And there's a baby coming! Enjoy :D
Trusting completely in someone it was very terrifying and comforting at the same time. But with him, she trusted her body, her soul and her thoughts. And it wasn't like she had much option, she thought as she grimaced, feeling another intense contraction. The pain was too much for her to think straight.
"Whoa, our baby really wants to come to this world as soon as possible. Contractions at every five minutes." Robin said marking the time.
He wiped her forehead with a towel and kissed her temples, whispering You're doing great, love. Just breathe in and out like Giselle taught,in her ear. She clung more to him and closed her eyes, breathing in and out. The pressure she was feeling made her think the baby was going to be born right then and there. She opened her eyes when she felt somewhat calmer and she saw David staring at her.
"Just hang in there Regina; we're almost at the hospital." David said looking back at her from the front seat of the car when he stopped at a red light.
He smiled; she smiled weakly back at him and he turned when the light went green.
They were at the Charming's house when Regina felt a stream of warm water down her legs and make a puddle on the floor. The first contraction came and her back arched in pain. Tears started to fill her eyes and she knew that wasn't just a contraction, a false alarm. That was it. Her daughter was coming. Since Regina's doctor, Giselle, told the baby was due to be born that week or at the latest next week at most, the pregnant woman and the father were prepared and cautious. Always leaving the house with a big handbag containing all the documents needed and also clothes for the baby and for Regina. Robin placed one arm around his wife and helped her to walk to the as Snow held her hand. They settled Regina in the car, David offered to drive them to the hospital and Snow said she would stay behind. She wanted to call the rest of their family and then meet them there later.
After they arrived in the hospital everything seemed to go fast speed. She was put in a stretcher, the nurses changed her clothes, Giselle checked how dilated she was and when she realized she was in the birthing room and Robin was next to her with a mask on his face, holding her hand.
"There's a baby really excited to hug mom and daddy," she heard Giselle say softly. "Her head is in the right position, let's just wait one more minute and it'll end faster."
Regina felt a huge urge to push and the doctor recognized the signals and was quickly to stop Regina, asking for Regina to wait just a little more. The patient huffed and Robin brushed her hair away from her face.
"Ok, it's time." said positioning herself in the middle of Regina's leg. "You can push now."
Regina gathered all the strength she had and pushed, screaming and tightening her grip around Robin's hand. Her face was becoming red with the strength she was making, and Robin's fingers were becoming white such was the strong grip Regina had in them. If it was hurting Robin, he didn't complain.
"Again, Regina." the doctor said and she took a deep breath and pushed again.
Giselle smiled seeing the baby's head.
"Ok, just one more and I'll be able to get the baby out!"
More tears started to fall from her eyes and she started to think she didn't have strength to push more, but she felt Robin hands smoothly caressing her scalp and she remembered that her daughter needed her. Her daughter was waiting for her and depending on her. She squeezed Robin's hands and gave one last push and they heard the cries. Few seconds later Giselle raised the baby with a smile on her face.
It was their baby. Their Grace. Tears of joy left Regina's eyes and she saw tears leaving Robin's eyes as well as he looked at her affectionately.
The nurses took care of the umbilical cord and wrapped the newborn baby in a white blanket. Grace was crying with her eyes closed and her lips pursed and the doctor walked to Regina and safely placed the baby in her arms.
Holding her baby for the first time brought an inexplicable and indescribable emotion in her. She was not so heavy and she was chubby and the new mother felt overwhelmed with a flood of happy emotions. It also felt so surreal, the fact that she was now a mother. She also felt responsible for that tiny little human. She knew her actions would now affect the baby's life too. She was holding the baby that would shape her life more than she could possibly hope to shape hers.
"Hi my baby." she said with a shaky voice.
Regina caressed her face and when the baby heard her voice, she stopped to cry.
"She has your hair, my love." he said putting the mask on his face down and running his thumbs over the baby's thin black locks. "And she also has your thick lips."
Grace slowly opened her eyes but quickly closed them again, making a pouty.
"And from the little I could see, I think she has your blue eyes."
He smiled and placed an arm around Regina, brought her closer to his chest and kissed her forehead.
"Ok, now the baby has to go to the nursery." Giselle said excitant to take the baby out from her mother, but it was necessary. A nurse stood beside Regina and took the baby from her hands.
The moment the baby was out of her hands the baby started to cry and Regina's body started to convulse, the machines that her body was attached to showed that her bloody pressure was dropping.
"Can you wait in the waiting room, Robin?" Giselle said as others nurses started to help Regina and they were trying to figure out what was wrong.
But he didn't hear her and the doctor noticed. His gaze was focused on Regina and the doctor could see how terrified he was to lose the woman he loved. He couldn't bear the idea of losing her, of seeing her in pain. He would gladly trade and feel the pain for her.
