Chapter 38
Emma can't believe how quickly her friends are at her side, giving her support. Each of them grabs one of her hands and they guide her towards the door of the apartment.
"Just take deep breaths," Regina informs her. She fumbles to get her spring coat pulled on over her pajamas and find her car keys. "You help bring her down, I'll get the car and pick you up."
"Okay," Mary Margret says as Regina vanishes out the door.
Emma winces hard as a contraction rips through her body. She'd forgotten how painful labour truly was. It had been a long time since she felt this kind of pain. Her labour with Henry had been terrifying; she was sixteen almost seventeen and the only person that was there to help her was Neal, who also had no knowledge of childbirth. Both were scarily inexperienced and all he could tell her was to breathe while driving to the hospital, there was nothing else he could do. This time, she's still afraid, but felt some comfort having her friends around her, one who had been through this before.
"Holy hell…" she mutters.
"I know, I know," her best friend says. She grabs both her and Emma's coats and holds the door open for her.
Sweat was already beading on her forehead and she takes deep breaths. Mary Margret helps guide her down the stairs, which feels like forever as they need to take them one step at a time.
"I didn't realize how big this baby was going to be," Emma grunts.
"Don't think about that right now, think about keeping your breathing even. We need to start counting the time between contractions."
"Oh my God! Someone has to call Killian and someone has to get Henry…!"
"Let me worry about that, you focus on breathing."
Regina pulls up in her black Mercedes, Mary Margret opens the back door and helps Emma inside. She then races around and gets in the other back seat. She tries to put the seatbelt around her friend.
"Don't, DON'T!" Emma shouts. "It's suffocating me."
"Alright, let's go, Regina."
The black-haired woman nods and tears out of her apartment parking lot, all her previous feelings and emotions left to focus on the task at hand.
Emma continues to pant heavily in the back, Mary Margret clutching her hand tightly. When the blonde winces as another contraction, her friend notes the time when this occurs.
"Oh god this hurts!" she whines.
"I know honey, I know."
"How…How did you get through this?" the laboured woman asks.
"With lots of support, come on and breathe again."
Regina pulls to a stop at a red light.
"Why the hell are you stopping?!" Emma snaps.
"I need to obey the law, just because you're having a baby doesn't mean I'm going to risk getting us in trouble,"
"Well tell the police that they can go…" she goes on to curse. When the light finally changes, this shuts Emma up a bit.
"We should've gotten David to do a police escort," Regina mutters. "That would shut her up."
"I HEARD THAT!" Emma growls.
"Emma focus please," Mary Margret says. "I know the pain will make you say some harsh things but you need to remain calm, stress is bad for your blood pressure and the baby."
"Okay fine…"
Mary Margret takes the sleeve of her sweater and wipes her friend's brow.
"I really should've taken those Lamaze classes," the blonde says.
"You've done this before, you'll be fine," Regina says as she turns at another set of lights.
"Don't say that you don't know what kind of pain I'm in!"
"For someone who just found out that her boyfriend got her half-sister pregnant…"
"GUYS PLEASE!" the teacher barks. Both women's mouths hang open in shock, Mary Margret hardly ever raised her voice, but clearly, she'd lost all patience with them. "Regina, focus on driving, Emma focus on breathing."
After what seemed like hours, the Mercedes finally pulls up into the hospital parking lot. Regina lets the two off before going to find a parking spot. It's hurting her legs just to stand and Emma can feel her strength slowly leaving her with each contraction. They were about ten minutes apart, which meant she still had some time left.
A male nurse greets them at the door.
"M-My friend is having her baby," the black-haired one explains.
"I see, I need a wheelchair," he calls out to the hospital staff.
Someone else comes hurrying down the hall and assists in getting Emma into the chair. Once the weight is off her feet, the blonde feels a slight bit of relief. She squeezes the handles of the chair as she's wheeled to the maternity ward.
"Name?"
"Emma Swan."
"How far along are her contractions?" the male nurse asks, writing the answers on the clipboard.
"About ten minutes," Mary Margret answers.
"Who is her acting physician?"
"Dr. Victor Whale,"
"Who is the father?"
"Killian Jones."
"Does she have any allergies or health concerns?"
"No!" Emma answers.
"Hang in there darling, we're almost there," he says.
