A/N: Some medical descriptions ahead (you probably saw that coming given how the last chapter ended), but nothing too graphic...not nearly as bad as the birthing video everyone is forced to watch in freshman biology in high school :P

"Have you had any contractions?" Regina asks, immediately getting up from the table and going over to the startled pregnant woman. David isn't far behind, rushing to his wife's side.

Mary-Margaret nods her head as her face winces and she screams out in pain. "I thought they were Braxton Hicks. That's what they told me last week at my check-up, and I had them with Neal up until I was 38 weeks, so I didn't think they were the real deal."

Regina nods. "Well, twins often come early. I don't think what you've been feeling were Braxton Hicks. We should get you to the hospital."

"No, it's too early," Mary-Margaret says, squeezing David's hand as a stronger contraction hits her.

"You're at 36 weeks. That's not too early for twins, and frankly it doesn't seem like your babies want to wait much longer to join us."

"But they're not ready," Mary-Margaret reiterates as a tear rolls down her cheek, although whether it's due to the pain of her contractions or her fear, she isn't sure.

Regina looks to David for clarification, because she's not following Mary-Margaret's concerns. More than half of the twins she's delivered in her practice were born at 36 weeks, sometimes even earlier. It's not uncommon or more high-risk than any other multiple birth.

"Twin B wasn't in the right position during her ultrasound last week. Our OB said that it would probably flip over the next few weeks," David explains.

Regina pauses and looks at him. "What position?"

"Complete breech."

It's not great news, but it could certainly be worse. "Okay. Well, hopefully the baby has already shifted, but if not, there are things they can do. It's not that uncommon, but we should get her to the hospital now," Regina urges.

The rest of the family have already started getting their coats and keys, and Emma quickly runs upstairs to pack a bag for Mary-Margaret. "We'll need two cars. I'll drive you and David over now, and Leopold can drive everyone else when they're ready," Cora says to Mary-Margaret as she grabs her purse and starts to usher the couple out toward the garage.

"What about Neal? It's late and this might take a long time," Mary-Margaret says.

"I can stay with him here," Zelena offers. "I can drive him over whenever you want me to."

"Thank you, Zelena," David says gratefully.

"Okay, you better go now," Regina says.

"Regina, you'll ride with us? Please?" Mary-Margaret asks the other brunette.

"Of course."

*.*.*

"I feel like I need to push," Mary-Margaret says from the backseat.

"You are not giving birth in my car, dear," Cora orders as they drive down the deserted country road.

Regina rolls her eyes, because of course Cora's main concern is her leather upholstery. "Mary-Margaret, do not push. Not yet. Mother, do you have a flashlight in the glove compartment?"

"Yes."

"David, hand it to me?"

"What are you doing?" he asks.

"Making sure this car isn't about to have at least one more passenger," she says, taking the flashlight from him before reaching into her purse and bathing her hands in sanitizer. She pulls out a pair of latex gloves from the small package she keeps on her. She's learned that it never hurts to be prepared — after delivering a baby on a stalled subway car last year, Regina doesn't go anywhere without gloves. "Mother, drive very carefully. Mary-Margaret, lay back and shift toward me." The mother-to-be shimmies down on the back seat as Regina crawls into the floorspace between the passenger seat and the backseat to give Mary-Margaret enough room. She holds the flashlight in her left hand so she can see what she's doing. "This may be a bit uncomfortable and awkward, but I'll be quick." When Mary-Margaret nods her consent, Regina quickly conducts an exam and sighs in relief at what she feels. "You're not there yet, but you're close. You're completely effaced but only dilated seven centimeters. Sit back up and buckle yourself in. And Mother, do hurry this along. We have time, but not as much as I'd like. These babies aren't going to wait much longer."

Five minutes later Cora turns off the main road and onto a side street. "We're almost there," she says as they approach the single-story building, driving past a sign with a glowing "H" and an arrow. The neon sign looks like it belongs in the early 1980s.

"This is the hospital?" Regina asks as they pull up to the emergency room at Storybrooke Community Hospital. The building looks smaller than the local elementary school. "What happened to the old hospital?"

