Breathing ∞ Kol Mikaelson [1]

[34]

Rebekah paced the length of the hospital room she found herself in only hours after she'd arrived at Emma's house for her birthday. It was rare that the blonde found herself completely unsure on what to do when someone was in trouble. And yet, that's exactly what happened. The only thing she could think of was taking Emma to the hospital as she found herself struggling to understand what was happening to her friend.

She still wasn't sure what happened. Which was why she was here, pacing to let her nerves out while she waited for someone to give her some answers. So, when the door to Emma's room opened, Rebekah instantly spun on her heel, watching as two women walked inside. She recognized both.

One was Dr. Fell, the woman who could often be seen spending time with the resident vampire hunter/history teacher. The other, a dark-haired woman, who quickly moved to Emma's side in the bed, Rebekah realized must be Marissa Park. Emma's mother. And certainly not a fan of Rebekah.

"What happened? What's wrong with her?" Rebekah questioned in somewhat of a panic. She wasn't sure whether Marissa would kick her out of the room as soon as she became aware of her presence. Rebekah was hoping to get some answers before that happened.

"It was a pulmonary embolism. A blood clot which formed in her arm reached her lungs and blocked the blood vessels. But she'll be fine." Dr. Fell was quick to reassure Rebekah.

"Really?" Rebekah asked, somewhat relieved with the news. "When I saw she was coughing up blood, I wasn't sure whether more blood would help. I could only think to bring her here."

"You did the right thing, Rebekah. Thank you." It was Marissa who spoke this time, sending Rebekah a grateful look as she brushed some of her sleeping daughter's hair out of her face.

"And for future reference, yes, blood would help dissolve the cloth faster and clear her lungs. I already gave her some when you first brought her in, and she should be fine. But I do want to keep her over-night just to be sure." Dr. Fell explained, this time addressing both women. "With her condition, it's better to be safe than sorry."

"I understand, thank you Meredith." Marissa nodded her head in acceptance. And the two women continued to talk, Meredith telling Marissa she doesn't have to work for the rest of the day and can spend time with her daughter while they wait for her to wake up. However, instead of listening to their conversation, Rebekah's mind remained stuck on one simple thing. Emma's condition...

Of course, she knew there was something going on from the day she met Emma. But due to the inhaler, she only thought it was asthma or something similar. The way Meredith addressed it, made it seem like much more than that. And yet, Rebekah was completely in the dark.

With some more words shared, it wasn't long before Meredith left the room, leaving only Rebekah and Emma's mother inside. "If you want me to leave, I can go. I just wanted to make sure she'd be alright." Rebekah told the woman, ready to head for the door when Marissa stopped her.

"There's no need." The mother responded. Emma was safe because of Rebekah; the least Marissa could do was let her stay. And after their morning together, during which Emma told her more about her friendship with Rebekah, along with the genuine concern she could see on the blonde's face, Marissa was starting to think she may have been a bit too harsh on her judgement of Emma's newest friend.

As Marissa pulled over a chair and sat down next to her daughter's bed, the room was enveloped in a short silence. But soon enough, Marissa broke it again as she posed a question. "You didn't know she was sick, did you?" She had of course noticed the surprise on Rebekah's face as Meredith spoke.

"No, she never told me." Rebekah said honestly. She wasn't sure what to think of that. Did Emma not trust her enough to tell her about it?

"Don't hold it against her too much. She's always been like that. Likes to pretend everything's alright whenever she can." Marissa explained to the blonde. She had lost count how many times she'd met Emma's friends throughout the years that never knew there was something wrong.

Rebekah tried to think of a response, but before she could, the sound of her phone buzzing in her pocket cut her off. "It's my brother. I'll be right back." Rebekah announced as she walked out of the room to answer Klaus' call. He'd tried to reach her before too, but she was a tad bit too busy at the time.

The first thing Emma noticed as she slowly opened her eyes was how dark it was. But still, there was enough light seeping through the windows looking out into the halls for the brunette to figure out where she was. As her memories came back to her, Emma realized what had happened. Embolism... Again.

Looking to her right, she noticed her mother lightly dozing away in the plush armchair next to her bed. It was then that Emma took note of the room itself. It was much nicer than the usual ones she was put in whenever she ended up in the hospital. She wasn't about to wake her mother up to scold her for spending money on a room they probably couldn't afford.

And even if she did decide to do it now, Emma never would have gotten the chance as she heard shuffling to her left, making her eyes turn towards the blonde who entered the room with quiet steps until she noticed Emma was no longer sleeping.

"You're awake." A smile spread over Rebekah's face as she moved over to sit on the edge of Emma's bed, giving her friend a gentle hug once she did.

"I didn't think you'd still be here." Emma couldn't help but comment, still somewhat surprised by the blonde's presence.

"Your mother said I could stay, especially after Klaus made sure you were moved to the best room in the hospital." Rebekah shared before adding. "And I thought we had a thing or two to talk about once you woke up."

"You know, don't you?" Emma asked, sounding somewhat defeated. However, she also had to admit, it came as somewhat of a surprise to find that Klaus hadn't told Rebekah himself long ago. Not that she thought him incapable of keeping secrets, she just never thought he'd bother with keeping hers.

"Yes. Why didn't you tell me?" Rebekah questioned, the gentle tone of her voice letting Emma know that she wasn't angry with her for keeping the secret. But she was confused by it.

"I didn't want you to worry." Emma tried to say, but the response was only met with a disapproving and suspicious look from Rebekah who doubted that could be all. Emma let out a small sigh, for a moment, noting that breathing came much easier than it had in the last couple of weeks. "And I didn't want you to think I was friends with you because I needed something."

Rebekah couldn't help but be quiet at that. Because while she'd want to deny it, she knew that it was a possibility. Throughout her life, there had been many times when humans befriended her or any of her other siblings with selfish intentions. She wanted to think she would have believed the genuineness of Emma's friendship, but Rebekah knew herself enough that she was aware she couldn't be sure that's how she would have reacted.

"I'll forgive you under one condition." Rebekah finally spoke up, making Emma raise an eyebrow at her friend curiously. Of course, she wouldn't accept until she knew what the condition was. Not that she didn't trust Rebekah, but Emma wasn't about to make a promise until she was sure she could keep it. "From now on you don't hide these things from me. If you're feeling unwell, you tell me. Right away. Don't try to downplay it as some simple bug."

"I wasn't actually trying to-" Emma started to point out that she did really think it was some bug, however, upon seeing the look on Rebekah's face she stopped herself from continuing. "Alright, I promise. If I don't feel well, I'll tell you."

"Good." Rebekah said, letting the relieved smile appear back on her face as she pulled Emma into yet another hug. "I'm so glad you're alright."