A/N: Here is another chapter! I'm procrastinating working on homework once again so here's a new chapter for you all! I thought this would be last chapter for this story, but it looks like there will be one more after this! Enjoy this chapter! :)
Away from Home Part 3
1:00 am
David heard a scream come from upstairs and wasted no time as he made his way quickly upstairs.
"Emma?" David called as he came in her room to see her up against her headboard with her knees pulled up to her chest. "What's wrong?"
"Daddy…He's here…" Emma whined, totally out of it and scared out of her mind.
"Who's here?" David asked in confusion as he came up to her bed and sat down in front of her.
"The clown guy…." Emma said quietly as she searched the dark apartment with her eyes.
"From your show, Bones?" Emma nodded. "Em, he's not real."
Emma looked at him with a serious look. She was either half-asleep or the pain medication was really affecting her. "I heard him, Daddy."
"Would it make you feel better if I checked to see if he was here?" David asked, thinking that this was the perfect opportunity to do what he should have done a long time ago for his daughter, check for monsters in her room.
Before David could even get up, Emma sprung up and wrapped her arms around him. "No! He'll get you…"
David chuckled softly. "It's okay, baby. He won't get me. I promise." David told her softly as he gently rubbed her back with one hand and cradle her head with his other hand.
"Are you sure?" Emma asked fearfully.
"Very sure, kiddo." David said as he leaned away from her so he could see her face.
"K." Emma said with a worried look.
David "looked around" for the man to appease his daughter. "See there's no man, Emma." David said as he came back, trying hard not to chuckle at his daughter. She was frowning adorably.
"But what if he comes back?" Emma mumbled fearfully.
"He won't and even if he did, I would be able to hear him." David replied softly as he sat back on her bed. Emma nodded. "Why don't you lay back down, Em?"
Emma grimaced, but then did.
"There you go." David said as he pulled her covers up to her chin, but Emma was trying desperately to keep her eyes open despite her tiredness. "Close your eyes, Hun."
Emma blinked them closed, but then opened them quickly to search for her Dad.
"I'm here, sweetie." David said softly, planning on waiting till she fell asleep to leave her room.
Emma nodded and closed her eyes. She felt safer knowing he was there.
Emma fell asleep faster than David expected. He smiled to himself as he got off the bed to head out of her room. He finally got to check his daughter's room for monsters…
*****OUAT*****
David chuckled as he thought of the night before as he made his morning coffee.
"What are you so happy about?" Snow asked as she wondered into the kitchen to get some orange juice.
David just smiled at her and shrugged his shoulders.
Snow just shook her head with a smile of her own. "Have you checked on Emma yet?" Snow asked after a moment.
"Not since I've been up." David said, but was smirking as he thought of last night.
Snow looked at him funny. "Are you alright? You're acting strange."
"I'm fine, Snow." David replied.
"Alright, well I'm going to go check on Emma." Snow said as she turned to head up the stairs.
"Watch out for monsters..." David said with a chuckle.
Snow looked back at him with a look to tell her whatever was going on.
"Emma, woke up last night worried that a man snuck into her room. I "checked" her room for her." David said with a grin.
"Why did she think there was a man in her room?" Snow asked and David glanced to the television. "Oh ya...which one was she scared of?"
"I think she said it was the clown. I think she was half asleep or something, but she was really freaked out about it." David told her.
"Well it's good thing her Daddy was there to check for monsters..." Snow said with a grin before heading upstairs.
David just grinned before making himself some breakfast.
Snow walked into Emma's room to see her daughter sleeping, but sleeping restlessly. She decided to head back downstairs to get her medicine and a little breakfast before waking her.
David looked up as Snow came back downstairs.
"How's Em?"
"She's asleep, but needs more medicine. She seems like she's pain."
David grimaced. Neither of them like it when she was in pain.
"Can you make her some toast? She's going to need something in her stomach when she takes this medicine."
David nodded as he grabbed the bread and put it in the toaster. "Should I make her some eggs too?"
"Yeah, that would be good." Snow answered as she looked through Emma's pills to see which ones she needed to take.
"Do you still have that meeting today?" David asked as he started the eggs.
"Yes, it's at 10:30, but I should be back by 1. Possibly earlier."
"Ok, I'll probably head to the station for a little while when you get back."
