In the week after Robin's unpleasant appearance at the restaurant, Emma could feel that Regina was on her guard. She hadn't seen Robin at the restaurant after that day, but she had seen a red car holding parked near the restaurant, and she was willing to bet her flamenco dress that it was Marian who was watching her. Emma had growled and cursed loudly, but there wasn't exactly anything either women could do about it. It wasn't illegal to hold parked near a restaurant. Marian hadn't done anything besides making Regina uncomfortable. Obviously, that was more than enough, but it still wasn't illegal. Unfortunately. Emma was seething with anger every time Regina told her that she had seen that red car again. It reached a point where Regina gave wavering answers instead of saying yes or no when Emma asked because she didn't want to make Emma upset.
But Emma WAS upset! Damn right she was! She felt so tempted to fly to Spain and smack some sense into Marian. When she told Regina that, the younger woman laughed and called Emma "Mi caballero de brillante armadura," something that could be translated to: 'my knight in shining armor'. Emma wasn't so sure she was that, but she was definitely prepared to go to Spain and give Marian a piece of her mind if things escalated.
But as the week progressed, some good things also happened: Regina's father found a replacement for Paula and hired a new waitress. Which meant that Regina could stop working at the restaurant. She was very relieved about that. Not that she didn't like working at the restaurant, she actually quite enjoyed it, but she was getting bigger. She was eleven weeks along, and it was getting more and more difficult to hide "the bump". Both she and Emma was relieved when Regina's last day working in Toledo rolled around, and she could drive back home to Madrid. Her father had been grateful and given her "a massive hug" as Regina put it, and she afterwards told Emma that she had been terrified that he would feel "something" while hugging her. He hadn't though, and Regina had been able to drive home. But unfortunately, she hadn't been able to relax much. The day after, she had a meeting with Alessandra and Sofía, the women who were gonna adopt the baby. A bit of a formal meeting where they had discussed everything. Another thing Emma was missing out on, but she found comfort in knowing that it wouldn't be long before she and Regina would be together again.
Alessandra and Sofía were very nice women. Regina had said so. Alessandra was thirty two and working as a lawyer, and Sofía was twenty nine and a preschool teacher. The couple had come of as extremely sympathetic and genuine right away, and according to Regina, the two women had everything. Except for a baby. Which was something they had been yearning for in years. They had been through several failed IVF treatments and with each failure, both women had felt more and more distraught. The IVF treatments had been rough, and, in the end, they had decided on adopting instead. They had been on the waiting list for two years until Regina picked them.
Regina was happy about her decision, which meant that so was Emma. Alessandra and Sofía sounded like wonderful people. "Parents-material" as Regina had put it. And Emma had to bite her tongue not to say that age and so-called steady jobs didn't necessarily mean parents-material. But either way, Regina was happy. And that was the only thing Emma was interested in seeing, so obviously, she shared Regina's happiness. And it was obvious that Regina was relieved over having a plan for the future. Finding parents to the baby had been the most important thing right from the start, and now that she had found those parents, she could kick back and relax a little bit. Emma applauded that decision and hoped that Regina actually would relax and not just tell her that she would. Regina was terrible when it came to relaxing. She liked being on her feet. She liked being busy and hated the fact that she was so "fucking tired all the time". She had joked that she was just waiting for the second trimester. According to all the information she could find on the subject, your energy was supposed to get a boost during the second trimester. And your libido. She had groaned and complained when telling Emma that her sex drive was basically non existent right now, and she had said that she feared that her visit would be "a very boring one". Emma had huffed and made Regina aware that sex definitely not was the most important thing here and the visit definitely would not be a boring one. Regina had looked properly chastened. And a bit misty eyed. Which she immediately blamed on the hormones. And Emma blamed herself for having made Regina cry.
Right now, both of them were basically just waiting for week twelve to roll around. Regina had one more ultrasound. Just to make sure that everything was okay, and she was good to get into an airplane. She had also been feeling a bit dizzy, so Doctor Rivera had promised to test her blood pressure. Just to make sure that everything was okay. Emma hadn't told Regina, but she was a little bit worried. Of course she was. She couldn't help it. It was probably silly. Feeling dizzy when you were pregnant was completely normal. She had read that on several websites. But she couldn't help to feel worried. Worrying about Regina was turning into a bit of a sport for her, and she was counting the days until she could finally wrap her arms around Regina again. Of course there would be the business of actually letting her go again at some point, but that was something Emma was willing to forget about for now. She preferred focusing on the fact that Regina would be coming to Storybrooke soon. She would come to meet her parents and her friends. And everyone was excited. Not just Emma.
