"It's been two months.." Emma muttered to herself, pacing back and forth in the kitchen. "It has to be the stress.. that's it." Emma jumped when she noticed Mary Margaret enter the apartment.
"Are you okay?" It was impossible for Mary Margaret not to notice that something was obviously up with Emma.
"I'm fine.." Her voice was shaky.
Mary Margaret gave her a concerned look. "Emma.."
She sighed, and decided to just give in, she needed to tell someone. "Well.. Graham and I.." she paused. "We kind of slept together."
Mary Margaret's mind went to a couple of places, though she hoped that one of the things that crossed her mind was not the case. "And.. is there a reason this is coming up now?"
Emma looked at her feet and began fidgeting. "Maybe.. I don't know." She took a deep breath and braced herself for the words that were about to come out of her mouth. "My period is late.."
Mary Margaret was unsure of what to say, she just walked over to Emma and hugged her tightly. She bit her lip, rehearsing what she was going to say next in her head. "So.. have you taken a test?" She pulled away so that she could see Emma, and see how she felt about her hug.
Emma's eyes welled with tears, not trusting her voice she just shook her head.
Mary Margaret looked at the ground, and then at the clock. It was seven-fifteen and she was sure the pharamacy was still open. "Do you want me to go and get you one?"
Oh no, the tears were spilling over. 'Stop it, Emma.' She told herself, and nodded. "If you don't mind.. I can always -"
Mary Margaret stopped her. "Of course I don't mind, I'll be back soon.. Will you be all right by yourself?" When Emma nodded she pulled on her coat and ran out the door, trying to be as quick as possible.
As soon as the door shut Emma lost control of everything, she dropped on the couch and curled up in a ball. This couldn't be happening, she couldn't be pregnant. Not now, not with Graham's baby.. Not with him gone. She cried the entire time Mary Margaret was gone, and it felt like she had been gone for days by the time she heard the door open. It turns out it had only been around twenty minutes, if that.
Mary Margaret walked over to the couch Emma was laying on, and sat on the floor next to her, rubbing her arm softly.
Emma was glad to have Mary Margaret as a friend, she of course had a couple of friends before, but most would have left her to cry. And none would have ran and bought her a pregnancy test.
After composing herself enough to move, Emma sat up and looked at Mary Margaret, who didn't even have to ask what she meant by the look she gave her. And Emma was grateful. Mary Margaret turned around and grabbed the bag on the floor behind her, and handed it to Emma.
She walked towards the bathroom, terrified about what the test could possibly tell her. Emma carefully read the directions on the back of the box and pulled the first test out.
She did everything she was supposed too with the first test, and again with the second. Now she just needed to wait two minutes for the results. Not wanting to see them immediately, Emma flipped the two tests over and set a timer on her phone. Her heart was racing, she felt as if she was going to pass out, her vision was blurry and she felt as if she couldn't breathe. This was the longest two minutes ever, it felt like two hours. But when her phone showed two minutes, Emma shut her eyes and flipped the tests back over. She bit her lip very hard, and she swore she could taste blood.
Emma glanced over at the tests, hoping she could quickly see the results. She thought she seen two lines, and she did a double take. And sure enough, there were the two lines, clear as day. She ran out of the bathroom, pulling her leather jacket on as she ran out of the door.
Mary Margaret knew the results by what had just happened, and she knew she shouldn't be, but she was a little hurt that Emma just ran out and didn't talk to her. But she tried to let it go, and went to read a book.
xxxxx
Emma was headed to the emergency room, she wanted a doctors appointment, and she wanted it now. Besides, just going into the emergency room they'll test her for pregnancy. Maybe the test was defective, it did kind of look like an H. So yeah, maybe it was defective.
She arrived to the emergency room, checked herself in, and waited to be called back. Emma clearly looked impatient to everyone else in the ER, her lips were pursed and she was twitching her foot. When she was finally called back, she sat in the chair next to the nurse. Perfect temperature, blood pressure was a little high, and her heart rate was a little high at one hundred and ten. She received her hospital bracelet and headed into a room that only had curtains for walls, put on a gown and sat on the bed.
"Ms. Swan?" She heard as she noticed a hand holding onto the curtain.
"Yeah.. come in."
"I'm Nurse Casey, I'll be asking you a few questions, if you don't mind." Nurse Casey looked very nice, she had long brown hair and a very friendly smile.
Emma shrugged, as if to say, of course not.
"Now, do you smoke cigarettes, or do any kind of recreational drugs?"
Emma shook her head, "Nope."
"Do you drink alcohol?"
"Ocassionally.." Emma nodded, thinking that if the tests weren't defective, she wasn't going to have alcohol for a while.
"Last menstrual cycle?"
"About two months ago, maybe? I'm not sure of the exact date.."
Nurse Casey was looking down at her board, quickly writing down what Emma had just said.
"Okay.. And Ms. Swan, may I ask what brings you in tonight?"
Emma sighed, "I had pretty bad stomach pains tonight, I just wanted to get it checked out." she wasn't exactly lying.. But it was all she could think of, she didn't want to tell them that she couldn't wait for an appointment.
