*** I'm pretty sure I've spoken before about how I have a horrible habit of writing just before I go to bed. I apologize profusely to anyone who's ever had to read any of my first drafts. I usually do get around to editing them after I've gotten sleep though. Hopefully, this won't be too painful to get through. I just wanted a nice little moment of calm and baby cuteness before the real -ish hits the fan. Enjoy :D ***

CHAPTER 21

Cora pulled down the mask she'd been wearing. She smiled down at her daughter and granddaughter as she ran a finger lovingly along the top of her tiny head.

Emma did a double take at the woman she'd been somewhat aware had been in the room the entire time but had passed her off as another nurse in scrubs and face mask. She nearly fell off the bed where she perched beside Regina and her baby. Her trembling began anew and her face was as white as a sheet, "You!? You're supposed to be dead!"

The entire room was silent as all eyes turned to Emma.

"Lucky for us all your Mother tends to fail more than she succeeds," Regina rolled her eyes at her.

Emma's cheeks reddened and she bent her head to hide her embarrassment. Eventually everyone went back to what they were doing previously.

Zelena snorted, "You procreated with that?!" She put away the camera she'd been using to film the birth and took a seat in one of the luxurious armchairs that were scattered around the lavish room.

Emma's face reddened further before she glared at Zelena, "and she enjoyed every minute of it too!"

Zelena grimaced and she put her hands over her ears, "Eww. Spare me."

Before Emma could reply, a nurse came over with some ID/security tags. She placed one around Blue's ankle and another around Regina's wrist. She held up the other in askance of who would get the last one.

"She's my baby," Emma quickly thrust her wrist out. "I should have one of those." She glared around the room daring anyone to challenge her.

Zelena rolled her eyes, Cora frowned and shook her head slightly, and Regina merely sighed. They were all beginning to realize now that the labor was over, things were about to get even more complicated with Emma.

After securing the wrist tag on her arm, the nurse turned to Regina, "Excusez-moi but we still have more tests to run on the baby. You can have your bath while we clean her and the bed? No?" she asked with a thick French accent.

Regina frowned slightly then nodded. She knew it was necessary. Ensuring that her baby was healthy despite her premature status was of utmost importance. But she could already tell that parting from her even for a few minutes would fast become a huge problem for her. She took a deep breath to steady herself. Then she kissed Blue repeatedly while rubbing her back, "You will be right back. The doctor's just want to make sure everything is perfect for you okay? But I'll be right here," she handed the baby over reluctantly as her eyes became misty. "I love you my little princess," she called out as the nurse walked away with her baby.

Emma quickly bent and kissed her daughter before she was taken from the room. She too was anxious about her health as she watched them take her baby away. Her heart hammered in her chest and she had to tell herself repeatedly to calm down. This wasn't like with Henry. Blue would be coming back to her. But the pain of regrets and lost moments still continued to eat at her. Especially with so many things still being unsettled between her and Regina in regards to custody.

She knew that was going to be another conversation that opened up a can of worms. But it was one they had both been avoiding for months. Time had run out on both of them. Because there was no way that Emma was leaving there without her baby.

"Come dear," Cora held out her arms to help her up. "Let's get you cleaned up."

Regina leaned heavily on her as the postpartum pain thrumming through her body made it hard to manage on her own. The two of them disappeared into the bathroom.

Housekeeping soon came in and began to strip the bed and protective covers. They quickly set about cleaning the room and getting everything put back together.

Zelena sat on one side of the room and began to alternate between tapping away on her phone and downloading the birthing video to her laptop. Emma sat on the other side of the room alternating glaring at her and texting the news to her family. She'd realized she'd forgotten to even snap a pic. She wanted a copy of the footage that the redhead had taken but she wasn't about to ask her for it. So she explained to her family and to Ruby and Granny that she'd send them some pics along shortly.

She noted that the time on her phone said that it was 3:59 a.m. Saturday morning. When she'd left home it had been Friday night. Obviously her phone had adjusted itself to the new time zone. She had been right. There was no way they were still in the US.

She shrugged and made a mental note to talk to Regina about that amongst all the other things they had to talk about. Then she set a reminder for Blue's birthday into her calendar.

After that, there was nothing left to do but wait for her baby to get back. She decided to take in as much about where they were as she could so that she could find her own way back there if things didn't go as she had planned with Regina.

The room was definitely one fit for a Queen. Seems Regina hadn't lost her need to be surrounded by luxury. The room was bigger than some of the apartments she'd had. It was actually better than the apartment she currently shared with Henry. Even Regina's mansion seemed like a dump compared to this place.

