hunnyfresh - Letters from War

Fifteen minutes later, Regina was holding Henry by the hand as they entered the hospital, the boy oohing at the grandiose design of the high ceilings and even the presence of a pizzeria. It was certainly a different world from Storybrooke's own general hospital, and Henry was soaking it in completely. Though the size of Storybrooke could be quite stifling at times, Regina was at least grateful that should she enter into their hospital any nurse could direct her to whomever she wished to see. Here, the Mayor was simply another visitor who needed to be directed by signs and maps to get into the proper section of the hospital where August said he'd be. After a few trials and errors, twice even stumbling into the maternity ward and passing by a gorgeous garden patio encased by tall glass windows where interns sat and ate lunch and slept, or at least they would if it weren't for the snowfall covering the benches and tables. Regina and Henry found the limb reconstruction floor and was thankful that the nurse sitting at the reception desk was able to help her locate Sergeant August Booth's room as Henry jumped from tile to tile without touching the cracks.

Regina held out her hand for Henry to take as the pair traversed through yet another hallway that looked as similar as the last until they reached August's room. The lower volume of a television could be heard from inside the door and a low, deep chuckle that was clearly that of August's laughter. Knocking on the door thrice, a muttered call to enter sounded, and Regina entered the private room.

August lay in the bed wearing a white hospital gown with blue diamonds. A tube ran up his nose and around his neck helping him breathe. His eyes were half-closed due to tiredness or the medication, Regina wasn't sure, but as soon as he got a good look as to who entered his room, he gave a lopsided grin and rolled a shoulder. "About time."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Were you expecting us?"

The man simply smirked and his head lolled to the side leaving Regina to deduce that he was most definitely high. She shook her head and took a step toward the bed to place her purse at the counter opposite August, but when she moved, she felt a tugging on her right pant leg. Henry clung to her, clutching Rexy to his face and hiding behind her thigh.

Worried, Regina crouched to his level where he scurried into her embrace. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

"Un-ca August sick?" He whispered in his toddler way as he cast a watery side glance to the man in question, his sudden amazement at the big hospital gone seeing his Uncle August strapped to so many machines.

Regina frowned but nodded. "A little bit, but he's getting all better now. Why don't you give him a big hug?"

He nodded and scampered to the hospital bed, climbing up the metal frame to plop haphazardly on his leg before crawling up his torso and hugging him around the chest. "You feel better, Un-ca August?"

"Hey little guy," August beamed as if just recognizing the boy's presence despite his knowing grin upon their entrance. "I know a super cool magic trick," he announced suddenly.

"What?" Henry asked eagerly, clutching Rexy to his chest in excitement. "Show me. I want to see."

"You have to say the magic word."

"Please?"

"Not that magic word," August admonished.

"Bibbity boppity boo!"

August considered it for a moment before shrugging, then suddenly the bed inclined upward and rose two inches. Henry gasped, staring around at the magical moving bed before clambering into August's lap. "How you do that?"

"Magic," he whispered dramatically into the toddler's ear.

Henry reared up on his knees using Rexy as his magic wand. "Bada boom."

August laughed at his choice of spell before covertly pushing the button that activated his bed, making it jostle up and down a moment then recline all the way back.

Regina shook her head as she sat beside the boys – because once those two were together no amount of military training could make August act his age – as they continued to play with the automated bed.

"It's like Aladdin's carpet, Mommy!" Henry nearly shouted in his excitement.

"It's a bed!" August added just as excited.

"Talking to you would be a useless task right now, wouldn't it, August?" Regina noted taking in his drip bag, the IV strapped to his arm.

"Talking to me is swell," he retorted back before showing Henry the secret to his magic trick.

"Debatable," Regina sassed before gaining his attention with a hand on his arm. "The surgery was successful?"

"I'm still alive and kicking," he answered before glancing up to the ceiling in thought then shrugged. "Half-kicking. They keep taking my leg."

Without warning he exposed his stump leg, shorter now that it ended mid-thigh. Fresh incisions and stitches laced through it and a bandage was placed right at the tip. Regina had seen him without his prosthetic before, but having her friend in the hospital for complications with it made her stomach churn. She squeezed his arm again, but before she could voice any concerns, August beat her to it by rapping his knuckles against her chin the same way he did to Emma in that annoyingly big brother fashion despite Regina being older than the Sergeant. "You came."

The comment took Regina by surprise. "Of course I did."

He smiled at her and ruffled her hair, earning him a glare he didn't catch as he and Henry continued to push buttons on his bed to see what they could do.

An hour later when a nurse brought in August's lunch, the sight of jello, soup, and pudding made Henry's little stomach rumble, so Regina dismissed herself, leaving the boys in the room to watch the cartoons Henry had conned August into watching as they snacked on the pudding and jello first. She remembered the food court upon entering, but greasy pizza just wasn't an option for her growing boy. There were a few sandwich and coffee shops she had passed when struggling to find August's ward, but she wondered if getting lost for half an hour would be worth the trip. Passing by a nurse, Regina stopped and held out a finger in a preemptive attempt to draw the nurse's attention, but the sound of her ringing purse drew her away. She frowned as she dug through her purse, finding her cell phone that was strictly for business calls and emergencies regarding Henry, but seeing as they were in Boston, she could only assume her staff back in Storybrooke were already falling apart on her.

Flipping open the Motorola, Regina pressed the phone to her ear and quickly left the patient care to find herself in the more common areas of the hospital. "Regina Mills speaking."

" Hey. "

Regina stopped, making the pregnant lady waddling behind her glare as she desperate tried to let gravity take its toll on her stubborn child. Regina threw an apologetic glance and let her by before shaking her head in disbelief. "Emma?"

"Why do you always sound so surprised whenever I call?" Emma asked with a feigned hurt tone to her voice.

Regina chuckled and continued her walk as she drifted aimlessly through the hallways. "It's a good surprise, I promise. I never know when to expect you."

"We're good at that, though the last time I surprised you, you booted my car."

"It was a public service," the brunette insisted.

Emma snorted before sighing contently. "I miss you."

"I miss you too," Regina replied in that same melancholy way. "How are you?"

"I'm great actually."

"Really?" She turned down a hallway only to find herself about to enter intensive care and quickly moved back in the direction she came.

"Yeah. I'm feeling pretty good."

"No cuts or bruises?"

"I make no promises."

Regina rolled her eyes before turning down a different hallway, this time finding herself in a hallway lined with waiting rooms. "I'm glad to hear you're okay."