The hospital was a maze of commotion. Several people were shouting outside at the doors, demanding entrance. The dwarves were kindly making certain nobody entered. Leroy gave him a nod and pointed towards the back.
"She didn't look good," he said.
David looked at the crowd and raised an eyebrow in question.
"They're here to see if Marian's back," Leroy explained, "Apparently they think she's their ticket home. They can't seem to get the fact that she's sick. Mother Superior is working on enchantments to protect her privacy."
"How does Robin look?" David asked. He knew what his old friend was like when Marian was in danger. He was silently cringing at what Nathan Ford's reaction would be.
"It's not good," Leroy said, "I've never seen such fear in his eyes. Even last time when…" He paused, getting his emotions in check. He swallowed back whatever he was going to say and spoke gently. "This is worse than that. It's like he doesn't have a soul."
David took that news with a grain of salt.
"Okay," he said, "I want you and the rest of the dwarves to keep these doors blocked until Mother Superior is finished. If I have to I will check with the other fairies and see if there is something I can do. I'll try to keep you updated on Marian's progress."
"What do you want us to do if Regina arrives?"
There was a question. Charming wasn't quite sure what he wanted to do. Part of him wanted to deny her the right to even be near her little sister. His gut was telling him she might be responsible for this mess. But the other part, the part of his conscious that sounded exactly like Snow and held some semblance of humanity, that part knew it wasn't the right thing to do.
"Let her through," he said. Then, when it looked like Leroy was about to argue with his verdict, he finished his orders. "Warn her that her magic is absolutely not allowed. It's also up to her if she wants Henry to see this. I don't know how Marian will react but she is her sister. Regina has more right to see her than any of us."
"Alright," the dwarf said, "but I want you to know that I don't like it."
"I know," David smiled despite the situation. Then he raced inside to find out what else was happening.
He was amazed to find himself bumping into Rumpelstilskin first of all people. The Dark One looked at him with equal parts fear and equal parts disgust. His fingers shook as he tried to help the temporary sheriff back to his feet. The man looked completely disheveled, an odd look on someone so evil.
"What happened?" David asked. He figured jumping right into things would be for the best.
"I don't know," Gold replied, "She just came into my shop, looking for something. She was babbling and talking in nonsense."
"Does she remember?" The prince asked.
Gold paused. The expression on his face was very telling. There was something akin to the look of guilt flittering about his features. If there was one thing you didn't want to see on your old enemy's face…
David let his temper get the best of him. He pulled the older man towards him by the lapels of his jacket. Then he made certain both of their faces were nose to nose of each other.
"What did you do?" He asked.
Rumpelstilskin opened his mouth to answer when something caught the corner of their eye. Doctor Wales had just exited the trauma room. He looked worn and tired. Red marks were covering bits and pieces of his clothing. He was carrying a clipboard but his shoulders were sagging with the weight of the world. He wasn't carrying good news then.
David stepped forward to receive the information the doctor carried. Unfortunately he was a little too late.
"How is she?"
The question flew out of Nathan Ford's lips before David even had a moment to say something. The mastermind wasn't even looking towards them. His eyes were glued on the doctor and his body language suggested he knew something was going on. His shoulders continued to slump as he observed the doctor before him.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Ford," Dr. Wales replied, "but I can't give any information on Ms. Devereaux's condition to anyone who is not family or police."
Nate grabbed the doctor by his lapels and slammed him into the wall before anybody could react. Eliot and Hardison snapped to attention while Gold and David mirrored them on the mastermind's left. Parker stood staring at the others as if they were the ones in the wrong.
"I am family!" He shouted.
Wales' eyes shot to David, asking permission. The temporary sheriff nodded his head in approval. It was best if they all found out quickly. Besides, in their world, Sophie was Nate's wife.
"Alright," Dr. Wales said, "but I won't tell you anything until you let me go."
The mastermind complied immediately. He dropped the man and stepped away as if burned. The doctor took his time before explaining the situation. He wasn't from their world. He didn't understand just how dangerous Robin Hood could be.
"Ms. Devereaux's condition is critical but stable," he said, "She had lacerations from her elbow to wrist on both arms, self-inflicted. Her hands were also covered with cuts and bruises. Honestly, the amount of blood loss should have killed her or at the very least put her into a coma."
