. She still expected the pirate to open his eyes, throw her a salacious smirk, and recite his bawdy poetry until, well, eternity. But no. He remained so still, so undisturbed, that she perceived some sort of innocence about him - the part of him that had either been lost so long ago, or the part of him that he had just expertly masked throughout the years. Whatever the case may have been, it hadn't deterred him from taking the final blow for her, to sacrifice himself with full knowledge of the consequences. She still couldn't believe that he had done that; out of all the people in Storybrooke, he would've been her last guess for the person most willing to put others before himself. But the fact remained: he had placed his life on the line, and he did it for her.
And now, he paid the ultimate price for it.
Before she even knew what she was doing, Emma found herself on her feet and slowly making her way to the pirate's side. Her eyes never left him. She reached out, ever so slowly, and gingerly traced the side of his face with the tips of her fingers; his skin was devoid of the warmth and glow that she had come to know. With a shaking voice, she whispered: "Thank you, Killian."
She then bent forward and placed her lips upon his.
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Emma didn't know how long she had stayed by Hook's bedside. The hours passed, and despite the concerned glances and comments from the nurses who periodically checked up on the young woman, she refused to leave the pirate's side. When fatigue had begun to claim her entirely, she resolved to rest her head upon the mattress adjacent Hook's chest, just for a little while. However, the next words that she consciously heard were: "Emma? Emma, wake up."
Bright light then invaded her flickering eyes, signalling to her almost immediately that she had spent more than 'a little while' at the hospital. She awoke with a start. She attempted to reorient herself, sitting back from the bed, and curiously eyed the place upon the mattress where her upper body had lain. A slight pounding resounded in her head, and she felt her muscles aching in protest as a result of the awkward sleeping position. She now felt a comforting hand on her shoulder, then a few, light pats on her upper back. Through squinted eyes, Emma could discern Mary Margaret's blurry form peering down at her. "W-what time is it?"
"7:15 A.M.," The pixie-haired woman answered as she handed Emma a cup of coffee and a paper bag filled with breakfast. She dragged a nearby chair and took a seat beside her daughter. "I was a bit worried when I didn't find you at your apartment this morning. I called the hospital, and the nurse let me know that you were still here and that you stayed the night."
"Yeah, I…" Emma's eyes fell upon Mary Margaret's, darted towards the pirate's body, then rested upon her clasped hands, "I lost track of time and must've fallen asleep."
Mary Margaret nodded in understanding and cupped Emma's clasped hands with hers. "It was a long night."
The images from what had transpired just a few hours prior flashed through Emma's mind, and her expression couldn't help but exhibit her strewn emotions. She had been through a lot in her short life, yes, but she realized that her heart still wasn't hardened enough for near-death experiences and others sacrificing themselves for her. How many people had sacrificed themselves for her, including Mary Margaret and David? The count was getting high - way too high, she thought. Emma sighed, finding it difficult to ask, "What are we going to…um…how are we going to treat his…"
Mary Margaret knew precisely what she was trying to ask. Her voice was solemn as she answered, "David is starting to prepare the torches for the ritual."
Emma eyed her in confusion. "Torches? Ritual?"
"We're going to take Hook's body back to his ship, where he probably would want to be in the first place," Mary Margaret began, attempting to find the most euphemistic way to relay the information to her daughter, "then, we're going to cast the ship out to sail as it burns…"
"Cremation," Emma breathed out tersely.
"We just thought that a ship burial would be fitting for him."
"W-well, yeah, I agree." The young woman stood, trying to regain what little composure she had left. "I mean, I don't think he'd want to be buried here in Storybrooke. The sea is where he'd want to be…"
A comfortable silence passed between them.
"Look." Mary Margaret placed a hand upon the side of Emma's face. "Take a few more moments with him. We'll get the stretcher and ambulance ready."
Emma nodded, feeling more tears threatening to engulf her eyes. "Alright. I'll be right there."
She now stood alone for another few moments of silence. Emma knew she'd never be ready to let go, and that it would take more than several minutes to console her. But she couldn't think of only herself - especially not now. With firm resolve, she sucked in a breath, took one last look at Killian's body, and dragged her feet towards the entrance of the hospital room. As she reached the doors, however, she heard behind her:
"You will not burn my ship…or me, for that matter!"