"Please," Giselle touched his arms to get his attention. "Wait outside."
"I can't leave her like this." Robin said quietly.
"Robin, look at me." the redhead doctor required. "If you stay here, it might complicate things and I won't be able to save her. Please wait outside and let me do my job here."
He looked at Regina, her eyes closed and her skin growing pale every pass second and he swallowed hard. He nodded and saw the nurse taking the baby out and he gathered all the strength he had to walk out of that room. Their little miracle was going to be his reason to keep it all together. The cold air hit his skin and he took out the cloths covering his clothes and the mask covering his face. He asked if he could carry his baby that was crying, while they headed to the nursery and the nurse carefully placed the baby in his arms. The cries ceased immediately. Despite being worry sick about Regina, the largest smile appeared on his face.
"Hey, my strong baby girl." he caressed her cheeks and she slowly lifted one of her arms to grip around his finger. His smile grew bigger. "I promise everything is going to be alright, ok?"
She scrunched her nose and he knew what was going to happen next. She was going to cry again.
"Shh, don't cry." he soothed the baby and he followed the nurse, hurrying his pace to get his daughter out of the cold.
They stopped at the nursery door and the nurse said he couldn't get inside. He nodded and placed the baby on the nurse's arms and she went inside after giving him a kind smile, knowing what he was going through.
He was able to give just five steps until he felt his legs go numb. He sought support in the first wall he saw and leaned his back against its coldness. His body slid down the wall landing in a crouched position on the floor. He hugged his legs, bringing them closer to his chest as he lowered his head. He couldn't believe this was happening again. He already had to raise a child on his own; he already lost a woman he loved. Would he be able to get through this again? Yes. Would he want to? No. Regina was his second chance and he wanted her to be the last and eternal one. He wanted to grow old beside her, he wanted to see her bright smile and feel her next to him every day. Deep down, he knew nowadays there were more resources and medicine was advanced, but he couldn't shake off the feeling that history was repeating itself.
"Robin?" he raised his head when he heard a male voice calling him.
He slowly stood up, stared the man next to him but he didn't say a word. Killian, the man Robin grew so fond of over the last few months.
"What are you doing here in the middle of the hall? Where is Regina? Is she…?"
The man let the end of his sentence hanging in the air, and Robin didn't find strength to finish it for him.
Thinking about her, thinking about what happened and what might be the outcome, made his eyes get tearful.
"I… I, Regina…" Robin tried to speak but the words got stuck in his throat.
"Hey mate, calm down." he took Robin's arms and led them to the first free seat he saw.
Robin ran a hand through his hair, exhaling deeply with a closed mouth and letting the air out, trying come back to his sense.
"Regina was holding our daughter", Robin told when he was feeling a little calmer. "I had my arms around her and then the doctor said it was time for the baby to go to the nursery. When the baby was out of her hands, her body started to shake really, really hard, and there was a beep sound showing that her pressure was dropping."
"I hate those sounds. Bloody technology." Killian muttered, making Robin laugh but then the archer grew serious again.
"All of that just triggered bad memories, sad moments of my life and I don't want nothing bad to happen to Regina." he said sadly, looking to the ground.
The raw truth is that he didn't know how to live without her anymore. Without her intelligence and her sass. Home meant nothing without her. He loved the sound of her laughter. It filled the room with warmth and joy. She gave him things that were so intangible he couldn't that anyone exactly what they were, but he couldn't live without them. Without her. It was more than growing accommodated with her presence, it was wanting her presence.
"Listen," the captain said. "Regina and I may throw barbs at each other once in a while, but I recognize she's very strong and tough. She went through a lot and survived, and she'll get through whatever is happening now too. I have no doubt."
Robin realized his friend was right. His wife confided her with things that happened in her life that she never told anyone, and he knew the things she suffered. She had to grow up at a very early age; she had to fight everyday against her demons and the darkness that was always trying to get inside her. But she overcame everything. Even if she gave in into the darkness once, she found her way back into the light. She found love and hope. She truly had the most resilient heart of all. But there was a small voice in his head saying "But there's only much one can take.",begging to be heard. What if that was it? What if was the final straw, the last thing her body could handle? He shook his head and tried to get rid of these pessimistic and gloomy thoughts.
"Standing here only with your thoughts won't do you any good," Killian got up. "I left the waiting room to see if I could get news about Regina, but now let's go back there, to our family and friends and wait for news in that place."