"It was bought out by a large healthcare corporation and relocated to another town. That land is now a strip mall," her mother casually replies. "We built this five years ago to handle routine and minor emergency situations."

David looks back from his place in the passenger seat, checking to see how his wife is doing. "How are you, honey?"

"It hurts!" she screams as another contraction hits, grabbing his hand.

"The last two were just under three minutes apart," Regina comments, looking at her watch. "You're progressing really quickly, Mary-Margaret. We should get you inside so you can meet your babies."

"Okay," the pixie-haired brunette chokes out as she tries to focus on her breathing and the brief respite between the painful uterine contractions.

Regina runs ahead of Cora and David, who stay back to help Mary-Margaret into a wheelchair they found near the emergency room entrance. "We have a woman in labor, 36 weeks with twins. At least one membrane is ruptured and at her last visit Twin B was in a non-vertex position," Regina rattles off to the woman behind the desk in the emergency room. "She's from out of town so she doesn't have an OB here, so whoever is on-call or available will do."

"Okay… Um, there isn't one," the startled woman behind the desk says.

Regina looks up shocked. "What? What do you mean there isn't one? This is a hospital, isn't it?"

"Yes, but our only obstetrician is on vacation. None of our planned delivery patients are due anytime soon, so…"

"You're telling me you only have one OB on staff in this entire hospital?"

"Um, yes?"

"Jesus."

"We have several family practitioners, though. None of them are in since it's a holiday, but one is on-call. I can call him if you'd like?"

It takes all of Regina's willpower not to strangle the incompetent woman sitting across from her. She reads the woman's nametag that is pinned to her pink cardigan. "Yes, perhaps you should do that, Ashley. Who is the family practitioner on call?"

"His name is Viktor Whale."

"How many babies does he deliver a year?"

"I don't know…maybe five?"

"Of course," Regina scoffs.

"Regina, what's going on?" Emma asks as she approaches the desk. Regina turns around, surprised that Emma is already there, and sees that Mary-Margaret has already been whisked away into an exam room. Leopold is running in after them, throwing his keys to a random ER volunteer and ordering the young man to park his car. It's currently in the drop-off lane with its hazard lights flashing.

"This tiny excuse for a hospital doesn't have an OB, and their on-call family doc delivers fewer babies per year than I deliver in a day," Regina comments. "Fuck it," she says turning back to Ashley. "Who do I have to talk to to get privileges here?"

"What?"

"I'm an OBGYN, and it sounds like this Dr. Whale is not remotely qualified to handle the delivery of twins, especially since there may need to be an emergency C-section if the second baby doesn't flip. So, who do I have to talk to in order to get privileges to treat a patient in this hospital?"

"Um, I don't know."

"Of course you don't…idiot," she mutters under her breath. "Well, figure it out, because apparently, I'm delivering these babies. Dr. Whale can assist when he finally shows up," Regina says. "Where can I get scrubs?"

"Um, in the supply closet. Go through those doors and turn left. It'll be the second door on your right."

"Thank you. And please call the OR and make sure they're ready in case this turns into a cesarean," Regina says as she turns to follow Ashley's directions to the closet.

"Oh, the OR won't be available for another hour and a half, at least."

"What?" Regina turns back to face Ashley.

"Our general surgeon is heading up now with an appendectomy."

"Okay, so get me another OR."

"We only have the one," Ashley says, having the good sense to cower at the glare she knows she's about to receive from Regina.

Regina takes a deep breath but says nothing as she turns around and barges through the doors dividing the treatment area from the waiting room, causing them to bang loudly as they crash against the wall. She sees her mother standing in the hall outside an exam room and grabs her by the elbow, pulling her into the supply closet with her as she looks for a change of clothes.

"Why the fuck do you have a hospital with only one operating room?" Regina shouts at her mother as she rifles through the stack of scrubs looking for her size.

"Do not use that tone or that language with me, young lady," Cora scolds.

Regina ignores the reprimand. "You are the mayor, and your fiancé went to med school. Hell, all the doctors here did, too. How the hell did anyone think one OR is enough? How is that even legal?"

