The Magic Within ↠ Once Upon A Time

[Chapter 49] The Truth Can't Hide Forever

~Emma's POV~

While passing through the narrow halls of the hospital, I scan each plaque that was drilled beside each door that led to a different room. Some rooms I've seen were occupied while others were completely vacant of residents and machinery. But those rooms I could care less about. There was only one particular room that was my end point.

Room 220... Room 221... Room 222

Ah, there it is. Room 223

The doorway was open so I just passed through the entry and was in the room in just one step.

Well, I wasn't the only one in the room. Aside from Archie, who was lying on the bed connected to all of the equipment beside him, Regina was slumped on a chair with her eyes shut. I could've sworn I heard a light snore coming from her.

Oh great, she was passed out, and it's entirely my fault. I took too long to get here when I said that I'd be by the room in ten minutes. Work just got in the way.

Aside from my "fashionably"-late entrance, the hospital room looked so... dull. I mean, isn't every hospital a little dull? But other than the three of us, who were actually living beings, the room was occupied by machinery. A clutter of equipment surrounded an unconscious Archie, monitoring his condition. One such instrument aided Archie's breathing through an oxygen tube. The constant repetitive beeping signaled that his heart was working like normal. And with every other tech, they either displayed numbers or words that I couldn't connect with each other nor did I know what they meant, or they created a different sound of their own. Anyways, I'm not a doctor; I'm a sheriff so no one should ever ask me what these do.

But apart from all of the complicated machinery, at least they signaled that Archie was still alive. That's all that matters.

I take a step closer towards Archie then take a deep breathe.

Archie looked so weak, so fragile.

It's no wonder Melody was so crazed when she hit Archie. He was almost at death's door, but somehow, the curse she created managed to fade as quickly as it was created, stopping the deadly curse from completely killing him. Good thing our advance medical technology was able to slow the process long enough for the spell to withdraw from his body. If the curse didn't fade, we were sure to lose another friend. It would've been a complete disaster.

But like my mom always likes to say, good always wins. This would just prove to be another victory.

Well, I couldn't just stand here in silence any longer. We had to get work done, and as in we, I mean Regina and me.

"Regina?" I whisper over to her.

She doesn't respond nor move.

"Regina!"

She jumps on the spot and wakes from her small nap.

"Sorry, Regina."

She shakes her head before pushing herself up from the chair. She straightens her clothes as she made her way towards me. "It's alright, Emma."

"I thought you knew I was coming?"

"I did, but I expected you to be here in ten minutes not ten hours."

"Sorry..."

"And... if I'm being honest," she crosses her arms, "I was secretly hoping that Melody would come through that door."