The last thing Robin wanted was to face the people in the waiting room and have to explain again what happened, but he knew his friend was not one to back down so he sighed and got up, following him. Snow, David, Emma, Henry, Roland, Little John, Belle and even Ruby, they were all there waiting for them. Robin found Henry's inquiring eyes on him when he got inside the room but he didn't have the strength to look back at the boy. He felt like he failed at his mother. He was supposed to protect her and keep her safe and he failed. Killian asked silently to Robin if could tell the others what happened and Robin nodded.
"Regina had the baby," Killian began and Robin saw everyone's attention on the pirate.
"Daddy" he heard Roland's excited voice and seconds later he felt the boy hugging his legs.
"Hi my little man." He leaned down and took the boy in his arms. He took a seat and sat with the boy on his lap.
"Is everything ok with my sister?" he asked in a low voice, noticing a worried look in everyone's face.
"Yes, she's fine." he smiled thinking about the beautiful and delicate baby. "You're going to love her."
"So why everyone looks worried and sad?" the boy whispered.
"That's because in the process of bringing your sister to this world Regina got hurt. The doctors are taking care of her, but we don't really know what happened and if she'll get through it. We're scared."
"Daddy I don't wanna lose her!" Roland emotionally said, burying his head in the crock of his father's neck.
"Neither do I, my boy." he said wrapping his arms around his son and hugged him.
His eyes got tearful for what it seems to be millionth time that day, but he told himself to get it together and say something to comfort his little lad but Henry beat him on it.
"Don't worry," Henry said approaching them and holding Roland's hand. "She is a warrior. She'll fight all the way trough. If she keeps in mind what she's fighting for, she'll survive."
Henry smiled and Robin was sure those words meant for him as much as it was meant for Roland. He truly believed in Henry's words with all his heart, but during the circumstances it was hard for him to keep that voice louder than his fear.
"Thank you so much, Henry." Robin said and Roland thanked him too. "You know what your mother would say if she was here?"
"What?" he asked and than his face lighted up, probably noticing what the man that with each passing day he considered more and more as his father was talking about.
"How did you grow up so fast and became so wise, Henry?" Robin and Henry said together in unison and they both laughed right after.
For the next thirty minutes they kept themselves busy entertaining Roland while they waited for news. The air seemed to leave his body when he finally saw a known doctor with a red hair approaching them. He got up quickly, meeting her half way.
"She's fine." the doctor smiled and Robin was able to breathe easier.
"What happened to her? What made her body shake like that?" he asked feeling his friends and family behind him, waiting for answers as well.
"She had an internal bleeding down her stomach and she was losing lots of blood. But we managed to control it and there's no more bleeding."
"So her life isn't at risk anymore?"
"Yes, her life it's not at risk anymore." the doctor replied, the corner of her lips going up. "However, I want her to stay in the hospital for more five days so we can keep an eye on her."
He felt relief beyond words, the feeling of helplessness and frustration leaving him.
"Can I see her now?" he asked excited.
"Yes, you can. But we had to give a small sedative to her; she'll be sleeping for one more hour."
He thought about it, and then he had an idea.
"Instead of going to see Regina," he said picking up Roland from the ground. "How about all of us go to the nursery to meet your sister?" he tickled Roland's tummy and the boy giggled, yelling an enthusiastic "yes!"
They said goodbye to Giselle and they al walked to the nursery and Robin quickly found his daughter in the front line, her name Grace Locksley Mills written in a paper. She had her eyes closed and one of her fingers in her mouth.
"That baby is your sister", he said pointing the baby to Roland.
Roland started to move in his lap excitedly and placed his little hands in the glass window, trying to be as close to her as possible. He kept looking at her for a few seconds and it was clear to see he was delighted. He then turned, looking to his friends and family.
"Do you see that baby girl over there? She is my sister! It's our sister, Henry!" he proudly said pointing to his sis, making everyone chuckle.
"Yeah, she's our sister. We'll have to take care of her." Henry said next to Roland.
"Absolutely." Roland said stuffing his chest.
"She is adorable." Emma said happily and Snow agreed.
"She is so... small." Roland said in awe.
"Believe it or not, my boy, you were once at that same size." Robin said and Roland scrunched up his nose in disbelief.
They kept watching her for a few more minutes and a nurse came by, telling the weight and the size of the baby and she assured them the baby was very healthy. Then they walked back to Regina's room, and waited for her to wake up.
He was the first person she saw when she opened her eyes. And he was the first one to notice her eyes opening up. He was currently sitting in a chair next to her bed and he raised his hands to hold hers.
"Hello my love." he smiled widely while playing his fingers with hers.
When they heard his voice, Snow, David, Emma, Henry and Hook they were chatting quietly beside him stopped and turned to face the new mother.
