Ever After ~ {Editing}

Chapter 21

She trudged through the door, closing it rather loudly behind her. She sighed and dropped her purse onto the hall table, hung her coat on the rack.

"Regina?"

She heard him call to her and slowly moved forward.

"Coming," she said tiredly.

She found him on the couch, Roland curled up in his lap watching a movie. She dropped herself heavily next to him and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Did you have a good day at work?"

"It was long."

"Roland, why don't you head upstairs so your mum and I can talk before dinner, alright?"

The boy nodded, his curls flouncing all over his face, and ran up the curving flight of stairs to his bedroom.

"Uh oh. What do we need to talk about that Ro can't hear?"

"Nothing bad so stop worrying. I just didn't want to upset him more. I told him that Henry's moving out and he didn't take it well."

"Lots of tears?"

"You know it. Any way, Henry and I finished packing up his room today. Since tomorrow is Saturday, I was thinking we could load up my truck and move his things over to Emma's."

Regina nodded, but stayed silent. She wasn't at all fond of the subject matter.

"You okay, love?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she trailed, but Robin noticed that distant look in her eye, and it took him back to just months ago, to the week after the miscarriage, to Regina seconds away from harming herself. He was so afraid she'd go back to that, so he nudged her gently, and she turned her face to look at him.

She saw the fear, the worry in his eyes, and she felt immediately guilty. She could read him, and she knew that he was afraid she was getting depressed again, that she would do something regretful. She sighed and took his hand, running her thumb over the rough skin of his knuckles.

"I'm okay, Robin. Really. Sure, I'm sad that Henry's moving in with Emma, but I'll get used to the idea of him not being around. I'll have to, anyway, because it's quickly becoming a reality. But I know what you're thinking, and it isn't that. I'm not 'relapsing,' so to speak, and I don't plan on it. And I promised you that if I ever felt that way again, I'd come to you. Don't you think I'd make good on that promise?"

"I know, love. I just worry about you."

"I know, baby. And to be honest, I do too. I worry that I'll start feeling that way again, and that scares me. But I know that if I do, I'll be able to come to you, and I will. So you don't need to worry. Not about that any way."

He smiled at her. She always knew what to say. He kissed her forehead as she rested her hand on his thigh.

"What do I need to worry about then?"

"Getting Henry's old room ready before the arrival of our daughter. Although I suppose you shouldn't worry too much, you do still have four-ish months."

He chuckled and placed his hand on her round belly, and she turned her head and smiled at him.

"I'm going to go upstairs and put on something more comfortable before we head to Granny's- the Charming's are announcing the new baby's name, finally. Can you make sure the kids are ready to go?"

He nodded and she let him help her off the couch, before trudging upstairs to her bedroom. She peeled off her crimson blouse and maternity slacks, stretching her arms over her head. She walked into her closet and pulled a soft yellow sundress from a hanger and slipped into it. She wrapped herself in a navy blue blazer and flats, then shuffled into her bathroom.