Chapter 9: Best Chance, What Does that Mean?

[3 months later-Emma's 8 months pregnant]

"Emma," said Dr. Mitchell, "Let's talk about it."

Emma had been silent for the past ten minutes of their session. She had her arms folded across her belly. She wasn't sure how genetics worked on her side of the family or really on Neal's but from the way thing seemed her baby might be as tall as his father.

In the three months since her first session with Dr. Mitchell the denial had started to fade and Emma had become more accepting of her situation. Her child was the only one there to keep the loneliness at bay. Emma was used to being alone, she had been for nearly her entire life but still it was nice to have some company even if said company couldn't talk back.

"No," Emma replied.

"We're going to have to at some point. You're less than a month away from bringing your son into this world. It's time to face that part now. Just three months ago you didn't want to face the fact that you were pregnant and now that the time is almost here you have to face the thought of what you plan to do next. People can give you their opinion left and right but ultimately this decision has to be made by you."

"I can't do it."

"I know it's a hard choice to make believe me I do. I've seen mothers come in here having to make the same ones. I'm going to ask you this though, why can't you make the choice?"

Emma looked down and rubbed her belly.

"What if I make the wrong one," Emma asked. "David deserves a good life, he deserves his best chance but I'm not sure what that means."

"There is no right or wrong choice here Emma."

"That's what makes it so hard."

"You called your boy, 'David'?"

Emma smiled a little. "Yeah," she said, "And I know its stupid- getting attached to him when I don't even know what's going to happen to him. Maybe it means something, I don't know. It just felt right."

"It's a good name," Dr. Mitchell said with a smile. "Strong, just like his mother."

"I doubt that."

"For now; in time you'll see it. There's something special about you Emma, you just don't know it yet."

"Yeah right, do you say that to all your patients?"

"Some but you're not like the others. I don't know call it blind faith or something. So tell me, why is this decision so hard? I want to hear those answers from you."

Emma did her best to stand up on her own. It didn't do much good so Dr. Mitchell came over and helped. Emma waddled over to the window as she always did when she had something difficult to mention. Looking out the window was easier than looking at Dr. Mitchell when it came to these particular thoughts.

Sighing Emma admitted, "I don't want to be like them. I don't want to just toss my kid away."

"Your parents," Dr. Mitchell said matter of fact.

Emma looked down and cradled her belly. It seemed David was starting to get restless too as he began kicking. Emma winced a little. The boy was strong. With her left hand she rubbed the spot where he had just kicked and her right hand hung beneath, cradling him, protecting him.

"Yeah," said Emma. "I have thought about them for as long as I could remember. What kind of people they were, what kind of reasons they had for throwing me away. I sometimes even have those childhood fantasies." She looked over at Dr. Mitchell, "You know the ones where you think that they're some kind of prince and princess and they live in some magical castle and any moment they'll come and whisk you away."

"Of course."

Emma looked down and then back toward the window, "but then I remember that those are four year old fantasies. There is no magic, no happy ending. I don't want to be like the people who left me on the side of the freeway but I don't know if I can keep David either. I want to but that's being selfish isn't it? I can't give him what he needs. I can barely take care of myself. He deserves better than that at the same time can I really be separated from my son like that even if it probably is best for him?"

Emma smiled to herself slightly as she reached and wiped away some of her own tears. She then turned back to Dr. Mitchell.

"So the situation pretty much sucks."

Author's Note: At the time of writing this we don't know Charming's true name. James was just the name he took as he replaced King George's son so I decided for the sake of the story that I would leave Charming's "true name", the name Ruth gave him, as David.