AN: This chapter is a tad bit long, but that's what I was planning on xD. Chapter updates won't always be this frequent, but I'm trying xD. I worked a full day on this chapter so I hope you'll like it. Also, please feel free to leave a review with some feedback, so I know what I'm doing right and wrong :) Thank youuu.
-Sav
I felt nothing but agony, like needles piercing every inch of my body. But the needles I felt, turned to knives... then swords, and chainsaws, as if they were cutting away every limb and bone from my body. The inability to move or even flutter my eyelids open for a moment made my skin crawl in fear and discomfort.
I felt hands linger around my body, pulling me free of whatever wreckage I was currently in. There was the warmth of forearms under my shoulders, wrapping around my body and fingertips gripping onto my sides.
Oh my god, my sides.
Every arm, every palm that made any contact with any part of my upper body was nothing but excruciating and agonizing pain. Like my rib cage was falling apart, and my spine was being twisted and corrupted. I was incapable of feeling anything in my legs, or feet. Which gave me the relief of pain for the slightest moments, before horrendous thoughts started to manifest in my brain. Paralyzed. It was possible, but I quickly started to prod the thought from my head.
I felt my body slowly being wrenched from my cushioned seat, as fresh air reached my lungs and the soft hum of sirens met my eardrums. I was limp, my body weight being fully distributed into their arms. But, I was alive. Or maybe I wasn't, who knew what death felt like. But I surely didn't imagine it as this, filled with pain and hurt. I imagined it as freedom from any pain whatsoever, even emotional pain. Just the happiness and liberation from regret, emotion, and all torment. No matter what world or realm I lived in, I could never escape the sorrow that manifested in my dark heart.. even Storybrooke. I still didn't have a clue as to why I cursed everyone to such a town. It was clean, perfect, well-functional and took them away from their own suffering back in the Enchanted Forest. They lived in peace and prosperity here, with their families. Well most had their families, but they really should've been thanking me. Or at least that's what my heart felt, then again it was corrupted with darkness.
I don't regret much, even though I really should. I've killed, tortured, done the unimaginable, but I didn't regret one bit.
Because it got me my son, my Henry. The one soul in so many years that filled that small void in my heart of coal, with light. He was my light, my happiness... he kept me sane in that small town full of fairy tale characters who held their own personal sign of hatred towards me. I should've died, for all the things I've done - I really should have. That large blue truck should've killed me, stripped the life from my body... but it didn't. The reason? I had no clue.
I felt the pressure of the cushion leave my spine as I was being hauled from the inside of the Mercedes. The foggy air that was once entering my lungs suddenly became cold and fresh. I didn't know if I was conscious, or just dead until I heard the pounding of my heart in my skull, and the feeling of my chest heaving up and down. My ears were welcomed with the commotion of nervous chatter, and police sirens.
My lungs felt tremendous pressure, as I tried to intake the smallest breaths possible. I felt trapped, like I was in a crater of torment with no possible way out. I couldn't move, all I could do was let the gloved hands carry my close to lifeless body to the help I needed. As soon as the pressure of the driver seat leave my spine, another weight was added. Strong arms cradled me for a short moment before I felt the rigid padding that resided on a stretcher meet my backbone. My head was rested gently on the stretcher as well, but was levitated up a slim amount. Only soft mumbling entered my ears, unable to interpret what the figures around me where saying. The compression of something strapping my body down was sudden on my chest and legs. I could feel my legs. I wanted to exhale a breath of relief but I was still unable to do anything but breath. And even that was still a horrid struggle. The presence of a light object cut off the fresh air, and substituted it with air that improved my breathing by a slight percent. It had a strap that wrapped around the backside of my skull with gentle pressure. Even the smallest things, like the grazing of a fingertip, felt like a dagger digging deep under my skin for something it wouldn't find.
There was this sudden urge, this sudden need to move. Even the slightest bit, like the twitching of a finger, or the flexing of a foot. Then there was strength, that had built up so suddenly and hit me with this odd force. The weight that was dwelling on my eyelids slowly lifted. I took the risk, the opportunity and used that strength. Who knew you needed so much energy to open a damn eyelid. I could've laughed at that thought on any regular day, but right now, that didn't seem like a likely option. Today wasn't just a regular day.
Then, out of nowhere, I could see. Light poured in from all sides, along with some shadows that hovered above me like I was a child being caught for taking the last cookie from the jar. My eyes stung, and started to water, or maybe they were tears. I couldn't tell the difference anymore. I blinked rapidly, and took in shorter, quicker breaths as the pain I was feeling became way more unpleasant than before. I was reconnecting with my limbs, my nerves. The agony that surrounded my body started to become unbearable, but I still couldn't move. A stifled voice broke through the rest, but this time I could point out a few words.
