Ruby was pacing.
It seems that's all she did these days, pace and pace.
She was in the waiting room of the hospital, due to not being let in with Regina after she had barged in with her mate in her arms demanding someone took a look at her. Because she wasn't Reginas direct family, she was forced to stay outside while the doctor checked Regina.
The doctors and nurses had been lucky she had such good control of her animal half, when they had taken Regina away she had been on the verge of forcing her way in and snarling at anyone who tried to stop her from being with her mate. It was only threw will power alone that she managed to calm her raging instincts enough to not cause a scene, she knew her mate wouldn't have liked that.
So there she was, pacing. It pissed her off to no end not being able to do anything else for Regina, but she knew there was nothing else she could do. She had already gotten Regina help, plus she had called Emma to inform her of what was happening with her True love. That's as much as she could do at the moment, unfortunately.
Ruby stopped her pacing and stared at the door where the nurses had taken Regina, her worry increasing the longer she was forced to wait. She knew Regina would be fine, a mild concussion was the best outcome that could of happened. But that didn't ease her mind or stopped her from worrying, the only thing that could do that was seeing her mate safe and healthy with her very own eyes.
A low growl escaped her parted lips, she didn't know how long she could hold herself back.
Just as she was about to manhandle her way into where Regina was, Emma came rushing in through the doors, Henry following behind.
Emma looked wildly around for a second before her worried eyes landed on Ruby.
Before Ruby could say anything Emma rushed towards her, stopping just meters away from her and grabbing onto her shoulders. Ruby could see the worry in her green eyes, the desperation in them.
" Ruby! what happened?!, where's Regina?!", Said Emma. Her voice was raised and panicked and her words came out in a rush, she was extremely worried about her true love.
Ruby forced herself to take a deep breath, her wolf instincts weren't fully under her control. She was still in panic alert mode over not knowing what was happening with her mate, but she had to remember that she couldn't let Emma catch on to anything.
Meeting Emmas eyes, she answered. " Reginas car flipped over while she drove, it landed upside down in a small ditch. I found her and brought her here ", she said. She carefully avoided mentioning how she had sensed that Regina was in danger and how she had rushed to get to her mate.
Emmas eyes widened, and before Ruby could tell her that Regina was alright and only suffered a small concussion the blonde pushed past her and made her way to the receptionist, Henry hot on her heels. She could see the boy was as worried for his mom as her and Emma were, the fact that he hadn't said a word proof of that.
Emma reached the receptionist and slammed her hand on the counter, startling the poor girl. She didn't even give her a chance to say anything, " I want to see Regina, now", she said giving the girl a hard stare.
The receptionist swallowed hard and nodded her head quickly, indicating for Emma and Henry to follow her. The three didn't even spare a glance at Ruby as they exited the waiting room.
Ruby felt anger and hurt fill her heart, she had been trying to get in to see Regina for the past 15 minutes and no one allowed her in. But Emma comes and is showed in without a second thought. She shouldn't be surprised, everyone in Storybrooke knew that Emma and Regina were true loves. If anyone had a right to see Regina it would be her true love and her son. Ruby was nothing to Regina. She might have gotten in if she had said that Regina was her mate, but she obviously couldn't reveal that for multiple reasons.
So she swallowed her feelings down and continued her pacing. As hurt as she was, her heart and body wouldn't allow her to leave without at least knowing that Regina was okay.
Regina was thankful that her headache had subsided thanks to the medication she was given. She no longer felt like her head was about to fall off her shoulders, having a concussion was truly unpleasant.
Her memories of after she arrived at the hospital were a little fuzzy, all she could remember was being held protectedly against Rubys chest. After the wolf had pulled her out the car the world just became a blur of motion and sound, she guessed the girl had used some of her wolf speed to get them to the hospital faster. Because before she could fully enjoy the warmth radiating off of her, Regina had been stripped away from her and deposited into a cold hospital gurney and been rolled away. After that it was all routine, they had changed her into a blue hospital gown. Then they had giving her medicine to help with the concussion, then giving her a full body exam for anything that might have been broken. Turns out she had a sprained ankle that didn't start to hurt until they had mentioned it to her, she also had bruising on her forehead from when she slammed into the steering wheel and on her ribs from her seatbelt. She guessed she was more worse for wear then she had first thought.
