"Will you stop tossing and turning?" Gold, who once again was awakened by Regina's movements, pulled his wife close to him and looked at his watch. "It's one at night and you're still awake. Are you okay?"

"I'm okay." She turned to him, settling on his shoulder. "I just can't lie comfortably."

"You know, I don't like this." he reached for the phone. "I think it's worth calling Medisson."

"What for?" The Queen raised her head.

"Doesn't it bother you that you had been sleeping well before but tonight I wake up for the third time from your endless rotations?" He kissed her temple with ease.

"If I disturb you, I can go sleep in the guest bedroom." the Queen shrugged.

"You're not bothering me at all, let's just find out what is happening." He finally found the number he needed.

"Really?", the Queen asked while raising an eyebrow. "Are we calling her in the middle of the night simply because I have insomnia?"

"Yes." He pressed the call button.

Twenty minutes later, a slightly disheveled Dr. Medisson was already sitting at the edge of Gold's bed.

"I was against it.", the Queen smiled at her, "But my husband, who is such a greater specialist in my pregnancy than me, thinks that I'm in labor."

"It's quite possible." she nodded, putting on her gloves. "If you allow me, I will examine you now. Please, take a deep breath ... yeah ... excellent ... ". She looked to the side as she was examining the Queen attentively and she was palpitating. "Inhale again ... yeah. Well, what can I say, your husband is right. The cervix is soft and we already have almost a centimeter of dilation. You really are in labor."

"What, right now?" Regina asked confused.

"What surprises you so much?" Medisson smiled. "As far as I remember, the expected date of birth was the day before yesterday. So everything is going according to plan. Another 9 or 10 hours and you will see your daughter."

"But how is this possible?" The Queen lifted on her elbows. "Shouldn't I have contractions? There is none of them."

"You just don't feel them yet." The doctor listened to the baby's heartbeat. "Rather, you feel them but don't understand what they are. Therefore, you can't fall asleep. It happens."

"I don't know ... I imagined all this in a completely different way.", the Queen said perplexed, sitting down on the bed.

"Don't worry." The doctor took her hand. "You are fine."

"Yes, I like how everything goes so far." Regina nodded. "And what, am I going to the clinic right away?"

"As you wish.", Medisson answered. "You can go to the clinic right away. Or you can come to us in the morning. It all depends on where you feel more calm and relaxed to stay at. If you want, I can give you a sleeping pill so you can get some sleep."

"No." Gold took his phone from his pocket and almost dropped it. "I'll call the nanny and we are going to the clinic."

"Really?" Regina looked at her husband. "But I would like to sleep, if that's possible."

"You'll sleep at the clinic.", he answered.

"At home, I will be sleeping with you.", the Queen smiled.

"Don't play dumb!" Gold grimaced. "Regina, you are giving birth, you should be under the doctors' supervision. What if something goes wrong? If something happens to you?"

"In the first stage of labor, this is very unlikely.", Medisson remarked.

"You know, dearie, what am I hearing here? I'm hearing the word "likely". Gold said sharply to her. "So you should go to the clinic already and do something useful there."

"Perhaps I will do just so." The doctor smiled, hastening to slip out the door.

"What's the matter with you?" The Queen touched his hand.

"What's the matter with me?" He dialed the number of the nanny.

"It seems that maybe I should panic and get nervous as well." the Queen smiled.

"I'm not nervous at all." He leaned over and kissed his wife. "Will she ever pick up the phone or not?..."

"Yes, you aren't nervous at all.", the Queen nodded, heading to the bathroom.

"I can't take it anymore." Dr. Medisson stepped out of the room and leaned on the counter in the corridor. "What time is it?"

"Almost five.", the nurse answered.

"I need Stern.", she sighed. "Well, why was it impossible to start giving birth in the morning, or afternoon, or evening -any time he is here?"

"He is here." the nurse answered.

"Really?", Medisson rejoiced.

"Yes." the nurse nodded. "He had an emergency operation, but he's already finished, so if he hasn't left yet…"

"Shshsh" she put a finger on her lips while pressing the phone to her ear. "David? Are you still in the clinic? Can you come meet me at the obstetric ward?"

