A/N: a quick note before we get onto the conversation between our leading ladies. Firstly, over 200 followers! Wow! Thank you so much. I love and appreciate each and every one of you. Secondly, I hereby make a vow to answer reviews more promptly, sorry! Thirdly, I see this story having about 40 chapters in total. I could so easily continue to write these two characters until the world implodes but I think you guys would get bored … There will be time jumps coming up so we see our ladies through to the end (of their respective prison sentences). I hope this is ok with all of you. Don't worry, I already have another fic in the pipeline!
"Emma! Oh it's so good to hear your voice!" came Regina's rushed response.
"Yours too," Emma said, grinning broadly. Booth smiled affectionately at the young woman and began filling in some paperwork he'd been putting off all week.
"How are you?" Regina asked.
"Fine, thanks to you," Emma replied. "What were you thinking putting yourself in harm's way like that?" She tried to sound angry but she was too relieved to hear her girlfriend sounding healthy and happy to succeed.
"I wasn't," Regina stated. "I wasn't thinking. It was a reaction. I just did it. I saw you were in danger, I saw your baby was in danger and I acted."
"You're an idiot," Emma replied. "You could have been killed."
"So could you, if I hadn't pushed you out of the way," Regina argued.
"You put more value on my life than your own?" Emma asked.
"Yours and your baby, yes."
There was a pause.
"Thank you," Emma whispered.
"You're welcome," Regina said. "And I'd do it again, a million times over."
"Well I'm hoping that situation won't happen again," Emma said.
Regina laughed. "Me too. Did you hear about my mother?"
"Yes," Emma nodded. "Booth just told me. I can't believe you got her to confess. And West is going down too as a result. You should have been a cop. You'd make one hell of an interviewer."
"I doubt the academy would take me with my record," Regina laughed dryly. "But thanks, I was rather proud of myself."
"Proud of putting your own mother away for your own attempted murder?"
"It sounds so fucked up when you say it like that," Regina sighed. Emma heard rustling and imagined the brunette settling back against the soft pillows of her hospital bed. "But she was never really a mother to me, not in the way mothers are supposed to be anyway."
"I know," Emma assured. "I'm not judging you for what you did. In fact I'm grateful and," Emma lowered her voice, "when you get back here I'll show you just how grateful I am."
Regina inhaled sharply. "Don't tease me, Miss Swan," she muttered. "I'm not going to be back at FCI for a few days and now I'm going to endure constant sexual frustration until that time."
"Sorry not sorry," Emma laughed, tucking her legs up underneath her on the chair and curling up more comfortably as she spoke. "I'm sure you can find a way to … relieve the pressure."
Booth was trying very hard not to listen, knowing he should be reprimanding his inmate for the way the conversation was going, but unable to bring himself to do so. The couple had been through so much, it was only natural to want to express their feelings physically.
"It's not the same as you," Regina sighed. "I miss you so much Emma."
"I miss you too. These last few days not being able to speak to you have been awful. I've barely left my bunk and I think Red and Snow are getting really worried."
"I'm sorry," Regina repeated.
"You really don't need to apologise again for saving my life," Emma assured.
"But it was my fault your life was even in danger in the first place. I knew what my mother was capable of and I knew West would do whatever that bitch told her to. I should have ended things between us to keep you safe."
"Is that what you wanted? Is that what you still want?" Emma asked, panicked.
"No, no, honey of course not!" Regina said, quickly. "I want to be with you more than anything. But it was selfish on my part to continue our relationship after those threats were made. I should have insisted we cool things off, at least until we got out. But I couldn't stay away from you. I can't stay away from you."
"I wouldn't have let you stay away from me," Emma countered. "We were both equally responsible for keeping our relationship going. But neither of us are to blame for what happened to you. That guilt will always be your mother's and sister's to bear."
There was a pause, both women listening to the steady rhythmic breathing of the other.
"Do you dream about it?" Regina asked after a while.
"Every night," Emma confirmed. "Although I'd call them nightmares rather than dreams."
"Are you talking to Booth about them?" Regina asked.
Are you talking to Glass about them?" Emma countered.
"No," Regina spat. "That man was so blatant in his homophobia that Gold has at last granted my request for a new counsellor. He reassigned me to Booth, figuring it made sense if one man handled both of our traumas."
"He's in for a treat," Emma chortled darkly. Booth looked up. "Are your ears burning counsellor?" Regina laughed.
"Just a little," the man smiled. "Don't forget I can listen back to everything you ladies are saying when the call is over," he called a little louder so Regina could hear.
"We'll keep that in mind," Emma laughed.
"So no phone sex?" Regina asked.
"Sadly not," Emma smiled. "How are you doing with your recovery anyway? I'm guessing ok if you're up for phone sex."
"I'm fine," Regina said. "As fine as one can be after being stabbed three times."
"And the surgery?" Emma asked. "Doctor Fisher mentioned there had been some complications but she wouldn't tell me what."
There was a pause before Regina spoke. "Something has happened as a result of the attack but I'd rather tell you in person."
