Finding Out
Week 7: May:
The body: Morning sickness, and nausea is just a party killer in all sense of the word, and you will still be dealing with that for a while, Savior. Sucking on any form for hard candy can actually be a big help to reduce the nausea. Though you're experiencing frequent vomiting, the baby actually doesn't need that much nourishment during this early state of the pregnancy. You'll also begin experiencing "morning" sickness occurring other times during the day, and it's here that you'll experience very small things to set you off. In severe cases, pregnant women can experience "Hyperemesis gravidarum", which is a very serious condition as this also can cause weight loss, and dehydration, which can end up in fainting, but just take it easy, Savior. It doesn't seem like it's going to be that serious with you, but morning sickness still sucks though. Maybe it's time to see if it's just a flu after all?
The baby: This week your baby's brain is growing at mind-boggling 100 cells per minute within a see-through skull. If you could see inside, you would see those tiny brain cells growing, and growing, and growing. Your baby's face also becomes more defined this week. The mouth hole, tongue, nostrils, and ear indentations are all visible now. The eyes are wide open, but the baby doesn't have irises yet. The arm buds are growing, and the legs begin to form as well. The umbilical cord, the connection between your baby and the placenta, is now visible. Your baby is between 1/3, and 1/4 inch long - about the size of a Tic Tac, and is about as heavy as an eyelash. While that sounds very tiny, the baby is approximately 10.000 times bigger than at conception. Weird, huh?
Bonus info - The Pregnancy Test: Today, modern pregnancy tests give highly accurate results within minutes. Over-the-counter pregnancy tests are all designed to detect one thing: a hormone called HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin). HCG is produced in the earliest stages of pregnancy, and starts a game of telephone that tells your body not to shed the inner lining of the uterus that month. As the pregnancy progresses, HCG supports the formation of the placenta, which transfers nutrients from mother to baby.
The test starts when urine is applied to the exposed end of the strip of the pregnancy test. As the fluid travels up the absorbent fibers, it will cross three separate zones, each with an important task. When the wave hits the first zone, the Reaction Zone, y-shaped proteins called antibodies will grab onto any HCG. Attached to these antibodies is a handy enzyme with the ability to turn on dye molecules, which will be crucial later down the road. Then the urine picks up all the AB1 enzymes, and carries them to the Test Zone, which is where the results show up. Secured to this zone are more y-shaped antibodies that will also stick to HCG on one of its five binding sites. Scientists call this type of test: a sandwich assay. If HCG is present, it gets sandwiched between the AB1 enzyme, and the AB2, and sticks to the test zone, allowing the attached dye-activating enzyme to do its job, and create a visible pattern. If there's no HCG, the wave of urine, and enzymes just passes by. Finally, there's one last stop to make, the Control Zone. As in any good experiment, this step confirms that the test is working properly. Whether the AB1 enzymes never saw HCG, or they're extras because Zone 1 is overstocked with them, all the unbound AB1 enzymes picked up in Zone 1 should end up here, and activate more dye. So if no pattern appears that indicates that the test was faulty.
Pregnancy tests are pretty reliable, but they're not fail proof. For instance, false negatives can occur if concentrations of HCG aren't high enough for detection. After implantation, HCG levels double every two to three days, so it may just be too early to tell. And beverages can dilute the urine sample, which is why doctors recommend taking the test first thing in the morning. On the other hand, false positives can come from other sources of HCG, like IVF injections, ectopic pregnancies, or certain cancers such as uterine cancer, or even testicular cancer, which actually makes it possible for one of these tests to tell a man that he's pregnant.
The best way for a woman to find out for sure is at the doctor's office. The doctors are also looking for HCG, but with tests that are more sensitive, and quantitative, which means they can determine the exact level of HCG in your blood.
"Are you sure it's a good idea, love?" Killian asked concerned as he watched his wife standing in the kitchen, packing a medium bag, from his position on the couch which he had now occupied since walking up, and down the stairs in their victorian house was too much for his leg at that point.
"It's only for one day, I'll be back before you know it," Emma answered calmly as she laid a pair of socks into the bag, and closed it off now fully packed. A few days ago, Emma had received an email asking her to meet up in her now for sale apartment in Boston. A potential buyer had bid quite the sum for it, but had asked to meet the previous owner. After some correspondence with her realtor to get some more detailed information about why the buyer wanted to meet, it turned out just to be a young couple who wanted to hear, and meet the previous owner for a short talk.
"That's not what I'm worried about," Killian sighed, trying to sit up a bit more, "Emma, listen, for my sake, you could stay in Boston for the next week, but I heard you this morning from down here, and you have only gotten worse, love, and in your condition, I don't think you should go away alone," he told her honestly.
Emma bit her lower lip. Deep down inside, she knew he was right, but how she really wanted to get that apartment sold, and get that part of her life out, especially with the price the couple had offered. "I'll call my realtor, and see if we can change plans," Emma announced, and took out her phone, and dialled the number.
Killian only smiled at bit, and nodded at her approvingly. He was glad that she had actually listened to him, and wasn't her usual stubborn self this time around. While watching the television, Killian couldn't help, but listen to his wife's conversation on the phone. He grimaced a bit when it became clear that Emma's efforts in changing plans wasn't going well.
"They really can't wait a week more?...Okay, I see...Yes, it's just becaus-...Yeah, okay...I..I'll see you all then...Tomorrow, yes...At 12:00...Okay, deal...You too, bye."
Emma sighed deeply as she reached the other couch, and hung up. She sat down heavily on the couch, bouncing a bit on the soft material. "I guess that was a no?" Killian asked, though he knew the question seemed a bit stupid, but Emma just shook her head, "they have been looking at different apartments in the city, and they really want mine, but they want to meet me first, and they will make their decision next week," she told him clearly irritated.
Despite her being up, and ready for going today, Emma was not in the mood for travelling. Lately, her nausea had not only stayed in the mornings. It would occur several times during the day. She was beyond exhausted, even though she went to bed early, and overall, she felt sore, and weak. Whatever flu had hit her, it was quite aggressive, but she remembered both Killian, and her dad had been sick during the flu epidemic.
