As soon as her parents arrived, they were shouting.
"What the hell happened?" her mother snapped, approaching the bed with purpose.
Regina, who was standing in the corner of the room, coughed and spoke up, saying, "It was my fault. We'd made plans to hang out, and I forgot about them, so when she showed up, I thought she was a burglar or something, got scared, and sort of… hit her in the head with a baseball bat… I truly am sorry, and I didn't mean to hurt her."
Both parents blinked a few times as they stared at the girl who was, despite it being in the middle of the night, dressed well in a silk button-down shirt, and wearing diamond earrings.
"You're friends with our daughter?" the man asked in disbelief. "I had no idea that a girl like you would ever spend time with her."
"A girl like me?" the girl asked. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"Someone who dresses so nicely and obviously has some manners."
"Mhmm," his wife agreed. "And quite lovely too. It's really a shame that she can't be more like you."
You don't know me, Regina wanted to say, but she kept her thoughts to herself and simply smiled, saying, "Thank you for saying so, but your daughter is a lovely young woman."
Both parents laughed loudly at this, causing the brunette's eyes to widen. Never before had she ever seen any parents talk about their daughter the way they were talking about Emma, and it made her stomach turn. Imagining her own parents talking about her that way made her feel ill, and even just hearing Emma's parents speak that way about her made Regina feel horrible. Rather than saying much else, she sat down in the chair in the corner of the room and watched as her parents laid into her about sneaking out of the house.
"I don't care if she's a lovely young woman," her mother scolded her. "You're not allowed out after eleven! You know that, Emma! Why is this a constant battle with you? It serves you right that you got hit in the head! You're lucky it wasn't us!"
The blonde swallowed hard and nodded her head vigorously (even though it was excruciating to move). Finally, when they were done berating her, the two left the room and began to argue with each other as they slipped into the hallway. As soon as the door was closed, Regina stood up and approached the bed. To her surprise, as she drew closer, she saw tears on Emma's cheeks as the girl squeezed her eyes shut and gripped her hands into tight fists.
"Emma?" Regina said softly. "Are you okay?"
"I wish you hadn't called them," the blonde muttered, swallowing hard again.
"I… I'm sorry… I didn't realize…"
"It's fine," the blonde cut in, opening her eyes.
"You should really rest, while you can, now that the doctors are confident that you're stable. They will probably keep you here for most of the day tomorrow and wake you every few hours."
"What? What about school?"
"I think it's pretty clear that you recovering from a concussion is more important than some stupid classes you don't even care about."
"How do you know I don't care about them?"
"Because you sleep through them?" Regina laughed, shaking her head.
"How do you know I don't have narcalapsy or something?"
"It's 'narcolepsy,' Emma, and because you can't even say it right."
"You really are a fuckin' twatwaffle."
"And you're incredibly rude."
"That's true," Emma said slowly. "Hate to tell you this, but it's never really bitten me in the ass before, so why change now, right? Chicks dig cocky assholes, apparently, and that's all I really care about, so…"
"So all you care about is 'chicks?'"
"Well… I mean… No, but-"
"You're ridiculous. It's too bad that impact to the head didn't shake the bullshit out of you."
"Gee, thanks, Doc. Nice pep talk. Real inspirational."
"Were you looking for a pep talk?"
"No. Not really. I'm just looking to go the fuck home."
"Well, that's not happening until at least tomorrow, and that's only if you show no symptoms of getting worse."
"What?"
"If you continue to vomit and display confusion, they'll keep you here to make sure you heal properly."
"But I'm fine!"
"You were throwing up. That's a very serious symptom."
"I'm fine!"
"Why is it so hard for you to admit that you can get hurt just like anyone else?"
"I'm not hurt! I'm… testing my armor."
"Oh, really?" the brunette laughed. "So you're a knight in shining armor, then, huh?"
