Mente Sonum

Chapter 9

The resident physician, Doctor Raider, had asked some questions regarding Regina's headaches.

"How often do you have them?"

"On a scale of one to ten, how bad is the pain?"

"Is there a location where the pain stems from or that hurts more than the rest?"

"Are there any other issues that accompany these headaches?"

Regina answered them all dutifully, giving as much detail as possible, while Emma paced back and forth in the hallway, completely eavesdropping. Raider then calmly explained that more tests needed to be done before taking some blood. He also said he wanted to schedule an CT in order to be sure.

A few days later, Regina and Emma were escorted to the nearest hospital, where the CT was scheduled. They were seated in the back of a large white van, their seats separated from the driver by a barrier, and Regina was cuffed with leather restraints.

"For a patient of her status to leave, she must be restrained. I won't tolerate any law suits." Severe had explained as she strapped Regina's wrists together.

The brunette looked positively shaken. She was expecting the worse. Because of that, Emma had to pretend she wasn't worried. She had to put on a brave face for her love.

"It'll be okay, you'll see." Regina just nodded unconvincingly.

They arrived at the hospital and were immediately directed to the third floor, where a technician and nurse were waiting. They sat the brunette down, taking the cuffs off one of her hands so that they could cuff her to the chair instead, and applied the contrast through her arm. Once finished, the technician rolled his stool back toward his computers while the nurse proceeded to enter the room where the machine sat waiting in order to wipe down and prepare.

"Emma?"

"Yeah, sweetheart?"

"I love you." Emma felt her eyes sting as she kneeled down beside Regina, taking her hands.

"I love you too, so very much," Emma reached up with one hand to stroke Regina's jaw. "It'll be okay, you'll see."

The nurse waltzed back into the room and gently placed a hand on Regina's shoulder, "I'm going to remove the cuffs, alright? Then we'll begin."

Emma and Regina locked gazes. Emma gave her a shy smile, leaning forward to kiss Regina's temple.

"It'll be okay, you'll see."

Regina leaned back and placed a sweet kiss to her lips. The nurse looked between them, smiling slightly. She was no stranger to feeling more than required for a patient.

The nurse took off the cuffs and gently urged Regina into the room just beyond the glass window where the machine sat. As they readied Regina for the test, Emma turned to the technician.

"Is it okay if I sit in here?"

"Um," He took one look at Emma's watery eyes and caved. "Sure. Just wear one of these, just in case. CT uses radiation."

Emma took the vest and strapped it onto her torso before taking a seat next to him.

"What are the odds that somethings wrong?"

He sighed, "Honestly? Probably higher than you think."

"Wow, did you fail that class on bedside manner?"

"No, I just learned with experience that sometimes telling people what they want to hear may hurt more in the end. I stick with the truth."

Emma narrowed her eyes but inwardly conceded. The man was right. They both sat up straighter as the machine whirled to life.the nurse quickly joined them and shut the door. She turned to Emma.

"She seems pretty calm right now so I think she'll be okay during the test. If we see her get a little antsy, there's an intercom system. Maybe hearing your voice would calm her. Hopefully it doesn't come to that."

"Thank you." The nurse nodded politely before taking a seat next to the technician, her eyes roaming over the computer.

"Okay," the technician sighed as the images popped up. Emma was astounded. There was Regina's brain. The brain that held so much snark and wit, that beat her at checkers daily, that loved her so deeply. It was all right there.

"It's weird, right?" The nurse smiled at her. "Everything that makes a person who they are is right there. We're looking at it. Everything you love about her? It's in there. It's what makes her who she is. The human brain never ceases to amaze me. I've always been so fascinated."

The nurse looked back to the screen, "It's also kind of interesting when things go wrong."

"Interesting, maybe, but it's really fucking scary."

The nurse nodded, "Yes, especially when you're in love with that brain."

Emma smiled sadly, watching as both the technician and the nurse watched the screen intently. They watched as the images became clearer.

The technician blew out a breath as the nurse slumped, her eyes turning downcast.

"What?" Emma inquires desperately, her jaw automatically tensing along with the rest of her body. The nurse turned to her sadly.

"We can't tell you. It's against the rules."

"Please. I love her. I need to know if something is wrong. Please." Emma pleaded, tears spilling down her cheeks.

The nurse stood, walking into the other room to let Regina out. Emma looked at the scan on the computer, trying to see what the medical professionals saw. She tilted her head desperately, trying to understand. After a few moments, the technician placed his dark hand on her bicep.

He looked at her with such sorrow before telling her the truth, "The brain, it went wrong."