Killian only nodded. He hadn't been able to do much in helping his wife during her illnesses. He was pretty much trapped to this couch, and despite him having crutches, he was only allowed to walk when it was absolutely needed, like bathroom visits, and such. "Aren't there anyone you could take with you?" He asked her, looking at her as he could see she was thinking through her options;
Thinking deeply, Emma tried to list up her options, but none of them seemed to be free; her mother had gone in bridezilla-mode along with Regina, and both were fully occupied in wedding plans. Her father was the only healthy Sheriff in town, and had all his limbs intact. Zelena had her baby to take care off, and the mood would quickly be awkward between them on a four hour drive. Robin was also in the child-taking-care-of-zone, and Henry was busy at school.
Shutting her eyes tight while pinching the bridge of her nose, Killian decided to help with a suggestion; "okay, love, listen; take the drive today, and take as many breaks you need on the way. Don't take any risks. Meet with that couple tomorrow, and afterwards, see how you feel. If you feel too sick, then I rather think you should stay there, and wait. If you can keep that deal on your side, then go, and give that couple one hell of a sales pitch".
Emma gave him the most heartwarming smile in return. Where would she find another man to give her that kind of trust? Nodding in agreement, she went over to him, and gave him the biggest kiss on the lips which he only could only return, smiling at her reaction. "It's a deal," she told him as she looked into his eyes, smiling brightly in return, and got back up to get ready.
"But, hey! We need to solve the most important thing!" He suddenly called out, making her turn around, "and what's that?" She asked wondering, trying to think through the things she had already packed. "Who's going to take care of me? I'm wounded, in pain, sore, hungry, and stucked here for eternity, remember?"
It had to be seen to be believed that the almighty Captain Hook could look, and sound so miserable at the same time.
Smiling, and laughing, she went back to him, "actually, I've been thinking about that," and before he could ask what it was, Emma thought deeply of the couch in her parent's living room in their house at their farm, and with one swift of her hand, Killian, and crutches disappeared in a cloud of grey smoke.
"Sorry, mom," she spoke out, trying to shake off the weird feeling of being slightly lightheaded.
Same day, the Charming's farm:
"Aww, this one is cute," Snow beamed as her, and Regina sat in the dining room looking at wedding dresses and fabrics in the same folder which Snow had made for Emma's wedding with Killian.
"I'm not really sure if 'cute' suits me," Regina sighed as scrolled onto the next page, "this one, though," she began, but was interrupted when suddenly the sound of someone poofing themselves was heard from the living room next to them. "What was that?" Snow asked a bit shocked, looking at Regina confused. "Seems like we're having visitors," Regina answered as they both stood up, and went into the small hallway of the first floor, and into the living room straight across.
When the smoke cleared, a confused Killian blinked a few times before he recognized the living room owned by his parents-in-law. "Nice one, love," he whispered out though Emma wasn't here. Hearing footsteps towards the living room, he looked up to see his mother-in-law, and the former Evil Queen;
"Hello there ladies," he greeted smiling a bit unsure when seeing one face quite surprised, and the other rather annoyed. "Killian, what are you doing he-" "Hello! I'm home, honey!" The sound of David's call as he entered the house was heard all the way through the house, and interrupted Snow's question. "Hello there, sweetheart, how was your day?" David asked as he went up to his wife, kissing her on the cheek, not sensing the presence of both pirate, and queen. "Great, until now," she answered, and nodded towards Killian as they broke the kiss.
"Hey there, captain! What are you doing here? Is Emma here as well?" He asked as he went over to Killian, greeting him with a manly handshake, and pat on the shoulder. "No, mate, she send me here," Killian answered, and slowly swung his leg to sit up. "Oh, how come? Did you eat her chocolates again?" Snow asked as kept her place in the livingroom, while slowly crossing her arms.
"Actually, no. Not this time. I did learn from that, but she's going to Boston tonight to-" "she's what?!" Regina asked now a bit furious. "But isn't she sick?" She asked again while looking at all three in them room. "If you would let me finish, love -" "don't call me that" Regina hissed, interrupting him again. "My apologize, but if you would let me speak," he started as he eyed Regina firmly, before gazing between Snow, and David. "Emma is going to Boston tonight to meet some potential buyers for that old apartment of hers. They're giving a pretty good bid, but they wanted to meet her, which they could only do tomorrow," he explained to the group as all of them took each seat in the room; Snow on her rocking chair, and David in the armchair beside the couch, and Regina on the seat beside Killian.
"But isn't she sick?" Snow asked a bit worried. "Yes she is, and it has actually gone worse, but I made a deal with her on taking it slow on the drive today, and I asked her to be honest with herself if she can drive tomorrow," Killian explained, staying calm for the parents. "And you believe she will keep that?" Regina clearly unconvinced, "aye, I do. I have to," Killian answered giving her a look that couldn't be mistaken. At that Snow stood up, and grabbed her phone, while David, Regina, and of course, Killian stayed put.
Same day: Emma, and Killian's home:
Emma had just put on her brown leather jacket, and was on her way out, bag hanging on her shoulder when her phone in her pocket began ringing. Fishing it out while opening the front door, she quickly looked at the display, and it confirmed her calling on who it was.
"Hey there mom," Emma greeted unsurely through the phone, knowing what was coming;
"Emma is it true you're going to Boston tonight?" Snow asked through the phone, sounding a bit desperate. "Yeah, it's true. Sorry I didn't gave a heads up," Emma replied as she summoned her magic to put on a protection spell on the front door.
"Killian told me about your deal, I hope for both yours, and his sake that you're keeping that," Snow began, and Emma rolled her eyes slightly. "Don't roll your eyes at me, young lady! I must say, I'm not found of you driving in your condition, but if it can't be any different -" "-it can't, I have tried to change the schedules," Emma answered back quite annoyed of both her mother's correction, for the worried-mother treatment she was getting treated with now, and the feeling of being a bit lightheaded again.
