Silver Lining

Ava

Robin was bound to spend some time in the hospital, so Regina chose to stay by his side until he was ready to come home, no matter how long it would take. The room she was given had to be occupied by another patient, so everything she had left was the chair next to Robin's bed and a couple of pillows the nurses gave her, but she could not let that bring her down. Whenever she needed him, Robin was right next to her, so she had to be the strong one for once.

It was late at night when Regina found her way to the cafeteria. Robin was asleep, but their little baby wanted to make sure he had her undivided attention by kicking her with all of his strength.
"Baby, please calm down for a bit. You are bundled up in my rib cage and every one of your kicks feels as if it would break them," she said while caressing her small bump, instantly soothing his movements.

She went ahead and ordered a cup of hot tea and a sandwich, as she had not eaten all day and began to feel a little dizzy. While she was waiting for the employee to warm up the sandwich, Regina gently grabbed the edge of the counter and leaned a part of her weight on it. She closed her eyes and tightened her grip as the dizziness took over and her vision started to blacken. She remembered this feeling and knew it would pass after she managed to take a bite out of that sandwich, but she still hated herself for letting so many hours pass without eating.

The cashier smiled sympathetically at her before realising she could not focus and did not respond to her approach. Lowering her gaze to meet her baby bump and understanding what might happen if she fell, she rushed next to Regina, wrapped her arm around her waist and guided her towards the nearest chair.
"What's wrong?" she asked with panic in her voice.
Regina started to regain her vision, so she accepted the woman's help, thanked her and explained what happened.
"I was up all day, I thought I could take better care of my husband than the nurses," she laughed bitterly. "I might have forgotten to grab a bite and it seems like this little guy did not appreciate it," she said.

"Oh, your order is on the house! I will bring it to you right away and please do not hesitate to ask for more if you wish!" she said before leaving in a hurry.
"I cannot risk you getting into trouble because of me," Regina said while walking back to the counter and sliding the money to the woman.
"At least allow me to join you while you eat. I am Mary Margaret," she said with a certain amount of concern in her voice.
Regina smiled and nodded, grabbing the cup of tea and letting the woman take the plate with her sandwich.
"Nice to meet you, Mary. I'm Regina."
"Oh, Dr. Locksley's wife! You've been his favorite topic of discussion for the past two years!" she said with a chuckle.

They walked back to the table and she placed the plate in front of Regina's seat, worriedly looking back and forth between the older woman and the food.
"I promise I did not do it on purpose, although it might look like it right now. I just forgot to eat today," Regina said with a slight smile as she sat down and began munching on the sandwich.
"Oh, great, because I would not have had any idea on how to deal with it and I felt really bad," she blurted out before covering her mouth, realising she said that out loud. "This is why I usually get fired within a few weeks from starting a new job," she said while rubbing her forehead.
"It is alright, you were just worried about me. Please, calm down," Regina said while leaning towards her and rubbing her arm.

"I have to bring a snack to the little girl in the pediatric ward," Mary said after a while, letting out a sigh. "Her mother abandoned her a couple of days ago and the poor child will not stop crying. She is only 2 and a half and she will be taken into the system after they discharge her. The child needs some of that motherly love as soon as possible," she said before standing up.
Her last words kept playing over and over in Regina's head, tearing her heart apart, so she dropped what was left of the sandwich, gulped down the tea and stood up.
"May I come with you?" Regina asked hopefully.

Mary smiled widely at her and nodded, probably relieved that she would not have to face the screaming toddler alone.
"I suppose we can use your husband's reputation around the hospital and get you in, but I want you to finish that sandwich before we go. I will prepare her food while you eat and we will go see her afterwards," she said.
Regina nibbled on her sandwich while thinking of the little girl they were about to meet, as she was sure she was going to get attached to her in no time.

Regina finished her food and walked up to Mary, helping her fix the toddler's tray.
"What is her name?" Regina asked.
"The few documents her mother dropped before leaving said something about her name, Ava, if I remember it correctly," Mary said before leading the way to the child's room.
As she opened the door, they saw two nurses on the verge of a breakdown, trying to calm Ava down. Regina's eyes filled with love for her and her jaw dropped, letting out a silent gasp. She was a small girl, with long brown hair and beautiful dark eyes. Her little arms were desperately trying to cling to the pillow and her cries were shattering her.
"May I?" Regina asked, taking a step closer to her.
The nurses threw their hands in the air and she could see the despair on their faces.
"You will need magic to calm her down," one of them said.

Regina sat next to Ava and saw her calm down a little bit before throwing herself in her arms, hugging the woman tightly and continuing to cry.
"Hey, baby," Regina said softly, rubbing small circles on her back and bringing her closer to her.
"Not baby," she said with an upset look.
"That is right, you are the big girl here," Regina said while pointing to her bump, trying to distract her. She gave Regina a confused look, so the woman continued talking.
"There is a small baby in here, a little boy."
The child placed her hands on her bump and Roland responded with a kick, making her squeal.
"Now, how can I bring the smile back on your pretty face?" Regina asked before cradling her to her chest.
"Mommy is gone," she said with a gleam of hope that maybe Regina would at least be her friend.