The Potion

Recooperate

Regina

Three Weeks Later

I reluctantly left the waiting room so I could return home to sleep and shower. Robin, Henry, and the Charming's had convinced me that they had everything under control.

"Here, let me take Beth." I said taking my sleeping daughter from Snow who had comfortably rocked her to sleep. She squirmed but then nuzzled into my arms and stayed sleeping, she made me smile when she reached up and started gripping onto my black shirt. I sighed and left the hospital, terrified that something would happen while I was gone.

Violet

I could hear everything, I was in pain and everything was harder, but I was alive and I could hear it all, Regina's painful sobs, Henry's apologies, Snow's encouragements, and Robin's quiet faith in me. Every day I could feel Regina slip her cold, shaking fingers into mine and sit with me, never leaving my side, even after the horrible things I said to her.

Three weeks of this had gone by and every day when I would hear my loved ones' voices I would get stronger and stronger, the need to comfort them growing with every heart-wrenching tear.

Thankfully Snow, Robin, and Henry convinced Regina to go home and sleep, her voice sounding more exhausted with every word she spoke at my bedside vigil.

Suddenly I couldn't breathe, something was doing it for me! It was in my throat and I needed it out. As if God were listening the uncomfortable tightness in my throat was gone and I was breathing again.

"Good job sweetie." I heard Snow say, she carefully took my hand and squeezed it, I could hear her more clearly, I could hear everything more clearly, but then I was exhausted, as if listening were an extremely strenuous activity. I had to work to see them again, so they could sleep, eat, or just live again without worrying about me.

I concentrated, I willed it. Snow sat down beside me and took my hand, I urged myself to listen to her, to stay lucid to the sound of her kind voice. Then I could hear Henry's footsteps, the way he carried himself, meekly and quietly. I latched my willpower onto him and held on, I could feel my eyelids start to lighten, but it was still too hard, my body felt like noodles and I could feel myself letting go from their grasp.

My grip on Snow became looser and I started to panic, I did not want to go back into my deep comatose state where I feared I would never come out of.

Regina

I rushed back to the hospital when they called and said she could be coming out of her coma. Bethany was in her furry pink pajamas and bundled in the blanket that Zelena had given her to shield the freezing temperatures. I walked inside with the car seat and rushed into the room that had unfortunately, become like a second home for us.

I took out Bethany and walked over to the chair where nobody was sitting and took Violet's hand, she didn't have the tube in her throat anymore and it was replaced with an oxygen mask that had faint fog hitting the walls.

"Good job sweetheart." I said in a low voice, she started to stir then I slowly saw her eyes flutter, and her hand grip around mine gently. My breath hitched and I stood over her, frantically trying to help her open her eyes.

"Violet! Honey look at me! You can do it! You can open your eyes!" I cried, holding onto the small sliver of hope that she could hear me. Then like magic her eyes slowly opened and it was amazing, bone-crushing relief.

"Regina?" She croaked, her voice hoarse and cracking. I covered my mouth when I released a sob, moving closer to her, Robin and Henry hovered around me and smiled when they saw her look up at us. "I'm here. We're all here." I said smiling, she smiled and then her face dropped, she slowly lowered her eyes so she was no longer facing us, her eyes filling with tears.