David runs for his car, grabbing his jacket on the way out.
"Who's with you?"
"Regina and Henry," the teacher pants.
"I'll meet you at the hospital," David says, before hanging up.
"Gold!" David hollers as he runs past the offices. "My wife's having the baby!"
The lieutenant doesn't say anything further as he's already out the door.
His heartbeat is in overdrive; he was going to be a father! It was scary and exciting at the same time. He begins sweating, fumbling with his car keys, trying to start the car up. He cannot think clearly as he backs out of the parking lot. In the back of his mind, he thinks about Emma and how she was going to miss this and she was one of the godmothers. Of all times for the baby to come, he wishes it was when his friend was safe and sound. He begins tearing up slightly, weaving through afternoon traffic, wanting to be in a police car so he could get to the hospital faster.
…
"Just take some deep breaths, Mary," Regina says as she also weaves through traffic.
Mary Margret is breathing heavily in the front seat, sweat beading on her brow.
She was in the middle of cooking some dinner for the full apartment when a sharp feeling of pain went through her like a bolt of lightning and her water broke.
"Regina!" she'd screamed. The teacher clung to the counter for support. Regina had been in another room helping Killian get used to his crutches when she heard the scream. Henry was just coming home from school when he saw Mary Margret in agonizing pain, trying to hold herself up.
"What's wrong?" Regina asked, coming into the room.
"M-My water broke, the baby's coming."
"Okay, remain calm," Regina said. "Did David have a bag or anything ready for when you went into labour,"
The teacher shook her head.
"Henry!" Regina ordered. "Find some clothes and put them in a duffle bag!"
Henry dropped his backpack and raced into Emma's room. He found one of the suitcases David and Mary Margret had been using. He shoved some comfortable clothing into it. Killian was watching, feeling rather helpless. He had just gotten out of the hospital the week prior; his concussion had just started to fade; his ribs and wrist were still wrapped in gauze and his leg in a cast. He knew he couldn't do anything to help them, he'd just slow everyone down, so he watched as Henry tore through the room packing into a duffle bag. At the last minute, he noticed a picture of Emma and Henry on the nightstand. It would be more of a symbolic gesture, but Emma deserved to be there for the birth.
"Oy, Henry!" he called out as the teen was about to leave the room.
"Here," he said, tossing the photo. Henry barely caught it.
The teen looked confused for a moment, but shoved it into the bag and then bolted down the hall of the apartment to his room. He went for his closet. He remembered seeing in a TV show that women who give birth like having a stuffed animal or something soft with them. Why that was he couldn't say, but he dug through a mountain of clothes and found a box of his old stuffed animals.
"Henry!" Regina's voice called out. "Let's go, hurry!"
"Just a sec!' was his response.
He found a stuffed lamb with a red ribbon around its neck; one that he thinks Ruby or Lacey gave to him when he turned four. He shoved it into the bag and races to join them. Regina was supporting Mary Margret as they hobbled out the door. The teen locked the apartment and followed the two women down to the BMW.
Now they were going towards the hospital at high speed, Henry trying to hold Mary Margret's hand the entire time. She squeezes it very tightly, almost to the point of crushing the bones in his hand, but he powers through.
"It hurts so bad," Mary Margret whimpers. She leans her head back as if this will numb the pain.
"Hang in there, we'll be at the hospital in a second," Regina says, as anxious as the mother to be.
…
David and Regina both pull into the hospital parking lot at the same time. Both drivers are too distracted to notice that they are about to crash into one another.
"Regina watch out!" Mary Margret screams and the BMW stops inches from David's bumper. David also stopped, honking his horn in confusion and rage until he saw his wife in the passenger seat. He shuts the car off and runs to the passenger door.
"Oh David," Mary Margret pants.
"It's going to be okay honey," he says, helping his wife out of the car. "Lean on me."
"This isn't happening David…" his wife whines as they head for the hospital. "This isn't happening."
"Take some deep breaths," Regina cuts in as she and Henry follow the couple inside.
The receptionist at the desk looks up at the approaching group.
"My wife is having her baby!" David calls out.
The receptionist pages for a nurse and several of them come with a wheelchair. As the teacher is being wheeled down the hall, the rest follow behind.
"How far apart are her contractions?" the head nurse asks.
"I'm not sure," David responds.
"When did her labour start?"
"I don't know,"
"How many days was it till her due date?"