"You wish," Emma chuckled. "Besides, only knights who've never had their valor tested have armor that shines. What you really want is a knight whose armor shows their victories in battle."
"I… I guess you're right…"
"Anyway, you should go. You've gotta be at school tomorrow, and you don't want to be a walking zombie like me when you get there."
"I'm not leaving you."
"Sorry… What?"
"I said, 'I'm not leaving you.'"
"But why?"
"Because you don't like hospitals, and I don't want your parents to give you more shit than they already have."
"You really shouldn't stay."
"I'm not leaving until you're discharged."
"They're gonna kick you out soon, anyway."
"I'll wait in the lobby."
"Regina, that's-"
"Shut up. Just shut up and relax. Close your eyes and try to sleep. I'll stay until they kick me out, and I'll be here in the morning as soon as they let me back in."
"Why are you doing this? You hate me. I broke into your-"
Just then, the room door opened and her parents re-appeared with serious looking scowls on their faces.
"You are in so much trouble, young lady, and if you think we're covering this, you're-" her father started.
"No!" Emma cried. "No, I'll cover it. It's my fault. I'll use my savings. It's fine."
"Good. Now, we're going home to get some sleep, and we'll be back tomorrow afternoon to get you, as long as you're discharged on time."
"Thanks…"
"Try not to get into any more trouble while we're gone. And you'd better not be as rude to this young lady as you are to us," her mother cut in.
"Yes, ma'am. Understood."
"Good. You have a good night, Regina. Please be safe getting home tonight."
"I certainly will. Thank you very much."
With that – and without any 'I love you's – the two were gone, leaving Emma and Regina alone in the room once again.
"You don't have a savings, do you?" the brunette finally asked, when the silence grew too heavy.
"No. I don't."
"I'm glad it was me instead of some guy with a gun," Regina sighed. "You know they can kill you, right? For breaking in? You could've gotten shot."
"Yeah, whatever."
"Emma!"
"What?" the blonde snapped impatiently. "Are you gonna lecture me too, now?"
"Yes! Haven't you learned anything from this? I could have killed you on accident! I hit you in the head! I could've caused permanent brain damage! You could've been paralyzed!"
"Oh, so that's why you're still here. You feel guilty. Well, you can shove that right up your ass, because I-"
"No. I feel empathy. It's not the same. I can put myself in your shoes and understand how awful you must feel right now. We might not get on, Emma, but that doesn't mean I want to see you hurt, or even worse, dead."
"You understand nothing about me."
"Alright, fine. Look, why don't we just-"
Again, they we interrupted by the door opening, as one of the nurses stepped in an announced, "Visiting hours are long since over, Miss. I'm afraid you'll have to let Miss Swan rest for the evening."
Regina shot the girl a quick, worried glance, and for a moment, she saw panic wash over Emma's face before the girl wiped it away and became stone-faced as she nodded her head. Before leaving, the brunette squeezed the girl's shoulder and looked into her eyes, silently telling her that everything would be alright.
Each time she was woken in the night, Emma panicked and broke into a sweat, startled by the doctors' entrances into the room. In the morning, though, Regina was there, as promised, sitting in the chair beside the bed.
"Hey," she said softly, offering the blonde a small smile. "How ya feeling?"
"Oh, my God, it hurts," Emma groaned. "I feel like my head's exploding over and over again. It's like someone's setting off fireworks in my skull. I think I might actually be dying."
"You're not dying. I talked to the doctors, and they say you're doing just fine. No signs of permanent damage. You're gonna be okay. It's just probably going to hurt for a long time." When Emma looked skeptical, Regina added, "You're tough. You'll pull through this." Surprised at her words, Emma raised her eyebrows and remained silently, until the girl added, "Now you can tell everyone at school that you got into a bar fight."
The blonde laughed at this, saying, "Yeah. They'll buy that."
"I dunno. They might. You're pretty badass."
"What did you just say?"