"Are you saying…?" Nate paused and everybody could hear the crack in his breath. It was the loudest thing going on in the room. "Are you saying she's…?"
Dr. Wales actually took pity on the man. "Her mental status is what's in question right now. We don't know what spurred this kind of torment. From what Mr. Gold told me she was disoriented when she appeared in his room. This could be a symptom of something bigger. Her CT scans came up negative but I want her to have an MRI and do more tests before I clear her of any internal damage. Whatever is going on, it has a catalyst."
"You're saying something triggered this kind of reaction?" Eliot asked.
He apparently had some medical expertise. He definitely understood where this conversation was going. He was just far too interested in the little looks Wales kept throwing David's way. He probably suspected there was more than met the eye going on.
"Until we know what; I think it would be most advisable to leave her here," Wales said, "We've got her sedated right now-"
"Can we see her?" Nate sounded far too desperate. Whoever he was now, he was nothing compared Robin. He seemed afraid of losing, a coward. Robin was never a coward. He was always the first to believe in miracles. What changed?
His mind you idiot, David thought scornfully, he doesn't even know who he is anymore. Everything he wasn't in their world, he was now. That included a coward and a jerk.
Wales turned towards David expectantly. He opened his mouth and struggled to find the right words to say. Luckily, Regina chose that moment to make an appearance.
"Where is she?" She said, pulling Henry along with her protectively. "Where's my sister?"
Rumpelstilskin and Eliot both moved as one to block her. Their eyes were narrowed in her direction, both for very different reasons.
"Your sister is currently sedated and resting," Wales explained, "I was just about to explain that she can't have any visitors."
"Is she going to be alright?" That was Henry. He was a little hero in the making. He had to be. He was Emma's son and Snow White's grandson. The only thing he was missing was Marian's guidance. And that only added another pang to Prince Charming's chest.
Dr. Wales nodded his head. His eyes fell on the prince. They needed to talk in private and soon. That's when they turned on each other.
"This is all your fault!" Regina screamed. She was angled towards the mastermind now. Her hands were on her hips the exact same way Marian's usually were. Fire was burning in her eyes. David could almost make out the red glow in them.
"My fault?" Nate sounded scandalized, "How the hell is this my fault?"
Regina pushed against his chest and invaded his personal space. "You were supposed to get her out of here," she said, "You said you were getting her out of here."
"I did everything I could!" Nate shouted, "You're the reason she is going through this mess right now! You're the one who kicked her out!"
"And you're the one who brought her back!"
"We both know that's not true," Nate hissed, "You're the one who impersonated Henry."
Henry looked absolutely stunned by this new development. He wasn't the only one. David couldn't help but notice the way the three young thieves were looking at each other. They looked unsure as to what to do. Mr. Gold was slowly fading into the shadows. Whatever defense he was originally planning to make, it was no longer an option.
"What?" The little boy asked, "Mom?"
Regina looked absolutely stricken. She hesitated for just a moment and that was all the information the boy needed. He bowed his head and stepped away. He shook his head in disbelief.
"Henry," Regina sighed, "You needed somebody… somebody who wasn't..."
"You bitch!"
Out of nowhere, Sophie Devereaux appeared. She tackled the former mayor to the ground easily. Then she wrapped her hands around her neck and squeezed as tightly as possible. Her tiny fists were going a million miles a minute as she tried to squeeze the life right on out of her sister.
"Murderer!" She hissed.
Eliot and several orderlies went into action immediately. The hitter was struggling to pull the grifter off. So were the orderlies. It was almost as if by magic, a worrying thing. Her legs were locked and nobody seemed able to get her off. The former mayor was slowly turning purple.
"I trusted you," Sophie growled, "How could you do this to me? How could you do this to him?"
The grifter grew more hysterical with every breath. She kept saying "him" and "why?" She never mentioned names, never mentioned anything that could lead them to her past. But her words hinted at knowledge that wasn't theirs. Regina was slowly dying by her own sister's hands and nothing could be done to stop it. Not even the five full grown men trying to pluck the grifter off of her.
"You bitch," Sophie cried, "You're going to pay."
"Sophie," Hardison yelled, panic clearly enveloping his every move. "Sophie, let her go."
"No," Sophie shook her head, "No, I have to make her pay. She needs to die… Oh God! Oh God! She… she's ruined everything."
"Soph, let her go," Eliot cried, gripping her wrists and pulling with all his might, "Sophie, you're killing her."