"Mom, listen, as you already know, I've made a deal with Killian to take it slow, which I intend to as the meeting is first happening tomorrow at lunchtime, and my hotel is open 24/7," she began explaining, and sighed at bit in relief, when she got an more confident "ok," from her mother.
"Honey! have you seen my clean underwear?" The voice of David could be heard in the background through the phone, and Emma couldn't help, but giggle to herself as she could hear her mother sighing deeply in the phone, before yelling back; "in the clean-basket!" "Hey, mom, could you ask Emma to bring back a get-well-soon-gift in the form of those colored m-chocolates? Just for her sick, and handsome pirate," the voice of Killian suddenly broke through. "I heard that, and tell him: perhaps," Emma replied back, and now felt even more sorry for her mother when the wails from baby Neal could be heard as well.
"Emma, I don't think I can overcome taking care of three babies at once!" Snow let out desperately on the other line, and Emma could only cringe a bit as she could imagine her mother standing with her hand covering her eyes in surrender. "Sorry, mom, I promise to bring a bottle of red wine as thank you-," "two!" Came a stern answer back, and Emma had to fight not to laugh out.
"I'll help you, I'll get Neal," the voice of Regina coming through gave Emma a bit of relief. I seemed like her mother wasn't that alone. "I'll be going, see you tomorrow, hopefully," Emma announced, deciding to end the conversation. "Okay, drive safely, honey. Call me when you get there. I love you," came the final request from Snow, and Emma hung on after returning the love confession.
Emma quickly went to her bug, opened the door, tossed her back in and climbed into it. If the traffic wasn't heavy, and her stomach behaving, maybe she could reach the city before the afternoon, she thought to herself as she put on her seatbelt. Reaching over to the glovebox in the front of the passenger seat, she opened it to see if there were any kind of sweets for her to enjoy on the ride, unfortunately, it was empty, which meant a small stop by the local store was on way.
Starting the engine, she sat the bug in gear, and quickly drove the short distance. After buying two bags of lemon drops, and a bottle of water, Emma was finally ready for the long drive.
A small half an hour later, Emma drove along the road, while sucking on one of the lemon drops. She felt like her nausea going away for a bit, and she got the confidence to take at least the first two hours in a row.
Turning on the radio, she listened as a political analyze was on; "It's not if the Russians have interfered it is whether how much they have, and much the Trump campaign knew, and if we at the same time have to deal with terror threats from ISIS, and potential atomic attacks from North Korea, I fear we don't have the government for the job!".
Emma silently kept herself relieved that she was living in a town hidden from the world, and from all intruders. Oh, How the 'real' world could make the Black Fairy sound like a piece of cake all of sudden.
The traffic for now was at least not as heavy as she feared, but her goal of taking the two hours in stride came to a stop, when she could feel the exhaustion, she had been suffering from lately, beginning to take over. Keeping her promise to Killian, and herself, she drove into the next stop that came.
The stop included a small café and had bathroom facilities as well. Sure, she could use a cup of coffee, and the rest while she was at it.
Walking in, she was met by the usually smell of coffee, which, for her luck, didn't make her stomach turn this time, but the smell of newly baked pastry did, for some odd reason, and she had to concentrate, and take deep breaths in order for her not to gag. Digging into her pocket, which she had been smart enough to put one of the bags of lemon drops in, she took the drop in her hand, and popped it in her mouth. Once again, she experienced her nausea calming down a bit, and she kept sucking at the small candy as she looked at the menu.
"Can I help you, ma'am?" The servitrice asked her as she came up to her behind the disk. "Just one cup of black coffee, please," she ordered, trying to keep her sucking to a minimum. "Sure, will be right up".
The young woman went to her work as Emma sat down at one of the tables after paying. The café was small, and beside her, a family of three were enjoying an afternoon coffee, and snack while laughing dearly at something the father had said. Some truck drivers also hang around here, and there as well.
Taking out her phone to see if anything had happened, she smiled when she saw that her mother had already sent her several 'is-everything-alright?'-messages. Smiling, she began texting back, and before she knew it, her coffee arrived. "Here you go," the woman smiled at her, and placed the cup in front of her along with a small bag of sugar, and a piece of dark chocolate. "Thank you," Emma smiled politely back, and dumped the sugar in, and stirred it a bit, before sipping at her coffee.
When coffee, and bathroom visit, which surprisingly didn't had a vomiting round added to it, was over, Emma felt ready for another go at the highway.
Same afternoon, the Charming's farm:
"So, who's covering the station tonight, mate?" Killian asked curiously as they watched a game of hockey while drinking a can of beer each. "I've put Sneezy, and Doc on the task," David replied as he sipped at his can. "Really?" Just remember; don't tell Emma. I remember suggesting that when the two of us were sick, and she would barely look at me the rest of the day. She really doesn't like them, despite them being her mother's friends," Killian commented, and drank at his beer as well.
"I still don't understand, why she doesn't like them, I mean, okay, I can see that Leroy can be a bit of a challenge from time to time, but the rest of them seems to be fine mates. By the way, do you know what happened to Leroy? I saw him when I was leaving the hospital, and he had that nasty black eye," Killian asked looking towards David slightly. "You don't know?" David asked surprised, thinking that Emma had told him, and was about to answer, when they were interrupted by Snow;
"Don't know what?" She asked as she entered the living room with Neal in her arms. Regina had gone home a while ago, so now it was only the three of them.
"Hey there, buddy," David called as he reached for his son, and took him from Snow's grib when she bent down slightly to hand her son to his father. "About Leroy, and that black eye of his," Killian answered eyeing David with Neal, before looking back towards Snow. "Oh yeah, I saw that the other day too. I hope whoever was behind that was arrested," Snow added which made David chuckle a bit; "you want to have your own daughter arrested?" He asked while keeping his eyes on the television, knowing that two pairs of wide eyes, and hanging mouths were facing him now.
"Are you bloody serious, mate?" Killian asked shocked. How come Emma hadn't told him that?