"I don't know!" David practically barks. "I just got here from work!"
"Please sir, we understand that this is a stressful time for you, but please keep your volume down," the nurse says as they wheel Mary Margret through some doors. "Who was your wife's acting physician?"
"Dr. Whale," David says, glad he could answer at least one of the questions.
A male nurse stops Regina and Henry before they can go through.
"Are either of you family members?" he asks.
"Uh no but…" Regina begins.
"I'm sorry but you can't come through, you can both wait in the waiting room."
"Then at least give David this!" Henry says, shoving the bag into the nurse's arms.
"Will do," the man says. "The waiting room is just down the hall."
…
"Just breath deeply Mary," Dr. Whale says.
Mary Margret is laying in a hospital bed, her feet propped up and her body in agonizing pain. David had helped his wife change into a hospital robe and Dr. Whale met them to see how far along she is. The police officer who deals with hard criminals daily is scared shitless, pacing back and forth across the room while the doctor examines his wife.
"How is she?" David asks once the doctor is finished.
"She's about six centimeters dilated," the doctor told the father-to-be. "Contractions are every 3-5 minutes so far. I want you to stay with her while I go look in on another patient. I'll have a nurse bring her some ice chips soon and ask if she wants an epidural. Until then, keep her comfortable and maybe encourage her to walk around a little bit, changing positions is beneficial at this stage."
David is still pacing back and forth.
"Relax David," Dr. Whale says. "So far, everything is as it should be. I am a qualified doctor you know. Just try to remain calm make sure she's comfortable."
"Alright," the lieutenant sighs and watches as the doctor leaves the room.
"D-David," Mary Margret whimpers, reaching her arm out to him. She's already crying and her face is a mess of sweat.
"I'm here baby I'm here," he says, going over and grabbing her hand. He kisses her head and puts his arm around her.
"This isn't right David it isn't right!"
"What do you mean it isn't right?"
"E-Emma should be here! The godmother should be here!"
"I know honey I know," he says soothingly. He holds his lips on her head and takes in her scent.
"This shouldn't have happened!" she yells out. "Emma doesn't deserve this! She should be here David!"
"I know…"
"And you haven't found her yet! What's taking so long?!" his wife shouts, looking at him angrily.
David feels a large amount of guilt course through his body. It was true, he wasn't any closer to finding Emma than before. This man is so sneaky and so evil that he could evade capture for this long, and with Emma as his hostage. He beings to tear up, not answering her, but merely breathing deeply and holding his wife against him.
"You should have found her David!" Mary Margret practically wails. "You suck at your job!"
That remark hurt a little bit, but in a way, it was true, David was sucking at his job, he hadn't been able to rescue Emma in time to see the birth of their child. Both parents to know that Emma was looking forward to it, she had given them parenting advice and even some of Henry's old toys. She was the friend they needed right now and she was missing. He takes a minute to go and look into the duffle bag for anything to cheer his wife up. He finds a stuffed lamb and the photo of Emma and Henry.
He brings both over, putting them on the night stand.
"Emma is here, honey," he says, kissing her head.
Just then a nurse comes in to give them ice chips and offers an epidural. Mary Margret does want it, but she's shaking too much from being emotionally distraught and in pain that they can't inject the needle without running the risk of permanently paralyzing her.
David holds his wife tightly during each of her contractions. He helps her walk around a little bit and even gives her a back massage to try and calm her a little bit. Mary Margret continues to cry the entire time; the nurse assures David that it's just the hormones, but David knows that these are tears of despair and longing for a friend who wasn't here.
…
The contractions are getting closer and closer together. Dr. Whale in the room more frequently to check on her progress, until the teacher reaches ten centimeters.
"Alright, Mary I want you to breath deeply and then start pushing to my counts," the doctor orders. He puts on a pair of white surgical gloves and a mask in preparation for the delivery. Nurses surround him with cleaning supplies, surgical tools, and blankets, ready to handle the newborn infant.
David clings to his wife's hand and holds her up as she screams in pain.
"Three, two, one… relax!" Dr. Whale says.
Mary Margret leans back. Her hair is a mess and her face is shiny with sweat. "I can't do it, David, I can't," Mary Margret gasps.
"Yes, you can!" David says, kissing her. "I'm here for you honey. I'm here for you. We're going to do this together!"
"Next contraction, Mary start pushing."
"We'll do it together," David whispers to her. Mary Margret leans forward to the doctor's count, her husband with her every step of the way.