After the nurses and doctors had finished treating her, they had finally left to give her a much needed moment of peace. She hated hospitals with a passion, but she was thankful for them regardless.
She felt better now, her injuries didn't hurt as much anymore. All she wanted was to go home and lay in her own bed, preferably with her true loves arms around her. She couldn't help but wish that another set of arms would also be there to cuddle her, the same strong pair of arms that had saved her and carried her here.
Regina felt a smile growing on her face, Ruby had become her knight in shining red armor. She wasn't even sure how the girl had known that she needed help, unless of course this whole " feeling each others feelings thing" went both ways. But she couldn't be more thankful to the wolf if she tried, she had saved her. Regina was sure that if she hadn't had a concussion she would have been able to magic herself out of the car with no issues whatsoever, but because she has to usually think about what spells she wants to cast the task would have been impossible with her head feeling like it was going to explode. Also admittedly, Ruby coming to her rescue was kind of hot. The show of speed and strength the girl displayed left her breathless in most cases, she would have to come up with a way to properly thank the brunette for coming to her rescue.
Regina felt her smile slowly morphing into a smirk, she could definitely think of a couple ways she would like to thank her rescuer.
Before she could dive deep into those inappropriate thoughts, she heard hurried footsteps heading for her door. Regina sat up as she heard a small voice saying " she's in there" before her door was thrown open.
Emma rushed in, their son right behind her.
As soon as her eyes landed on Regina, Emmas shoulders sagged in relief at the sight of her true love alive and well, " Regina, thank god your okay love", she said as she quickly made her way to Reginas side and pulled her carefully into her arms, being mindful not to hurt her.
Regina felt happiness and love fill her as she melted against Emmas chest, she always felt completely at peace and content when she was in her arms. Emma brought her such a light feeling that it was overwhelming at times, this time being one of them. But she hadn't realized how much she needed to be with her true love until just now, she felt like everything was alright. Then she felt another set of arms wrap around her as Henry came up on her other side, god she loved her family so much.
They stayed like that for a few minutes, Regina basking in the love of her blonde lover and her son.
Then Emma pulled back to examine her, her hands coming up to gently cup Reginas face to turn her this way and that way. A frown formed on her beautiful face as she saw the bruises, then she looked down towards the foot of the bed to see Reginas foot had been put in a small cast. Her frown deepened, she looked back up to meet Reginas eyes. " What happened out there babe?", she asked. Emma sat herself on the edge of the bed, her hand automatically grasping one of Reginas.
Henry had also made himself comfortable on the other side, mimicking his blonde mother as he too grabbed onto Reginas other hand. The worried expression never left his face, " Yeah mom, we were so worried when you didn't come back", he said, his lips gave a small tremble as if he was holding back from crying.
Regina gave both of them a small smile and a gentle hand squeeze, she never meant to worry them but she loved that they worried so much about her. " I'm alright my prince, these are just artificial. I'll be up and about in no time", she reassured him.
Emma spoke up, " Artificial or not, I still want to know what happened ", she stated. Her frown hadn't left her face and Regina knew that she was in over protective mode, her true love would sometimes get like this and Regina secretly loved it.
Regina answered back, " I honestly cannot tell you myself my love, I was driving back home from Granny's when suddenly my car just started lurching violently, next thing I know I was upside down in a ditch. I hadn't seen anything on the road that would of caused that to happen, you know that I'm a very responsible driver", she recounted. Now that she thought about it, it had been a very suspicious accident.
Emma nodded her head, her lips pursed. " I know you are, which is why I find it weird. Are you sure there was nothing? not even a pothole?", she asked. Her thumb was slowly drawing circles on Reginas hand.
Regina stayed quiet for a couple minutes, thinking back to when she was driving. Even if she had let her mind wonder while she drove, she had still been very aware of the road. She was certain, there had been nothing. She met Emmas eyes once again, " I'm positive, I can tell you with absolute certainty that the road was clear. Now that I think back on it, I find it very suspicious", she said. There was something going on, she had a feeling but she didn't know of what yet. That accident was rubbing at her the wrong way, she hadn't thought much of it at first but now…
Emmas frown deepened even more, if that was even possible. She didn't want to think the worst, but based on what Regina is telling her it seemed thinking the worst might be the way. She felt herself grow angry at the thought of someone possibly trying to kill or hurt her true love, if that was the case she was going to find them if it's the last thing she did. No one hurt her family and got away with it.
