Chapter 4

Regina critically examined her appearance in the full-length mirror in her bedroom. She refused to acknowledge her concern had to do with a certain blonde as well as the first time people would see her as mayor since... Well, returning from Storybrooke for starters, but also. She growled low in her throat as she smoothed her palms across her stomach. These were her last option. Several other ensembles had been previously selected and now lay haphazardly on the bed while she fretted about the way her slacks didn't lay correctly across her rear. Her favorite vest remained unbuttoned across her chest, making her feel less composed, less ... secure, because it didn't wouldn't smoothly lay over her adjusted bra. Her blouse was roomy, and she liked the way her hands looked beyond the cuffed full-length sleeves, not too puffy nor thin. She considered several necklaces, and briefly panicked when she closely examined a discolored spot against her throat that looked, she was sure to everyone, exactly like a hickey. But Emma hadn't... She sighed. Probably something to do with her hormones. She refused to show up to work unkempt, looking ravished, rather than ravishing. She couldn't bear to show weakness. A concealer stick pressed to the spot diminished the mark enough for her to finally move on.

She stepped outside the mansion to get into her car and drive to City Hall. Emma's bug was parked at the end of the driveway. The blonde leaning arms crossed against the passenger side.

"Time for your appointment," Emma said. "I got Whale to agree to meet us in the back."

"I'm on my way to the office."

"They know you'll be in after lunch. I already handled it." Emma stepped away from the car, pulled open the door and said cheerfully, "Get in."

Despite thinking, "You cancelled my appointments?" Regina found herself saying defensively, "I can drive myself." It felt like whiplash going from sharp anger to such a weak tone and she closed her eyes until the nausea and dizziness passed.

Regina heard a door close. Opening her eyes, she saw Emma put her hands on her hips, still standing by her yellow Beetle. Entranced again by Emma's figure, Regina watched the woman's fingers trace the stitch pattern on her jeans pockets for several seconds. "All right. We'll take the Benz."

Whiplash again. Surprise.

"No argument?" She briefly wished Emma would fight with her about this, but she also feared that the blonde would, or she would give up and leave her. Regina ground her teeth in frustration at her uncontrolled emotions and thoughts..

Her muscles tightened and her cheeks warmed when she realized Emma was walking toward her on the driveway. She inhaled. Emma's green eyes met hers. There was calm in the woman's expression, and her words, when spoken, sounded as serious as Regina had ever heard. "You asked me to not get in the way of things you can do. You're right. Driving should be fine as long as you can fit behind the wheel."

Regina's eyes watered. She cares. She swallowed down the traitorous lump in her throat and went with curt words to cover her rioting emotions. "Get in."

Emma's smile appeared, though tremulous. She walked around to the passenger side of the Benz. Once she had ducked down into the car, Regina groaned. What the hell am I doing?

Sitting down in the driver seat, Regina went through her pre-driving checklist. Assured everything was as it should be, she put her hand on the gear shift to put the car in reverse. Her fingers brushed Emma's resting on the center console. Before she could say anything Emma had withdrawn her hand. Aware of missing the warmth of Emma's touch, Regina turned to look out the back window.

Emma pointed Whale out to Regina coming around the hospital's Emergency entrance. He stood at the back door of the hospital with a nurse at his side when they pulled up to the loading curb. Regina asked, angry that her hand shook while she turned the car engine off. "What did you tell him?"

"I kept it simple. We want to confirm a pregnancy," Emma said. "I didn't say anything else. I figured you might want that 'need to know'."

Accepting Emma's words were honest, Regina stepped onto the curb and walked toward Victor. He smiled at her. She couldn't find it in her to smile in return. She straightened her shoulders, faking confidence and authority she didn't feel. Her heel caught on loose gravel. Emma's hand was at her elbow before she could fall.

"Madame Mayor," Victor greeted. "The Sheriff said there's something you need checked out?" Regina narrowed her brows at Victor, her lips tightening. "Let's just go inside, shall we?" He held the door. The nurse stepped aside.

