She reached out and grabbed hold of Regina's arm. She wanted everyone else to disappear and leave them alone. "Sorry." She whispered in a pain filled voice. "I didn't mean for it to go down this way. I shouldn't have kissed you." Emma's words were halting as she breathed through the stabs of pain. Regina wanted to tell Emma that her kiss had been the most amazing experience of her life. That she wanted to kiss her again, make love with her and never let her go. Instead she said, "We have to count. How far apart are the contractions?" Emma growled as her grip on Regina grew stronger and she had no regard for the fact that her nails were breaking skin. She heard the ambulance and the paramedics arrive, lifting her up and pushing others away. "No." Emma cried. "I want Regina with me. Please. Let her come with me." She heard one of them tell Regina that there was no room and Emma tried to get off of the gurney. "I don't want to go with you. Let her take me to the hospital." "Miss, you have to lay quiet, we don't want this baby born in the hotel lobby do we?" The question seemed to stop Emma's efforts to sit up. She really didn't want to give birth here in front of all of these people. She was crying when she heard Regina's voice tell her that she would be right behind her. "Hurry." Was all she could say before she was whisked away. "Grandview." She grunted. "My doctor is at Grandview Hospital."

It was all happening so fast. She had been waiting for months and now she was finally going to have this baby. The labor pains were coming much quicker, she tried to remember her breathing, but she needed Regina. Not just as her breathing coach but as her guide and companion. When she arrived at the hospital she was taken through the Emergency room and up to the maternity ward. "Regina." She demanded. She's right behind me. I want her with me." The nurse patted her shoulder, "All right honey, we'll make sure to bring her right up when she gets here." The pain was becoming unbearable, she was so scared and her breathing was erratic. She couldn't remember how they had practiced. "Fuck!" She cried out when an intense pain shot straight through her vagina. Forget the Lamaze she had practiced, she wanted drugs now. "Where is she?" Emma demanded to know. It felt as if it had been hours since she had arrived at the hospital and still no sign of the brunette . After what seemed like an agonizing eternity, she saw Regina enter the room all covered in scrubs. She wanted to laugh out loud and almost did until she was reminded of why they were there when another pain split her open.

She reached out for the brunette, crying with relief as she took hold of Regina's hand. She felt herself relax just a fraction with the contact and presence of her love. "I can't do this." She cried, squeezing Regina's hand so tight that she was sure to break a bone or two. She began to breath as she had learned, Regina there coaching, loving, touching and comforting. "Don't leave me." She begged Regina as the baby's head began to push forward and her son struggled to make his way into the world. "Please choose me." She whispered in a dry voice, her throat raw from the pain and frantic breathing. She squeezed her eyes shut as she heard the doctor instruct her to push. She was so tired that now all she wanted was to sleep. "Come on Emma, you have to push. We're almost there." Emma cried, gripping Regina's wrists with the strength of a superhero.

With one final grunt and painful push, a beautiful baby boy came into the world.

Emma was so exhausted that she was on the edge of passing out. She heard the baby cry and then burst into stronger tears when they wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in her arms. He was so tiny and so ... ugly. His face was swollen and wrinkled and he looked like someone's miniature grandfather. But he was her son. She kissed his forehead and let her tears wash his face. She then pulled Regina down and gently placed the baby in her arms. "My son." She whispered in a dry voice, before passing out from the exhaustion. Regina stared in awe at the bundle in her arms. She could almost see Emma reflected in the tiny face. In an instant she fell in love. But before she could really take in the moment, the baby was taken from her arms. "Sorry." The nurse apologized. The baby has been adopted. We have to take him now. The nurse did not see the tears of loss that sprang up in Regina's eyes. In less than five seconds she had experienced an emotion greater than any she had ever known.

Regina sat by Emma's bedside for several hours watching the blonde sleep. She looked exhausted be at peace. She touched her fingertips to the soft skin of her face and then gently brushed the wayward strands of hair away from her face. She would never confess it out loud, but she had most certainly fallen in love with Emma Swan. She wondered what Emma would do now that she had given up the baby? Regina sighed. It was a crazy and insane thought that ran scattered across her mind. She wasn't sure if she'd ever find her way home, where ever that was and so she wanted to take both Emma and the baby and go make a new life somewhere. But if Regina knew nothing else about herself, it was that she was a pragmatist. This baby had a family that had legally adopted it and was right now taking him home. And Emma Swan was an eighteen year old girl with her whole life ahead of her and the last thing she needed was a 35 year old lover who could not even remember if she liked jelly on her toast. She kissed Emma's lips and wiped away the tears that dropped onto the blonde's sleeping face. "Take care of yourself Miss Swan." She turned and walked away without looking back.

When Emma woke, she was alone. Everything hurt. She was so sore between her thighs that it felt like the result of being the guest of honor at a bachelor party for the 3rd Naval fleet. Her breasts were swollen and aching, filled with milk and needing release. A nurse entered the room and drew the curtains. "Good morning dear. How are we feeling this morning?" Emma glared at her, blocking her sensitive eyes from the bright light. "We're just peachy." She answered sarcastically. "Where is my baby?" The nurse looked at her and shook her head. "Sorry dear. But since we have adoption orders on your child, we can't bring him to your room. We have protocol that we have to follow in situations like this. But I will give you medication that will help the milk dry up in your breasts so that you won't have that pain." The nurse turned to leave. "Wait." Emma called out desperately. "Where's Regina? The woman who was with me." "She left. Said that she had to get home. But she did leave you this." The nurse opened the drawer to the nightstand by Emma's bed and pulled out a large, sealed envelope." Emma touched it reluctantly, hesitating before opening it. Once the nurse had left her alone, she ripped the seal from the brown envelope and emptied the contents onto the bed. Her eyes grew wide in disbelief when three stacks of cash and a note fell into her lap.

"Miss Swan, I am sorry that I won't be here when you wake up. I have to find my own way home and so I must leave. I have made arrangements for you to stay at the hotel for as long as you like. Here is ten thousand dollars. It's a gift. Please make a new life for yourself and I hope that you find what you're looking for. You will never know how much you have come to mean to me and I wish you nothing but happiness. …. Regina Mills."

Emma laid there in total confusion. Why would Regina leave? Why would she give her money? She pushed the covers away and ran her hand over her now flat stomach. There was still some swelling but nowhere near the size of what it had been the day before. She suddenly felt empty, as if she had lost something that she would never regain.. Tears swelled in Emma's eyes as she refused to believe that in one day she had lost both her baby and Regina. A range of emotion flooded her senses. She was so scared and feeling more alone than she could remember ever feeling in her life.