Henry looked between his two moms and also frowned, " You think someone tried to hurt you mom?", he asked worriedly.
Regina broke eye contact with Emma to meet her sons eyes. She didn't want to scare him, but she had promised him that she would always be honest with him. " I'm not sure honey, I don't want to make any assumptions. But something about all this just doesn't seem right, I really hope I'm worrying over nothing and it was just a freak accident. But, I also believe we should take all possibilities into consideration ", she stated, she gave his hand a small squeeze of reassurance.
Henry looked at his blonde mother and met her eyes, something passed between them for a second before they both looked back at her with looks of determination. " We'll protect you mom", he stated with a strong voice.
Emma leaned in and gave her a loving peck on the lips, she rubbed her nose gently against Reginas. God did she love this woman, she'll do anything to keep her safe. " That's right, we're gonna get to the bottom of this", she said. Regina could clearly hear how much she meant it in her voice and her heart swelled with love for the woman in front of her and their son.
They talked for a while longer about how Regina was feeling and how long until she could go home, then she had a thought.
Regina looked at Emma, " By the way my love, how did you find out about my accident?", she asked curiously. She hadn't even been in the hospital an hour when Emma and Henry came rushing in.
Emma looked confused for a second then her eyes widened slightly, " Oh right, I was so worried about you that I completely forgot. Ruby called me, she told me you were in the hospital and we rushed over ", she answered.
Reginas heart stopped for a second, with all the excitement of Emma and Henry being here she had forgotten about Ruby. She couldn't believe herself, how could she have forgotten about her rescuer?. She felt her stomach sink at the thought that as soon as she saw her true love and her son she had completely forgotten the reason why she was here safe and sound instead of still stuck inside that car, how could she?. Was Ruby even still here?, did she leave as soon as Regina was taken from her?, oh god, did she think Regina wasn't grateful for what she did?!.
Emma must have noticed Reginas distress, which wasn't surprising since her true love was very good at deciphering her emotions. She cupped Reginas face and forced their eyes to meet, " Hey, are you alright?, you got pale all of a sudden. Do I need to get the doctor?". She asked worriedly, stroking her thumb across Reginas soft cheek.
Regina swallowed thickly and shook her head no. " That won't be necessary, I'm just worried", she confessed, her mind still on Ruby and thinking back about how those glowing amber eyes stared worriedly at her as she pulled her out of the wreckage.
Emmas brow furrowed, " About what?", she asked.
Regina glanced at Henry who was listening and then back at Emma, honesty is the best policy. " About Ruby, you know she's the reason why I'm here", she stated.
Emma ran her hand through her hair, trying to give her as much comfort as she could. It was helping to an extent, but she still couldn't help but be worried about Ruby. She wanted to get up off this bed and find her, she didn't care if she had a sprained foot.
Emma spoke up, " She briefly mentioned that she brought you here, but to be honest I just wanted to get to you so bad that I didn't give her a chance to explain what happened from her point of view", she said, Regina heard a little guilt in her voice.
Regina gave a long sigh, " She saved me, I was stuck in that car and I couldn't use magic to get out. Then she was just there, she pulled me out and carried me all the way here", she informed them. The more she thought about it the worse she felt, how could she have forgotten the blue eyed wolf.
Emma and Henry shared an amazed look, then Henry spoke up. " Wow, Ruby is the coolest!", he stated. His eyes shining with admiration.
Emma nodded her head in agreement, " I know kid, she really is. Now I feel terrible for not even thanking her when I saw her in the waiting room", she said, her eyes downcast and a newly formed frown on her face.
Regina perked up a little, " She's in the waiting room?", she asked. A little hope and excitement leaking into her voice, she could still make this right. Plus, the thought of Ruby waiting to see her warmed her heart.
Henry answered her, " When we came in she was still there, maybe she still is", he said.
Regina didn't even have to think about it, she reached over and pressed the button to summon the doctor. The doctor walked in a minute later, clip board in hand.
