There is a trigger warning attached to this chapter. It deals with blood and some traumatic stuff.
Emma felt overwhelmed reading the pamphlets that the doctor had given her. When Emma and her mom had gotten home from the mall all Emma could do was lay down in her bed and sleep. When she awoke that morning, she started looking through her pamphlets. An hour later, Emma was still sitting on her bed, bags of clothes circling around her bed from the day before, and many pamphlets lay out in front of her.
Her mind was racing of all the ways she could mess up.
A knock on her door pulled her from her thoughts.
"Emma?" She heard her mother call out from the other side of the door.
"Come in." Emma called out, her head still buried in her pamphlets. She heard her bedroom door open and when she did hear anything else she looked up, to see her mother standing in her doorway.
"Emma would you please join your father and I in the family room please." Her mother asked.
Nodding her head, Emma stood up and followed her mother to their family room. Once there, Emma sat down on the couch and looked at her parents. "What's going on?" She asked when no one said anything.
"Emma I think that we should talk about your plan." Her mother announced.
"My plan? You mean about the baby?" Emma asked, placing her hand protectively on her stomach.
"We are not going to push you in anyway, we want you to do what you think is best, and will support you in any decision you make." her mother explained.
Leaning her back against the couch, Emma sat there thinking about what she truly wanted for a moment. "I don't want to say anything and then change my mind." she explained.
"Well how are you thinking now?" Her father asked.
"I didn't let this whole thing sink in till the other day. I was so distracted with Neal and then telling you guys and with school. I knew that I was pregnant but I think a part of me didn't want to believe it, or acknowledge it, but when we say it yesterday, I think everything hit me. I want what is best for the baby. I don't know if that is with me or another family." Emma said, her eyes filling up with tears. Emma was never one to cry, but her pregnancy has made her more emotional than usual.
"Are you thinking of adoption?" her mother asked, visibly disappointed if that was the way they were going.
"I don't really know; it's clearly an option. I would love to be able to raise this little baby but let's look at the reality of the situation. I am still in college, I don't have a place of my own and my job doesn't pay that much, plus ifI got all of this figured out, I am still alone." Emma confessed, hating that this was her situation. "If I was to give the baby up for adoption I think I would want an open adoption. If someone else has to raise the baby, then I would still want to be there. I don't want the baby to think that I don't want it."
"Emma, we can figure out a different job for you, and you will be out of college by the time the baby comes. As for your living situation, you and the baby are welcome to stay here as long as it takes for you to get on your feet, but I don't want you to think that you are alone." Mary Margret said, standing up and sat down next to Emma. "But if you think that adoption would be the best option, then we will support you."
"Your mother is right though." Her father interrupted. "You and the baby can stay here for awhile, just until you can find a better job and find a place for the both of you, and I am sure your mother will be offering to babysit when you are working."
"Oh you know I will!" her mother laughed,half joking, half serious.
"I still don't know what I want to do. I need to think about it. I will let you guys know as soon as I know." Emma said, looking at her mom then over at her dad.
"Then we will pick up this conversation when you figure it out, just don't wait too long." Her dad said.
"I promise I won't."
"How about we give you and the baby a big breakfast this morning." Her mother stated, switching the topic.
"Sounds wonderful! I am going to shower first." Emma announced as she stood up from the couch.
After a 15 minute shower, Emma was dressed and could smell what her mother was cooking, coming up the stairs. Before leaving her bedroom, she heard her phone buzz. Picking up her phone she saw a name pop up on her screen that made her heart pound faster.
Killian
Quickly, she unlocked her phone and read his message.
Killian: Hey Emma! I know it's only a couple of days away, but is the option of having Christmas dinner with you and your parents still available?
Emma knew she would have to ask her parents, but was feeling a bit doubtful that they would agree to have a boy come over, especially in her state. They had nothing to worry about. Killian was a great friend. With that in mind, Emma raced to the kitchen to fill her stomach and find the courage to ask her parents.
Once sitting down at the kitchen table, Mary Margaret placed a stack of pancakes in the center of the table, and all three of them began to dig in. After eating her first pancake, Emma decided it was no or never.
"Hey guys, can I ask you a question?"
