Chapter 3

Storybrooke

Morning sickness was not a concern that Regina had considered. She was, after all, several months pregnant and it was her understanding that morning sickness was reserved for those women in the early stages. She had apparently understood wrong because it was not just for women in the early stages and it was definitely not relegated to the morning hours. She found that out the hard way when, at nine o'clock that night, she jumped out of her bed and ran as fast as her body could take her to the bathroom.

She vomited up what felt like everything she had ever eaten. When Henry came in to say goodnight and found her hugging the toilet and retching, he stayed with her and held her hair back. He became increasingly worried when the vomiting didn't stop, though. And when nine o'clock turned to ten, and ten into eleven with no end in sight, he went against Regina's pained whispers that she was all right and called an ambulance. She was so weak by the time the ambulance got to her house that she didn't even put up a fight as they loaded her into the back and got her hooked up to an IV.

The ride to the hospital was a blur of needles and throw-up and frantic calls from Henry to the rest of the Charming family. Regina was in and out of awareness as they wheeled her inside. She was so focused on trying to stop the spewing and the disgusting taste of dinner and lunch and breakfast as they made their way back up that she only heard bits and pieces of the conversation Dr. Whale was having with Henry and Snow.

"Regina is suffering from what we call hyperemesis gravidarum," he said. "Which is just a fancy way of saying extreme morning sickness. Some women get it, and we suspect that it's caused by the change in hormones during pregnancy. In Regina's case, she's experienced a severe swing in hormones because, at least in this realm, yesterday she was not pregnant and today she's quite pregnant."

"What we can do?" Snow asked, her face marked with concern.

"We're giving her fluids through her IV to ward off dehydration and we'll keep an eye out for any other issues. We've started her on some anti-nausea medication, so we'll see how that works before we try anything else."

Regina kept waiting for the medicine to work but it never did, and she spent the next few hours bent over the side of her bed, spewing into a bucket that Henry changed out every once in a while. She could hear the worried tones of Henry and Snow, but only became fully aware when Emma hurried inside.

"Sorry I'm late," the Sheriff said as she walked to Regina's bedside. "I was on the graveyard shift and my phone was out of charge. What's going on? She's been doing this all night?"

"Yeah, since like nine o'clock," Henry said.

"Emma," Regina said weakly. She held her hand out and Emma took it. "Please."

"Hey, it's okay. We're all here. They're giving you medicine and it'll be okay."

"It's not…" She tried to lick her dry lips but was frustrated to find out that she barely had any spit. "It's not…working."

"They've upped the dosage. You have to give it time to work."

"Hours," Regina groaned and then groaned again when she realized she hadn't said a whole sentence. She managed to sit back in bed and put Emma's hand on her stomach. "Magic."

Emma's eyes widened and she shook her head as she yanked her hand off Regina's stomach.

"Uh uh, no way, I'm not using magic on you."

"Please," the mayor whimpered.

"What if I hurt the baby?"

"You won't." Regina looked at her with an expression that she knew was pathetic by the way Emma frowned and pouted. "Please. Trust…you."

Emma bit her lip and turned to look at her mother and son. Snow fiddled nervously with her fingers but Henry nodded.

"Do it," he said.

"I could hurt Regina or the baby."

"My mom's already hurting and it can't be good for the baby for her to be throwing up like this. What if it doesn't stop?"

Emma looked at Snow with raised eyebrows, and Snow thought for a minute and then nodded shortly.

"If Regina trusts you with this, then she must know that you can help. You should do it."

Regina squeezed her hand again and despite her reservations, Emma decided to do it. She wasn't even sure what "it" was, but she put both hands on the swollen stomach and closed her eyes.

"Come on, kid," she said lowly, "stop hurting your mom."

Her hands glowed with magic and she slowly waved them over Regina's body from her stomach up to her head. And just like that, Regina felt relief. She almost cried at how good it felt not to be horrifically nauseous for the first time in hours.

"Thank you," she said, and Emma smiled at her.

