It wasn't three months after Killian and Emma's wedding that Emma received news that she was pregnant. Killian was elated about being a father, and Emma couldn't wait to bring her second child into the world.
The couple immediately started preparations; the nursery was painted and furnished, baby items were bought, Emma took her prenatal vitamins daily. Yes, everything was right on schedule.
One day, in Emma's ninth month, the expectant couple was sitting in their loft. Emma was laying on the sofa with her feet in Killian's lap as her husband polished his hook. Emma peered over the baby names book to look at him.
"How about Roger for a boy?" Emma asked.
Killian chuckled lightly. "I'm not exactly fond of naming our child with a name that begins with R."
Emma sighed. "Fine. Roger is out. So, how about May? That's cute, right?"
"Only if you're part of a calendar." Killian mumbled.
"Seriously?" Emma laid the book flat on her lap. "What is with you, Killian? You've rejected over seventy-five names from twenty different books. This baby could come any day now, and I'd like for it to have a name."
Killian sighed. He had been avoiding this subject for nine months now, fearing that Emma would reject his idea all together. Still, it was worth a shot.
"The reason I've been avoiding names, is because that I've already picked a name for the baby. If it's a boy, that is."
Emma smiled. "Why didn't you just say so? What is it?"
"It's Liam."
Killian had been excepting an eye roll or maybe even a nod of the head. Instead, Emma began laughing out loud.
"Liam? Are you kidding? You want him to grow up to be a rugby player?"
Killian frowned. "What's wrong with that name?"
"It's too plain, too rugged."
"It's a damn fine name!" Killian snapped.
"Hey, take it easy. What's so important about that name anyway?"
Killian was astounded. Had Emma seriously just asked him that? He had told her all about his brother Liam; how close he was to him, how he had died in his arms, about their childhood promise to name their kids after each other. Could she even comprehend the reasoning behind the name?
"Forget it, Emma. You go through all those books and you try to find a name. Obviously, a pirate's family means nothing to you." Killian shouted.
Killian stormed out of the loft, slamming the door behind him. He wondered the streets of Storybrooke for about ten minutes, before he finally cooled off and realized how stupid he had been. Emma was likely never going to talk to him after that outburst. She'd been so sensitive because of the pregnancy, and he had done nothing to help that.
Somehow, Killian found himself at Archie's office and he knocked on the door. Archie answered a few seconds later.
"Killian." Archie said, slightly surprised.
"Can I have a sit-down for awhile?" Killian asked.
"Sure. Come on in."
Killian stepped into Archie's office reluctantly. Back at the loft, Emma had been trying to call Killian's cellphone. She had remembered what the name Liam meant just a few minutes after Killian left the loft.
"Damn it." Emma muttered, as she got another voice-mail signal.
As Emma was about to call a tenth time, she felt a sudden pain in her abdomen. Thinking it was nothing, she dialed Killian again, but got no answer. Five minutes later, there was another pain and a gush of water that ran down Emma's legs.
"Oh no, no, no. Not now." Emma said frantically.
Emma quickly speed dialed her mother and breathed a sigh of relief when Mary Margaret answered in a few short seconds.
"Emma? Is something wrong?" Mary-Margaret asked.
"Mom, the contractions have started." Emma groaned.
"Are you sure?" There was a small pause over the line. "Right, of course you're sure. Honey, don't worry, Brampton-hicks are really common a few weeks before delivery."
"My water broke."
"Okay, that's a definite sign. Listen, I want you to lay down and don't move until me and your father get to the loft, okay?"
Emma hanged up the cellphone and then made her way over to the sofa. The contractions were coming every three minutes and getting stronger. It took a good nine minutes for Mary-Margaret and David to arrive at the loft. Once they did, they rushed to Emma's side.
"How far apart are they?" David asked.
"Three minutes." Emma gave a loud moan. "Make that two."
"We need to get you to the hospital." Mary-Margaret said.
David and Mary-Margaret helped Emma outside and to David's pickup truck. Since there was only room for two in the truck, and Emma seemed pretty determined to not let go of her mother's hand; they decided to put Emma and Mary-Margaret in the very back of the truck with David driving.
Thankfully, the drive to the hospital was short and Emma was settled into a room. After each contraction passed, Emma told her parents about how she'd forgotten the name of Killian's brother and how Killian had left.
"He's never going to forgive me." Emma sobbed.
Mary-Margaret smiled and smoothed back Emma's hair. "Of course he will, sweetie. Once he sees that baby, everything will be fine again."
Emma tried to smile but it fell short. She stiffened as another contraction came, taking hold of both of her parents hands.
"I don't remember it being like this with Henry." Emma managed to say.
"You're just moving along more quickly, that's all. It happens with your second baby." Mary-Margaret assured.
"Do you think that Killian will be here before the baby comes?"
"Don't worry, honey, he will." David whispered.
Mary-Margaret and David shared a sadden look, both knowing that the likely of Killian arriving before the baby was born was not very likely.
At Archie's office, Killian and Archie had a cup of coffee and talked about Emma's pregnancy before Killian opened up about the argument.
"She forgot my brother's name and I lashed out at her." Killian explained.
Archie chuckled. "Oh, I see."
