Chapter 40
"All right Emma I need you to push for me."
The blonde mother to be grunts heavily and gasps. "I…I can't…"
"Yes, you can Love," Killian says, kissing the top of her head. She's squeezing his hand much harder than he anticipated, it's beginning to ache a bit. He bites his lip to mask his own pain.
He, Mary Margret and Regina are all in hospital scrubs surrounding Emma, who has her feet up in preparation for the imminent birth. Dr. Whale has surgical gloves on and a mask as he leans in front of Emma, several nurses standing by to give him the tools he needs for the delivery.
"I need a push Emma or this baby is not going anywhere," Dr. Whale insists. "One… two… three."
Emma leans forward and pushes with every ounce of strength in her body. The pain is indescribable, it had been so long since she'd given birth that it was basically like a whole new sensation again. She screams out in agony, her entire body pushed forward struggling to get this baby out.
"Three… two… one… breathe," the doctor says.
"I can't-do this Killian I can't," the desperate mother whines.
"Yes, you can, Emma you can do anything…" he says comfortingly.
"Please don't ever leave me," she begs.
"Never."
"You promise?"
"I promise." He kisses her head again.
"You're doing great Emma," Mary Margret says, wiping her friend's brow and keeps her stringy blonde hair out of her face. "It won't be long now and you'll have a beautiful baby daughter."
"It hurts so bad," she whimpers.
"I know, I know but it will end soon I promise."
Regina holds her friend's other hand, not saying much, but merely being there for support.
"All right Emma here's another contraction, get ready to push"
"Oh God…"
"You can do it, Emma…" Regina says. "This is your daughter waiting to be born."
The mother-to-be leans forward again, surrounded by her family. When she'd given birth to Henry, all she had was Neal and he was as scared as she was, but here she had her family, who would do anything to help her. A loving boyfriend, a caring best friend, who had been through this, and a supportive friend. How times had changed and how her walls were now gone, open to feeling real love again.
"She's crowning, you're doing great Emma," Dr. Whale announces.
Killian sneaks a peek and his incoming child. He can see the top of his daughter's head, and it's the most beautiful thing he's ever seen despite the blood.
"I need you to give me another big push," the doctor says.
Emma can't even talk she's in so much pain, all she can do is scream. She pushes in the last attempt until a new sound hits the groups' ears.
A tiny cry erupts from the doctor's hands as he holds up a healthy and beautiful baby girl.
"Here she is," Dr. Whale says.
Emma gasps, taking in the eyes of her beautiful baby girl. She can see the lively blue eyes through the infant's sobs, inherited from her father no doubt and she squirms around in confusion. The new mother immediately bursts into tears, so happy, hardly able to believe that this was her daughter. Killian is also in tears, gazing at the little one. He feels so happy and a swell of proud arises at the same time. He and Emma did it, although unplanned, this baby has arrived. Despite the times where she could have died, this girl was a survivor like her parents. And she certainly had a pair of lungs to prove it.
Mary Margret is equally happy, this baby was as beautiful as her son. She kisses Emma's head and sheds some tears.
Regina is more stunned than anyone else, to see something so beautiful enter this world, it truly is a miracle. Nine months of care and love as produced a bundle of joy. Her heart is a little bit heavy, but she's still so happy for her friends and Henry.
"Would the father like to cut the umbilical cord?" Dr. Whale asks. He gives Killian the scissors and shows the man where to cut. With one quick snip, his daughter is her own person now. He still feels slightly shell-shocked by this major event.
The nurses quickly wrap the baby up and hand her to her mother. Emma is almost surprised by the sudden weight, but she looks down to see the tiny face, still crying slightly, but has settled just a bit because she was now wrapped in a blanket.
"She's so beautiful," Emma sighs, still trying to comprehend the event herself. Tears flow down her face as she smiles at her daughter. All the time and effort she put into protecting this baby; the little person who was with her during those months of captivity, the child that kept her abductor from killing her, the being whom she went to great lengths to free and the daughter she was now going to raise with her boyfriend. She couldn't believe how much her life had changed over the course of nine months; somethings were awful, but most were blissful and now she had a new reason to be happy.
Killian leans next to his girlfriend and gently puts his finger next to the baby's hand, which she grabs onto with her whole fist. He feels the shift within himself, one of pure joy, he smiles down at his daughter, shedding more tears. He finally had the family he'd always longed for. He wished that Liam could've seen him become a father. He was about to burst with wonder and bliss. He now had the two most beautiful woman in his life and he loved them both dearly.
"Aye, just like her mother."
The baby girl continues to sob a little bit.
"It's okay." She says soothingly.
Eventually, the nurses gently break up the new happy family. Emma panics as the nurses pick her up and take her away. She's almost ready to get violent to protect the little one. "Wait, where are you going?!"