Henry rushed over and gave Regina water and she rested for a bit until the morning shift started and a doctor who wasn't Whale came in. She was a woman with a bright smile and mercifully warm hands.

"Feeling better?" she asked.

"Yes. Finally," Regina said.

"Well now's as good a time as any to do what would have been your 20-week scan. We'll check to see how the baby's growing, get an estimate of the due date and find if it's a boy or a girl. Sound good?"

"Yes."

The doctor, who name tag read Ramirez, turned to everyone else and asked, "are you folks staying for this?"

"I think it's time for me to get home and give David a break with the baby. I can take Henry home if you want to stay," Snow said, looking between Emma and Regina.

Emma looked at Regina, who smiled a little and nodded, and she told Snow, "that'd be great. Get some rest, kid. I'll see you later."

Henry kissed both his moms and Emma scooted into a chair while the doctor got everything ready. Dr. Ramirez wheeled an ultrasound machine into the room and dimmed the lights. She exposed Regina's stomach and spread some warm jelly over the skin and started the ultrasound. Emma scooted up closer and, seemingly without thinking, took Regina's hand again while Dr. Ramirez took pictures and did measurements.

"Everything's looking nice and healthy," she said. "I'm getting consistent measurements of about 26 weeks, which means you've only got about three more months to go."

Regina had figured the situation was something like that, but to hear that she would be giving birth and mothering a brand new baby in just three months almost made her vomit again. She stiffened but then relaxed just a little when Emma squeezed her hand and offered a small smile.

"And if we could just get baby to turn around, we could see if we're looking for a hot dog or a hamburger."

Emma snorted, which made Regina smile in spite of herself, and then she yelped when Dr. Ramirez started pressing the ultrasound scanner harder and bouncing it up and down.

"That kind of hurts," she said.

"Sorry, just trying to get your little passenger to shift so we can see."

The next couple of minutes were totally silent as the three women all stared at the screen and waited, anxiously in the case of Emma and Regina, for the baby to turn. And when it did, Dr. Ramirez said, "ah ha! Hamburger!"

Regina blinked and felt a shimmer of excitement pass through her. "So, it's a…girl?"

"Yes ma'am. Congratulations."

"A girl," Regina repeated to herself.

"A girl," Emma said. And the grin on her face couldn't have been removed with a crowbar.

Dr. Ramirez wiped the jelly off Regina's stomach and turned her machine off. She smiled genuinely at the two of them and asked, "so how'd you guys decide which one of you would carry the baby?"

The responses were twin stares of confusion.

"I'm sorry?" Regina asked.

"My wife and I want to have a baby and we're trying to decide which of us should carry it. How'd you two decide?"

The implication of her question hit Regina and Emma at the exact same moment and Regina yanked her hand out of Emma's.

"Oh, no, we're not…"

"I carried the last one," Emma said as she took Regina's hand again. She grinned at the doctor and said, "it was her turn."

"Ah," Ramirez nodded. "Fair enough. Well, Regina, it looks like you're doing much better. I'll sign off on your release and send you home with some nausea meds. Do you have any questions for me?"

"Uh…no."

"Okay. I'll get you copies of the pics of your little lady before you leave. Nice to meet you two. Good luck."

When she walked out, Regina gave Emma the stink eye.

"Why did you let her think we were together?"

"Oh come on, didn't you see how happy she looked at the thought that there might be child-bearing lesbians in Storybrooke? I didn't want to crush her dreams. Besides, don't you think we'd be cute together?"

"Like I'd tolerate you."

"Please, if we were together, I bet I'd have you wrapped around my finger. You'd be cooking me dinner every night and picking up my clothes that I leave all over the floor…"

"I'd burn that hideous jacket and make you learn to cook for yourself."

"…I'd get to use all your fancy lotions and soaps…"

"I would not let you anywhere near my pristine bathroom."

"…I bet your bed is amazing. It's probably 1000-count sheets with a mattress like feels like it was made from clouds."

