A/N: warning: description of blood and injuries.
Regina's POV:
Pain. White hot pain. Her breaths came in short, staccato gasps as she blinked up at the ceiling. Her hand moved to her abdomen. Something there was warm, sticky. She lifted her hand and through blurring vision she saw red staining her fingertips. She tried to move but couldn't. It was like her whole body was made of lead. Her hand dropped back to her stomach, the pain intensifying as her thumb bumped something hard. She was tired. Closing her eyes, the sounds around her suddenly registered.
Someone was screaming. A woman. She was calling for help through her tears, over and over again. Then she heard her own name.
"Regina! Regina! Can you hear me? Look at me!"
The brunette tried to open her eyes but the lids were too heavy. A hand slipped into hers, squeezing tightly. Regina wanted to reciprocate but couldn't make her fingers move properly.
"Hold on Regina, it's going to be ok." Emma's voice was panicked, high pitched. Even in her confused state, Regina didn't believe the words her girlfriend was saying.
She let out a moan of pain as she felt pressure on her stomach. Her own hand was moved aside and replaced with someone else's. Emma's.
A scream. Her own. The pain had intensified suddenly and her muscles contracted, trying to protect the rapidly weakening body.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Emma sobbed.
She felt a firm pressure on her abdomen again, the pain reducing slightly to a steady throb. Regina tried to open her eyes again. Very slowly, a sliver of the room appeared. It was dark around the edges but she could make out a mess of blonde hair in front of her.
"Em-." Speaking was hard. Her lips were dry and her tongue felt too big for her mouth.
"I'm here, baby. I'm staying here until help arrives. You're going to be ok." As Emma spoke she moved to look down into the hazy eyes of the brunette. Regina blinked slowly, trying to focus. The beautiful features sharpened somewhat and she saw tears streaming down the face above her.
"You?"
Emma shook her head. "I'm fine, I'm unhurt. Thanks to you. What the hell were you thinking?" A hand came up to stroke Regina's face. The touch felt abstract.
"I couldn't let them hurt you," Regina muttered, her face contorted in pain as the pressure on her abdomen increased.
"You saved me," Emma whispered. "And now I'm going to save you. I promise."
The blonde head disappeared from her vision as Emma moved back down her body, presumably to look at her wounds.
"Emma?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"I'm here. Hold on, ok. People have gone to get help." Emma's blurred face reappeared, looking like she was trying to smile. Unconvincingly.
"I love you," Regina gasped, her eyes searching for the green orbs above her. As soon as she found them, she wanted to smile but her muscles weren't working properly. She was tired. She closed her eyes.
"I love you too," Emma sobbed. Something soft touched her cheek. "I love you too Regina."
Emma's POV:
Emma groaned and pushed herself up from the floor and turned around to survey the room.
"NOOOOOOOOO!"
Regina had crumpled to the floor in front of the three women. Faery, Feinberg and Trident's eyes all widened as their brains realised what their former boss had done.
"Let's go," snapped West.
Emma didn't even wait for the other women to leave before she rushed to Regina's side and knelt down. Three homemade shivs had penetrated the brunette. Blood was spreading in dark patches from each wound, seeping through her top and already dripping onto the tiles below.
"HELP! HELP!" Emma cried. "SOMEBODY HELP US! WE NEED A DOCTOR!"
She didn't dare move from Regina's side herself to raise the alarm and simply prayed someone heard her. Tears were streaming down her face as she looked at her girlfriend. Regina's eyes were closed and her beautiful features contorted in pain. Blood coated the fingertips of Regina's right hand which was resting against one of the shivs.
"Regina! Regina! Can you hear me? Look at me!" Emma panicked.
Emma watched as Regina's eyelids fluttered but the chocolate orbs never appeared. She reached for Regina's hand and squeezed desperately.
"Hold on Regina, it's going to be ok."
Emma turned her attention back to the wounds. The shiv beside Regina's hand was a sharpened prison issued toothbrush sticking out just below Regina's naval. Emma didn't think it was buried too deep but she couldn't be sure. Trying desperately to remember her first aid training, she decided to remove it. Regina moaned as Emma gently pushed her bloodied hand aside. Placing a finger either side of the weapon, she grasped it firmly with her other hand and pulled. Regina screamed. A pulse of dark blood followed the toothbrush and Emma covered the puncture hole quickly, applying pressure to try and slow the bleeding.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she cried, more tears running down her face and dripping onto Regina's abdomen, which was now completely covered in blood.
"Em-." The voice was distant, faint. But within an instant, Emma was leaning over the pale face, feeling a flicker of hope as she saw Regina's eyes were slightly open.
