"Ruby, what's wrong?" Elsa asks.
She's walking like a zombie, gasping for air because of the large lump in her throat. She walks back into the hospital waiting room where everyone, minus Mary Margret, David, and Jack, are still waiting for any type of news.
"Ruby!" Elsa says.
Ruby just sits down in a nearby chair.
"EARTH TO RUBY!" Zelena shouts.
Ruby blinks and looks at all her friends staring at her. She forces herself to smile.
"Don't yell in a hospital Zelena," Regina says sternly.
"Don't tell me what to do Regina," the red-head shouts. Regina gets up from her chair to face her unpleasant sister.
"I'm trying to be considerate to the sick people around us,"
"You're never considerate of anyone but yourself, you little brat," Zelena snaps back.
"Both of you shut up!" Elsa barks.
Everyone looks at Elsa in shock. Even Anna was surprised, as her sister hardly ever raised her voice at anyone. "We are in a hospital for god's sake. I can't believe you two! I can never understand why you just can't be civil? I know you're sisters and you don't like each other, but consider what's happened. Our friend is in grave danger and all you can think about is yourselves and your petty lives. For god's sake, think about Emma and that poor woman David found, she was drugged and unconscious by the man who abducted and could very well kill Emma."
Elsa then turns on her heels and exits the room in a huff.
Everyone is left stunned by Elsa's words; she spoke the truth; Emma was much more at risk of being hurt by someone than a cat fight between sisters. Regina sighs and sits down again. A nurse gives them all a warning glance about the noise.
Henry turns to Ruby and whispers to her.
"What did you hear?"
"I don't know what you mean," Ruby says, trying to look away.
"You're a terrible liar Lass," Killian says sternly. He too wanted to know everything.
"We know you snuck away to listen," Henry says.
"And what I might've heard doesn't concern you," Ruby says. "If I did hear something, which I didn't, I wouldn't tell you. I got lost on the way to the bathroom."
"A very bad liar," the docks mans says.
Ruby turns away to avoid both their eyes and says nothing more.
"She's my mother for god's sake!" Henry says.
"And the woman I care about," Killian adds. "We have a right to know."
Ruby swallows and shakes her head. "I can't do it," she says. "It'll ruin your lives and keep you up at night."
"More than it's already doing so," Killian says. "Tell us, Ruby."
Ruby shakes her head and gets up. "I can't, I'm sorry."She leaves the room, not likely to come back.
Henry feels very frustrated and he smacks his hand on the armrest.
"Don't get mad just yet Lad," Killian says. "If she won't tell us, we'll have to get it from the source."
The two look down the hall to where David, Jack, and Ruby had come from.
…
It's another hour before Killian and Henry attempt to get into the woman's room. They want answers and if this woman knows where Emma is, they want her to tell them.
The two slip down the hallway, acting as casually as they can, passing doctors with clipboards and nurses with medical equipment all in a hurry to get places.
Killian reaches the end of the hall where a series of hospital rooms are. He peers into one, but it's an old man eating some jello. Killian's face distorts in disgust, he never really liked jello, especially the way it moved and often the taste was too strong for him. He shakes his head at Henry, telling him to move on. The next one, a young child is playing cards with her family. She looks pale and frail, with a scarf around her head to hide her baldness. Clearly, the young girl was going through chemotherapy and Henry's stomach turns in guilt for intruding on her time with her family. The third room there is a woman staring out the window, laying back on her bed as if she might go to sleep soon.
"She might be the one," Killian says.
"There's only one way to find out," Henry says. He knocks on the door.
"Doctor Whale?" she asks loudly.
Henry opens the door enough to poke his head in.
"No, it's uh…"
"You must be Emma Swan's son," the woman finishes.
Henry is taken aback but continues into the room.
"Uh yeah, how do you know me?"
"I saw you on TV," the woman says. Henry can see that she's slightly frail, with her face very pale in colour, her eyes bloodshot and she's hooked up to several IVs. She looks very sad and uncomfortable and Henry now feels bad about trying to get information from her.
"You must be here about your mother," Gwen says gently. She tries to keep her emotions in check.
"Yes," Henry says.
"Come in and sit down."
The teenager takes reluctant steps into the room. Gwen then notices the dark-haired man behind the boy. "Who's he?"
"I'm Emma's boyfriend," Killian answers, staying in the doorway.
"He must be your father then, oh, of course, come in."
"I'm not exactly his father," Killian says.
Gwen frowns in confusion.