"I just meant… I… You know. You're a tough guy. A-"
With a grin, Emma taunted, "You called me a badass."
"So what?"
"Do you like that in a woman, Miss Mills?"
Immediately blushing, Regina looked away and stood up, walking over to the window. She stared outside for a long time before Emma finally decided to speak again.
"So… Harvard, huh?"
"Yeah."
"Sounds nice."
"It's what my parents always wanted for me."
"What about you? What do you want?"
"I mean, I want it too. I just… Sometimes… I want… more. You know? Something exciting. I want… a life. Ugh… That's stupid. I-"
"No. I get it. That's why I do what I do. It's the thrill of it. It makes me feel alive when nothing else does."
"But it's dangerous. Extremely dangerous. Not to mention completely and utterly wrong."
Regina looked over to scowl at the blonde and received a scowl in return.
"Don't be so judgemental. You sound like my parents."
"I… I'm sorry…"
"Nah. It's fine."
"No, really… I apologize. I didn't mean for it to come out that way. I just… You really should stop."
"Not likely."
"But why, Emma? Why does it have to be this? Why can't you find a safe way to release your energy?"
"Because I… I don't know… I just… can't."
"What about white-water rafting?"
"Sorry?"
"My parents and I go white-water rafting every summer. It's awesome. Kind of dangerous too, but not if you've got the right equipment."
"It sounds expensive."
"I'd bring you. I'd be fun."
"No way."
"Why?"
"Because I'm not gonna be your fucking plus-one."
"That's not what I meant."
"What did you mean?"
"I was just offering to let you try a safer way of thrill-seeking, Emma! Jesus! Not everything has some alternate meaning or motive."
"I'm… sorry. I just thought…"
"Whatever. If you change your mind, the offer stands."
"I don't get you."
"Yeah, most people don't."
"Oh, don't be dramatic."
"It's true. Most people don't understand me or the lifestyle I live."
"Because most people don't have the kind of money you do."
"That's not-"
"Look, why are we even talking about this? Your life and mine are too different to ever align. You and I could never be friends. I'm nothing like you. I'm not 'lovely' or 'polite' or 'refined' or any of the other things my parents called you. I'm a no-good hood rat. I always will be."
"It doesn't have to be like that."
"Sure it does."
"Emma…"
"Just let it go, okay? Stop trying to help me."
"Fine," Regina snapped. "Stop being such a rude, pig-headed bitch, then."
"Fine."
Still, Regina stayed until Emma was discharged around three in the afternoon, as promised.
As she was leaving, she said, "Don't forget about our deal, Emma. It starts the day after graduation."
"Are you kidding me?" Emma gasped. "The day after graduation?"
"Yep."
"Ugh! That's not fair!"
"Bye, Emma! See you at school!" the brunette said, as cheerfully as possible, once her parents walked into the room. "It was lovely to meet you folks."
The blonde scowled at the girl as she left, channeling all the anger she could muster and sending it in her general direction. Still, the feeling dissipated quickly when her parents began to speak again.
"What's wrong with you?" the woman snapped. "Wipe that scowl off your face! What do you have to be upset about? That lovely girl made sure you got to the hospital and that we were contacted, which is more than you would have done on your own! Why can't you be more like her? Why do you have to be such a problem child?"
Though Emma wanted to scream, she stayed silent. She even fought back the frustrated tears that threatened to fall.
"Well?" her father pressed, when she stayed silent.
"I don't know," Emma said softly. "I guess I'm just a fuck-up."
Her parents said nothing. Instead, they waited quietly as the doctor entered the room, thankfully interrupting the lecture to give his patient one last check before clearing her for discharge from the hospital.
"I think you're gonna be alright, sweetheart," the doctor told her warmly. Turning to her parents, he said, "You're just going to want to wake her up every three or four hours to check on her and make sure she's still doing alright and that there are no signs of dizziness or confusion. If any symptoms begin to show again, please bring her back to the emergency room."
