We Can Love Again

Tough Love

He had been out for two days now- the constant beeping of the monitor beside the boy was torturing their sleep to no end. At first, both parents stayed at Roland's bedside, wanting to be there when he opened his eyes. But that quickly fell through when Regina and Robin became so sleep deprived, they found themselves in constant hell. So they agreed to switch off every night- Henry was gladly welcomed at the Charmings.

"Well little man, I miss you," Robin sighed, "maybe today you'll come back."

It became more and more weighted, the feelings he had when he gazed down at his son. He didn't know how or why it all happened; Robin just knew that he missed spending time with his boy. He was also beginning to miss Caroline; waking up in the middle of the night to care for her had easily became normal to him.

The door then opened, and Robin turned around in surprise to see Regina enter the room.

"Sleep well?"

She instantly shot him a look, the intensity quickly ebbing. "I can't... It's impossible."

The feeling was mutual. Robin was sick of sleeping in a chair. But he noticed dark circles under her eyes- she wasn't even trying to conceal her pain any more.

"And Ruby hasn't responded to any of my calls," Regina continued, her countenance low, "I think she's avoiding me for some reason. It's making me insane! We're supposed to be having our first dress rehearsal today too- guess that's cancelled."

Putting his arms around her waist, Robin pulled her into a hug. In the past few days, he felt like he never got time alone with her anymore. "She's probably just busy with things, don't worry about it," he said softly, "we still need to get ready for the wedding, though, we're getting married in less than three weeks."

Closing her eyes, Regina tried to shut down the war in her mind. "I know... It's just... What if he... He doesn't..."

"Hey, don't you think like that," he ordered, tightening his grip around her, "it's only been two days. Whale said that these things usually end up in sudden death when such young kids are involved- we have to be grateful he's okay."

She was about to tell him that Roland wasn't okay, that he was lying there motionless on the bed behind them, but she couldn't get the words out. So instead, she listened to the monitor's soft beeping and let it drone out her thoughts.

"Mom, Dad," Henry called, figuring he could find them in the room, "Mary Margret brought lunch."

The two broke away and smiled slightly when Snow walked in, carrying a plastic container in her hands.

"You look well Regina," she said, in her usual uplifting tone.

Her stepmother shot her a contradicting look. "I sure don't feel well," she muttered, "but thank you so much for bringing food, and for taking in Henry for the night."

Snow put the container down next to Roland's bed, taking the lid off to reveal five perfectly made ham and cheese sandwiches.

"You know he's always welcome at the apartment."

Henry's expression soon changed as he accepted a paper plate from his grandmother; he had remembered Emma talking about Will, attempting to keep it a secret from him. But he had heard bits and pieces of the conversation, and he knew very well that his uncle was in some serious trouble.

"Um, Mom?" He asked tentatively, knowing the next few minutes were going to end badly, "what happened to Will?"

A defensive look on her face confirmed to Robin that his fears had turned into a reality- she had shut him out.