Emma woke up again; this time, there was a nurse in the room sitting down in a chair. "You have to let me out of here. I've been in enough hospital rooms."

"I'll go get the doctor for you. Dr. Porter was waiting for you to wake up." The nurse gestured to the cup of water on the wheel-around table, "It's best if you keep yourself hydrated, I'll be back very soon. Please don't try to leave your bed again." He mentioned and left the room in search of the doctor.

Emma quickly drank down all the water; she didn't realize her mouth was so dry. How long had she been here? Emma looked out the window. She could see the stars out. How long had Emma been in this bed?

The doctor walked in, her lab coat looking crisp and tidy. Her brown hair was in a slick bun. Emma hoped this would mean she wouldn't be one of those overly joyful doctors.

"Emma, so glad to see you awake. Any pain at the moment?"

"What do I have to say to get me out of here? I felt fine when I was home." Emma crossed her arms; this was going to take forever.

"You have been taking too many Advils multiple times a day. If you kept this rate up, you'd have an ulcer. Would you like a hole in your stomach lining?" The doctor followed Emma's communication and crossed her arms.

"So I'm not here because of a hole in my stomach lining. Why am I here?" Emma glared at the woman in front of her; she wasn't in the mood to play games. All Emma wanted was to get out of here.

"You had a slight tear, which we repaired through stitches. It became infected, hence the fever and greater pain. I'm sure your doctor told you to be more careful than you were." Dr. Porter examined the chart in her hand, "But for the most part, you seem to be healing nicely, losing the weight slowly."

"When was I given stitches? I've been asleep." All Emma could recall was her run for it and then blacking out.

"We had to sedate you after your runaway session because we were scared you would try to run again. You signed some forms when you were here the first time; you gave Sky permission to make medical decisions when you aren't conscious."

"So you made me unconscious. How convenient," Emma rolled her eyes. "Can I leave now?"

"I advise you to stay here overnight. I prescribed a better pain medication for you to take. Luckily the stitches I used will dissolve as you heal, but I would still like for you to have them checked out in a few weeks." Doctor Porter walked up closer to Emma's bed, "I also suggest you see a counselor; it might help you work through some feelings. A clear mind can do wonders for the healing process."

"You want me to see a shrink? I understand that most of your patients aren't my age, but that doesn't mean that I need separate help. I've been fine on my own before." Emma sat up in her new bed. She would have asked to leave, but she had no place to go for the night.

"You'll have to sign a form saying you are not listening to my medical advice. One thing you are going to have to do is live with someone. Emma, you don't want to end up here, and having someone take care of you until you heal will help prevent that. Anyone at all, as long as they live in a sanitary environment." Dr. Porter gave Emma a look, "Promise me you'll take your medication and get some rest. It took nine months for you to create life; it's going to take close to that for you to feel like yourself again."

"Tell Sky to leave. I want her off my medical forms. She had no right to do this to me." Emma's voice shook with uncertainty.

"Will do. Is there someone else you would like to stay with and help with your medical decisions? Any family members? Loved ones?" Dr. Porter understood that Emma took this as a betrayal even though she really needed the help.

"I... I'm a loner." Emma tried to think of anyone she might trust. Her face turned red, knowing there was only one person who she could think of, "My ex-boyfriend. He knows me better than Sky does, and Neal's responsible when it comes to serious things."

"Are you sure? He is your ex, after all. I want you to be in a comfy environment. Emotionally and physically." The doctor handed the papers to Emma to sign.

"I'm sure. My ex is all I have left." Emma took a pen from her side table and began to sign. It hurt her to know that her friendship with Sky was a failure. Would she ever not be alone? At least this time, she was able to avoid being ditched.

Emma's eyes began to water. She had no one.

"I'll have a nurse come in to help with the IVs and help you change. I'm sorry you are going through this Emma, most people don't spend their 18th birthday in the hospital." She grabbed her clipboard from Emma and stepped out of the room.

~~~

"Triple Word Score. I win." Neal smiled triumphantly.

"'Pine cone,' that's two separate words, Neal. Not one. You don't win yet." Emma sat across from him, inspecting the scrabble board.

"Says who? I don't remember you graduating. How are you supposed to know how 'pinecone' is spelled?" Neal crosses his arms, "I will fight you on this; it's one word."

"You never went to school either. What makes you the winner?" Emma wouldn't give up so easily.

"Because I have a dictionary." Neal got up from his cross-legged position and found an old pocket dictionary. He took his time skimming through it until he came upon the word 'Pinecone.' He handed the book to Emma. "I win."

Emma inspected the dictionary, "It says that 'Pine Cone' is a word that can be spelled both ways. Did you know that?"

"I still win, Emma. You know what that means?" Neal gave her a smirk. He missed how competitive she was with board games. He put his hand out for Emma to help her up off the floor.

"You get to choose the movie. Please don't choose anything involving hospitals or doctors." Emma got up off the floor, ignoring Neal's help, and grabbed a blanket, headed for the couch. Neal watched her awkwardly before getting to the task at hand.

"How about..." Neal inspected the new movies he picked up from blockbuster, "The Emperor's New Groove? No doctors."

"The movie has a pregnant woman. No, thank you..." Emma mumbled. She knew she would have to get over this eventually but today wasn't that day.

"How about Gladiator? Lots of fighting and gore. No modern medicine at all. There isn't a really detailed description." He held up the movie.

"Sure. That's fine." Emma agreed.

Neal put in the movie and sat next to Emma on the couch. They were 15 minutes in when Emma fell asleep. She was wrapped in her blanket and leaning against Neal. He wouldn't wake her up. Neal knew Emma needed the rest. Luckily Emma would be able to sleep through such a loud movie.

When Emma woke up hours later, she found herself cuddled with a sleeping Neal. The movie was over; Neal must have finished it without her. Emma made sure to get off the couch slowly and went to Neal's bed. It must have been very awkward for Neal when she fell asleep on him. Emma guessed it was just her subconscious at play, she was in love with him, and they used to do this all the time. Not anymore.

