A Thief and a Queen

The Hospital

Continuation of "The Fire." Written for OQ Angst Fest using the following prompts: 

2. Leave me alone

7. I never meant to hurt you

13. Can you please wake up?

24. I don't want to lose you too

41.You need to rest, I'll be right here 

Part 2: The Hospital

Beeping.

That was the first thing Regina heard as consciousness slowly returned to her. She groaned, trying to lift her arm to shut off her alarm—for that had to be the thing that was beeping. A sharp pain in her stomach prevented her from moving much, though, and she was soon racked with powerful coughs.

It then came back to her. The fire. Running through Town Hall to make sure everyone had gotten out—and that Robin hadn't come back in after all. Going back to get her picture of her father. The ceiling giving out and a piece of wood impaling her. Being overwhelmed by smoke and trying to get to the window. Robin rescuing her, pleading with her to stay with him.

He had saved her.

Regina had never been fond of fairy tales. Women were always damsels in distress who needed men to save them. She had vowed as a young girl that she would never need a man to do that—that she would help and save herself. And for the most part, she had done that. Men who didn't like that were sent packing—and that happened to most of her relationships. Robin, though, was different. He never wanted to be her savior but her friend, her helper. He was her biggest cheerleader now that her father was gone and took care of her without being overbearing. Yet she had become the damsel in distress and he ended up being her white knight.

And she wasn't angry at all. In fact, she found it entirely appropriate.

Opening her eyes, she blinked a few times as she realized she was in the hospital. She turned her head to find the beeping came from a machine attached to her by a wire. There was also a tube running into her arm and she followed it to the IV drip. She lay in a hospital bed, in one of their gowns and under a thin sheet with one pillow tucked under hear head. Regina missed her own bed and wondered who she had to threaten to get another blanket.

"Regina?" Emma Swan whispered. When she turned her head, relief filled the blonde's eyes. "Oh, thank god. You had us all worried there for a bit."

Regina tried to speak but found her throat was closed from how dry it was. She had to pry her lips apart, flinching as she pulled some skin off doing so. Emma reached over and picked up a plastic cup with a straw in it, holding it out to her. "Here. Drink this. Slowly."

She closed her lips on the straw, taking slow sips of the refreshing liquid. It slid down her throat, opening it as the water chased away the dryness. Regina took a few more sips before pulling away. She cleared her throat. "Where's Robin?"

Emma usually had a good poker face—Regina had heard many firefighters as well as Emma's own deputy, David, complain about losing often to her—but her eyes always gave her away. Sadness filled them and Regina felt like she was going to throw up the water she had just drank. "No, no. Please don't tell me I lived while he died."

"He didn't die," Emma assured her, taking her hand. "But he's in a bad way."

"What do you mean?" Regina asked, voice raspy.