"David, please, tell me you are joking," Snow added as she sat down on her rocking chair. "No, I'm not. It happened the night on the same day you were brought to the hospital," David told them as he turned his attention towards them, and nodded at Killian, before explaining further; "Leroy was pretty drunk, and I guess that made him unaware of who he was staring at, which I have to agree with Emma was inappropriate, but I'm not sure I'm agreeing with the solution," David commented, and finished off his beer.
"Well, there you go, love," Killian commented silently while raising his eyebrows a bit. "You agree with her hitting him?" Snow asked shocked, not believing that the two men in the same room with her agreed on violence, not to speak of her own daughter being the violent person. "I tell you one thing. No one is going to look at my wife like that. He was lucky I wasn't there," Killian spoke quite honestly, finishing his beer off as well.
Snow had to admit to herself that she would not be kind towards anyone, not even Leroy, if she ever saw them assaulting any of her children, but at the same time, violence was never the answer. What in the world was going on with her daughter right now?
A roar from both men interrupted Snow's thoughts. Apparently favorite their team had scored, and thoughts about anything else seemed to have been thrown out of the window. Both of the men kept cheering on, and David kept bouncing Neal up, and down, making the baby grin widely. 'This is going to be a long night,' Snow thought to herself as she found her knitting equipment, and began keeping herself occupied.
Same afternoon, with Emma:
"Hello, my name is Emma Swan, I've reserved for one night".
Finally, Emma had arrived at her small hotel not a long distance from the apartment building, and was now standing at the desk in the reception. The receptionist looked at his computer screened, keyed her name in, and correctly it popped up. "There you are, and here you go," the man answered, and handed her the card-key for her room. "Your room is number 201 on the second floor. Breakfast is served in the restaurant from 7:00 to 10:00 a.m. If you have any needs, there's a phone in the room, which is directly connected to us down here," the man informed her, clearly having used this introduction hundreds of times.
Emma only smiled a 'thank you', took the card, and went on her way to her room, not really caring about the information she received . All she wanted was to go straight to bed, and have this day to be over as soon as possible. The rest of the drive had been hell to her. Three times, she had to stop for breaks, and on the third, she had been hit by nausea so severe, even the lemon drops couldn't save the day, and that had resulted in a 'nice' visit to a bathroom so disgusting it had given her not one, but two rounds of sickness. At least, she had been the only one there. The lack of food had also meant the lack of energy, and the last few miles had been terrible. Two lemon drops had ended up being 'dinner' as all appetite vanished.
As soon as she entered her room, she sent a quick text to her mother, not bothering to give her a call, and had quickly dressed into her night clothes afterwards. Almost as soon as she had put her phone on alarm for 09.00 a.m, and had her head on the pillow, she fell into a deep slumber.
The next day, Emma woke up by the now, usual 05:00 a.m. She had reached a point where she could almost do this in sleep, and once again, she was hit by more than one round of sickness. Panting heavily, she sat on the floor with her back against the wall as she now did when being finished. She remembered from her earlier days here, both from true, and false memories that Boston Medial Center with a free clinic was close nearby, and she considered if she should stop by to have herself checked, after her meeting at the apartment. This had now been going on for weeks, and she was beginning to slightly worry if this was something more serious than just a case of flu.
Standing up a little bit shaken, she flushed the toilet, and washed her mouth, and hands, before going back to bed to catch the rest of her four hours of sleep.
Three hours later, she was once again woken up, but this time by her phone ringing for the alarm clock. At least, she didn't feel any nausea. Slowly, she went into to bathroom to take a shower to refresh herself, and begun preparing herself for the meeting. She wanted to be as representable as possible.
At around 10:00 a.m, Emma was ready, and dressed. She knew she had missed breakfast, which she didn't mind. While she could feel a bit of hunger, she wouldn't take the risk of being sick while meeting with her realtor, and the couple. Popping two lemon drops into her mouth, she sucked on the sour candies, while checking her phone. Once again there was texts from her mother asking about her well being, and Emma decided to go with the I'm-fine-don't-worry-attitude in her answers.
Looking at the clock, she still had an half an hour left, and the apartment building were only a 10 minute walk from here. Quickly, via her phone, she checked on the free clinic to see if there were any free appointments today, and to her surprise, at 14:30 p.m, there was a time space left. Emma took a deep breathe, and made her decision; quickly, she filled out the information of her name, her ID-number, her phone number, and wrote down some quick notes about her symptoms in the comment section. As the quick reply message on her phone came about the appointment being confirmed, she took a deep breath, and began making herself ready for the first meeting of today.
"Hello there, Mrs. Swan, I'm so glad you could come. I apologize for the short notice, and that we couldn't change our plans, but the Nilson's could only make it today this week." Emma smiled as politely as she could while she shook her realtor, Mark Felton's hand when they met on the street, outside of the apartment building's entrance. Mark was your average guy. Slender build, black hair, and dressed in his dark blue pants, blazer with tie, and white shirt underneath.
"The Nilson's have already arrived, and they're already up in the apartment, ready to meet you, so what do you say? Should we go up there, and talk with them?" He asked, smiling as he gestured with his hand for her to go first in while he with the other was clutching his briefcase, with the realtor company's name on it.
"Emma, this is Caroline Nilson, and Michael Nilson," Mark introduced as they entered the apartment, and was met by the couple who stood in the open kitchen. "Hello there! So you're Emma? It's so nice to meet you," Caroline greeted as she stretched out her hand to shake Emma's. "Thank you, it's nice meeting you too," Emma smiled back, and shook her hand.
Caroline was a quite tall, slender woman with chestnut colored hair, and dressed in a former brown coat with matching skirt. In her other arm, she held a small bundle. "And who do we have here?" Emma asked as she looked at the small baby in Caroline's arms. "This is our newest member, Jimmy Nilson," Michael introduced as he as well went to greet Emma. "Aww, he's so adorable. Hello there, Jimmy," Emma smiled, nuzzling the baby's cheeks softly with her finger like she always did with Neal, before greeting Michael. Michael was more muscular than Mark. He was clearly the typical fitness-guy, and was wearing a simple green shirt, and jeans.
