This was a prompt submitted to me by an anonymous user on Tumblr from a sentence starter post I reblogged:
"I brought you some ginger ale and some soup!"
Set shortly after Regina spit herself from her evil half in 5B.
Regina bent over the toilet, retching into it. Once she was done, she flushed and leaned against the toilet, shutting her eyes. All magic came with a price and she was definitely paying it. She had been feeling weird ever since she crushed her other half's heart, but thought it was just some sort of guilt. Instead, she felt like she had the worst flu that she had ever experienced.
Wiping the side of her mouth, she pushed herself up and stumbled back into her room. They had decided to stay in the hotel for the night before they headed back to Storybrooke. They had divided up the rooms nicely, but had all agreed Regina should have her own given what she had been through over the past few weeks. It was a nice gesture, but it meant she was alone.
Again.
Letting out a sigh, she climbed under the covers. She had never been on a road trip before. If the occasion hadn't been so bleak, she would've found it to be more fun. She just hoped she felt better by the time they left the hotel the next morning. She knew she wasn't going to be able to sleep, not with her stomach all in knots.
Suddenly, she heard her door open. She slowly sat up, hoping she wasn't too weak to use some magic when she heard her son's voice.
"Room service," he said.
Regina cocked an eyebrow, watching him walk into the room. "Henry, what are you doing here?"
"I could tell you weren't feeling too well."
"I'm fine," she lied.
He shook her head. "You've forgotten that I've lived with you for 13 years. You always pretend like you don't sick, but I know you better."
A small smile played on Regina's lips. He was right. Ever since Henry was a boy, he seemed to see right through her pretending to be okay on the off chance she got ill. He'd insist on "taking care of her". Sometimes, it was clear that he lived up to his namesake.
"I brought you some ginger ale and soup," he explained, holding up a brown paper bag. "I'm sure this isn't as good as Granny's, but it was all they had."
"I appreciate this Henry, but you don't have to take care of me. You know that we have an early day tomorrow."
He shrugged her off and started to unpack the food. "It was me or Grandma. She could tell you weren't doing too well after the split."
Regina chuckled slightly, though then groaned. "Oh, don't make me laugh."
"Deal."
"Did you eat?"
"Yeah, I got something with Gramps."
He set up the soup and put the ginger ale on the nightstand, sticking a straw inside. He settled into the arm chair beside the bed, watching her dig in.
"So…what was it like?"
She started to sprinkle the oyster crackers into her chicken noodle dish. "Throwing up? I know you're a boy, but I don't think you want to hear it."
Henry rolled his eyes. "No, I meant…splitting yourself."
"Oh." Regina paused for a minute, her hands pausing mid crumble. "It was…I don't really know how to describe it."
"Are you sure it was the right thing?"
She gnawed on her lip. She'd be lying if she said she didn't already have some regrets and not just because it had made her feel so sick. Her evil half had been a part of her for so long. She thought she was doing the right thing, protecting everyone from who she used to be. It still seemed like the right idea, she was just scared of what it would mean.
"I don't know," Regina admitted. "I mean, just because she's gone doesn't mean I won't still screw up. Look at everyone around us. No one is all light or all dark."
Henry nodded. "I know you can be good mom, I believe in you."
The small smile returned to Regina's face. Yes, Henry definitely lived up to his namesake. She set her soup down onto the nightstand and gestured for him to come over. She rest her palm onto his cheek.
"I love you, my sweet prince, you know that?"
Henry nodded. "I love you too, Mom."
"Why don't you go back to your room with your grandfather and Hook? Get some rest."
"I don't want to leave you when you're sick."
"Henry, I'm going to be alright. I am the mother after all."
He shook his head stubbornly and settled himself back down in the arm chair. Regina let out a sigh. Then there was times that he was definitely her and Emma's child. She leaned over and grabbed hold of the remote control. After flipping through the channels, she found a showing of a Spiderman movie. Henry hesitantly grinned.
"I thought you didn't like superheroes."
"If you insist on staying, then this is what we'll watch."
Henry nodded and got up again, pushing the chair closer to the bed and sitting back down. He focused on the T.V while Regina ate her late dinner. After she got down as most as she could stomach, she noticed that Henry had fallen asleep. She grabbed one of the spare blankets and draped it around him.
"Sweetest dreams, my sweet prince," she whispered. It wasn't long before she was asleep herself.
As always, prompts are accepted on my Tumblr accounts: just-an-outlaw and justanoutlawfanfiction!