"They're just cleaning her up Love," Killian says, grabbing his girlfriend's hand again.
"Please be careful," is all the mother can say as her daughter is taken to be weighed and cleaned.
"You did it," Mary Margret says proudly. "I knew you could do it."
"How do you feel?" Regina asks.
"Tired…" is the response. "But happy."
She turns to Killian. "We did it."
"We certainly did," he says. He leans down and the two kiss.
It's one of the most passionate kisses they've ever had. One flavoured with happiness and pure joy, of exhaustion and sweat, but also of love. Emma holds his face in her hand and traces her thumb along his face. He holds her close to him and memorizes the flavour of her lips. The two remain together for a long moment of perfect bliss.
Regina is the only one who cannot watch this exchange. She was upset that it wasn't her that was happy like this, so in love, but she is glad her friend has a new baby girl… something precious and amazing to care for. She swallows the lump in her throat and pretends that the tears she's shedding are ones of happiness.
Within a few moments, the nurses come back with a swaddled infant. The baby is no longer crying, but sleeping soundly. Both of Emma's friends lean in closer.
"She looks just like you," Mary Margret squeaks in delight. She touches the edge of the blanket and gently strokes at the hair that is light in colouring, likely indicating that it will be blonde.
"That she does," Killian agrees.
"She has your chin though," Regina muses.
"A handsome chin for sure. That means that she'll be a strong girl."
Everyone laughs quietly.
Dr. Whale goes over the paperwork. "Well, she's a healthy 7 lbs 12 ounces," he says. "And no complications to speak of."
Both parents feel relieved that the baby was not affected in any way by the first four months of being in captivity. They continue to stare down at the little girl in wonder and love.
…
Less than an hour passes that Emma is back in her room after post-birth procedures, still holding onto her daughter. Killian sits beside her the entire time, holding her hand.
There's a knock at the door.
"Is it safe to come in?" Ruby asks, poking her head in.
"I don't know, less than an hour ago, Swan looked like she wanted to rip Whale's head off," Killian jokes.
Emma playfully punches him in the shoulder. Henry and Ruby enter first, followed by David, Anna, Elsa, and Lacey. Aurora and Mey Ling said that they would be there later.
Everyone quietly approaches the bed to get a glimpse of the newborn. Elsa and Lacey instinctively smile widely, while Ruby and Anna immediately burst into tears and can't help but awe in adoration. David has the biggest smile on his face and he wraps his arm around his wife, staring down at his new godchild.
Henry has a sort of mixed reaction. His eyes are wide and he's smiling, but his stomach is doing a few flips. He's still nervous and scared about being shoved to the side for the new baby, but he is happy to meet his new sister too.
Emma can seemingly read her son's reaction because she reaches out and grabs his hand.
"I love you, Henry," she says.
"I love you too, Mom," he smiles.
She pulls him closer so he can see his new sister's beautiful face. It is rather wrinkled and its sort of powdery in places, but the teen smiles when she yawns for the first time for him. He instinctively knew that he would love this baby and protect her always.
"Okay, everyone smile for me," Lacey says suddenly. She brings out her camera to take the picture. The three people who could understand the librarian's words do as she asks as the flash of the camera goes off.
"Baby's first picture and a family's first picture," she adds.
Emma looks over at Killian and smiles broadly. She leans over and kisses Henry's forehead in joy… It was true, she finally had a family. Something she'd wanted her whole life and finally she had it. Everyone around her she loved and wanted in her life forever. They completed her, made her a better person and she'd wanted all of them to be together.
"Have we decided on a name yet?" Anna asks, cutting right to the chase.
Emma looks up at Killian and smiles. He nods and kisses her head.
"We decided on Sophie. Sophie Milah Hope Swan…"
"Swan-Jones," Anna corrected.
"Swan-Jones," Emma smiles.
Henry is shocked. "Sophie? I came up with that name."
"Aye," Killian nods, giving a half-smile.
Henry looks down.
"Would her big brother like to hold her?" Emma offers.
The teenager swallows and nods. Emma slowly hands her daughter to her son, showing him the best way to support her head. Killian had already held her and was an expert already.
Henry is surprised by the sudden weight and awkwardly tries to hold her, but once she's nestled in his arms, the baby remains asleep. She makes tiny noises in her sleep and her brother just melts. He feels tears coming to his eyes and right now he doesn't care that he's crying. He has a new baby sister… she was so beautiful.
"Hi there Sophie," he says quietly. "I'm your big brother Henry, welcome to the family."
A/N: Welcome to the world baby Sophie. Hope you guys liked the name and thank you for all the suggestions, they were great. The bliss won't last long though, stay tuned for more