We reached chapter 25, yeah! I feel inspired to continue writing, since last weekend I met Bex at the convention in Brussels mwah! She literally is such a sweetie and a truly beautiful woman.

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XXV. Maternal feelings

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The soft crying of an infant woke Zelena from her sleep. When she opened her eyes, the memories of the previous night flooded in. She had given birth to a child, she had actually become a mother. Her eyes fell on the empty crib just before she noticed her father holding the baby. Immediately, every muscle in her body stiffened.

"What do you want?" she hissed, "How do you even know I'm here?"

Freek put on a sickeningly fake smile. "After you didn't come home this morning, I got worried and made a few calls. Apparently no one found it necessary to inform me. So you were pregnant, well that explains why you kept getting fatter. You didn't say a word. Probably it was because you secretly enjoyed yourself with some pretty boy, wasn't it?"

"Or probably it was because I didn't want to admit it myself?" Suspiciously, she watched him. "Give my daughter to me."

"Don't you dare lie to me! You know exactly what happens if you do." He insisted each of his words with particular emphasis. "Is this child mine, Zelena?"

She nodded, barely nsoticeably. "If you don't give her to me right now, I'll scream."

For a moment he seemed unsure, but then he actually put the wailing baby in her arms, to not attract the attention of the staff in the ward. Zelena held her little girl close to her.

"Get dressed, you're coming home with me." His voice was menacingly quiet.

"I have to feed my daughter. You can tell she's hungry. Please leave me alone."

He let out an amused laugh. "I've seen everything on you already, but for my sake. You're going to hurry the hell up."

When he actually turned his back on her and stomped out of the room, she breathed a sigh of relief. She knew, however, that he was still close by and would not leave the hospital without her. There was no way for her to ever escape him. With clammy fingers, she opened her nightgown so the baby could drink at her breast. She felt silent tears running down her cheeks. The mere idea of her daughter growing up and witnessing the violence day in and day out made her guts tighten.

"Mommy will protect you, my little munchkin," she softly murmured.

A knock at the door made her wince violently, but it wasn't her father entering the room. The young nurse with the short-cropped hair was looking at her through her glasses. In her hands she carried a tray on which stood a bowl and a small metal teapot.

"Good morning," she began with a warm smile. "I'm just bringing your breakfast, I don't mind to disturb you. How is the new arrival?"

"Fine, I think." Zelena took a deep breath. "I'm still overwhelmed."

The nurse nodded in understanding before placing the tray on the nightstand next to the bed. "I'm sure you are. Eat the porridge while it's warm. You need all your energy. The doc will check on you and the little one later this morning."

"Is my...husband still outside?" she inquired hesitantly, ignoring the meal.

"If you mean the older gentleman in corduroy pants and the worn coat, then yes, he's sitting in the waiting area. Would you like me to deliver a message to him?"

Zelena didn't answer right away, behind her brow was working. "Would you please send him away? I really need some rest, but I guess he doesn't understand that he can't take the child and me home until we are discharged."

"Yeah, I'll do that right away and remind him of visiting hours. In the meantime, enjoy your breakfast. You should be drinking plenty of water. Just let me know if you want more tea or need anything else." The nurse smiled cheerfully before heading back out.

Freek did not return, whereupon Zelena slowly relaxed. Her daughter was fed by now and had peacefully fallen asleep in her arms. She carefully laid her down into the crib before turning her attention to the bowl of lukewarm porridge. By the first spoon she realized how hungry she was. Her stomach gave an audible rumble. Again and again she looked tenderly at her beautiful girl, for whom she had not yet thought of a name. The little one was innocent. The circumstances in which she had been conceived and born weren't her fault. She deserved the love and care of her mother. This time she would protect her baby from him with her life.

…

Even by her standards, Regina awoke very early in the morning. Her worries about Zelena had not allowed her to sleep very well. She fervently hoped that the nurse who had been on duty the previous night would really pass on the emphatic request to keep Freek away from her at all costs when the shift changed. After preparing breakfast, she woke Henry to get ready for school. With a sullen sleepy face, he toddled into the kitchen as soon as he slipped into one of his baggy jeans and a plaid shirt.

