"Does it normally snow in Catania?" Emma mindlessly questions as she gazes out of the cold window, observing the thick, white flakes fall gracefully from the sky above.
The endless sky is midnight blue with a hint of violet, but the large snowflakes are brightening up the farm as they cover the ground below. The window fogs up from her warm breath against the glass while she watches Henry trek his way back from the barn.
"Sometimes," Cora absentmindedly hums, focusing on preparing hot tea near the stove for the both of them. "It's not that rare if that's what you are thinking." She slowly turns around and carefully walks over two steaming mugs, gently placing one down in front of Emma.
"Well, that's good," she mumbles under her breath, her attention on the older man stomping the clinging snow off his boots. A bitter cold gust of wind sweeps through the small cabin home before Henry has a chance to slam the back door closed. His body shudders to brush away the chill in his bones as he removes his hat and gloves. "Everything alright with the barn?"
"Of course, my dear," Henry reassures both women as he hangs up his coat and slips off his boots. "Don't you worry, we are accustomed to this by now."
"I made you a fresh pot of coffee this evening," Cora informs her husband, slowly sipping her tea.
The older gentleman smiles from ear to ear, a grin that is reserved just for his loving wife as he shuffles through the kitchen. Henry pours himself a hot cup of coffee, filling the air with the rich aroma. The scent drifts in Emma's direction and travels up her nostrils causing her mouth to water from her favorite thing that she has been deprived of for six long months.
"Lucky," she mumbles just to tease the man because this is the type of relationship they have created together, playful banter.
"It's not my fault you're with child and can't have caffeine," he fires back with a playful grin and an amused glint in his eye.
"I can have caffeine...a little bit," she weakly defends inspiring a deep chuckle from Henry and a pointed glare from Cora.
"You will do no such thing," Cora sternly orders while shaking her head. "You have come this far. One more week and you can have all the caffeine you wish for." Instantly, Emma's mood lightens, and her face brightens up, until a thought flashes across Cora's face and those dreams of a fresh cup of coffee quickly vanish. "That is unless you breastfeed. If you choose to breastfeed then you cannot have caffeine as well."
Emma groans, carelessly tossing herself into the back of her chair. "Then formula it is," she confirms dryly, pulling the warm mug closer and sipping the bland decaffeinated tea.
"Your choice, my dear, but don't think for a second you will get away with breastfeeding and drinking coffee. I know my daughter and there is no way she would ever allow it."
"Oh, trust me, I know," Emma over enunciates her words to stress how well she knows Regina by now. "Your daughter is already talking about-"
A sharp agonizing pain slices through her gut unexpectedly, cutting off all her oxygen supply and provoking her body to double over in pain. She inhales sharply though her teeth, squeezing her eyes shut as she attempts to breathe through the pain.
"Emma," Cora gasps, immediately leaping from her seat and knocking her chair down in the process. "Emma dear, breathe honey. I need you to breathe."
Emma keeps her eyes screwed shut as Cora brushes her wild hair away from her face and slides her hand into Emma's for comfort. She breathes in deeply once more while Cora lovingly rubs her lower back. She proceeds to blow out a long shaky breath and that's when she feels relief wash over her as the pain slowly subsides. She takes a few more slow and steady breaths just as a precaution before she finally pries her eyes open.
"I think it's passed now," she sighs in relief, but the expression etched into Cora's face is enough to cause her to panic.
"We have to keep an eye on those contractions," Cora firmly commands, kick starting Emma's heart from those words alone.
"Contractions," she repeats, fear striking through her gut while every irrational thought clouds her mind.
I'm not ready. I can't be a mother. I changed my mind. I can't give birth. He's going to tear me apart. I can't deal with this type of pain. He's just going to have to live inside of me forever. I need Regina here. I can't do this without Regina.
"Emma," Henry sternly calls her name, breaking through her haunting thoughts. "We are right here, dear. We promise we aren't going anywhere."
"The snow," she mutters incoherently while she attempts to focus on getting her breathing under control.
"The truck will be just fine to take you to the hospital if need be," Henry confirms, slightly easing away some of her fears.
"Henry the time was 8:15," Cora announces earning herself a curt nod from her husband. "Emma, why don't we move you to the couch where you are more comfortable for now."
