Once Upon a Time in Storybrooke - OUAT DR

Chapter 3 - There's a Coma Patient too?

The next morning, I repeated the morning routine I'd developed over the last few days - wake up, get dressed, go to the diner. Since my plans to check out shops fell through yesterday, I decided to head to Mr. Gold's Pawn Shop once it opened and see what the man who owned everything in town had in his shop.

This was an absolute mistake - I could spend an entire day here.

His shop was less like a pawn shop and more like an antique store. Sure, there were electric guitars and gold watches and other jewelry behind the counter, but the old creepy dolls, colored glass unicorn mobile, and the varied collection of swords and musty old books made the place feel less like a pawn shop and more like a museum. And the man, Mr. Gold, there was something odd about him. And it wasn't the way he took immediate interest in me upon entering his shop (after all, I was the only one in the store and I did come in to browse the moment he opened). No, it was more of the way he seemed to be studying me - as if he knew something I didn't.

As I looked through his collection of random items he made small talk, idle and casual at first, but the more we chatted, the more I began to notice that all his questions seemed to carry some kind of extra weight or meaning behind them. I made my way to the left of the store and he followed me, limping behind the counter as I browsed. He then asked me if I'd had the pleasure of meeting Mary Margaret. I looked at him, a little puzzled, and said no, to which he seemed somewhat surprised. He changed the subject, asking what brought me to town and if I planned on staying awhile, and seemed pleased when I confessed to feeling weirdly drawn to the little town and wasn't sure I wanted to leave any time soon. He then said, changing the subject quite abruptly once more, that if I'm interested in "getting to know the heart of the town", I should check out the hospital, see if they need any volunteers. 

Weird and random, but ironically enough I had experience volunteering at hospitals before, and in these little towns, everyone knows everyone. I may find someone who knows about the diner from the all-but-useless newspaper article that may not even be about me. I left Mr. Gold's shop empty-handed and decided to head for the hospital.

When I got there, I was directed to talk to Mary Margaret, who was at the hospital helping the school kids decorate for the patients. A nurse pointed her out to me and I walked towards the room she had just entered, quickly realizing that Mary Margaret was Ms. Blanchard, the woman with the sweet voice who had bailed Emma out the day before. I overheard the end of Henry and Mary Margaret's conversation, introduced myself to her, and asked if she needed any extra help with volunteers here at the hospital, explaining that I was new to town and looking to get to know the town better. She introduced herself, eager for the help and to discover another newcomer had shown up in the small town, taking a moment to sign me up to volunteer, syncing my shifts up with hers so I could learn the ropes, and informing me my first shift would be that evening with her, after dinner.

We chatted for a few minutes, apologizing for not doing proper introductions yesterday, and talking about the friend we have in common that we both seem drawn to trust. Once it's time for her to take the kids back to school I head back to Granny's to relax a bit before my first volunteer shift at the hospital that evening.

I know I probably won't find any answers as to who my parents are here, or where I'm from in this little town, but a girl can dream. Besides, if I was being honest, I was looking forward to getting to know Mary Margaret better. There was something about her, similar to what I felt with Emma actually, that made me feel like I could trust her, that we knew each other somehow. I didn't want to leave before getting to know them better. 

Later that evening I walked to the hospital for my first volunteer shift, running into Mary Margaret on the way there. Once we arrived at the hospital she ran me through the daily tasks, showing me where to go and where to find the different cleaning supplies or blankets for patients. After about an hour she headed off to go check on a few of the special patients while I wrapped up the daily tasks she'd showed me how to do.