"She's conscious! .. Her lungs are failing, get these people back .. Her breathing is becoming more rapid, those lungs aren't gonna support themselves forever - quickly!"
The voice came from a woman, she was a quick talker and I was guessing it wasn't because things were going dandy. I felt the stretcher rock underneath me, causing my rib-cage to feel as if it was shattering into oblivion and crumbling downwards, toppling onto my spine. I needed to gasp for air, but my lungs didn't seem to want to negotiate unless it was short rapid breaths. I saw the large white blurs of clouds above me pass by as the stretcher rolled towards the entrance of the ambulance. My hearing went in and out, and focused on certain aspects around me. First, it was a lady humming quietly to her wailing baby as they passed by trying to avoid the incident. Then, it was a man conversing with another. Something about watching the whole crash go down, and debating which driver held the blame. Ugh.
Then, it was wheels? The stretchers wheels to be exact. Their squeaking was highly pitched, and was possibly the most distressing sound I've heard this entire time. The screeching from the metal wheels turned into a quiet hum, and the strength I once had began to fade away gradually. I felt like a battery being drained. My eyelids started to flutter, as I struggled to keep them open for any longer. A figure shadowed over me, and leaned down closely to my face. The space between us was dense, and compacted. I felt his breath on my neck, and his face came into view. The first clear face I'd seen for hours.
"We're loosing her!" He shouted up to the rest of his crew that were wheeling me quickly to the ambulance. I gave in, and let my eyelids close shut, letting myself be consumed by darkness. The gentle hum of the wheels continued, but slowly became louder as the seconds passed.
Then, there was light. A beaming luminescence that wasn't death, I knew it wasn't. There was the buzz of an air conditioner running that I had back at Storybrooke. I felt safe, like I was at home in bed just having a bad dream. With Henry attached to my side, because he still didn't like to sleep alone at night.
"Mommy, look!"
There was a soft chuckle, "I see that honey, but mommy has a surprise for you, too."
It was my voice.
A scene appeared before me, or no, I wasn't there at all. It was a memory, a thought.
A no older than four - year old Henry sat on one of our old metal stools behind the counter. His feet dangled, swinging back and forth while he was currently focused on a coloring page in front of him. His little fist gripped a red crayon while he scribbled in the hat of a cartoon firefighter. He stuck his tongue out, biting it in concentration. There was shuffling coming from behind the counter, and a few seconds later I appeared. I had on my white apron, that had obviously been used. It was covered with blue icing, and powdered sugar. My hands reached behind my back to untie the strings, and remove the apron. I hung it on a small hook on the wall, right beside the refrigerator before I returned back to Henry who switched his red crayon with a yellow one to color in the rest of the firefighter. I rested my elbows on the counter, watching Henry enjoy his coloring time for a few more seconds. I reached over to his page, and tapped it lightly with the edge of my nail, catching his attention.
"Do you likes it, momma?" He asked, looking up at me with his few toothed smile that I loved.
I nodded softly, before grinning back at him, "I don't like it, I love it baby," I said before lifting his chin gently as he focused back on the firefighter, "Look what I made you." He giggled, and watched as I slid over a small plate that had a chocolate cupcake resting on it. It had bright blue icing, and white sprinkles. He wiggled in his seat overly thrilled.
"Happy Birthday, Henry." I smiled as his brown eyes lit up like fireworks on the fourth of July. It was his fourth birthday. I slid the plate in front of him, carefully dragging the coloring page to the side to put it on the fridge for later. Along with the rest of his masterpieces he always gave to me. He completely ditched the picking up part of eating a perfectly good cupcake, and went straight to eating. He leaned over the edge of the counter, opening his mouth widely, to lick the icing on the top. Somehow his little hand slipped from where it was propped on the counter, and he went face first into the cupcake. I gasped, but as he pushed himself back up from the cupcake he was giggling uncontrollably. The blue icing got everywhere but his mouth. I laughed with him, as he took a finger and dragged it down his cheek, gaining a good amount of icing, and sticking it in his mouth.
"Dat's good!" He giggled, repeating what he had just done. I rose a brow, and took my own finger, grazing it on the tip of his nose where most of the icing was. He watched me, exploding with giggles and cackles of his own. I licked the icing off my finger, and shrugged sarcastically.