At last the day for Regina's doctor's appointment came, and Emma woke up with a belly full of butterflies. Well, obviously, not really, but it certainly felt like it. Regina's appointment was at one o'clock. Which meant that it would be sometimes after Emma had had breakfast. Emma wasn't quite sure how she was supposed to pas the time until Regina was done at the doctor's, and she comforted herself with the knowledge that Regina would call her as soon as she was done at the doctor's. At least that was what she somewhat airily had promised Emma.
But Emma was still anxious. She barely ate anything during breakfast, and obviously, her mother noticed that.
"You're not eating anything, honey," she pointed out.
"I know," Emma sighed. "Regina's having her second ultrasound today. I just hope that everything is okay."
"I'm sure it will be," her mother soothed. "And you have to eat something."
Emma dutifully took a bite of her toast, but it didn't really taste of anything. And she couldn't concentrate. She was way more focused at glancing at the clock and listening to the tick-tick-tick-tick. Her biggest concern was that there was something wrong with Regina's blood pressure. Something serious. And something that could mean Regina wouldn't be allowed to travel. Oh fuck, that would be awful! But if that really was the case, Emma would simply come to Madrid to look after Regina. No question about it. Regina would need taking care of. And of course Emma would be the person to take care of Regina. She took another sip of her coffee, which was basically the only thing that kept her going this morning. She had slept terribly last night because of the anxiety. She was relieved that she didn't have any photo jobs today. She had the whole day free to worry. And wait for Regina. She chuckled dryly to herself. God, she was a right mess when it came to that woman! But in some fashion, it was actually kind of nice to be so hyped up over someone. She hadn't been this hyped up over Neal. Not even when they were engaged. She supposed she had been more in love with the idea of getting married than she had been in love with him. In some weird way, one could say that he had done her a favor when he had shown his true colors and cheated on her. If he hadn't, Emma never would have gone to Madrid on her own. And she never would have met Regina. Fate. Such a funny size sometimes. Emma chuckled again and choked slightly on a mouthful of coffee.
"Are you alright?" her father asked and raised an eyebrow slightly.
"I'm fine," Emma croaked. "Wrong tube."
"Oh." Now he was the one to chuckle, and Emma took a smaller sip of her coffee. This time, she didn't choke. But she nearly managed to spill it onto the table instead of inside her mouth. Because she was busy looking at the clock again and silently counting the minutes until she would hear from Regina.
A little while later found Emma sitting cross legged on her bed. She had showered, dressed and done her hair and makeup for no purpose except for doing something else than looking at the clock. Now she was pretending to do some work on her computer. But actually she was just staring blankly at the screen and listening to the quiet tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-tock. God, this was unbearable! Hellish. Maybe she should have said yes to Ruby's offer about coming to Granny's and hang out until she heard something from Regina. Emma considered it for a moment. She hadn't exactly done much work since sitting down in front of her laptop, and what was the purpose of moping around here? Wasn't it better to do something sensible with her time?
Yes, it was. She pushed herself up and winced slightly at the way her legs had fallen asleep. She used a moment to "wake them up" and then she put on her shoes and grabbed her jacket and left the house. She needed air.
And she got it. It was quite the crispy morning here in Storybrooke. It rarely ever got really warm here. Emma looked around as she walked down the street. Her quiet little hometown where nothing much ever happened. The quintessential suburban. Growing up here had been wonderful. The perfect place for a kid. Emma could still remember the "culture shock" she had gotten when she had left to go to college in Boston at seventeen years old. It had been quite the change, but it had actually been pretty wonderful too. Emma quelled a little sigh. She currently had a secret. And not just a tiny one, but actually a pretty huge one. One that would shock her parents and friends. There was a reason why she had been so hesitant to find a new place here in Storybrooke. Because maybe she didn't want a new place in Storybrooke. Maybe she wanted a new place somewhere else. Maybe she was ready for something new. A new city, a new start. She couldn't quite pinpoint when she had started to feel that way. The feeling had just sort of snuck up on her. She was longing for a change. New horizons. A little apartment somewhere. If she rented something cheap, she could afford to rent a studio too. But how was she supposed to tell that to her friends and family? She could totally imagine the look on her mother's face if she announced that she was considering to leave Storybrooke. She would be devastated. And so would her friends.