"It's a small town, Regina. We don't do fancy surgeries here… only outpatient procedures. There are only 18 beds here, and we only have two general surgeons for the most basic surgeries. All traumas and major surgeries are routed to the larger hospital a half hour from here. This is mainly for patching up broken bones and the occasional minor emergency surgery."

"So basically, this 'hospital' is barely one step up from an urgent care clinic. Great," she says, grabbing the scrubs and pushing past her mother to go back into the hallway. She walks into one of the deserted exam rooms, giving herself some privacy to quickly change out of her Christmas Eve dinner attire and don the maroon scrubs.

"What are you doing, Regina?" Cora asks when she sees her daughter re-enter the hallway wearing scrubs.

"I am going to see Mary-Margaret and will be overseeing the delivery, because your lame-ass hospital doesn't have an OBGYN available."

"Dr. Whale should be in town. I saw him last week for my checkup. He's a nice man," Cora says. "Attractive, too. You might like him."

Regina ignores her mother's attempt at setting her up yet again. She can't focus on the rage it stirs up in her now. "He is not an OBGYN. I deliver more babies in one week than he has in his entire career. He's not qualified to handle anything other than a perfectly routine birth, which this is not going to be," she says, pulling her hair back and using the elastic from her wrist to secure it. "And since the front desk is useless and you are mayor, you are going to do whatever is required for me to legally be allowed to practice in this hospital. Call the hospital president, the general counsel, whoever. Declare a state of emergency, if you need to. Just get it done, Mother. Your future step-daughter's and future step-grandchildren's lives may depend on it, and I'm not going to lose my medical license for illegally practicing medicine just because your town is grossly unprepared for a situation like this."

Regina storms away from her mother and walks into the exam room, where a nurse is checking the fetal heartrate monitors as well as Mary-Margaret's vitals. "Here comes another one," the nurse says, noting the spike on the contraction monitor.

While Mary-Margaret screams through the pain of the contraction, Regina quickly checks all the monitors herself, relieved that they are all looking as they should.

"What's with the getup?" David asks, eyeing Regina's scrubs.

"There's no OB here, and the on-call primary care doc doesn't routinely deliver babies. Based on what you told me about Twin B being breech, honestly, I'm the best person to do this," she says, before turning toward her future step-sister. "Mary-Margaret, ordinarily physicians aren't supposed to treat their own family, but given the circumstances, and since we only just met yesterday, I'm going to strongly suggest that I be the one to do this."

"Is that even legal? You don't work here," David asks.

"I asked Mother to make herself useful and get me privileges. All that matters right now is Mary-Margaret and those babies."

The pregnant woman nods. "That's fine, Regina. Please, just make sure they're okay."

Regina smiles and places a reassuring hand on Mary-Margaret's ankle. "That's why I'm here. Nurse…" Regina trails off, realizing she doesn't know the woman's name.

"Belle."

"Nurse Belle, how dilated is she now?" Regina asks the nurse as she skims through the chart.

"Oh, I don't know. We're waiting for the doctor to come do the exam."

"The doctor who isn't here?" Regina raises an eyebrow. "There hasn't been any other doctor to come in and check on her since she arrived? You don't have an emergency physician hanging around here?"

"No…he is with the surgeon in the OR, and we didn't bother paging him because Ashley said that Dr. Whale is on his way. He should be here in twenty minutes."

"Unbelievable," Regina says to herself as she pulls on a pair of gloves. "Okay, Mary-Margaret, I'm going to do another exam to see just how much longer you have to go."

"Okay…and then can I have something for the pain? I want the drugs."

"Yeah," Regina answers as she takes her position and guides Mary-Margaret's feet into the stirrups. "Okay, you're at nine centimeters, so you're very close. I think it's too late for an epidural, because you'll likely be ready to deliver before it has time to kick in. We can get you a spinal block though," Regina explains. "Belle, can you call anesthesiology and get someone up here, STAT?"

When Belle doesn't answer and Regina looks up at the startled redhead, she sighs. "You're about to tell me there isn't an anesthesiologist available, aren't you?"