"Of course, doctor," the woman replied sweetly, faking a smile.
The girl's father nodded in agreement, then flashed his daughter the same fake smile that his wife had given the doctor.
"Well, that's it then!" the doctor said happily. "You're free to go. Take care, okay? Give it a day or two before you go back to school. I've already written you a note to give to the administration about your absence."
"Thank you," Emma told him sincerely. "I really appreciate it."
"And you're sure you're feeling alright?"
"It hurts like… heck," Emma said, catching the curse words before they left her mouth. "But I'm alright."
"I've prescribed you something for the pain, so you should be able to get through it. It won't hurt forever. Just try to stay away from the baseball bats, alright, kiddo?"
With a light chuckle, Emma nodded her head and slid out of the bed and into her jeans. Once she was dressed, she followed her parents out of the hospital and out to the car.
Almost as soon as they pulled into the driveway of their apartment building, Emma's phone buzzed in her pocket. When she pulled it out, she saw that the text was from Regina.
'How you feeling?'
'Hurts like a motherfucker,' Emma quickly texted back.
It was somewhat strange, but she was relieved to hear from the girl. No one had ever really bothered to check on her when she was hurt or ill before. Not even her parents had cared. But Regina… She was different. She was caring, and attentive, and… Well, she certainly wasn't sensitive or tactful, but she was definitely empathetic, and that was far more than any of Emma's acquaintances had ever been. She didn't really have anyone she could call a friend. There were kids she spent time with and got in trouble with, but none of them really cared about her, and she certainly didn't trust any of them.
For some reason, Emma trusted Regina. Even if she was a 'twatwaffle,' she was honest, and that was something Emma could appreciate and value.
'Do you want me to bring you anything?'
'Nah, I'm ok. My parents don't really like having company anyway. Thanks though.'
'Maybe they just don't like the company you keep.'
'What's that supposed to mean?'
'It means they certainly seemed to like me. Maybe they wouldn't mind. Are you sure I can't come check on you?'
'You said you'd see me at school.'
'I know, but I'm worried your parents won't check on you tonight like they're supposed to.'
'Why would you say that?'
'Oh, come on, Emma.'
'Yeah, alright. It doesn't matter anyway. I'll be fine.'
'I'm coming over. If your parents send me away, that's fine, but I at least have to try. I really can't have your blood on my hands.'
'Haha. That's all you care about, eh? Don't wanna be guilty of manslaughter?'
'Nope. I really don't.'
'Alright. I'll see you soon.'
When Regina appeared at the door, Emma's parents greeted her with surprise.
"Regina!" the woman exclaimed. "What are you doing here? It's late! You should be in bed!"
"I apologize for coming by so late-" it was only eight o'clock "-but I was really worried about Emma, and I wanted to see if she was alright."
"She's fine, dear. Nothing to worry about."
Nothing they were going to worry about, anyway. Regina, on the other hand, was quite concerned for the girl's wellbeing.
"I'd really like to see her, if that's alright with you folks. I don't want to intrude, though."
"Oh, come on in," the man said with a warm smile. "She's in her room. You should probably stay the night, though. You shouldn't walk around in this neighborhood at night. There are some new spare toothbrushes under the sink in the bathroom."
"Thank you so much. I really appreciate it."
With that, Regina slipped past the couple and found her own way down the hall to Emma's room. The door was closed, so she knocked softly, startling Emma, who was beginning to fall asleep.
"Nnnng," the blonde mumbled, rolling over to face the door.
"Was that a 'Come in,' or 'I'm naked?'" Regina laughed, then waited for the reply.
"Come in," Emma finally managed. When the brunette stepped into the room, the girl looked up at her and smiled softly, saying, "I didn't think you'd really show up."
"Why not? Do I look like a liar to you?"
"No! No, that's… That's not what I meant. I just…"
"It's fine."
