Silver Lining

Flashback

Regina and Robin had been at home for over one month, trying to fix the damage caused by the fire, putting together a room for Ava and helping her adjust to the new life. Regina was now 35 weeks pregnant, bringing her closer to the due date with each day. After their hospital adventure, they agreed to have the baby at home, even though Robin brought all of his equipment and pretty much created better conditions than his OR offered.

Ava was doing remarkably well, opening up to both of them and thriving in every way. She learned more words and could easily put together simple sentences, which made Regina and Robin melt with love. The child insisted on calling them "mama" and "dada", but was still well aware that her mother gave up on her. During her bedtime story one night, Ava looked up at Regina and asked about her biological mother.
"Why mom leave? You love me, yes? You going to leave?" the toddler asked with a frown.
"Oh, baby, we are never going to leave you. I'm sure your mother had a reason for leaving you at the hospital, but this gave us the chance of having you here. We will always be here for you, Ava, we love you so much," Regina answered.

After putting Ava to sleep, Regina went to their bedroom and cuddled up next to Robin. Her baby bump was still fairly small, allowing her to move without the discomfort she expected. Regina sat against the headboard, allowing Robin to place his head on her chest, wrap an arm around her lower back and caress her bump with the other. Whenever he touched her, Roland seemed to calm down and soften his kicks, making her sigh in relief. She tangled her fingers in his hair, playing with it as he checked out what movies were on TV. After a while, she realised Robin dozed off, still partially on top of her, but she was too captivated by the movie to go to sleep, so she chased away the yawns and struggled to keep her eyes open.

Regina realised she must have fallen asleep when she jolted awake because of the loud screaming in the movie.
"You are worthless, do you understand me? You will never be enough!" the man in the movie yelled before hitting the woman in front of him, making her fall backwards.
Regina could feel her heart racing, as a wave of dizziness took over. This has happened to her as well. She tried to clutch at her chest, as the pain she felt kept her from breathing. The moment she touched her own skin, Regina realised she was drenched in sweat, even though she felt extremely cold.

"Ro-bin," she gasped, waking the man next to her. The moment he saw her, he brushed the tiredness away and tried to hide his terror.
"Is he coming? Regina, are you in labor?" he asked, only to have her shake her head and begin taking shallow breaths.
She managed to lift her shaky arm and point to the TV, where the man was still overpowering the woman.

Robin quickly understood that the movie must have triggered a panic attack, so he placed himself between the screen and his wife, making her look into his eyes.
"Look at me, ok?" he said, making her nod frantically.
He gently took her hands in his and soothingly brushed his thumbs against hers.
"Robin... What's going - What's going on with me?" she asked between sobs.
"It will be over soon, you will be alright. Try to breathe with me, Regina," he said before helping her regain some steadiness.
"Robin? Am I... Am I going to die?" she asked with tears still streaming down her face.

"Oh, love," Robin breathed before wrapping his arms around her. He did not know if she would accept him this close to her right then, but he hugged her even tighter when he felt her body relax into his.
"Nothing is going to happen, you don't have to be afraid. I'm here for you," he said.
He held her for a while, rubbing his hands up and down her back, maintaining the silence between them. After a while, Robin figured the exhaustion forced her to sleep, so he gently laid her down, wrapped his arms around her as tightly as he could and remained awake next to her.

The next morning, Regina woke up alone. Robin's side of the bed was cold, making her understand it had been a while since he left. As her hand felt his pillow, she was hit by the sudden realisation that he might have left her. Letting him see her so vulnerable, so scared... How could she be so inconsiderate? Why did she always have to be a burden on his shoulders? She dragged herself out of the bed, groaning at the pain that shot through her body each morning, and walked to Ava's room. As she entered the bedroom, she saw Robin sleeping on the nursing armchair they kept in there until the baby's room was finished.

She leaned upon the door frame and brought a hand to her mouth, trying to muffle her soft gasp. Robin was sleeping peacefully with Ava on top of his chest; she held onto her stuffed bunny and Robin had a colourful story book in his grip. His other hand was wrapped around the toddler, making sure she would not fall and hurt herself.

Regina quietly walked back to their bedroom and sat on the bed, placing a loving hand over her bump.
"Once upon a time, there was a woman who was living with a bad, bad man. She did not have any family of her own, so he was everything she knew. She never felt safe around him and the man always hurt her, but the woman could not bring herself to leave him. She did not think she was worth more than what he told her, but she learned she had a baby to protect, so she left. Then, this woman met her soulmate, the only person who managed to break down her walls and teach her what love truly meant. He was the only man she ever trusted, the only one who constantly wanted to spoil her with attention. This is how you were created, baby boy, out of true love. And now, look at us! We have a little girl as well, and I could not imagine my life getting better than this," Regina said with happy tears running down her cheeks.

"I believe it is my turn to tell him how honoured I am to be the man you are talking about, my love," Robin said, stepping into their bedroom with a sleeping Ava in his arms.