The woman lightly taps the back of Emma's hand for moral support as her dark eyes urge her to brave her wobbly knees and stand. Emma simply nods in return, not trusting her body to betray her again with another knife stab to her lower abdomen. Henry and Cora both help her stand, but to Emma's surprise, she finds herself strong enough to shuffle toward the living room on her own.
"Do you think he's coming? Should we call Regina?" She anxiously investigates, chewing on her bottom lip.
Very carefully, she sits down on the plush sofa before Cora hands her a throw pillow to hug close.
"These could simply be false labor pains," the older woman absentmindedly states as she works around Emma to make sure she's as comfortable as possible.
Her second mother begins fluffing the cushion behind her back and then proceeds to hand her the book she has been working on late at night when her son refuses to allow her some shut eye.
"Still...shouldn't I call Regina?" Emma asks again, observing as Cora habitually tidies up like she always does when she's anxious about something.
Cora glances at her watch wrapped around her wrist with brows knit painfully together. "It's only two in the afternoon there, she's working. Let's not bother her unless we know for sure our little boy is ready to make his debut."
"Don't you worry, I'm sure Regina will sense you in distress from across the sea," Henry quips, chuckling to himself, but all Emma can do is offer a weak smile in return because she cannot muster up the strength to play along right now.
"Let's not dwell on the what if's, let's focus on happy thoughts," Cora suggests while Emma's thumb presses into the sharp corner of her book just for a simple distraction. "Emma, dear?"
"Hmmm?"
"Any final decisions between Hunter or Flynn?"
"Oh," she smiles to herself and slowly lifts her head to meet the older woman's gaze. "Not yet, although I am leaning toward Hunter...I just feel like I'll know when I see him."
"But you two decided on Daniel for the middle name, correct?" Henry asks knowingly. He loves the traditional name and Emma knows he's hoping they don't change their minds.
"Yes. Daniel is one hundred percent his middle name," she concludes with a warm smile just for the older man.
"I cannot wait to speak to the little boy in Italian," Cora gushes, her face lighting up with pure joy. "He will be fluent in both languages."
"What about my family?" Henry quickly interjects Cora's thoughts for the future.
"What about your family?"
"I'm Puerto Rican, shouldn't the boy speak Spanish as well?"
Emma quickly bites down on her lips to keep her bubbling giggles at bay as she watches the couple interact.
"Henry, you don't speak Spanish," Cora counters with an eye roll, her body finally relaxing enough to where she claims the seat next to Emma.
"I still believe he should. It would be very wise to speak Spanish if they end up moving back to the states."
Emma clears her throat awkwardly to cue her way into the conversation. "We are moving to New York," she confirms again because the older couple can't seem to grasp the concept.
"See, he needs to speak Spanish," Henry proudly states.
"Italian and Spanish are very similar, right?" Emma inquires, hoping to settle this lover's quarrel.
"Somewhat," Cora flippantly replies. "He can learn Spanish in high school like all the other children, but he will grow up fluently speaking English and Italian," she strictly demands, leaving no more room for discussion, but then she adds a little comment just to poke the bear one more time. "If you wanted your grandchildren to know Spanish, you should have learned yourself."
Henry's nostrils flare as his upper lip twitches in annoyance. Emma presses her lips even further together to hold back her laughter until another sharp pain burns her lower abdomen once again. Her body involuntarily jerks forward as she holds her breath again on instinct, but Cora is right there talking her through the pain and encouraging her to keep breathing.
"8:27," Henry calls out, but Emma's eyes are glued shut and she's trying to focus on Cora's soothing voice alone. "Twelve minutes from the last one," he announces.
"Okay, let's see if there's one more and a pattern," Cora mutters over Emma's shoulder for mostly only Henry to hear. She quickly turns around to face Emma again, brushing her long hair away from her shoulders in the most loving manner.
"I miss my mom," she reveals without a second thought, her eyes glossing over from the emotions swelling in her frantic heart.
Cora's gentle touches and motherly instincts are hitting way too close to home tonight and with her raging hormones, there's no way she can possibly keep her thoughts hidden.
