Two gurneys were rushed in from an ambulance into the Tallahassee hospital.

"Car accident," one of the paramedics started rushing off statistics as he sat atop one of the patients, trying to stop the blood flow. "Male. 20. Unconscious. Took most of the impact on the driver's side. Broken ribs. Heavy bruising indicates possibility of internal bleeding. Upper chest embedded with a piece of the dashboard." He hopped off the gurney when it reached its destination and the appropriate medical staff took over.

"Was any identification found?" asked one of the nurses. They were usually in charge of notifying the families once it was safe to do so. It was hard to do that with a John Doe.

The paramedic nodded. "Driver's license read Neal Cassidy."

"I'll draw up a chart," a doctor with some obvious rank stated. "Stevens, get on it."

The man identified as Stevens took his assignment without complaint and made sure Neal was taken to the appropriate area.

Another paramedic began ratting off the statistics of the second patient. "Female. 18. Unconscious. Possible concussion. Took in considerably less damage from the passenger side, though head bruising indicates it was smacked hard against the dashboard or window. If it worsens I might even consider brain trauma. Identification is Emma Swan."

"Neuroscience wing right away, then." Even the Chief of Staff had gotten involved.

"I wouldn't be so sure, sir."

The Chief eyed the young paramedic in curious surprise. "And why is that?"

Once the paramedic moved off the patient the answer was obvious, but it was stated anyway, "She's pregnant."

The Chief nodded. "Get the neonatal specialist!" The order was directed to one of the interns. "Stat! We need to know how far along she is and if there's a fetal heartbeat."

"Right away, sir." The intern scampered off.

"I'll get Strickland," another nurse volunteered herself to fetch their most skilled neurosurgeon.

"Owen, get her to ER," the same doctor who had assigned Stevens ordered. "I'll draw up a chart for this one, too," was added when the Chief's eyes on them could be felt. Then went off to actually do so because they needed to be done as soon as possible.

Time was never a fluid thing in a hospital. Time stretched on even when little time had passed at all, and something that felt short could've taken hours. Clocks were essential and could be found in almost every room and hall.

15:18 military time, or 3:18 pm standard time, was announced as the time of death for Neal Cassidy. There was no family to be notified, one parent was listed as dead, the other estranged for such a period of time it was natural to assume that they were dead also. There were no brothers or sisters to speak of. The closest thing to a family tie was the woman brought into the hospital along with him.

It was determined that Emma was five and a half months pregnant with a single child, a son. It was also determined by some tests done on her brain that she had fallen into an immediate coma upon impact as her body's act of self-preservation. Other than some slight malnourishment besides that, she was pretty healthy. Her injuries were nowhere near severe as they could've been, and when checked for internal bleeding, tests came up negative. The coma was the only sign the young woman had gone through any sort of trauma. It was unclear, though, as to whether she'd wake up.

"Well, this is frustrating," stated the same nurse who had attempted to find family ties for Neal. She had done the same for Emma. "Poor girl was bounced from foster home to foster home until she finally ran away two years ago. It's quite possible the only one who cared for her was the man who came in with her, and he died. No one to claim either of them."

"That poor child," the neonatal specialist sighed. "Left with no parents fit to care for him. His father is dead and his mother may never wake up."

"Will there even be a child to parent?" Owen asked. "I mean, the pregnancy is only half over."

"There will be. We can provide nutrients to the mother through IV and they will go to the child the same way they would if she were eating solid food. He'll grow. We'll have to do caesarean when the time comes, but he'll live."

"This woman may never wake up," Strickland reminded. "She could become a vegetable, and with no family to speak of, there will be no incentive or funding to keep her alive. The space could go to someone else."

The neonatal specialist glowered. "A growing child isn't enough incentive to keep this woman alive for another five months max? I know we have the funding for that."

Strickland conceded. He knew where the Chief would stand. "Alright, that's not my area of expertise, perhaps I overstepped."

"I know there are risks, but before anyone gets to play god and end this woman's life, this young woman, I might add, before we do that shouldn't we at least give her the chance to wake up? Miracles do happen." She was met with silence, and she knew she was right.