~~~

"Emma Swan, that is your 5th carton of ice cream, and it's only been three days." Neal reprimanded, not looking very threatening in his pajama pants.

"You got me pregnant. I can have as many gallons as I need." Emma stuck out her tongue at Neal before slowly licking rocky road off her spoon.

"I doubt your dentist would agree." Neal sat down on the old couch beside her, "Or your organs."

"My organs? Seriously, Neal? They must have been squished for months; ice cream won't cause any extra damage. Plus, the medicine makes me even more tired; the sugar helps." Emma got herself comfy and continued to eat off her spoon, "I missed this."

"Eating buckets of whatever you want and making me poor? I mean, now that we are shopping and not stealing people." Neal stuck his finger into the ice cream and licked it.

Emma hit Neal with her spoon, "No. I miss the feeling of normalcy. Not eating random mush or being trapped in a hospital bed. I'm an eighteen-year-old, sitting on a couch and eating ice cream to prevent stress and emotions. Isn't that normal?"

"Preventing stress and emotions doesn't sound like the healthiest plan Em. Do you need to talk?" Neal looked into those bright emerald eyes; it hurt that he couldn't just hug her and make everything ok. When Emma moved in, she told Neal that she wouldn't be touched, even to wake her up. The same Emma, who was feverish and making out with him on the floor a few days before.

"Talking is for wimps." Emma got up off the couch and shoved whatever was left of the ice cream into the freezer. "No, I'm Emma, not Em." She walked over to Neal's bed and spread herself out. "I'm bored."

Neal looked away from Emma. He was hurt. She trusted him for her health, but it was as if their relationship was entirely over. How could Emma treat years of getting to know each other like trash? Sure, he left. Had they not patched anything up since? "Did you take your medicine? Any pain or fever?" Neal had to settle for being a caregiver for now.

"I feel perfectly fine; I took all the drugs. Napped a few hours. Ate some good sugar." Emma stared at the ceiling, "I need a cure for boredom, though."

"We could watch another movie; you can read a book, we can talk and have an actual conversation." Neal was frustrated that Emma repeatedly tried to change the subject when they should be talking. Especially after her making out with him just for convenience.

"No, I have enough on my plate, and I'm sure you have work things to do. I'll go for a walk. I could use some fresh air." Emma grabbed a sweatshirt and headed out the door.

~~~

Emma wrapped herself in a towel and left the bathroom. She decided to shower while Neal was out grocery shopping; Emma was surprised Neal could afford this apartment and food. It wasn't like she was going to find work. Emma was an ex-con without even a high school diploma. What skills did she have to complete any job? Who would even want to hire her? Emma even tried getting a job at a grocery store, and they rejected her because they were nervous; she couldn't do basic math. At least for now, she was well fed. Emma had been living with Neal for a little over a month, longer than the doctor instructed. It was a bit hard to leave a stable living environment, even if they randomly fought.

She decided to spend her night relaxing, drinking some cocoa with cinnamon, and reading a book. But before she could sit down, there was a knock on the door. Maybe Neal forgot to take enough money? So Emma did what she would usually do. She opened the door in just her towel. It wasn't Neal at the door.

"Emma? What are you doing here?" August stood at the door, trying his best to keep a straight face; his best wasn't good enough. August's eyes swept over her in shock.

"I live here. Is there something you needed?" Emma made sure to hide more of her body with the door. August was like an annoying bug that just kept following her everywhere, always overly concerned for no reason.

August quickly cleared his throat, "I came to speak to Neal. Not something I would discuss over the phone."

"Want to come in then?" Emma knew August would be too stubborn to leave, "I have some extra cocoa ready, it was for Neal, but you might as well have it before it gets cold."

"Sounds like the perfect plan. I do hope you get dressed; first, Neal might be jealous if he finds us together. Hopefully he won't punch me like the first time we met." August smirked at her.

Emma gave him a frustrated look, "We aren't together. I'll be back." She closed the door in his face a bit violently and went off to get changed. It would be quite an eventful evening.