"So, you lived here for, how long?" Caroline asked as they sat down by the dining table. Emma had to think for a moment of what memories she should use, and decided to go with the false memories she had from living here with Henry; "I lived here for about 13 years with my son, who's now 16, soon to be 17," she told them. "You're a single mother?" Caroline asked, while cradling little Jimmy, "Yes, it's a long story -" "you don't have to tell us. We just want to know how you experienced the neighbourhood, and now that we know, how it was to raise a child here. It's one thing hearing it from a realtor, but a whole other to hear it from someone who's actually live here," Michael explained, interrupting her mid sentence. "Oh, yeah, sure," Emma began, shifting a little in her seat; "well, I remember it as being a nice neighborhood. Of course there's noise, but that's what you have to live with when living in a big city. I had Henry, my son, being taken care of by the kindergarten a few blocks from here, and later in on at the school which lies just across the street from the kindergarten, and overall we were both very happy." "So why did you move? If I may ask?" Michael questioned her, folding his hands slightly.
Emma had to sink for a bit, knowing that if she went on, telling the real story, they would call up for her to be put in back in the sanitorium. Clearing her throat a bit, she decided to improvise a bit; "well, I met my now husband some years ago, and he's definitely not the big city type, so we moved out for a smaller town in Maine, where we're both the sheriff's there," she explained to them, trying not to laugh a bit by their surprised faces. "You're a sheriff? Where?" Michael asked surprised, clearly impressed, and interested in hearing more. "It's in a small town called 'Storybrooke', yeah, I know," she chuckled a bit when all three made eyes at her. "Apparently, the name giver is a huge fan of fairytales," 'sorry, Regina,' she thought to herself as she explained the reason behind the odd name of the town.
"My husband, and I are living the perfect life there, but before I met him, I really loved it here. It's close to everything, and I felt pretty safe having my son going out with friends, and having fun," Emma told them, trying to see if the conversation could be cut shorter as she also wanted some time to prepare for the clinic visit later on. "I think that we have heard what we wanted to hear from you," Caroline smiled at her, clearly she wanted to finish the meeting too.
"Should we call it then?" Mark suggested having been quiet, and listening to their talk. Mark could sense that it was time to call it. He could see that the Nilson's was as close to buying this place as they could be, and Emma had certainly been a help, without even realising it.
"Yeah, if you wouldn't mind. I have a second appointment today, and a long way home, so...?" Emma started a bit unsure, but was met by agreeing nods from both Caroline, and Michael; "it's fine with us, and we also have to go, because this little guy here needs his nap, yes he does," Caroline whispered softly as she returned her attention to the small baby in her arms, who moved his small feet, and arms in the air.
As they stood up, Emma began feeling her the first waves of nausea coming to her. 'Not now, behave, just for now,' she thought to herself, especially her stomach, and began fishing a little desperate for a lemon drop in her pocket. Noticing this, Caroline looked at her a bit worried; "you're okay?" She whispered to the blond woman beside her, silent enough for the men behind them not to hear.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just dealing with some nausea at the moment, but these seems to help," Emma told her as she finally got a hold of one of the candies, and took one in her mouth. A little bit calmer, Caroline smiled back, "oh, tell me about it, when I was pregnant with this little guy here, I ate those like they were a part of my daily intake. You gave your mommy a run for her money, yes you did," she told the baby like he knew what was going on, not noticing Emma staring at her with slight wide eyes.
"I wish you a safe drive home, Emma, it was very nice talking to you," Caroline told her, and stuck her free hand out. Emma had to for moment collect herself, before shaking the other woman's hand. "Pleasure was all mine, I hope you find your place, if not here, then somewhere else," Emma smiled back.
"So, boys, are you done talking?" Caroline called out as she turned around. Mark, and Michael was in the midst of talking about the hockey game yesterday, when they were interrupted. "Sorry, man, seems like I'm on duty now," Michael sighed, and shook Mark's hand one last time, before saying his goodbyes to Emma as well.
When the couple was out of the door, Emma, and Mark was left alone. "Well, Mrs. Swan, if they're not buying this place now, I'll become vegan." "You're that sure?" Emma chuckled back. "Absolutely, I've met several pairs like these, and they all have that special look when deciding to buy their homes, and you seemed to be the final piece," he told her as they went outside of the hallway, and Mark locked up the front door, and they both went down to the street.
I'll say goodbye for now as well, Mrs. Swan. I will call if anything happens, and I wish you good luck in the future," Mark told her, and he, and Emma shook hands again, before Emma was left alone on the street.
Looking at her clock, it read: 13:55 p.m. "Okay, almost half an hour," Emma whispered to herself, and decided to go back to the hotel to check out, and to head for the hospital. She could feel the exhaustion taking over a bit, and her mind seemed a bit hazed, not thinking further of what had hit her, when Caroline had talked about, when she had felt nauseated back then.
Twenty minutes later, she parked her yellow bug in the parking area of Boston Medical Center, and went into the big entrance. Still in a bit of haze, she looked a bit around in confusion to find the clinic.
A bloodcurdling scream from a woman pulled her, and several other people and doctors out of their practices and they all turned around;
By the waiting area, a woman had fallen to her knees with her face buried in her hands, and a man, who Emma presumed was her husband, hugged her tightly. Both of them were clearly in shock, and sorrow, and the woman sobbed heart wrenching sobs into her husband's shoulder. Both of them had bandages around their heads, and the woman's arm was in a cast as well, and a doctor stood by them, with a clipboard in hand, and had a deeply sympathetic look at them.
That was when Emma's eyes widened in shock. She recognized the couple. It was the same she had seen during her first break on her road to Boston, but where was their child? 'Oh, please no,' Emma thought to herself as she covered her mouth lightly with her hand.
"Can I help you ma'am?" A voice interrupted her thoughts, and she turned around to see one of the doctors staring at her. "Dr. Lindsey," the sign on her lap coat read. She looked to be in the middle of her 40's, well fit, and if her hair had been black, and not light brown, she could have mistaken her for her own mother.
