AGAIN, I WANT TO GIVE A HUGE THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO'S READ/REVIEWED. YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST. I'M ACTUALLY JUST AS EXCITED FOR THESE NEXT FEW CHAPTERS AS I HOPE YOU ARE. WITHOUT FURTHER ADIEU, I PRESENT TO YOU, THE ROYAL BABY! AND NO, NOT WILLIAM AND KATE'S. GRAHAM AND EMMA'S. JUST IN CASE THERE WAS ANY CONFUSION.
"I need you to push, Emma." Doc told the panting mother-to-be. Henry, Daniel, and Regina were quite happy in the hallway. James and Snow held tightly onto each other, and Graham's hand felt like it was going to break. Emma did exactly as was told and bit back a scream. "She's crowning!" Doc yelled. Snow handed him another blanket. "One more, Emma." As much as Snow and Graham would have liked to be coaching her through it, she had specifically yelled after Snow said 'you're doing great, Honey' during the first really bad contraction, not to talk to her. So, she held her tongue. The blonde bared down for the last time, her eyes screwed shut.
Emma's piercing scream mixed with that of the baby's. Her eyes flew open and she propped herself up on her elbows, struggling to see her daughter.
"She's crying." Emma gasped, a small smile on her face.
"That's a very good sign." Doc said, handing her to Emma. She looked down at the baby who was waving her fists and still crying. Graham, still with Emma's hand in his own, used his other to stroke his daughter's forehead. After a few moments, he said, "I just, I need her back for a minute, okay? I'm just going to check her out. But Graham, if you want, you can cut the cord."
"I would love that." He looked almost heartbroken to leave his wife and take her baby from her, but Emma nodded. They'd only be separated for a few minutes. He carefully scooped up the bundle of joy, who had quieted down in her mother's arms, and walked over to Doc. The dwarf handed him the scissors. "Is this going to hurt either of them?" He asked hesitantly, still staring into the baby's green eyes.
"No." Doc assured him. He guided Graham's hand and together, due to Graham's shakiness, cut it. "I'm just going to clean her up, but–"
"Is she okay? Like, why don't you have her in the incubator or whatever?" Emma interrupted, her arms aching to have the baby back in them.
"She's breathing fine, and to be honest, I'm surprised. That's why I want to check her out."
"I'll go with him." James said, knowing full well Graham was torn between leaving Emma and staying with their daughter, and Snow was most definitely not leaving Emma, either.
"Okay." The blonde nodded. "And tell the others they can come in." James went through the door first to clear the way for Doc and the new princess. The other three walked in cautiously. Seeing that Emma was perfectly fun, Henry threw himself at her. "Hey, Kid." She smiled, smoothing his hair down.
"I got a glimpse of her! She's so tiny!" He said excitedly. Emma didn't know exactly how much she weighed, but she was a little smaller than Henry was, to her best judgment. Then again, she didn't know how Henry felt in her arms as a baby, so…"
"She's smaller than you were, I think, but that's probably because you were born a lot later. And we've gotta work on your indoor voice."
"Sorry." Henry whispered sheepishly. After a beat, Regina said,
"Congratulations. I'm assuming she's relatively healthy?"
"She can breathe on her own, which is the most important thing at the moment." Graham said. "That was our main concern."
"I'm glad for that." Regina smiled. After another three minutes, Doc came back in, with James carrying the baby. "We'll just wait outside. Come on, Henry." She ushered the boy and Daniel outside once again. With a goofy grin, James handed his granddaughter back to Emma.
"Snow and I'll give you two some time to discuss her name… or whatever." He all but dragged the brunette out of the room. As the door closed behind them, they heard Snow mutter something about her already having a name and Emma just not telling them. Doc smiled at the new parents.
"She's a healthy, 3.8 pound baby girl who can already punch. She got me on the nose, right here." He pointed to appendage in question. At this, Emma laughed, happy tears forming in her eyes. "We were concerned about her being underdeveloped, and I don't really have an explanation for this, but she seems perfectly fine other than being small, but that's not abnormal. Five pounds is about average for parents of your size, and she's early, so I'm not concerned."
"H-how?" Emma stammered, staring at the baby. Her skin wasn't even translucent.
"I have two theories. One is because of your magic, Emma. Maybe it's kept her safe, and maybe she's inherited some of it and that's kept her safe. The other is that she's a fighter like her mom and grandmother. Either way, I'm not questioning it. Enjoy her, guys."
"We will, thank you." Graham smiled his thanks. Losing his air of professionalism, Doc hugged the two of them with tears in his eyes.
"I remember holding you when you were only a little bit bigger than her."
"I was small, too?"
"Not as dramatically as her, but you were smaller than average. After the curse broke, and I laid eyes on you, I couldn't see any of that little baby in you. So just… know that I speak for all the dwarves when I say that we love you. I'll give you some alone time now." Swiping his eyes, Doc exited. Graham bent down and kissed Emma on the lips, then the baby on the forehead again.
"Look at all her peach fuzz." The blonde said, stroking it while the bundle slept soundly.
"I take it as a good sign that she's already sleeping."
"I have no idea." Emma whispered back.
"So… your mom said she already has a name?"
"She does if you like it. If not, it's not set in stone."
"We could call her Bob and I wouldn't care." He joked. "But seriously, I want to know what our daughter's name is." The four syllables felt so right as they effortlessly floated out of Emma's mouth for the first time,
"Giavanna."