A sharp kick in her stomach startled Emma out of her sleep. She had woken up many times in her life sitting on the seat of her car, but the sounds of the city had usually disturbed her sleep. Smiling, she briefly stroked her shirt and then struggled to get up. One thing was certain: without her baby belly and when she was younger, spending the night like this had not caused her back pain.
Blinking, she wiped her eyes and then looked at her watch. It was still very early, not even five o'clock in the morning, but the nausea and the dizziness that came over her as soon as she turned her head made it very clear to her that she hadn't eaten for too long. Whereas before she had sometimes gone the whole day without eating, since her pregnancy her body now regularly demanded food, which Emma tended to forget.
She ran a quick hand over her eyes again and then started the engine to get an early breakfast from a nearby McDonalds. At this time of day, she only came across one other car in the drive-in she had gone to, so she only had to wait a short time.
Back in the parking lot, she ate her burger and drank the cocoa that warmed her cold fingers and her body from the inside out.
Sipping her cocoa, she unfolded the map again and looked at the route that still lay ahead of her. She had already been on the road for a night and two whole days, only taking short breaks when she felt sleep threatening to overtake her or when her baby demanded food. By now, however, these exertions were making themselves felt; she noticed that she was becoming increasingly unfocused and when she had tried to place a locating spell on one of Regina's scarves, she had failed. She told herself that it was because she couldn't cast spells outside of Storybrooke or because she was simply too exhausted. The thought that Regina might not be alive after all and that the missed call had come from someone else didn't even cross her mind.
Killian had promised to get in touch again, but now she didn't really know when that would happen. She had already tried to contact him twice by holding the crystal to her lips and whispering his name. But after a short time, she had felt quite stupid and had given up.
When she had finished eating, Emma wiped the last crumbs from her lap and drank up her cocoa cup. "I hope you're satisfied for now," she whispered to her stomach. She would have given anything for a coffee now, but she would have to hold out for the few weeks until the baby was born.
After a trip to the toilet, Emma heaved herself back behind the wheel. She was lucky that she was driving a small car; otherwise, her height would probably have made it impossible for her to fit her stomach behind the steering wheel and still reach the pedals with her feet.
"Regina, wherever you are, I'll find you," Emma mumbled as she put the blinker on and merged back into the traffic.
"Take it easy, you're doing great."
Regina didn't know what was supposed to be great about the whole thing, but against her nature, she gritted her teeth and refrained from making any cynical comments.
The physiotherapist had been trying to get her to her feet for a quarter of an hour now. Actually, she wouldn't have cared; as soon as she could use her magic again, she would cast a healing spell and walk out of the hospital with her head held high. But at the moment it was unlikely that this would be the case soon, and so it worried her more and more every minute that she could only stand on wobbly legs with difficulty, leaning on a walker, while a second person had to help her.
"Try to straighten your upper body, then push your legs through and look straight ahead, otherwise you'll get dizzy."
Exhausted, Regina slumped back onto her bed, whereupon her hand immediately went to her damaged ribs. Her back was now also hurting more, "What's the point?" she now asked angrily.
"You've been lying down for a long time and it's time to get you back on your feet."
Regina snorted contemptuously and turned her gaze away from her.
"One last attempt?" the physiotherapist asked bravely.
Without looking at her again, Regina shook her head. "Try your luck with someone else."
xxx
Regina sat motionless in her position until she was alone in the room again and only then slumped down with a deep sigh. She was not used to having to admit to be so weak, especially not in front of other people. Her doctor had explained to her that the loss of strength and signs of paralysis in her legs were caused by the contusion of her spine. She had also had a piece of splintered bone removed near her spinal cord. The symptoms would probably disappear again over time, but he couldn't give her an exact time frame.
Her gaze slid to the wheelchair next to her bed, which she was forced to use. She had had to learn the hard way after she had ignored it and her legs had simply buckled under her body on the way to the bathroom. Apart from her ribs hurting more from that point on, she had been incredibly embarrassed to be lifted back into bed by two nurses.
Tears of anger gathered in Regina's eyes and she gave the wheelchair a push with her hand, causing it to roll backwards a few centimeters and hit the bedside table. However, the hoped-for satisfaction failed to materialize and so Regina curled up in her bed and hoped that she would at least be left alone for a while.
"That could work."
"It could. But maybe not."
Zelena rolled her eyes and looked at Snow with a raised eyebrow. "What a witty statement! Do you have a better idea? Then bring it on."
