Baby Fever 11

Chapter 11 'Needy baby'

DJ was discharged the next day but Emma had to have routine surgery and remain in hospital for another two days' observation.

The injury and surgery knocked her about and left her weaker than she would've expected and even when she returned home she was stuck in bed resting. It was frustrating her having to do nothing and letting her wife take care of everything. But the good thing was she got to spend plenty of time with DJ, who also had no day-to-day commitments besides filling his tummy and filling his diaper.

But DJ was sleeping in the nursery right now, Henry was at school, and Emma was bored out of her skull.

"Reginaaaa?" Emma whined towards the open bedroom door.

There was no answer though and they had a big house so she figured her wife was downstairs or outside taking the opportunity to put a load of the baby's washing out.

Nearly ten minutes later Regina appeared in the doorway, with still-damp hair from her earlier shower and an empty washing basket.

"Emma, did you call me?"

"Yes," Emma pouted. "Hours ago."

"What's wrong? You don't appear to be dying," teased Regina.

"Just of boredom," Emma grumbled.

"And your toy is asleep I take it?" Regina glanced at the baby monitor's video screen where it was sitting on Emma's bedside table.

"Yes. He's a lightweight. No stamina at all."

"Enjoy it while it lasts. Before you know it he'll be crawling all over the place getting into everything and we won't have a moment's peace."

"It's going so fast already isn't it? I don't want to miss a thing."

Regina smiled. "You won't."

"Thanks to you."

Regina checked her watch. "I've just got to go call Ethel back and then I'll bring lunch up to you."

"No, wait-" Emma started to say, but Regina had already gone.

Emma took her phone from the bedside table and played a couple rounds of Fruit Pops, but she got bored quickly and put it away. Being injured really was the pits. She wasn't sick enough to just want to do nothing and yet she wasn't well enough to actually do anything. At least this wasn't as bad as being in hospital where the only time people came near you was to bring food and then leave.

She wondered how much trouble she'd get in for going into the nursery and deliberately waking DJ for some company...

Finally Regina reappeared with lunch on a tray and Emma's medication.

"Time for nom-noms!" Emma said happily, as though it was the most interesting part of her day.

"Not the kind DJ gets," said Regina wryly.

Right on cue the baby woke up and Regina left to go feed him. Emma sighed and looked at her food without any interest in it any more.

"Baby trumps wife huh?"

When Regina came back later she noticed that Emma hadn't touched her food and the tray was sitting on the bedside table. "Do you feel like something else to eat? I'll go make-"

"No!" Emma jumped in quickly. "Don't go."

"What's wrong?" asked Regina, eyeing her closely.

Emma looked down at the bedspread and frowned. "Nothing, just - will you stay with me?"

Oh Emma, you're lonely, Regina realised. "Of course, dear."

Being mindful of Emma's leg, Regina got into bed next to her. It was warm so Emma only had on a tank and a small pair of shorts to accommodate the thick pad of bandages on her upper thigh. She couldn't tolerate being under the too-hot covers but still, she snuggled close to Regina and nestled her head in her shoulder as they lay together.

"Better?"

"Mmhm."

Regina closed her eyes and leant her cheek against the top of Emma's head. "I thought I'd lost you."

"No way," said Emma casually. "Takes more than that to finish me off."

"Before that," said Regina quietly, referring to their fighting and the months of distance. "I'm sorry I kept you out."

"And I'm sorry I hovered so much."

"I don't like fighting with you," admitted Regina.

Emma sighed. "Me either. We have a bit to work out here. But we're going to get it right eventually. Maybe it's just the other side of the coin. The price for having so much love."

"No refunds," said Regina wryly.

"Yep, I guess I'm stuck with you."

"Yes, you are. And today I've got two needy babies instead of one."

Emma placed her hand on Regina's middle, still a little swollen from pregnancy, and traced out a pattern. There was something bugging at her conscience, remembering how Regina's difficult pregnancy had been worsened by the fear of having a boy and losing not just her child, but her wife.

"Will you tell me something, please?" said Emma.

"What do you want to know."

"When you thought I didn't love you ... when I said we should have another kid... you didn't just do it to make me happy did you? You wanted DJ, right?"

