"These latest brain scans are amazing," Dr. Whale said out loud. He was in his office looking at the latest scans he had performed on Regina. They had to strap her down to the hospital bed even more than before. He needed her not to be sedated in order to get these scans. Her brain activity was through the roof. Ever since the hallucinations had started her whole brain lit up on the scans.

The hallucinations were a little problematic, but he had specifically assigned nurses to watch over Regina who like him didn't mind seeing the former queen get hers. He ordered her gagged in addition to bound to the bed. She was being too vocal with the hallucinations – sometimes screaming, sometimes just pleading for help.

The strange white light that had happened the night before had occurred three more times, each time seeming to be stronger than the last.

He had already sent Tink away that morning telling her that it wasn't a good time and she should come back that afternoon. He would have to arrange for Regina to look a little more presentable before Tink or the sheriff was allowed to see her again.

It had been 11 hours since her hallucinations had started and so far she was the only one in that phase. He hadn't come up with anything even remotely helpful so far. While he was able to help with the pain the kids were experiencing, it wasn't enough.

Regina being sick still didn't make any sense. No other adult was sick. He had even allowed the parents in to the children's room and no one had contracted it. So what made Regina different? There had to be something there.

A knock to his door interrupted his thinking. His head nurse came in – a woman named Lila, who he had discovered to be most loyal. Her brother had been killed by Regina's army in the Enchanted Forest for speaking out against the queen so she was all in for whatever he wanted to do with Regina. "Her latest blood work," she said. "I think you will want to see this."

She laid two pieces of paper side by side in front of him.

He picked them both up, looking from one to the other. "This isn't possible," he said. "Test her again."

….

Emma's head started to droop, but she shook off the sleepiness and tried to concentrate on her work. She hadn't been able to get back to sleep the night before. She couldn't get comfortable no matter how hard she tried. When she decided to get up, she felt sore – especially around her wrists, which was the least of the strangeness that was feeling.

She kept seeing things just in her peripheral vision. As she was walking to her car that morning, she caught glimpse of movement to her right and when she turned for a second she could have sworn she saw Cora standing there. She was so shocked she actually fell back against her car.

Then she was on patrol and it happened again – only this time she saw a girl, a teenager, but she didn't get the chance to look twice at her before she disappeared. It took her a while to think of where she had seen her before and then she realized – she looked like a young Regina.

She figured it was stress. The last couple of days had been nothing but stress, and clearly it was affecting her mental state. It was the physical aches in her body she didn't understand. Her whole body felt stiff at times, and other times she would feel pain near her ankles or wrists. Her mouth felt dry too.

"Emma!"

"Tink? What are you doing here?"

"Whale has now put me off twice from seeing Regina. I think there is something wrong there. Will you come with me?"

"Yeah, let's go."

She followed Tink out and as she was passing one of the interrogation rooms she stopped. The door was open and there was someone in there. She stepped toward the door.

"Emma," Tink said. "What's wrong?"

Emma looked into the room. There was no one there.

"Nothing," Emma said. "I thought I saw … nevermind let's get to the hospital."

…

"As I tried to tell Tink earlier, I can't work if I am going to be constantly interrupted," Whale said as he escorted the two women up in the elevator. "Regina is in the next to the last stage of this thing and I should be working on a cure, not giving you two a tour."

"You could have let us come up on our own. You are the one who insisted on the escort," Emma said. She was liking Whale less and less the more she was around him. She understood that he too was stressed, but his behavior was going to the extreme.

They got the floor and Whale led them to the observation area. "I am going in her room," Emma said.

"Sheriff I can't risk you contracting this and spreading it around town."

"Your staff has been going in and out and so far no adults but Regina has gotten it so I will take my chances."

"Suit yourself."

He opened the door for her and she and Tink entered with him on their heels. Regina looked even worse than the day before. The bed was a little more propped up so she wasn't lying flat on her back. Her eyes were closed and she appeared to be sleeping. She approached the bed. The strain this disease had taken on her body was more apparent up close. Her skin was pale and dry, her lips cracked. She had lost weight to her already thin frame.

Emma had noticed she was no longer restrained but she could see the marks on Regina's wrist from where she had been strapped down. It was red and purplish as if it was bruised – maybe from pulling against it. Emma touched the wrist closest to her, her fingertips barely brushing over the area that looked the worst.

"Emma."

It was said so softly Emma wasn't sure she hadn't been hearing things but when she looked at Regina's face her eyes were open.

"Hey," Emma said giving her a small smile.

"He's waiting for me," she said her eyes already starting to close. "He's waiting and I have to go. You have to help me."