"I'll drive you to school today if you want," she stated as she set a plate in front of him with a slice of ham sandwich and two tomato halves.

Henry looked at her in wonderment over his breakfast. "To what do I owe the honor, Mom, you usually insist I take the bus."

"It's on the way. I want to check if Zelena is okay before I go to work. Giving birth took a lot out of her."

"Why didn't her husband take her to the hospital, anyway?"

Regina groaned. "He wasn't home, and he doesn't have a cell phone. I gave Zelena your old one for emergencies, so she at least was able to call me. We've kind of started to become friends, I guess. What do you think about her moving into our guest room with the little one for now, once she's allowed to leave the hospital?"

"I don't know. Doesn't her husband want her to come home? After all, with the baby, they're a family and he's the dad. You're always busy anyway, when Emma would love to have more time with you, Mom. Or do you like Zelena better now?" Suspiciously, his brow went up. "You should tell her then."

"Nonsense, now don't you start too. Of course I like Zelena, but I'm together with Emma and I don't want to change that at all, so don't worry." Demonstratively, she rolled her eyes. "She's not doing well at home, you know. Some men treat their wives very badly and hurt them. Her husband is one of them, unfortunately, so she shouldn't go back to the farm. This is a very tough step for her because there is no one she can go to. He has not allowed her to make friends to make her stay with him. She's alone and scared, so we're supporting her to start over with her daughter. I'm sure Emma will be happy to help as well, don't you think?"

"Yeah, sure, she is the sheriff, that's her job. She's supposed to lock up Zelena's husband so that he can't hurt her anymore. After all, everyone deserves a happy ending, and we'll help her, just like the heroes in the stories!" He grinned broadly and wolfed down the rest of his bread before jumping up. "I need to get my backpack, I'll be ready any minute."

She watched him rushing out for a moment. It always surprised her how quickly he grew up, even if he would remain her little prince. While she waited for him, she checked her cell phone and texted Emma, wishing her a good morning. Sooner or later she had to let her friend in on it, at least as far as she could without breaking Zelena's trust, but she wanted to do that in person to make her understand the seriousness of the situation.

…

After Regina let her son out in front of the school building, she informed her co-worker Bernice that she intended to come into the office later that morning. On her way to the hospital, she stopped on Main Street at a children's supply store where she had bought baby clothes for Henry back then. Wistfully, she looked at all the cute things, from clothes to toys. The saleswoman curiously eyed her as she finally paid for a pink romper suit with an embroidered crown and the word princess on it, as well as a fluffy white little bonnet.

Shortly after nine o'clock, she finally arrived at the hospital, where she parked her Benz in the visitors' parking lot. There was already a rusty red pickup truck standing, spotting it caused a knot of anger to form in her stomach. Hastily, she marched to the entrance with the bag from the store in her hand, and right at the foyer Freek was walking in her direction. Since it would have caused a stir to indulge her homicidal thoughts or even to pick a fight with him, she confined herself to skewering him with a hateful look.

He, however, promptly stopped in front of her to glare at her just as viciously. "Just because you're the mayor doesn't give you the right to meddle in other people's affairs that are none of your business. Stay the hell away from my wife!"

"I'll make sure that you hideous bastard won't touch her ever again," she hissed so softly that he couldn't understand. When he frowned in response, she put on her sweetest smile. "Have a nice day, Mister West!"

Lifting her head high, she left him standing and turned into the hallway that would lead them to Zelena's room. As soon as he was out of sight, she exhaled sharply and unclenched her fists clenched convulsively in her coat pockets. Anxiously, she knocked on the door and entered the small bright room, which smelled as unpleasantly sterile as the hallway. Zelena sat upright in bed, a metal teacup in her hand.

"Good morning," Regina greeted her kindly. "How are you feeling today?"

