A/N: Buckle up because this is the first of two chapters I will be posting today. Enjoy :)

ROBIN'S MOTEL, 12:30AM

Robin sat on the creaky mattress in his motel room staring at his cell phone screen. A picture of Marian holding her baby bump stared back at him. No new messages. He leaned back on the bed and sighed, his eyes never leaving the screen. He had already showered and dressed for bed but he found it hard to sleep without his wife safe beside him. It was well past midnight and he had no doubts that she was probably fast asleep by now but that did nothing to quell the fears that had taken over his every thought. He should be back with his wife and unborn son, not on this ridiculous booze quest.

Killian stepped out of the bathroom in his pajamas, his hair still wet from his brief shower, and frowned when he saw Robin's eyes firmly fixed upon his phone. "You know if you stare long enough at a screen that small you will actually go blind."

"Small price to pay to make sure I don't miss a call from my pregnant wife," Robin responded without hesitation.

Before he could stop him Killian stomped over and ripped the cell phone from his hands.

"Hey!" he shouted reaching for the phone. "Give it back!"

"No," said Killian calmly keeping the phone out of his reach. "You know why your phone hasn't rung in ten seconds since you last checked? Because your wife hasn't called you. And you want to know why your wife hasn't called you? It's because there is nothing wrong with her. She is fine and you need to stop worrying."

Robin scowled at him. "That easy for you to say. You're not married to her and she's not carrying your child."

"I assure you that can quickly change," said Hook, not missing a beat. He took a step back as Robin advanced on him with an angrily clenched jaw. "However, it won't because she clearly loves you and I respect your marriage."

He sighed. "You have to relax, mate. You're stressing yourself out beyond repair."

Robin only rolled his eyes in response. It was really all he could do. He knew Killian had a point. These past few weeks he felt like he'd been wound tighter than a rubber band. With Marian's pregnancy and running the bar in her absence he'd really been stretching himself thin.

"Look," said Killian walking over to the nightstand. "I'm going to place your phone right here next to the outlet so it can charge. It'll be on all night with the ringer on high so you can hear it but you have to go to go to sleep. We're meeting with that booze dealer tomorrow morning and you need to be sharp. Or at least better than you've been the past few weeks."

Robin eyed him strangely from his spot beside his bed. "Since when do you care so much about my stress levels?"

"Since they've started taking a toll on your appearance," admitted Killian, as he crouched down to plug in the phone's charger. In his preparation and stress over the baby, Robin had grown rather careless with his appearance these past few months. The usual scruff that grew on his chin was closing in on beard territory. His forehead was beginning to line with wrinkles due to his ever furrowed brow. His bright blue eyes were starting to become overshadowed by the dark circles caused by his lack of sleep.

"Seriously, you look like death, mate," said Killian.

Robin sucked his teeth at him. "I really don't appreciate your honesty."

"I know," said Killian, a sly smile gracing his face as he climbed onto his motel bed. "Yet I continue to offer it unsolicited."

Robin raised an eyebrow at him. "Remind me again why I even brought you along?"

"So the new guy knows who to deal with when you're not around," replied Killian. "Which will be often seeing as how you plan on spending as much time as possible with your future bundle of joy."

Robin reluctantly laid out on his own bed. He crossed his hands behind his head and tried to clear his mind of its stressful thoughts. "Honestly Hook, I don't think I'm going to relax until my son is actually in my arms."

Killian frowned at his admission. "Well try and rest easy for now because it's not like he's going to be born tonight."

He reached over to switch off the room light.

MARIAN AND ROBIN'S APARTMENT, 4AM

Regina flipped on the living room light as she led Marian over to a chair by the kitchen table. Marian let out a nervous breath as she lowered herself into her seat.

"Okay calm down sweetie," whispered Regina gently. "Why do you think you're in labor? What are you feeling?"

Marian swallowed hard before answering her. "It's this shooting pain in my back that spreads forward. It started earlier but it wasn't that bad. I thought it was just Braxton-Hicks but it's getting worse. And it's not stopping."

She was practically in tears with worry as she explained the sensations going through her body. "I'm barely at the end of my eighth month Regina. It's too early!"

"Okay okay calm down," urged Regina rubbing her shoulders for comfort. "We don't know that it's labor yet. So we're not going to worry about it until we know that it is. Okay Mrs. Connelly is just across the hall. I'm going to get her and she's going to check you out. Okay?"

