It had been almost ten months since Belle decided to give Rumpelstiltskin his final chance. So far, he had kept true to his promise to not use magic; especially after Belle became pregnant with his child. Although everyone in the town of Storybrooke were still trying to accustomed themselves to having The Dark One back in their town. Perhaps the only people who tolerated him to some degree were his grandson, Henry, and Belle's best friend, Ruby.
Despite the objections of her husband, Belle continued her job as a librarian throughout her pregnancy. One evening, after the library had closed, Belle was shelving newly returned books, when Rumpelstiltskin showed up at the front door. Belle slowly climbed off the ladder and unlocked the door; she couldn't help but smile as her husband kissed her cheek.
"What are you doing here?" Belle asked.
"I thought I'd take you to Granny's for supper. Any objections?" Rumpelstiltskin asked.
"No. Just let me grab my purse."
Belle began walking towards her desk, when Rumpelstiltskin noticed that she was walking rather oddly.
"What''s wrong with your feet?" Rumpelstiltskin asked.
Belle looked down at her feet and gave her husband a quick smile. "Nothing."
"Then let me see them." Rumpelstiltskin said.
"Sweetie, it's nothing-"
"Belle, please. Indulge me."
Belle sighed and slipped off her shoes; revealing her swollen ankles and feet. Rumpelstiltskin didn't look surprised, but rather disappointed.
"Belle, I told you not to overdo it."
"I know, but one of the librarians left earlier than expected, and there were so many kids, that I didn't want to close early."
Rumpelstiltskin sighed and used his cane to gesture towards a nearby chair which Belle sat in. Rumpelstiltskin sat across from her and carefully lifted one of her feet into his lap and began to massage it; gently pressing his thumbs into extremely tender spots. Belle gave a content sigh and tilted her head back with a smile.
"That feels good." Belle said quietly.
Rumpelstiltskin said nothing, but continued to massage the foot. Belle didn't like it when her husband was quiet, because that meant he was either upset or angry.
"I'm sorry, Rumple. I should have closed." Belle finally said.
"Darling, I'm not mad. I'm concerned. You still have a month left in the pregnancy, and any sort of strenuous activity could bring on labor or something worse. I'm not willing to lose you or this child." Rumpelstiltskin explained.
"I know. I'll take this month off, I promise."
Finally, Rumpelstiltskin smiled and began to massage the other foot. "How are you feeling?" He asked.
"Pretty good. We've got an active little one on our hands. He hasn't stopped kicking all day."
Rumpelstiltskin gently set Belle's other foot on the floor and then faced his wife. "Do you mind?"
Belle shook her head and Rumpelstiltskin sat next to her. He placed his hand on her swollen stomach, and soon felt his child's tiny feet press against his palm.
"Think we might have an athlete on our hands?" Rumpelstiltskin joked.
"Probably. He hasn't given me a moment's rest."
"Tell you what. Let's skip Granny's, and I'll prepare you something at home and then put you to bed."
"I think I like the sound of that."
Rumpelstiltskin leaned over and kissed Belle long and hard, but still being mindful of their active child between them.
The next day, Belle stayed true to her word and remained at the mansion. As she was napping upstairs in the master bedroom, she heard a knock downstairs. Yawning, she sat up and climbed out of bed. A sudden twinge in her stomach caught her off guard, and she leaned against the dresser. The pain quickly passed and Belle made her way downstairs to answer the door, a little surprised to see her step-grandson Henry and his friend, Grace.
"Hi, Gran." Henry said.
"Hey, Henry. Is there something you need? Your Grandpa is at the shop this morning."
"We actually wanted to see you. Grace thought I was lying when I told her that I heard the baby's heartbeat."
Belle smiled. "Oh, I see. Well, come on in. We'll take a listen. The stethoscope is around here somewhere."
Henry and Grace stepped inside of the mansion, while Belle went searching for the stethoscope. She finally found it in a drawer in the kitchen and joined Henry and Grace on the sofa. Then, she carefully placed the earpieces inside of Grace's ears and pressed the chest-piece up against her stomach.
"Now, listen carefully." Belle said.
There was a moment of silence before Grace giggled and gave Belle a huge smile.
"I can hear the heartbeat!" Grace said.
