Truest Love

Alone

"Just one." She thought while tilting the glass, letting the burning sensation given by the alcohol spread in her chest.
Minutes later, the single glass she allowed herself was joined by many others. Regina wasn't sure of what she wanted to do, but the numbness given by the alcohol was soothing her anxious thoughts and firm belief that everyone had left her. Henry would be home soon, but the loneliness which surrounded was the last thing she needed. During the last two weeks, he never left her side and always reminded her that she wasn't alone. By the time she lost count of the refillings and simply moved on to drinking straight from the bottle, Regina's temperature was decreasing rapidly, along with her pulse and breathing rate. She felt cold and tired, but the pain in her chest and abdomen, along with the overwhelming wave of nausea, kept her from fainting.

Just as Henry unlocked the door, Regina was trying to get rid of the bottle, lifting herself from the floor and rushing to the kitchen. However, Regina's body refused to collaborate with her, making her collapse to the floor right in front of Henry.
The bottle fell next to her, shattering and making small cuts into her body.
"Mom!" Henry rushed to her side, quickly realising that panicking would be of no use. Lifting her from the floor and running to the car, Henry placed her in the backseat and dialed Robin's number.
"Henry? What's going on?" Robin's voice blasted through the speaker.
"I'm bringing mom in, she drank and someone needs to help her." He said as he started the car.
"Henry, listen, I'm sure she can handle a bit of alcohol." Robin tried to calm him down.
"You don't understand, you need to somehow remove the alcohol from her body." Henry said, thinking of the tiny baby.

When Henry pulled up in front of the hospital, Robin was waiting next to the doctors from the ER, ready to help as much as he could. Regina was picked up and placed on the stretcher while another doctor questioned Henry.
"How long ago did she consume the drinks?" The doctor asked.
"Less than 20 minutes. Listen, she's pregnant, 8 weeks." Henry told him, watching his face contort in panic as he rushed to catch up with the team which was taking care of her.
"She's pregnant, we need to do a gastric lavage to remove as much alcohol as we can. Ingested 20 minutes ago." The doctor informed.

Robin was pushed aside as soon as the medical team realised he was close to the victim, so he didn't hear anything Henry told the doctor. He walked up to Henry, willing to obtain information on what happened to Regina and why everyone was creating such a fuss over a few drinks.
"You." Henry growled when Robin placed himself in front of the young man.
"Henry, calm down, what happened?" He said, trying to soften up his tone.
"She's pregnant, Robin, that's what happened! She tried so hard to have this baby, she took fertility treatments which resulted in her being hospitalised, only to give you a child. The day you told her you couldn't keep your pants on, that's when she wanted to tell you about the baby. She was so afraid of your reaction and you managed to let her down big time." Henry shouted.

Guilt was knitted in Robin's brows when he finally understood that everything was his fault. The only woman he truly loved went through so much without him, the one who promised to always be by her side. Any mistake he made prior to this started to seem so unimportant and childish. Not only did he force his lover to go through this, but also Henry. Robin understood that Henry was the one who cared for Regina during the two weeks she didn't come to work, and he swore he never felt guiltier.

"I broke her, haven't I?" Robin mumbled.
"I am 17, Robin! 17! Nobody should have to beg their mother to eat, so she doesn't starve to death! I think she only ate for the baby, but she would have given up otherwise. I had to wash her, Robin! Can you even imagine how humiliating that had to be for her? Having her son bathe her because her legs somehow couldn't support her? I haven't slept a single night since you did that, I had to watch her. After she cried herself to sleep, I had to make sure she was still alive, Robin. I... I thought she would just stop breathing and I'd lose her." Henry said, breaking down with his last words.

A few hours later, Henry was nervously pacing the hospital hallway, still waiting for an update on his mother. Robin had crashed on a chair after apologising the best he could. He knew he couldn't fix everything with a simple apology, but making sure Regina was on the safe side was his priority for the moment.

"Henry Mills?" The nurse asked.
Henry promptly followed her to Regina's room, seeing her struggle to find a more comfortable position in the unwelcoming hospital bed. Without saying a word, Henry took one of her pillows and placed it behind her back, helping her sit up.
Seeing the remorse in her eyes made it hard for him to accuse her of anything, so Henry chose to simply hold Regina in his arms. After a while, she pulled away and kissed Henry's forehead, gently cupping his face in her hands.
"Thank you, Henry. Thank you for everything." She said.

"Robin, she wants to see you." Henry said as he left Regina's room. Despite his protests, Regina assured him that she could handle a conversation with Robin in his absence. She watched Robin step next to her bed, not daring to say anything to her.
"I don't blame you, Robin. What you did hurt me in a way I can't even try to describe, but I love you too much to let you go. I opened up to you more than I ever did to another person and I know you are not the man who would normally cheat on their partner. I don't know what happened, but I don't want to give up on us. These past two weeks were horrible, I felt like I had no control over my body. Henry had to take care of me, something I always hoped I wouldn't put him through. I need you, Robin, I love you." She said, watching the tears run down on Robin's cheeks.
"But right now, I need you to help me get better. I don't know what happened to me, but I was ready to give up. I need to get better for Henry. Oh, and for this little marshmallow." She said, caressing her flat abdomen as Robin's heart beamed with love and admiration for her.