She wrenched her hands from Marian's and stepped over her son to head out into the hallway. As the apartment door shut behind her she leaned against it and took a deep breath. She really hoped Marian wasn't in labor. She didn't think she'd be able to get through it without Robin there to hold her hand. She shook those thoughts from her head as she relentlessly knocked on the door across the hall. "Mrs. Connelly! Mrs. Connelly are you awake?! We need your help!"

It wasn't long before she heard the clinking and clattering of the older woman's various locks. The door opened to reveal Mrs. Connelly, wiping her glasses against her nightgown and squinting up at Regina as her eyes adjusted to the light. Her hair was still tucked into her bonnet as she wrapped her hot pink terry cloth robe tighter around her frail body. "Why Regina you're making such a fuss for it to be so early. What's the matter dear?"

"We think Marian might be in labor," she answered desperately. "Could you please come and take a look at her?"

"Goodness!" exclaimed . "I had no idea she was so far along! Well I'll be right there! I just need to pick up one thing first."

Regina let out a frustrated sigh as the tiny woman disappeared into her apartment only to quickly return with a small covered bread pan. "It's more banana bread," she said with a bright smile. "I figured I might as well bring it over while I'm there."

Regina bit her tongue and resisted the urge to smack the banana bread out of her hands. Instead she just placed a guiding hand on the old woman's shoulders and led her across the hall to where Marian sat. Mrs. Connelly tiptoed passed a sleeping Henry and set the bread on the counter before turning to Marian with a comforting smile. "Hello sweetheart. How are you feeling?"

"Not so great," said Marian, shaking her head frantically. "This pain keeps shooting through my back."

She suddenly gritted her teeth and gripped the edge of the table. "It's happening again."

Mrs. Connelly quickly took both her hands in her own. "Okay Marian just breathe through it and you can squeeze my hands as hard as you like."

Marian moaned and slammed her eyes shut as the pain rippled from her spine. She was sure she was crushing her neighbor's hands but she couldn't find it in her to care at the moment. For her part, Mrs. Connelly remained completely nonplussed. She didn't seem to be affected by Marian's death grip at all. Regina watched them both as she paced the living room floor, wringing her hands. She had always seen Mrs. Connelly as her best friend's kooky neighbor, not really someone to be taken seriously, but as she watched her help Marian through a possible contraction it was like she transformed before Regina's eyes. She was no longer just a chatty next door neighbor, she was a medical professional with more than forty years of experience under her belt and every word she said was meant to be taken as gospel.

Marian took a deep breath as the pain finally began to subside. "I think it's over now."

Mrs. Connelly looked over at the clock on the kitchen stove. "Okay that lasted a little over a minute. How often has the pain been coming and going?"

Marian looked up to the ceiling and shrugged her shoulders in uncertainty. "I'm not sure. When it first started it was about every twenty minutes but it's been happening more often now."

"And is the pain getting worse?"

"Yes," Marian breathed softly.

Mrs. Connelly clasped her hands together in delight and let out a short giggle. "Well Honey, you are definitely in labor."

Marian shook her head frantically. "No- No I can't be in labor yet. I'm only in my eighth month and the crib isn't built and Robin isn't here! I can't do this without him!"

Regina shut her eyes as she remembered going into labor with Henry. She'd said the very same thing about Daniel.

Mrs. Connelly gently took Marian's face in her hands. "Hey now you listen to me sweetheart. I was a nurse for more than three decades. I helped deliver hundreds of babies and plenty of them were born in their eight month. And guess what? I didn't lose one. They were all fine and they were all healthy. They grew up to be beautiful children just like yours will. You can do this. I promise."

"Okay," said Marian softly, as she nodded her head.

turned back to Regina. "You're going to want to head into the hospital."

"Right," said Regina nodding her head. She swiftly walked over to Henry and gathered him in her arms, being careful not to wake him.

"I'm going put him in your bed," she whispered to Marian. "Your overnight bag is in the closet, right?"

"Yes," Marian answered automatically. She appeared to still be in shock.

Regina made her way down the hall and gently laid Henry in Marian and Robin's bed. He was still sound asleep, unaware of just how much was happening. Regina smiled to herself as she lightly brushed his hair out of his eyes. Hopefully in a few hours Marian would have a beautiful son just like she did. She pressed a kiss to his forehead before grabbing the overnight bag and returning to Marian. Mrs. Connelly had helped her into her jacket and shoes. She looked at Regina with worried eyes. "Robin…"

"I will call him as soon as we get to hospital. I promise," said Regina earnestly. She turned to Mrs. Connelly. "Would you mind staying with my son for the night? I'll be back to drop him off at daycare as soon as possible."