Emma shook her head a bit, "I'm sorry, I was just looking for the clinic, when I heard -" silently, she turned her gaze back towards the couple who still kept their position on the floor. "Oh dear. It's so tragical. They were involved in terrible car accident yesterday. Both of them made it out okay, but their child...There was nothing we could do. She was only seven," Dr. Lindsey told her while she too stared at the couple. Emma had to sink a bit and collect herself not to show any emotion. It was not the place or time to do that.
"We?" Emma asked looking at the woman beside her. "Yes, I was on shift in the E.R yesterday when it happened, and stood for the treatment of the girl." Signing a bit, Dr. Lindsey didn't know why, but the younger woman beside her had something over her that made her want to expand more in her thoughts; "I remember when I became a doctor. I was ready to save the world, and I certainly remember the first time, I saved a life. It was a young teenage girl who had been hit by a car. The parents would come for me days after, while the girl was healing, and they would tell me I was their 'Savior'." At that Emma looked at the woman instantly. "Yeah, I know, it was a bit overwhelming, but it taught me what it meant for people for me to do my best, but it's in these situations that I don't feel like I'm any kind of 'Savior'. Nonetheless, tomorrow there's a new day, and life will move on for the rest of us. Sadly, we just can't save everyone," Lindsey finished off, signing a bit again. Emma only nodded along, knowing all too well, what she was talking about.
"Anyway, it was the clinic you searched for, right?" Lindsey quickly changed the subject, and smiled at the blond woman beside her. "Sorry, yes, I've made an appointment in about few minutes," Emma answered, and decided to let the family in sorrow be. "It's just right over there. You'll just have to go inside of that hallway, and you'll see the clinic sign. You can't miss it," Lindsey told her, and pointed at the glass doors, leading out to a hallway. "Thank you," Emma responded, and made her way towards the doors.
Dr. Lindsey had been right. The clinic sign stood clear in front of her as she made her way down the hallway. Entering the doors, she spotted the registration desk in the middle of the room.
"Hello there! I've made an appointment at 14:30 p.m," Emma told the elder nurse behind the desk. "Your name, honey?" The nurse asked her. "Emma Swan," Emma answered, and the lady keyed in her name on the computer. "Oh yes. That's correct, I see. You just take a seat over there, and a doctor will be calling you in, when it's your turn," the nurse told her, and pointed towards the small waiting area.
Emma sat down on one of the red plastic chairs, and brushed her hand through her hair, while sighing slightly. What a day...
"Mrs. Emma Swan?" The sound of her name made her head shot up towards another female doctor, with a open file in her hand. Standing up, Emma went to her; "that's me," she told the doctor, and the doctor stretched out her hand; "hello there, Emma. I'm Dr. Jackson, and I'll be your doctor today. Please, follow me into exam room number 2," Dr. Jackson greeted her, and gestured Emma to follow her.
Dr. Jackson was a black woman in her mid 40's, just like Dr. Lindsey. She was thicker build, but not overweight.
"So, Mrs. Swan, you're right now dealing with exhaustion, vomiting, nausea, sore chest area, and you also described weird change of mood, is that correct?" Dr. Jackson asked as she had listed up the symptoms. "Yes, that's correct. I've been having these symptoms for weeks now, and first I thought it was from an infection as my husband has been sick, but I feel like this is different," Emma explained as she sat on the examination table. "Okay," Dr. Jackson answered short as she wrote Emma's words down in her notes.
"How come you feel this is different?" Jackson asked, and looked at the younger woman in front of her; "well, for starters, my husband was sick, yes, but his finished off after a couple of weeks, mine has been going on for longer, and I don't recall him being suddenly angry, other than terrible miserable, but you know, man-flu," Emma chuckled off, and Jackson couldn't help but laugh along too; "oh, honey, you should know, I've been in this business for 20 years, and I have my fair share of men with a flu, trust me," she informed as she eyed Emma with a 'believe-me' look.
"Okay now. I have to ask a couple of personal questions, okay?" Dr. Jackson asked, and Emma only nodded; "when was the last time you ,and your husband had some fun time in the bedroom?" Emma gulped a bit by the sudden, and quite intimate question, and tried to think; "at least 8 weeks ago will be my best bet," Emma answered honestly, trying to think back. Sex wasn't exactly the first thing she wrote down on her notes. "Very well. Then I have to ask you; when did you have your last period?" Again, Emma had to think for some time, before answering; "it was about 6 weeks ago, I think?" Emma wondered out loud, scratching her neck a bit.
Dr. Jackson only nodded, and wrote down her notes on the file. When he was finished writing down, Dr. Jackson laid the file away, before going closer to Emma. Though she had a sense of what was "wrong" with this younger woman here, she knew she had to go through basic checks before coming to conclusions; "Okay, honey, I'm going to listen to your lungs, and heartbeat, if you will please lift up your shirt for me." Emma did as she was told, and gasped a bit when the cold surface of the stethoscope connected with her back. "Deep breath, please," and once again, Emma obeyed, and took a deep breathe. "Lungs are fine," Jackson told her after listening for a couple of seconds. "I'm gonna check your heart now, and you just do the same as before, deep breathe."
Dr. Jackson smiled a bit to herself. 'There they were, those extra beatings,' she thought to herself, and took the stethoscope away, and pulled the earpieces out. "Okay, Emma, as I said, your lungs are fine, but your heart is beating faster than normal for a woman in your age." At that Emma looked at her, slightly worried. Catching that, Jackson smiled at her; "but not to worry, at least it's not Lupus-" "Lupus?" Emma asked out confused. "Just relax, it's never Lupus, but in fact, all of your symptoms, and extra heart beating more is perfectly normal when being pregnant."
Emma's eyes widened in shock; "pregnant?!" She gasped looking at the doctor with wide eyes. Dr. Jackson only nodded, and smiled; "your symptoms fit quite well, as I said, but to be absolutely sure, I will take a blood test, and have the results ready for you in minutes," she told Emma while she took out the blood test equipment. Not afraid of needles, Emma took things calmly as the needle was stuck into her vein in her arm, and the whole ideal was over in seconds.
