Hello, I'm back from vacation and as promised I'll be posting a chapter every Friday. I also used the time off to organize my documents in order to write a lot of new chapters for you. I hope you enjoy the following chapter.
Chapter 4 - Believe
Her head pounded and a sharp pain throbbed in her temples. Where was she? What had happened?
Natalia tried to open her eyes. But she immediately squinted because she was blinded. She groaned softly.
"Are you awake?" came from the side.
Natalia tried to open her eyes again and blinked slightly. Slowly she adjusted to the brightness and became aware of her surroundings. She was lying in a single bed, a thick white blanket draped over her legs and covering most of her upper body. The small, square room was simply furnished. It looked like a hospital. At least she hoped so.
Henry sat next to her in one of the visitors' chairs. On his lap was a large, rectangular, leather-bound book.
"What have you got there?" she whispered, sitting up. There were much more pressing questions, but the headache that was getting worse by the minute did not allow for logic at the moment.
"The storybook," Henry replied, pressing the book against his breast. "It's the story of our family."
"Our family?" Natalia raised up and immediately grabbed her head. "Ow!"
"Careful. Doctor Whales says you have a concussion and need to rest. Mom and Killian stayed all night. Grandma sent them out this morning so they could rest and shower. That's why I'm here now. I'm kind of holding down the fort." Henry grinned at her.
"A concussion." The young man's words slowly trickled down to Natalia. She dimly remembered running to her car and wanting to go home. She raced toward the city limits. The bright light that had always blinded her was so strong this time that she twisted the steering wheel and lost control. After the crash, everything went black.
"I had an accident," Natalia mumbled, lowering her eyes.
"Yes, that's right. Do you remember?" Henry leaned over and looked at her expectantly.
"All I remember is that I wanted to get out of here fast and that Snow wouldn't let me go."
Snippets of conversation flashed through her mind, but she couldn't put them together.
"Before you ran away, she told you something important. Do you remember?" His eyes widened and the pressure on Natalia increased.
Her headache grew worse, but the young woman finally wanted clarity and a complete memory of what had happened before the accident. What had made her drive so recklessly?
Natalia's thoughts were interrupted by the opening of the room door.
"How is the patient today?" A white-haired, wiry man in a white coat entered. "Ah, I see you're awake. I'm Dr. Whales, and you must be Natalia?"
The woman nodded briefly.
"Very well. How are you feeling?"
The doctor approached her, shining a small flashlight in her eyes, feeling her pulse and carefully examining her scalp.
"Dazed and confused. And I have a terrible headache," Natalia complained.
"These are normal symptoms after a car accident and a minor head injury. Do you have any other symptoms? Dizziness, nausea, shortness of breath?"
Natalia replied negatively.
"Good, then we'll get your headache under control right away." He stepped outside for a moment and returned with a syringe.
"I'm going to give you a painkiller in the drip, that should make you think clearly again and suppress the headache. But if you complain of any more discomfort in the next few hours, let me know right away."
"And when can I leave?" she asked, dropping onto the soft cushion.
"If the headache doesn't get any worse and there are no other complaints, you can leave tonight. But as your doctor, I have to advise against it. You should stay under observation for at least one more night."
With that, the man in the white coat disappeared, leaving Henry and Natalia alone.
The young woman closed her eyes and felt the throbbing in her temples subside.
But it also meant that the memories came back, and now that everything was crashing down on her, she wanted to forget it. The conversation with Snow, the feeling of helplessness, the endless sadness and most of all the anger.
Anger at her parents, anger at this town, yes, anger at herself and the fact that she had only ended up here through her own fault.
She turned her head to the side and looked at Henry. In the meantime, he had opened the thick book and was flipping through the pages. He seemed to be searching for something.
"Henry, I think it would be better if you left me alone now. I want to rest a little longer," she asked him. She wanted to be alone. She was used to being alone. She was not used to the constant attention she received in this city.
"But we are siblings, right? I'm your big brother and I'll take care of you." Henry nodded at her and turned back to his book.
"Big brother? Henry, you're half my age." Was everyone here crazy? She wasn't the little daughter of that Emma and what was his name again, Hook? Nor was Henry her brother. They were all crazy. Natalia shook her head.
"Wait, please. Let me explain." Henry turned the book over and set it upright on his legs. He had opened it to a page showing a wedding. The characters almost looked like Snow and the Sheriff. But you could order and print these storybooks on the Internet for very little money. All you had to do was upload your own photos and write your story. It didn't prove anything. But Natalia had to admit that this storybook was really beautifully made. It certainly wasn't cheap.