"Oh take your time dear," replied Mrs. Connelly. "It's never a burden for me to spend time with children. I can't wait to get my hands on this one's bundle of joy."

Regina nodded at her gratefully before grabbing Marian's hand. "Okay let's go to the hospital."

AT THE HOSPITAL, 5:30 AM

The rubber bottoms of Regina's sneakers squeaked against the sterile tile beneath her as she turned on her heel. The glow of the florescent lights caused dark circles to appear under her eyes and her bed-ridden hair had been pulled back into a haphazard ponytail. She was still in nothing but a pair of flannel pajama pants and a grey tee she'd borrowed from Marian. A nurse eyed her warily as she walked past the desk for the fifth time, her phone permanently glued to her ear.

"Okay Robin this is the fifth message I am leaving you. I cannot believe you're not picking up," she growled under her breath. "So I will repeat it again. Your wife has gone into labor and she needs you. We are at the hospital and desperately waiting for your appearance so just get here!"

A guttural sound flew from her throat as she hung up the phone. She ran her hands over her face in frustration. It had been over an hour and she still wasn't able to get a hold of Robin. She was doing her best to reassure Marian but she was beginning to grow anxious. Why wasn't he picking up her calls? Robin's phone had practically been embedded in his hand for the past few months. Ringer always on high and vibrate. Chargers always close by just in case. There was no way he wasn't getting her calls. She was torn between a vicious anger and unsettling worry. What if something had happened to them? Killian wasn't answering his phone either and that couldn't be good. She quickly shook the thought from her head. Robin had called Marian last night and said that they had made it safely to the motel. So why isn't he answering my calls now?

"Maybe his phone is dead?"

Regina dropped her hands in confusion before realizing the meek voice belonged to a timid brunette sitting behind the nurses' desk.

"What?" she asked in an exhausted voice.

The woman wiped her hands on her scrubs nervously. "Well you said you've called him five times now. Maybe he's not ignoring you. It's pretty early. Maybe his phone died overnight."

Regina groaned at her suggestion. "Well as helpful as that scenario is it doesn't exactly give me a way to get in contact with him, now does it?"

The nurse shrugged her shoulders sympathetically. "I'm sorry."

"No don't apologize," said Regina shaking her head. "I'm just a little stressed out is all."

She sighed as she put her hands on her hips and thought over the nurse's words. If she was right and Robin's phone was dead or broken, then she was pretty much screwed. There was no other way to get in contact with him. It would be a while before he had to wake up for his meeting and she didn't think Marian could wait much longer to hear from him. She arched one of her eyebrows as an idea formed in her head. Maybe she didn't need to get in contact with him, just somebody near him.

She turned to the nurse. "Can I use your computer for just one second? I need to look up a phone number."

ROBIN'S MOTEL, 5:45 AM

Robin was sleeping semi-soundly on his bed when he heard a banging on the room door. He groaned as he forced his eyes open. The sun had barely risen and he squinted as he adjusted to light pouring in through the window. He could hear Killian snoring rhythmically on the other side of the room, not the least bit disturbed by the knocking on their door. His eyes flew to the wall clock above the motel television. It wasn't even six yet. He threw back the scratchy motel blanket and stumbled out of bed toward the door. He opened it to find a rather irritated motel clerk glaring at him from his spot on the balcony. A toothpick hung out of his mouth as he regarded him coolly.

"Robin Locksely?" he asked in a clipped tone.

Robin eyed him suspiciously. "Yes."

The clerk tossed a clunky phone at his chest. "There's a shrill woman on the phone for you."

Robin barely had time to react before the clerk was heading back to the office grumbling about how early it was. A confused look crossed his face as he brought the phone up to his ear. "Hello?"

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?!"

Robin pulled the phone away from his ear as Regina's voice screeched through the speaker.

"Regina?"

"No it's the tooth fairy," she replied sarcastically. "Of course it's me! Why the hell haven't you been picking up your phone? I have been calling you for hours!"

Robin rushed over to the night stand and grabbed his phone. He pressed furiously at the power button but let out a frustrated groan when he only got a battery alert in response. It hadn't been charging all night. He made a mental note to dig Killian a grave.

"My phone died," he gritted out angrily. "What's going on? Are Marian and the baby okay?"

"Yes," Regina sighed irritatingly. "But she went into labor two hours ago and she needs you here."