" You require assistance madam mayor?". He asked looking at the family in front of him.
Regina nodded her head quickly, she wanted Ruby in here now. " Yes, the woman who brought me in, is she still here?", she asked him hopefully.
Something Regina didn't like passed over his face, she couldn't tell if it was disgust or disdain. Whatever it was it seemed he wasn't too fond of the werewolf. He answered back, " Ah yes, the peasant wolf girl", his voice dripped with such disgust it took Regina aback.
Now, Regina knew there were some out there who didn't agree with Ruby being included in Storybrooke. Some saw her lesser then them, others saw her as a wild animal who could turn and attack them any giving minute. But now that she saw and heard this man using such derogatory voice when speaking about Ruby, she felt rage course through her. Who did he think he was speaking about her rescuer like that?… She would have to rethink his position in this hospital, maybe even in this town.
Regina gave the man a glare, one that most called her evil queen glare. " Her name is Ruby, now answer my question ", she demanded, she wanted this man out of her sight on the double. Emma and Henry were both also staring him down, equal glares on their faces. They both loved Ruby and didn't take too kindly to someone using that tone of voice when referring to her.
The doctor didn't seem to be picking up the energy in the room, " Unfortunately yes, the dog is still here. Would you like us to kick her out?", he asked, the same disgusting tone of voice he used at first still present.
Regina had enough, she felt the little magic she still had flare inside her. With just a flick of her wrist, the man was levitated off the ground and slammed back into the closed hospital door. He gave a yell of fright as his clipboard fell from his hand, he was pressed up against the door still in the air.
" Now, ", Regina started. She made sure to bring out her best evil queen voice, purple flowing through her eyes. " Your going to walk out there and bring Ruby here. Your going to show her the outmost respect while you do so, and if you do otherwise I'm going to put you through something that would make any curse you've ever heard off look like child's play. Then, your going to turn in your resignation letter to my office and I never want to see your face around here ever again.", she said. With every word she said she made sure to add a little bit more pressure to her magic so he felt like he was about to implode, judging by the pure fear on his face it seemed he definitely felt it.
When he didn't respond, she made him leave the door only to slam him back again. " Do I make myself clear?", she asked threateningly. He was lucky she wasn't her old self, she wanted to rip his heart out of his chest and crush it with her hand for speaking about Ruby that way.
He nodded his head quickly, sweat dripping down his forehead. She let him fall in a heap on the floor, then she rested her head back on the pillow. Using that small amount of magic had left her feeling a little drained because of her injuries, she couldn't wait until she had her full powers back.
Emma didn't waste any time pouncing on him next, she got off the bed and charged at the fallen man, yanking him by the collar of his shirt to his feet. She brought her face close to his, her eyes full of promise. " If I ever catch wind of you bad mouthing my best friend or even using any type of negative tone when mentioning her, Regina won't be the only one you'll have to worry about", she said. Then she yanked open the door and tossed him out the room unceremoniously, watching with a glare as he quickly picked himself up and ran down the hall to do as instructed.
As soon as Emma closed the door again Henry gave her a high five. Then he turned and gave his mom a kiss on the forehead, " That was awesome, I didn't like the way he spoke about Ruby", he said. Emma walked around and reclaimed her spot next to Regina on the bed.
" Me either kid, I'm gonna have to keep an eye on that guy", stated Emma.
Regina nodded her head in agreement, still feeling some anger at the man. She took a deep breath and gave Emma and Henry a sly smirk, " I hope he doesn't think I was kidding, I won't allow such disrespect in my town", she said.
Before anything else could be said rushed footsteps could be heard heading towards the door, then Reginas hospital door was thrown open a second time and in came rushing a very worried Ruby Lucas.
Blue met brown.
Ruby quickly closed the door and headed to stand at the foot of Reginas bed, her hands resting on the metal railing. She leaned in and examined Regina from head to toe, taking in her bruises and the cast on her foot. So Regina was more hurt then she had thought, she felt her heart speeding up. " Regina, are you okay?", she asked worriedly. Her grip on the railing tightened as she waited for an answer, worry pouring out of her pours.