"I know, my dear," Cora coos, sweeping her thumb across Emma's temple. "But she is here with you. She's in your heart and she's watching over you. She wouldn't miss this for the world," she softly promises, which only adds more pain to Emma's wounded heart.
Hot thick tears well up in green eyes and blurs her vision as she thinks about Cora's words. She has to believe in a better place, for not only her mom's sake, but for her own sanity as well. She needs some hope that her mother is there with her, because that kind, gentle soul deserves to be there for this moment. There's nobody else that loved their daughter more and she knows her mother would have been right by her side to guide her through this. She wouldn't have been alone. She was never alone with her mom, but after she passed and she was feeling more alone than ever, someone, somewhere sent her Cora. A mother figure she needed more than anything in that time and this woman led Emma to the love of her life.
A harsh sob racks her body as too many wonderful moments of her mother fill her mind and warm her heart. She weeps as Cora holds her close and runs her fingers through her hair. She doesn't understand how, but she knew she couldn't go back to the states and have this baby without Cora. It was like her mother was urging her to stay with this kind woman, so a motherly figure could watch over her and protect her.
"Mary Margret raised you to be a strong little girl and right now you need to be strong for your baby," Cora whispers into golden tresses before she places a tender kiss on top of her head.
"I know," she cries and hastily wipes away her tears.
It's been so long since she heard her mother's name spoken out loud and somehow that was all the strength she needed to stop her insistent tears.
"Emma, you once told me how much your mother enjoyed the snow," Cora begins, prompting Emma to straighten her posture and meet the woman's soft gaze. She nods just once and brushes away the residual tears staining her cheeks. "Well, look at all the snow outside. I believe that's her way of letting you know she's here."
Her lips aren't quite sure if she should smile from ear to ear or frown from the overwhelming amount of emotions and the sentiment. So instead, she wraps her arms around the tiny woman and holds her close, so she knows what a life saver she truly is.
"Thank you," she whispers while Cora gently rubs her back. "Oh god!" She bellows as another contraction rips apart her insides.
"8:37, ten minutes apart," Henry sternly announces.
"Henry, call the hospital and inform them that we will be bringing Emma in and her contractions right now are ten minutes apart," Cora delegates strictly as she removes herself from Emma's painful clutches. "I'm going to grab your boots and coat," she explains while Emma mindlessly nods in agreement and attempts to breathe through her pain.
"Now can we call Regina?" Emma whines.
"When we are on our way. We need to focus right now."
Cora retrieves all Emma's winter gear and kneels down in front of her, so she can help with her boots. Emma slides her feet in one at a time and waits for the woman to help her off the couch. As Henry and Cora dress themselves, Emma frantically places her beanie on her head and slips into her coat. Her hands are shaking violently at the thought of having to push this ginormous baby out of her who-ha, that she can barely zip her damn jacket.
"Fuck it," she grumbles and leaves her jacket open as she slips into her gloves.
"Let me help you," Henry kindly offers with a gentle smile that helps ease her worries and frustrations. He leans forward and happily zips up her coat with a broad grin. He grips her biceps and stares deeply into her eyes. "Don't you worry about a thing, Cora and I will be there every step of the way. Just focus on your precious baby's face the entire time."
"Thank you," she blurts out, not trusting her hormones to wreak havoc once again without her permission.
"Let's move you two, less talking, more walking," Cora instructs, instantly kick starting her feet along with Henry's.
The icy bitter chill nips at her nose and cheeks as they step out into the evening air. She knows in her mind that the temperature really isn't that cold compared to back home, but her body is arguing otherwise.
Cora escorts her to the old pickup truck while Henry rushes ahead to hold the door open. Awkwardly and unbearably uncomfortable, she climbs into the truck in the backseat and waits for Cora to climb in next to her. Henry slams the door as Cora and Emma buckle their seatbelts. She glances over at the woman with fear clearly written all over her face because Cora quickly takes her hand and smiles with reassurance.
Henry climbs into the front seat and starts the engine before he scurries back out to wipe away the soft snow clinging to the car. That's when another contraction consumes Emma's insides once again and she cries out in pain while clenching the poor woman's hand. Cora checks her watch again and nods as though she's some professional doctor.
"Same as before, ten minutes."
