Regina couldn't take her eyes off of the baby boy in her arms, even if her was all covered in blood and gross bodily fluids. To her, he was perfect. So tiny, with his little hands, and little feet. He bellowed cries and wriggled as she admired him, carefully counting his ten fingers, and ten toes.
"Snow." Regina kept her voice calm and low. "Snow."
She hated she had to ask twice to get the woman's attention.
"Give me your shawl." Regina said when Snow finally looked at her.
Snow's face was a picture. Somewhere between horrified and shocked. No doubt the pointless part of her garment was designer, and therefore expensive but it wasn't like it was going to do much to keep the chill off of her. It would however, suffice as the suitable blanket to wrap the newborn in. She snapped her fingers at the short haired brunette, practically ripping the strip of satin from Snow's hand before it had even finished being slipped from her arms.
Regina cooed gently as she spoke to the baby. Wrapping him up as gently bounced him and hoped he would calm.
"Emma, do you want to hold him?" she asked.
Regina's smile was up to her eyes as she continued to gaze down upon him, gently rocking, and soothing him the best she could as she shuffled awkwardly in her own gown to move around Emma. The blonde hadn't responded to her, but then she supposed she'd probably been too exhausted and just nodded. Regina shuffled up beside her and spoke her name gently again, but when she looked down at Emma she frowned.
"Hey, look, it's your baby boy. Are you going to hold him?"
"What's going on?" Snow asked.
Regina couldn't help the sarcastic thoughts that quickly flooded her thoughts. Just typical, the girl is all but useless when she is needed, and then expects those that were busy, handling the situation, to just know all the answers. Regina scowled.
"Go and get help…" she looked up at Snow as she continued to just stand there. "NOW SNOW! GO!" she yelled, shocking herself and setting the poor little thing still in her arms crying again.
Snow fled, almost tripping in her ridiculous dress, fighting with the door as she tried to leave. Panicked and flustered was the only was Regina could describe her step-daughter's actions right now, but she was at a loss as how to describe her own.
She couldn't put the baby down. Nowhere was clean enough that there wasn't risk of infection but she needed to help Emma. This type of reaction after giving birth wasn't right, she knew it wasn't but what did she really know. Carefully she balanced the baby in one cradled arm and tentatively reached out to feel Emma's cheek.
It was cold and clammy. Regina swallowed hard. She had no idea what she was doing and she didn't want to fear the worst, but the very thought was teetering on the edge of her mind. This hadn't happened before with Snow. Something was very wrong. Upon finding Emma's pulse point for just a moment her heart stopped. Then she felt it, Emma's pulse but it wasn't strong.
"I found them, the paramedics" Snow declared as she followed two, uniformed individuals into the ladies room.
Moments passed and Regina found herself just in a daze. She'd held the baby tight when instructed to move back but kept her eyes locked on Emma. She held her breath, watching as the paramedics worked. Regina had no idea what they were doing, anything that they were saying. Her ears felt muffled, as if someone had stuffed them with cotton wool, and her vision was definitely out of focus. The only thing that seemed to bring her back was Snow gently touching her arm.
"You go with her. I'll, I'll get the family together and we'll meet you there."
Snow's words only half registered with her. Nodding, Regina blindly followed the two service people, one man, one woman, as they carried Emma out on a stretcher. She hugged the baby close to her as they made their way across the crowded room. It slowly fell silent, as all eyes turned upon them. Regina couldn't bring herself to look. Everyone would be judging her, and Emma and she couldn't bare to actually have to see, especially if her mother was one of the glaring bystanders.
Arriving at the hospital, Regina had found Emma wheeled off in a direction she was not allowed to follow in, and the baby taken from the comfort of her arms. He'd been quiet most of the ride, Regina hadn't been allowed to hold him in the back of the emergency vehicle, but she had been sat beside him and she knew he was just adjusting to his new situation. Just as any baby had to.
The problem was Emma had been right to worry. The baby was early and he was tiny. Even Emma had been bigger when she'd been born. Regina remembered, still delicate but she had been just a little bigger than the poor little boy whose first hour in this world had been traumatic to say the least.
It broke Regina's heart that she couldn't accompany either of them. She knew the reasons why, she'd only be in the way of medical professionals who needed to work to make sure mother and baby were fighting fit, but she still felt so alone.
The waiting room for relatives was small, clinical and cold. She involuntary shivered and thanked that she was alone in there in some respects. The last thing she needed was nosy members of other families celebrating births, or those that needed consoling after tragic events. Wrapping her arms around herself in a hug, she settled back in the chair and tapped her foot furiously on the floor. How much longer were they just going to leave her sitting there with no update?
