Sound of Surviving

03

"Does he have any family or friends?"

"No one's claimed him."

"So, he's all alone."

"Yeah... It's quite sad."

"You sure you don't know him?"

"'Course I'm sure. Come on. You shouldn't be in here."

PLAYGROUND

Emma met Henry and Nevaeh at his castle.

"I found your father -- Prince Charming," Henry told Emma.

Emma frowned. "Henry..."

"He's in the hospital, in a coma." He pointed to Prince Charming's picture. "See the scar? He has one, too."

"So? Lots of people have scars."

"In the same place? Don't you see what this means? The curse is keeping them apart with the coma. Now they're stuck without each other. We have to tell Miss Blanchard we found her Prince Charming."

"Okay, kid. Telling someone their soulmate is still in a coma is probably not helpful. Not having a happy ending is painful enough, but giving someone unrealistic hope is far worse."

"But what if I'm right? We know who they are. Now they need to know."

Nevaeh raised a brow and asked, "And how do you plan to make that happen?"

"By reminding him. We have to get her to read their story to John Doe. Then, maybe, he'll remember who he is."

"Okay," Emma agreed.

"Okay?"

"Yeah, we'll do it. But we'll do it my way. Let us ask her."

MARY MARGARET'S APARTMENT

Mary Margaret made cocoa for herself, Nevaeh and Emma as they sat and talked.

"You two want me to read to a coma patient?" Mary Margaret questioned.

"Henry think it will help him remember who he was," Emma explained.

"And, who does he think he was?"

"Prince Charming," Nevaeh replied.

"And if I'm Snow White, they think me... and him..."

"He has a very active imagination, which is the point," Emma said. "I can't talk him out of his belief, so I need to show him. Play along, do what he says and maybe, just maybe."

Nevaeh scoffed. ""Play along?" Please."

Mary Margaret glanced at Nevaeh before looking back at Emma and saying, "He'll see that fairy tales are just that. That there's no such thing as love at first sight or first kiss. He'll see reality."

"Something like that," Emma replied.

"Well, sadly, this plan is rather genius. We get him to the truth without hurting him."

"I told him that we will all meet tomorrow for breakfast at Granny's. And you will give a full report."

"Well, I suppose I'll get ready for my date. I guess I'll have to do all the talking."

HOSPITAL

Mary Margaret and sat with John Doe in his room. She had Henry's book.

"Look, I know this is odd, but I'm doing it for a friend. So please, just bear with me."

Mary Margaret began reading to John Doe. She read the story about Snow White and Prince Charming. Towards the end of the story, John Doe reached out and grabbed her hand.