"Is that good?" She grits out through clenched teeth and inhales very slowly.
"It's not bad..."
"Cora," she whines, but the older woman just laughs lightly.
"You're just fine, dear. Contractions at a standstill with ten minutes apart will allow us plenty of time to get to the hospital. Just relax," she urges, rubbing Emma's back soothingly to calm her worries.
"Now, can I call Regina?"
"Sure," Cora finally agrees and reaches in her pocket for her phone. "It's almost three now, so please don't be upset if she doesn't answer. You know how she doesn't answer her phone when she's on the floor," she fair warns Emma, assuming she's an emotional wreck right now and will take the neglected phone call personal.
"I know, I know," she mutters under her breath and clicks on FaceTime.
"Alright ladies, are we ready?"
"Yes, dear," Cora confirms while the phone continues to ring.
"Couldn't wait for Regina, huh?" Henry teases as he peeks over his shoulder at a nervous looking Emma.
"Just drive," she growls while her eyes remained locked onto the screen that's showing her own face instead of the one she really needs.
Henry laughs while turning back around to face forward. He readjusts the vent to blow the heat toward the back before he shifts the old truck into drive.
"Be careful Henry, we haven't driven down this steep hill with this amount of snow," Cora reminds him in her sweet, but stern tone.
"I know, my dear, don't you worry."
"Ugh! She's not answering," Emma groans, bitterly ending the call before tucking the phone into her lap.
"She will call back as soon as she sees the missed call," Cora states, kindly trying to defuse Emma's anger that's quickly boiling to the surface.
Damn hormones!
"Maybe I should call her from my phone too, that way she will see we both called and know it's an emergency," Emma announces, even though she's mostly talking to herself.
"If that will make you feel better," Henry happily agrees with his hands firmly set at ten and two on the steering wheel and truthfully, Emma has never seen someone look so focused before in her life.
"It will," she murmurs, pulling out her phone from her pocket and quickly dialing her girlfriend as she waits on pins and needles for her to answer.
"Henry, are the tires okay, I feel like we are drifting," Cora comments as she peers out the window with her eyes full of concern.
"It's just a little slick and the momentum going down the hill isn't helping my traction," he dutifully replies as he sits just a little straighter in his seat and grips the steering wheel ever tighter.
"Ugh, I thought for sure she would answer from my phone," Emma groans, ending the call once again. The back end of the car slowly drifts to the right while the front is clearly heading left. Henry slows down just the slightest to regain his control while Emma's heart beats just a little faster. "You okay Henry?"
"Now worries, my dear. I have her under control," he proudly states just as his words are interrupted by Emma's phone ringing.
She quickly answers and watches as Regina's flawless face lights up her screen. Those gorgeous raven locks are pulled back into a loose ponytail and her eyes are free from any makeup and Emma vows her girlfriend has never looked so stunning. A stethoscope is draped around her neck and over her light blue scrubs and Emma's reminded of their little doctor-patient game.
She blushes crimson.
"Emma?" Regina hastily questions when she sees her face come into view. "Is something wrong?" She worries immediately, her brows pinching painfully together as she assesses the background and notices the truck.
"I think he's coming," she breathes as a smile spreads across her lips from the idea of meeting her son.
Suddenly, all her worries and fears wash away, and she cannot wait to meet her baby boy.
"Seriously? How far along are your contractions? Did you call the hospital?"
"Ten minutes apart and yes, they know we are coming," Cora confirms, wedging her face into the screen.
"Oh my god," Regina gasps, her face transforming from worried into pure ecstasy. "How are you, Em? Are you okay? Are you in a lot of pain?"
Emma nervously tucks a piece of hair behind her ear and smiles at her concerned girlfriend. "I'm alright." She leans a little closer into the phone to protect her next choice of words, even though she knows husband and wife will hear her anyways. "I miss you though and god I wish you were here," she whispers for just her girlfriend.
"I know. I'm so sorry. I wish I could be there. I don't want to miss out."
"I-"
The car abruptly jerks tossing the phone into the air, but Emma doesn't have enough time to fumble for the device. On pure instinct, she grips the handle on the door as Cora clenches her other hand tightly.
"Emma?" Regina's voice calls out as the truck skids off the dirt road.