"That's correct but you'll never have firsthand knowledge of that."

"Are you sure?" Emma leaned in close and said with suggestive eyebrows, "lover?"

Regina pressed her lips together and tried not to laugh. She failed. Emma laughed, too, and it was the second time in as many days that they'd had an interaction like that, with real smiles and laughter and a sense of easiness that they'd never had before. A deep pleasurable warmth spread through Regina's body and the baby kicked her.

"She's kicking me," Regina said. "She seems to do that when you're around. I think she hates you."

"I think she loves me."

"Oh, yes, just like her mother."

"Exactly."

It was only when Robin's voice asked, "am I interrupting something?" that Regina realized how close her face had drifted to Emma's while they both grinned. She pulled back and tried to soften her smile and lifted her hand out to Robin.

"Hi," she said.

"I just received word that you've been ill all night," he said as he went to the side of the bed opposite Emma. "I'm so sorry that I wasn't here. I suppose I need to invest in one of those cellular devices after all."

"Might be a good idea," Emma said under her breath.

Regina gave her a sideways glance because she was pretty sure she'd never heard Emma mock someone. Her attention was drawn back to Robin when he asked her to explain what was going on, and once she was finished catching him up, he got a firm look on his face.

"Regina, I really think it might be best for me to be closer to you so I can be there in situations like this," he said. "I should be the one taking care of you."

She glanced back to Emma, who was looking down to pretend like she wasn't hearing the conversation.

"Let's talk about it later, okay?" she asked with a gentle smile. "I'm really tired right now and I'd like to get back home."

"Do you need a ride?" Emma offered.

"Yes, thank you."

The three of them sat together in something resembling awkwardness until Dr. Ramirez came back and released Regina with a prescription with nausea medication. Both Robin and Emma reached to help Regina off the bed, but then Emma backed off and followed behind the other two while they walked out to the Bug. Robin helped Regina into the front seat and after they were all buckled in, they rode back to Regina's house in silence. Regina sneaked a glance from Robin to Emma and couldn't help but wonder where the tension was coming from between the two of them. As far as she knew, they didn't have any problems with each other and she couldn't even recall a time that they had shared any significant interactions. She knew it was crazy to think so, but she felt like they were quietly fighting over her.

It was weird. And kind of flattering. But mostly weird.

When Emma pulled her car into the driveway, Regina turned to her and smiled.

"Thank you. And thank you for helping me. I can't tell you how much better I feel."

"I'm glad," she said, returning the smile. "I know you're all big and bad and Evil Queen-y but maybe take it easy for the rest of the day?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "Yes, honey."

Emma's smile broadened into a grin. "That's all I ask, babe."

Regina tried to smirk but ended up laughing a little and she waved Emma off once she and Robin were on the front steps.

"Have I missed something?" Robin asked as they walked inside. "Honey and babe?"

"Oh, the doctor thought Emma and I were lesbians."

He frowned a little. "Why would he think that?"

"She was probably just projecting because she was a lesbian and Emma was there taking care of me." When he didn't look placated or amused, she cupped his face with her hands and said, "don't worry, Emma's strictly my side piece."

"Your what?"

Regina was spared having to explain the term when Henry ran in and stopped before he crashed into his pregnant mother.

"Mom, you're okay," he said happily.

"Yes, I'm feeling much better. Your sister's decided to give me a break."

His face lit up and she was sure she hadn't seen him smile that big since he was five years old and opening his Christmas presents.

"Sister?" he asked.

"It's a girl?" Robin asked with a similarly hopeful expression.

"It is."

"All right!" Henry said as he pumped his fist in the air. "I'm gonna spoil her so bad."

"I'm sure." She kissed Henry on the forehead and Robin on the lips and said, "I'm going to rest, doctor's orders. Come wake me for dinner if I'm not up."