"It is, isn't it?" I smiled down at him, and he continued to lick the rest of the icing off the cupcake, "Oh! I almost forgot," I lifted a finger, and sped walked down the hall. The floor boards creaked and groaned as my walk turned into a slow jog. Henry turned around in the stool, and watched impatiently for a few moments before I came back down the hall, towards the kitchen again. He quickly turned his back, putting his focus back on the cupcake, acting as if he wasn't excited for the fun of it. I appeared at the entrance of the hall, with an object hidden behind my back. Henry turned back around, leaning side to side, trying to see what I was hiding. I stood at the door-frame of the hall, and swayed on my toes.
"You know that pretty blue toy truck you've been begging me for?" I tried my best to suppress a smile, but failed. He nodded enthusiastically, while carefully jumping off the stool. His tiny feet hit the ground with a gentle thud, before he shuffled up to me, grabbing my legs and trying to sneak a peak of what he knew I had. I kneeled down to his level, and bit my lip, "Close your eyes," I grinned. He did as I said, and even covered his eyes for me. I took the toy truck, and set it right in front of his teeny feet. A bright red ribbon was stuck on top of it, making the bright blue pop.
"Okay, you can open them now sweetie," I said, shifting on my knees. He swiftly put his hands back down to his sides, and his eyes fluttered open. He looked down at his feet, and locked his eyes on the truck.
"Yay!" He chanted, clapping his hands and bouncing up and down with joy, "Dank you, mommy!" He squealed, getting down on his own knees and pushing the truck back and forth. He made rumbling noises, as if the truck was actually driving, making a laugh escape my throat. The wheels on the toy squeaked loudly, causing a great deal of noise that echoed throughout the kitchen.
"We're going to have to get those wheels fixed, huh?" I grinned, tilting my head to the side, watching him play with his new toy.
It was dark again, my memory was done playing through, and I was regaining consciousness slowly but surely. My eyes shot open, and I couldn't help my gasp for air as all the pain I was feeling earlier hit me all at once. My body tried to lurch forwards, but the straps held me down, causing a horrid struggle. I was still outside, on that damn stretcher. I might have only been out for a few seconds, even if it felt like minutes. My vision was still hazy, but I could see the shadows of people as they turned towards me in surprise.
"Quick, she needs more oxygen. Damnit I told you, her lungs are collapsing, get her in the damn ambulance, now. We need to get her to Emma." The female voice was back, and the doors of the vehicle opened quickly. I was lifted and put inside the ambulance swiftly, and a few people followed me. They sat on each side of the stretcher, watching over me as I continued to fight for breath. Oxygen didn't seem like a possible solution, as my lungs failed me over and over. I balled my fists, and gritted my teeth. The light that was once pouring into the vehicle, disappeared as the doors of the ambulance shut with a loud bang. My chest felt like it was falling apart, like my ribs were being hammered at repeatedly. I felt my eyes start to roll in the back of my head, as I was loosing consciousness. I heard mumbling of chatter, which was the few people who had gathered in the back of the ambulance as well. I felt like I was going to die, which technically I was, I didn't want to deny it anymore. But I had to, Henry couldn't be left without a mother. I wasn't going to let my son sit for months on end, waiting for his mother to come home.. when she never was.
I won't leave you Henry. I'll never leave you.
And I was left in the darkness once again.
The door of the hospital swung open, as a stretcher followed my a whole crew of people poured in. They were shouting and conversing all at once, causing everyone's attention to be locked on them. One of the women, a red-head, turned to a man who stood next to her in the group of people.
"Get Ms. Swan, now!" She hissed, turning back to the brunette who lied unconscious. The man took off somewhere down the long hallway, a few paces quicker than the crew of people rolling the stretcher. He searched only for a few seconds before he ran right into the doctor. She was just making her way to the commotion, with a clipboard in hand. Her green eyes darted back and forth between the man and the hall behind him.
"Ms. Swan, you have a patient - quickly," He turned back around, with her at his heels, "She has severe head trauma, collapsing lungs, broken ribs, a fractured spinal cord- so much more, and she fell unconscious during the ride here due to the pain we assume, she was unable to breath-" He was cut off, out of breath.
"Is that her?" She spotted the speeding stretcher that was rolling down the hall, and pushed passed the man. She quickly joined the crew of people, and they immediately started telling her stats, and the injuries that occurred to this woman. She cut off all the people with the swift movement of her hand, "She needs to be put into surgery immediately," she stated, before yelling orders to each of the men and women. As she finished, and they continued down the long narrow hall, she leaned down closer to the insensible Mayor.
"You're not going to die.. I won't let you. You just gotta help me out a little bit, you've got to fight. You've gotta have someone you need to fight for." She scanned the face of the woman, examining the cuts and bruises that were present on her features, "I'm going to save you, okay? No matter how long it takes, I will save you."