Miles To Go

Chapter Forty-Two

The days slowly turned into a week, and then a second, a third. By the start of Emma's fourth week recovering in the hospital, she had made some giant progress, healing slowly yet surely from the outside in. Emma was getting restless, more than restless and by the time Regina had made it to visit her, she was arguing with Dr. Whale. Regina was there every day, arriving just for an hour before she headed to the office, every lunch hour and after she left the office, she would visit with Henry, staying until visiting hours were over.

"You said yourself I'm getting better!"

Regina could hear Emma's voice halfway down the hallway and with a shake of her head, she quickened her pace to Emma's private room on the third floor.

"Sheriff, while you are healing, you are still not one hundred percent better. You still have a lot more healing to do and until—"

"Come on, I've been feeling better than I have since I first got here!" Emma said furiously, her voice gripped with emotion. Her teary eyes turned to Regina the moment she walked into the room. "Regina, he won't let me go home!"

Just a few days prior, Emma had gone on full-on meltdown mode when she realized for the dozenth time that they had pushed their wedding date back and as it stood in the moment, there was no new date planned as of yet. As upset as Regina was about it as well, seeing how in just a day from now they were supposed to be getting married, she was just happy that Emma had survived and that she was there, alive and on her way to getting well, not at all fretting over their wedding day.

"Darling, he's a doctor and if he says you aren't ready to go home, then we have to trust that it is the right decision."

"First we had to cancel the wedding," Emma trembled from where she sat upright in the bed. "Now he won't let me go home!"

"Emma," Regina said gently, moving to her side and she sat beside her on the bed, taking both hands in her own. "It's just another week," she said, her eyes drifting over to Dr. Whale some confirmation. Upon his nod, she focused her attention back on Emma. "I know it's hard and I know how sick you are of being here, but you'll be home before you know it."

"It sucks," she frowned, looking much less than her age at that moment and more that of a five year old not getting her way. "Can I go out for my walk, doctor?"

"Yes, I suppose. Regina, would you mind?"

"Of course not," Regina said with a smile. "I've brought you some clean clothes," she said, pointing to the bag she'd left by the door.

Just over the last week she had been assisting the nurse and personal support worker in changing the dressing on Emma's chest and back, the holes still not closed up completely. She would help Emma change out of the gown and into sweatpants and a loose fitting t-shirt, assisting her on her walk even though Emma insisted she could do all those things herself. In reality, it was helping Regina become prepared for the transition in bringing Emma home and taking care of her and assuring that the rest of the healing process goes smoothly.

It wasn't Emma who couldn't wait to get home, Regina had missed her in their bed for nearly a month now. She missed nitpicking at her about leaving her clothes all over the floor and the cap on the toothpaste off. She missed the sounds of laughter when she and Henry would start getting silly and would chase each other throughout the house. She missed her smell just lingering on the sheets, that very smell gone after the sheets had been washed a handful of times since.

After Dr. Whale had left, giving the two privacy, Regina helped Emma change into sweatpants and she opted on a dark grey tank top, altho not loose, it didn't pull at her dressings. She ran a comb through her flowing hair and she looked more like herself than she had in weeks. Regina stood by her as Emma rose from the bed on her own, moving slowly as she had been ordered to, her eyes fell to the scar on her shoulder.