Once Upon A Time ~ Book 1

Chapter 21 - The Story Unravilles

They ran through the trees until they finally reached the river beneath the Troll Bridge.
"Oh, God." let out Mary Margaret. "Where is he? Can you see him?"
"The trail dies at the water line." answered Graham as he shone his flashlight next to the water.
Mary Margaret smoke her head shining her flashlight accross the river, until she saw, a body lying on its side in shallow part of the river. She dropped her flashlight and ran towards the body. "Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God!" she let out.
"I need an ambulance at the old toll bridge as soon as possible." said Graham into his walky-talky as he ran towards the body.
Emma followed and Henry stood by the side of the river, fear in his eyes.
"Hang on. Hang on. Hang on." Emma went on as all three of them pulled the Joe Doe from the water.
"I'm falling, falling, falling. I'm falling." Mary Margaret panicked. "Keep going."
They carried him to the edge of the water.
"Hold on. I feel we need to shoe down. Slow down. Slow down." said Mary Margaret.
They lay him down by the wagers edge and Mary Margaret kneeled down next to him. "No, no, no, no, no. I found you!"
"It's gonna be okay." said Emma.
"Help's coming." said Graham.
"Is he okay? Is he gonna be okay?" asked Henry, panicking near by.
Emma ran towards him. "Henry, don't look, okay? Don't look." said turned him around and held him close.
Mary Margaret put her head next to his chest to listen for a heart beat. "Come back to us." she went on. "Come back to me." she said more quictly.
Graham and Emma shot looks to one another.
Mary Margaret then sat up placed both her hands on his stomach and pressed down a few times, but nothing.
"It's okay. It's okay." Emma held Henry closer.
Then Mary Margaret leaned forward, held his mouth open and blew her air inside him. She sat up again in disappointment.
Then suddenly he gasped and coughed up water. He coughed and gasped for air.
Mary Margaret looked into his eyes.
"You saved me." said the John Doe.
"She did it. She did it. She woke him up." said Henry happily.
"Yeah, kid, she did." said Emma.
"Thank you." he went on.
"Who are you?" Mary Margaret asked.
"I don't know."
"It's okay. You're going to be okay." she smiled.

To of the ambulance assistances pushed the John Doe in bed through the hospital. "Watch your backs. Coming through." said one as they came through the doors.
"Thanks, guys. We got it from here." said Dr. Whale.
Two nurses closed the doors of the private room. Mary Margaret, Emma, Graham and Henry walked over to it looking through to see the doctors and nurses crowding around the John Doe.
A woman with blond hair and beautiful blue eyes ran towatds them. "David?" she cryed as she pushed the door of the private room open. "David, is that you?" she said cryed again.
Dr. Whale looked up. "Excuse me, ma'am."
"Oh, my God." she went on.
"Ma'am, you can't be in here. Please, you can't be here right now." he went on, and he pulled her away. "You can't be here, ma'am. Can you wait over here for a second?"
The woman, went on, her eyes filling with tears.
"Who is that?" asked Mary Margaret.
"His wife." said Regina's voice from behind them.
They turned to see Regina smiling.

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Snow and Charming walked by the road, through the forest. Then Charming stopped and turned.
Snow chuckled a little.
"So......" said Charming awkwardly. "You properly want this." he pulled a same sachel from his jacket.
"Right the gold. Thank you." she said taking it. "And you can't get married without this." she handed Charming his sachel.
Charming opened I and took from it silver ring with a green jewel. "I know. Not your style."
"Well, there's only one way to find out." she took the ring from Charming and put it on her ring finger, and looked at it for a moment.
Charming stared at Snow, then her eyes shot up towards him. "Yeah, not me at all." she said, a hint of disappointment. She handed it back to him. "I'm sure your fiancée will love it."
Charming waited for a moment. "Ye.....Yeah." he took it and put back in the sachel. "You know, if you need more, you can have the rest. The ring is all I require."
"No, I'm good. Thanks." she stared at him. "We both got what we wanted."
Charming smiled. "Well, wherever you're going, be careful. If you need anything......"
"You'll find me."
They stared at each other.
"Always."
"I almost believe that."
Snow picked up her sack and threw it over her shoulder.
"Well, goodbye, Snow White."
"Goodbye, Prince Charming." she bowed.
"I told you. It's James."
"No, still like Charming better." she smiled and turned and began to walked away.
Charming watched her walk away then turned in the opposite direction. Then Snow stopped and watched him walk away to his beautiful castle, her smile fading away, then she began to walk again.