"He's in surgery with the emergency appendectomy."

"And there aren't any others…" Regina asks, already knowing the answer.

"No. Just the one."

"Okay, can you at least get me the drugs? I'll do it myself," she says.

"Is that wise?" David asks, speaking up for the first time since Regina took control of the room. "You're not an anesthesiologist."

"No, I'm not, but I do these relatively frequently. I know what I'm doing, and believe me, she's going to want drugs for what's to come. Mary-Margaret, are you allergic to any medications?"

"No."

"Okay, good. Belle, please go get me a spinal block kit," she says, writing down the medications and dosages she needs on a piece of paper and handing it to the nurse, just as Cora returns to the room. "Are we all good, Mother?"

"Yes. You have temporary privileges."

"Good, thank you."

Belle leaves to go get the requested items as Regina sets up an ultrasound to look at the babies' positioning. All the eyes in the room go to the monitor where two babies are clearly visible, resembling a yin-yang symbol.

"Twin B is still breech," Regina confirms as she hands the ultrasound transducer back to Belle after she returns with the spinal needle and anesthetic. "But, it looks like your water only broke for Twin A, which is good. That gives us a little more time and more options for the delivery of Twin B." She asks Mary-Margaret to sit up and move to the edge of the bed so she can administer the spinal block. "I'm going to give you a local anesthetic to numb the area first, and then I'll give the spinal," she explains as she guides Mary-Margaret into the correct position before turning to the family. "Can all of you go over there?" she gestures to the opposite side of the room, so that Mary-Margaret's family doesn't have to watch her insert a four-inch needle into her spinal column. They quickly follow her instructions and after ensuring a sterile field, she flawlessly performs the procedure. She then helps Mary-Margaret lean back on the bed and tells her that she should start feeling numb within few seconds.

"Can you do a C-section? At least for Twin B?" David asks as Regina moves back toward the foot of the bed, changing out her gloves once more.

"If you get me an OR, absolutely. But things are progressing way too quickly to move her to another hospital, and this glorified clinic doesn't have more than one operating room, which is currently in use. I'm not going to open her up in a random exam room when it's just me and a nurse, unless I have absolutely no choice."

"I don't want surgery…no C-section," Mary-Margaret pleads.

David looks back at his concerned wife. "Mary-Margaret, if it will help keep you and the babies safe…"

"It's not an option," Regina interrupts. "Unless they can get the appendectomy kid off the table and the OR turned over in the next ten minutes, it can't happen. This is going to have to be a vaginal delivery, and we have to hope that everything turns out to be a textbook procedure. I'd like to have surgical supplies on hand if, God forbid, I do need to do a bedside C-section, but that is the absolute last resort," she says, looking over to Belle who nods and goes to retrieve the necessary materials.

"So, what are you thinking, then?" David asks. As a pediatrician he's not involved in the childbirth process, but he remembers learning it as part of his medical training years ago, before his residency, and from the few he observes each year. "Can you do an ECV?"

"Not all of us here are doctors," Emma reminds them from where she's standing in the corner of the room next to her father and Cora. "What's an ECV?"

"External cephalic version. Basically, I would use my hands on her abdomen to try and rotate the baby into the correct position," Regina explains before turning back to David. "But no, it's not a good idea. I can't do it while Twin A is still inside, and it's not generally the best option after the first birth. It's only successful 25% of the time, so it makes a cesarean more likely."

"Okay, so what else can you do?" Leopold asks, rising from his chair to stand next to his daughter's bed.

Regina takes a deep breath. "Well, I'm still hoping that after Twin A is out, maybe Twin B will rotate on its own once there's more room in there…that happens sometimes. Depending on how the first birth goes, I may need to do an internal podalic version and breech extraction."

"That sounds unpleasant," Emma comments, scrunching up her face. She doesn't know what it is, but she figures anything with the word "extraction" is probably not a good thing.

"Yeah, it's not a walk in the park for anyone. She'll be very happy she has the drugs, if it comes to that," Regina replies, looking over at her patient. She doesn't want to alarm her, but she also wants to make sure she understands what is happening.