Nurse Casey eyed Emma, as if already knowing the answer to her next question. "And Ms. Swan, is there any chance you are pregnant?"
All of a sudden Emma felt a lump in her throat, she couldn't speak, and it wouldn't go away, even when she swallowed. So she just nodded.
Nurse Casey wrote something down on her clipboard, "Thank you." and left the small room.
Emma took this chance to call Mary Margaret, she had only just realized that she had darted out of the house without telling Mary Margaret where she was going, she probably scared her half to death.
The phone rang, but no answer. Emma was confused, and all of a sudden panic took over and she became frustrated. She hung up and pressed the redial button, thankfully this time there was an answer.
"Hello? Emma?" Emma could almost hear the relief in Mary Margaret's voice.
"Yeah, its me.." She bit her lip, "I just wanted to tell you I'm alright, I'm just at the emergency room.." crap. Bad wording.
"What?! Why?" Mary Margaret was ready to head over to the emergency room herself, that was the last place she expected Emma to be.
"I just.. I wanted a doctors appointment.. now." She said quietly, hoping no one would overhear.
Mary Margaret sighed with relief, "Okay, don't scare me like that again!"
"I won't.. I'm sorry."
There was a knock on the wall, "Ms. Swan?" oh god. That voice.
"I gotta go.." she said, the dread in her voice.
"Come in.."
"Okay, so we're going to take some blood, and possibly do an ultrasound, to see whats making your stomach upset." He sounded bored, he clearly didn't want to be here.
No, not an ultrasound, not yet. Not if this was actually happening.
"Is the ultrasound necessary?"
"Yes, its necessary." Was all he said, and then a nurse came in. A different nurse, not Nurse Casey. She was carrying a bin filled with tubes and needles, and Emma's stomach turned. She was never good with shots, and she wanted to avoid them as much as possible.
"Name and birthdate please.."
"Emma Swan, October twenty-third, nineteen eighty three.."
"I'm Nurse Shelby, I'm just going to wrap this around your arm.." She was already wrapping the rubberband around Emma's arm as she spoke, and Emma wasn't sure why she even said that's what she was going to do.
"Uh.. is this going to hurt?"
"Nope, it shouldn't."
"Shouldn't?" Emma repeated.
"Just don't move, and try to relax your arm." Nurse Shelby smiled.
Emma looked away as she felt the needle go into her arm, she didn't want to see anything happening. It didn't even hurt that bad, it stung going in, but that's it. "Okay, all done."
The nurse smiled and threw away her gloves, put the needle in a red box on the wall that said 'hazard: sharps' and walked out of the room.
Emma pulled out her phone and called Mary Margaret again, terrified about the results and the ultrasound.
The phone rang, and Mary Margaret answered faster than the last time.
"Emma?"
"I'm terrified Mary Margaret.." Her lip was quivering, and she was fighting crying. She hated crying in the first place, let alone in a public place.
"Why? What's happening?"
Emma sniffled, "Uh.. They took some blood, and after we get the results of that they're going to take me down to an ultrasound.."
"An ultrasound? That quickly?" Mary Margaret was shocked, but was quick to realize it was the emergency room, they were going to do everything.
"Yeah, I asked if it was necessary, the doctor just said yes.." She decided not to tell Mary Margaret it was Doctor Whale, after the two's date and everything that happened, it would make it rather awkward.
"I guess because whether or not the blood test is positive for pregnancy or not, they need to figure out what's wrong.." Mary Margaret was sure this was the case.
"Yeah.. I complained of stomach pains, so that makes sense." And the phone went silent for a moment.
"Well I'll let you go, I'm going to try relaxing for a bit.."
"Are you sure? I don't mind staying on the phone with you, or even coming up if you want me to.."
"No, you don't have to come up." Emma secretly hoped Mary Margaret would, something about her just made everything better.
Mary Margaret sighed, "Okay, keep me updated please."
"Of course.." Emma bit her lip, not wanting to hang up the phone and be alone again, but she also didn't want to ask her to come up.
There was nothing else to do, and not thinking she would actually fall asleep, she tried to take a nap. Little did she know when she was woken up by a familiar knocking on the wall, followed by a, "Miss Swan?" that she had been asleep for around three hours.
"Yeah, come in.." Her speech was still slurred from sleep, and she quickly rubbed her eyes in attempt to wake up.
"We have your blood test results." Yep, that woke Emma up.
"And..?" she was biting her lip again, as hard as when she took the pregnancy test back at the apartment.
"And it turns out you are pregnant, congratulations." The doctor sounded as bored as before, and Emma began crying, unable to fight the tears.
Doctor Whale knew Emma, and he knew that she was single, however, he was not sure who could be the baby's father.
"Going on what you've told us, I'm guessing you're around eight to nine weeks. But we didn't have the exact date of your last menstrual cycle. Since you're here, we want to do an ultrasound just to make sure everything is okay, especially since you complained of stomach pain. A nurse will be by shortly to take you to the ultrasound." He shook Emma's hand and walked out of the room.
