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."
"What about you?"
"No cuts and bruises on my end," Regina sassed. "Though Henry slept in my room last night and gave me a kick to the ribs."
"I'll kiss it better," the blonde promised unknowingly earning a pleased grin to olive cheeks.
Regina slowed her walking and laughed softly. "I'll hold you to that." Squinting, she voiced her sudden realization. "How did you know to call my mobile?"
"I tried the house then the office," Emma answered easily. "Your secretary said you were out."
"Yes, Henry and I are visiting August."
"I heard," the blonde said solemnly. "You'll take care of him?"
"Of course. Though I'm sure the medication he's on is doing a grand job of that."
"Yeah, that sounds like August. What are you doing?" Emma asked hearing the constant shuffling as Regina navigated the hallways.
"Getting lost in this maze they call a hospital," Regina huffed. "I'm trying to find Henry some lunch."
"Turn right."
Regina automatically looked to see that there was, in fact, a hallway in which she could turn right into and narrowed her eyes in confusion. "What?"