Regina stared deep into her eyes, all the feelings for Ruby slamming back into her. Now that the wolf was in the room with them she felt like she could breathe fully, how could she have forgotten. Ruby had a sort of wild look to her, judging by the way she was gripping the railing and how she shifted from foot to foot. But Regina couldn't help but let her eyes roam over her, it felt like ages since she had last seen the girl when in reality it was only like an hour ago.
Regina smiled wide at the girl, she wanted her closer. But with Emma on her left and Henry on her right the middle was the only closest spot left for Ruby, unless the girl climbed in bed with her. Which honestly didn't sound too bad in Reginas opinion, and by the look on Rubys face it seemed she was holding herself back from doing just that. " I'm perfectly fine darling, just some minor injuries that will heal in no time. I have you to thank for that", she answered. She made sure to stare at Ruby right in the eye, she wanted the other girl to know how thankful she really was.
Ruby felt her wolf calm at the words her mate said, that's the proof she needed that Regina was okay. She felt the weight she had been feeling all this time waiting lift off her shoulders, she honestly felt like everything was right in the world again. She stared back into Reginas eyes, expressing her relief. She felt a shy smile forming on her face, " Thank god, I was really worried", she confessed. That was the understatement of the century, she had been drowning in worry before the doctor came and got her.
Emma got up off the bed once again and went up to Ruby, without a seconds hesitation she wrapped the taller girl up in a big hug. Ruby hugged her back immediately, understanding the gesture for what it was. " I can't thank you enough Rubes, Regina is safe because of you and that's something I'll never forget", she said, squeezing a little harder.
Ruby gave a shaky sigh, nodding her head slowly against Emmas. Would she still feel the same if she found out about the mating?. The thought wormed it's way into her head, Ruby pushed it to the back of her mind quickly, she didn't want to think about that right now.
Pulling back, Ruby gave Emma a big smile. " I just did what anyone else should of done if they saw someone needed help", she replied back.
Henry came up next and gave her a hug of his own, " Thank you for saving my mom Ruby, you're the best", he said.
Ruby gave him a small peck at the top of his head, " It's no problem Pup", she said back.
A small cough caught her attention then, she looked back at Regina and saw the mayor extending her hand towards her. As if in a trance, Ruby automatically walked over and took it. Electric shocks running up her arm as soon as she made contact with Reginas soft hand, god this woman was really the death of her will power.
Regina stared deep into Rubys eyes, squeezing the soft but strong hand that belong to the woman who's quickly becoming important to her. She needed Ruby, she couldn't picture herself without her anymore. Seeing her true love and son and Ruby together in the same room once again brought that feeling of complete happiness, Regina hadn't realized how much she craved that feeling. " Thank you, I hope you know how greatly I appreciate what you did for me", she stated.
Ruby gave her a small smile, god she wanted to lean down and kiss her so badly. " Your welcome", was the only thing she could think to say. Every time she was around Regina words just didn't seem to come to her.
They shared a small moment of staring at each other when Emma walked up on Reginas other side, taking her other hand. Regina felt an electric shock the likes of which she's never felt before rush through her at having her true love and Ruby touching her at the same time, it was an indescribable feeling. It almost overwhelmed her but she fought down as hard as she could to not make an outward reaction, this was not the right time or place for it.
Emma spoke, breaking her out of her thoughts. " I think we should bring Ruby in on what we think of the accident, she could help us out", she said. Her voice and face suddenly serious, she was still thinking about the possibility of someone purposefully trying to hurt her true love.
Rubys brow furrowed, she squeezed Reginas hand a little tighter. No one noticed that she hadn't let go of the mayors hand, not even for a second as the conversation turned serious. " What are you talking about?", she asked, staring at Emma unblinkingly.
Emma turned and looked at Regina, indicating that she should be the one to bring Ruby in. Regina took a deep breath and nodded towards Emma before turning to meet Rubys eyes. " We think there's a possibility that my accident wasn't actually an accident", she said. She felt Rubys body temperature increase a degree, her eyes flashed gold a brief second that if you hadn't been looking you wouldn't have caught it. But Regina did, and she gave Rubys hand a squeeze.
Ruby looked from Regina to Emma, then spared a glance at Henry who was standing at the foot of the bed where she first was. Voice full of seriousness she spoke up, " Tell me everything", she declared.