A Multiple Love- Chapter two
When Emma woke up, she found herself in a hospital room, alone. Neal's black book bag was on the floor, so she knew he was here. She groaned and closed her eyes, she always hated hospitals. She ended up falling asleep, probably some of the drugs she was given. But she had a good dream.
Neal was standing in the kitchen of a house, doing dishes. Regina was standing besides him, laughing at something, but Neal hadn't said anything. Emma moved into the kitchen and stood at Neal's other side. That's when she noticed the prominent bump on Regina's stomach. Both Neal and Regina were smiling. And then something weird happened, Neal kissed her. Neal actually kissed Regina.
He pulled away when a little boy came running into the room. He looked like Neal, probably about five years old. Neal picked him up and set him on the counter. They talked with him-Heny- for a while. He was cute, she would give them that. Regina invited the little boy to feel the baby kick and that's when she started waking up.
Emma opened her eyes as a nurse stuck a needle in her arm. She winced and looked at Neal, asleep in a chair behind the nurse. He looked cute, worried, but cute. He had his head against his shoulder, feet up under his body, arms wrapped around his body.
The nurse noticed she was looking at Neal and smiled slightly. "He's been here since you first got here. Ran back to the room and hasn't left since he came in. He's been out for hours. You have too. About twelve. Poor man looked like he was about to cry. You have a good husband, dear."
"He's not my husband."
"Oh I'm sorry. Brother?"
"Boyfriend... Best friend. Both." Emma said as Neal shifted.
"Keep him, he's a good one." The nurse said and left the room.
Neal didn't wake. He didn't wake for hours. Emma had just watched him, took in his features. She wondered what he was dreaming about, what he was thinking. If he dream would ever be true. She loved both Neal and Regina a lot. Wanted them both. She knew Neal wanted a big family, that was the first thing he had told her when they got serious.
He woke when they came with her breakfast. Emma still hadn't seen a doctor, just nurses. It was understandable though. She just wanted to sleep or stare at Neal. And she didn't have the heart to wake him. Plus, passing out isn't that big a deal in New York City.
Neal rubbed his eyes and put his feet down out of the chair, cracking his neck gently. He smiled, looking at her.
"Hey, Em. You scared me."
"Hey. I'm sorry, baby. I'm okay though."
"Doctor been in yet?"
"No, not yet." Emma sighed.
It would be another five hours before the doctor came back. By then, Neal was lying next to Emma on the bed, her head on his chest as she slept. Neal, like her, didn't have the heart to wake her.
"Emma Swan?" The doctor looked up and smiled, seeing Neal gently shift Emma off his shoulder and onto the pillow. "You must be her husband."
"Long time boyfriend. Neal Cassidy." Neal held out his hand and smiled as the man shook his hand.
The two went out of the room to talk. Neal shoved his hands in his pockets, obviously nervous. The doctor just bit back a laugh and smiled.
"Well Mr. Cassidy, Emma is fine. She passed out due to stress, dehydration and sleep deprivation. A week or twos rest should do the trick. Once she's about five months along, I would recommend bed rest though."
Neal nodded and then looked confused at the five month comment. "Doc, you must have the wrong woman. Emma's not pregnant.. I mean, it's not possible."
"We ran a blood test and it came back positive. Are you using condoms or some kind of internal protection?"
"She's on birth control."
"It can fail sometimes, Mr. Cassidy. Unless she has another sexual partner, you're a father. Congratulations." The doctor smiled and walked away.
Neal went back in the room, completely and totally scared. He wanted kids, but he wanted to get married first. To actually be living in the same place. And the fact he had to tell Emma scared him even more. Not only was it completely backwards, but he didn't know how she would take it. He finally understood how woman feel when they have to tell their boyfriends and husbands!
Neal took his spot on the bed back and raked his fingers through her hair gently. He was really scared. What if she didn't want a baby now? Or didn't want to be with him anymore? What if she didn't love him anymore?