Belle laughed, until she felt another one of the twinges again. This time, it was much sharper than before and nearly made her cry out. No doubt, that she was beginning to have contractions, and they were beginning to hurt. Not wanting to panic the children, Belle calmly rose to her feet and took away the stethoscope.
"It's pretty late, kids. You should be home." Belle said.
"Papa is helping someone fix a broken fence." Grace explained.
"Besides, it's not even close to sunset." Henry added.
"I know, but...I'm really tired, and I think it's best if you both go home."
Grace and Henry knew better than to argue with grown-ups and walked to the front door. As Henry was about to leave, he turned to Belle.
"Gran, are you all right?" Henry asked.
"I-I'm fine, Henry" Belle touched Henry's cheek. "Now, go on."
Henry smiled and he and Grace left the mansion. Belle quickly closed the door and made her way over to the telephone. Thankfully, she had Rumpelstiltskin's shop on her speed dial and with one quick press, the phone began ringing. It didn't take more than a few seconds for the phone to be picked up.
"Belle? Is that you?" Rumpelstiltskin asked.
"Rumple, I need you at home." Belle groaned.
"What's wrong, love? What's happening?"
"The contractions are starting. They're pretty bad. I-I think it's time to go to the hospital."
"Are you sure?"
Belle rolled her eyes. "Honey, I think a woman knows when she's in labor."
"I'll be there in a moment. Don't worry."
"I'm not worried. Just hurry, please?"
Less than a second later, there was a loud click and then the dial tone. The next contraction brought Belle to her knees and she made her way to the sofa where she laid down and did her best to breathe through it.
"We only had a month left. Only a month." Belle said quietly.
By the time that Rumpelstiltskin had arrived at the mansion, Belle already had another contraction and had been left in sweat and in tears. She was curled into the fetal position and hugging a pillow; Rumpelstiltskin knelt in front of her.
"Belle, I'm here. It's all right now." Rumpelstiltskin whispered, running his hand through Belle's hair.
Belle looked up at her husband with tears in her eyes. "It hurts so bad. Rumple, I'm scared."
Rumpelstiltskin swallowed hard and offered the best smile he could. "That's my job, sweetheart. You think you can move?"
Belle seemed to consider for a second, before drying her tears and nodding. Rumpelstiltskin helped her up and outside to their car. The drive to the hospital might have been short but the contractions were coming closer together and the last thing Rumpelstiltskin liked was seeing Belle in any sort of pain. Perhaps the sheriff would be forgiving if he broke a few speed limits under the circumstances.
During the entire trip, Belle breathed and moaned and cursed. Rumpelstiltskin saw she was digging her fingernails into the arm rest and quickly took her hand. Belle gave him a relieved look just before another contraction came and she gave his hand a tight squeeze.
They arrived at the hospital and Rumpelstiltskin helped Belle into a wheelchair and pushed her into the lobby. One of the nurses quickly came around the desk and put her hand on Belle's stomach.
"How far apart are they, dear?" The nurse asked Belle.
"3 minutes, and getting closer." Belle moaned.
The nurse nodded and took hold of the wheelchair and pushed it down multiple hallways before coming to one of the rooms. She and Rumpelstiltskin helped Belle out of the wheelchair and into the bed.
"All right, Mrs. Gold. I need you to change into your hospital gown. Come on, I'll help-"
The nurse moved to help Belle undress, but Belle pulled the covers close to her and gave Rumpelstiltskin a frightened look.
"Nurse, with all due respect, my wife is not very use to hospitals. It's best if I help her change." Rumpelstiltskin insisted.
The nurse arched her eyebrow. "You?"
"I've seen her naked before. Trust me."
The nurse sighed. "I'll be back with some equipment. I shouldn't be more than two minutes."
The nurse left the room, while Rumpelstiltskin helped Belle undress and into her gown. The nurse returned shortly after and hooked Belle up to a fetal monitor. The sound of their baby's heartbeat seemed to put both parents at ease.
"Steady and strong. I'll find Doctor Whale so he can come and examine you." The nurse explained.
"Doctor Whale isn't her doctor." Rumpelstiltskin said simply.
"I know he isn't, Mr. Gold, but he is the only one on call right now."