"It hurts so bad!" the mother-to-be cries out.
"You're doing fine Mary, it's crowning, it's crowning!"
David has an urge to go and see the top of his child's head but he can't leave his wife. He will stay with her the entire time, no matter how bone crushing her grasp may be.
"Another push Mary we're almost there!" Dr. Whale calls out.
Mary screams in agony.
"One more push!"
In a final scream, a new life enters the world.
The most beautiful sound that either parent has ever heard reaches their ears. A baby's cry; their baby's cry, it's soft and frightening, but it's music to their ears.
"It's a boy," Dr. Whale says, holding up a tiny wriggling infant covered in blood and other fluids for the parents to see.
Mary Margret immediately begins to cry and smiles as her son continues to cry, confused by where in the world he was. She begins to laugh at the same time, overwhelmed with joy and happiness by this precious little life. David soon follows suit, looking at his beautiful son, squirming in the doctor's hands.
"He's amazing," David gasps, kissing his wife.
"He's so beautiful," Mary Margret weeps.
Dr. Whale hands the baby to the nurses to be cleaned up and weighed, this, of course, sets the new mother off.
"Where are you going with him?" she shrieks.
"It's okay honey, they're just cleaning him up."
"Please be careful he's my baby!" she whimpers.
The nurse nods and Mary leans back in great exhaustion. She turns her head to gaze lovingly into her husband's blue eyes. David holds her hand tightly, returning the gesture and smiling.
"I love you," David whispers.
"I love you too," Mary Margret answers.
The new parents lean in for a tender kiss.
…
Meanwhile, in the waiting room, Regina and Henry are joined soon enough by most of their friends. Regina had texted Ruby to bring Killian to the hospital and to send the word out that the baby was coming.
All of them wait anxiously for news. Anna brought some sunflowers in a bouquet for the mother and a tiny little yellow hat for the baby. Ruby also brought gifts including some balloons, a card, and a stuffed bear. Lacey was the last to come, bringing a brand new stuffed lamb with a yellow ribbon tied around its neck, confirming to Henry who had given him the present when he was little. Even Jack and Nova show up after their shift at the station to see the new arrival.
"My money is on a girl," Aurora says, bouncing her own son in her lap.
"I'm with you," Anna chirps happily. "I hope she looks like Snow."
"I think it will be a young lad," Killian says.
"I hope it's a boy too," Henry adds quietly.
Just then Neal walks in with August. Neal has a bouquet of flowers for Snow. The group in the waiting room suddenly becomes very quiet.
"Hello," Neal says to the stunned crowd. "Has the nurse said anything yet?"
"Nothing," Regina says, coldly.
He and August take a seat away from the disapproving eyes.
"I think I might have a lead in terms of the license plate," August says to Neal.
"Really?"
"Yeah, in a small town in Connecticut, a man reported that his license was swapped for a Massachusetts plates. He took it to the car registry and they took down the plate numbers. I'm going to ask that woman Gwendolyn if these are the plates of her car."
"That's good to hear," Neal says. "That'll be good to tell David."
Neal looks over towards his son and catches his gaze. The father gives a small smile to his son, which he returns reluctantly.
A nurse comes out and is slightly surprised by the number of people in the room. "Are you all friends of David and Mary Margret Nolan?"
"Yes," Ruby says standing up. "Is everything okay?"
"Yes, everything is fine. They are ready to have guests to meet their newborn son,"
The whole room smiles at the joy of this news. Henry and Killian smile triumphantly for guessing the gender correctly.
"You will have to come a few at a time, they requested Regina, Henry, and Killian to meet him first."
"Us why us?" Henry asks. Ruby and several of the others look a bit disappointed.
"I don't have the faintest idea," is the answer from the nurse. "Please follow me."
…
Mary Margret holds their newborn son in their arms. She can't stop smiling at the tiny little life in her arms. The little one is asleep now, bundled up in many blankets and wearing a small hat. He was six pounds seven ounces, a healthy weight for a newborn and settled down once he was cleaned up. He is now making tiny noises as he dreams. The new parents did get to see his lovely blue eyes to match his father's. He has a tiny clump of hair that looks black, but they will have to wait and see what colour it is as he grows.
"He's so beautiful," she whispers, looking up at David. "I knew he would look like you."