"Dare I ask what that entails?" Mary-Margaret asks.

"If the baby stays in a breeched position, I would have to use my hand to internally rotate the baby into a better position, and guide it out manually by its ankles."

"Internally, as in…"

"From within your cervix," Regina confirms, causing everyone else in the room to shudder at the thought. "You're already numbed from the spinal, so you shouldn't feel anything."

"Are there risks to the baby?" Mary-Margaret asks, blinking back tears. David wipes her sweaty bangs out of her eyes.

"There are always risks, but it's really the safest option and minimizes the risk of a C-section, which is what we want. It has a high success rate in terms of avoiding a C-section, and it helps get the baby out quickly," Regina explains.

"I didn't think they did those procedures anymore," David says.

"They don't for single births, except in extremely rare cases when they can't do a C-section. In twins, it's a little more common when the second baby is not in the usual head-down position. The mothers usually opt for surgery in those cases, but sometimes they ask for the manual procedure."

"Have you done it before?" David asks.

"Yes."

"How many? How often?"

Regina smiles, happy that David is asking the right questions. "Probably 15 in my entire career. One, maybe two, per year," Regina answers honestly.

David sighs. "How many of them were successful?"

"All but two. Those I had to ultimately deliver via C-section, and both mom and baby were fine in those two instances."

"When was the last time you did this?"

"Probably seven or eight months ago on an actual patient, but I practice on the simulators and mannequins on a monthly basis so I don't lose the skill. Not all physicians are comfortable doing the procedure, but I like to keep all my options at my fingertips…no pun intended. And honestly, this is the best option, if the second twin doesn't flip on its own. The baby will need to come out quickly, and an elective C-section is not an option here. David, I can do this, if it comes to that," she says, placing her hand on his elbow. "I wouldn't even suggest it if I weren't confident in my abilities."

"And she can't just deliver it in a breech position?" Emma asks.

"No. There are too many risks in this case, and if there were any complications, this hospital is clearly not equipped to handle them."

"Do what you need to do, Regina. I trust you," Mary-Margaret says as she breathes through another contraction, indeed grateful for the painkillers.

"Knock, knock," a voice says from the door. "What did I miss? Do we have a baby yet?"

"Dr. Whale, hello," Cora says with a smile as she approaches the man whose hair is an alarmingly unnatural shade of blonde.

"How are you Cora? And Leopold, I hear you're about to be a grandfather again! Congratulations," Whale smiles as he walks into the room, shaking Leopold's hand and briefly hugging Cora and kissing her on the cheek.

"Yes, indeed, Dr. Whale. We're very excited," Leopold says jovially.

"I hope you brought some cigars," Whale jokes. "And how's the patient?" he asks, grabbing her chart from the table next to the bed and reading through it.

"Good, now that I have drugs," Mary-Margaret says.

"You had a spinal block? Who gave you that? I thought the anesthesiologist was in surgery?" he asks as he looks to Belle, who has been keeping herself busy monitoring all the heartrates and trying to avoid Regina's judgmental stare.

"I did," Regina answers.

"I'm sorry, who are you?"

"Dr. Regina Mills," she says, extending her hand toward the man. "Board certified OBGYN."

"Viktor Whale," he says, shaking her hand firmly. "I wasn't aware we have a new OBGYN on staff."

"You don't. I'm Cora's daughter. Given that this hospital seems to be extremely understaffed and unprepared for this, I stepped in."

"Ah, well, I thank you for your assistance, but I can take it from here, Regina."

Regina scoffs. "I highly doubt that, Viktor," she says, emphasizing his name since they seem to be forgoing all professional courtesies. "Ashley said you deliver maybe five babies per year?"

"More or less," he shrugs. "But I'm perfectly capable of handling a routine delivery," he says as his eyes blatantly rake over her body, causing Regina to cringe and Emma to feel a twinge of anger in her gut. "But, if it would make you feel better, you're welcome to stay and assist me," he smirks.

