{ storybrooke }

22. { a land without magic }

Emma and Winter rush through the halls of the hospital, following Doctor Whale and the nurses as they carry Henry away into a room. Emma keeps shaking him, begging him to wake up. "Henry, can you hear me? Come on, Henry," she begs.

A nurse tries to lead the two away, but both stubbornly refuse to leave the boy's side. "Wake up, please. Come on, Henry, come on. You can do it," Winter whispers to him gently, hoping he would awaken at hearing their voices.

Doctor Whale examines him quickly while asking Emma what happened. Emma shows him the plastic bag that she put the turnover in and shows it to Whale. "He ate this. I think it's poisoned." The doctor then proceeds to check Henry's mouth, but he found nothing abnormal. 

"His airway's clear. Did he vomit? Any convulsion or disorientation," he asks.

Emma snaps at Whale. "He took a bite of this and then he just collapsed! So run the test for arsenic or bleach or Drano or whatever could've done this to him." She shakes the bag. She is angry that he did not believe her when she said he was poisoned.

"The boy is showing no symptoms that would suggest neurotoxin. So whatever's going on, this is not the culprit," Whale responds, putting the bag away. "Well, what else could it be," Emma asks, a slight pant to her voice.

"We don't know what is wrong. That's what I'm trying to find out," Doctor Whale says. He turns, prepared to leave when Emma's makes him stop. "He's gonna be okay, though, right?" She touches her son's arm, worry evident on her face.

Whale becomes a little calmer. Emergency situations were always stressful, especially when involving a child. He didn't blame Emma for reacting with anger. "Right now, we just need to stabilize him, 'cause he's slipping away. Is there anything else that you can remember? Any little detail?"

Winter shakes her head solemnly. "No, just that he ate the turnover and collapsed," she says softly. Emma, however, was feeling the frustration building inside of her. "I already told you everything. Do something!"

The brunette girl snaps her head sideways at the blonde woman. "Emma, it is no use to scream at him when he wants nothing more than to help Henry as well," she says, soft toned but firm. 

"Look, I understand you're frustrated, Ms. Swan, I do, but I need something to treat. And right now there is no explanation, it's like.." He trails off, uncertain what to say. In the meantime Emma had turned over Henry's bag to look for anything that could be the reason behind his current state.

Emma looks down at the stuff she took out of Henry's bag, among them the storybook he always carries with him. A startling thought appears in her mind.

"..Like magic."

She grabs the book when she feels a strong pulse coming from the book, surging through the skin of her hands and spreading over her body. Her blue eyes snap wide open. Flashes appear before her eyes of the things that Henry told her about all this time. 

Winter notices that Emma had become awkwardly quiet. She turns around to see her staring at Henry's book. The girl slowly approaches her. She touches her arm. Emma shifts her head, expecting to see Winter.

What she hadn't expected was the vision before her eyes. Winter's eyes seemed more vibrant than usual, her face highlighted by the curls that frame her face. She was wearing a blue kirtle dress with underneath a lace, short sleeved white blouse.

"Is everything alright, Emma? Do you want me to get you anything?"

The blonde blinks and the vision was gone. Winter was back in her normal attire, but Emma believes she might just have gotten a glimpse of who the girl was in that other place.