SO, AFTER THAT BRIEF HIATUS TYPE THINGY, I THINK I'LL BE BACK TO UPDATING REGULARLY. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO'S STUCK WITH ME. I PROMISE I'LL TRY TO BE BETTER AT UPDATING.
"Well, either way, we have two months, so we have time to think about it." James said evenly, giving Emma a warm smile. She returned it. As a sharp pain flared up her abdomen for a moment, though, it faltered and turned into a frown.
"Actually, we might not." She said, her voice trembling. "I think I just had a contraction."
"Wh–what?" Graham stuttered. Even in his slightly panicky state, he still made his way over to his wife, who was now clutching the counter for dear life.
"It could have been Braxton Hicks." Emma said, shooting what she hoped was a reassuring smile at Graham.
"Either way, we should call Doc." James said.
"I'm not gonna argue." The blonde agreed, fear once again creeping into her voice. Henry looked from one adult to the other, then back to his mom's stomach.
"Is she gonna be okay?" He asked.
"Your sister's gonna be fine, Henry." Graham assured him. "And so is your mom."
"Em, do you really think it was Braxton Hicks?" Snow asked, her voice laced with concern.
"It –it was painful. So I don't, I don't think so. I mean, maybe, but they aren't usually… I can't have this baby right now. I'm only at thirty one weeks. What if she has issues? We're not in Storybrooke, there isn't really a hospital." Emma gripped the counter tighter as she felt a panic attack coming on. Graham wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.
"Henry, why don't you go get Doc for us, okay, Sweetie?" Snow said softly. The teenager nodded and took off down the hall. None of them felt the need to scare Henry with the situation. "We don't know anything yet." Snow walked over and stroked her daughter's hair. "You were born two weeks early, yourself."
"Yeah, two weeks. This one's gonna be nine weeks early. That's a big difference!"
"Let's go sit you down on the couch." Graham said, steering her towards the living room. "Have you had anymore contractions since the last one?"
"No." The blonde shook her head. Doing so seemed to clear the fog, and she was able to focus more clearly. "But it's only been about two minutes. If I have one in another three, then I'd say it's early labor."
"I'll get paper and a pencil so we can time them." Snow said, running back into the kitchen. James kneeled next to his baby girl.
"Everything will be fine, Sweetheart." He kissed her on the head. He then glanced at the clock on the wall. Henry came running back in, followed by a breathless Doc.
"Hello, my dear." The dwarf smiled. "Little Henry here tells me you're having contractions."
"I had one two and a half minutes ago." Emma answered, shifting a little. Graham put his hand on her knee.
"Well, I'm not entirely surprised, to be honest. You were a few weeks early."
"Mom mentioned that."
"Has she been kicking more recently?"
"Nothing's really changed. She decides to move around when I want to sleep." The blonde replied, shifting again.
"Okay." Doc hummed. "You've been through labor before, so I'm going to trust you and your decisions. You know your body better than anyone. Henry mentioned something about Braxton Hicks?"
"I thought about it, but the contraction wasn't painless. Definitely nowhere near contractions in active labor, but not bad. It lasted about ten seconds or so."
"So you're probably in early labor." Doc paused, thinking for a moment. "To be honest, I'd be more comfortable moving you to the medical wing of the castle. I know it's only early labor, but this is your second baby and labor can move fast. Plus, she'll be premature."
"That's what we're most concerned about." Graham chimed in. "What should we expect?"
"Well, let me start off with this: I can't stop the labor. If we were back in Storybrooke, I could've tried, but I can't. So you're definitely having this baby. Now, the level to which she's developed is a little hard to predict. She'll definitely be better off than a baby born at twenty eight weeks, but she isn't going to look like Henry did."
"He had a lot of hair." Emma said, her gaze shifting over to the boy.
"Technology has advanced a lot since we returned to the Enchanted Forest. We have something similar to a NICU here."
"You do?" Snow asked, having returned from getting the paper and pencil a few moments ago.
"When I found out about Emma's pregnancy, I took the liberty of building one, just in case this happened. That said, this could still be a scary day, and it could go into the night."
"It's only two in the afternoon, though." Snow frowned.
"She was in labor with Henry for twenty four hours. Yes, second and subsequent children typically come faster, but I just don't know. Trust me, Emma, your daughter is in good hands. I believe we have the technology and equipment to tend to whatever problems may arise due to her prematurity."
"You said something about moving me?"
"Yes, I think that would be a good idea. I don't want any surprises. I think it would be okay if you wanted to walk around, as long as you stay in that hallway. Or you could read a book, take a shower, or anything else, really. Some women take this time in early labor to practice breathing strategies."
"Let's go, then." The blonde pushed herself up, wincing as the second contraction picked that moment to strike. "Contraction." She announced. Graham grasped her arm for both her safety and for his own peace of mind. As he led Emma down to the hospital wing, James gave his shoulder a squeeze. Snow draped an arm around Henry, and the five paraded to their destination.