"No, listen. I've just never had anyone care enough to check on me before."
"Yeah, well… I almost killed you. I'm responsible if you die in your sleep."
"I'm not gonna die in my sleep," the blonde chuckled. "I was fine last night, wasn't I?"
"Were you?"
"Well… I mean, I threw up a few times, but I-"
"What?! And they discharged you?!"
"Regina, I'm fine. It was like four in the morning, and I didn't throw up again after that. The docs said I was fine."
With a sigh, Regina slowly approached the bed and looked down at the girl and absently reached out and touched her cheek, saying, "You look like shit."
"Gee, thanks."
"What are you really going to tell the kids at school?"
"That the other guy looks worse."
"Gee, thanks," Regina shot back, mocking her earlier response. "I mean, I know I'm not Marilyn Monroe, but I didn't think I fell from the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down."
This earned a full-force laugh from the blonde, who sat up in bed and looked the other girl directly in the eyes.
When she finally managed to stop laughing, she said, "You've never been anywhere near an ugly tree in your life."
Regina had no idea what to say to this, so she simply stared with a blank look on her face and a blush on her cheeks.
"What?" Emma asked, sounding defensive.
"No one's ever said anything like that to me before."
"What? Really?"
"Well, no. They haven't."
"What about your boyfriend?"
"What boyfriend?"
Emma stared, her own face going blank, as she managed, "You… I mean… I thought you were with Robin."
"He's a friend," Regina replied with a shrug. "A lame one, but a friend. Well, more like a friendly acquaintance. Anyway, between you and I, he's with Killian."
"He's gay?" the blonde shouted back, gaping.
"Yeah. So?"
"I dunno. He just acts like such a straight boy."
Regina laughed at this and shook her head, saying, "You don't really know him."
"Yeah, I guess not."
Before either one of them could say anything else, Emma fell back against her pillow and groaned, cursing out loud, and rolled away to face the window that the side of her bed was positioned against.
"Fuuuuck," she whimpered, reaching up to hold her head with her hands.
Feeling an intense wave of shame, Regina instinctually sat down beside the girl on her bed and put her hand on the blonde's back.
"Can I get you some ice?" she asked softly. "Is there anything I can do?"
"Ice would be wonderful, actually," Emma managed to reply.
Without another word, Regina hurried to the kitchen to fetch a Ziploc bag filled with ice and brought it back to the room.
Emma started to sit up when she re-entered the room, but Regina quickly ordered, "Lie back. Relax."
Emma wanted to protest, but the exhaustion was taking over, and the weight on her shoulders pushed her back down until her head was on the pillow. Once again, Regina sat down beside her, this time gently pressing the baggie of ice to the thin bandages wrapped around the girl's swollen temple.
When Emma hissed in pain, she said softly, "It's okay, Emma. This'll help. I promise. It'll numb it soon. Did you take your pain medication?"
"N-No… I… I forgot…"
"Where is it?"
"It's right behind you on the nightstand. There's a water bottle right there."
"Okay. Sit up just a little."
"Regina, you don't have to-"
"Sit up."
"Regina-"
"Sit. Up. Emma."
With an embarrassed blush – she wasn't used to taking orders – the girl sat up in bed and allowed Regina to lift the water bottle to her lips and tip it back slowly after handing her the correct dosage of medication. Emma swallowed quickly, then shook her head vigorously and gagged.
"God, that's disgusting!" she cried. "Absolutely vile tasting. It's like… It's like licking a horses bitter asshole."
"How in the hell would you know what a horses asshole tastes like?" Regina asked, trying not to burst out laughing.
"I get freaky on the weekends."
That was it. That was all Regina could take before exploding into laughter.
"Oh, my God. You're unbelievable," Regina choked through tears.
Emma grinned as she watched the unreserved joy spread over her companion's face. Listening to the sound of the beautiful girl's laugh and watching her smile, she felt butterflies fill her stomach for the first time.