*****OUAT*****
"Emma, honey, it's time to wake up." Snow called as she came into the room with the tray of food and medicine.
Emma groaned. She didn't feel much like food. She was feeling nauseous again and the pain in her side was killing her again.
"Sit up for me, Em." Snow said, without giving Emma the option to argue or complain.
Emma frowned, but sat up against the headboard. "Mom, I am not..."
"Hungry? Are you nauseous?" Snow asked in concern.
"Yeah." Emma told her truthfully.
"One of your medicines will help you with that, but in order for you to take the pain medication you need to eat so I want you to eat."
Snow set the tray on Emma's lap. Emma looked at the food with a grimace. "Just try some toast first. Your father left it plain for you."
Emma tried it and she was surprised to find that it helped her nausea more than it added to it.
After she had eaten both her toast and eggs, Snow told her to take her pills.
"What are they?" Emma asked with a suspicious look.
"Your medicine. Now take them." Snow said firmly, wishing her daughter would just take them quietly today, but it didn't seem like that would be the case this time or anytime for that matter!
"I just want to know what they are…" Emma muttered under her breath.
"What was that?" Snow asked, having not fully understood what she said because of her mumbling.
"Nothing." Emma replied, but didn't take the pills.
"Do I need to crush them up and give them to you in your food?" Snow warned. "I think we have some applesauce I could put them in for you."
"No. I'll take them, but I don't need the pain medication one. It hardly even hurts right now." Emma lied, hoping that it would convince her Mom that she didn't need it.
"Oh Emma, I know you are in pain. Don't even try to lie to me about it." Snow said with a firm look.
"But I don't want that pill, Mom." Emma whined with a frown.
"Too bad." Snow replied.
"I'm not taking it." Emma said firmly.
"Yes you are."
"No I am not."
"Do I need to get your father?" Snow asked as she looked at her daughter with a disapproving look.
"He can't make me either." Emma snapped, annoyed that her mom was acting like she was child.
Snow smirked as she walked to Emma's door. "David!"
"I am not a little kid." Emma grumbled as her Dad came up.
"What's wrong?" David asked as he came in the room, looking worried.
"Your daughter…" Snow said as she looked at Emma with a disapproving look, "won't take her pills. She said that you couldn't make her either."
David turned to Emma with a smirk. "Oh really?"
Emma looked at him with annoyed look, but didn't say anything.
"Emma, you need to take your pills and you will be taking them." David said with an air of finality.
"No." Emma replied simply.
"No?" David asked with a frustrated look.
"Yeah, I am not taking them. And neither of you can make me." Emma said as she crossed her arms.
David and Snow had a silent conversation before Snow reached down and grabbed the pills. "I guess then I will just start crushing these up…"
"Go right ahead, I won't eat anything you put them in." Emma replied with a voice full of attitude.
"That's it young lady, take the pills now." David commanded in his best stern, fatherly voice.
Emma's eyes widened at his voice and she shrunk back into her bed.
Snow handed her the pills and then the glass of water. Emma hesitated for a moment as she looked up at her Dad and her Mom, but as she did she saw two stern, parental looks and decided she wasn't getting away with not taking them. She took the pills and handed the glass back.
"Now, you are going to get some sleep. Maybe that will help your attitude." David said in a disapproving voice. It sounded like he was talking to a little kid rather than an adult.
"But…" Emma started.
"No buts, young lady." Snow said. "You need the rest anyway."
"And no getting out of bed." David said as he pulled the covers up to her chin before they left the room to let her sleep off her attitude.
"But I just woke up…" Emma said with a frown as the door shut.
Did they just ground me to my room? This sucks. I just woke up and I didn't want to take those dumb pills, but now I am going to end up falling asleep again. I can't even watch TV until I do! Wait….I am not a kid and I don't have to stay in my room if I don't want to….
Emma sat up in bed, but then winced the pain medication hadn't quite kicked in yet. She laid back down, thinking in a few minutes she would get up and do something despite what her parents wanted her to do. She wasn't a little kid who needed direction from her parents, she was a grown woman who could take care of herself.
After another 15 minutes the medicine started to kick in which started to relieve the pain in her side and the nausea she felt. Surprisingly, the medicine wasn't completely knocking her out like it had the first two times. She was still sleepy, but only a little. She decided to get up and do something productive. The only problem was that she would have to sneak past her parents.