"It depends, Katherine." Stern said wearily. "If you need me as an orthopedist then I'm already running, but as a head doctor I'm off, my working day starts at nine in the morning."

"You'll never guess." She smiled, realizing that he is still on. "I need you as a friend of Gold."

"Really?" ,Stern exclaimed. "Regina's giving birth?"

"I don't know." Medisson sighed. "I still haven't figured out which one of them is indeed."

"Well, an eventful and interesting night awaits you." Stern grinned. "Morning ... midday ... evening ..."

"There is no need for such gloomy predictions.", Medisson grimaced.

"How long has Regina been here?", the doctor asked.

"Three hours", she answered.

"And you're still alive?", Stern was surprised. "Then your chances of surviving further are pretty high."

"Are you coming or not?" Madisson asked irritably.

"Well, I'm technically here already.", a voice came behind her.

"God, David!" She jumped away from him. "You can't sneak up like that! I'm already scared."

"Don't be scared." He put a hand on her shoulder. "But it is better to write a will now."

"I see, you're having a lot of fun, aren't you?" Medisson squinted at him.

"Tell me everything." He also leaned on the counter and began to look closely at the window leading to the desired room.

"I examined her at home at one a.m." Medisson began. "We had a centimeter of dilation and completely painless contractions. I left after advising her to sleep a little and then come to us, then the waters flowed off from Regina and the dilation stopped. Now we have two centimeters and, as you know, extremely painful dry contractions. Guess who is now the clumsy idiot there is no use of."

"The answer is obvious." David smiled. "Come on, show me how sharp your nails are!"

"Very funny!", Medisson said. "We all want anesthesia but we are waiting for the cervix to smooth out. Since labor isn't going that well."

"Do it now along with oxytocin", Stern suggested.

"It's a great idea." Medisson agreed. "And after we have full dystocia, you will explain to Gold yourself why his child needs to be under the supervision of a neurologist for several years and Regina's cervix is completely ripped apart, right?"

"And why would there be dystocia?" Stern shrugged. "On the contrary, everything will be better with oxytocin and anesthesia."

"Oh, I'm sorry Dr. Stern, I forgot to congratulate you on receiving an additional certificate in the field of obstetrics." She bowed slightly.

"I've had an internship practice." Stern smiled.

"That's what we need." Medisson nodded. "The first birth in 37 years is just what an intern can cope with. I believe in you, Dr. Stern!" She patted him on the shoulder.

"And who says that? The clumsy idiot there is no use of?" Stern laughed. "Okay, don't worry" he hugged her a little "he doesn't really think so."

"He probably doesn't think so", she agreed, "but he is stressed out and he needs to get all this out to someone. But there is no one besides me and Regina."

"Maybe it would smooth things out if we somehow removed him from there?", he suggested. "He probably makes Regina nervous as well."

"I would watch with interest how you would have gone about it", Katherine grinned, "but he doesn't make Regina nervous. He calms her down, he entertains her, he breathes along with her. There's a lot of benefit from having him there."

"Okay, I understand everything." He looked thoughtfully at the ward window. "Tell me, Katherine. Do you like how Gold looks like?"

"In terms of?" She looked confused at Stern.

"I mean, how long has he had such an interesting complexion?", he specified.

"Well ... I don't know ..." she, following Stern, looked at the ward window.

"Well, of course, we are obstetricians, we are not interested in faces, especially the husbands'" Stern nodded.

"Oh come on, I try not to look at him at all unnecessarily" Katherine dismissed, "so as not to turn his attention to myself once again."

"I understand. Okay, I'm going in there and you, since you're still a useless idiot, please go to the pharmacist and bring me two syringes: one with reserpine, one with magnesium.", Stern asked.

"Well, look who showed up!" Stern entered the room. "Hi." He nodded to Gold. "Regina, how are you?"

"Awful.", the Queen answered quietly, "it seems to me I have already changed my mind about giving birth."