The furniture was dark cherry stained wood and the color scheme was black, white, purple and silver. There was a living area complete with a beautiful sofa, loveseat, and a couple of reclining chairs. There were 2 large screen tv sets. One was set in front of the king sized bed and the other was set in the living room space. They both looked like they had complete entertainment and surround systems. She thought she even spotted a couple of gaming consoles in the entertainment centers.

The dining area included a 4 person table. There was even a kitchenette set up on one side of the room that held all the appliances you'd expect to find in a home. There was a small stove that had 2 burners and the oven seemed big enough to fit a turkey inside. The refrigerator was smaller than one you'd find in a home but still, it was a fricken' hospital room with a friggin' kitchen. There was just no room for complaints.

And all around the room, tucked away in corners or set up discreetly were various medical carts and equipment containers. The IV that Regina had been hooked up to hung on a pole that had been designed to appear to be part of the décor.

As she was digesting all of this, there was a light knock at the door. Emma perked up hoping that it was the nurse returning with her baby but instead some guy poked his head into the room, "is it safe?" his head swung around the room before he landed on the redhead. For some reason Emma couldn't remember her name.

Zelena beamed at her fiancé, Hades. After dating off and on for years he had finally asked her to marry him a few months ago. They were in the middle of planning the wedding when she had found out she was pregnant. Everyone was thrilled that their family would be expanding even more than previously believed.

As Hades walked toward her and bent down for a kiss she wrapped her arms around his neck and held him closer. For some reason, this pregnancy was making her more emotional than she had ever been in her life. It also brought out this weird craving for him that seemed to get stronger as the months passed.

Emma was horrified as she watched Regina's – well – whatever she was – embrace someone else. She looked between the pair who seemed thrilled with themselves and the bathroom door. She really hoped that Regina would come out and catch them. Then she'd see the real Evil Queen in action and the stupid broad could high tail it back to merry ol' England.

She was feeling antsy as she bounced her knee up and down and waited for her baby to be returned to her. But after watching the two lovers make out for a while she'd had enough. "I'm going to go and see what's taking them so long with my baby," she said to no one in particular. Then she headed out the door.

Once outside the door, her suspicions were answered. From the signs on the walls and ceilings she surmised that they obviously were in France. Thankfully, the signs also had English translations printed underneath the French.

Emma had traveled the US before. Well, she'd been as far north as New York and as far south as Florida. But she'd never been anywhere that her car couldn't take her. For a woman who'd never been outside the US before stepping into a different country was like stepping into a different world.

Regina's room had been ridiculous enough. But this place left her breathless. It looked more like a museum than a hospital. There was furniture, art and paintings all over the place that she knew cost more than she could make in 50 years. The front desk – if it could be called that – was more of a reception space for a grand hotel or something. Even the lighting figures made her feel frumpy in comparison.

It wasn't often that she felt as inadequate as she did in that moment. She had worked hard to build a life that she could be proud of. And she appreciated everything that she had. She picked nervously at her jeans and simple top. In that moment, she felt an overwhelming rush of insecurity that she hadn't felt since her years as a foster kid.

She stumbled as her anxieties got the better of her. They made her question how she could ever even think to be enough to compare in the eyes of her daughter who would grow up with this as a part of her everyday life. But she pushed it aside and stepped over to the rounded desk where the nurses were going about their work.

"Excuse me," she cleared her throat loudly. "English?"

The nurse on duty chuckled, "You Americans. You only speak one language poorly," she shook her head as she answered in a thick accent. Emma colored before she pulled herself together and stood tall. "How may we help you?"

"I wanted to know how my daughter is. And when are they bringing her back?" she stared the woman in the eye refusing to be intimidated.

The nurse whose nametag read Aimee nodded, "she is still being evaluated. Because of her prematurity, there are concerns over her breathing and development. Once she has been cleared, she will be returned back to the room shortly and the doctor will explain all to you."

Emma didn't like the sound of that but knew she had no choice but to wait, "is there someplace where I could get a coffee?"

The nurse scrunched her forehead in confusion, "there is a menu for your room service needs inside Madam. And the refrigerator has plenty of options for you. And here," she opened up a drawer and pulled out what looked like a map. "We are located here," she marked an X on the spot. "And the shops are here for your conveniences."

"Oh, thanks," she took the map and studied it closely. There were a variety of shops located on the map. Seemed the hospital had its own mall inside of it. She nodded her thanks then quickly beat a retreat as she headed back into the room.

