A/N Hey guys I decided to focus this week on Back to the Start, hopefully there should be an update everyday (except Thursday and Sunday, unless you guys would want me to go back to shorter chapters for those days) anyway I hope you guys enjoy this week XD
Chapter forty nine
As soon as the gun shot sounded, Snow jumped forward and slammed her hand against the machine that was causing her daughter immeasurable pain.
Her convulsing body dropped to the table, with an audible slapping against the metal.
The only sound in the room was the whimpering of Greg, as each other conscious people stood quietly around the unmoving saviour.
Eventually, Regina brought two fingers against the pulse point that she had felt weaken not that long ago in the Enchanted Forest. This time, however, there wasn't even a flutter, no indication that there was even the slightest spark of life. Regina swallowed hard, finally allowing the silent tears that she had been holding back since she had called the station all those hours ago, to fall. Desperately, she began to shift her finger around to try and discover that she simply had the wrong spot, but not matter where she placed her fingers.
A cry tore through Snow's mouth when she saw Regina's reaction, she covered her mouth with both hands and fell into her husband's shoulder, making him promptly bring his arm around her small frame. The prince stared stoically at his unmoving daughter, he imagined all the things he never got to do. He never got to interrogate her dates (which admittedly would have been less satisfying with saviours very much unafraid girlfriend), he never got to teach her how to sword fight and most importantly he had never gotten to protect her.
Regina felt a hand on her shoulder and slowly withdrew her hand from the saviour's neck, and tuned to her mother who simply nodded in understanding, knowing there were no words that would help at this moment.
Snow looked up from David's shoulder and sniffled sadly, seemingly completely out of anger for the day, "please do something Regina."
Regina stared at Emma for a moment, and moving a strand of blonde hair away from her face asked weakly, "what?"
Snow took deep breaths, desperately trying to cling to hope, and then furrowed her brow at Cora, who was looking intently at the machine.
The woman finally realised that she was being watched and looked up at the princess questioningly.
"You have an idea," Snow said almost accusingly.
Cora looked between everyone in the room and sighed, "it may not work."
"What is it?" Regina asked.
Cora almost felt herself crumble at the desperation and hope in her daughters voice, and took a deep steeling breath, figuring at the very least it couldn't make things worse.
"This comes from a very basic understanding of your medicine, but I believe that your doctors use electrical pads similar to those to start a persons heart."
Regina blinked a few times, and tore the pads away from the blonde's temples and shoulders. Waving her hand, Emma's jacket and shirt disappeared, leaving her in a sports bra, and she promptly places them where the many medical books she has read during the time loop had instructed.
"Turn it to 200," she instructed, and Charming did so without question, and Snow began pumping on her daughter's chest, thanking God that the curse has taught her CPR.
Before he pressed the button, Regina tore the magic repressing band from the love's arm, and allowed some of their magic to mingle together as she desperately wished for this to work.
She nodded and Snow pressed the button after a small hesitation, quickly turning it off as instructed.
They repeated this three times, each time with bated breaths between attempts.
After the third, Snow was about to press the button again, but David grabbed her arm and shook his head. As hard as the thought of his daughter dying was, he knew that Snow would regret doing this to her body forever.
"Snow," he said sadly.
Snow was about to tear her arm away when someone said in a hoarse voice, "please listen to him."
Snow's eyes widened, and she turned to the table, where the blonde was struggling to keep her eyes open, but was clearly very much alive.
"Emma," she said gleefully, her gut wrenched slightly as she finally noticed the injuries, but the fact that she was alive would have to be enough for now.
Emma offered a smile as best she could to reassure her parents, and then turned to Regina, visibly wincing as she did so.
"Henry…" She began, very obviously trying to not lose consciousness like last time.
Regina took the blonde's hand which seemed to calm her down slightly.
"He's fine, it's you we need to worry about," she breathed, relief clear on her face.
The blonde felt darkness beginning to climb to the sides of her mind, and interrupted Regina telling Snow to call Whale, "Neal kidnapped me."
Regina's eyebrows shot up, and without warning they were all enveloped in smoke.
The mayor looked around to see the Charming's wearing similar expressions, with Emma on a stretcher and two nurses running towards the magical new arrivals.
She deflated and fell into a seat, instantly seeing who was missing, and whispered to herself, "thank you mother."
"Drink this," Neal prompted, holding out a phial of clear liquid, otherwise known as Truth Serum.
Henry shook his head, and leaned away from his father in his position tied to one of the dining chairs. He was beginning to think that this was happening far too often, but he just took a deep breath and tried to maintain a fearless facade.
"You don't have to drink it if you just tell me," Neal growled, and pulled the stopper of in way of threatening the boy.
"I'm not telling you," he replied adamantly, "I like the way things are now, I don't want you to change them."