She left them downstairs and sighed against her closed door when she was in her own room. She headed straight for the bathroom and spent at least ten minutes brushing her teeth. Then she luxuriated in a bubble bath for thirty minutes and nearly fell asleep to the sounds of an audiobook. She took her time toweling off and putting on pajamas, and when she got comfortable on the bed, sleep came easier than it had even before she'd woken up pregnant.

She didn't know how long she slept, but when she opened her eyes again, it was dark outside and she heard the sounds of voices downstairs. She changed into something presentable for company and when she went down, she found Henry, Robin, Roland, Snow, David, Neal and Emma all in her kitchen. Snow was feeding Neal and Roland while Emma and David sipped beers and Henry and Robin tried their best not to ruin the spaghetti they were making. Robin could hardly boil water and Henry really did know better but he'd obviously lost some of his skills living with Emma, who probably relied mostly on cereal and take-out for their nourishment.

They were ruining her kitchen, but the sight of them together in her home did something to Regina's heart that she hadn't felt in far too long.

"I sincerely hope you two aren't destroying my very expensive pots and pans," she said dryly.

Everyone turned to her and greeted her like she'd just gotten back from war, with a chorus of "hey!" and "how are you feeling?" and "I told them not to touch your stuff." That last one was Emma.

"Henry, are you teaching Robin to make our secret Mills family spaghetti?" she asked as she walked closer to them.

"I'm trying, but he's not very good at it."

Robin put his hand to his chest in mock hurt and said, "I'll have you know that I'm the most skilled of my men when it comes to cooking on an open flame. I'm simply unfamiliar with these strange instruments."

"Strange? That's a top of the line gas range," Regina told him. She stepped closer and opened her mouth to educate him even further, but then stopped in her tracks as the smell of the spaghetti sauce hit her nose like a punch to the face.

It was a smell that she usually enjoyed. She loved Italian food and sauce and onions and garlic and mushrooms and all the little extra things that she liked to add to give it that special something. But today, she didn't love it. At all. The smell of all those ingredients twisted her stomach and her hands flew to her mouth before she made a mess of everything.

"Are you all right, darling?" Robin asked.

It was as if the spaghetti sauce had unlocked the floodgates on her nostrils and suddenly she was attacked by every smell in the kitchen. As Robin got closer to her, it was the first time that she realized just how much he truly smelled like the forest. The scent of sticks and leaves and dirt clung to him and churned her sensitive stomach.

"No, no," she managed to say as she shook her head vigorously. She backed away from Robin, only to run into Henry. Sweet Henry who used to smell like Johnson & Johnson baby soap and Dreft detergent. Sweet Henry who had grown into a teenager and smelled like a revolting combination of Axe and gym socks. She pushed past her own son roughly, unsure of how much longer the cacophony of odors could coexist with her nose.

"Ginger ale!" Snow said, and she jumped up from a bar stool like a superhero. "We got you some from the store. Emma, where's the nausea medicine?"

Emma hurried out of the room to wherever the nausea pills were and Snow opened the fridge and tried to give it to Regina. But Snow smelled like birdseed. And David smelled like too much cologne. And both of the kids, as sweet as they were, stank of outside like they'd been rolling around in the dirt with puppies.

Regina turned to run the hell out of the kitchen before everyone in there went home wearing puke stains, and she ran right into Emma.

"Oh! Sorry! Are you okay? Here are your meds."

Emma tried to undo the top of pill bottle quickly but kept fumbling with it and cursing under her breath. Regina braced, expecting that she might finally spill her lunch, but she didn't. Because Emma didn't stink. She smelled like mango body wash and mountain breeze detergent and only the faintest hint of floral perfume that was much girlier than Regina would have ever guessed. She smelled…good. Really good. And Regina's instincts were to get closer.

She didn't think twice or stop herself before her body was reacting on its own and her hands reached out to still Emma's frustrated movements. She pulled the blonde closer and then buried her nose in Emma's neck and inhaled. She groaned at how good the other woman smelled and how instant the relief from all the other smells was. Regina kept inhaling slowly, like maybe it was possible to suck all the fragrance right off Emma's skin. When she'd had enough on one side, she slid her nose along Emma's neck and did the same thing to the other side. And when she was finished there, she grabbed Emma's hand, yanked her down, and sniffed her hair.