When she entered the room again, Regina had returned from her bath and was tucked snugly back into bed. She held in her hand what appeared to be the menu that the nurse had spoken about. She also noted that the redhead's boyfriend seemed to have disappeared. She hadn't even heard him leave behind her. Oh well, she wasn't going to be the one to out her to Regina. She figured she'd find out about her girlfriend two-timing her soon enough on her own.

"We were just talking about that," Emma said as she walked nervously over to the bed trying her best not to openly gape at Cora. Without Blue there as a buffer, an awkward wall of weirdness had been erected between her and Regina's family.

"Well I haven't eaten since yesterday. I'm starving," Regina handed her the menu. "Let me know what you'd like and I'll call in the order."

Emma took the menu which helped her focus her stare away from Regina's newly resurrected Mother. She wasn't sure how long it would take her to get used to that. The last she remembered of the situation, Regina had been as terrified of her Mother as everyone else had. Now they seemed to be the best of friends. With the shocks she'd received in the past few hours, she was surprised she hadn't had a heart attack yet.

After perusing the menu which bragged about its Michelin star rating, Regina phoned in the order. Everyone fidgeted impatiently and an awkward silence descended on the room as they waited for their order to arrive. After the waiter handed them their covered dishes Cora, Zelena, and Emma sat around the dining area to eat while Regina used the rolling tray that was set up across her bed.

They made idle chit chat about weather and other mundane things as they ate. Emma had never even heard of a Croque Monsieur before but she wasn't hating it. It had the perfect blend of salty and sweet that satisfied her just right.

They had just finished their meals and the waiter was on his way out after collecting the empty trays when a nurse wheeled in an isolette with Blue inside. The doctor followed close behind. Emma jumped up from the table and quickly made her way over to the bedside.

Blue lay inside looking impossibly tiny. Emma could hold her in one hand and still have room leftover. Her breath caught and she again became teary eyed as she took in her baby girl.

She appeared to be just waking up as her large chocolate eyes blinked repeatedly. Her limbs flailed slightly as she squiggled around. She was wearing nothing but a diaper that even for a preemie still seemed to swamp her tiny body. There was a tube going into her nose and electrodes on her chest. The IV running into her foot looked painful but Emma again told herself it was necessary to keep her safe. They had also placed a small pink cap with a little bow attached to it over her shocking headful of tufted tow-colored hair.

The doctor began speaking in French before Regina held up her finger and tilted it toward Emma. "English please." Emma smiled gratefully at her.

"Oui, oui," he smiled at Emma then resumed speaking in English. "Your baby is in fine overall health. She is precisely where we expect her to be. She will be needing the – how do you say – warmer? To help her body stay at the right temperature. She has the IV and oxygen to make it easier for her to breathe and for," he ran his hand up and down his sternum, "to hydrate her system." The family nodded to show they understood.

He nodded to the nurse who began to take Blue out of the isolette. She handed her over to Regina who held her cradled close to her. Emma ran her hand over her tiny puckered cheek being mindful of the tubes running in and out of her tiny body. Cora and Zelena stood opposite trying to touch her as much as they could from their positions. "You may hold her when you please. And it would be best for her to have the skin time?" he cocked his eyebrow.

Regina nodded understanding that he was talking about the kangaroo care that they'd discussed while she was in labor. She and her family had already taken a crash course in it just before Blue showed up in the world. The doctor had already explained that some of the risks with a preemie were the inability to hold their body temperature, difficulty breathing due to lung underdevelopment, which was why she'd been on steroids for the past couple of days, and difficulty swallowing or eating. They had been prepared for all eventualities. But it seemed that Blue's outlook was pretty hopeful in comparison to what they had originally thought.

She adjusted Blue so that she was making as much skin contact with her as possible. Not only would it help with her prematurity issues but it would also help bond the two of them together.

"When she is not on the skin, it is important to keep her in her bed. There are sensors attached to her, as you can see, so that you and she will continue to be monitored." There were more nods from all of the family even though no one bothered to raise their eyes from the baby. After making sure there were no more questions and congratulating them all around, the doctor left the family alone.

Blue shifted in her arms and scrunched up her face and body as though she were about to cry. Regina looked slightly panicked before the nurse interjected, "I think she may need something to eat." She gestured at the way that Blue was burrowing her head toward Regina's body searching for something while smacking her lips. "If you need anything else then please, use the call button. If you want for us to keep her in the nursery then all you must do is to please let us know."

