1367 words this chapter. I must warn you. Emma is mean here to someone which may be especially disturbing. Just stay with me please.

Chapter Seven

Killian and Ruby arrived in the hospital. They heard a lot of yelling and screaming, and followed it. They found David standing across from the nurses' station trying to calm Doctor Whale. It wasn't working.

"Why are you here?" screamed the doctor at him. "Shouldn't you be out keeping Storybrooke safe?"

"Doctor, your co-workers called me, they're concerned."

"They're concerned about me? They can't do simple tasks!" he cried. He turned to his poor staff. "You people call yourself professionals?" he screamed.

"Victor?"

He looked at Ruby. "Oh, look who it is! The hussy in the short skirts and tight pants who has the nerve to accuse me of groping!"

"I'm so sorry," she said, taking a step closer.

"Easy, lass," cautioned Killian. "He's enraged."

"Yeah, Ruby. He's not himself."

She shook her head. "He's OK. Aren't you?" she asked. He looked at her and scoffed. "Victor, I am so sorry. I didn't know what I was thinking or doing earlier."

"Really?" he asked, an evil smirk on his lips. "You actually think, do you?"

Ruby shook her head, looking back at David and Kilian. "I did this, didn't I?" asked Ruby. "Somehow I made him I like this."

"We don't know that for sure," said David, but he couldn't ignore the coincidence.

"Perhaps, Lass, however you are recovered."

"Yeah, how?"

Both men shook their heads.

Whale shook his head. "Well, as stimulating as all of you are," he said, moving out of the nurse's station. "I have patients."

"I don't think that's a good idea," said David, stepping in front of him.

"Not in this bloody condition, Mate."

The doctor let out a nasty laugh. "I'm fine."

"You aren't!" cried Ruby, "If I somehow infected you..."

"Then Whale could do it to others," said David.

"Don't be preposterous," said Whale. "Get out of my way!"

"Not until we make sure there isn't something wrong with you," said Dave.

Behind him, he saw a nurse, wearing gloves by the way, approaching the doctor with a needle. He kept Whale's attention as the nurse quietly snuck up behind the doctor and quickly grabbed his arm.

"What? Let go!"

Killian and David swept in, grabbing the doctor by his sleeved arms, holding him still. The nurse rolled up one sleeve a bit and administered the shot.

They held onto him until he calmed and began to collapse. They then put him on a stretcher.

"That stuff works fast," said David, pointing to the syringe.

The nurse smiled. "It does."

"Keep him restrained, away from others. His touch may..." Dave sighed. "We think it causes, um, problems. If he's like the others, he should be fine in a while. You probably should run some tests, rule out any normal kind of infection."

The nurse nodded.

Dave looked at Ruby.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean..."

"You're not to blame, Love."

"You seem fine, so are the dwarves," said David. "Why isn't Emma better?"

Killian shook his head.

"I was about to call Gold, ask for his help," said the deputy, "Then this call came in. I'd like to stay for the results, make sure we don't have a medical epidemic on our hands."

"I'd wager this epidemic is of the magical sort."

"Yeah, but we need facts, not guesses."

"Poor Victor," said Ruby, looking at the sleeping doctor.

"Think hard, did you touch anyone else?" asked David.

Ruby thought. "No. I...it's strange, I didn't want to touch anyone. It's like...I was trying to...I don't know, protect them? I remember being scared then angry when Victor bumped me."

"That's interesting," said David.

Whale was moved into a quarantined room. Once things quieted, Dave called Gold.

Killian watched David's frustrated face as he talked to Gold, then suddenly stared at the phone. "Unbelievable, he blew me off. He doesn't think it concerns him."

Killian shook his head. "It sounds unfortunately like the Dark one."

David sighed. "And we have some...infection maybe, going through town with no answers."

"As of yet, David. We shall get them, rest assured. Where is Emma now?"

Her father sighed again, deeply. "She said she was going home. Hopefully she won't touch anyone, if that's what's causing this."

"Perhaps we should visit her, persuade her to join the Doctor in one of those closed rooms, away from others."

David shook his head. "I can't, not without proof. She's still the sheriff. She already threatened to fire me just for asking questions."

"Fire?" asked the pirate.

David chuckled. "Terminate my employment."

Killian frowned. "She actually threatened that course of action?"

"She did."

The pirate cursed. "What has happened to our Swan?"

David shook his head.

Emma avoided everyone. It wasn't easy. Mary-Margaret kept leaving messages. She hadn't seen Killian, but if she knew that stubborn pirate, he wouldn't give up. He was bound to be around, stalking her.

Then she had the phone call she dreaded.

"Henry."

"Hey, Mom. So...how about pizza tonight, huh? I don't have any homework so I thought we could watch a movie."

"Um..."

"You OK?"

She closed her eyes and had to will herself not to scream. "I'm...fine, Henry."

"OK. So, I'll be over in a bit."

"No!"

Silence.

"I mean, not tonight. I don't...feel well."

"Oh, well, I should come over anyway and take care of you."

She felt a conflicted churning in her gut. She wanted to burst out begging his forgiveness and at the same time she wanted to yell at him to stay away from her.

"I really can't...have you over.."

"Mom..."

"Just...stay away. I need to go. Stay with Regina. She loves you." She hung up, feeling sick. In fact, she ran to the bathroom and vomited.

What the hell? She loved Henry. She did everything for him, to have him in her life. Now she pushed him away? Why?

Meanwhile, Ruby, Dave, and Killain stayed at the hospital. Soon the nurse came back.

"We got the test results," she said. "Everything's normal."

David sighed. "So...it's probably magic."

"As we thought," said Killian.

"I don't know what caused his behavior," said the nurse, "but he's awake now and acting perfectly fine."

"Can I see him?" asked Ruby.

"The other doctor has released him from medical quarantine," said the nurse. "I'm sorry we don't have answers."

"Thanks," said David.

They all went to see Whale. As soon as he saw Ruby he winced. "Oh, Lord, the things I said..."

"Were no worse than the horrible things I said to you," answered Ruby. She hugged him.

"I'm so sorry," he said.

"Me too."

"How do you feel?" asked Dave.

"Fine. I...don't know what happened. I can't explain why..."

"Yeah," the deputy cut off. "We know."

"It would seem that we have our answer," said Killian.

"Hmm. It's transmitted by touch," said David. "Not that we know what it is or why Emma is still affected."

"Aye and that means she could continue to be a mean-spewing version of King Midas."

David chuckled at that. "I don't suppose you can quarantine Emma?"

Whale shook his head. "Not without a medical reason. We could run tests on her too, maybe something would show up."

"It would be incredibly hard to get her here," said David. "Plus, if we couldn't contain her...the people she could affect."

Killian nodded. "Under no circumstances can we permit her to touch anyone else." They all nodded. "To that end, I shall keep watch over her, from afar."

David looked at him and slowly smiled. "Somehow, I think you'd be doing that without my OK." Killian shot back a cheeky grin. "Fine, but be careful, Hook and don't..." He sighed. "Keep in mind that she can't help it."

"I'm well aware, Dave. I swear to you that I will not allow any more harm to come to her." He gave a small bow and left.

End of Chapter Seven