"Yeah, is everything okay?" Her mother asked.
"Yeah, everything is just fine. I was wondering if I could bring a guest over for Christmas dinner?" She asked, picking up another pancake and placing it on her plate.
"What kind of guest?" Her father gritted through his teeth.
"A coworker of mine. His family is not from here and he couldn't get a plane ticket home for the holidays. He is staying on campus but I did extend an invitation to him to have dinner with us. He said no, but I got a message this morning from him asking if the invitation still stood. I was just making sure that it was okay."
"Emma, I don't know if dating in your condition.." Her mother started.
"Whoa, whoa, slow down. I never said anything about dating him, or anybody. He is a really good friend and I was just trying to make sure he wasn't alone for the holidays." Emma said sternly, trying her best not to raise her voice.
"Well, if that is the only reason, then I don't see a problem with it." Her mother said, before looking over to her father, who nodded in agreement.
"Awesome, when I am all done, I will let him know he is welcome to stay for dinner." Emma beamed.
After confirming with Killian that he would be joining them for dinner, Emma raced to the mall, to finish up some last minute Christmas shopping and some more wrapping paper. When she got home she put herself to work and began wrapping all of the gifts she got for everyone.
Looking over her list of gifts, Emma was happy to have gotten everything.
Regina- Heeled black boots.
Ruby-a crop top sweater
August- New notebook with a set of new pens
Mom-new winter coat
Dad-New work boots
The top five were the most important to her, she had others on her list that would get the traditional sweater. Once everything was done, Mary Margrette entered the room.
"Hey Emma, have you been wrapping all afternoon?" she asked.
"I sure have, I believe I am all done. I am just going to place these gifts under our tree!" Emma announced.
When she returned from placing the gifts under her tree her mother spoke up. "I think you missed one. You still have something in the plastic bag."
"Oh, yeah, that is a birthday gift for someone. It's really early and I couldn't resist." Emma said, smiling before grabbing the plastic bag. She ran up to her room and placed the bag in her closet, before hearing a knock on her door.
Turning around she was met with her mom. "Hey Emma, have you eaten lunch yet?"
Emma looked at her watch and was shocked to see that it was 2:45 in the afternoon. "Oh, I guess I skipped it."
"No problem, your father and I wanted to have an early dinner, so we could go for a drive and look at Christmas lights, do you want to join us?" her mother asked, hopeful.
"I would love to! I just have to do some work real quick, just let me know when dinner is ready." Emma said, sitting down at her desk, pulling out her laptop.
A little over 2 hours later, Emma was helping her mom clean up after their dinner, feeling exhausted. "Hey mom, how mad would you be if I passed on looking at Christmas lights?"
"I would be slightly disappointed, why is everything okay?" Her mother asked.
"Yeah, everything is fine, I am just exhausted, I am thinking of crashing early." Emma confessed.
Smiling, her mom nodded. "That's okay honey. Your father and I will find the best houses tonight and tomorrow we will all go out."
Emma laughed slighted at her mother's Christmas spirit. "Sounds like a plan."
Emma made it up to her room and put on her pajamas. She layed in bed drifting off to sleep. The last thing she heard was her two car doors closing, letting her know, her parents were leaving for a couple of hours.
Emma awoke in a bed of sweat, feeling a stabbing pain in her stomach. Emma could hardly move, but hoped a new position in bed would help her. When nothing seemed to work, Emma found herself in the fetal position, crying, fearing something was wrong with her baby.
"MOM!" Emma was able to call out, hoping they were home. When no one answered, Emma began to panic, and forced herself to sit up in bed and turn her light on. When her light turned on, that's when she noticed the blood. Emma felt another sharp pain ram through her, and she cried out in pain.
Emma's door opened and she saw both of her parents running to her. Her vision soon became blurry before going black.
Later that day, Emma and her parents walked back into their house, and heavy weight surrounded them. Without saying a word, Emma went up to her room and opened her closet door, searching for the plastic bag. When she found it, she pulled out what was inside it. A newborn Onsie that read: Mommy loves me"
Holding it close to her chest, Emma began to rock back and forth whispering, "I'm so sorry."