Regina shook her elbow free of Emma's hand and stepped sharply across the threshold.

Inside the sterile white space, Regina's head swam under the fluorescent lighting. Victor's voice directed her, sounding distant behind the hum of her blood in her ears. "Turn left. The last exam room on the right."

She entered the room, staring at the examination bench, the visitor chairs, the cabinets, and sink with pump bottle soap dispenser. But it was a full bottle of white fluff labeled "cotton balls" that inexplicably jumped out at her. Victor retrieved gloves from a box on the wall.

"Is the Sheriff outside or in?" Victor asked.

Regina turned at the counter where she'd been staring at the cotton balls, fingers actually itching as though she could feel the cotton. "Oh? Um." Her gaze met Emma's across the distance. The green eyes searched hers. "Miss Swan may stay. If she wants to."

Emma stepped in and swiftly shut the door. She wiped her hands on her jeans and sat down in one of the two visitor chairs.

The nurse came up to Regina's side. "You'll want to sit here," she said, pointing to the exam bench. The woman's voice sounded kind and Regina briefly took measure of her: sandy-brown hair, brown eyes, round nose in a round face. She was shorter than Regina and thickly built. "Shoes off," the nurse said.

Regina complied, kicking her pumps toward Emma, who collected them. She tried not to think too hard about the loss of height. Now she was at eye level with the nurse. "What's your name?"

The nurse smiled. "Nurse Blayne." Then she took Regina's vest in hand. "If you get cold you can keep the blouse on your arms, but Dr. Whale will need to listen to your chest."

Dropping her blouse to her arms, Regina stepped up on the provided stool and sat down on the examination table. She set her hands to her knees, gripping slightly. Nurse Blayne asked for her wrist and Victor listened to her lungs through her back with his stethoscope. She followed the directions, "Breathe in, breathe out, deeper, slower," as best she could, but she could feel her palms begin to sweat. Regina sought Emma past the nurse's shoulder and immediately felt calmer when she found the other woman's green gaze.

"Your blood pressure is elevated," Nurse Blayne said as she wrote in a chart and passed it back to Dr. Whale. "But we'll get another reading later. Probably just nerves." Her words accompanied a pat on Regina's wrist that she found incredibly patronizing. She found Emma's gaze again and exhaled.

"Your lungs are clear. I can't hear any abnormalities," Victor reported. "So, let's get to why you're here. Emma says you want to confirm that you're pregnant?"

Regina nodded. "Yes."

"Lay back. Loosen the waist of your trousers." Dr. Whale's instructions were business-like, but Regina still felt a flutter as she complied. Her gaze left Emma's and she stared past Victor's head to the ceiling tiles.

He palpated her abdomen, the dry gloves irritating. Apparently trying to be conversational, he spoke again after humming about something he felt to the left of her belly button. "I was unaware you were seeing anyone."

"I'm not seeing anyone," Regina snapped. "We were rescuing Henry!" A chair clattered on its legs. Emma's face appeared at Regina's side. She exhaled.

"This rescue plan resulted in you becoming pregnant? Who's the father?"

Regina exhaled. "Emma." she finally said.

At the same time, Emma said, "Me."

"Oh," he said, looking between the two of them. "Magic."

"An accident," Regina said. Emma took a step back. Suddenly, Regina missed the warm touch of Emma's fingers. She hadn't even realized they'd been holding hands in the brief moment.

"Can you tell us that everything is, well," Emma said, again hands pulling back to stuff into her back pocket. "That Regina and the baby are both okay?"

"Well, there are tests to verify a pregnancy. I would presume for everything to proceed properly here in the normal world that you will present a lot of the same symptoms."

"Well, she definitely has the morning sickness and nausea," Emma said.