Emma sighed a bit. This was a difficult dilemma. One that she didn't have any answers to yet. She hadn't even told Regina about her musings yet. But she didn't doubt that Regina would understand it when she did. Of course she would. Regina always understood Emma's thoughts. No matter how crazy they were. Emma chuckled a bit to herself as she headed towards one of those cute gazebos where one could sit unbothered. It was curtsy of her mom, the mayor, that those gazebos had been "planted" here and there in Storybrooke, and right now, Emma had never been more grateful for it. It wasn't exactly warm and cozy, but it was okay for a little while. She settled down and considered her "next move". She was still jittery. The walk hadn't helped enormously. Maybe she should head to the gym and burn off some calories. She snickered to herself again. Or maybe she could swing by Granny's Diner for a quick cup of cocoa. Just to get warmed up. She rubbed her hands slightly. Man, it was cold! She hoped that Regina had packed lots of warm clothes.
Emma nearly jumped when her phone went off in her pocket. She quickly fished it out and frowned when she saw that it was a facetime call from Regina. Huh. This didn't make sense. Regina was at the doctor's right now. Not exactly the ideal place to facetime. Unless something was wrong. Oh god, something was wrong! That was why Regina called her. Something was horribly wrong with either the baby or her blood pressure and she wasn't allowed to travel because of it! Oh fuck, Emma never should have left- okay, breathe. Emma scolded herself and tried to stay calm while fishing her headphones out and connecting them with the phone. Maybe she was in a gazebo, but she was still out in the open, and if Regina had bad news, Emma didn't want anyone else to listen in. She popped the earbuds inside her ears and then swiped to accept the facetime call.
Regina's beautiful face appeared on the phone screen, and the first thing Emma picked up on, was the fact that Regina definitely did not look worried. And the second thing was that Regina definitely was in Doctor Ramirez' consultation room. Emma could recognize the wallpaper and the hospital cot Regina was sitting on. What was going on? Why was Regina facetiming her from Doctor Ramirez' consultation room? This didn't make a wink of sense.
"Hey," Emma said slightly surprised.
Maybe the surprise made her sound uninterested, because Regina jutted out her bottom lip and only sounded like she was partially joking when she said: "not happy to see me?"
"I'm always happy to see you!" Emma said immediately. "I was just surprised."
"Oh," Regina chuckled and squinted slightly. "Where are you right now? It looks very pretty."
"I'm sitting in a pergola," Emma told her with a smile.
"Oh. It looks very nice. You must take me there."
"I will," Emma assured and definitely couldn't wait any longer when she said: "and I can see that you're at the doctor's. What's... What's going on?"
"Nothing," Regina said with a smile.
"Then why the facetime call? Is something wrong with you? Or with Blueberry?"
"Not to my knowledge," Regina said softly. "I've already been through the initial examination, and everything looks fine, but I know you've been worried, querida. And upset that you can't be here for the ultrasound. So I asked Doctor Ramirez if I could facetime you while she performs the ultrasound. And she said yes."
"Oh my god," Emma's jaw dropped. "Are you serious?!"
"Sí," Regina smiled. "I know it's not quite the same as being here in person, but it's better than nothing, right?"
"It's AWESOME!" Emma loudly exclaimed. "Oh my god, I can't believe you actually arranged this!"
"I didn't," Regina chuckled slightly. "I just asked my doctor a question. And she just so happened to say yes. Now you can be here for the ultrasound and while I get my blood pressure checked out."
"This is so awesome," Emma said simply. She was smiling so widely her cheeks actually hurt a bit.
"I know," Regina snickered. "Oops. Looks like we're ready to get cracking." Meaning that Emma heard the door open and heard Doctor Rivera's voice as she greeted: "hola Regina."
"Hola," Regina said and smiled.
"Hola, Emma," the doctor continued. "I'm happy to have you here with us today."
"Hi, Doctor Rivera," Emma half-chuckled. Seriously, this was so awesome. She could be present for Regina's ultrasound scan even though she was actually far away. Doctor Rivera was one very cool doctor! And Regina was very inventive indeed.
"Are you ready for the ultrasound?" Doctor Rivera asked.
"I am," Regina confirmed.
"Excellent. Should we wait for the parents?" the doctor asked professionally.
"No, it's just me and Emma today. Alessandra and Sofía couldn't be here," Regina replied. "They were very upset that they couldn't make it today, but they'll be here the next time."
"Very well. Then we'll just get started," Doctor Rivera said, and Emma heard her potter around with something off screen.