…
Killian is directing a crane on the docks, which was lifting some heavy cargo onto an awaiting ship. He steps back a few feet, shouting through a headset where it needs to be. Suddenly, his phone vibrates in his pocket. He knows he can't leave his co-worker hanging, so he ignores it until the crate has been successfully loaded. He then returns the call, without even glancing at the name.
"Hello?"
"Killian?"
"Regina, is that you?"
"Yes."
"How are you doing?"
"Not important right now, Emma's in labor, you need to get down to the hospital right now."
"Bloody hell!" he gasps. He starts running towards the gangplank of the ship and ends up tripping over his heavy boots. He face-plants on the wet wood. His nose starts to bleed slightly from the impact.
"Whoa, slow down there, Jones, where's the fire?" his boss, Eric asks coming over to help him.
"Emma… My girlfriend just went into labour."
"Oh… well, then you'd better get going. I'll finish the load here."
"Aye," he says.
"But first, mop up the blood on your face," Eric says, handing him a rag.
"Thanks, mate," Killian says.
He hurries down the gangplank and across the docks towards where his car was.
"KILLIAN!" a voice on the phone screams. He'd forgotten that Regina was still on the line.
"Sorry Love,"
"I'm going to get Henry right now, make sure you don't speed getting there, you can only really get away with that if the pregnant woman is in the car."
"Aye," he says, fumbling with his keys to start up the vehicle.
"Be careful, I'll see you in a little bit," Regina says before hanging up. Killian tosses the phone onto the front seat and backs out of the parking lot.
His head is spinning and his stomach feels like it's turned inside out. He was going to be a father. He never imagined his life would be like this, falling in love with a beautiful woman, losing her, then searching for her, finding her again and learning that she was carrying his baby. Then they go into therapy together, then moving in with one another, it was happening so fast. It all seemed too surreal for his liking. He has trouble focusing on the road in front of him and more than once he nearly gets into an accident. He is determined to get there as soon as possible.
Suddenly, sirens are blaring and lights are flashing. Killian curses under his breath. He was speeding and didn't even know it. He pulls over to the side of the road and waits for the officer to come to his window. His hands are gripping the steering wheel tightly and he taps his foot impatiently.
"Do you know fast you were… Killian?"
The docks man looks up to see familiar blue eyes slightly covered with shaggy brown hair and thick arms underneath a black police uniform.
"Jack? How are you doing mate?"
"Good I…" he suddenly remembers that he's on duty. "What are you doing speeding like this?" Officer Overland asks.
"Emma's in labour at the hospital and I was trying to get there. I didn't realize I was speeding."
"Oh geez, she's having the baby now?" Jack asks in shock.
"Aye…"
"I've got to call David and then Elsa."
"How is that going between you two?" Killian asks.
"Pretty good…" again he remembers what's happening. "I guess I can let you off with a warning, but please try to get to the hospital at a reasonable speed."
"I will," the docks man promises.
"You're free to go," Officer Overland says, stepping back to allow the father-to-be to pull out.
He then heads back to his car and talks into his shoulder radio.
"Hey, Walsh can you get me David on the radio?"
"Sure why?"
"Tell him he's about to become an uncle."
…
Killian finally manages to pull into the hospital parking lot. He's so dazed that he doesn't realize that he's parked in a handicapped space, but he doesn't care. Boston could give him a thousand tickets, nothing would stop him from seeing the birth of his daughter.
He races to the front desk of the emergency room.
"Can I help you?"
"I'm K-Killian Jones, I'm the father of Emma Swan's baby… I'm looking for Emma Swan."
"I see, she's on the second floor of the maternity ward. They just put her in Room 245."
"Thank you," he says before racing down the hall.
Instead of waiting for the elevator, he races up the stairs, nearly tripping a few times. He begins going down the hall until he comes to Room 245.
Inside, Emma is lying in a bed, her swollen belly pointed upwards. She's dressed in a hospital robe and Mary Margret clings to her hand to give her support. She drenched in sweat and looks absolutely distraught. He immediately opens the door.
"Swan," he says, racing to her side. He grabs her hand and kisses the top of her wet head.
"Oh Killian," she gasps, she looks at him with her green eyes.
"It's going to be all right Love, We're here now…"
A/N: The baby is coming!