"I'll be going to the lab, and have this ready soon, meanwhile, you can take one of these," Jackson told her, and handed her a box from one of the cabins. "Pregnancy Test," it read.
"Do you know how to take these, and how they work?" Jackson asked as Emma packed out the test. "Yeah, I've been pregnant before, and found out by taking one of these," Emma explained as she took out the test from pack. "Then how come you didn't recognized the symptoms?" Jackson asked a bit wondering. "Well, let's just say, it wasn't during the best time in my life, and I really didn't think that much of all the signs back then," Emma shrugged off, and it was clear for Jackson that Emma was not going to tell more.
"Very well, then. You just stay here, and take the test, and I will be back in minutes. The bathroom is just across the hall," Jackson told her, before heading out of the exam room, leaving Emma all by herself.
"Pregnant?" She asked out loud still a bit shocked, but slowly began smiling widely. Then it all made sense now, and now thinking back, she did remember feeling sick when she was in prison, and being generally sore in her body, before she found out.
A few tears welled up in her eyes. She was going to be a mother again, and this time, she was not alone! And Killian! Oh, Killian. He was going to be a father! How she couldn't wait to get the final results, and go home to tell them all. How she could imagine Killian's eyes, mother's face, and her father's hugs when she would tell them. Quickly, she stood up, and headed for the bathroom, and took the test.
There are few moments in this life where four minutes seems like an eternity. Testing for pregnancy is one of them, and while waiting in the exam room with the test lying on the examination table, Emma paced the small room nervously.
Emma was about to check the test, when the door opened up, and Dr. Jackson was back with a piece of paper in her hand; "congratulations, Mrs. Swan, you are expecting!" The older woman announced, and could only smile when Emma's eyes brightened up, and now more tears of happiness welled up in her eyes. "Come here," Jackson smiled, and hugged the younger woman tightly.
Chest pains, and nausea seemed to be gone, and forgotten now, and Emma hugged the doctor back. After pulling back, the doctor looked at the test, and smiled; "see, even the test is agreeing," she told Emma, and held up the test to show her the two red lines appearing. "So, the blood test showed that you're HCG account is on 57.000, and according to your details about your last period, you're seven weeks ahead," Jackson told her as she read up from the test in her hand, and Emma just nodded, her mind not at all clear at this point.
"Okay, Emma, just for procedures, only. I want to know about your situation. You told me you were married, and already have a child, so I presume that everything's alright at home, and you're all fit for having a second child?" Jackson asked her as she sat down on the examination table, gesturing for Emma to sit down beside her, which she did, though she was still a bit shaken after the news.
"Yeah, without a doubt. I couldn't ask for better support than what I will get, and my husband will be so excited when I tell him the news," she told the doctor. "And what about medical help, and check ups? I can tell from your file that you don't live here in Boston," Jackson asked caringly. "I have access to medical help in my town, so there's nothing to worry about," Emma smiled back.
Nodding while smiling widely at the blond beside her, glad to hear that everything was alright, Jackson stood up, and gestured for Emma to do the same. "Then I guess we're done here. Once again, congratulations, Mrs. Swan, and I wish you a bright future."
It was like Emma's smiled had been plastered on her face, and she thanked the doctor dearly, before heading out of the exam room, and out of the hospital. Time to get home. "Both of us," she whispered to herself, and laid her hand gently on her yet flat stomach.
After cleaning the room, and getting it ready for a new patient, Dr. Jackson headed out in the hallway, and almost bumped into her colleague, Dr. Lindsey. "Oh, sorry, Linds, didn't see where I was going," Jackson apologized. "Don't worry about," Lindsey shrugged off, and took a good look at the woman before her. "You seem pretty happy Did something happened?" She asked her colleague curiously. "Just announced a to a young woman that she was pregnant, and she was so happy about it, you should have seen her, Lindsey," Jackson told her, and looked out in space with her eyes glistening. Lindsey couldn't help but smile at herself, and suddenly, after a horrible day at work, it seemed to brighten up again.
"The circle of life when it's most beautiful. One life ends, another begins".
Three and an half hour later:
Emma sighed deeply to herself. She had just taken a break in the café, just across the very same café where she had spotted that family yesterday, and had not put one single thought into it, and now that little girl was gone.
As she was just heading away from the café and out on the road again, her heart almost stopped, and her breath was caught in her throat, when she spotted the remains of a car wreck on the other side of the road.
"It happened right here?" She whispered to herself unbelievingly. Luckily, the highway was almost empty with a very few cars going in each direction, and Emma decided to pull her yellow bug into the side and park it, before climbing out, and quickly, she went to the other side, carefully making sure not to get hit by a car on the way.
Stopping at the wreck piece which the emergency crew apparently hadn't picked up, she was once again shocked, when she could sense a piece green and yellow-striped colored fabric, clearly from a shredded shirt owned by a child. Squatting down, she reached out, and touched the fabric. Tears now streaming down her face; "I'm so sorry," she whispered out, and caressed the fabric in her hand. As she checked around her a couple of times, she made one swift with her hand, and luckily, her magic out her in the 'real' world worked enough for her to summon a small bouquet of roses, which she laid, and secured underneath the metal piece.
Standing up, shaking off the feeling of being a little lightheaded, she dried off her tears, feeling that she couldn't do anything more, and headed back to her car. The thought of the announcement she was going to bring home brought a smile through her tears, and not before long, she was on her way, heading for home.
Same night, at the Charming's Farm.
"When is mom coming home?" Henry asked impatiently as he sat on the floor, playing with baby Neal between his legs.
"Actually, she should be here soon, it's not that long ago that she texted me from her break," Snow answered as she went into the living room with a tray of sweets in her hands.
Besides Henry, David, and of course Killian where sitting, all of them waiting for their dear Emma to soon return. While Killian felt like he had been treated like a king, which was kind of odd, since the owner of the house were king, and queen, he missed his wife, and hoped that she would make it home soon without pushing herself too much.
