Nosocomephobia
Nan119 I've already covered Emma having appendicitis but not telling her parents. But I haven't covered her having a fear of hospitals due to being left alone there after abuse from foster carers so I hope you don't mind me just changing the need to go to hospital!
Every step made Emma feel physically sick. She'd done her best to cover up the gash in her leg with a bandage in the first aid box at the station, but she knew it wasn't going to do much good. The sensible part of Emma knew she should go to hospital, but that just wasn't going to happen. When she was alone, Emma dragged her bad leg behind her as stepping properly just made the pain worse. But when she was around other people and had to walk, Emma forced herself to walk at least vaguely normally. But not normally enough. Both her parents had noticed a limp developing, and it seemed to be getting worse. After only a couple of days Emma got caught. She thought she was alone in the house so was dragging her leg when her mom saw her.
"I knew it. What's wrong with your leg?" Snow demanded. Emma cursed under her breath. She had been hoping she'd be able to ride this out.
"Nothing, just pins and needles." She lied. Snow raised an eyebrow.
"So you're wearing pyjama bottoms- but not the top- in the middle of the day and dragging your leg behind you because of pins and needles?" She questioned disbelievingly. Emma nodded, hoping against all hope her mother would leave it. "Uh-uh. Not a chance. Sit down and show me what you're hiding." Snow came over and stood with her arms crossed, waiting for Emma to sit down. Seeing no way out of it (it wasn't like she could run out of the room) Emma plonked down on the armchair.
"You have to promise not to freak out." Emma said, hands on the bottom of the trouser leg.
"Emma you're not really in the position to bargain with me." Snow reminded her.
"Fine. Well, at least don't throw anything at me…" Emma rolled the material up to expose her thigh and carefully took off the bandage. Snow gasped at the sight of the angry gash on Emma's leg.
"Emma! Have you been to the hospital?" She asked. If she had been Snow was going to give Whale a good kicking for his awful bandage work.
"No. And I'm not going." Emma said firmly. "It's just a cut. I'll be fine."
"Emma that will probably need stitches. You are going to the hospital and that is that." Snow said, getting up and grabbing both their jackets.
"No, I'm not." Emma responded. The truth was she hated hospitals and she avoided them at all cost. Snow came back and slowly leaned down so she and Emma were eye level again.
"Well Emma, you have two choices. Either you come with me willingly now. Or when I call your father in a moment to let him know we're going to the hospital he comes back and carries you kicking and screaming. Which one will it be?" Emma's eyes narrowed- surely she wouldn't? But the look on Snow's face told her that she very well would.
"Fine, I'll come with you." Emma snapped. There was no point in arguing- she was going. Like it or lump it.
With Snow's help, Emma got into the car and Snow was driving her to the hospital. Snow couldn't help but notice Emma getting paler the closer they got. Her hand closing tighter around the door handle. Snow knew Emma wasn't just in pain, something was wrong.
"Ok." Snow said, parking as close to the entrance as she could. "Your dad will be here as soon as he's dropped Neal off for a sleepover with little Philip. Let's get you sorted…"
"When we go in there." Emma said suddenly. "They're going to try and ask you to leave the room at some point. Please, don't leave." Now they were getting somewhere.
"Alright…why?" Snow asked, wanting to be able to help Emma.
"Because I was in hospitals a lot as a kid. A lot of Foster carers aren't the nicest of people." Snow didn't have to work hard to imagine why Emma ended up in hospital a lot. "Social workers are busy people. They don't have time to just sit with you. I was left alone and I hated it. Besides, hospitals always meant going somewhere unfamiliar, a change. I don't want to leave." Emma admitted in a quiet voice. Even as an adult hospitals seemed to be cursed to her. She thought about the trauma of Henry's birth. Snow reached out and made Emma look at her.
"I'm not going to leave. When your father gets here he isn't going to leave. You are not going anywhere. They're going to fix you up and then when they allow you to come we're going to look after you there, ok?" Snow tried to assure her. Emma gave a small nod, still feeling insecure. But Snow had no choice, Emma had to go into the hospital.
Charming arrived half an hour later. He was directed by a nurse to a little private room where Emma was clinging to Snow's hand for dear life. Snow had sent him a text after they'd arrived to explain why Emma might be on edge.
"How you doing Em?" He asked, kissing her forehead and sitting on a seat beside her.
"Sore." She admitted. She placed her other hand in Charming's and placed a death lock on him too. Charming held back just as tightly. If Emma was frightened they would leave then they would not be leaving. Hell help the person who tried to make them.