"Henry, I'm really tired," Natalia tried again. But Henry persisted.
He eagerly went through page after page with her, and the young woman was glad that he didn't read the text again, but just told her about the pictures. All in all, this story was very similar to Snow's. But that didn't mean anything either.
"Oh, and that's when my mom, well, my other mom, the mayor, was crowned by Grandma and Grandpa. And that's you." Henry pointed to a small baby in Captain Hook's arms.
"Henry, please. It's all fine and dandy and you have a great story. But really. I can't biologically be that little creature over there." Natalia pointed to the bundle in the man's arms. "And I don't think you're all from a fairy tale, either.
I mean, it would be better than Disneyland. You could even charge people to come in and make a lot of money. You'd just have to make the town a little more tourist-friendly, a few rides wouldn't hurt. Oh, and more food stands. With the crowds I'm expecting with this story, the diner at Granny's won't be enough." Natalia, who approached the whole thing with her usual sarcasm, was laughing now. These people really seemed to believe in their fairy tale. It was easy to capitalize on that.
"No, you have to believe us." Henry looked at her sharply.
"You want me to believe that you're the grandson of Snow White and Prince Charming, that Rumpelstiltskin really is the Beast, and that he married Belle? Ariel lives by the harbour with her Erik, and Cinderella is expecting her second child?"
"There's a lot more. But yeah, it's all true so far. My mom, well actually our mom, Emma, she's the saviour and the product of true love. I have the heart of the believer and you are the hope. The hope that survives, that carries you through the darkness and gives you the light".
"Hope?" Natalia looked at him uncomprehendingly. "I," she pointed to her chest, "am Natalia Fox. My parents died a year ago. I grew up in Alaska and have lived in Boston since I was twenty. I wasn't adopted, I didn't have a foster family, and I'm definitely not the child of Captain Hook and Emma the Savior."
She sank back into the pillow.
"It could be anything. Or maybe magic was involved. We don't know. But we'll find out. After all, our mom is the saviour and brings back all the happy endings. She'll do the same for you. You'll see." Henry got up from his chair, tucked the book under his arm, and shouldered the backpack that had been sitting on the floor next to him. "I have to go to school now. Get some rest. I'll be back later. Then we can do sibling stuff."
"But Henry, we're not siblings," she groaned, but he didn't hear her because he had already left the room.
Exhausted, she closed her eyes. She quickly fell into a dreamless sleep that would hopefully make her forget the last few hours, or even days. But as always, fate had other plans for her.
Later that day, she was feeling better. Someone had been kind enough to take her suitcase from the car to her hospital room, so she had a fresh set of clothes. Once Dr Whales was satisfied that his patient was feeling better, Natalia signed the discharge papers. She was about to put her make-up bag back in her trolley when Emma walked into the room.
Natalia turned, but when she saw who it was, she massaged the bridge of her nose with her index finger and thumb. "I'm leaving, please let me go. Then we can forget all about this."
Natalia zipped up her suicase and turned towards the door.
"Please, just give me five minutes. Then I'll let you go."
Natalia weighed her options. The sheriff wouldn't be able to hold her. But she would probably only be able to leave the room under protest and after a heated argument. Or she could listen to the Sheriff for a moment, nod and leave. At least she hoped so.
The young woman sat down on the bed and looked at Emma expectantly. "Please. Time is pressing."
"It's all very much for you at the moment. I know because I've been in this situation myself."
Natalia rolled her eyes. "I don't think so, but please." She gestured for Emma to continue.
"I'm just asking you to give us a chance. Take your time, spend a few days with us. Get to know us. That's all I'm asking."
The younger woman snorted. "I don't think you can ask me to do that. Oh, yes, you can. I'll tell you for the last time. I'm not your daughter. For obvious reasons." She gestured between herself and Emma. "Secondly, I already have a family and I'm just passing through. I haven't broken a curse, nor, and I'm afraid I have to be the voice of reason here, can everyone in this town be a fairy tale character. Maybe they like to play this game to fool the tourists. But this game has gone too far and I want to be left alone."
Emma put her hands to her chest. "I understand. I really do. You don't believe any of us. How could I? It all sounds so far-fetched. I haven't even admitted to myself that I'm the saviour and the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming . If anyone can fully understand your situation, it's me. But that's also why I know that we are both people of this world. The world of science and facts. So let's do a test.
"A test? That you're the daughter of the other sheriff and Snow White?" Natalia got up from the bed.