"She deserves to die," Sophie cried, "She has to die… please."
"Sophie, stop!"
Nate's voice echoed through the room with power and conviction. His ashen white features were enough to pull the grifter away from her crime. Her black eyes found his and she immediately released her sister. Her face fell and her sadness beat its way through the halls.
"No," she cried, tears falling from her eyes. The orderlies injected something into her and held on until it would have effect. "No! Not this! He can't come back from this. OH God, he's going to hate me. He can't survive another one. How could you do this to us?"
She kicked out her leg and it connected. Regina screamed as her sister's foot connected with her rib. The orderlies struggled with the grifter until she finally slipped under the spell of the drugs within. Then the mastermind stepped forward. Silence filled the room as everybody watched him move. He grabbed onto the grifter and pulled her right into his embrace. He pulled her legs and body into his arms, cradling her as if she were a baby. He picked her up and gently asked where to take her. Dr. Wales didn't even question them. He nodded to the nurse and gave his full permission. But a few of her words stuck out.
"He can't survive another one." What did that mean and who was the he?
"You should come with me," he said, pointing to Regina with angry eyes.
"Mom?" Henry asked. David had never seen the boy looking so disturbed. He quickly squeezed his grandson's shoulder and directed him to follow. It was best to get the rest of the story as soon as possible.
"Let me take a look at your neck," Wales said. Regina complied and there were barely even seconds of silence before he was explaining the details as far as Marian was concerned. "Her brain scans show no sign of memories having resurfaced. That being said, her attack on Regina could mean they are starting to."
"So Marian has returned?" David asked, glaring daggers at Regina despite himself. Sure, the woman was lucky to be alive but what did she do to earn that kind of reaction from her much gentler sister?
"Not necessarily," Wales explained, "You see, due to the delicacy of the situation. I'd say she's suffering from a nervous breakdown."
"Nervous breakdown?" Regina's voice sounded rough to everyone's ears, but the concern couldn't be doubted. "How?"
"Something spurred her on." Wales looked genuinely upset by the very idea of it. "My guess is that Mr. Ford's instinct to remove her from Storybrooke was right. You said Jefferson called her before his attack on Mr. Gold?"
"Yeah," David nodded, "In fact he warned her not to come. She sent people immediately."
"I'm guessing that is something both Sophie and Marian have in common." Wales immediately finished his work with Regina and gave her a prescription for pain killers. "That could have been the trigger."
"She's suffering from the same thing Jefferson was," Regina gasped, "I told that bastard to get her out of here as soon as possible."
"You're the one who brought her here," Henry growled.
"I only did that because I thought she would help you, henry. I didn't trigger anything."
"This town itself was the trigger," David sighed, "She just needed somebody to pull it."
"It sounds like you have somebody in mind," Wales sighed.
"Yeah," David growled, "and he was the one who didn't try to stop Marian from killing her own sister."
%%%%
"Dr. Wales said you are only allowed a few minutes with the patient," the nurse said. She was busy fixing the many tubes pumping fluid into and out of the grifter. She plucked at the blanket and smoothed it out. Then she fluffed the pillow while she checked the brunette's vitals. "I'm going to allow you to break that rule. You have to be gone before he gets here though. She needs her rest."
"Thank you," Nate replied. He gave the woman a one hundred dollar bill and made his way to the grifter's side. He ignored the nurse completely after that. He wasn't even aware of the moment when she left. His eyes were solely on Sophie.
"Dammit!" He hit the wall, his anger and frustration too much for him to handle. He immediately regretted the action as pain flared through his arm and up to his shoulder. He was going to have to pain for the hole in the wall as well.
"Why couldn't you just leave when I told you to?"
Great, now he was angry at Sophie. All he wanted was to remove her from the problem. He should have drugged her like Parker suggested. They would have been out of danger days ago. Sophie would be home; complaining about his drinking and his double standards as far as the team was concerned. He'd be drinking because he was thinking about all of the possibilities of her past in Storybrooke, not to mention what would have happened.
Honestly, they both would have been a lot happier.
"But you kept refusing to leave," he cursed.
He hated this. He hated feeling vulnerable. He hated seeing her like this. She was supposed to be the strong one. She was always pushing him to do better, do the right thing. She was always comforting the others and taking care of their needs. He was the one who got shot, or beaten or tortured or Eliot was. Her job was to talk everybody out of pain, and their wallets.