"Well I don't," Neal said through gritted teeth, "do you think I enjoy seeing Emma happy with her?"
Henry furrowed his brow, and asked, "what did you do to Emma?"
Neal's face contorted in pain for a split second and he avoided eye contact as he said, "it doesn't matter."
"How can it not matter?" Henry cried.
"Because the moment I have the trigger, it will never had happened. She won't remember what I did to her, both of you will think of me as part of your family."
"You could have been part of our family! You just had to be patient," Henry argued, desperately trying to fight against the rope binding his forearms to the chair.
"I spent centuries alone in Neverland, all because my father chose magic over me. Do you really think that I have any patience left?"
"It will be a lie!"
"And I can live with that as long as I finally get everything I want. I'll have Emma and you, living in a world without magic. It sounds pretty perfect to me," he sneered, and grabbed the boy's hair, tilting his head back. "Now are you going to do as I say?"
Henry shook his head, keeping his mouth tightly closed, little tears very clearly pricking at the corners of his eyes.
Neal was about to reach out and force his son's mouth open, when he suddenly found himself unable to move.
Henry opened his eyes and blinked a few times at the light purple shimmer surrounding his severely pissed off father.
Looking past him he expected to see his mother, and was about to say a relieved 'thank you', only for the words to die on his lips when he saw Cora Mills retracting her hand from casting the spell.
He hadn't really had the chance to spend much time with his grandmother, and he had noticed the way that Regina stood in front of him whenever her mother was around. Things had been going so well for him and his now extended family, that he hadn't given much thought to it at the time, but he now saw the truth. Regina was afraid of her mother for reasons that he was sure he wouldn't discover until he was much older, and she didn't trust her around her son, despite her supposed redemption. He imagined that after this, however, Cora may have made some progress, perhaps even earning the right to have a actual conversation with her daughter, rather than the stilted explanations of the workings of this world that he had witnessed thus far.
Neal managed to turn his head, and scowled at the magic user that had ruined his plan, finally realising that he had spent too much time looking for the truth serum.
With his plan seemingly foiled, he had one question that he had to ask, "Emma?"
Cora clenched her fist, desperately trying to remind herself that this was Gold's son, and that she would lose one of her only friends should she do exactly what she was imagining. But she also couldn't get the image of Regina's face as she searched for the saviour's pulse.
Taking a deep breath, she walked over and pulled the chair away from Neal, and then set about untying Henry.
"She'll live," she replied without looking at him, and the added a mental hopefully, when she saw Henry's smile at the news.
Once the boy was free, she rounded on his father considered her options. The highest on her list was a heart rip, but she managed to convince herself that would scar her grandson for life. Finally she settled on something that would make Emma proud, and punched him square across the face. When she released him from her spell, he fell the ground unconscious.
Henry peeked around his grandmother, and despite the situation he let out a little laugh, "he's always getting punched isn't he?"
Cora smirked and turned to face the boy, "he deserves it."
Henry nodded in agreement, and after a short pause, he launched forward to hug her, mumbling "thank you," against her blazer.
Cora brought her hand up, and sighed contently as she softly placed it on his shoulder, not a complete hug, but it was certainly progress for the former Queen of Hearts, "you're welcome."
Purple smoke billowed in the hospital waiting room, and before anyone could register their surprise, Henry launched forward to hug Regina, his shoulders shaking as he finally allowed his terrified tears to fall while in his mother's arms.
Without a second thought, Regina brought her arms tightly around him and she looked questioningly at her mother.
"Neal is in the holding cell," she assured, and Regina let out a relieved sigh, she had only been waiting with the Charmings for about ten minutes but it had felt like hours. Not only was she waiting for Whale to return with her girlfriend's prognosis, she had also been agonising over whether she should go and help her mother, and now she was glad to see that she had made the right choice.
She offered her mother a smile which was quickly returned, and then she turned her attention to her son, pulling back slightly so she could see his face.
"You're safe," she whispered, and he nodded instantly.
"What about Emma?"
Regina looked over his shoulder hoping that Whale would appear, and when he didn't she sighed and explained, "she was...hurt, but Doctor Whale is looking after her now, so she'll be better in no time."
Henry thought about asking what 'hurt' meant, but for once he decided that he didn't need to know every detail. His mother wasn't lying to him, she was just protecting him from the full painful truth, and that was certainly something that he could live with, he was a child after all.
The boy smiled weakly and sat on the seat next to his mother, instantly leaning his head on her shoulder and she brought her hand around his shoulder placing a small kiss on his temple.
"Er Regina?" someone said somewhat timidly.
Said woman looked up from her son, to see the never shy waitress holding papers with a familiar man behind her.
Regina took a moment to inspect Kurt Flynn; he looked infinitely older, eighteen years older to be exact. His face should have been contorted in anger, but instead he just looked confused, Regina tried to push aside the guilt, and lightly tapped Henry so he sat up.