"My mom split up from dad a little while ago and…" Henry tries to explain his complicated family situation.
"Actually, it was more like the other way around," Killian corrects.
"Regardless, you both deserve answers, come in and sit down," Gwen says, nodding towards the chairs in the room, one that was already positioned by her bed. Henry takes the one David sat in and Killian grabs one from the corner of the room.
Once both men are facing her, Gwen begins to tear up.
"P-please forgive me…" she says quietly. "I had no idea what my husband was doing."
"So it was your husband who grabbed Emma?" Killian asks.
Gwen nods. "He had her locked in the basement and he locked the door to it to make sure no one went down there. He lied to me saying he was working on a construction project and I believed him… Please forgive me."
"We know you didn't do it," Henry says, trying to sound sympathetic. He has mixed feelings about this woman, maybe she's just a really good actor, but if she was drugged and knocked unconscious by this man like the doctor said, she could be more of a victim than his mom was.
"I'm still sorry."
"What was he doing to her down there…"
Gwen breaks down into tears, but she keeps her eyes on the two men. She can't bring herself to tell them. What horrible torture their beloved Emma must have gone through and likely is still going through. She especially doesn't want to say it in front of her son.
"I-I can't say it…" Gwen says.
"W-Was it…?" Henry swallows. He wasn't stupid, he'd seen crime shows before and knew what kidnappers liked to do to female victims. His mind flashes with horrible and disturbing images and his stomach twists violently. Henry keeps his head down.
Gwen just nods quickly.
Killian, on the other hand, is very angry, his ears turn red and his hands clench into fists. He grinds his teeth together and it takes every ounce of strength in him not to run out of the room in search of this monster. Killian would give that man something to cry about.
"He was keeping her prisoner down there and hiding it from me and my children. I saw the segment on the news but I never thought that my husband would do something so awful to a mother…I'm so sorry to both of you that it took me so long to realize something was suspicious, but I picked the lock the other day and I found… your mother holding an axe up. I realized that she was about to break the door down. She must've gotten free and was trying to escape. She had a gun and everything but…" Gwen closes her eyes and cries a little harder, tears staining her face. Now everyone in the room was crying out of sheer emotion. "A-Arthur came home at that moment and Emma was trying to leave, holding him at gunpoint. I asked him why he did it and she told me that he wanted to get her pregnant…"
That causes Killian to stand up and leave the room in anger... Maybe not anger, but full embrittled rage. Henry wants to go and follow him, but he also wants to know what happened.
"T-then?" Henry swallows.
"You mother called him insane, and she missed him with her gun. T-then he tried to strangle her. I finally came to my senses and jumped into action. I stabbed him and he let go of your mother. Then he attacked me and I blacked out. The next thing I remember was waking up in a hospital, being told that I was drugged and that my husband, your mother and my children were missing... I'm so sorry…"
Gwen breaks down into uncontrollable sobs. Henry too begins to cry very hard. Gwen reaches over and grabs Henry's hand firmly. She looks at him with her eyes, her sad and desperate eyes.
"I'm so, so sorry," she weeps. "I wasn't strong enough to stop him and save your mother."
Henry just nods and both continue crying in pain. They seem to be almost holding each other up in a way, both victims and both having people that they loved in the hands of a monster. A monster named Arthur King.
…
After a long and hard crying session, both Henry and Gwen compose themselves enough to look at one another again.
"I'm so sorry uh…"
"Henry,"
"Henry, I have a cousin named Henry," she says with a weak smile.
Henry does his best to return the small gesture,
"Th-Thank you for telling me," Henry says quietly.
"You deserved to know that your mother is a fight and that she's still alive…"
"Just not safe," Henry finishes.
Gwen nods affirmingly. "You'd better go find your friend."
"Killian?" Henry offers.
"Yes, go find him before he does something he'll regret. He's not the only one who is very repulsed by my husband's intentions. That Officer Nolan was very upset too."
"He and my mom work together and he's like her big brother."
"Obviously, it's good to know that she is loved," Gwen says optimistically, but in a very weak tone.
Henry nods. He leans forward and hugs the woman
"Thank you," he says.
"What for? I didn't save your mom?"
"You gave me answers… at least that's something," Henry says, matching Gwen's level of optimism.
"I have faith that Officer Nolan will find her soon. She's a fighter."
"She has to be," Henry says, getting up from his chair. "She's my mom."
Do you think that Killian will do something stupid? Please keep reviewing and thank you.