Broken

Revenge

Regina

"Are you sick?" Eva asked walking towards me with a tray of vaccines for Robin as I held her in my lap.

"No- I um, no. Just a bit woozy, I haven't eaten yet and it's been a stressful morning." I said looking down at Robin who was sleeping in my lap, waiting for Dr. Zambrano's prognosis, my stomach fluttering with butterflies as she set the tray down with various needles on it.

"Okay, so she doesn't look too bad, but she has a fever and because she's so little we want to keep her here and monitor her closely just in case. But because she does have a fever and her lungs are a bit crackly, so we are going to give her some antibiotics and keep her on a drip, and I'm going to need to take some blood for more tests." Eva explained, I sighed and nodded, looking down at the baby that I had finally gotten to sleep.

"She's not going to like this." I muttered in a deflated tone, sitting in the chair that Eva pulled for me.

"I know, I'm sorry." She said in a genuine tone, making my annoyance lessen as I propped my niece up in my arms, pulling her arm out for the doctor.

She squirmed at the doctor's icy touch and opened her baby blue eyes, giving the doctor a helpless look filled with her remaining tears.

"I know sweet pea, I'll be quick." Eva whispered, brushing her gloved hand on the baby's wet cheek, returning to the small needle.

"Hold her tight please." She requested, I nodded and held my niece's arm firmly, making the baby look up at me with betrayal, beginning to wail as the doctor inserted a small catheter into her wrist, binding it with medical tape, her cries breaking my heart.

"It's okay sweetie, I've got you." I whispered, holding her clammy skin against my stomach while Eva inserted another needle, drawing minimal amounts of blood for the tests.

"All done! See, now you have a cool tube for your arm!" Eva said smiling at the baby, I composed myself and lifted the wailing baby to my chest, trying to soothe her.

"Just try and get her to rest now, I'll be coming in to check on her, and try to eat something, you don't look too well." Eva remarked, giving me a look before slipping out of the room, my stomach stirring before I curled around my niece, trying to get her to sleep.

"I guess it's just going to be you and me now." I whispered, trying to grasp a sense of reality before taking on this responsibility.

Snow White

The grief commenced again once the chaos settled and Regina left with the baby for the hospital. Henry sat beside me and both of us had given up on trying to make conversation, our losses feeling almost of the same magnitude.

"Grandma." Henry finally whispered, making me look up from my hands and stare at my melancholy grandson somberly. "Yes sweetie." I replied, trying to remain gentle around him.

"Is my mom ever going to be the same? I mean since Robin died, and she destroyed her other half?" He asked nervously, I bit my lip and thought back to the changes in Regina.

She seemed more open with life, but there were still parts that I could tell were heavily guarded in her heart, but the lack of darkness just made it harder for her to hide it.

"She's delicate now, she is still your mother, but- losing a love, someone who you planned on growing old with, someone that you had a connection with, well, that's something that you never fully get over. Your mother has lost two loves, and she needs time to heal, especially since she is dealing with her separation from herself. She needs your help Henry, I know she won't admit it, but she's going to need your support and comfort, and you're a good kid, I know you're going to give it to her, but she needs your love." I explained, squeezing his hand carefully, watching as stress and tears filled his eyes.