Neal closed his eyes and sighed, thinking about what he would say. 'Emma, you know I love you more than anything and I will never leave you. And we're gonna have a baby." No no. Too romantic, sappy movie. 'Em, you're pregnant and I'm the father.' No, she knew he was the father. Or at least he hoped so. 'Baby, we're gonna be parents. You're pregnant with my baby.' Dammit, Neal. Back to sappy movie.
He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. That's when he heard her phone ring. Neal grabbed it before the sound woke her and got up, leaving the room to answer. He sighed and hit the green button on the screen.
"Hello."
"Neal?" It was Regina.
"No, it's the Easter Bunny." He said sarcastically. "Yes, it's me."
"Is Emma there?"
"No, she's asleep." Neal lied. He didn't want Regina to flip out. She was under enough stress with her mother.
"Oh... I'll call back later then.." Regina hung up.
Neal sighed and went back into her room, setting Emma's phone on the table. He buried his head in his hands, shaking his head. How could he let this happen? They were never that careful, but he thought birth control was supposed to work!
Emma woke up hours later. Neal was still awake, mentally kicking himself. That's when a doctor came in with an ultrasound machine. Emma looked confused, but let them set it up and pull up her shirt. She saw Neal bite his lip and that scared her.
The doctor muttered something about a jelly being cold and spread it over her abdomen. Neal grabbed her hand quickly. Emma looked up at him scared.
"Neal, what's going on?" She whispered.
"And that is your baby." The doctor said after a couple moments, pointing to the screen. Emma's head whipped around to look at it.
"Baby?!"
"You haven't told her yet?" The doctor said confused.
"Couldn't figure out how to say it. Plus, I didn't know you were gonna run a fucking ultrasound!" Neal practically yelled
Emma stared at the screen... At her-their baby. She and Neal had made that. It was made because of their love for each other. Because they were in love...
"Well we can go ahead and do an abortion, if you wish." The doctor said to the two of them as he turned the ultrasound off and cleaned her abdomen
Emma's hand shot down to her stomach protectively. "No!... I-I mean... We're not getting rid of the baby."
"Emma..." Neal muttered, waiting for the doctor to leave. "Emma... We can't have a baby now... I mean, w-we don't even live together."
"Then move your shit into my apartment. I'm not getting rid of it, Neal."
"Emma.."
"Would you stop saying my name?! I'm keeping this baby! If you don't want it, then leave!" She snapped with tears in her eyes.
After several minutes of silence, Emma was openly sobbing in her pillow, arms wrapped around her middle. She already loved this baby and he didn't. That was her one fear, losing him.
Neal knelt down on the side of the bed, Emma was facing. Neal shook her arm gently, trying to get her to look at him. When she eventually did, Neal lifted her shirt gently. He kissed her still flat stomach and smiled, listening to her laugh.
Emma ran her fingers through his hair lightly. "I love you, Neal Cassidy. You and this baby."
"I love you too. Both of you."
-/Page Break/-
Four months had past since Emma's trip to the hospital and finding out about their baby. Emma was now five months along. Neal had moved in with her and convinced her to cut back on her hours at work.
Neal got home around seven that night. He found Emma curled up on the couch, cradling her baby bump in her sleep. There were tear stains on her cheeks, something he knew she would want to talk about. The man smiled sadly and put a blanket over her gently, kissing the top of her head.
By the time he'd got a shower and made dinner, Emma was awake, standing against the breakfast bar in the kitchen. Neal handed her a plate and smiled, squeezing her hand gently. The two of them settled at the bar to eat to dinner, like they did every night.
As Neal did the dishes in the sink, Emma sat there watching him after dinner. Despite having a dish washer, he insisted on washing them every night claiming it gave him something to do other than watch tv at night. Even when he was sick last month, he still the dishes because there was 'nothing good on tv.'
"So how was your day?" Neal finally asked, drying off a knife.
"Well I had to work with Marie on to finish up that case from a couple months ago. She, of course, had to come to my office and look at all my pictures. Of course she had to say how us not being married is bad for the baby and it'll never have real parents. That he's just a mistake and we'll never love him like we would if we planned him." He saw the tears welling up in her eyes.