She pulled out her phone and called Mary Margaret, not able to do this alone, not again.. She needed her friend.
"Mary Margaret?"
"Yes?"
Emma's voice broke, "Do you mind coming up here? They're doing an ultrasound, and.. I don't think I can do it alone."
"Of course."
xxxxx
Mary Margaret rushed to the emergency room, she even took her car, which she rarely did. It was late, so nobody was outside, and for once Mary Margaret sped a little. When she arrived at the emergency room, she fought with the lady at the desk for a moment. This was so unlike her, fighting with people, speeding. But she needed to be with Emma, she couldn't leave her alone. The lady at the desk was stubborn, "Ms. Swan is a capable adult, we don't necessarily let others in the emergency room with capable adults after they've already went back." oh, save it.
"Please, she's terrified. Can I please go back with her?"
Finally, the lady gave in and allowed Mary Margaret back. Just in time too, because they were getting Emma ready to go back.
Emma was so relieved to see Mary Margaret, it was like a giant weight had been lifted off of her shoulders.
They reached the room with the ultrasound machine, Emma laid on the table and waited for the nurse who was to do the ultrasound. "Thank you for coming, Mary Margaret.. I really appreciate it, I know it's late.."
"You don't have to thank me.." Mary Margaret let out a soft smile, and held Emma's hand as if she were a little kid about to get a shot.
"I don't know what to tell Henry.." Emma whispered.
"Don't think about that now, you can think about that tomorrow when you have had a good nights rest."
That was when the nurse came into the room, "I'm Nurse Jane." she said and shook Emma and Mary Margaret's hands.
"Okay, this gel is going to be a bit cold, but it won't be for long." She explained as she shut off the light.
Emma flinched as the cold gel hit her stomach, but the nurse was right, it wasn't cold for long.
"Okay.." The nurse spoke quietly at first, "Here is the baby." she pointed at the screen. Emma looked over at Mary Margaret, who was already crying, and then back at the screen. Nurse Jane then pressed a button on the computer, and a noise filled the room. "And that's the baby's heart beat." She smiled. And that's when Emma lost whatever control she had, she began sobbing. She was terrified, she was happy, she was sad. There were so many emotions, and she wasn't sure which was the strongest.
Nurse Jane took a couple of pictures before calling another nurse to take Emma and Mary Margaret back to the emergency room.
"Oh, Emma.." Mary Margaret was still crying, and she wasn't sure what else to say.
Emma was silent for a moment, she couldn't ask Mary Margaret to let her and a baby stay with her. "I.. I can move if you want."
"Of course not! I asked you to move in, and you can stay as long as you want.. Baby or no baby." It was her secret way of asking what Emma was going to do, keep the baby or not. And Emma quickly picked up on that, "I'm keeping the baby.. I think. I can't have the same situation as I do with Henry, I would do anything in the world to have him with me. And.. I just can't do the alternative."
Mary Margaret nodded. "Well you two are more than welcome at home."
Home..
The nurse arrived and took the two back to Emma's spot in the emergency room, there wasn't much talking on the way back. "The doctor will be in shortly." Was all the nurse said before he left.
xxxxx
Mary Margaret sat in a chair that was near the top of the bed Emma was sitting on, and began to doze off. "I should tell you some -" Emma began before she noticed that Mary Margaret had fallen asleep. Maybe she won't wake up, and they could avoid this potentially very awkward situation. After about another hour, Doctor Whale came back into the room.
"Well, Ms. Swan.. Everything seems to have turned out fine. You are around eight weeks, three days pregnant. Though, that doesn't explain why you were having pains in your stomach. We're gong to make a follow up appointment, but you're free to go for tonight." The doctor shook her hand and look over at Mary Margaret for a quick second before leaving the small room.
A nurse came and made a follow up appointment with Emma, and after about another hour they were free to go home.
"Mary Margaret?" Emma whispered, poking her shoulder.
"Hmm?"
"It's time to go.." Emma informed her.
"Oh, okay.."
"Are you okay to walk, or drive? Whichever you did to get here.." Emma was concerned, Mary Margaret had fallen asleep, and she didn't seem much more awake now. She felt very guilty.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'll grab some coffee on the way out." Mary Margaret nodded.
"Okay.." Emma looked at the ground. "Thank you again for coming.. I'm sorry you were up so late.." She knew Mary Margaret wasn't used to it, and Emma wasn't really either, the only reason she had learned to deal with it was being sheriff and having to work the night shift.
"Don't apologize, and don't thank me. Really, it's fine. It was actually kind of amazing to be there for your first ultrasound.." She smiled, and gave Emma a quick hug before heading out of the curtains so that Emma could change.
Her first ultrasound.. This was real, and she had to do it alone, no she had Mary Margaret to help this time. But she couldn't lean on her, this was all so very confusing. She wasn't sure how this was going to work out, but she would figure out a way.
Emma got in her car and began to have a panic attack, she began crying hysterically and dropped her keys twice before successfully getting them into the ignition. After she calmed down a bit, and was able to see clearly, she headed for the cemetery.