"You're not alone." Stern smiled at her. "My mother refused to give birth at all. She demanded that she'd be discharged immediately and sent home. But, as you can see, I'm here."

"God…", the Queen breathed, nuzzling her pillow.

"Shshsh" Gold carefully lifted her by the shoulders, clutching her and swaying a little: "I'm here, it's fine, breathe."

"Regina, don't hold your breath." Stern said worriedly. "You shut off oxygen to her, you hear the monitor ..."

"Can you shut up?!" Gold asked irritably.

He fell silent, stepping back a step.

"Come on, baby." His voice instantly changed. "Slowly, along with me.", he whispered, stretching the words. Continuing to hold her with one hand, he slowly stroked her hair, resting his forehead on her forehead. "Everything is already over." he whispered affectionately to Regina. "It is already passing ... Let's inhale again ... There you are, well done ... You are my bunny ... You are my kitten ... You are a smart one ... That's it ... Everything is already passing ... Already passed ..."

"Give me some water.", the Queen whispered a little hoarsely.

He took water from a bottle in his mouth and kissed his wife.

"Some more?"

"No." She closed her eyes, stretching herself out on the bed.

"Relax." He carefully removed a strand of hair from her face. "Do you really think you're the first to notice and say that? And that we are not aware of our problems ourselves?" He asked Stern calmly.

"Probably not the first.", he answered. 'Listen, have you tried changing something? Walk, stand in the shower…", he turned to Regina.

"And he still considers himself the discoverer, right?" Regina said without opening her eyes.

"It's starting to annoy me." Gold nodded.

"Sorry, it turns out automatically.", muttered Stern.

"Control your impulses better, Dr. Stern." Gold smiled. "And state already the purpose of your visit. Obviously, you did not just happen to pass by at five in the morning by accident."

"Well, not by accident.", he smiled back. "Firstly, Katherine complains about you, saying that you intimidated her so much she will soon start having chronic tremor and enuresis but I cannot allow this: she is my best obstetrician, as you know. Secondly, I need to fix you up a little. I don't really like the way you look."

"Well, I didn't plan to please you." Gold shrugged. "Actually, I'm a married man, so whatever you think of yourself there, forget it."

"You know, I don't like the way you look either.", the Queen entered the conversation. "Now, when David said it, I looked at you carefully and you don't look very well."

"Well, now this is a problem." He stroked her hand.

"How are we doing?" Medisson entered the room.

"The same.", Gold answered her. "You see", he turned to Stern, "your best obstetrician believes that anesthesia with such a small dilation will not only harm the mother but also the baby. Obviously the fact that Regina can't breathe because of the pain is really beneficial for both of them!" (It has exactly the same meaning as the phrase you suggested but if you want me to write the other one just let me know)

"I already understood the essence of your conflict." Stern nodded. "But, with all the love I have for you, I am on Katherine's side here because she can substantiate her point of view. Did you bring it?", he asked Medisson.

"Of course." She gave him two syringes.

"Sit down." he turned to Gold, taking a tonometer from the nightstand.

"I thought you had determined it by eye." Gold grinned, rolling up the sleeve of his shirt.

"I determined it by eye." Stern nodded. "The question is how accurately. I don't know about you but I'm interested to find out."

"Well how accurately then?" Gold inquired when the tonometer was beeping.

"Enough." Stern silently showed him the numbers. "And you don't feel anything?"

"No." Gold shook his head. "I have enough of Regina's sensations."

"Come on, give me your shoulder." Stern tapped the syringe, driving the air out of it.

"Everything is ready for us." Medisson said who was once again examining the Queen during that time. "I'll send for an anesthesiologist right now."

"Well, you'll see, now everything will be much simpler." Stern injected him twice.

"I hope so." Gold grimaced, rubbing his shoulder.

"That's it, my dear." Stern went to Regina, "All the bad things have ended. Come on, sit up." He held out his hand to the Queen.

"Are you kidding me?" Regina smiled sourly. "I can't even raise my head."

"I will help you." He took her hand. "Come on, lower your legs. Hold her." he nodded to Gold, setting the Queen up.

