Finding Happy Endings Chapter 2: Confusion (2/?)
Title: Finding Happy Endings
Fandom: Once Upon a Time
Rating: T
Pairing(s): Snow/Prince Charming, Mary Margaret/David, others to be determined
Spoilers: Whole series up to this date. If I cite an episode that airs later, I will make specific mention.
Warnings: AU, some mild fairytale violence, mild language
Beta: Me, so typos likely (If anyone wants to beta...)
Disclaimer: No, I don't own anything aside from massive amounts of college debt.
Summary: Caught between life and death when the curse hit, Prince Charming remained there until Emma returned to Storybrooke and the curse began to break. Now, hovering between two lives, he must fight to remember who he is. As the curse continues to weaken, he won't be the only one.
Author's Note: *Peaks around the corner* So…it's been ages since I updated this. I don't know if any of you have been reading my other fics, but as I've stated there I had a lot of things crop up. End of the year, packing the dorm, driving halfway across the country, moving back in, getting a job. The list goes on. I'm a bit ashamed to admit that this fic got put on the back burner. I can't guarantee that updates will be terribly regular. My job requires a lot of writing and research. My free time is going to be drastically slashed. That said, I won't abandon this fic. It just might be a bit slow. That said, enjoy!
Edit* Someone pointed out to me that David was a bit too coherent in the ambulance. I went back to reread it and realized that they are absolutely right. I wrote that convo and ended up changing course with the chapter. After taking so long to get back to this fic it didn't quite register what I'd done. So this is an edit to fix that and to make the whole chapter flow a bit better. I really do apologize. I had my head out of this fic for so long and I hadn't even been able to catch up with the series because of finals and moving back home that I probably wasn't in the right frame of mind to be posting.
Chapter 2: Confusion
The ambulance lurched as it careered around a corner, throwing Mary Margaret out of her seat. She gasped in surprise, reaching out blindly to catch herself. Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of the paramedic starting out of his seat to catch her, but with John Doe between them, she knew it was useless. Squeezing her eyes shut, she braced herself.
A surprisingly strong hand grabbed her by the upper arm, halting her fall so that instead of landing face first on the ambulance floor she ended up sitting awkwardly on her hip, her arm twisted over his head. Eyes wide, she looked up to see John Doe leaning over the edge of the gurney, looking down at her with concern clear in his still dazed eyes.
"Are you all right?" he asked hoarsely.
Mary Margaret nodded numbly. The ambulance jerked as it hurtled over a bump in the road. She would have lost her precarious balance had it not been for John Doe's grip on her arm. The paramedic finally made it around to her side of the ambulance and helped Mary Margaret back into her seat. He quickly showed her how to seat herself more securely as there were no straps before turning to John Doe, who was still struggling to hold himself upright enough to keep his hand on Mary Margaret's arm.
"It's all right," she said calmly, gently laying her hand across his. "I'm fine. You can let go."
He blinked at her, clearly confused, and his grip on her arm only tightened. The paramedic leaned forward to pry John Doe's hand loose. Again, his grip tightened until it was almost painful. Mary Margaret waved the medic away, whispering, "He's confused and I don't mind."
"He's in no condition to be straining himself like this," the man hissed. "He could hurt himself."
"I understand," she said firmly, as though talking to one of her unruly students, "but he's obviously confused. Forcing him isn't gong to do any good. Just let me talk to him. I'll get him to calm down."
The paramedic looked like he wanted to argue, but John Doe was visibly beginning to tremble from the strain of staying in his semi-sitting position. The medic nodded tersely and carefully made his way back to the other side of the ambulance.
Mary Margaret carefully scooted forward so that she could lean closer to John Doe. He looked at her blearily. She placed her hand back over his. His eyes found hers again. They were still hazy, but there was something burning in his gaze that she couldn't place. Deciding to leave that mystery for later, she smiled gently and stroked his fingers lightly with hers.
"Thank you. That would have been a nasty fall."
"Your welcome," he murmured.
"Do you think you can let go now?" she asked. "I appreciate your help, but I don't want you to hurt yourself."
His eyes flickered down to where their hands rested against one another then back up to her eyes. He looked tortured, as though something had torn apart inside him. He shook his head slowly.
"No, I can't. I can't lose….I can't," he muttered.
Though startled by this reaction, Mary Margaret leaned closer and rested her hand against his cheek, forcing him to look at her. "You don't have to let go," she promised. "Just take my hand instead, so that you can lay down. I'm not going anywhere. I promise. Just please, lay down before you hurt yourself."