"Sí," Regina replied and turned her attention to Emma. "Are you excited, querida?"
"I am," Emma said with a slight smile. "Are you?"
"I am actually," Regina nodded. "It's gonna be interesting to see how much it has grown since the last time."
"It will indeed," Emma said. "I'm so happy you thought of this, honey."
"I am good at getting brilliant ideas," Regina chuckled and sounded very satisfied with herself. She shifted a bit on the hospital cot she was lying on. "This is exceptionally comfortable."
"I'll buy one for you," Emma joked.
Regina laughed. "No, you won't."
"Won't I?" Emma teased.
Regina's response to that was lost when Doctor Rivera announced: "we're ready to go, Regina. If you just lift your shirt just a little."
"Alright," Regina said and flashed Emma a quick smile. "Putting you down for two seconds, querida."
"Okay," Emma chuckled. There was some rustling, and the blackness filled her screen. But she could hear Regina and the doctor talk in Spanish, and it didn't take long before Regina's face came into view again. "There we go. Sorry about that."
"No problem. Have you been gelled up already?" Emma joked.
"No, Doctor Rivera is putting on the gel right no-ooow," the word came out like a little shriek and Regina scrunched up her nose. "Dios mio, that's cold!"
Emma couldn't help but laugh a little at the look on Regina's face.
"Alright, here we go," Doctor Rivera said off screen, and in response Regina said something in Spanish. Doctor Rivera answered with a 'si' in response.
"I'm gonna flip the screen now so you can see what's going on," Regina announced.
"Oh, cool!" it bursted out of Emma, and she heard Regina chuckle. The screen was flipped, and Emma could suddenly see Regina's belly. She had to hold back a little gasp, because even though Regina was lying down right now, there definitely was a bump. An actual bump. A visible evidence of the baby. Emma had to swallow something.
"Okay, that's enough of my belly," Regina said dryly. The image wobbled a bit as she raised the phone so Emma could see the screen. "Can you even see anything?" she asked doubtfully.
"Uhm, yeah, absolutely!" Emma said. The difference between the first ultrasound and this one was amazing. Blueberry wasn't just a glob on the screen anymore.
"There we have the head," Doctor Rivera told them as she lifted a finger and pointed to the screen.
"Can you see it, querida?" Regina asked softly.
"I... I sure can," Emma said and wondered why the heck her voice suddenly broke.
"And here we see the curve of baby's spine," Doctor Rivera continued as she drew a line on the screen. "And here-" she moved her finger slightly. "We have baby's feet. They're a bit hard to see, but they're there."
Both Regina and Emma chuckled.
"And here," the doctor continued. "We have the baby's nose. I don't know if you can see it..."
"I can see it," Emma confirmed. Yes, she could definitely see that tiny little nose there on the screen.
"And there's only one?" Regina asked. "One baby, I mean."
"There's only one," the doctor confirmed.
"Can we hear the heartbeat?" Emma asked excitedly.
Doctor Rivera chuckled. "Certainly. Let's just see if we can find it..."
The screen was tilted slightly, and Emma could see as Doctor Rivera moved the ultrasound wand around on Regina's stomach, and then after a moment...
Thump-thump-thump-thump
Emma smiled. She couldn't help it. Hearing that sound made her feel all sorts of things.
"Great," Regina said, and her voice sounded a bit business-like. Distant, almost. Emma wished she would turn the screen so she could see her face. But that was probably intentional on Regina's part. Maybe she wasn't looking at the screen. Maybe she was staring at nothing in particular like the last time. Emma's chest tightened, and she wished she could have been there to hold Regina's hand. She reminded herself that it wouldn't be long until she could do just that.
"Baby has a very good and strong heartbeat," Doctor Rivera said, interrupting Emma's train of thoughts.
Regina shifted the phone slightly so Emma could see the screen again. The grainy image of the baby on the screen. Emma couldn't believe how much it had changed since that first ultrasound. It actually looked like a baby now. A real baby. She swallowed something again when she saw the heart blinking on the screen.
"Baby is gaining weight and is doing perfectly well," the doctor said. "The heartbeat is good and strong. About 2.1 inches long and .49 ounces. All the important organs have developed, so now baby's main job is to grow bigger."
"Great," Regina said again. She still sounded business-like. Distant, like this wasn't actually happening to her. Like she was watching it happen a bit from above.
"Shall we check out the blood pressure now?" Doctor Rivera suggested.