But she was the one currently in the hospital bed.
His eyes fell on the crisp, white bandages wrapped around her dainty wrists. Wales said they were self-inflicted. He said she cut her wrists on purpose. Why would she do that? What could have happened in her past to make her do that?
Nothing. She wasn't the suicidal type. No, she was trying to… trying to.
She was trying to bleed out the past. Nate hated the thought that entered his mind at that. He hated the very idea that Sophie would be responsible for her own demise. But her words were still ringing.
"He can't survive another one," she had said. She also alluded to great stream of misfortunes to the both of them. He had to be the person she was talking about. But what was she talking about? Did she have a miscarriage? Did she think she was dying? Another one what? Surely it wasn't a child. She wouldn't cut her wrists if she was pregnant.
Unless she was pregnant no longer.
Did she think he would rebuke her for it? Maybe she thought he wouldn't be able to handle it so she decided to end his suffering and it just became too much for her. But she was certain it was Regina's fault. The loss of a baby wouldn't be her sister's fault. She hadn't been stressed by her in the slightest. It would have been Jefferson's fault.
Why would she try to take her own life?
"Oh Sophie," Nate groaned, staring at the unconscious grifter with sadness etching itself into his bones, "What were you thinking?"
Then he calmly placed a kiss on her forehead. Doctor Wales entered with a stern look directed the mastermind's way. Nate nodded at the order. He walked towards the door reluctantly, casting worried glances the grifter's way as he went. Then he opened the door to face the worried members of his team.
%%%%%%
"What were you thinking?"
Robin winced at his wife's angry tone. He finished stringing his fifteenth bow and started on his sixteenth, ignoring her for the moment in favor of more important tasks. He could hear her moving around, huffing with the power of her anger. Then the highly familiar sound of a bowstring breaking sounded off. He flinched at the cursed sound and immediately rolled his eyes at his lovely wife's play. He rolled his eyes again before speaking.
"It was the right thing to do, Marian."
"The right thing to do," she howled, taking a scandalized breath probably filled to the brim with torment for him, "You declared war!"
"I pledged my allegiance to Snow and her prince," he replied with a roll of his eyes, "I made no declaration of war."
"We agreed to be neutral," Marian huffed, arms crossing over her chest in misery.
Robin sighed in anguish. He promptly ceased his wonderful job of ignoring her in favor of acknowledging her words and turned to face her. He bit back his first impulse to laugh at her chewing away on her bottom lip. He took a deep breath and strained to look deeply into her eyes. She childishly made the job difficult by moving petulantly until he was forced to invade her personal space and wrench her by the chin so their eyes could meet.
"Snow's your daughter," he said, "And don't you dare argue with me. You know full-well that you were the one who raised that girl into the wonderful woman she is today."
"Regina did her best," Marian argued.
"Regina did nothing!" Robin shouted, "For years I have sat by and watched Regina receive the credit for everything you have done for Snow. You're the one who taught her the proper ways of a lady of the court. Regina was too busy plotting and forcing her wickedness upon you."
"Regina's my sister!" Marian cried, grief finally falling on her features, "We agreed to be neutral because this battle is between my little Snow and my sister. They are my family, Robin."
Robin immediately cupped his hand upon his wife's cheek. He stared mournfully towards her, knowing the horrors she was about to face. She took his comfort despite their different views.
"I'm sorry, my love," he cooed, "but I can sit on the sidelines no longer. You're going to have to choose between them as well."
"Robin, we cannot fight this war," Marian urged, tears developing in her eyes.
"I have to, Marian. I can't let her hurt Snow anymore. She's your sister but I will do anything to protect Snow. I hope you can live with that."
The notorious thief kissed her on the forehead. He walked away with the knowledge that she had a long list of things to think about. He knew this decision would destroy her in some way. He just hoped she would forgive him though.
"I'm pregnant."
The thief froze at the announcement. He turned towards his wife with eyes blown wide. Those bright blue eyes fell towards her stomach. The look of fear was clearly written all over his features.
"I tried to tell you," Marian said, shrugging in defeat.
Robin raced towards her, wrapping his arms around her in fear he would lose her right then and there. He squeezed her with all his might, pretending he didn't just doom them both. Then he whispered into her ear.
"We have to choose."