Marie was the one person at the police station that couldn't stand Emma or her baby. She believed people had to be married or else their kid meant nothing. Emma was always the one who had to hear it from her, being the only other woman there.
After finding out about the pregnancy, both Neal and Emma changed a lot. Emma's desk was now covered in pictures frames. Her parents vow renewal, Neal and her five years ago, them on their five year anniversary, Regina, her latest ultrasound and several others. She openly talked about her personal life.
Neal... We'll he'd become a lot more protective over Emma. He'd always go to every work function with her, even if she didn't need or want him to. He helped her with all the emotional hormone changes and such.
"Neal, how can we raise our baby in a place where he isn't accepted for his parents? Everyone there knows we just moved in together." Emma muttered, tears openly falling.
Neal came around the bar and knelt down in front of her, hands caressing their baby gently. "Emma, that's just Marie. You know a lot of other people have babies before their married. It doesn't matter what anyone else things of how we parent now. He's ours, baby. This baby is ours, not anyone else."
Emma wiped her eyes and nodded. "Okay... I'll try not to listen to her anymore."
"Good. No one can tell us how to take care of him." Neal said and stood.
"How was your day?" Emma asked
"It's was okay. Better now that I can see you."
"Flattery will get you nowh-" Emma stopped, looking down at her baby bump with wide eyes, hands going to it.
"Baby, what's wrong?" Neal asked concerned.
Emma looked up at him with a bright smile. "Neal, he kicked me. Finally, he kicked me. I-I don't think you'll be able to feel yet, but he finally did."
Neal cupped her cheek and kissed her deeply, other hand finding its way under her shirt and over their baby. Emma smiled against his lips.
After a few moments, Emma's phone rang causing both to groan. Emma pulled away and took the phone from Neal, nodding her thanks and answering without checking the called ID.
"Emma Swan, can I help you?" That's how she always answered the phone. Well except when Neal called.
"Hey, Emma, it's mom. Is now a good time?" Emma's mother, Mary Margaret said, way too energized for ten at night.
"Hey, mom." Emma smiled, grabbing the dish rag off Neal's shoulder. "No, nows fine. What's up?"
"Well I know last week you said you had an appointment for Wednesday. I just figured I would ask how it went yesterday."
"Oh yeah. Everything went great. The baby is health and moving along exactly how he should for five months." Emma's hand was spread across the top of her stomach.
"So I'm getting a grandson?"
Emma laughed lightly. "No, we didn't find out the gender. I just hated calling the baby it or baby all the time so we just use he."
Mary Margaret laughed. "Are you gonna find out or will it be he until it's born?"
"Neal and I decided we wanted it to be a surprise. Most because he and I have a bet going on."
"Mother's intuition versus daddy's dream?"
"Yeah. I keep telling him it's gonna be a boy, but he's hell bend on us having a girl. I did make him use the male pronoun though so it's easier."
"How's everything with Neal going anyway?"
"Everything's great, mom. That's one thing you don't have to worry about." Emma smirked as Neal started walking away. She hit his ass with her dish rag and laughed at his jokingly offended look.
The two woman's conversation continued on for about an hour before Emma was practically asleep. She then laid on the couch with Neal and snuggled, falling asleep.
Neal rubbed her arm gently to wake her. "Em baby, the bed will be more comfortable. You don't have work tomorrow so you can sleep in."
"Carry me." She muttered, half asleep.
Neal chuckled. "I don't think I can do that anymore, baby."
"But daddy." Emma pouted. Daddy kink was one of theirs and it was used often.
"It's not that daddy doesn't want to carry his baby. Daddy doesn't want to hurt our baby. The one you're all full of." He got up and held his hands out for her.
Emma smirked and allowed him to help her get up, walk to the bedroom and lay down. He pulled the covers up over her and placed a sweet kiss on her lips. He stood there as she fell asleep, cradling their baby once again. That was when the doorbell rung.
Neal sprinted off out of the bedroom and to the door to answer it, not wanting the house to wake Emma. He unlocked and threw open the door. There stood Neal's father...