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"His name is David Nolan." said Regina. "And that's his wife, Kathryn. And the joy on her face? Well, it's put me in quite the forgiving mood." she smiled. "We'll talk about your insubordination later." she said looking at Henry. "Do you know what insubordination means?"
Henry showed his head.
"It means you're grounded."
Henry sighed.
Mary Margaret turned as Kathryn walked out of the private room.
"Thank you." said Kathryn, smiling at Mary Margaret. "Thank you for finding my David."
"I don't understand." said Mary Margaret. "You didn't.... You didn't know that he was here in a coma?"
"A few years ago, David and I were not getting along....... It was my fault..... I know that now..... I was difficult and unsupportive.... I told him if he didn't like things, he could leave..... And he did..... And I didn't stop him.... It was the worst mistake I every made."
Emma leaned forward in the seat she sat in. "You didn't go look for him?"
She looked at Emma. "I assumed he left town all this time." she looked back at Mary Margaret. "Now I know why I never heard from him....... Now I get to do what I've wanted to do forever...... Say I'm sorry." she smiled happily. "Now we got a second chance."
"That's wonderful." said Mary Margaret.
Dr. Whale stepped out of the private room. "Well, it's something of a miracle."
"He's okay?" said Kathryn.
"Physically, he's on the mend. His memory is another issue...... It may take time, if at all."
"What brought him back?" asked Mary Margaret.
"That's the thing, there's no explanation. Something just clicked in him."
"He just got up and decided to go for a stroll?" said Emma.
"He woke up and he was delirious. And his first instinct was to go find something, I guess." said Dr. Whale.
"Someone." corrected Henry.
"Can I see him?" Kathryn asked Dr. Whale.
"Yeah, of course." he held the door open for her and she walked briskly in.
"Henry, let's go." said Regina.
Henry got up and followed Regina. "Wait, my backpack." he grabbed his backpack, while Regina waited down the hall.
Henry walked over to Mary Margaret. "Don't believe them. You're the one he was looking for."
"Henry......" started Mary Margaret.
"He was going to the Troll Bridge. It's like the end of the story."
"Henry, he was going there because it's the last thing I read to him."
"No, it's because you belong together."
"Henry." said Regina inpatiently.
Henry walked quickly towards Regina.
"Madam Mayor?" said Emma, following Regina quirky down the hall.
"Wait by the car." she said to Henry. She turned to Emma. "Miss. Swan, I let you off the hook back there. Don't press it."
"I'm sorry, but Mrs. Nolan? Kind of feels like her story could be a load of crap. All this time there's a John Doe lying around in a coma and nobody puts it in the news? Nobody goes looking? Something's not right here."
"Well, what else would make sense to you? Why would Miss. Nolan lie? Do you think I cast a spell on her?"
"I think it's rather strange you've been his emergency contact all these years, and you only found her now."
"Well, this town is bigger than you know. It's entirely possible to get lost here. It's entirely possible for bad things to happen."
"Just when it's convenient you manage to solve the mystery."
Regina smiled. "Thanks to you."
Emma looked at her inquringly.
"That tape you found......" she went on. ".....was a stroke of genius. So we went back and looked at past tapes. Turnout Mr. Doe's been talking in his sleep. He's been calling out for a 'Kathryn'. After that, it wasn't hard to put the pieces together. And here I thought you and Mary Margaret would be pleased. True love won out."
Emma nodded.
"So bask in the moment, dear. We're it nit for you two, they would have lived their lives completely alone. That's why I'm willing to forgive your incessant rudeness. Because all this has remind me of something oh so very important. How greatful I am to have Henry."
Emma smiled a little.
Regina went on. "Because not having someone? Well, that's the worst curse imaginable."

Kathryn sat on the side of the bed and David sat up in the bed, awake.
Kathryn leaned forward and put her arms around him and he wrapped one arm around her.
Then he noticed Mary Margaret looking in at them, disappointed. She smiled briefly at him and he kept staring at her.
Mary Margaret looked down and twisted the silver ring with the green jewel on her finger.

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Mary Margaret sat on the stairs in her apartment, sadness in her eyes, still twisting the beautiful ring on her finger, until she heard a knock on the door, she looked up startled and got up and opened the door, to find Emma standing, once again in the hall.
"Emma." she said.
"Sorry to bother you so late. Is that spare room still available?"
Mary Margaret smiled happily and nodded. She held the door open for Emma.
Emma smiled and walked in.

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Kathryn Nolan ~ The Princess in the carraige (Princess Abigail)