Shattered

Zelena Marie

Regina

I could hear a commotion from the other side of the door and I could feel a pit of dread forming in my stomach as I listened to the chaos. My eyes slowly lifted and I found my two children still snuggled into my side, sleeping soundly, along with Robin who was fast asleep in the chair beside the bed.

"Robin!" I whispered, getting him to jolt awake and rush to my side, worry plastered all over his face. "I'm fine, but I think something is happening with Emma. What's wrong?" I asked nervously, and the expression forming on his face only made it worse.

"Robin?" I asked softly, but he only swallowed and took my hand. "Emma got worse, while you were napping, I guess she's past the point where the cord blood would've helped, and Eliza left, and since it's her spell, nobody can cast it on Emma." Robin reported, making my stomach drop to my toes.

"Snow left about an hour ago to be with her." Robin whispered, his voice now shaking with tears as he tried to explain the gravity of the situation.

"Is Emma going to die?" I asked, watching his face fall, but he couldn't bring himself to answer my simple question.  The air in the room began to thicken, and my tears began to lob out of my throat, making loud sobs echo throughout the room.

"I want to go and see her." I requested, my chest contracting with the reality that I had just given birth to motherless children. Robin began to answer, but a soft knocking at the door interrupted him, revealing a nurse from the other side of the curtain.

"I'm sorry if I'm interrupting. Mrs. Blanchard- Nolan is requesting your presence in her daughter's room, they're upstairs in the cancer patient ward." She relayed, causing my heart to hammer against my chest, her request telling me that she was getting close to the end.

Neither of us spoke a word, but Robin managed a polite nod, allowing the nurse to exit the room and leave us in silence.

We both sat for what felt like an eternity before I felt Robin get up. "Will you help me with my shoes please?" I whispered, pulling my pink robe around myself for warmth as he nodded. I carefully moved Evelyn into my lap, and laid Roland back on the bed, not disturbing his slumber as Robin slipped soft, pink ballerina flats on my feet, the bedroom slippers warming me from the frigid air.

I slowly began to stand, the hand on my back guiding me to my shaking feet, nearly causing me to topple over. "Woah, are you sure you're okay?" He asked worriedly, but I just swallowed and nodded, my entire stomach feeling like it might fall out of me.

"I need a bucket." I groaned, pinching my husband's shoulder as he fumbled for my bedpan, holding it under me as I retched. "Sorry." I whimpered, cursing the room for the lack of wheelchairs. "Hey, your hormones are all over right now, it's alright to puke." Robin whispered, kissing my temple before looking back at our sleeping children.

"I'm going to have to wake the walker, and I'll carry Evie, and you." Robin sighed, gently nudging Roland awake, setting him on the floor, allowing him to cling at his leg as he lifted our daughter into his arms.

"Alrighty, let's go." He declared, wrapping an arm around my waist as I dragged my rack over, swallowing thickly.

"Okay."

Eliza

I exhaled and covered my mouth as I stood up shakily, cursing whatever flu I had caught on the way down here.

"This is the wicked witch's hell?" Luke scoffed, and for some reason, I felt like I should too. The old farm house resembled the one she and her partner had lived in for so long, almost making me shudder.