Silver Lining

Hospitalised

"Get out of the house!" she heard Robin scream while trying to put out the fire, which was spreading even further across the kitchen. As much as she wanted to help him, the firefighters were on their way and the smoke was choking her, bringing her closer to fainting, so she listened to him and left the house.

Regina ran out of the house and fell to her knees, coughing so hard her lungs started to hurt and her bump contracted again. Apparently, smoke coming from an open fire had a much more pronounced effect on a pregnant woman than on a normal person. As she saw the flashing lights on the ambulance coming closer to them, Regina noticed through the windows that the fire had spread even further. She tried to run back into the house, but a paramedic blocked her way and held her tightly.

"Madam, is there anyone else in the house?" he asked.
"My husband, he was right in the kitchen!" she cried once she could control the panting for a few seconds.
"They are going to get him out, but you have to come with me so we can check on you and the baby. I want to give you an oxygen mask so it can clear out your airway. How far along are you in the pregnancy?" he asked while escorting her to the stretcher next to the ambulance.

"30 weeks," Regina barked, trying to fight him and get back to Robin.
"Ok, tell me your name," he said, trying to distract her.
"Regina," she mumbled.
"Regina, calm down and look at my hand. This is roughly how big your baby is right now, you cannot risk giving birth now. Take a deep breath and let us take care of everything," he said while placing the oxygen mask over her nose and mouth.
"Deep breaths, Regina."

Moments after, two of the firefighters carried out an unconscious Robin and took him straight to the ambulance.
"Let go of me!" Regina yelled at the paramedic and rushed towards Robin, not paying attention to the other men who were trying to get her to ride to the hospital in another car and leave Robin alone, just in case something were to happen.

"He was exposed to the smoke for about 3 minutes, let's give him some oxygen in case this is why he passed out," a paramedic said before noticing the wound at the back of Robin's head. "Oh, bloody hell!" he continued as they began cleaning him up.

They got to the hospital where Robin worked in a few minutes, and Regina could only see a team of doctors rushing towards Robin, taking him away from her.
"Madam?" she turned around to see a young nurse who had enough bad luck to have to deal with her during those moments. Regina looked at her and started crying, not being able to articulate any words. She wrapped her arm around Regina and guided her away from the room Robin was in.

"I need to take you to the maternity wing so they can check on your little baby. By the time you will be done, they will probably allow you to see your husband as well," she said soothingly. "Do you know what you are having?" she continued, pointing to her bump and smiling.

"A boy, we have just decided on his name. Roland," she said, trying to breathe the way Robin had taught her earlier. The nurse stopped walking, and positioned herself in front of Regina, grabbing her arms with her hands and rubbing them.
"He will be alright, ok? Right now we need to focus on keeping baby Roland inside for a few more weeks, because I am sure this is not the state your husband wants to be in when he first gets to hold his son," she said.

A few hours later

Regina was feeling as if all of her energy has been drained from her body. She had been there for hours and did not get any update on Robin, but all of her test results came back within the normal limits. They had given her a private room with a bed, so she would not have to sit on the metal chairs in the waiting room, but this hospital scent was driving her crazy. After all, she might consider having the baby at home.

The door opened and a nurse popped her head in quietly.
"Sorry to bother you, but Dr. Locksley woke up."
Before she even finished the sentence, Regina was up and ready to go.

As Regina was walking down the hospital corridors, the overwhelming guilt was eating her alive. He only left the kitchen because she asked for the stupid blueberries, so nothing would have happened if she had just shut up.
"Is he... burned?" she asked the nurse while looking at her feet and nervously nibbled on her lip.
"He is actually not, but he apparently tried to avoid the fire and hit himself into the nearby counter, I was told. He hit his head and passed out, but the smoke didn't cause any permanent damage to his respiratory system," she assured Regina.

Regina watched the nurse open the door, revealing Robin, who had fallen asleep again. Regina nodded towards the nurse, assuring her that everything was alright, and watched her step out of the room. His bed was big enough to fit the both of them, so she carefully climbed next to him, still worried that she might hurt him.

Regina placed her hand on his chest, soothing herself by feeling his heartbeat under her palm. He turned his head to the side, so he was partially facing her, still asleep. She nuzzled her face into his neck and held him tightly, squishing her bump between them.
"You better not scare me like this again," she said, using the words he told her over two years prior to that day.