John Doe hesitated, but the broken look in his eyes slowly vanished. He nodded slightly and gradually loosened his grip on her arm. Mary Margaret scooted as close as she dared given the way the ambulance was still lurching and eased her fingers under his, gently prying his hand from her arm even as she wove their fingers together. His gaze never leaving hers, John Doe eased himself back onto the bed. Pain flickered across his face as he did. Mary Margaret stroked her thumb across the back of his hand. His fingers tightened on hers.
Hesitantly, she reached up with her free hand to run her hand through his hair. It was a bold move that she would normally never consider, but he looked so much like a lost child and it felt so natural. The pain eased from his face as her fingers ran across his scalp.
"It's going to be okay," she whispered. "We'll be at the hospital soon and they'll take good care of you."
He leaned toward her and whispered urgently, "Don't leave me."
"The doctors aren't going to let me stay with you," she said, though wanting nothing more than to promise never to leave his side. "I don't know when they'll let you have visitors. But I promise that I will come see you as soon as they let me. I won't even leave the hospital."
Despite her promise, John Doe still looked stricken.
"No, you can't go. You can't. You found me."
"I know," she whispered, threading her fingers through his hair again. "If they would let me, I would stay. I'll be as close as I can. I'll be outside your room. The moment they let me, I'll be there, I promise. I found you once. I'll find you again."
His fingers clutched hers sporadically, but he seemed to understand. He nodded weakly.
"Promise," he whispered, leaning into her touch. "Promise that you will come back."
Choking on the lump in her throat that she thought might just be her heart, Mary Margaret nodded. The paramedic stared at them both in undisguised astonishment. She blushed slightly at the realization of just how intimate that conversation had appeared and resolutely avoided the man's gaze. Not that looking at John Doe was any less disconcerting. Though his eyes were still glazed, his gaze was rather fierce.
The rest of the journey passed in silence. Mary Margaret never stopped in her ministrations to John Doe. She continued to stroke the back of his hand with her thumb and run her hand through his hair. His eyes eventually slid shut, but his grip on her hand never slackened. It was as though she was his lifeline, his only tether to sanity. Though he relaxed slightly, he didn't sleep and he seemed to tense marginally whenever the jostling of the ambulance sent Mary Margaret reeling away from him. It made her heart break just a little every time.
It wasn't long before the ambulance shuddered abruptly to a halt. John Doe's eyes snapped open. Forcing herself to stay calm, Mary Margaret continued to caress his hand with the back of her thumb.
"It'll be all right," she assured him. "I'll only be gone a little while and then I'll be back. The doctors will make sure that you're all right. You'll get some sleep and you'll feel better."
"But you'll be back?" he asked.
She nodded, forcing back tears, but before she could actually answer, the other paramedic threw open the door.
"Ma'am, you'll need to exit the vehicle," he said, beckoning her out impatiently. When she hesitated, he sighed. "We can't get him out if you're in the way and he needs a doctor, so please, step down."
Feeling horrible, Mary Margaret shot John Doe a look that she hoped was comforting and apologetic. His grip on her hand loosened marginally and she was able to pull her fingers free so that the paramedic could pull her out of the ambulance.
"The visitor's door is over there," he said, pointing to a glass door to the left of the ambulance bay, barely giving her a second glance before hurrying back to help his partner lower John Doe out of the ambulance. She watched from just out the way. He immediately caught her eye. He looked more confused and out of it than ever. They held each others gazes only for the briefest moment before Dr. Whale and a contingent of nurses surrounded him, blocking him from her sight.
Spinning on her heel, Mary Margaret hurried into the hospital through the visitor's entrance and up to the reception desk.
"Where are they taking John Doe? The coma patient who woke up and wandered off?"
The nurse looked up. "Are you family?" she asked in a bored tone.
"No, I'm a volunteer in his ward. I helped find him."
"Sorry. Only family is allowed back there."
"You don't understand, he doesn't have any family," she said desperately. "He doesn't even know who he is. I'm the one who found him. I rode here in the ambulance. I held his hand. He's confused and he'll be looking for me."
"If you're not family, I can't allow you back there until he's been cleared by Dr. Whale."
"Maybe you can allow me back there."
Mary Margaret spun around in relief and very nearly hugged Graham. He was leaning casually against the counter. How had she not noticed him walk up? One hand was in his pocket, conveniently pulling back his leather jacket so that his sheriff's badge was on display. Not that that was even necessary. Everyone in Storybrooke knew he was the sheriff.
The nurse suddenly looked a lot less bored. "Of course, Sheriff. He's been taken back to the ICU."
Graham smiled charmingly. "Thank you. They're with me, by the way," he added casually, gesturing to Mary Margaret, Emma, and Henry. "They were part of the rescue party."