Sitting, chatting, and eating sweets, the sound of the front door opening with Emma's "I'm home!" Ringing across the room made everyone stop what they were doing, and get up, except for Killian.
"Emma! You made it!" Snow exclaimed happily as she went up to hug her daughter tightly as if she had been gone for years. "Yeah, I made it, the traffic was very light on the way home," Emma smiled back as she returned her mother's hug.
Quickly, she shared hugs with David, and Henry, who carried Neal, and Emma gave him a soft nuzzle on the cheek as well, before she went to her husband to give him a long kiss on his lips. How she had missed those overnight. Sitting down beside him, she could feel the butterflies in her stomach, but before she could tell anything, Henry decided to intervene; "so, how was the trip?" He asked excited as he went back to his place on the floor with Neal.
"How did the meeting go? Is the apartment sold?" Snow asked before Emma had a chance to reply, and she couldn't help but giggle a little, oh how nice it was to be back in her parent's warm living room with her family beside her.
"It went really well, actually. They were a couple, almost like Killian, and me, and they just wanted to talk to me how it was to live there and -" "did you tell them that you had dated a flying monkey while living there?" Henry teased while shaking a soft ball in front of Neal. "No I didn't, I did though mix up the explanation a bit, and the realtor, who also showed up, seemed to be quite positive about them buying it, so hopefully it's done for now," Emma smiled, and laid her head on Killian's chest, closing her eyes in enjoyment as he laid his arm around her.
"That sounds wonderful, love. Though I was worried, I was glad you did it, and I'm glad you kept your deal. Your mother told me about when you kept your breaks and wrote to her, I knew I could trust you with that," Killain told her, and sat up to place a soft kiss on her cheek. Closing her eyes for a moment in pleasure, Emma opened them once again, and looked at her family, and sat up again it was time;
"And of course, as promised," going through her bag, she pulled up two bottles of red wine for her mother, and a bag of M&M's for Killian. Both was received with huge amount of relief, and happiness, and Emma couldn't help but laugh along when she decided it was time for the next announcement;
"Actually, I have something to tell all of you," she began, sounding more serious than she originally intended, and it did result in all of them looking slightly worried at her, but they kept silent in order for her to continue; "while on my trip, I experienced the nausea, and the exhaustion attacks that I've been hit by recently, and when I arrived in Boston, I knew that there was a hospital with a free clinic close by, and after some thought, I decided to book an appointment, after the meeting with the couple, and before I came back home."
Clearing her throat a bit to contain her emotions, Emma continued; "I went there, and I had given my symptoms online, and the doctor checked my heart, lungs, and took a blood test and-" "and?" Snow asked quite worried, fearing that her daughter was going to tell them something terrible. The tension in the room was so thick it could be cut with a knife.
David sat with his hands clamped together, both getting more, and more clammy. Henry laid the soft ball down while looking at his mother while sinking heavily, and Killian sat up even more, laying his hand on her knee in support.
Once again, Emma had to sink the lump in her throat, but this time, she couldn't stop the tears in welling up in her eyes. Looking down at Killian's hand, she laid hers on his. Gently she rubbed it, and looked him in the eyes; "congratulations, Captain, you're going to be a father".
Silence filled the room, and for a moment, you could hear a needle being dropped on the floor, but before Emma could say anything more, Killian had forgotten all about the pain in his leg, and he almost jumped into Emma's lap. He hugged her so tight that she feared she would break. The kisses that was placed on her face could not be counted, and when she finally opened her eyes to see her parent's, and Henry's reactions, she was only met by pure happiness;
Snow had covered her mouth with her hands, tears streaming down her face, and David's eyes welled up as well. Henry's smiled couldn't have gone wider. His family was not only growing on his adoptive mother's side, now he was going to be a big brother!
Hugs, tears, and congratulations was shared between everyone in the room, and as Killian, and David shared a fierce man hug, Emma sat back and watched, while gently laying a hand on her stomach.
So, there you have it! Wow, and me who thought I couldn't write any longer chapters, turns out I could. I promise to shrink down a bit, so they don't become too long, but a lot happened in this chapter as you could see :)
I hope the OC's weren't too confusing, and I know somethings might seem irrelevant now, but I promise, as well as the other chapters, there's a lot of setups in this :)
Okay, now. I will talk a little about the huge elephant in the room, which I can see also affects the reviews; my grammar. Yes, I know it's not that good, and I've told that in a couple of chapters before that, but I felt it became an old song quickly, but people are commenting about it, so here's the deal
English is my second language, and I'm original Danish. So, it often happens that I mistakenly correct my grammar after Danish rules (and we use quite a lot of commas). I try to follow up on the English rules, but they can for me be hard to remember.
So why don't I get a beta-reader? Well, right now I don't, because so far, I can't find any beta-reader for OUAT who doesn't want to intervene in the plot as well, and I'm not going to allow that, as I have thought for this story for a long, long time now, and I would be pretty annoyed if someone think they should begin to decide what should happen, and what shouldn't.
So, here's what I think I/we could do instead, I've seen your review, Potter, and that gave me an idea; anyone, and I mean ANYONE can send me private messages not reviews if you spot one or several grammar mistake so huge they have to be mentioned. If I screw up with commas, time, descriptions, anything - please, send them to me in a private messages, and I can correct them, as I'm saving the documents with the chapters on.
If you want to note me on a mistake, please as specific as you can be as I can't spot them myself.
I will thank anyone dearly if they do that, but I will not take rude messages. There's a difference between being constructive, and being mean, remember that. Rude messages will be ignored, and rude reviews will also be deleted (I have already been there twice!)
I'm so thankful for those who choose to either follow, or put this in their favorites.
You have no idea how much I feared that you guys were fed up with CS-pregnant/baby stories that mine would just fall into the pile ,and be forgotten, so do know that I'm very thankful and honored that you seem to like it :)
Flaxen.
Btw: 10 points to the one who can spot the House-reference :P