"Yes," Regina closed her eyes again, remembering how happy they had both been back then. "I wanted the baby so much. I was so happy for us when it took and I'll never forget your face when you found out. But when Mr Gold told me of the deal I was sick at the thought of having to tell you that we might lose the baby. I couldn't do it to you. I thought I'd lose you too. When Dr Reed said we were having a girl I thought we were safe."

"Tell me you didn't contact Neal cos you thought it was what I wanted."

"No I-" Regina sighed. "I know you aren't in love with him. I just thought - Henry was so interested in finding his biological father - I thought that it might be nice for the children to be related by genetics as well, since... it doesn't matter, we were going to choose someone anonymous anyway. But I should've told you. I hate myself for keeping it from you. I'm sorry, Emma."

After a short silence Emma spoke in a small voice. "I'm sorry too. Can you ever forgive me?"

"You? For what."

"Making the deal. Trading Henry for DJ."

"Oh." Regina remembered how painful it was, hearing what Emma had done. "I can see now that you made the right choice but at the time I didn't. There are always consequences for making deals and we didn't know what Mr Gold had in mind. I don't know if I would've been strong enough to do it. I'm glad it was you there."

Regina swallowed hard. "I think... if it was me... I would've tried to kill him and lost everything anyway."

Emma realised sadly that Regina was still afraid of herself, she didn't trust herself to be strong enough to cope with another loss. After what happened with Daniel and the path it'd sent her on, she had a right to be afraid. Emma knew that she had changed, she trusted her even if she didn't trust herself... but she desperately hoped Regina would never have to go through it again. Not because she thought it'd send her back to the dark side but because she couldn't bear the thought of her in that much pain again.

"You'd be ok if it happened, you know. I'm not the only thing standing between you and your past. You have changed, please believe that."

Regina considered it, not entirely sure she did believe it. "Maybe."

"But luckily I have no intention of going anywhere so we won't have to find out. You're not going to lose your family. You've changed."

"I still feel like killing people sometimes," joked Regina weakly.

"Parking inspectors? Yeah. Me too, who doesn't."

Regina snorted. "Emma, you are the one who hands out parking fines here."

"Nah. Only to a certain owner of a black Mercedes who parks wherever she wants as if she owns the place."

"Yes, thank you for that by the way. I would've thought there'd be perks to sleeping with the Sheriff."

"Hey I thought it was totally romantic."

Emma grinned the same way she had that day a few months back when she'd seen it and had the idea. She'd left the fine on her wife's windshield and signed it with: 'I love you... but this is a loading zone. Unless you're delivering today, that'll be $25.'

Regina wasn't as amused. "I was only there five minutes! I was on my way to pick up Henry. I just stopped to find a bathroom because of your child constantly sitting on my bladder, which I'm sure you knew full well at the time ... Oh, before I forget - Ethel asked again if Henry wanted to play soccer next season. Did you ask him?"

"Yeah, I asked him but he said he didn't. Training is on the same afternoon as his writing class. You know what? That's your fault, Regina. You raised my kid to be a book nerd."

"As I recall it was a book that led to all this."

"Guess I'll just have to corrupt your son instead. He won't need much help though - he caused an earthquake before he was even born." Emma snorted.

"For which I have yet to forgive you. And by the way, Emma dear," said Regina snootily. "There is one thing for which you will never be forgiven."

"What's that?"

"We have completely run out of baby wipes."

"Uh-" Emma made her 'oh crap' face.

"And you!-" Regina poked her in the ribs with laugh. "You thought it was just me with baby brain being silly over nothing, I know you did. But I will have my revenge one day and you won't even see it coming."


The classroom was empty. The children were at lunch and since she wasn't on schedule for playground duty today Mary Margaret was busily grading homework at her desk. She'd fallen a bit behind with everything that'd been going on lately, especially helping Regina with babysitting when Emma had come home from hospital needing a bit of care.

Mary Margaret hadn't minded in the slightest though. It'd given her more opportunity than usual to exercise her maternal side in the form of coddling Emma (who usually wouldn't tolerate much) and snuggling baby DJ (who was far more receptive). Her first grandson, Henry, was growing up so fast she could hardly believe it. He looked taller every time she saw him and he was starting to lose his baby face as well.