"Oh," Regina quickly lowered the strap of her blue silk nightgown. She massaged her breast as she'd been shown previously in her prenatal classes then gently nudged Blue's bottom lip with the tip of her nipple. She winced slightly at the uneasy feeling of the baby latching on before Blue's appetite kicked in and she began to suckle greedily. She smiled down at her baby, "I think we'll be okay here. I'm sure we won't be using the nursery at all," she told the nurse.

Nurse Aimee smiled and nodded before leaving the family alone.

Emma was mesmerized by her baby's every little breath and movement. She watched with an amused look on her face as her daughter made faces while concentrating all of her energy on eating, "How'd you know to do that?"

"I've had months to prepare," Regina reminded her with a slight smirk on her face. "And this isn't the first baby I've raised. I had already read all the books when I'd decided to adopt Henry. But I've always found new things that I hadn't noticed before when I reread them."

Emma frowned as she felt that little stab of pain from all of the things that she should've been happy about but never got the chance to. There had always only been the one decision when it came to Henry. She hadn't been in the right place to raise a child. She had had nothing at all to offer him except her hopes and dreams that he'd have a better life than she'd had.

This time with Blue, she vowed everything would be different. She scolded herself internally for not thinking ahead and doing more reading on her birth. She had done some research online but with all her other duties, she guessed she'd slacked off. But, no excuses, she told herself firmly. She was firmly committed to being there every step of the way for her baby. Blue would know her from this day until her last.

"I brought her some stuff," she said as she stepped away and went over to the bag that she'd been preparing for the past few months. The first thing she pulled out was a white knitted blanket that was identical to her own. It had a lavender ribbon around it instead of a blue one like hers had. Granny had gifted it to her along with some booties and a cap. She brought it over to Regina who glanced at it suspiciously before tucking it around the baby while she switched sides.

Emma smiled as she went back over to her bag. Her hand landed on a manila folder that contained important papers her Mother had insisted on. She'd already decided she'd do the nice thing and try to work things out with Regina first. But if her notorious stubbornness kicked in then she would have no choice but to hand them over.

She pushed the folder to the side and pulled out more items. "I brought these for her a while ago. I hope she likes them," she smiled shyly as she presented them to the family.

Regina, Cora, and Zelena all stared wide eyed at the things in Emma's hands. They recognized the items from their trip to the nether world. Blue had carried them around with her the entire time they'd been there as if they were sacred artifacts. They each exchanged shocked looks before turning their attention back to the baby.

Emma frowned at their reactions but placed the stuffed swan into a corner of Blue's isolette anyway. She placed the Ugly Duckling book on the bedside table to read to her daughter later.

When Blue's feeding had slowed down and her large chocolate eyes began to blink heavily Regina shifted her in her arms. She laid a diaper across her shoulder then placed Blue's head on her shoulder. She began to pat her gently on the back until she heard the satisfying small roar of a belch followed by smaller belches from her daughter. "Good girl," she kissed the side of her head.

Emma beamed, "takes after her Mom," she bragged.

Regina rolled her eyes. Though she wanted nothing more to do than to stare endlessly at her baby and never let her go, the adrenaline from her birth had worn off. She had been up for almost 2 days straight with small bits of respite in between. And the labor had taken almost everything else she had to offer out of her. She tried in vain to fight back a yawn as exhaustion began to invade every fiber of her body.

"I'll take her," Emma immediately held her hands out for her baby.

Regina didn't want to hand her over but in the end common sense won out. She knew she had little to fear. Her Mother and sister were there to watch over both of them. Still she was thankful that her magic had once again returned to her. She muttered a small spell under her breath that would ensure that Blue couldn't be taken from the room.

But she knew she also couldn't last much longer. And from what she remembered from raising Henry, sleep was the only thing that would keep her sane during however long it would take Blue to be able to sleep through the night.

Reluctantly she passed her over. "Careful with her head," she ordered before sliding lower into the bed against the pillows. Despite her valiant efforts to fight the weariness that was fast overtaking her, she was asleep within minutes.

"I've got you little one. You're Mommy's swan princess," Emma kissed her baby's head as she moved over to one of the comfortable recliners beside the bed. She bent and inhaled a lungful of that baby smell she couldn't get enough of. She laughed lightly as Blue blinked up at her before doing a full body stretch and then settling down into an easy sleep.

She could feel Cora's and Regina's girlfriend's eyes following her every move. But as she sat staring at her daughter, the entire rest of the world faded away into oblivion.