Reset

At Emma’s apartment David helped her with the slow ascent of the stairs and said he would wait in the living room while she showered and changed so he could take her back to the hospital when she was ready. He hesitantly hovered around the bathroom door in case Emma needed help until he heard the shower switch on and then he went back into the living room.

He cleared away a few items and then started on the washing up, before long he was drying and putting away the items he had washed and he noticed a light bulb in the dining area was out. He found a replacement bulb and stood on the table to switch out the bulb. He’d noticed the handle on the front door was wobbly so he tightened that and then he hammered down a nail in the wooden floor that was starting to stick up.

When Emma finally returned he had the coffee table upside down and a selection of tools beside him.

“What are you doing?” Emma smiled at him.

“Just a few odd jobs,” he said, “this table wobbled, but I think I’ve sorted it now.”

He turned the table over and then gently pushed at it with his index finger on all sides and when he was satisfied that it was no longer wobbling he smiled and stood up with his hands on his hips.

“Did you fix the light?” Emma asked as she looked at the bright new bulb above the dining table.

“Yeah,” he replied as he bent down and collected the tools.

Emma beamed happily as she watched him put the tools back where he had found them and she could feel a tiny break in the cold feeling that had been surrounding her chest for the last several days, “thanks, David,” she whispered quietly.

“Are you ready to head back?” David asked and she nodded and slowly started to hobble towards the door on her crutch.

“You know,” she said as she got to the door, “this is going to get old real fast,” she muttered as she looked at the crutch.

Suddenly she was in a warm, strong embrace and she blinked in shock as she put her arm around her father, “hey, it’s okay,” she whispered to him.

“I know,” he said back with tears forming in his eyes, “but it nearly wasn’t.”

“I’m gonna be fine,” she reassured him, “it’s Regina we need to worry about.”

He laughed and Emma stood back and prepared herself to defend Regina but before she got a chance David said, “Regina is the strongest, most determined and single-minded person I have ever known. I’ve seen her come back from the absolute worst of situations with a smirk and a sassy comeback, she’ll be fine in no time, you mark my words.”

From David that was certainly a compliment and Emma smiled as they both left the apartment and slowly made their way down the stairs again. She considered David’s words, Regina was all kinds of strong and she couldn’t imagine anything getting the better of her. Nothing would keep that woman away from Henry and Grace and Emma had to smile at the thought of it, maybe it was the Charming genes but she also felt the hope and optimism that David did.

Chapter 37

Once they got back to the hospital Emma moved with a determined though slow pace to get back to Regina’s room and when they got there Henry was reading to Regina from a book he had found in the waiting room. Emma took a seat on the opposite side of Regina’s bed and David gestured for Mary Margaret to step out of the room and talk to him.

As soon as they were outside Mary Margaret frowned at him in an unspoken question of what was in his mind.

“Snow,” he started, almost formally. And then paused as he tried to figure out the correct words.

“Charming,” she replied with a slight smile.

“I’m not.. great with..” he thought for a moment, “picking up on signals, maybe it’s because I’m a man, maybe it’s me.”

“It’s you,” Mary Margaret replied without missing a beat, she loved her husband but there were times she had to shout in his face for him to understand her.

He gave her a lopsided grin and ignored her, “today has really opened my eyes to something and.. I want to tell you but I really don’t know how you’ll take it..”

“You’re frightening me, David,” Mary Margaret looked at him with worry.

“Regina,” he started and Mary Margaret nodded and then he continued, “Emma..”

“What about them?” Mary Margaret tried to hurry him to his point.

“After the curse broke, Emma was adamant that nothing happen to Regina. Remember all the patrols and the standing rows at council meetings?” David asked and Mary Margaret nodded, “and then Regina coming to you to tell you she thought Emma was suffering with severe depression, with abandonment issues?”

Mary Margaret nodded sadly, she hadn’t wanted to believe it at the time. She knew something was wrong with Emma but the blonde just wouldn’t let her in no matter how she approached her. Mary Margaret had no idea what to do, she wanted to believe that it wasn’t as serious as Regina was making it sound, wanted to believe that Emma would go to her mother for support if she needed it.