Unexpected Medicine

"Look mommy, I colored inside the lines." The five year old mentioned, looking up at the blonde woman sitting beside him. She smiled lovingly, brushing her fingers through his brunette hair, "That's good munchkin, you really are getting to be a big boy." Just as she finished her sentence, she couldn't stop the chorus of coughs that travelled up her throat but she did manage to cover her mouth out of courtesy.

"Will you color with me?" For the past week the young tike has had to listen to his mother get sicker and sicker; she finally agreed to come to see a doctor at the nearest clinic after he cried nonstop for two hours. He knew just how to manipulate her and deep down she knew he was right, plus she was tired of feeling like crap knowing she had a son to take care of. And here she was, yet again in a new city, limited funds, and another complicated situation, "Sure Henry. Here, hand me the red crayon." Henry grabbed the red one, handing it to her while keeping his focus on staying inside the lines.

Without a word she began coloring as well, making sure to stay out of his way. "I've got to get you enrolled in school soon and find a job..." She muttered mindlessly as she colored, hoping she wouldn't have to cough anymore so Henry wouldn't worry. As they waited for her name to be called, he would look up at her every so often to double check that everything was alright. He may have been young but he knew his mother was all he had in this world. Their coloring trance was broken when the nurse stepped out from the back and called out, "Emma Swan to see Dr. Mills."

Emma stood up, quickly helping Henry gather his handful of colors and closing his book, neatly tucking it into his Cookie Monster backpack, "Come on, kid. Let's go make mommy better." She gave him a reassuring grin as she covered his little hand with hers, following the nurse toward a small room. "Have a seat and I'll be right back to check your vitals." Emma nodded, picking Henry up and placing him in the chair beside the door as she hopped up on the examination table. "Now remember Henry," she started off but Henry quickly intervened, "Stay quiet so you and the doctor can talk. Don't speak unless spoken to and always remember manners. I know, mommy."

He really was an intelligent five year old and it made her heart swell with pride to know that out of all the wrong things she's done in her life, her child was one of the right things. When the nurse came back into the room, she smiled at Henry who politely smiled back before locking his gaze with his mother's as her vitals were checked. "Temperature's normal. Blood pressure isn't too high but you do need to watch it. Just relax and the doctor will be in momentarily."

As Emma thanked her, the young woman left the room once more, leaving the door cracked open. The brunette five year old was swinging his legs back and forth as they hung off the chair, his eyes still locked with hers, almost as if he were mentally asking questions but getting the answers from her expression. "Something wrong, kiddo?" Emma could always sense a shift in her son's mood just by the look in his eyes.

"What's stress?" He asked, ignoring her question altogether. A bit taken back, she hadn't expected him to have really been paying attention while the nurse was in the room. She figured he would've travelled off into his imagination instead, but that's what she gets for underestimating him. "It's~" Emma softly sighed, wracking her brain to find words he could understand, "Okay, how do I explain this? Uhm, you know how sometimes mommy gets upset? Not with you but with other stuff." Henry nodded, "Like when you lost your job?" Not quite the example she had in mind but it would do, "Yes, like that. Stress is being upset about certain problems."

"But the nurse said you have to watch it. Why?" He quickly added, ready to add on to his knowledge of the world, "Because the more stressed out a person is, the quicker their blood flows in their body and that can hurt them." That made his eyes widen, a glint of fear popping up in them, "Then no more stress, mommy!" Emma wanted to reassure him that everything would be fine but another series of coughs made its way up her throat and boy, if she thought Henry had fear in his eyes before, she was underestimating how concerned he truly was.