"I'm here, baby. I'm staying here until help arrives. You're going to be ok," she soothed, needing Regina to know she wasn't alone. The brunette blinked slowly and her pupils seemed to dilate as the deep brown eyes focused slightly on Emma's face. The blonde tried to smile encouragingly.
"You?" Regina sounded hoarse, like speaking was an enormous effort
"I'm fine, I'm unhurt. Thanks to you. What the hell were you thinking?" she asked, shaking her head with exasperation before stroking Regina's face. She grimaced as she realised she had smeared blood over the pale cheek. Her stomach turned.
"I couldn't let them hurt you," Regina said. Tears flowed as Emma watched pain flash once more across the now bloodied face before her.
"You saved me," Emma whispered. "And now I'm going to save you. I promise."
Emma moved back to observe the wounds. All the time she was talking to Regina, warm blood had been seeping through her fingers. She leant over to check the other lacerations. What looked like a piece of wire was stuck out of Regina's right side, just below her breast. She wracked her brain, trying to remember her biology lessons and wondered which organ the shiv could have damaged. She couldn't tell how deep the wire went and decided not to remove it in case she caused more damage. On Regina's left side, a pen was sticking out of her waist, just above her hip bone. Emma leaned over and saw a razor blade embedded in the pen, grimacing at the jagged, bloody gash the crude weapon had made. It didn't seem too deep however and, from its location, presumably hadn't hit any vital organs.
"Emma?" The blonde stopped her examination instantly and moved look into her girlfriend's eyes once more.
"I'm here. Hold on, ok. People have gone to get help," she assured, squeezing Regina's fingers.
"I love you."
Emma's breath hitched as she heard the words. Regina's eyes were focused on her own as she spoke and through the pain and fear in the brunette's voice, she could also hear sincerity. Brown eyes closed once more.
"I love you too," Emma cried, leaning forwards to place a kiss on Regina's bloodied cheek. "I love you too Regina."
"Out of the way!" Doctor Fisher cried as she pushed her way through the crowd. Taking one look at the inmate on the floor, she turned to Hunter. "Call for a helicopter and then bring me the stretcher," she instructed before kneeling beside the sobbing blonde and beginning to examine the injuries.
"Swan," she said gently, moving her hand to where the blonde was applying pressure low on the brunette's abdomen. "You've done great but I'll take it from here."
She moved the young woman's blood soaked hands aside and replaced the pressure with her own. She looked at Mills' face. Her eyes were closed and she was quiet. Her breathing was harsh and ragged but fairly regular.
"Someone get Swan out of here please," she commanded, setting about looking at the other two wounds. "Nolan, come here and apply constant pressure to this wound. And Fa, bring me an IV."
Emma tried to wriggle away as she felt two arms encircle her body.
"NO!" she sobbed. "I'm not leaving her."
"Emma, please," came Red's voice. "Fisher's taking care of her. There's nothing more you can do."
The taller woman pulled again, managing to get the shaking blonde on her feet and leading her through the crowd. Through her tears, Emma registered for the first time the inmates who had been stood in the bathroom doorway, watching as Regina bled out on the floor.
As soon as they reached the corridor, Emma's knees gave out and she collapsed, crying harder than ever. The adrenaline from the attack had waned and anguish washed over her for the first time.
"Emma," said another familiar voice. "Come with us."
Between them, Snow and Red managed to lift Emma to her feet and half carried the sobbing woman back to her bunk. Emma sank onto her bed, tears still streaming down her face. Red appeared in front of her, wiping her bloodied hands with make up remover wipes as Snow dabbed at the blonde's eyes with a tissue.
"Regina," Emma gasped as she saw the soiled wipes piling up beside her and realising how much blood she had been covered in. "I need to be with Regina."
"You can't help her," Snow soothed, wrapping an arm around trembling shoulders. "Fisher is doing everything she can."
"I can't leave her alone," Emma snapped, shrugging off Snow. A second rush of adrenaline shot through her and in an instant the blonde was standing up and rushing out of her bunk, her two friends close behind her.
Just as they reached the corridor outside the bathroom, the crowd parted and Nolan appeared, walking backwards and carrying one end of a stretcher. Hunter held the other and Fa walked alongside, holding an IV bag. On the opposite side, Fisher's hands were keeping pressure on the open wounds. She had removed the pen and razor blade but left the wire inside. Using the razor itself, the doctor had cut away Regina's top leaving her bloodied abdomen uncovered so she could work more easily. Each of the doctor's hands covered an exposed laceration.