"See, I told you she isn't lucid," Whale said stepping forward. "She's been hallucinating all day."

"I … I have to leave. Have to get out of here. You help."

Her eyes closed and Emma swallowed suddenly feeling scared. She couldn't explain why but she felt fear—like she needed to flee this place.

"I hope you are now satisfied sheriff," Whale said.

"Yeah," Emma said backing up. She couldn't stop looking at Regina even as her mind was screaming at her to get out.

Whale didn't accompany them back to the elevator so it was just her and Tink.

"Sorry for bringing you here," Tink said. "I guess everything is ok, I mean as much as things can be ok with what is going on. I don't know, Whale gives me the creeps and when he wouldn't let me see Regina I got worried. Emma?"

"Huh, what?"

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," she said. "I just can't shake this feeling that Regina is running out of time."

"She is," Tink said bluntly. "After this, the pain will tear her apart."

"Thanks for not sugar coating it."

"Sorry," she said.

Emma fell silent and Tink watched her as Emma unconsciously rubbed at her wrist.

….

"I gave her a full dose of sedative," the nurse said to Whale. "She shouldn't have woken up."

"There is nothing we can do about it now," he said looking at Regina. "The second set of blood tests confirmed the first ones. Somehow this virus has mutated inside of her. While it's nearly identical to the original virus, even the smallest of changes can change the course of a disease. It could kill her faster or slower, there is no way of knowing."

"She is no longer of any use for trying to cure the children, is she?"

"No," he said frustrated. "We need to find the answer elsewhere. I still want her monitored and tested. I am not done with her yet."

…

Regina opened her eyes. Emma, she thought, where did Emma go? She tried to move and again found she was bound to the bed. Her mind was foggy and it felt like each thought was taking about 10 minutes to form in her mind before she comprehended it. Her mind was telling her she needed to leave this place. She had somewhere else she was supposed to be. She looked down at the straps and used her magic to make them fall off.

Step one, she thought. She moved down the bed, past the sideboards and let her feet dangle from the edge. Standing, she needed to try standing. Two women came running into the room. "Miss Mills you have to lie back down," one of them said.

"He's waiting for me," she said waving her hand and both women fell back asleep.

She let her feet make contact with the floor and kept her hand on the bed to keep from falling.

Step two, she thought, now if I can actually take some steps. It was slow going, and her body ached with each movement she made but she made it to the door and using the walls to lean against she made her way to the elevator. She stared at the two buttons –one triangle up, one a triangle down – which one did she want? She couldn't get her mind to tell her so she touched the one easiest for her to touch – the down button.

Once the doors opened she stumbled into the elevator landing on her knees first and then rolling over so she was sitting.

"Stand up you foolish girl."

She looked up to see her mother standing there.

"Do I have to do everything?" Cora said and she reached to touch one of the elevator buttons. Regina felt the carriage begin to move down. "Stand up Regina."

Regina reached for the wall and pulled herself up. She leaned her whole body against the back of the elevator.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Well I am sure I don't know. This is your mind trip, not mine."

"But I am going somewhere," Regina said.

The doors opened and she made her way out. She heard another "Miss Mills," and saw another nurse. She waved her hand again and the woman fell back asleep. Her mind told her it would be easier if all of them were asleep, all except the children. She cast a spell and she saw people drop where they stood.

Better, her mind told her. Now you can leave.

She used the wall to move and stopped at the nearest room. Inside was a child on a bed, his parents were asleep on the floor.

"He's sick," Regina said.

"They are all sick."

"Why?"

"Because some things shouldn't be messed with," Cora said.

"I want to help," Regina said.

"Of course you do," Cora said dismissively. "Ever trying to make up for your own sins."

Regina ignored her and went into the room. The boy was shivering cold under a set of blankets. Regina placed her hand on his forehead, which was hot with fever. "Why does this seem familiar?" she asked her mother, who was standing in the doorway.

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

Regina looked at the boy; his suffering was like a chain pulling on her heart. Her hand lit up with magic – the white light infusing the boy's body. He opened his eyes and looked at her. "Who are you?" he asked.

"I … I don't know."

She stumbled back from him and exited the room. In each room she found a child and placed a hand on him or her, calling forth the magic inside of her. After the last one, she felt her strength all but tapped.

"Are we quite done here?" Cora asked.

Regina was barely keeping herself upright. "Why is this familiar?" she asked again. "Why mother?"

But Cora was gone and her mind was telling her something else – no reminding of something that it had been trying to tell her since she woke.

"He's waiting for me," she said as she left the last child healed in her bed and made her way once again to the elevators. "I have to leave. He's waiting for me."