Silver Lining

Beaten

A few weeks passed since Robin had brought Regina home and he was content with the way her body had recovered after everything it had been through. She could walk without his help or having to stop and rest every few minutes, and was eating enough for her and her baby. Regina was 10 weeks pregnant and everything was going as good as Robin could have expected. Even though Robin still worried about her state of health, Regina kept on showing signs of improvement with each passing day.

Each night, they stayed together and talked about their lives. Regina opened up more than she ever did before, telling Robin everything about her life. He listened carefully, not letting his mind drift away to what he would do to Leo if he caught him. She used to fall asleep in his arms and he would carry her to his bed, where she still slept alone. Every night, he had to fight the urge of climbing next to her and holding her close. Robin knew she would get there, but she needed time to completely understand that nothing bad was going to happen while he was there.

Robin was already used to her nightmares. Regina would wake him up with her sobs and he would rush into the bedroom, only to find her asleep and struggling to wake up. She would always be drenched in cold sweat and her body would be violently shaking, but she would calm down as soon as his hand touched her. Each time, he would grab her in a tight embrace and gently wake her up, not letting go until the last tear disappeared from her face. One night, while she was crying in his arms, she looked up at him and spoke quietly.

"I need you here. Please stay with me."
For Robin, that was more than enough, he climbed next to Regina and pulled her small body close to him.
"I am here, you will be alright," he said soothingly.

A few days later, it was time for Robin to return to his job, as much as he dreaded leaving Regina alone.
"I have to go back to work today, but I will leave you a couple of numbers you can call if I do not answer. I have a C-Section scheduled, so I will not have my phone on me," Robin told her worriedly, "if you need me, I can call in sick and they will have another doctor take over for me."
"I will be alright," she smiled, "I can even prepare some dinner if you would like. My lasagna is to die for!"

Once again, her childlike enthusiasm captivated Robin and made him fall in love even further. Regina was so proud of herself, she made him laugh.
"My house is your house, as long as you do not set it on fire. Please, do not overwork yourself. We can order some pizza if you want to rest," Robin told her before pulling her into a hug.
Having said that, Robin gathered his phone, wallet and keys and headed towards the door: "See you tonight! Make sure to call if you need me."

Around 20 minutes had passed since Robin left the house, when Regina heard a loud knock on the door. Thinking he forgot something, she rushed towards the door and looked through the peephole. What she saw made her blood freeze and his name came out as a small gasp.

"Leo."

He had found her. He had found her inside another man's house, after she ran away from him. As his knocks got louder, she managed to reach her phone and call Robin.
"Pick up, pick up, pick up!" she hopelessly begged as he barged in.
Regina dropped her phone, which shattered at her feet, and froze in terror when she saw the anger in Leo's eyes. She would have usually tried to calm him down, but right then, she could not even speak. Regina was overwhelmed with fear, thinking about her unborn baby and Robin.

"You think you can get away like this?" he barked at Regina, making her tremble with fear. "That you can just leave me and hook up with some guy you just met? I am going to end you now," he said, pushing Regina into a wall and beginning to hit her. She could feel the pain everywhere: her chest, her face, her arms, and where she feared it the most - her still unnoticeable bump.

Hearing her cry out in pain, Leo feared Robin's neighbours would call the police. He threw her around the kitchen a few more times, using all of his force to push her into the sharp counter corner. He saw Regina double over in pain, gasping for air before cumbling on the cold floor. When he was proud enough of the harm he did to her, Leo quickly ran out of the house, leaving her alone. Regina could not lift herself up right away, but when she managed to drag herself next to a wall, the woman noticed what she feared most. She saw blood on her legs and began to feel the sharp pain she was already familiar with.

It suddenly felt too much for her to handle. Regina simply could not take losing a child, so she dragged herself to the bathroom and let the cold water fill the tub. She took a long look at herself in the mirror. Her face was covered in blood and bruises, her upper body had huge marks and nail traces, and her lip was slit open, again. Having destroyed the phone Robin gave her, Regina had no other way of calling him. Even worse, the half-crawling, half-walking she had to do to get to the bathroom drained her of any last bit of energy. Even though Regina's brain was beginning to cloud and she could not think clearly anymore, being submerged in cold water seemed a possibility for her to soothe a bit of the pain.

What Regina did not expect, was to pass out once she stepped into the tub.