"No. I know that. I want to prove to you that you're my daughter. We're already at the hospital and Whales owes me a favour. We'll do a DNA test," Emma suggested.
"A DNA test?" It was unreal. She wasn't related to this person, and she shouldn't be supporting this nonsense. But maybe it was the only way to put an end to this nonsense. "Agreed."
Emma beamed. "Very well. Let me fetch him for a moment. I'm sure it will take until tomorrow to get the results. Do you want to stay here until then?" Emma looked at her expectantly.
"I have no choice. I have to check the damage to my car first. So, I can wait for the results."
Emma nodded. "Thank you. If you want, you can stay with us. One of the guest rooms is still available," she offered.
"That's very thoughtful. But I wouldn't like that," Natalia refused.
"Of course not. While you're at the garage, I can talk to Granny and tell her you're staying another night."
Emma and Natalia left the hospital together, and after a quick stop at the garage, Emma drove to Granny's. She had Natalia's suitcase in the trunk and after talking to the owner of the B&B, she was going to take the luggage up to Natalia's room.
Natalia went to look for her car.
After a few minutes she found the grey Audi. But so were the sheriff, and the black-haired woman she had seen with Emma in the diner that night. From Henry's description, it had to be his adoptive mother, the mayor.
"Natalia, you've been discharged from the hospital. How are you?" The sheriff had seen her and came up to her.
"Thank you, yes, I'm better and Dr Whales has released me. I just wanted to check on my car." Natalia came closer and looked at the extent of the damage. Her breath caught in her throat and she swallowed a large lump.
"Pretty bad. You were lucky again," the mayor remarked, turning to her and holding out her hand. "I'm Regina Mills, Mayor of Storybrooke." Natalia remembered her good manners and returned the handshake. "Pleased to meet you. I've heard a lot about you from Henry."
"I can imagine. Has he shown you his storybook yet?" Regina asked with a smile on her lips.
"Yes, among other things." Natalia turned back to her car. "Looks like a total disaster."
"I think so too. I'll have to close the city limits until further notice. We can't allow any more accidents that might not end so smoothly." David stood beside the two ladies.
"You're closing the roads? But shouldn't you investigate the cause? Something blinded me."
"It was the curse," Regina remarked.
"Of course it was. Rumplestiltskin was it," Natalia replied caustically. She was sick of all this nonsense. She just wanted to have a normal conversation. Why did these lunatics always start with that fairy tale?
"No, he wasn't. Belle wouldn't allow it and even I have to admit that he has changed," Regina replied seriously.
"This can't be true." Natalia buried her face in her hands and moaned loudly. "This can't be true." The young woman looked up. "There is no curse, just a purely scientific reason that needs to be clarified. Which is supposed to be your job." Natalia looked critically at David.
"No curse?" Regina raised her eyebrows and held up her hand. "You don't believe in magic either?" she asked.
Natalia didn't like the way she was smiling and a cold shiver ran down her spine.
"Regina. Leave her alone. Emma talked to us about it."
"David, don't be a charming man. I'll cut this short. Emma will thank me later." With that she cast a small ball of fire into the palm of her hand.
Natalia jumped and put her hand to her open mouth. She expected a scream, but it died in her throat. She stared at the small flame, unable to comprehend what was happening.
"Do you think it was a curse now?" Regina asked with a smile.
That evening, Natalia sat on the bed in her room at Granny's B&B and had the crazy idea that the residents of this little town might actually be from a fairyland. The fireball was far from proof. But it was a start.
Before Natalia could think any further, there was a knock at the door. After this day, she could only hope that it wasn't Hook standing at her door. She couldn't handle a man with a hook instead of a hand.
The young woman got out of bed and went to the door. With a silent prayer to the heavens, she opened the door. Luckily for her, Henry came to her.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, letting him in.
"I heard from Mum that you were doing a test and Grandad told me that Mum, my other Mum, was doing magic. I'm sure you have a lot of questions. Mum and Killian wanted to see you, but I thought it would be better if only one came," he said breathlessly.
"I don't know if that was magic. But I have to admit I was quite impressed by the fireball," Natalia admitted and Henry nodded. "After that performance, I might want to take another look at the storybook," she murmured.
"Yes, of course. I've even got it with me." Henry took the book in question from his bag and placed it on the bed.
"Maybe I am Hope. Maybe I'm not. I don't know. But you could teach me about belief. You have that heart," she said with a wink, sitting down next to him.
Together they read the story of the Charmings in the book.
As always, I would love to read your comments. Please let me know what I can do better, what you particularly like, and if you have any requests.