She raises an eyebrow. "Did you even read her chart? Nothing about this is a routine delivery. You are not going near her…at least not without explicit instructions from me. If you want to observe and learn something, though, you're welcome to stay," Regina says, not backing down.

Dr. Whale looks over at David and Mary-Margaret, expecting them to say something in his favor. Instead, it's Cora who speaks up. "Gina, don't be rude. I raised you better than that. Dr. Whale is here now, so why don't you let the man do his job."

"Wow," Emma says under her breath from her chair behind Regina. The brunette hears the comment and bites back a smile.

"We will stick with Regina," Mary-Margaret says from her spot in the bed, earning an irritated look from both Whale and Cora.

"Good choice. Now, everyone who isn't David, Belle, or Dr. Whale, please go wait outside," Regina says as she gets into position at the foot of the bed, quickly doing another exam on her future step-sister, confirming that she's fully dilated.

"But we want to stay," Cora says.

"There are too many people in this room, and I need my focus to be solely on Mary-Margaret and the two tiny humans who are about to come out of her, one of whom is about two minutes away from making his or her entrance into the world. So, I don't care if you want to stay. You can't. Someone will come get you when the babies are here. Now, get out," Regina demands. "And Belle, please gown me."

*.*.*

"Alright, Mary-Margaret, you're doing great," Regina says as she glances up at the woman who has her new baby boy resting on her chest. "Your water broke for Twin B during the delivery of your son, and the baby is proving to be stubborn and not budging from the breech position, so I'm going to need to do the procedure we talked about earlier."

"Can't you wait a little longer for the baby to move naturally?" she asks.

"No. You're still fully dilated, so it's much safer to do now. And, I can see the baby's buttocks emerging through your cervix, so it's not in a position where it would rotate on its own at this point. I don't want to wait any longer. Although you may feel like you need to, I don't want you to push until I tell you to."

"Okay," the mother nods.

"Belle, can you take Baby Boy Nolan and do the five-minute Apgar while we deliver Twin B?"

The petite nurse does so, carefully taking the newborn from Mary-Margaret's chest and cradling him as she places him into the bassinet next to the bed. David takes Mary-Margaret's hand again in support as they prepare to welcome their third child into the world.

"Okay, you shouldn't feel any pain. You might feel a little bit of pressure depending on how high up the baby moves during the rotation, but it'll be quick."

"Okay," she takes a deep breath.

"Good. David, you don't want to watch this one until I tell you it's okay to look. Here we go," Regina says. She lowers the stool she's sitting on to be in a better position for the procedure and pulls back Mary-Margaret's gown so she has better visualization.

Viktor Whale's eyes widen in alarm as he watches Regina insert her right hand forearm-deep into Mary-Margaret, only to have it emerge delicately gripping the baby's ankle. She gently pulls the baby through, moving to grip the baby's hips as they exit Mary-Margaret's body. "Okay, David, you can look now. And Mary-Margaret, if you feel the need to push, you can." She expertly navigates the rest of the extraction, rotating that infant a few more times and quickly delivering it to minimize complications. "And you have a daughter," Regina says as she places the crying baby on Mary-Margaret's chest after ensuring that everything looks good. She delivers the placentas and goes to work suturing Mary-Margaret due to some tearing during the birth, while the blonde doctor looks like he's about to pass out after what he just observed. "Whale, make yourself useful and do an Apgar on Twin B."

"Sure," he says as he stands up, steadying himself as he walks toward Mary-Margaret and her new daughter.

"Do you have names yet or are we going to keep calling them Baby Girl Nolan and Baby Boy Nolan for the time being?" Regina asks as she watches Whale do a quick assessment on the younger twin.

"I kind of like Twin A and Twin B, personally," David jokes, receiving a grunt from Mary-Margaret.

"We haven't decided anything yet," Mary-Margaret corrects.

"Alright, I'm done down here," Regina says, draping a blanket over Mary-Margaret's legs and rolling her stool back from the table before peeling off her gown and gloves. She then walks over and looks at the newborn girl still resting on the woman's chest, doing a quick assessment of her own on the infant. She smiles when the little one grabs her finger. "She's got a good grip already…you were great, Mary-Margaret. Congratulations."