She just nodded. Still smiling, Graham dipped his head slightly in thanks. He gently laid a hand on Mary Margaret's shoulder and steered her toward the ICU. Emma and Henry trailed after them.
"Thank you," Mary Margaret said sincerely, once they were out of the nurse's earshot.
Graham just shrugged. "John Doe seemed to become attached to you, probably because you were the first person he saw. I don't know much about amnesia, but I do no something about trauma, and he'll benefit from having someone he trusts nearby through all of this. He really seemed to need you when we were at the bridge. I doubt that's changed."
If she hadn't been so worried, Mary Margaret may well have blushed.
Footsteps sounded in the hallway outside of David Nolan's hospital room. He'd been moved early that morning into a room without glass walls. It was supposed to be more private than his old room in the long term ward. He wasn't sure that he liked it. He couldn't see who was coming and it wasn't part of his old ward. Pushing himself up on his pillows, David waited anxiously for any sign that the footsteps were slowing. He hoped that it would be Mary Margaret. He hadn't seen her since his wife had shown up the night before.
His wife. He had absolutely not memory of her at all, not even the slightest sense of familiarity when he saw her. She was a complete stranger to him. Even his own name, David Nolan, sounded foreign to his ears. He'd had all morning to get used to it, and he still wasn't. He still felt like his real name, his real identity was just out of his reach.
A young nurse in light blue scrubs walked past his door, her nose buried in a chart. She didn't even look up when she passed. David sighed, disappointed that it hadn't been Mary Margaret, and let his head fall back onto the pillows so that he was looking up at the ceiling.
He had seen her standing in the hallway when he'd first been brought in, just as she had promised. Even separated by a glass wall, her presence had been a comfort to him. He'd still longed to hold her hand and feel her close, but he hadn't felt so lost and groundless as he did whenever she was gone, even if it was only for a moment. Then, Kathryn had shown up. She'd just appeared out of nowhere as far as he was concerned. He hadn't even realized she had been trying to see him until they were done with their poking and prodding and the doctor, David thought his name was Whale, started to explain.
The doctor hadn't been able to tell him much about how he'd ended up in a coma. He couldn't even tell David how long he'd been in the coma, despite the many times that David asked. It was apparently something of a miracle that his muscles hadn't atrophied. He was stiff and weak from prolonged bed rest, but he hadn't actually lost muscle mass.
Almost desperate for any information that might help him piece his life back together, David had asked many questions about his condition. Dr. Whale had been evasive to say the least. Instead, he'd waved forward the woman from before and introduced her as Kathryn Nolan, his wife.
Before he'd known it, she had her arms around his neck. He had returned the embrace, unsure of what else to do when he had an obviously distraught woman clinging to him. As he had put his arm around her, his eyes had found Mary Margaret. She had still been standing in the hall, fulfilling her promise. He had wanted nothing more than to feel her arms around him in that moment, but she had turned and walked away before he could. He hadn't missed the unbearably sad look in her eyes.
Kathryn had stayed with him for nearly an hour. She'd talked incessantly, trying to get him to remember something. He had just nodded every once and a while to keep from falling asleep. Nothing had sounded at all familiar. Eventually, a nurse had taken pity on him and managed to usher Kathryn away by telling her that he needed his rest. She'd given him a shy kiss on the cheek before finally leaving. He'd fallen asleep from sheer exhaustion soon afterward.
The morning had found David considerably more coherent. He'd spent most of his time since waking trying to sort through everything. He'd come up with more questions than answers.
He had no idea what had happened to him. The doctors hadn't been able to tell him anything. Just that he'd been found bleeding and unconscious on the side of the road and had assumed he'd been in some kind of accident, though there had been no car in sight. His shoulder and abdomen had been badly injured, but had healed nicely while he was unconscious. He would need physical therapy, but they told him that he should regain full use of his arm.
Unconsciously his hand strayed to the knotted scar on his shoulder. It was easy to reach through the lose neck of his hospital gown. He had the bone deep feeling that the scar, and the one on his abdomen, had been hard won for a worthy cause, not the results of an accident.
After a moment his hand fell away and his thoughts turned to Mary Margaret. He'd known her for less than an hour. He wasn't entirely sure how long as most of what had happened before his arrival at the hospital was a haze, but he felt a deeper connection to her than to the woman who was supposed to be his wife. He'd been so disoriented the previous night that he could barely remember what the doctors or Kathryn had said to him, but he could remember Mary Margaret in crystal clear detail. He could remember how much he had needed her and how much it had hurt to think of being without her. Oddly enough, he remembered the blonde woman and the little boy with the same clarity, even though he hadn't spoken to them.
It was all so jumbled. David could feel the answers tugging at the back of his mind, but they were just out of reach. It was enough to drive him crazy.
