Sorry, life kind of got in the way and I didn't realize how long it had been since I had updated this, but anyway, here is the next chapter!
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Pushing the crib into position, Killian rubbed his hands down his jeans before cracking open the bedroom door. "Okay, love. You can come in now." He's been working flat out for ten days to make sure Ava's nursery was ready for her arrival. He didn't care that she would be sleeping in it for the first few months of her life – he wanted her to have his own room. He wanted to be able to give Emma the perfect environment to bring their baby girl home into.
"Killian…" Emma gasped, her hand finding her bump as she turned in a circle in the room. "This is… it's beautiful Killian." Running her hand along the polished edge of the white crib, Emma stared up at the mural of the baby's name that he had painted on the wall. "She is going to love it in here, Killian."
Moving behind her, he pressed his right hand to her bump before using his left to massage the tense muscles at the base of her back. He knew the constant back ache was starting to get to her and the baby's constant moving and kicking wasn't helping. He couldn't remember the last time Emma had had a full night's sleep "That's what I was hoping for, love." Taking her hand, he led her to the rocking chair in the corner of the room. "Try it."
Sinking into the soft material, Emma ran her hand over her abdomen as she relaxed into the chair. "I can't wait until she's here."
"Not long now," Bending down next to the rocking chair Killian smiled, resting his hand above Emma's as Ava kicked. "Are you scared?"
"Scared?" Emma repeated, biting her lip, contemplating. "No, I'm not scared. Nervous? Completely. I'm scared I'm not going to be good enough or that I am going to fail her. That's the last thing I want. I want her to know how much we love her."
"She will, love."
"I know," Reaching up, Emma cupped her hand around his neck before pulling him in for a kiss. "But, no matter how nervous I am, I know we can do this."
"Aye, love." Kissing Emma gently, he smiled. "We can."
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Shifting on the bed, Emma sighed as she tried to get comfortable, whilst doing her best not to wake Killian – he had gone out at midnight to buy her the milkshake and French fries that she absolutely had to have. At thirty-six weeks pregnant, it was near impossible to find a comfortable position to sleep in. Pushing herself up from the bed, Emma groaned, moving to rest her hand on her bump as she spoke softly to Ava. "I know it's cramped in there, Ava, but give mommy's back a break, huh?" Making her way across to the kitchen and pulling out a glass, Emma poured herself some orange juice before making her way back across to the sofa. "Okay, so if you're not going to let me sleep, how about we catch up on some television?" Switching the television on, Emma bit her lip as she felt the familiar pressure in her back begin to build. Trying her best to distract herself, Emma flicked through every channel for the next ten minutes as she tried to find something to concentrate on.
"Em?" Killian called sleepily, his feet padding heavily across the floor as he made his way out of the bedroom. "What's going on, love? Why aren't you asleep?"
"Back ache." Emma sighed, shifting so that Killian could slip in behind her on the sofa. "I thought coming out here might help."
"Has it?" Killian questioned as he gently massaged her back.
"Mmmm," Emma groaned, shaking her head and biting her lip as she fought another wave of pain. "Not so far, but I haven't been out here for long."
"Em," Killian started softly, shifting to look her in the eye. "On a scale of one to ten, how bad is the pain? Has it been getting worse?"
"Umm," Leaning in to him, Emma sighed. "It started at maybe a three?"
"And now?" Killian pushed.
"Maybe a five or six? Maybe a seven at its worst?"
Fighting a smile, Killian pressed a kiss to her forehead. "And the pain is coming and going?"
"Yeah," Emma groaned, glancing up at him. "What are you smirking at?"
"I don't think you've got back ache, love. I think you're in labor."
"What? No. No way." Emma protested vehemently, shaking her head. "I'm not due for four weeks. She's not ready yet."
"I don't think Ava got the message, love."
"No..." Emma started, before she grabbed his hand, pushing a stuttered breath out through her teeth.
"Contraction?" Killian questioned.
"No." Emma forced out as the pain decreased. "It can't be a contraction because I'm not in labor."
"Emma," Killian started, even as she continued to shake her head. "I know you don't believe me, love, and maybe I am overreacting, but maybe we should go to the hospital just in case."
"Killian..." Emma whispered, as tears formed in her eyes. "It's too early."
"Shh," Killian whispered, brushing Emma's hair out of her eyes. "Everything is going to be fine."
"She's not ready. What if something's wrong?"
"Nothing will be wrong. She's just ready to come out. She wants to meet you."
"But..."
"No buts, love." Standing, Killian pulled Emma to her feet before wrapping his arms around her. "Everything is going to be just fine and even if you're not in labor, I think it's best we go to the hospital to get you checked out. It's better safe than sorry. If you're not in labor, I'll let you blame it all on me."
"Okay," Squaring her shoulder, Emma smiled at Killian before her eyes went wide.
"Em? What is it love?"
"I think my waters broke."
"Okay, this is happening." Killian smiled, kissing Emma deeply. "We should go to the hospital. I'll grab the keys and we can get going."
"I... I need to shower and change, and we need to get the bag out of the nursery." Smiling up at him, Emma laughed. "And you need pants, babe. I don't think the hospital will appreciate you arriving in your underwear."
"I don't know I do think I look rather fetching." Cupping her cheek, he kissed her again before leading her towards the bedroom. "Okay, a shower and a change of clothes for you, change of clothes for you, pants for me and then you're going to sit whilst I get the bag and check we have everything, okay?"
"Okay," Emma gasped, grabbing his hand as she felt another contraction start to build.
"Breathe, love." Rubbing her back, he held her weight. "Don't hold your breath, you need to breathe through the pain."
"Hurts."
"I know it does but you are doing amazing. That's it, nice deep breaths." Stopping in front of the bed, Killian helped Emma to sit down. "I don't think we have time for a shower, Emma. The contractions are coming closer together and you're definitely in more pain than before. I'm going to get you some clothes and then we'll go."
"Okay."
Rushing into the closet, Killian grabbed pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt for Emma, before throwing his clothes on and grabbing an extra hoodie for Emma, just in case. Setting Emma's clothes on the bed next to her, he dashed out of the room before rushing back in again. Stopping in front of Emma, he helped her stand. "The bag is by the front door, as soon as you're ready, we can go."
"Okay," Changing her clothes, Emma smiled softly as he softly touched her abdomen. "What are you thinking?"
"Hmm?" Killian questioned, meeting Emma's eye. "Oh, just... I think it's just hit me, that we're going to have a baby. The next time we come home, we'll have Ava with us.
"Are you scared?" Emma asked, slipping her arms through the hoodie.
"No, just excited." Zipping up the jacket, he smiled. "Come on, love. Let's go have a baby."