"That could always just be sour milk or bad food, Sheriff. We can be a little more scientific than that," Victor said. "I'll test your blood, Regina, for hCG. It's a hormone that all pregnant women produce." He stepped back. "Nurse," he said, and Nurse Blayne placed a syringe in his hand. With efficient movement, and minimal pain, Victor withdrew two vials of blood after puncturing the skin just below Regina's inner elbow. "I can check the other sample for several common conditions," he explained.

Nurse Blayne helped Regina sit up. "Thank you."

Victor looked at Emma who was looking away from the blood draw. "I'd love to know how you managed to magic up a baby when IVF isn't even 100 percent yet. You could make a bundle helping infertile couples conceive."

Emma turned back to Whale and Regina was mesmerized by the anger painting Emma's fair skin a blotchy red. There seemed to be a lot of words damming up in Emma's throat as she swallowed several times before simply stating, "No."

Victor seemed oblivious to the near-explosion narrowly avoided, shrugged, and taped up Regina's arm. "Okay." He turned to Regina. "If this confirms things, you'll need to schedule several scans and tests. We'll want to get you on a proper prenatal routine immediately."

Holding her forearm up against her chest, Regina nodded.

"We'll be right back." Victor waved Nurse Blayne out of the exam room, leaving Emma pacing and Regina still sitting on the exam table.

Regina hesitantly asked, "Emma?"

The blonde stopped pacing. "Yeah?"

"It was an accident," she said, realizing now what she had said had caused Emma's mood. "But the baby… she is not unwanted." She twisted her hands in her lap. "I… I'm sorry. Victor doesn't exactly bring out my best manners."

"Mine either." Emma sighed. "I'm sorry, too. I'm not the best person you could go through this with."

"You are the only person I could go through this with," Regina corrected. "Not the least because you are involved. You've also already experienced pregnancy."

"My experience wasn't anything like this," Emma said.

Regina nodded. "I know."

Emma looked down; Regina had taken her hand. "I… Regina, I know I'm going to screw up, get into your way, but… What I… it doesn't feel like this was an accident."

"Maybe not, but we're not in a relationship either."

"Maybe we could try? I'd like to… to, you know... Maybe? Find something we like to do together."

"Besides mothering Henry?" Regina asked lightly feeling her lips curve upward as she took in Emma's bashfulness.

"Besides that." Regina was pleased to see Emma's smile reappear.

"I'll think about it."

The pregnancy was confirmed. After conferring with a calendar, Dr. Whale gave them a due date in the fall. "But any delivery after the 30th week should be a safe one," he advised. "Schedule an appointment at the desk in another month." He finished writing on a prescription pad. "Pharmacy will fill this. It's a common prenatal vitamin. We'll determine any other needs at your next appointment."

"Is there anything I should be looking for?" Regina asked. She had reclaimed her vest and now sat on the second visitor chair next to Emma. She looked at Emma before squaring her shoulders. "It's my first pregnancy."

"Hmm." Victor canted his head as he thought. "There are a number of books about pregnancy available. I can ask the midwife to recommend one for you." He paused. "Once you're dressed, you can go. See you next month."

"Thank you, Victor."

"Magic. No father," he muttered on a laugh under his breath. "That's a new one."

Regina caught Emma rolling her eyes. She squeezed the blonde's fingers in her own, where they had yet again unconsciously connected.

"Do you want to go to the library?" Emma asked.

"That would mean telling Belle," Regina said with a shake of her head. "Rumple already knows, but I don't want to give him any more information than necessary."

"Do you think he could cause trouble for you or the baby?" Emma asked.

"Your father was right that Rumple always seems to have an agenda," Regina said. "But I can handle him."

"I will, too," Emma said confidently. "After all, True Love magic is the most powerful in the world, right?"

True Love creates happiness. Regina's words from ages ago echoed back to her. "Perhaps with a little more practice," she suggested with a wry smile.

Emma beamed. "So, our first date is with the internet."

"I suppose so."

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