Truest Love

Meeting

Over the next few weeks, Robin's schedule was packed with surgeries and check-ups, so seeing him outside the hospital was a rare sight. When he wasn't in his OR, Robin would try to approach Regina and get her to warm up to him, but his attempts weren't as successful as he predicted, yet. After everything Mary Margaret had told him, he understood that winning Regina over wouldn't be a walk in the park. He wasn't quite the man to persuade a woman like this, especially at their workplace, but something about Regina made him gravitate towards her. However, he promised himself he would stop if she let out any sign of being uncomfortable around him. Putting her in a difficult position was the last thing he wanted to do, especially after finding out most of her story.

"I suppose everyone cleared their schedule for this afternoon's meeting, in case you want this hospital to continue its activity." He heard her sass around the halls. Oh, how he'd kiss that sass away!
The rest of the day went by quite fast for Robin, as the anticipation of the meeting kept building up inside of him. This was his chance to catch her attention and he was pretty confident she wasn't going to tease him the way she's been doing for the past weeks in front of all those people.
Robin watched the petite woman step inside of the conference room. Even though most of the doctors which were present that day were men, not a single one of them dared to talk after she placed her files on the desk.

He spent the beginning of the meeting looking at her, admiring the way she got so worked up while trying to solve each problem they mentioned. Robin noticed how she would bite her lip while she was thinking and how she tapped her fingers on the wooden desk when she couldn't come up with the perfect solution in a blink of an eye. Although Mary hadn't told him what happened with Regina's ex, Robin couldn't help but notice the way she kept flinching each time a man raised his voice at her, in a futile attempt to make himself heard. Could this be the reason Henry's father was not in the picture anymore? Was he abusive towards Regina? The mere thought of a man controlling her made Robin's blood boil inside his veins.

"And today's last problem concerns the paramedics and the staff working on the ambulance." He heard her say. "As you all know, each ambulance is equipped with a doctor and a driver with basic knowledge regarding the first aid process. However, it has been requested that one more person would join the doctor, should they ease their work and help them tend to the victim's immediate needs. Financially, we cannot afford to delegate another doctor to each ambulance, so any proposal would be greatly appreciated." Regina said while rubbing her temples.
This job was getting the best of her, Robin could tell.
"What about a nurse?" He heard himself blurt out.
Regina was clearly surprised to hear someone trying to help her out, given that she wasn't actually expecting a pertinent suggestion. Most of the doctors would usually stay silent or come up with superficial ideas.

"Well, we would still need to hire a lot of nurses to cover the demand, so that's not possible, unfortunately." She said.
"Let's try with some volunteers, then. We can put them through some workshops, so they can learn the basics, lure them with certificates for their work and offer them the chance to work on an ambulance." Robin answered.
Regina spent a moment taking in his idea, realising it was actually an outstanding one.
"I suppose we could give it a try, but we would still need a few doctors willing to hold the workshops." She said.
"Well, you have one." Robin said, raising his hand in the air. Soon enough, more of the ones present at the meeting mimicked his action.
Regina was thankful for him stepping in, unknowingly saving her job. Hadn't she been able to solve this issue, her position at the hospital wouldn't be granted for much longer.

As the meeting ended, most of the doctors stood up and left the room.
"She didn't bite this time!" One of them exclaimed, causing the others to burst out into laughter. Robin caught a glimpse of Regina closing her eyes, still seated in the same place. He could read the pain on her face, so he decided to wait for the others to leave before he approached her. Robin closed the door behind the last person who left the room, then walked to her side and placed a gentle hand on her back, urging her to lift her face from her hands. He expected her to be angry at the man's joke, but seeing her face as she looked up at him made Robin want to send him to the trauma wing of the hospital. Her brows were furrowed in clear distress and thin wrinkles surrounded her eyes, while tears began to well up.
"This happens every time, you know?" She asked before her voice crackled. "No matter how hard I try to be nice to them, they mop the floors with me." She said.

Robin was at a loss for words, he never imagined the fierce mask she used each day hid these feelings.
"Come here." He said, opening his arms for her to lean into him.
Without hesitation, Regina raised herself from the chair and wrapped her arms around Robin's neck. He was taller than her, so Regina was on her tiptoes as she hugged him. Trying to support her at his height, Robin wrapped his own arms around her waist and nuzzled his face into her neck, taking in her sweet scent.
"They believe I am a monster. This is the only reason I have to act this way, it's the only chance I get to protect myself and still make them listen to me." She said against his chest.
Robin removed one of his hands from her waist and rubbed her back, trying to soothe her tense muscles. Minutes later, Robin felt her entire body relax upon his own, only to have her pull away from him. However, Regina laced her fingers through his, smiling softly at him. "Thank you. Thank you for everything, Robin." She said.

The couple left the meeting room together, ignoring the curious looks of the ones who saw them.
"I still have a few things to go over, so I will be in my office." Regina said.
He still had to do his rounds before he got off, but he also noticed how tired she looked. Although her make-up covered the dark circles under her eyes and the vibrant lipstick brought colour to her face, Robin could see right through it.
"I just have to check up on some of my tiny patients, care if I join you afterwards?" Robin asked. Regina did her best to hide her smile, but she craved his presence around her just as much as he did.
"Well, if you don't mind listening to my issues, I don't see the problem." She smirked.
"I would love for you to tell me more about yourself. It would be an honour to get to know you." He smiled.