"Regina!" Emma cried, rushing to the brunette's side. Fisher didn't object as the group moved quickly through the corridor towards the yard. Emma reached for her girlfriend's hand, watching Regina's face for any sign of awareness that she was there. Her eyes were closed but her ragged breathing told Emma she was still alive. "Stay with me, Regina. You can get through this. I love you."
The words came so easily, so naturally, and Emma wondered why she had never said them before. Her heart leapt when she felt the faintest squeeze of her fingers as the group emerged into the dusky twilight of the prison yard.
The deafening noise of the helicopter assaulted Emma's ears and she looked up in alarm. Several paramedics were running towards them.
"Female, 24, three stab wounds with three different weapons," Fisher informed quickly. "One to the lower abdomen, one to the upper right quadrant and an minor one to the left side. Breathing is steady and two of the shivs are removed. I left this one in," she said, gesturing to the wire. "She's been almost unconscious for at least ten minutes but seems to be able to hear what we say."
"Thanks, Doc," one of the paramedics said, taking the IV bag from Fa and jogging alongside the stretcher. "You coming with?"
"Can't," Fisher said. "I have another patient to attend to."
The man nodded his understanding as they reached the open helicopter door.
"On my count. One, two, three." The stretcher was lifted easily inside and the paramedics climbed in behind. Emma moved to do the same.
"No, Swan. You can't go," said Fisher firmly, grasping Emma's shirt and pulling her back.
"But I can't leave her," Emma sobbed.
"I'm sorry," Fisher said. "I need to check you and your baby for injuries."
"We're fine. I'm fine. I need to be with Regina."
"You don't have a choice," Fisher said, as Nolan and Hunter each grasped an arm.
"NO!" Emma cried. "Get off me! Let me go with her!"
The two men pulled the writhing woman back effortlessly as the helicopter door swung shut and the rotors picked up speed. From the safety of the doorway, the doctor, guards and Emma watched as the helicopter rose into the air, hovered for a moment before flying off quickly and disappearing beyond the building.
Emma sank to her knees, crying uncontrollably. The voices above her didn't register and moments later, Emma felt a sharp pain in her neck and everything went black.
Her head felt foggy, her brain sluggish. She opened her eyes and blinked until the room came into focus. The infirmary.
The events from earlier flooded back and Emma sat bolt upright.
"Regina?" she asked, looking around.
"Hey," Fisher said, moving instantly to Emma's side and pushing the blonde gently back down to the matress. "She's ok. She's going to be ok."
Emma sighed with relief. "Where is she? What happened? Can I see her?"
Fisher could't help but smile at the evident love and concern the young blonde showed for her girlfriend.
"She's in a hospital not far from here. She's pulled through surgery and she's in recovery. The doctors are optimistic but they're going to monitor her closely. The weapons used means she has a high risk of infection. She won't be back here for a while."
"Can I see her?" Emma repeated.
Fisher shook her head. "I'm sorry Swan. That's not possible."
Emma nodded her understand but couldn't stop the tears escaping. "She's really going to be ok?"
"It looks good," Fisher assured her. "You did everything you could to help so you should be proud of yourself."
"Proud?" Emma spat. "It's my fault she was hurt. It's all my fault. If I had taken Gold's offer, if I had ended things, West would have left her alone. I'm to blame for everything."
The blonde dissolved into tears and Fisher rubbed her arm comfortingly.
After a few minutes, Emma sniffed and looked up at the compassionate face of the doctor. "Why am I in here?"
"We had to sedate you," she explained. "I needed to examine you and the baby and you were hysterical. You're both fine by the way."
Emma nodded but suddenly a dark look came over her face. "West and her thugs. Where are they?" she asked.
"I'll let Warden Gold fill you in," Fisher said, and with a final pat to Emma's arm, she moved away from the bed and back to her office.
Glancing around the room, Emma spotted Warden Gold and Booth sat side by side near the door. When Fisher left, the two men got to their feet and walked over to her, their faces grim.
A/N: I didn't want to write a long note at the top so here goes. I'm not a doctor, I've never done first aid training, and I've never been stabbed (yay!). I have no idea if what I've written is medically correct but I hope it is and I hope the writing allowed you to picture the scene as vividly as I did. I decided to write the immediate moments after the attack from Regina's POV and then Emma's. I think that was obvious ... Oh and don't worry, Regina's not going to die and we're going to see her progress very soon. I thoroughly enjoyed reading your frustrated reviews last night/this morning and regret nothing about leaving you on the edge of your seat. *evil laugh*
Also, can anyone spot the reference to another of my favourite television shows? Hint: it's to do with the shivs used in the attack.