"And how many days do I have to worry what that means for?" Emma asked, frowning. She knew it was something serious if Regina wanted to wait until they were face to face to discuss it.
"Some time next week. I'm not sure when. The doctor was initially saying I could be transferred on Monday but one of my surgery scars showed signs of infection yesterday. Don't worry," she assured as she heard Emma gasp. "They've pumped me full of penicillin and they're confident it will clear up soon. Hopefully I'll be back mid-week."
"Not soon enough," Emma complained. "I miss you so much. I just want to give you the biggest hug and reassure myself you're alright."
"I'm honestly fine. Well, I'm ok, considering the circumstances. And I'm expecting more that a hug when I do make it back to FCI."
Emma laughed. "I think I can manage that."
"So, what's the gossip mill done with our adventure?" Regina asked. "Inmates are so bored they sometimes spin the most fantastic tales."
"I don't really know," Emma admitted. "I've barely left my bunk except to come and see Booth every day."
"Emma," Regina said, softly. "You need to take care of yourself, for the baby's sake as much as your own. I know you're worried about me and you witnessed something horrible but you need to eat and go outside and try and live as normally as possible. Well, as normal as life ever is in prison."
"I know," Emma nodded. "I'm sure I'll be better after talking to you. Now I know you're really ok and you're really coming back to me. It's not that I didn't believe what Booth and Gold told me, but there was so much blood and …" Emma covered her mouth so Regina could't hear her cry.
"Emma, love," Regina said, tears forming in her own eyes. "I'm ok. Truly. I'm coming back to you. I will always come back to you. Please believe me."
Emma sniffed and wiped her eyes. "I know," she said, her voice trembling. "I know you're getting better and I know you're coming back. But every night … every night I dream about a different ending to the story. I'm in the bathroom with you again but this time I can't help you. I can't stop the bleeding. There's so much blood and I can't do anything. You look so pale and so small and then you … that brilliant, sparkling, loving light in your eyes, it just goes out. And I know you're gone. You're never coming back."
Booth was listening at this point. Emma had yet to speak in detail about the nightmares she admitted plagued her sleep every night.
Emma cried harder, her body shaking with sobs. Regina too was curled up in her hospital bed, tears rolling down her cheeks as she listened to her girlfriend's anguish.
After a few minutes, both women heard the ragged breathing of the other slow slightly and Regina cleared her throat, preparing to bare her soul to Emma once more.
"I dream too," she began. "Except the details are different. I don't make it in time. I don't manage to push you out of the way and those three shivs, they get you instead of me. I watch as you fall to the floor. I watch as your blood covers my hands as I try to save you. And your baby. Your beautiful bump is …," A sob tore from Regina's throat. "I can't save it. I can't save you. And every night it's the same. Every night I fail. Every time I wake up believing for a moment I can't save the people I love."
"People?" Emma asked, her own tears still falling.
"You and your baby," Regina confirmed. "I love you both Emma, so much."
"I love you too," Emma said, relieved those words weren't just said in the heat of the moment. "I love you Regina. And I'm ok. My baby is ok. You did save us. You didn't fail."
"Try telling my subconscious that," Regina remarked.
"Booth can help you," Emma said, glancing at the counsellor who nodded encouragingly. "I get the feeling he's going to be talking to me about my nightmares as soon as we hang up."
"You hadn't told him?" Regina asked.
"He didn't know the details until just now," Emma said, shaking her head. "I didn't want to admit that I can't forget the image of you, not for a moment. Every waking second I'm thinking about you in that bathroom and then when I close my eyes, the images just sharpen and what happened gets even worse."
"It will get better. We will get better, together."
"I can't wait until you get back here," Emma sighed. "I hate not being able to see you every day, to speak to you, to touch you."
"I'll be back before you know it. Do you think when I … oh really? Now?" Emma frowned. Faint voices could be heard from Regina's end. "No, no that's fine. Just give me one minute. Emma honey, I have to go. Doctor Whale is here to check my stitches and the infected wound. I'm so sorry."
"It's ok," Emma said. "I want you to get better as quickly as possible so you can come back to me. Do whatever the doctors tell you and don't be stubborn if they say you can't do something."
Regina laughed. "You know me too well."
"I want to know you even better," Emma said.
"Eurgh, when did we get so sappy?" Regina asked, still laughing.
"Probably around the time we fell in love," Emma replied with a shrug.
"I hate couples like us," Regina stated.
"Me too," Emma nodded. "But I love you, and I love us."
"I love you too. Be safe and I will see you very soon. Goodbye Emma."
"Goodbye Regina."
The phone went dead. Emma cradled it to her chest before handing it to Booth, who took it and replaced the receiver.
"Thank you," Emma whispered.
"You're welcome, Swan," Booth smiled. He capped his pen and leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. "Now, shall we get started on talking about these dreams?"
Emma groaned but nodded. "So they always start and end the same way. Regina and I are in the bathroom and …,"
A/N: I'm not a therapist and I don't feel qualified in any way to attempt to write the upcoming sessions/meetings. So I'm just going to hint at them so you get the idea that the two women are working through their problems. Hope that's ok for everyone!