Regina smiled to Robin and slowly took in her surroundings, the white bedroom, the television on top, the window half opened to let some air into the room and she noticed the amount of people around her. Her stepdaughter, her charming husband, Emma, Emma's insufferable guyliner boyfriend and Henry walking in her direction, and turning a little she saw Roland sitting on Belle's lap inside the room. She started to feel so loved and so cared for, and she was sure if it wasn't for the slumber she was feeling some tears would fall from her eyes.
Not in a million years would she be able to imagine so many people would want to be there for her. With her. All she ever wanted was to feel accepted for who she was, uniquely one-of-a-kind and, in that way, very special. And after so many battles with herself, she had that now. The same people she loved, they loved her back. And feeling loved was one of the best feelings in the world. If you asked her, she would say the journey was so worth it. Every tear, every lesson, every pain, everything she felt in the past made her who she was and it brought her to where she was now. And she wouldn't have it any other way.
Henry moved closer to hold Regina's free hand, the one that Robin wasn't holding.
"How are you feeling, mom? Are you alright? Are you thirsty? Do you want me to call the nurses?"
"Man, one question at time. Let her breathe." David grinned putting a on Henry's and smiling over to Regina. He was so glad she was awake.
"I'm feeling ok Henry," she smiled, her voice a little hoarse and squeezed back his son's hands. "But I do want to know how our daughter is." she turned to meet Robin's eyes, looking for answers.
"She's fine and safe at the nursery. We just came back from there. She's healthy and incredibly beautiful, just like you."
Regina felt her cheeks burning and she smiled, looking down. Robin lifted his hands and caressed her cheeks, admiring her shyness. She pressed slightly her face against his hands and closed her eyes, taking in his comfort.
"What happened to me?" she asked when she opened her eyes.
"You had an internal bleeding in your stomach, but the doctors took care of it."
She nodded and absorbed his answer.
"Thank you all for being here. I appreciate that." she said staring at everyone in their eyes. "I really do."
"You don't need to thank us." Snow said and then they heard Roland jumping from Belle's lap, not longer able to sit still and in silent.
"Ginaa." he said running to her bed and then Robin took him in his arms so he could get closer to Regina. "Are you feeling better?" he said stretching his tiny arms to touch her face.
"Yes I'm my little night, I'm feeling better." she said lifting her arms and taking his hands in hers.
Regina moved to the side and patted on the free space, signalizing to Robin to put Roland there. He warned the boy to be careful and put the boy there next to Regina. He pressed his head on Regina's chest and wrapped his arms around her waist. She smiled contently, placing one hand in his small back.
They told the nurses Regina was awake, and fifteen minutes later a nurse brought the baby to the room. Regina felt her heart beating faster and she squeezed Robin's hands. The nurse established the baby on Regina's arms and after Regina lovingly stroked the face of her baby, the nurse said it was time for Regina to breast feed for the first time.
The nurse said she was going to help Regina. She warned that a good latch is what creates a comfortable breastfeeding for both mom and baby. If the baby is latched on poorly, just on the nipple, without areola in her mouth too, it will most definitely hurt.
Regina nodded and laid the baby closer to her chest, and she noticed Grace moving her lips, closing and opening it repeatedly.
"I think someone is hungry," Regina said softly, freeing one of her breasts and she did exactly like the nurse say and the baby quickly started to suck on it.
"Does it hurt?" the nurse asked after a few moments.
"No." Regina answered happily.
"Ok. Remember that babies are often very sleepy in the first few days. It's so comfortable for them to nuzzle in close to mom, and drift off. But it's important to keep the baby awake while you're feeding her. Encourage her to keep sucking and swallowing. Rub her head of feet, raise her arm, firmly massage her back and keep her going."
"Alright, I got that." Regina said slowly rubbing her feet.
"Let her suck as much as she wants, and then move to the other breast." the nurse said and Regina nodded. "Ok then, I think that is all. I'll leave you to it and I'll be back in a few minutes."
Regina thanked the nurse and then the woman left. Robin felt so happy seeing his wife with their baby. This just felt so right. He leaned down, feeling her warm breath across his lips, and then he gave gentle peck on her soft mouth. Then he wrapped an arm around her, and rested his head against the top of her head.
In that moment he felt like no one would ever be able to tear them apart for real. She came to him with a broken soul that was completed by his. Like they had the same jagged shape of soul, heart and body just waiting to be filled by the other. Every broken piece of hers fit with his. They both gave each other more than a hand to hold. They finally found their match. And together, they could face everything.
That's the end of this story :( That's the last chapter. I truly hope you all liked reading this story just as much as I liked writing it. Thank you for every fav, for every review... it means a lot to me! I already have another story in mind. AU story this time. I'll be posting it as soon as possible