Rumpelstiltskin was about to argue with the nurse when Belle began to moan. She turned onto her side and reached for her husband's hand.
"Just be sure to tell him who the patient is." Rumpelstiltskin said to the nurse.
The nurse nodded and left. Rumpelstiltskin sat on the bed and finally took Belle's hand. Just by her grip, Rumpelstiltskin could tell that the contraction that Belle was having was a strong one.
"We still haven't picked a name." Belle said once the contraction had passed.
"It's funny you should mention that. Today, I was thinking of what name would suit our child, and then only two new names came to mind."
Belle turned onto her back slowly. "What names?" She asked.
"Bae for a boy, and Colette for a girl."
Tears filled Belle's eyes and she threw her arms around Rumpelstiltskin. "I love those names."
Rumpelstiltskin smiled. "I was hoping you would."
Dr. Whale knocked on the door and stepped into the room. He washed his hands and slipped on a pair of gloves.
"Hi there, Mrs. Gold. A bit early, isn't it?" Dr. Whale asked.
Belle released Rumpelstiltskin. "A month early to be exact."
"Well, let's see where we are then."
Belle's legs were placed in stirrups as Dr. Whale adjusted a lamp and stuck his hand up her vagina to check her cervix. The pressure was intense, but Belle did her best to ignore it; not wanting to set her husband off on Dr. Whale.
"You are 3 centimeters dilated, Mrs. Gold. I'm afraid that your water still hasn't broke though. I think it might need a little help."
Dr. Whale nodded to the nurse who left the room and returned with a tray lined with medical tools. Dr. Whale took a long stick and rested a hand on Belle's ankle.
"Mrs. Gold, listen to me. This is called an amnihook; now, I'm going to use the tip of this to break your water. I have to warn you though, it's not going to be pleasant. " Dr. Whale explained.
Belle nodded in understanding, and squeezed Rumpelstiltskin's hand as she felt the hook enter her. There was a slight pop and then a gush of water. Rumpelstiltskin couldn't help but notice that the water looked tinted with blood.
"Is that normal, Dr. Whale?" Rumpelstiltskin asked in a whisper.
"It could be a number of things. Her mucus plug, the baby might have a might bowel movement. Completely normal." Dr. Whale explained.
"Is something wrong?" Belle asked.
Rumpelstiltskin turned to Belle and smoothed her hair back. "No, sweetheart. Everything looks wonderful."
Dr. Whale said nothing and left the room. Rumpelstiltskin stood and kissed Belle on the forehead.
"I'll be right back, Belle. I' m not going far, I promise."
Rumpelstiltskin left the room and found Dr. Whale in the hallway, leaning against the wall.
"What are you afraid to tell me and Belle, Doctor?" Rumpelstiltskin asked, approaching Dr. Whale.
"N-Nothing. Listen, I have to make my rounds now."
"Doctor, please. I promise not to do anything to you; all I want to know is why there was blood when Belle's water was broken."
Dr. Whale sighed and faced Rumpelstiltskin. "The possibilities I gave you could be the answer, but...We have to consider that something else might be wrong since Belle is only eight months."
Rumpelstiltskin allowed Dr. Whale's words to sink in before deciding to speak again. "If it is the worst case scenario...Is Belle in danger?"
"Worst case scenario? They both are."
They both heard Belle screaming for her husband. Rumpelstiltskin had a lot of questions for Dr. Whale, but now the two people that he loved the most needed him. He hurried back to the room and took Belle's hand, kissing it.
"I'm sorry, dear. I won't leave again." Rumpelstiltskin whispered.
"What were you doing?" Belle asked.
"I was speaking to Dr. Whale."
"I-Is something wrong? Did something happen to the baby? What's going on?" Belle asked frantically.
Rumpelstiltskin hushed Belle and wiped the sweat off her forehead. "Everything is fine. There was a little blood in your water, but Dr. Whale assured me that it's likely nothing serious."
"Likely? So there might be something wrong?"
Rumpelstiltskin didn't have to answer Belle's question, his face had given away the answer. Belle began to cry.
"I don't want to lose this baby." Belle sobbed.
"Hey, we're not going to lose the baby. Relax. Just focus on bringing our child into this world, and everything will be fine, I promise." Rumpelstiltskin said quietly.