Black Heart {OUAT fanfiction}

Epilogue 9; A gunshot

Joe hasn't been doing any better, panic attacks almost every time he woke up. His liver went down faster than I thought, for some hideous reason. I haven't had the guts to tell my family about his return, they would completely shut me out if I did.

I haven't left the hospital for days. I have been lying to my family for my own good. It was something I usually wouldn't do. But they somehow understood I was working on some big case. While I was just here for Joe, he wasn't going to listen to anyone else but me. Like I was the only trust person he had.

I wandered through the corridors of the hospital, looking for something to do. We were waiting for some test results, but they told me it could take a while longer because it was rather busy at the lab, and since I can't do that, I have to wait.

My pager goes off again, meaning Joe needed me again. I know by now that I didn't have to rush to his room, if it was an emergency, he would have been more aggressive with that button. As I reached up to his room, I took a deep breath before walking in. "And what exactly could, Prince Joe, need now?" I've been calling him like that just because he tapped the button too many times a day.

"I just wanted to talk."

"This is a hospital, there is a strict rule about giving out and talking about your personal life. I'm just your doctor, nothing more. So Mister, what do you need?" I cross my arms over my chest, he tried this many times before, and I still have no clue why he is still trying so hard. Like can he feel that he might die or something?

"I just need to talk to someone, being here all alone is just, boring." I nod at him and pull the chair to the wall and sit down on it, facing his bed.

"You know you're putting me through a horrible situation? You're somewhat testing me, that's what I believe, I have never worked so hard as I did with- for you." I correct myself quickly. "I have been lying to my parents for you, I have lied to Sean and Bailey for you. They all don't know that you're on your dying bed."

"Then tell them, let them say goodbye to me."

"I. Can't." I state, "I simply don't want our children to have this image of you, as their last image.." I sigh, he looks absolutely horrible. "I don't want to put my children through something traumatic."

"They're my children too, Rose. And I want to see them."

"And I don't!" I yell at him, he sinks back into his bed and looks at me somewhat terrified. Tears began to form in my eyes and I stand up from my seat, pacing back and forth in the room. "If I get your test results, and they turn out to be negative, you'll get to see them, okay?"

"And if not?"

"Then you're going to live and won't have to see them now." I clarified before leaving the room. And little did he know what I know. Somethings are better left unsaid. And how was I going to tell everyone that my ex-husband was dying? That they could come and say goodbye?

Hours passed and the test results have finally arrived, and as I was already thinking, he would die. That was the only conclusion necessary. As I was reading the file, I kept thinking how I would tell him, or my family. It wasn't something that was really easy, when you do it for other patients it's different. This was way too close to home.

There was a small knock on the door and I looked up from the file, Dr.Whale. "And?" He asked as he took a seat across from me. "How bad is it?" I laid the file on the table and looked at him, tears did threaten to fall, but I managed to keep them in. I slowly shook my head. He sighed deeply. "There's nothing we can do to save him?"

"Nothing." I breathed out. It felt like I was stabbed in the heart for the millionth time. I've been through unspeakable moments like this before, but this was ten times worse. "Test results show that he might have another week, and then it will be over. His liver will just stop functioning completely within a few days, we could have stopped that if we didn't give him the meds he needed. But either way, he would have died."

"Rose, you have done everything you could. You stayed with him 'till the very end. That's what you do, you don't give up on people." He kindly told me. He was kind of right. "Now go call your parents, and tell them to come in with your children. That's an order," He said before leaving the room. I got up from my chair and walked to Joe's room. Knocking slightly before entering.

"Results are back." I say as I hold up the file.

"How bad?" I shrug. Seemingly not in the mood to talk about it. "How bad, Rose?" He asked a little more stern. I take a deep breath but all that happens are tears. They just roll down my cheeks as I try to stabilize myself against the wall.

"A week." I manage to get out. His eyes widen. "A week and then you'll be gone." I repeat myself. Making it clear to him. He must be as shocked as me, but instead he reminds me of a promise I had to keep now.

"So this does mean I can see Sean and Bailey, right? You promised me, Rose." I nod at him.

"And I'm keeping that promise." I sniff before talking my phone out and call my dad. He picked up his phone not long after. "Hi, daddy. It's me."

"Rose! Oh, are you alright? Is everything going well?" His voice was so exciting, I swallow the tears in. Hopefully my voice won't crack.

"Yeah-no. It's not alright." I manage to say, "Can you come over with Bailey and Sean, Emma too please."

"Eu-h. We'll be right there honey. Stay save."

"Will do dad, bye." I say before hanging up. "They're coming over.." Joe simply nodded at her.

The two remained silent until I was called to the front desk, I informed Joe what to say and not to say. He would do anything to just see his children for the last time. I had left the room and made her way over to the main hall. Every single person was looking at me, like they all knew, besides my family.

"Hey guys." I softly spoke as I hugged my two beloved children. Followed by my dad and Emma.

"So why are we here?" My dad questioned.

"Let's sit down for a second, shall we?" They just did as I said and we took a place in the waiting room. "So, I have been working on a case with a very special person.." I paused, "Ok I'm going to stop lying, it's Joe." I say before I even realize I have said it. But before my family could even give me an answer, people around me start to scream. I didn't even realize there were this many people. As a doctor myself I immediately get my family to safety, only to find a bullet in my side. I was bleeding heavily but couldn't care less.

Everything from that moment on happened in slow motion. I fell to the ground when a scream of pain left my mouth. A few other people rushed to me before I went black. This was a completely different ending to the story I was going to tell. Now I had to fight for the sake of everyone. And, I can't.