"Still pretty beat, if I'm honest." She smiled weakly.

Regina pulled up the plastic chair that stood beside the door and looked at the child slumbering in its crib. "No wonder, you just gave birth a few hours ago. This is for the little one."

Surprised, Zelena accepted the bag. The onesie and little bonnet made her eyes grow wide. "You got this for my baby?"

"Well, I guess soon rumors will start making the rounds. The salesgirl is the second biggest gossip in town, right after Leroy." An amused grin played around her lips before she turned serious again. "Did you really not realize you were pregnant?"

Zelena's features stiffened. "I don't know, deep down I may have suspected. My husband never wanted children. We barely have any money, I have to work after all."

Gently, Regina put her hand on her arm. "Zelena, do you remember what you told me after your baby girl was born?"

"You need to forget this, Regina, please. I was completely out of it and talking crazy." She avoided her gaze and stared absently out the window.

"I'm sure you didn't, I'm not stupid. You were exhausted, but clearly minded. Zelena, is the child his?" It was hard for her to even say the question, and the redhead's silence was answer enough for her to confirm her worst fears. "Was he just with you? He ran into me in the entrance hall."

"Yes, he was here and wanted me to get home with him." A resigned sound escaped her. "The nurse sent him away, but he won't rest until I'm back on the farm."

In disbelief, Regina looked at her. "Seriously? You can't go back to him! Someday your daughter will be old enough to notice everything he does to you. Is that what you want?"

"You have no idea, Regina!" she suddenly roared. "How could you? Your life is perfect, you have everything. You don't know what it means to be in fear." Abruptly she pulled her nightgown down a bit over her shoulder, revealing a narrow reddish burn scar on her alabaster white skin. "A poker gets pretty hot when you poke it around in the fireplace."

Distraught at the realization of how this old healed injury had come to mark her forever, Regina slapped her hands over her face. "God! I'm begging you, turn that damn son of a bitch in! If he's in jail, he can't hurt you anymore."

She continued to avoid looking at Regina after she leaned back against the raised headboard of the bed. "I can't. I have no one else in the world. Besides, he needs me because I take care of everything. I make sure there's food on the table, keep the house clean, and work for the money we live on. That's the way it's always been."

Regina reached for her hand to give it an encouraging squeeze. "But he doesn't deserve you, by the way he treats you. Zelena, you're not alone. You don't have to go back to him. My house is big enough, you can use the guest room as long as you want. You'll be safe with me, I promise. I won't allow him to enter my property. And neither will Emma. You know she's the sheriff, which means she can protect you and your baby. Pull yourself together or the violence will never stop."

"Why do you care so much about helping me? You don't even know me." Bitterly, Zelena turned to face the whitewashed wall. "Is this your way of honoring yourself as mayor?"

Realizing how broken she actually was, her throat tightened. She rose from her chair to join her at the edge of the bed, tenderly brushing a lock of red hair from her forehead. "Do you really think I would do this for my prestige? I suspected all along that something was wrong, but the truth is even more disturbing." Regina felt her eyes moisten and scattered tears run down her cheeks.

"You can't save me. We will move again and it will continue. He'll never let me go, he'll kill me first."

"You're still in my town and I'm not turning away," Regina replied firmly. With the back of her hand she wiped the damp tracks from her face. "When you brought me the book, you said you'd like to be like the wicked Witch because nothing can hold her back on her broom. Zelena, you can do this, you can free yourself from him. Be strong for your child and for yourself."

She gave no more answer and Regina felt that she had to give her time. Her eyes fell on the sleeping baby in its crib and she gently stroked its soft cheek before rising. "I have to get to work before my secretary files a missing person report. If you' re okay with it, I'll stop by on my way home. You'll both be safe here for now."

Again she didn't respond, but when Regina gently put a hand on her shoulder, she turned her face to her for a moment so that they glanced at each other. Once more she noticed how tired and expressionless her eyes were. She had lost hope long ago.