"Here it is, again." The Queen laid her head on the hand of her husband, who held her tightly by the shoulders.

"Breathe, baby, it'll be over soon.", he lightly kissed her temple. "Just a couple of minutes."

"Hello." A man with a plastic suitcase entered the room. "I ..."

"You are our anesthesiologist, blah blah ..." Stern interrupted. "Come on, set it up."

"Signatures?" He handed Stern the papers about informed consent.

"Everything will be signed." The head physician assured him.

"It will hurt a little.", the doctor warned the Queen, pulling out a needle and a catheter.

"Oh really?" She laughed. "Who would have thought."

"Now bend your back slightly towards me and do not move." After having injected novocaine, he quickly inserted a catheter needle between the vertebrae, secured it and introduced the first dose of anesthetic.

"Good Lord." The Queen straightened up a minute later.

"I will come back when it will be necessary to repeat." The anesthesiologist exited the room.

"I hope so." She lay down again. "And so now it will be like that until the end?", she asked Medisson.

"Not really." she answered. "When we're closer to a full dilation, about three centimeters, we'll stop adding anesthetic in order to make you feel the bearing pains, otherwise there may be problems."

"There will be anyway.", the Queen said barely audibly. "How far away are we from Storybrooke?" She asked her husband when they were alone.

"Six hours." Gold answered automatically.

"Let's go!" The Queen squeezed his hand. "I need magic! I can't give birth to her myself!"

"No." He pulled her hand to him and kissed it. "We don't know what will happen. What if she just disappears when we cross the city border?"

"Let's take a chance." Regina whispered. "I can't take this pain anymore. I can't give birth to her."

"Well, of course you can." he leaned towards his wife and pulled her over her shoulders. "You have already covered most of the way, there are very few things left."

"I really need magic." Regina repeated.

"And we really know that is impossible." He kissed his wife. "Everything will be fine, baby, we will give birth to her without any magic."

"How are you feeling?" The Queen suddenly asked.

"Excellent." He kissed her again.

"Come here." She moved slightly, making room in the bed. "Lie with me."

Gold lay down next to her and she settled in his arms.

"I needed to have done this a long time ago." She arched her back a bit, snuggling closer to him.

"Rumple!"

It was less than an hour after they had both fallen asleep.

"Rumple!" She pushed her husband again.

"What happened?" Gold asked sleepily.

"Find Medisson, right now.", the Queen replied quickly. "I think I'm already in labor."

"It cannot be." he muttered, falling into sleep again. "There were just only three centimeters there."

"Seriously, Rumple, wake up.", she told her husband. "I can already feel her head."

"Okay, I'm not sleeping." He slowly sat up, still not opening his eyes. "What, you mean, the head? Already? Where?" He jumped to his feet.

"Good morning." The Queen smiled nervously.

A minute later, Medisson was already examining her.

"That's right." she nodded. "We have full dilation. Let's try pushing, right here, into my hand. Yeah, here it is the head. Let's breathe for a couple more contractions and then give birth. Karen!", she shouted into the corridor. "Call me a neonatologist. And Stern."

"But I feel almost nothing.", the Queen said, bewildered.

"What can we do, we will focus on CTG." she focused on the monitor. "Right now we have very good contractions. Do you feel anything?"

"No.", Regina answered uncertainly.

"But you feel her head?", she asked.

"Yes, just like your hand.", the Queen confirmed.

"Well, that's good! At least you feel the touch." Medisson nodded.

"What is going on here?" Stern entered the room.

"She'll be born here any minute ... Who?" The doctor looked at the Queen.

"Charlotte.", she smiled.

"Charlotte.", she repeated. "You asked me to call you."

"That was fast." Stern went to Gold, who was standing next to his wife. "How are you feeling? Are you all right?"

"You know, a polite person would ask me this question.", Regina laughed.

"Why ask you?" Stern dismissed. "Your anesthesia has not worn out yet, you feel great. This is a dad who's nervous."

"Who? ME?" Gold turned to him. "I'm not nervous at all."