David smiles and reaches over to touch his son's cheek. He then puts his large finger near his son's tiny hand, the baby, in response, grabs onto his father's finger and squeezes it. David tears up slightly.
"I'm sorry about what I said earlier," Mary Margret whispers, taking her eyes off her son.
"It's alright, you were in pain and you were right, I have been sucking at my job recently."
"No David, you aren't bad at your job, not by a mile, you're never going to give up on finding Emma and you're doing an amazing job at that."
The two lean in for a tender kiss before there is a knock at the door. Regina, Killian, with some help, and Henry enter the room.
"Is it okay to come in?" Regina asks.
"Of course," Mary Margret says, she leans down a bit to show her son better as the trio approach the bed.
It doesn't take long for Regina to burst into happy tears once she sees the little face.
"He's beautiful," she whispers, smiling.
Killian is equally touched by the lovely sight. A handsome young lad.
"A chip off the old block," Killian says, reaching over to pat David on the shoulder.
Henry looks on at the tiny baby in silence. He just might cry as well, but he fights them back. He reaches out and touches the blanket of the new arrival.
"Henry," Mary Margret says quietly.
"Yeah?"
"Would you and Killian like to be the godfathers?"
"Really?" Killian asks.
Suddenly, the docks man is overwhelmed with emotion. Happiness, joy…sadness. He'd never been asked to be a godfather before. It was mostly symbolic, but he felt like part of this family. He's been alone for so long, losing those he loved, but now, with this new arrival, it was a new beginning. He felt like someone important and that he was loved.
"Of course," Mary Margret says.
"I'd be honoured," Killian says gently, tearing up himself.
Henry just nods.
"Would you like to hold him, Henry?" David asks.
Henry is surprised at first and then nods again.
With careful hands, Mary Margret hands her son to her husband, who in turn hands the tiny one to Henry. David tells him how to hold the infant and soon the teen is cradling the newborn.
Henry breaks down at that moment, thinking about his mom and how she wasn't here. He missed her so much, she deserved to see this. He looks down at the tiny innocent face and cries, not able to hold back anymore.
Regina reaches over and puts her arms around Henry to comfort him. Killian, with difficulty, puts his hand on the boy's shoulder.
"I miss her," he whispers.
"We all do buddy," David says gently.
Almost at the same time, they look at the photo of Emma and Henry on the bedside table. The air of sadness comes back as reality disrupted the moment of happy bliss. Emma should be here to welcome the new baby, instead of being held by a monster. The group sits in silence for a long while, not a dry eye to be seen, except for the baby. They cry over their missing friend, girlfriend or mother. After such a happy event, it felt that the world was being cruel to them, taking away someone they loved, putting her into a hostile and evil situation.
There was hope and for now, hope was all they had.
Thanks to another anonymous author, you can't do contentless chapters as author's notes. Let me just go on record that I was unaware of this and have deleted the chapter. For the person who reported my story, if you don't like this story don't read it.
...
SPOILERS!
I'm just responding to some of my anonymous reviews about the baby and the dragging out.
To reassure my readers, Emma is pregnant with Killian's baby, Killian did not use a condom all the time during their weekend together. But Arthur will think it's his and this will lighten up the abuse on Emma. This will likely lead to some emotional turmoil for Emma. I'm really sorry this is dragging on for some readers and I'm sad that you don't want to read anymore but to each his/her own. I will be doing the credit card check and I'm still ironing out the details of what will happen. I really want to Emma have some problem with delivery, forcing Arthur to take her to the hospital where she and the baby can be rescued. I have a bunch of other things I want to develop but I realize that many of you are getting bored. I don't want to rush the series, but I also don't want to ruin it and lose all my readers. You can probably see my dilemma. I might save the best stuff until after classes are done which will be another month and a bit more. (Fortunately, I only have one exam this semester so I'll be back on the wagon pretty fast). This way I'll have more creative freedom and save the best for the spring.
Thank you to all my readers and followers, it means the world to me. I'll do my best to keep you engrossed and I'm sorry to see other people get bored and leave. Thanks for being with me until now. Please bear with me and I hope it will be worth it.
Thank you,
Number Ten
Hey readers, thank you for all your support in the comments about me continuing this series, especially ElizaMassani and littleox2009. it means the world to me. The support makes up for some of the negative comments I get. I will reassure you though that I will be doing some time skips like several months etc. It won't be like a Harry Potter or Twilight book. What do you think the baby's name should be? Let me know.