"Thank you, Regina. So much," Mary-Margaret says, taking Regina's hand in hers.

"Yes, thank you, Regina," David says, his eyes not leaving his new daughter.

"Of course," she smiles. "I'm going to go let everyone know that everyone in here is okay. I'm guessing they're all out there stewing since I kicked them out," she laughs. "I'm sure they all want to come in. Are you four ready for visitors or do you want me to hold them off a little longer?"

David looks over at his wife, letting her make the call.

"They can come in. And can you call Zelena so she can bring Neal over? I know it's getting late, but I'd like him to at least meet his new baby sister and brother tonight."

"Of course," Regina says. "I'll be right back."

*.*.*

"Should it be taking this long?" Leopold asks as his leg bounces up and down in the chair.

"I have no idea. You're the only doctor out here, Dad, you should know," Emma says as she paces back and forth in the waiting area.

"We've only been out here twenty minutes, dear," Cora points out.

"Really? It feels like it's been hours," Leopold says.

"Are the babies here yet?" Zelena asks as she comes through the entrance with Neal.

"No, not yet," Emma answers, stopping her pacing long enough to answer before resuming her path around the chairs in the waiting room.

"Where's Regina?" Zelena asks when she notices her sister is missing. "She didn't use this as an excuse to run away again, did she? I know she hates our family, but that would be a new low, even for her."

Emma looks up, surprised by Zelena's candor. "No, she's back there with them. She's delivering the babies."

"Really? Why?" Zelena asks, puzzled.

"It's a long story," Emma replies.

Just then the double doors to the back area opens, and Regina walks through. The family all rise to their feet and rush over toward her. They all speak at once and she can't make out their individual questions, so she throws both her hands up in the air, signaling them to stop talking. "Everyone is doing well," she says. "A healthy baby boy followed by a stubborn, but healthy, baby girl," Regina says with a smile. "Baby Girl Nolan was breech, but I was able to get her out without any complications."

"Oh, thank God," Leopold says as he hugs Cora.

"Can we see them?" Emma asks.

"Of course. Mary-Margaret is understandably exhausted, but you can visit for a little bit. Go ahead," she says, pulling back the door to let the masses through. As Zelena walks past her, Regina grabs her wrist. "How are you here already? I was just about to call you to tell you to bring Neal over."

"Mother called me when she said Mary-Margaret was ready to deliver. Did you really deliver the twins?"

"Yeah, I did."

"Wow," Zelena says, the surprise evident on her face.

"It's kind of my job, Zee. Did you really think I was lying about being a doctor?"

"I don't know, Regina. You haven't spoken to me in over ten years," the redhead said, brushing past her sister to join the rest of her family.

Regina sighs and shakes her head as she slowly reenters the room, seeing everyone surrounding the newborns and the parents. She notices that Emma is the first to hold her new nephew, as she gently picks him up from the bassinet, while Cora dotes over the baby girl. Regina forces a smile as she takes the medical chart off the end of the bed and sneaks out of the room. She quickly stops by the supply closet to change back into her normal clothes and deposit the dirty scrubs into a hamper, and she then heads to the front desk to write her documentation of the procedure. Whale had done some scribing during the delivery, but she likes to double check the notes to make sure everything is accurate, especially in this case when she doesn't actually work here. She wants to make sure her notes are pristine.

"How did it go?" Ashley asks from her spot at the reception desk, nervous in the presence of the intimidating physician, but genuinely curious after all the chaos earlier.

"As well as I could have hoped, considering. Mom and both babies are doing fine," Regina says. "Sorry I snapped at you earlier."

"It's okay. I understand," Ashley reassures. "Where do you practice?"

"Washington, D.C.," Regina says, drumming her pen on the chart as she verifies Whale's SOAP note.

"No wonder our little hospital seems so small to you, then."

Regina nods. "Yeah. It's much different than city life. That's for sure." She continues to make notes as Dr. Whale approaches her after getting a coffee from the break room.