"Good idea," Regina said and now she sounded more eager. She clearly had some difficulties with seeing the baby on the screen, and Emma immediately felt pretty bad for having suggested that second ultrasound. Maybe that wouldn't be required now. Emma had been there for the ultrasound now. Well, kind of, anyway.
Regina's stomach was wiped of the gel, and the image of her wobbled a bit as she shifted to sit up on the cot. Emma was there the whole time and could hear as the blood pressure cuff was positioned around her arm and then pumped up.
"Let's see if I'm as healthy as Blueberry," Regina joked.
"If the opposite is the case, I'll be coming to Madrid to help you," Emma said.
"Em-ma-"
"In a heartbeat," she continued as though Regina hadn't spoken at all. "It's not up for discussion at all."
Regina chuckled. "I don't have time to be unhealthy. I'm going to the airport. My suitcase is waiting for me in the car."
Emma chuckled too. She hoped that Regina would be given the all clear to travel.
"Regina, it is my great pleasure to tell you that your blood pressure is completely normal," Doctor Rivera's voice cut through their chatter.
Regina flashed Emma a beaming smile. "Looks like I'll be the one to come to you anyway, querida. I'm as healthy as a horse."
"Yes!" Emma said and even went as far as fist pumping the air. She could barely keep her grin at bay through Doctor Rivera's explanation about blood pressure and how normal it was to feel dizzy during first trimester.
"Eating snacks regularly will help," she said. "And something sweet in particular."
"I'll have to stock up on chocolate," Emma dopily interjected.
That made Regina chuckle. "Storybrooke, here I come."
"Storybrooke is ready for you," Emma grinned.
"Alright, I think you are pretty much all set," the doctor said. "If you have any questions, you are more than welcome to contact me."
"Thank you," Regina said softly.
"Goodbye now. Take care of yourself," Doctor Rivera continued, and a bit louder: "And goodbye, miss Swan."
"Goodbye, Doctor Rivera," Emma said. "Thank you for agreeing to this."
"But of course," the doctor said graciously. There was a bit of rustling and bustling that told Emma that Doctor Rivera had just left the consultation room.
"So, how are you feeling?" Emma asked softly. Now that they were "alone" she could finally ask Regina that.
"Alright, I guess," Regina said, shrugging as best as she could while holding the phone. "A bit strange."
"You wanna tell me about it?" Emma gently encouraged.
"Blueberry's grown a lot," Regina said simply.
"Yeah. Sure has," Emma agreed.
"I suppose that feels a little strange to know that there's something... growing." Regina wrinkled her nose slightly. "And I kept remembering Robin's son." She sighed. "For a moment I thought about who the baby will...look like. If it will look like his son and have the same curls and eyes and... I don't know," she shook her head. "Maybe I'm just being silly."
"Hey," Emma said gently. "You're not. Of course you're affected by it. Anyone would be."
"At least I didn't cry this time," Regina did her best to joke.
"It would have been completely fine if you did."
"I am extremely lucky," Regina said spontaneously.
"I am," Emma corrected with a smile.
Regina returned the smile and pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I better end this here so I can get out of here." She looked yearningly at Emma "But I'll text you before I'm boarding, okay?"
"Okay. I'll see you soon."
"You definitely will. Bye, querida. And go inside. Your lips are turning blue," Regina laughed. And then she cut the connection between them.
Emma grinned to herself. Rude. But somehow Regina still managed to make the gesture seem adorable. Obviously. Everything Regina did was adorable. That had already been established many, many times. She lifted a hand to touch her lips. Yeah, they were pretty cold. She doubted they were turning blue, but still. Better head inside. She got up from the little bench and left the pergola, feeling ten thousand percent lighter than when she came here. Regina was completely fine. So was Blueberry. And god, how Blueberry had grown since the last time! Not so much a Blueberry anymore. How big was it now? Emma frowned for a second as she tried to remember what she had read. The size of a... A... A plum. Yep. A plum. That was what she had read. The baby was the size of a plum. But somehow "plum" didn't sound quite as good as "Blueberry".
Emma shook her head slightly. It had been pretty incredible to see the baby on the screen. It had made it more real for her in some way. Of course, she knew that Regina was pregnant, but seeing something that didn't look like a glob just made it all the more... True. And that little curve on Regina's stomach. Which actually hadn't been as little. She definitely looked pregnant now. Like, actually pregnant. Wow.
Emma went home with her head full of thoughts. Now she was yearning to see Regina more than ever.
To Be Continued...