She checked her phone expecting yet another random text from a bored house-bound Emma but got distracted by the background wallpaper, which was a recent picture of Henry holding DJ. She was flicking through the other photos when she heard a tapping at the classroom door.

Mary Margaret looked up to see her husband's excited face behind the glass window. Wondering what he was up to and why he'd decided to come see her in the middle of the school day, she got up to let him in.

"This is a lovely surprise, David-" Mary Margaret said while opening the door. She stopped upon seeing that he wasn't alone. "Oh. Who is this?"

There was a dusty golden retriever sitting patiently next to David, who was holding the dog's leash.

"Someone very much missed I believe," said David, smiling handsomely. He leant down to twist the dog's collar so she could see the name.

"Oh, it's Leoni!" Mary Margaret clasped her hands and felt the tears mist her eyes. "She's alive after all."

"Yes! I don't know how but she must've got out of the Shelter somehow before it collapsed. I just got the call an hour ago about a hurt dog wandering around the playground."

"She's hurt?"

"No," David shook his head. "The caller must've thought so but she's had that limp forever. Since she was abandoned at least."

"Tim and Henry are going to be so happy to see her." Mary Margaret knelt down in front and gave the dog some love, playing with her ears and patting her.

"I know. I was going to give her a quick bath and then meet them after school."

Mary Margaret gave him a quizzical eyebrow. "Why did you come here first?"

David knelt down in the doorway next to her. "I spoke to my old boss and I thought that maybe, you and me, we might consider adopting her?"

"Oh!"

"If you want to, I mean. Tim can't because his mother is allergic... and Emma and Regina have enough small helpless mammals to keep them busy. So I thought we could keep Leoni at our place. Then she'd be cared for and Tim and Henry could see her whenever they want."

Mary Margaret thought her heart would burst with love for him. "And we'd have a fur baby!"

"Yeah." David patted the dog's head affectionately.

Mary Margaret pecked a kiss on David's cheek. "Thank you. Welcome to the family, Leoni!"


Emma threaded her hands through Regina's hair, still damp and curling at the ends, and deepened the kiss with a moan. Regina was propped up on one forearm to keep her weight on Emma's uninjured side and using her other hand to graze over bared skin, raising shivers as she went.

Emma broke the kiss and stared into her eyes, trailing the back of her fingers down her cheek.

"Why'd you stop, Emma?"

Emma looked at her wife gently. "Not without you, Gi. It hasn't been six weeks yet. I will not hurt you or risk your health."

Regina frowned and pressed her lips, almost like a pout. "But I want you."

"And I want you to know that this isn't all I want from you."

"Emma, I do know that and you don't have to wait for me. I will be careful of your leg."

Sudden recall flashed into Regina's face. "Wait, no! That's right, you're relegated to the couch for a month."

Emma scoffed in denial. "No, that wasn't the deal. I said if you got into danger..."

"No," said Regina in an identical tone. "You almost got yourself killed. The penalty for that is couch. I mean, metaphorical couch. Obviously I'm not going to kick you out of bed when your leg is still healing."

"Hey, a few weeks isn't that long and there's plenty of other things we can do."

Regina smirked and reached over to the bedside drawer to retrieve a piece of paper. "You mean like Archie's homework?"

Emma couldn't keep a straight face, she grabbed the list of intimacy exercises and started reading one of the numbered items out aloud while trying to talk without laughing.

"Begin this exercise with your partner in the bedroom naked... I think I like where this is going, but I can not imagine Archie writing this."

"That's because you have no imagination," said Regina, but they shared a laugh knowing that so wasn't true.

"Hey!" Emma complained playfully, leaning up on her elbows. "That thing you like? I totally invented that."

Regina made a slight moue. "Hm definitely have to wait six weeks for that."

Emma grinned rakishly and snaked her hand up her wife's shirt. "You know what? We're gonna do every single one of these dorky exercises. Some of them actually look fun. Except number nine I don't think you or I have the right equipment for that."

"Number seven?" Regina said softly and grabbed a fistful of Emma's curls at the back of her neck, bringing her closer for another kiss.

"Definitely that one first."