After putting on a hoodie, Emma snuck to the door, but as she got to the door she realized she could sneak out in a totally new way if she just channeled her magic correctly. The awesome thing about it would be that her parents would just think she was sleeping in her room!
Emma channeled her magic and transported herself to the station, but as she did she collapsed on the floor. It didn't quite go as she planned…
*****OUAT*****
Emma groaned as she came to and saw her parents looking down at her in concern. "What…now?" Emma asked in groggy voice.
"We were hoping you would be able to explain it to us." David said in his fatherly, disappointed voice.
Emma looked at them confused. "'splain what?" Emma grumbled groggily.
"How you snuck out of your room to go to the station where I found you collapsed on the floor?" David said with a disappointed frown.
Emma's eyes widened in understanding. "Oh…yeah…" Emma mumbled as she blushed in embarrassment in getting caught. She didn't even get to do anything before she passed out and her parents found her to bring her back.
"Yeah, that." Snow said with a stern look as she had her hands on her hips. She wasn't very impressed with her daughter's escape.
"Well you see…I knew that you guys would be blocking my way out so I kinda…poofed myself to the station…" Emma replied with a guilty look. "But I'm all good and would just like to sleep now…"
"You WHAT?" David yelled as Snow yelled, "Emma Swan!" They hadn't been aware that she had used magic to get to the station.
"Geez, calm down, I hardly did anything..."
"Didn't do anything? You used your magic while on your medications and then collapsed at the station for who knows how long! We didn't even know you were gone until an hour ago when I checked on you, but instead found your room empty. Your father then searched the town for a good half an hour before checking the station where he found you passed out on the floor. Obviously, doing magic is not good for you right now." Snow scolded her.
"And you won't be doing magic until your better." David added with a determined look.
"You can't stop me." Emma replied, not liking that they were going all parental on her.
"We already are." David said as he looked at the cuff they put on her arm.
Emma looked down at her arm to see the cuff. "What? Really? Come on, guys. I'll be good now, I promise." Emma pleaded, knowing that with this cuff on she wouldn't be able to get rid of anything that her parents gave her, like disgusting tea or soup!
David and Snow exchanged a look, debating whether to trust their daughter or not.
"We'll see, for now it stays on." Emma was about to protest her Dad's decision, but David held his hand up. "I'm not finished. If you are behaving then we will take it off, but I am not quite over seeing you passed out on the station floor."
Emma grimaced at the worried and sad look her father had in his eyes over the image of her passed on the floor. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you or mom." Emma said sheepishly.
"And your forgiven, but don't do anything like that ever again." Snow said as she kissed her forehead.
Emma looked at the cuff, "Doesn't look like I'll be able to…." Emma started to pout, thinking maybe she could get them to feel sorry for her and take the cuff off of her.
David and Snow exchanged an amused look. They knew what she was trying to do and it wasn't going to work.
"Why don't you get some sleep, Em?" Snow said with a little smile.
"But…" Emma whined as she realized her pouting was having no affect on her parents.
"Ut uh. You said you would behave. Now close your eyes." David interrupted her.
"Can you please just take this off?" Emma whined with puppy dog eyes.
"Nope." David said as he leaned down to kiss her forehead. If she kept up the whining and the sad, puppy dog looks, he would cave so the sooner she went to sleep the better. Plus he knew she was exhausted from using her magic and her medication.
Emma frowned, but she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer so she fell asleep.
Once Emma was sound asleep, David and Snow headed downstairs with smiles on their faces. They hadn't know that she had poofed herself to the station, but they had figured she used her magic to get out of loft. That is why they decided on getting the cuff to use for the time being so she could actually gets some much need rest from both her magic and everything else.
"That one is going to give me premature gray hairs." David chuckled.
Snow giggled. "Me too."
"If she would have kept up those looks, I would have caved and took the cuff off of her." David said as he went to the coffee pot.
"I know. I'm surprised you didn't cave in…" Snow replied with a grin.
"Hey! I am not that bad!"
"Ha! That girl has you wrapped around her finger." Snow replied with a huge grin.
David chuckled. "I can't deny that…"
Snow grinned, "I think it's cute."