Just as her patience was beginning to wear thin, the door creaked open. Regina sat forward, anxious and quickly disappointed when she saw who it was. Flopping back in the chair she sighed dramatically and turned her face away from the charming couple who came and sat beside her.
"Has there been any update Regina?" Snow asked gently.
"Pfft, yeah I am sat here like this, worried out of my mind because everything is just fine!"
"Hey!" Snow's charming husband interjected with a bite.
He was worse than one of those little snappy dogs that bit at it's owner's heels for attention constantly. David annoyed her beyond belief. Glaring at him she sat forward again and frowned. They were both idiots if they couldn't answer that question for themselves.
"Regina I know you're upset, but she's…"
"Don't. Don't even. Just don't say it Snow!" Regina snapped.
How dare she. She didn't know the truth about Emma until a couple of hours ago, and literally moments before that she had been slagging her off something rotten. Now was not the time to become all self righteous and pretend she cared. Biologically, yes, Emma was their daughter, but they hadn't cared what had happened to her until now. They had no right to just jump in and play the dutiful parents.
"That's not fair Regina. She's our daughter. We are here for her, she doesn't need you anymore." David's tempered flared.
"David! He didn't mean that Regina." Snow frowned and patted her husband's leg to calm him. "What David is saying is, we'd like the opportunity to get to know our daughter. Yes it was a shock at first, but we're grandparents now. This is so exciting!"
Snow's sickly sweet, innocent positivity made Regina want to vomit. She rolled her eyes, bit her tongue and settled back into the uncomfortable chair.
The door creaked again, but Regina's hopes were further dashed when her mother sauntered in followed casually by her monster of a husband. Just the sight of him did nothing to ease the nausea she was already feeling. They were not about to start playing happily families.
"Where is the baby?" Cora Mills asked, her tone tightly clipped.
"I think they may have taken him for care. Regina doesn't know anything yet." Snow helpfully supplied.
"Typical, you've just been sat here doing nothing."
"I have not!" Regina barked.
"Then why don't you know anything. You claim, Regina to love that young woman, yet here you are sitting around wallowing. That's just typical of you dear. A real woman would have been out there demanding answers."
Her mother's lectures were always unfairly scolding.
"That won't help right now mother."
"It's better than just sitting around."
"Don't start mother, I am not in the mood."
Even Regina was surprised at how calmly she was replying. Her body was screaming to just have a go back, yet her energy really was that drained.
A cough from the doorway announced the presence of someone new. Thankfully it was a stranger in a white coat. Regina pushed out of her seat and took an expectant step forward. She held her breath as she waited for the news. Any news. The doctor cleared his throat, then he asked who was the father of the child, his gaze naturally falling upon David.
"Oh, no nope, not of the baby. I am Emma's father." He clarified.
"She's my partner." Regina offered.
The doctor smiled and nodded his head. He asked if he could have a private word and Regina began to make her way over to him, to leave, when Leopold cleared his own throat and spoke out.
"With all due respect good sir, this woman is my wife. It should be my daughter…" he gestured to Snow, "that you should speak with in any affairs regarding my granddaughter."
"Oh…" the doctor seemed a little surprised by accepted the explanation. "Right this way then please."
Leopold took a hold of Regina's arm. His fingers dug in painfully as he held her back and restrained her from resisting. He knew she wouldn't make any sort of scene in public, not about him, nor in front of her mother. She'd only be punished.
As soon as Snow and David had disappeared he released her. Regina stumbled with the force with which he shoved her back. He looked angry, a glaze in his eyes told her all she needed to know. Now that the doctor had gone though, she had no issue in voicing her thoughts. Finding her balance she squared up to Leopold, and her mother, who had stepped up beside him ready to show a united front against her in any confrontation.
"What the hell Leopold! Emma doesn't even know you're idiot daughter and her husband. They don't know her! What good are they to the doctors."
"Shut up Regina!" He shoved her backwards and she tumbled down, luckily into the chair. "Now you listen here…"
Regina didn't focus on his words, but his fat finger wagging aggressively in her face. Behind him she could see her mother, slightly out of focus but with her arms folded and lips pursed. Then she heard his words. She heard them loud and clear. They met with her on impact, like a physical punch to the cut.
"And my daughter will have her daughter back; today!"
Regina thrust herself out of the chair. That was all she needed to hear to force the fight out of her. Pushing Leopold, so he stumbled, she dashed to get away. No one would take Emma away from her, no matter what. This would be a battle the White family couldn't win.