"That was impressive," he says as he takes a sip of his coffee.

"It was nothing," she shrugs. "Just another day at the office."

"Still. I've never seen anything like that."

"Yes, I imagine you haven't, given that you were about five seconds away from fainting," Regina smirks. "Tell me, Whale, how the hell did you get through med school?"

"Very funny," he laughs before leaning over to rest his elbows on the counter next to her. "So, how long are you in town?"

"I'm going to stop you right there, Whale. I am not interested."

"You barely know me. How can you say that you're not interested? You should at least get to know me first."

"Well, considering I exclusively date women, I can say with 100 percent confidence that you're not my type," she says, closing Mary-Margaret's chart.

"Your loss," the disappointed doctor says as he shrugs and walks away.

"Hey," Emma says as she approaches the desk, brushing past Dr. Whale as he heads back to his office. "I was wondering where you snuck off to."

"Emma," Regina says, not expecting to see the woman. She had thought she would still be obsessing over her new niece and nephew. "What are you doing out here?"

"I wanted to talk to you."

"Look, Emma, I am in no mood…Can we please not do this now?"

"I understand. But, we do need to talk. Soon. I owe you an explanation. And you need to tell me what the hell that kiss was about this morning."

"That was nothing more than a lapse in judgment. And you don't owe me anything, Emma. You were clearly not on the same page as I was, and it's my fault for not realizing that back then. It's fine…water under the bridge," she says, handing Mary-Margaret's chart to Ashley to be filed. "Ashley, can you please call me a cab or an Uber or something?"

"Of course, Dr. Mills. There's a cab company just up the road, so it shouldn't take long."

"Thank you."

"You're leaving? Now?" Emma asks.

"Yes. Mary-Margaret is not the only one who is exhausted, and I am in dire need of a shower. Dr. Whale plans to stay and keep an eye on her overnight. She's in good hands with him now that her delivery is done. He's perfectly capable of doing her follow-up checks."

"That's not what I meant, Regina," Emma says.

"It's been a stressful day, Emma…I'm just going back to the house to get some rest. It's not like I'm not going back to D.C. tonight."

"Are you sure you don't want to stay here with us for a bit? Not as my sister's doctor, but just as Regina…"

Regina shakes her head. "I appreciate the gesture, Emma, but I don't think that's a good idea. Despite the fact that I came here for the engagement party, my mother has made it perfectly clear that I'm not really part of this family. This should be a joyful night for you guys, and if I stay any longer, I might actually stab my mother with a spare scalpel, and I'd really rather not spend Christmas in a jail cell. It will be less awkward for everyone if I'm not here."

"Okay," Emma says, dejected. "Can we please talk tomorrow, at least?"

"Fine. Goodnight," she says, walking toward the main entrance.

"Regina?" Emma calls after her, and the brunette hesitantly stops and turns around. "Thank you, for everything you did tonight —for being there for them…for saving them. I doubt my father or your mother thought to thank you, but I want you to know that I appreciate everything you did for them."

Regina nods in acknowledgement before she turns around and exits the ER, getting into the waiting taxi and heading back to the house.

A/N: I know that was super clinical and light on SQ, but I wanted to include it all for the purposes of moving the story along and letting Regina prove herself to her horrible mother and the douchey Dr. Whale. Plus, who doesn't love adorable Christmas Eve babies?

Also this should go without saying, but I'm not a doctor and I haven't had a ton of coursework in this area so this may not be entirely accurate. But, I work with a lot of doctors and med students in my job, and I geeked out reading way too many pubmed articles on breech birth, ECV, and indications for IPV while researching this (and I even watched a few instructional videos of the procedure Regina had to do through our med school's library...it's not pretty. There's a reason I'm not a doctor), so I think it's relatively accurate. There are some actual birthing clips of it on youtube too, which are fascinating (and graphic), if you're interested in medicine.

The next chapter is almost entirely Emma/Regina interaction to make up for the lack of it in this one. In that one, you'll finally find out what made Emma bail on Regina in her hotel room, among other revelations and overdue conversations. It'll be up tomorrow afternoon :)