"Oh you better hurry to your meeting…" David said as he noticed it was 10:00 am.
"Oh yeah! Wait though, can you handle Emma and Neal on your own?" Snow asked in worry.
David smiled. "Yes. We'll be just fine."
Snow left and David sat down to start some paperwork that he had brought from the station to work on. Neal was playing contently in his playpen as David worked on his paperwork. Emma slept for a good two hours before she found her way downstairs.
"How are you feeling, princess?" David asked from his seat at the table.
"Fine." Emma mumbled tiredly.
"Come here, hun." David said as he stretched his arm out for his daughter to come to him.
Emma looked at him sleepily as she walked over to him.
David wrapped his arm around her waist. "Feel like eating some lunch?" David asked softly.
Emma nodded.
David smiled as he stood up and Emma leaned into him, just barely keeping her eyes open as she did. "Still tired?"
"No." Emma mumbled.
David chuckled as he led her to the couch to get her comfortable while he fixed her something to eat for lunch. "Your eyes are telling a different story." David said as he guided her to sit on the couch.
She looked at him in confusion.
"Lay down, sweetie." David said with a smile and Emma grabbed the pillow and curled up on her side on the couch. Emma closed her eyes and David smiled.
*****OUAT*****
20 minutes later….
"Emma." David called softly as he rubbed her back softly. After calling her name three times, Emma opened her eyes to look at her dad with a confused look.
"Well there's my sleeping beauty." David said as he gently touched her forehead to feel for her temperature.
"Not Aurora…" Emma mumbled with a frown.
"Of course you aren't. How could I mix that up?" David teased her, but it was over her head and he noticed her confused look.
"Alright, kiddo. Here's your lunch." David said as he set the tray on her lap.
Emma looked at it sleepily as David came to sit next to her. He was beginning to wonder if he should have just let her sleep. He just thought it was important for her to take her pills which he wasn't very excited about giving to her since she always put up a fight unless he bribed her.
"Dad?" Emma called quietly with a hint of nervousness in her voice.
"What is it, Em?" David asked in concern.
"I'm...going to be…" Emma started, but before she could finish her Dad had already taken the tray from her lap to set it on the coffee table. "Sick."
David helped Emma stand before walking her quickly to the bathroom where she doubled over to throw up in the toilet. David gathered her hair and put it in a messy ponytail to keep it out of her way.
When Emma stopped for a moment, she dropped down to her knees before throwing up again. David followed her down and continued to speak comforting words to her as she threw up. When she stopped again, David felt her forehead again to find it warmer than he would like.
"I think that's it." Emma mumbled as she sunk into her Dad who was behind her.
"Ok, let's get you back to the couch." David said softly as he gently picked her up and brought her to the couch.
"Can't eat, Daddy." Emma told him as she smelt the food and buried her face into his shoulder.
"It's okay. I'll take it away." David replied as he kissed her head.
David set Emma down and Emma turned into the couch on her side to get away from the food. Despite the pain it was causing her side to lay on it. David grabbed the tray and quickly took it to the kitchen. He would give her a little time before making her something light to eat.
Neal started to cry as he set the tray down in the kitchen. As he cried, Emma moaned and David was torn at his two babies in distress. He walked over quickly to Neal since Emma was probably moaning because of her brother's cries. "Hey, big guy. Daddy's here." David said as he picked him up and started towards his other baby who was moaning still.
"Em, what's wrong?" David asked as he sat on the coffee table and reached over to rub her arm.
Emma looked at him with tears in her eyes. "It hurts…"
David looked to see that she was holding her side and frowned. She needed the medicine, but in order to take the medicine she need to eat. "I can give you more medicine, but you have to eat something first. Do you think that you could eat some toast or crackers?" David asked softly as he looked down at her in concern.
"I guess." Emma answered as she looked up at her brother who was staring down at her with an almost identical look as her father, a look of concern. "Hey buddy…" Emma reached over to take her brother's hand despite her pain.
David smiled softly. "Toast or crackers, Em?"
"Crackers." Emma mumbled as she took her hand back to put it at her side.
"Ok. I'll be right back, Emma." David said as he took her hand and squeezed it before standing up with Neal to get some crackers and sprite for her.
Neal babbled contently as he did. He was just happy to be held by his Daddy. David was just thankful that he didn't need to be changed or fed at the moment.