The sound of footsteps outside in the hall broke through David's thoughts for the fifteenth time that morning. He looked up tiredly, unable to stop himself from getting his hopes up. He shouldn't have.
Kathryn, smiling almost shyly, walked into his room. She had a Tupperware in her hands and looked like she was dressed for work. He glanced at the clock and realized that she'd probably stopped by during her lunch break.
"Hi," she said quietly. "How do you feel?"
David shrugged. "All right, I guess."
"Do you remember anything?" The hope in her voice was almost painful.
"Not yet."
Disappointment flickered across her face and her eyes closed a bit, but after a moment she fixed her smile back on. "I'm sure it's only a matter of time. I brought some your favorite cookies. I bake when I'm stressed out, so the kitchen is overflowing right now. I also brought the book you were reading before…well, anyway, maybe they'll help."
David took the cookies and the book awkwardly and set them on the bedside table. "Thanks. I'm sure they're wonderful."
"I'm sorry I didn't come back sooner," she said, moving closer. "I couldn't get off work. We're understaffed at the moment, and my lunch break is only half an hour, so I can't stay long."
"It's fine," he assured her. "I don't want you to get into trouble."
Kathryn sat gingerly on the edge of the bed. "But I should be here. It's where I'm needed."
"I'm fine," he said. "I'm not going to disappear if you're not there."
"We've lost years, David. I don't want to lose anymore."
He wasn't sure what to say to that, so he just smiled reassuringly. Kathryn reached for his hand. She squeezed it gently. They sat like that for a moment, the silence growing increasingly uncomfortably for David. Eventually, Katharine checked her watch.
"Oh, I'm going to be late. I'm so sorry. I have to go. I'll be back this evening," she promised.
"Don't put yourself out," he said sincerely. "I don't want this to affect your job. The last thing you need is trouble there."
A soft smile crossed her face. "You always did put yourself last. I'll be here. Feel better."
"Thanks for the cookies."
"Anytime," she said quietly before heading out the door.
Groaning, David slumped back against his pillows. He still felt absolutely no reaction to his wife, not the slightest stirrings of remembrance or the barest hint of emotion. She might as well be a stranger off the streets. The only thing he'd felt during that conversation was uncomfortable. Even thinking about Katharine as his wife felt wrong. He scrubbed a hand over his face. He felt like he was getting lost in a fog. The more he learned, the longer he was awake, the more lost he felt. The only thing that was becoming clear was that he needed to talk to Mary Margaret.
Desperate for some distraction, he picked up the book Katharine had left. It was a historical fiction novel about the shooting of Abraham Lincoln. According to the back cover, it was a novelization of the actual events. It didn't seem all that interesting to him, but he flipped to the first page and started reading.
He still looked up whenever he heard footsteps.
Sitting in the park his story book balanced carefully on his knees, Henry stared at the picture of Prince Charming. It was an exact portrait of the man from the hospital. He grinned. The curse was breaking. That was the only way he could have woken up and because he'd been unconscious, nearly dead even, when the curse struck he didn't have the false memories. All he had to do was convince Emma to help him get Prince Charming back for real.
Henry knew that his mother didn't really believe him and he didn't blame her. Even he could admit that it sounded a bit far-fetched. The only reason he'd even noticed was because he was growing up and none of the other kids in his class were. They did the same thing every year, without fail. Emma hadn't seen any of that and she'd had to grow up before she was really an adult, but Henry knew that eventually she'd believe him and for now he'd settle for her just humoring him as long as it helped break the curse.
It was odd, even for him, to think that a man who didn't look any older than his mother was actually his grandfather or that his teacher was his grandmother. It didn't really matter, though. What mattered was that they were his family, his real family, and he couldn't wait to save them.
Grinning to himself, Henry slid the book under into his back and hopped off the bench. It was time to go find Emma.
Author's Note: Just a quick explanation, between the first and second sections, at the first pagebreak, you can assume that what happened on the show when they got to the hospital with Katharine's and Regina's appearances, happened here.
Also, while I have never ridden in an ambulance and have only really seen them on TV, my dad has. He had a heart attack years ago and was rushed from the local hospital to the big one in Indianapolis. I remember my mom being completely freaked out because we caught the ambulance as we got off the highway, which meant they had slowed down. As it turns out, it's not exactly a smooth ride. They had to slow down for safety I think because the passengers in the back, i.e. my dad and one of the paramedics, were getting jolted around. He's fine, btw. This happened over ten years ago and he's downstairs right now. I just wanted to explain where that came from.
Last, but not least, the book I have David reading is a real book. It's called Killing Lincoln. My mom keeps telling me that I need to read it, so I thought I would have Prince Charming do it for me, lol.