Robin felt a rock fall into his stomach. He leaned against the wall for support as her words registered in his brain. "She went into labor?" he breathed softly. "While I was sleeping?"

Regina scrunched her eyes closed as she felt Robin's guilt flow through her speaker. "Look Robin it's still early. You haven't missed much. You just need to get here as soon as possible."

"As soon as possible," he parroted. It was like he couldn't even think straight. His wife had gone into labor and he had been selfishly sleeping next to an uncharged phone. He couldn't stop the rush of horrific scenarios from flowing through his mind.

Regina sensed his distress and called out to him. "Robin! Listen to me. You need to get dressed now. Hand Killian the phone."

The mention of his idiotic travel partner was enough to shake Robin out of his stupor. It was his fault he'd missed Marian's calls and the fury he felt towards him overcame his fears for the moment. He stomped over to the other bed and stuck his hand under the mattress. Killian's body landed on the ground with a thud as Robin flipped him out of bed.

He groaned in pain as the impact knocked him out of his slumber. He glared up at Robin from his spot on the floor. "What the hell Robin?!"

"Marian is the hell you idiot!" shouted Robin. "She went into labor and I didn't get the call because you"- he pointed a finger at him accusingly-"didn't charge the phones correctly!"

Kilian blinked rapidly at the flood of information that just came at him. "What?"

Robin shoved the phone in his hands. "Here. Regina's on the line. Do as she says!"

And with that he walked over to his duffel bag and rapidly began to get dressed. Killian watched him warily as he brought the phone to his ear. "Regina?"

"You listen to me Killian Jones." She didn't even pause to say hello. "My best friend is about to give birth to her first child and she will not do it without her husband there. So I need you to get your act together and make sure that Robin gets to this hospital as soon as possible. Now is he getting dressed?"

Kilian glanced over at his friend who was putting on clothes faster than what appeared to be humanly possible. "Like a bat out of hell," he relied softly.

"Good," said Regina. "The next train heading for Ventura leaves your town in 30 minutes. You better make damn sure that he is on it!"

Killian stood to search for his car keys. "What am I supposed to do about the meeting then?"

"Do you think anyone gives a damn about that right now?!" responded Regina. "Go to the meeting by yourself. You know more than enough about the bar to get the contract signed. Now give Robin the phone back. Marian needs to talk to him."

Killian handed the phone back to his friend who quickly snatched it out of his grasp. He could hear Robin trying to soothe his wife over the phone while he struggled to get into his pants. Killian let out a triumphant bark of laughter when he found the keys to car on the bathroom counter where he'd left them. Robin was hanging up the phone when he stepped back in the room.

"Found the car keys," he said with a small smile.

"Good," Robin nodded at him and swallowed hard as he tried to get his bearings.

Killian raised an eyebrow at his reaction. "Are you ready for this, mate?"

"No," answered Robin shaking his head. "But I'll be damned if I'm going to let that stop me."

THE HOSPITAL, 7AM

Regina stretched out her neck as she stood in line at the hospital cafeteria. It seemed like forever had passed since she'd been asleep in Marian's apartment. Her friend was currently resting in her hospital bed as she went to get a cup of Jello for her. She'd promised Robin that she'd stay with Marian until he arrived and it wasn't something that she regretted but it was pretty tiring.

As soon as her Jello was paid for she headed back towards Marian's room. As she walked through the maternity ward she took small peeks at all the people in their various rooms. There were some that were filled to the brim with people, all eager to be there when the new family member made their appearance. Some only had a person or two waiting with them, holding their hand making sure they were comfortable. She didn't see anyone who was alone. She could only assume they were behind the few closed doors in the ward. Her door had been closed when she had Henry. But that was mostly so no one would see her.

She couldn't help but think of the night she'd given birth to her son as she walked through the ward. It was literally a lifetime ago but every detail still felt as present and clear as the brightly colored desert in her hand.

Regina stepped into Marian's room to find her friend pacing around the floor with one hand on her back. The look of exhaustion on her face was more than familiar to Regina. She'd had the same one when she was three hours into her labor with Henry. She gave Marian a sympathetic look as she set the Jello on the tray attached to her bed.

"Another contraction?" she asked, grabbing Marian's hand to help her around the room.

Despite everything a chuckle escaped Marian's throat as she leaned against Regina for support. "Trust me if I was having another contraction I'd be letting you know."

A small smile grew on Regina's face. "How far apart are they now?"

"About every six minutes," replied Marian.