As David was getting the crackers, he heard Emma moaning again and hurried up. He knew that just eating wasn't going to help ease the pain and even the medicine was going to take some time before it worked. He then remembered the heating pad that his wife used when are stomach hurt and decided it couldn't hurt to at least try it. He stuck the heating pad in the microwave and set it to 90 seconds.
After heating up the heating pad, he headed back to his daughter who was anything, but comfortable on the couch. David pulled the blanket back a little and moved her hand from her side so he could set the heating pad on her side. "Let's see if that helps." David said softly as he lifted the blanket to cover her back up. "Is it helping, Em?"
"A little." Emma replied tiredly.
"Good. Now, lets get you propped up a little." David said as he one-handily, since he was holding Neal still, helped her sit up and then grabbed a pillow to put behind her. She wasn't totally sitting up once she laid back on the pillow, but enough so that she could eat some crackers and take her medicine.
David handed her one cracker, "Here, try to eat this."
Emma took the cracker and looked at it in worry.
"Just try, Emma. It will be okay." David said softly.
Emma frowned, but took a small bite. When her stomach didn't react to it, she tried a little more until she ate the whole cracker.
"Good girl. Try another." David encouraged as he handed her another one.
After getting Emma to eat a few crackers, he gave her two pills to help with her nausea and the pain.
"Do you want any more crackers, honey?" David asked as he took back the cup of sprite.
"No." Emma told him as she hugged her stomach that still had the heating pack on her right side.
"Ok, you try to sleep. The medicine will kick in soon." David said as he readjusted her blankets.
"Thanks, Daddy." Emma mumbled half-asleep already.
"Anything for you, princess." David replied with a touched smile.
Once Emma was sound asleep, David turned to Neal who was still as content as could be in his Daddy's arms. "Come on, buddy. Your sister needs her sleep and I'm sure you are about ready for your lunch, aren't you?" David whispered as he stood up to go get Neal's next bottle ready since it was almost that time.
*****OUAT*****
"Sorry, I'm late. I tried to get home as soon as I could." Snow apologized as she came into the loft. David was trying to get Neal to sleep after giving him his bottle.
"It's fine. Neal's just having a hard time falling asleep today." David said as he paced back and forth to try to lull his son to sleep.
"Here, I'll take over for you." Snow said as he set her things down and went over to take Neal from her husband. "How's Emma been?"
"Not too good. She woke up around noon and came down here so I had her sit on the couch while I got her some lunch, but before she got to eat it she got nauseous and had to run to the bathroom to throw up. Then her side was bothering her pretty bad so I got your heating pad for her which seemed to help a little. She finally fell asleep after eating a few crackers and taking her medicine." David told her quickly.
"Oh poor girl. I wonder if she threw up because of doing magic?"
"I don't know, maybe, but I hope that's the end of it. She seemed pretty miserable." David said in worry. He hated to see his daughter in so much pain and misery.
"She'll be okay, David." Snow reassured him. "We will see to that."
David nodded as he glanced over at Emma who was still curled up on the couch. They'd get her through this together, just like they did everything, but he hoped it wouldn't last too long. He hated her in pain and having her suffer like this was killing him.
Snow went to rock Neal to sleep in her rocking chair as David went into the living room to sit with Emma and work on his files until Snow was done putting Neal to sleep. Then he'd head to the station for a few hours unless Snow needed him home to help with Neal and Emma.
15 minutes later….
"I think that one is learning from his big sister. He normally isn't so hard to put down." Snow said as she came over to David who was still sitting in the chair next to the couch.
David chuckled. "Or he is just as stubborn as his sister is."
"Probably. So are you heading out to work?" Snow asked as she went over to feel Emma's forehead as she slept.
"Yeah, unless you need me here." David said.
"No, it's okay. We'll be fine." Snow replied with a kind smile.
"Okay. Then I will gather my stuff and be off, but please call me if you need me." David said seriously as he stood up and put his files in a pile on the coffee table.
"I will, but we should be fine." Snow said before kissing her husband's cheek before going into the kitchen to make herself some tea.
David leaned down to kiss Emma's forehead. "Feel better, baby." He whispered before getting the files and heading over to get his coat, keys and phone. "I'll be back around 4 or so."
"Okay. See you then!"
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