Chapter Text
It was Christmas Time, a wonderful time of the year, for Emma Swan it was going to be the first
Christmas as a widow. Neal was a firefighter, he was on call for the night, he had gotten a call regarding
a big house fire. Neal went down to help his co-workers, when he kissed his wife on the forehead as she
slept, whispering I love you as he disappeared into the night. Emma last memory was them three having
a movie night, laughing and joking, eating popcorn.
Happy.
Emma was in the loft grabbing the boxes of decorations, Henry told her to wait until he got back from
his girlfriend’s house so they could do it together, like they used to as a family. Their street always
participated in a competition of the Best Decorated House for Christmas, her mother and father had
already put theirs up, and Emma being as stubborn as she is, she couldn’t wait to put theirs up, they had
to win this year.
Emma Swan needed some good news in her life.
Grabbing the ladders after placing the garden decorations out which consisted of a light up Santa and
his sleigh pulled by his reindeers, a few snowmen scattered on the opposite side, lights wrapping around
the porch beams, her door looking like a present, she moved the ladders to the side of the house so she
could put the lights up higher onto the roof.
Emma Swan could do anything her husband could.
If she wanted to put up the lights, she will put up the lights no problem.
As she hooked the last light onto the fixture, she moved her right foot to take a step back, not realizing
how close to the edge she was. Slipping off the second storey and into a bush, she groaned as the twigs
scratched at her skin, this was least of her worries when she realized she couldn’t feel her right leg.
Her head pounding, she felt like she was going to throw up, as she tried to move it was as if her whole
body was paralyzed. The pain in her head took over her body and caused her to black out, not before
seeing a dalmatian hovering over her head.
After a few hours, she woke up in a white room wearing a hospital gown with her parents sat beside
her.
“Mhmm… What… Happened?” Emma croaked out as her eyes adjusted to the lights of the room.
Her mother, Mary, jumped up to stroke her daughters face with a worried look upon her features.
“Oh sweetheart, you fell off your roof whilst decorating. Why didn’t you just wait for your father to
come help you with the lights? You could have killed yourself, you’re lucky there was a very helpful
woman walking her dog nearby!”
Mary stroked Emma’s hair, looking down at the cast on her leg as well
as the scratches that was up and down her arms. Mary hated that her daughter was so stubborn to be
determined to be independent, always wanted to prove her strength, she wasn’t a prissy little princess
who needed a knight to save her at every problem.
Emma looked around the room confused, last she remembered she was free falling off the roof, she was
a pathetic widow who couldn’t do anything without her husband. Neal was gone, and it was like life was
telling her she was going to need to be a damsel in distress all the time.
“I fell. I just wanted to prove I could do the same things Neal could, that I could live with the fact he’s
gone, but I can’t even put up some stupid lights or decorations without life laughing at me for being
such a failure. I’m pathetic”
Her father, David, stood at the other side of the bed with a soft smile. Pressing a kiss to his daughter’s
crown. “You my sweet girl, are not pathetic. I am proud of you for wanting to show the world you’re
strong, but it’s not wrong for asking for help sometimes. The woman who helped you is still here, she
wanted to stay until you woke up. Would you like for me to let her in?”
Emma nodded. She needed to thank the woman, she probably would have been stuck in the bush until
her parents or Henry found her then it may have been worse. David opened the door and a woman
walked in, her warm brown eyes locking with Emma’s sea green ones.
“Emma, this is Regina. She was
walking her dog when she saw you slip, and wandered over to see if you were okay. She noticed you in
the bush, called 911. Once you were in hospital she refused to leave until we were called, then she
stayed until we arrived explaining the situation, then she decided to stay until you woke up. Regina, this
is my clumsy princess, Emma. Your other saviour wasn’t allowed in the hospital so he had to wait back
home for Regina to tell him the news that you’re okay”
You know in those cheesy movies that when the characters lock eyes, everything around them stops as
if the world only has two of them in it.
Yeah. That happened to Regina and Emma.
Emma hated the fact she was hooked up to a heart machine right about now, because the damn thing
went off as it something went wrong. Mary was shouting out the door for a nurse as Regina stood at the
end of the bed with a smirk, knowing full well it was because of her. A nurse ran in and sorted out the
machine, giggling as it slowly went down and Emma had a red face from blushing of being caught out
having her heart race at seeing the other woman.
Her Saviour.
“Oh, it was more Pongo that had saved you. I saw you fall, but didn’t know where you landed. Your
decorations looked amazing, since losing my wife I gave up on decorating because that was her thing to
do” Regina smiled.
“Oh, well. Thank you so much, I’m sorry about your wife, has it been long?” Emma smiled sadly at the
woman stood at the end of the bed.
Regina began to giggle slightly. “I just realized I may have sounded like she died, didn’t I? My apologies,
Daniella ran off with her horse-riding instructor four and half years ago. I do love Christmas, but I aren’t
good at decorating, no one helpful around the house”
Emma’s doctor had come in to tell her that she would be staying in hospital for at least a week, just to
let some of the cuts from the bush heal properly, her parents vowed to visit with Henry in the morning
and left with a kiss to her forehead and a goodbye to Regina.
Regina smiled, she felt like she was
overstaying her welcome by watching Emma slowly try to get comfy in bed with her leg being in a cast it
was proving hard.
“I guess I better go, I feel like a spare part in here. I’m glad you’re okay, maybe try to be less of a klutz
next time before you end up killing yourself like an idiot” Regina smiled, then watched as Emma’s face
fell slightly at the comment.
Emma knew she didn’t mean it like that, but it didn’t mean it hurt any less,
she was the stupid pathetic little princess after all. Her insecurities were slowly creeping back in, Regina
realized she has somehow upset the poor woman. “Emma, I apologise if I have said something
offensive”
“No, no… I just got into my head that I’m a pathetic widow who can’t even decorate without attempting
to kill myself by falling off my roof. I just wanted to prove I am strong; I don’t need anyone to take care
of me” Emma smiled sadly. “I want to be my own knight in shining armour, I don’t want to be that
damsel who needed Neal to dote on me every minute he was home. Sorry you didn’t need my sob story,
thank you again for calling the ambulance and as soon as I’m out of here I will get Pongo the biggest
bone as a thank you”
Regina moved to give the blonde a hug.
“You are strong. I left my contact details on the table over there, if you need anything or any company, I
will be here in a flash”
Regina smiled as she walked out of the room, leaving Emma to herself in the plain
white room, listening to her own thoughts.