Welcome to a Nightmare

Elsewhere Part 7: Chapter 32: Illusion

Elsewhere Part 7

Chapter 32: Illusion

"I'm fine, really," Emma says as she stands in her hospital room. She's spent most of the night doing pull-ups on her upturned bed frame, sleep eluding her completely. After being given the assurance that she will be released soon, she's trying to get back into shape and eating more. Despite the medications, she feels better than she had in a long time. All those delusions are nothing but a memory, she had to keep fighting to be released. She wanted to start living her life the way she wanted.

Archie had just entered to talk to her about her progress. He wants to start discussing where to pick up medications and the resources available in Boston for her to continue treatment.

Unfortunately, both of them knew that when it came to Emma's care, this meant that Fiona is not far behind. They braced themselves for her dramatic entrance and her insistence on having a say on what would happen to her son's birth mother. In the back of her mind, Emma senses that Fiona Blackwell is eager to get rid of her, which seems suspicious to her and downright cruel, especially to "their" son. However, at the same time, maybe some space from Henry would be beneficial; if she goes back to Boston, maybe he would drop the fairy tales' delusion and finally start being a normal teenager and at the same time, she could continue progressing more quickly and get her life back. Maybe getting out of this filthy city is exactly what she needs to move on... Maybe it was a mistake for Henry to have brought her here to Stygian in the first place.

No, she shakes the thought from her mind. She loves her son and always will, no matter what has happened to them.

Sure enough, the mayor of the city appears in the patient's hospital room with a smug grin on her face. Emma never understood why Fiona took such a special interest in her mental health... maybe it was for Henry's sake to know that his birth mother was being taken care of, but she hardly seemed to do anything to help the city, seeming to appear when nobody wanted her to and cause interference wherever she could.

"Uh, all due respect, Emma, but you do seem quite agitated," the psychologist says politely.

"Not at all," the blonde says, trying to sound confident in herself. Her visit with Henry had obviously not gone as expected and left her feeling more hesitant about leaving.

"Are you sure, dear?" Fiona says, in an almost sickly-sweet voice.

"Yes, really. Everything is okay."

"Well, I just came to check on your progress. As mayor of Stygian, can you blame me for taking a keen interest in all of our residents?

"All of your "troubled" residents?" Emma says skeptically. "All due respect, Dr. Hopper and Madame Mayor, I know exactly what this is really about."

"Do you now?"

"Henry."

"Oh, yes. Well, you are his biological mother, and he is my son, so perhaps there is a bit more to my interest." She chuckles to herself. "I don't think that's any secret."

"I feel so loved," the blonde mutters sarcastically.

"Uh, sarcasm aside, Emma has been doing quite well of late," Dr. Hopper says, adjusting his glasses.

"Wonderful. Dr. Hopper's reports are very encouraging. I don't think I'm talking out of school to say you might be eligible for release soon, perhaps in the next week or so." The fairy grins, knowing that once the former Saviour loses all her belief and hope, the curse will become a permanent fixture, extinguishing Henry's ambitions of ever breaking it and forcing him to resign to his fate. This would also eliminate the existence of Storybrooke forever, keep all her enemies in an everlasting state of misery, prevent the prophecy from ever coming true, destroy all light magic and she can finally have everything she ever wanted. "Wouldn't it be nice to paint a different view than these dreary, old hospital grounds? We are working on the landscaping. Perhaps even the Boston skyline? As I recall, you had a lovely apartment overlooking it all. Wouldn't it be nice to go back?"