"What do you mean?"
"You had thought that she'd forgotten it because it didn't matter."
Killian's brow furrowed. "There's another explanation?"
"It's called "baby brain," Killian. Because of the hormones during pregnancy, an expectant woman sometimes forgets the simplest of things. When Red had our daughter, she'd forget what she'd have for breakfast or how to tie her shoes."
Killian sighed deeply and buried his face in his hand. "Then I made a complete ass of myself for nothing. I feel so much better."
"You didn't know. It's not your fault. The best thing to do now is go home and apologize and everything will be fine."
Killian lifted his head and smiled slightly. "Thank you, doctor."
Killian left Archie's office and walked home as quickly as possible. Of course, the loft was completely empty with no trace of Emma. After searching everywhere, Killian finally noticed his cellphone that he had left on the bed. When he saw the number of calls made to him from Emma, his mind began to race. Emma wouldn't have called him for no good reason. Something had to be wrong. What if she'd gone into labor? What if there was something wrong with the baby?
Killian was brought out of his thoughts when his phone vibrated. He picked it up and answered quickly.
"Emma?" Killian said.
"Finally, you answer. We've been trying to reach you for over an hour now!" David's voice came over the line.
"Dave? Why do you have Emma's phone?"
"Emma's a little preoccupied right now. She's eight and a half centimeters so far, and Doctor Whale is checking on her to see if she's progressed."
"Centimeters? She's in labor?"
"Yeah, she is, and if you wanna see your child delivered than I suggest you get your ass down here ASAP."
"I-I'm on my way."
Killian grabbed the keys to Emma's bug and raced out of the loft. He had only driven a car a few times and was more use to steering ships, but this was an emergency. He hopped behind the wheel and raced towards the hospital.
All three members of the Charming family were concerned to say the least. At eight and a half centimeters, Emma's labor had stalled and the pains were much sharper than before. As David held onto Emma's hand and sponged off her forehead, Mary-Margaret stole a glance at the monitors. The baby's heart was slightly elevated, and this was a major red flag for the two-time mom.
"Um, Emma? I'm going to step out for a second, but Daddy's right here, okay?"
Emma nodded quickly. "Okay."
Mary-Margaret kissed Emma's forehead and exited the room as quickly as possible without causing a panic. She found Dr. Whale at the nurses desk, speaking to a much younger female candy striper.
"Doctor Whale, we need you now." Mary-Margaret said urgently.
"What is it?" Doctor Whale asked.
"The baby's heart rate has gone up. Emma's pains are far too sharp for this to be normal." Mary-Margaret explained quickly.
Doctor Whale rushed with Mary-Margaret back to the room. He took a look at the monitors and frowned.
"This is not good." Dr. Whale said quietly.
"What's wrong?" Emma panted.
"Emma, the baby's in distress. It looks like we have to do a C-section." Dr. Whale explained briefly.
Dr. Whale called for a nurse while Emma frantically looked at her parents.
"Mom, Dad, I can't lose this baby." Emma cried.
"You won't. This will be over before you know it, Ems." David assured.
"Your father's right. Everything will be okay."
Emma was prepped for the OR and Dr. Whale was kind enough to let both David and Mary-Margaret into the room with her. Once the epidural was in place and Emma's stomach was disinfected, Dr. Whale and his team began the C-section.
During the entire procedure, Emma was comforted by the presence of her parents but she wished that Killian was with her. She wasn't sure if it was the effects of the anesthetic or the hours of labor, but she was exhausted. It took all her strength to remain conscious. After a few minutes, the shrill cry of a baby filled the operating room.
"Emma, it's a boy." Dr. Whale announced.
"A boy! Did you hear that, Emma? You have another son." David said.
Emma couldn't see it, but the way her father's eyes crinkled gave away that he was smiling. The looks of delight on the faces of her parents and the cry of her son, made Emma laugh. Once the nurses were done checking the baby, Dr. Whale bundled him up and laid him on Emma's chest.
"Hello, sweetie. Hello Liam." Emma cooed.
"Liam? Is that his name?" Mary-Margaret asked .
"Yep. Liam David Jones." Emma announced.
Emma finally kissed her son's forehead and finally fell asleep. Meanwhile, Killian had made his way to the maternity ward and was told about Emma's situation by a nurse. As he made his way towards the operating room, he was stopped when he saw David in the hall, wearing scrubs and a mask and holding a small bundle in his arms.
"Dave, is everything all right?" Killian asked.
David looked up and laughed. "Everything's fine. Do you want to meet your son?"
Killian was stunned as David gently handed him the bundle. Killian slowly looked down at his tiny son who was sleeping peacefully.
"H-He's small."
"Seven pounds, two ounces." David said quietly.
Killian felt a few tears run down his face and he chuckled quietly, before a sudden realization dawned on him.
"Emma? How is she?" Killian asked.
"She's fine. She's in recovery resting. Mary-Margaret thought it would be a good idea to take Liam out here so that you could meet him when you arrived."
"Liam? His name is Liam?"
David smiled. "Liam David, if you wanna be specific. Listen Killian, about this fight that you and Emma had-"
"Don't even bother, mate. It's forgotten." Killian smiled down at his son. "It's forgotten."