"No, I haven't. I'm just saying that we have to expect that it might not work out." Snow spoke calmly so as not to upset Zelena any more. Mostly, though, she knew that her anger wasn't directed at them personally, but that it was due to the fact that they still didn't know how to help Regina.
"Zelena, please sit down," David said quietly, the witch's endless pacing up and down making him nervous and preventing him from thinking.
"I realize that you don't care what happens to my little sister. But I do! And I certainly won't let you tell me when to sit down and when not to!"
"Aunt Zelena, we're all pursuing the same goal." Henry put an encouraging hand on Zelena's shoulder and gave it a gentle but firm squeeze. "But they're both right: if we lose our nerve now, our ideas won't get any better."
"We're just as worried about Regina as you are, Zelena. And it's also about our daughter, don't forget that," Snow nodded and leaned into David's arms.
The small group had gathered in a secluded corner of the courtyard, which was covered by a canopy of ivy vines. This provided a certain amount of privacy, as the leaves muffled the conversations somewhat and also served as a privacy screen. Although most of the inhabitants of the fairytale world had now returned to their former homes, many had also accepted the Charmings' offer to stay in the castle for the time being until they knew what would happen next. It was therefore hardly possible to have an undisturbed conversation.
"Your daughter is safe in her house. My sister may be... dead!" Zelena had to pause for a moment before she could utter the unimaginable word.
Snow and David looked down at the floor, shocked, while Henry winced slightly. "I should never have broken the curse, at least then we'd still be together," he nodded and ran a hand through his hair.
"And dead," Zelena nodded and sighed in frustration. "You're right, I need to calm down. But we need a plan and we need it by the next full moon because we'll have to present it to Emma then. And right now, it's the only one we have, so I'd suggest we tweak it enough that we don't sound like complete lunatics."
Weak and in pain, Regina moved the wheelchair through the clinic garden. She really shouldn't be so far away from the ward, but that didn't matter to her at the moment. She needed to clear her head and she simply couldn't do that in the oppressive building.
Over the last few hours, she had increasingly toyed with the idea of testing her magic again. She didn't want to try to heal her injuries directly, that would have been too much for her brain in any case. But perhaps a little spell? Regina was about to dye a daisy by the wayside red when she changed her mind. She had been so sensible all this time and perhaps she would finally be discharged from hospital soon. If she risked it now, she wouldn't exactly be living up to her reputation for being clever and cunning.
"Roni, here you are!" she heard the upset and relieved voice of the trainee of her ward behind her. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply. Lately, she had refrained from pointing out to people that her name was not Roni for fear that they would attribute amnesia or an identity disorder to her.
When he reached her, she almost had to smile a little at his shortness of breath. Apparently, he had been sent out to look for her and had already been using several flights of stairs.
"You know you're not supposed to go that far from the ward in case you have another seizure."
"I needed some fresh air," she said in an attempt to appease him. After all, he couldn't help the order he had been given.
"Then you must let someone know."
"And I wanted my peace and quiet."
"I... Please discuss it with a nurse, I'm just a trainee," the young man said, unsettled.
"I know, that's all right. Well then, do your duty and bring me back in before you get into trouble because of me," she nodded devotedly and leaned back in the wheelchair. To be honest, she didn't know if she would have made it back in on her own. Her ribs stung uncomfortably and made it difficult for her to breathe, but the painkillers she was given made her head foggy and so she refused to take them for the most part.
"Do you have any family?" he inquired once they were in the elevator and the doors were closing.
Even though Regina knew he was just making small talk, the question caught her off guard. "Why do you ask?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "Curiosity. I mean, you've never had visitors and you've been here a long time, been in mortal danger for a while. It's unusual when no one visits, that's all," he explained his question, even though Regina always intimidated him a little. She was actually nice. It was as if something dark and mysterious surrounded her.
"I have a family. They're just... not in the country right now," she finally replied. Without realizing it, she was actually telling him the truth.
"Then I hope they get in touch soon," he said honestly.
Regina admired him for being so open and cordial with her despite his young age. After all, she knew that she could be difficult and intimidating at times, even when she wasn't trying to be. "Thank you," she said honestly and with a small smile. "I'm sure you'll make a very good nurse one day."
He didn't say anything, but she could feel him swaying back and forth from one foot to the other behind her wheelchair, flattered, which made her smile again.