"He's not nervous at all." Regina added. "Never!"

"So, Regina…" Madison sat on a stool, opposite her. "Now we have very good contractions. When I say so, take a deep breath and push it right here, into my hand, okay? .. Let's do it! .. No, not enough! .. Let's do it again! .. Once again! .. Come on, come on, come on- come on! .. No, you're not trying at all ... Let's do it again! .. Inhale! .. More! .. Clever girl! The head is already there! Let's do it once more and that's all! .. Wait ... Now! .. Let's go! .. No, it won't work, she goes back to you. Hold the air. Longer! .. Come on! Right now! More, more, more, more ... Here she is!" She lifted up the baby, who instantly squealed. "Well, what a nice, polite girl we have here." Katherine smiled. "She just came to the world and greeted everyone immediately." She handed the child to the neonatologist.

"Are you okay?" Stern supported the staggering Gold.

"Completely." he answered, looking fascinated at the girl. "Let me hold Charlotte."

"They will give her back soon." Stern assured him. "Now kiss Regina."

"Who?" Gold asked without turning around.

"Yes of course!", the Queen laughed. "As if he needs me now! He already has his beloved girl."

"How is it possible to not need you? You are our mother." Gold leaned towards her and kissed her gently for a long time. "We will always need you."

"Hold her, mother." the neonatologist quickly gave the baby to Regina, having finished the necessary treatments quickly.

"Hello Princess!" The Queen smiled, clutching her daughter to her chest. "She's so tiny.", she turned to her husband. "I think Gideon was bigger."

"Well, she's a girl." He stroked the baby on the cheek with the back of his fingers. "She is graceful. Look at her fingers." He took his daughter's hand, carefully straightening her long, thin fingers. "Have you ever seen fingers like these?" The baby squeezed his finger. "Look how tenacious you are!" He carefully kissed the little palm.

"She's amazing." The Queen reached out to her husband and kissed him. "She looks like you."

"You think so?" He pressed his cheek to her shoulder.

"Oh, well, don't flirt." Stern lightly patted his shoulder. "Even I can see it. She is your exact copy, absolutely her dad's girl."

"Can you imagine how unfair life is?", the Queen smiled at him. "I was so tormented and she looks like I didn't participate at all in all this, only the dad."

"And what, you still don't like the way I look?", Gold asked.

"I like it.", the Queen laughed. "I like you both."

"That's better." Gold nodded. "And give me Charlotte a bit. You held her enough for now; I want to hold her too. This is my girl!"

The postpartum ward looked more like a hotel room: a double bed, a wardrobe, a desk. The only things distinguishing it from the hotel room were a cradle and a changing table. Despite the fact that the sun was shining bright on the streets, the heavy blackout curtains on the windows created the necessary twilight. The Queen was feeding her daughter. Gold, lying nearby, pressed on his wife with her back turned to him.

"I have never felt so good." He looked at his daughter, resting his head on Regina's shoulder.

"Truly?" She reached for a kiss.

"Yes." he kissed his wife. "Listen, I already forgot how skinny you are." He ran a hand along her ribs, down her stomach, to the protruding bones of the pelvis. "It feels unusual."

"We can get some more kids to make everything familiar again.", the Queen grinned.

"Really?" He buried his nose in her neck, drawing in her scent. "That's is an interesting suggestion." Gold held his wife tighter.

"Dad, don't shake the feeder, you disorient us." the Queen stroked her daughter's chin so that she would start sucking again. "We need to call home. Gideon has probably already decided we have abandoned him. And Regina. We need to tell her to come. She will be pleased to be the first one to see her niece."

"Yes..." Gold yawned. "Sure." In the evening. Or tomorrow. We'll see. For now we'll sleep, have breakfast, sleep again, squeeze Charlotte, sleep a little more, then sleep even more ..."

"Good plan.", Regina agreed. "It seems like Charlotte has already fallen asleep. So we can as well."

"I love you." He kissed her neck and buried his nose in her hair. "Both of you."

"Me too.", the Queen replied.