"You know no one would blame you if wanted to get the epidural, right?"

Marian shook her head. "No. I don't want to risk or complicate anything. It's better for him if I do this naturally."

Regina rubbed a hand up and down Marian's back soothingly. She'd begged for an epidural when Henry was born but the doctor had refused. Said it was better for her. She still believed it was an order from her mother meant to punish her. "You should get back into bed. You'll want to be rested for the next round."

Marian nodded at her slightly. She held her belly as Regina helped her settle back into her hospital bed. She was eternally grateful that her friend had chosen to stay with her until her husband arrived. Just the idea of doing this alone terrified her. She smiled gratefully as she was handed her red Jello. The two of them ate in silence for a moment before Marian awkwardly cleared her throat. "Did you, um, get the chance to call the number I gave you?"

Regina's spoon paused halfway to her mouth. Earlier Marian had given her the number to her parents. She'd wanted them to know that she'd gone into labor with their first, and possibly only, grandchild. As soon as she'd gotten the chance Regina had called them up but it hadn't gone well. She'd barely gotten through saying Marian's name and explaining the situation before they'd hung up on her. The silence she'd heard after they ended the call was still haunting her.

She set her Jello down in front of her and wrung her hands nervously. "You know Marian I did but, um, the number had actually been disconnected. I think they changed it."

"Oh," breathed Marian, as she hung her head. She lightly ran her hands over her stomach gently. "I guess that's to be expected when you don't speak with family for years. You miss little things like that."

Regina reached out to squeeze her shoulder sympathetically. "Hey you're not alone. Robin's on the train down right now. And I'm here."

"I know," said Marian, forcing a smile and placing her hand atop Regina's. "I just always thought that they would be here too."

She suddenly clamped down on Regina's hand and gritted her teeth. "Here comes another contraction."

ON THE TRAIN, 8AM

Robin tapped his foot nervously as he looked out the train window. It helped him to watch the scenery go by. It was a reminder that he was moving forward, heading to Marian. Soon he would be there with her and they would have their son. He blew out an impatient breath as the train pulled into a stop at Goleta. He was only three short stops away from Ventura. And Marian. He ran his hands over his chin anxiously. He'd shaved in the train bathroom. Killian's comments earlier had convinced him that he didn't want to meet his son looking like a hobo. The smooth skin still felt strange against his palm.

He anxiously checked his watch as he realized the train had been stationary for quite a while now. Suddenly there was loud screeching noise as the train vibrated violently beneath his feat. As soon as the noise and trembling subsided, he heard the conductor get on the intercom.

"Attention passengers. We appear to be having some engine trouble so this train is out of order. Please leave through the nearest exit and we encourage you to wait for the next train which will be heading through in three or so hours. We are sorry for the inconvenience."

Robin's jaw dropped as the intercom above him clicked off. Another three hours! He angrily stomped his foot on the ground. "Son of a bitch!"

As he climbed out of the train he reached for the cell phone in his pocket and was dismayed to find that in his haste to make it on the train he still hadn't charged it. He ran his hand over his head in frustration before spying an old telephone booth. He wasn't that far out from Ventura. Perhaps he could have a taxi come and pick him up.

He stepped over to the counter at the visitor's booth to talk to one of the aides. "Hello, I could use some assistance."

A young girl, probably no older than twenty, looked up at from behind the bullet proof glass. Her hair was dyed multiple shades of pink and blue and it was pulled into two crimped pigtails. She regarded him with warm eyes as she snapped the bubble gum she chewed behind her black-painted lips. "What can I help you with?"

"I need the number of a local taxi service. I'm trying to get out of town."

"Where are you headed?"

"To Ventura. I need to see my wife in the hospital."

She hissed at him apologetically. "I'm sorry sir. All the cab companies that service our station are strictly local. They don't leave city limits."

He clenched his fists in frustration. "Are you sure there's no one willing to take me that far?"

She nodded at him sadly. "I'm sorry but there isn't."

"Of course there's not," said Robin dejectedly. "Thank you for all your help."

As he moved to step away she called out to him hopefully, "Maybe one of your friends could come and pick you up?"

He sighed as he realized that it wasn't the worst idea but it's not like he had any way of getting in contact with them. All their numbers were stored in his dead phone and he didn't remember any of them off hand. A defeated groan escaped his lips as he realized he did actually remember one.

CONTINUES INTO THE NEXT CHAPTER. WHICH WILL BE POSTED IN A FEW HOURS. PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!