"Oh my God," Regina moaned. "You smell amazing."

When she was finally back to equilibrium and didn't feel like she was going to yack, she let Emma go and opened her eyes to find every jaw in the room on the floor.

"Uhhh," was all Emma could say. Her pale cheeks were pink with…embarrassment, maybe?

"What?" Regina asked. "Why are you all looking like that?"

"'Cause you kind of just molested Emma," Henry said, and his shock was slowly turning into a mischievous grin.

"I did no such thing."

"You kinda did, a little bit," Emma said, as her cheeks progressed from pink to red.

Regina felt a shiver of arousal pass through her and she frowned in confusion. There was no way in hell that she had gotten aroused from sniffing Emma. Relieved, yes. Aroused, no. Not really, anyway. So why the hell was she feeling like she'd just been massaged with very slow, thoughtful hands?

"Regina, love, perhaps it's best if you go back to rest," Robin suggested. "We'll have Emma bring you some crackers and ginger ale."

She looked around the room and realized that yes, perhaps she'd gotten a little frisky in smelling Emma but she refused to be embarrassed about it. She was pregnant, damn it. Pregnant women got a pass for any weird shit they did. At least she wasn't eating dirt or asking for someone to buy her some pickle peanut butter ice cream.

"Fine," she said with a huff.

She went up to her room, lay on the bed and promptly decided that she was bored. She pulled out her iPad and turned on Netflix, just to give herself something to do, and in a few minutes, there was a timid knock on the door.

"Come in, Emma," she called with a roll of her eyes.

Said sheriff appeared, carrying a tray of crackers, cheese and ginger ale. Regina also saw one of the nausea pills resting in the corner of the tray.

"Food delivery," Emma said. "You're not gonna, like, feel me up, are you?"

"Oh, ha ha," she said dryly. "You liked it."

Emma tried to busy herself with putting the tray down so Regina wouldn't notice her coloring cheeks again.

"I think you're taking this lesbian lover thing a little far, don't you?" she teased.

"I think that this is all your fault," Regina said, even as she started putting cheese on her crackers.

"My fault? How?"

"Your magic did this to me, I'm sure."

"How do you figure that?"

"Think about it, Emma. You have good magic. I have bad magic. The baby can probably feel my bad magic and wants to get the hell out of me, and when you used your goody-goody magic on her, she probably instantly loved you. That's why I felt compelled to be closer to you. Yet another child who prefers you to me."

Regina frowned at her own words because she really hadn't meant to take that route, but there it was. Emma frowned, too.

"Hey, slow down there, Debbie Downer. None of your kids prefer me to you." Regina gave her a pointed look. "Henry does not prefer me. Not anymore. He loves us both and he's allowed to, okay? And this kid definitely doesn't love me more than you and she never will."

"How do you know?" Regina asked, feeling inexplicably sad even as she stuffed her face with cheese.

"Because you're her mom. And despite everything that's happened, you're a really awesome mom and she's so lucky to have you."

Regina wasn't too fond of the way Emma's words nearly moved her to tears, so she looked away and nodded.

"Fine. But if you try to take her from me, I swear to God I'll kill you."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Right. Because you've been so good at that so far."

Regina scoffed and threw a cracker at Emma's head. "Trust me, dear, if I truly wanted you dead, you would be."

"Yeah, you're the big bad queen. Got it. Do you need to sniff me again before bed or are you good?"

A laugh escaped Regina's lips before she could stop it and she threw another cracker at Emma. The blonde smiled, ate both crackers and then stood up.

"Take your medicine," she reminded as she headed to the door. "I'll check on you tomorrow."

"You know, I much preferred it when I hated you."

Emma looked over her shoulder, smiled genuinely and said, "I much prefer it when you don't."