She quickly whispered that she would be right back and made her way over to the wolf and the man behind her.
She awkwardly smiled at Kurt and he just returned with a blank expression, before he finally asked in a deceptively mellow voice, "where is my son?"
Regina exchanged a look with Ruby who offered a nod of encouragement, and the mayor pointed to the room where she had reluctantly asked for Greg to be treated for his gunshot wound.
Without any further questions, he almost moved at inhuman speeds towards the hospital room, finally stopping at the threshold. Regina watched as the man that she had taken everything away from let out a ragged breath.
"What happened to him?" Kurt asked, finally rounding on the mayor with pure hatred overtaking his features, though he did deflate a little when he saw no fear returned in the woman's eyes, only regret.
"He was trying to take revenge for what I did by hurting someone I care for deeply, he had to be stopped, but Gre...Owen will be fine."
Kurt turned back and looked at his little boy, finding it hard to believe that he would ever take revenge on anyone, "you're lying," he muttered.
Regina clenched her jaw, she knew that she owed this man and his son a lot, but she certainly didn't owe him the safety of her girlfriend.
"He tortured the woman I love, she is currently in surgery for third degree burns and possible brain damage because he spent six hours electrocuting her. I understand that I have wronged both of you, but believe me when I tell you he is lucky that all he got was a bullet to the leg, now if you wish for it to remain that way, I suggest you wait for your son to wake up, while I go and do the same for my girlfriend."
Kurt nodded fearfully and Regina turned on her heels, finally making her way back to the waiting room having gotten Ruby to agree to watch the pair closely.
Hours later, Regina, Snow and David sat in the waiting room, Cora having taken Henry back to the mansion.
The saviour's parents had been uncharacteristically quiet during the entire wait, with Snow just leaning her head on her husband's shoulder, and Regina was beginning to wish that they would say something just to distract her from the oppressive wait. Mentally she took a deep breath, realising that for her to wish that meant that things were truly dire, and finally she heard a door open. For the hundredth time three heads snapped towards the source of the sound, and finally this time it wasn't a nurse.
The three royals almost jumped out of their seats, meeting Whale halfway across the waiting room, and he offered them a tight smile.
"The surgery went well, but..." he took a deep breath trying to figure out the best way to break the news.
"But?" Snow paled, beginning to run through the many scenarios in her mind, none of them good.
Whale bit his lip and replied, "she's alive. I stitched up all of the lacerations, so she'll need to come back in three weeks to have them removed. I'm prescribing some creams that should prevent the burns from scarring..."
Regina held up her hand, and said, "what is it Whale?"
Whale sighed and finally admitted, "the electricity had damaged her Central Nervous System."
"Meaning?" Charming asked insistently.
"She's paralysed from the waist down."
Regina, Snow and David each looked stunned for a moment, before Regina finally asked, "permanently?" she was already beginning to imagine that the very active sheriff wouldn't deal with this very well, all she could hope was that it was temporary.
Whale shook his head, happy to finally give some positive news, even if it was surrounded by a pretty crappy situation, "she had slight feeling, so with regular physiotherapy she should regain normal function, there's no telling how long that would take though, so she'll need a caretaker."
Regina began running through all of the places in her house that were not wheelchair accessible and what exact spells could change that, however her thoughts were interrupted when he handed some forms to Snow.
"I already talked to Emma and she said that she wants her parents to be her official carers until such time as she can regain full independence."
Snow exchanged a looked with Regina, looking just as dumbfounded as the brunette felt.
"What about Regina?" she squeaked, feeling infinitely guilty for the fact that she was even slightly happy that she got to finally look after her daughter.
Whale shrugged, "I assumed that she would ask for Regina, but she said that she would feel more comfortable with her parents."
Regina blinked a few times, feeling utterly ridiculous for taking this as some kind of rejection, her girlfriend had every right to need her parents in this difficult time, she couldn't expect to be the only person that Emma turns to.
"Can we see her?"
Whale shook his head, "I would be prepared to allow visitors in the morning, she just went through a battery of tests, and she's pretty strung out on pain killers. I would suggest making arrangements for wheelchair accessibility though."
Snow sighed as something finally occurred to her, "her bedroom is up stairs and the apartment is on the top floor."
Regina rolled her eyes, and replied, "give your bed to Emma, and I will make all of the arrangements for everything to be accessible."
"Do we have enough time to arrange everything?" Snow asked with a furrowed brow.
"We do if we use my method," Regina said simply, and a small cloud of purple smoke revealed a spell book. "Why don't you two get some sleep, it would appear that you have a lot to do tomorrow," the mayor called as she walked away, desperately trying to keep the bitterness out of her voice.
A/N Reviews would be much appreciated XD