Forest of Fireflies

Chapter 39

(Regina's POV)

Somehow, I had managed to walk out of the dark forest and onto a path that lead to the cemetery. I had no idea what time it was, but judging by the complete quietness of the street, I assumed that it must be past midnight. I don't care. I need to wake up Daniella. Now.

I shivered and ignoring the heeled boots that I was wearing, I ran down the streets of Storybrooke. My breath was telling me that I needed a break but I pushed on. Gosh, I've never ran a marathon like this since my teenage years.

Soon, I arrived outside of the hospital. I composed myself and straightened my hair before I walked through the doors. The receptionist looked stunned when she saw me. "Madam Mayor, are you alright?"
I walked past her and answered, "I'm perfectly fine. I'm here to see Daniella."

"At one o'clock in the morning?"

I turned my head around and narrowed my eyes. Then, I lifted my head and said confidently, "Yes." After that, I strode down the hallway without another word. As I approached the ICU, my heart was thumping loudly against my chest. This could be it.

I pushed open the doors of the ICU and rushed towards Daniella. "Firefly, I'm gonna wake you up now. I don't exactly know how but um, your father gave me this flower....and it should work."

Nervously, I plucked the petals off the pink Pixie flower in my hand. Discarding the stem, I held the petals over Daniella. I remember reading about pixie flowers in a fairytale when I was young. Just like the Princess in the story, I put the petals into the palm of my hand. Then, I held my breath. My heart thumped uncontrollably until...

The pink petals dissolved into fine powder. It drifted out of my palm and into Daniella's nostrils. In anticipation, I hovered over my daughter, waiting for anything to happen. And it did.

The machine that stood on the side of the bed began to beep. I looked up and saw that there was signal on the screen. Quickly, I glanced back down and saw Daniella's chest heave upwards. Then, her eyes gently fluttered open. Oh my... "Mama?"

"Daniella? Daniella!" I threw my arms around my daughter with tears streaming down my face.

In a muffled voice, Daniella muttered again, "Mama..."

I held my daughter close to me, not wanting to let go. You're finally here in my arms, finally...little firefly.
Daniella gently shrugged away from my embrace to look at me. "Mama, don't cry..."

I smiled sheepishly and said between breaths, "I'm sorry, firefly. I just miss you so much." Then, I put my forehead against Daniella's. Before I could continue speaking, footsteps raced into the ICU. I looked up to see nurses approaching. One of them started speaking, "Oh, Daniella's awake...I, uh, Madam Mayor, we have to perform a series of health checks on your daughter right now since she woke up from her coma."

I turned to face Daniella, only to see that she had a fearful expression etched onto her face. I sighed and whispered to her, "It's going to be alright. Mama's here."

Daniella nodded and I let the medical staff approach her. Then, I heard the door open again. Dr Whale walked in. "Madam Mayor, may I ask that you stand outside just for a moment. I need to check your daughter's health without distraction."

I nodded and before leaving, gave Daniella's hand a tight squeeze. For the whole duration of the tests, I stood outside in the hallway. Through the glass wall that separated us, I gave Daniella a little smile whenever she turned her head to face my way. Soon, the doctor came out into the hallway. "Ms Mills, I'm glad to say that apart from being weak because of the long time she's been in a coma, Daniella is quite healthy. However, her memory still needs to recover. But don't worry...it'll come back to her very soon. She can be discharged from the hospital tomorrow in the afternoon. I just want her to get used to being awake again by resting for a couple of hours in here."