This is for the readers who requested to hear the baby's heartbeat.
Merry Christmas! As always, no beta. So forgive mistakes please! (Or point them out and I'll fix them)
"Baby, wake up. It's time to go to your appointment."
Regina slowly blinked her eyes open, looking around in confusion. She was in her office, recognising the décor immediately. Why was she in her office though? Why was she sleeping in her office? Why was she sleeping on Emma in her office?
"You were tired," Emma explained, when she noticed Regina was looking up at her, completely disoriented, "so you took a nap at lunch. I came and brought you the soup you asked for but you passed out on me instead of eating it."
Regina nodded.
"That's right. Thank you. I didn't sleep well last night. It's difficult to get comfortable now that the baby is growing," Regina replied, pushing herself up and off of Emma's lap. "I hope you didn't mind being my human pillow."
"Having a beautiful woman on my lap for an hour? Why in the hell would I mind that?"
Regina smirked, running her fingers through her hair.
"I highly doubt that I look attractive at the moment. I must have horrendous bedhead." She could feel the static-y locks clinging to her fingers, and when she approached the mirror in her office, Regina nodded in confirmation. "Terrible bedhead."
A grin was pulled from her lips when she felt warm hands wrap around her waist, settling on her belly, and a strong body press up against her back. Emma pulled their bodies flush together, resting her chin on Regina's shoulder. She waited until their eyes met in the mirror to speak.
"You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, Regina Mills. And right at this moment, I think you look incredibly attractive with your slightly mussed hair."
Regina's cheeks flushed as she took in Emma's words, the woman looking so incredibly sincere that Regina could say nothing but a soft 'thank you' in response. She tucked her disheveled hair behind her ears before turning in Emma's embrace, wrapping her arms around her neck and placing a soft kiss on her lips. Emma returned the gentle kiss, hands pressing into Regina's lower back as she brought them as close as they could get, her lover's belly pressing into her own. When Regina pulled away, she cupped Emma's cheek with one hand as she smiled at her.
"Pretty soon I'll be too big and you won't be able to hold me like this."
"I'll find another way to hold you," Emma said, giving her a soft peck on the nose. "Now, come on. We should get going."
Regina took a step back and nodded in agreement, going back to her desk and grabbing her keys and her purse. Emma soon joined her, taking her bag and throwing it over her own shoulder.
"You have a baby to carry," Emma said by way of explanation, "and your purse weighs a ton because you have so much shit in it."
"It is not shit."
"Stuff then. Way too much of it."
"I need all of those things."
"Really?" Emma asked, teasingly. She pulled open the office door and let Regina pass through before following. "So you need the floss and the chapstick and the body lotion and the chocolate you have stashed in there."
"You touch my chocolate, Emma Swan, and they will never find your body."
Emma laughed loudly as she helped Regina outside and into the Mercedes. She then went over to the passenger side, not bothering to offer to drive her car because she already knew what the answer would be (not on your life, Miss Swan).
"Noted."
"I'll inform you when I need more of it," Regina said, starting up the car.
"Please do. I would hate for my pregnant girl-" Emma halted, a swirl of emotions hitting her at once as she realised she wasn't sure if Regina would still consider herself her girlfriend. Was she still her girlfriend? She was, wasn't she? Regina wouldn't have let her touch her the way she had on the couch the other night, and kiss her like she had earlier if she weren't, right?
Emma was pulled from her thoughts by a soft hand slipping into her own.
"Girlfriend," Regina confirmed, knowing exactly what was going on in Emma's mind. Then she added teasingly, "If you want me to be, of course."
Emma stomach clenched with happiness, her heart jumping in her chest as the blood in her veins sang with delight. She felt like shouting for joy that Regina was confirming the status of their relationship.
"Of course I do. I just- I didn't know if you still considered us… girlfriends. I do, did, even though I kinda fucked it up for a while there. I never stopped considering you my girlfriend though," she said, almost shyly. "I don't wanna push you though if you need more time."
Regina stayed quiet for a moment, Emma shifting nervously in her seat as she looked ahead, reading street names to calm her nerves.
"I don't need more time," Regina finally said. "I think we've had enough time, don't you?"
Emma brought Regina's hand up to her lips, kissing her knuckles softly.
"Yeah. I do."
Regina shot her a soft smile before taking her hand back in order to park the car. When the vehicle was turned off, Emma quickly got out and made her way to Regina's side, helping her out. She then reached into the back and grabbed Regina's purse, slinging it over her shoulder as she followed her into the hospital. They checked in, smiling at the secretary who took their information and had them sit in the waiting room.
"So, ten bucks says you bawl your head off."
Regina narrowed her eyes.
"It is rude to make fun of a pregnant woman."
"Not making fun. Just stating fact."
Regina rolled her eyes.
"Regina Mills."
The women stood when Regina's name was called, following the nurse to the back. Regina sat down at the chair the nurse pointed to, rolling up her sleeve before she was even asked.
"Take a seat here, Miss Mills. We are going to be doing some blood work to check your iron levels and to check for diabetes. We'll also get a urine sample from you to test for infection, just in case, so I hope you need to pee."
Regina gave a short laugh.
"I always need to pee now that I'm pregnant."
"That's normal. It's only going to get worse as the baby takes up more room or discovers your bladder can be used as a squeeze toy."
"Great," Regina muttered, though she really wasn't that upset (she wasn't looking forward to even more trips to the bathroom though, admittedly). "I'm already going what feels like every hour."
The nurse nodded as she sanitised her patient's skin, uncapping the needle and giving it a gentle poke into a vein.
"Just wait until you sneeze and pee your pants. In my first pregnancy, I was okay. By my fourth, I had to wear pads because I couldn't hold it in!" the nurse said with a laugh.
Regina looked over at Emma, wide-eyed.
"I changed my mind. We are not having any more children."
Emma laughed.
"I'll just buy you more underwear."
The nurse laughed as well, sending Regina into the bathroom with a urine sample cup. When the woman returned with the cup nearly full, the nurse took it before sending the couple back to the waiting room and telling them the doctor would be with them shortly. Emma sat next to Regina on one of the double wide chairs, curling into her as she whispered in her ear.
"Do you think these ones are meant for two people or for people who are as wide as two people?"
Regina snorted loudly, shoving a laughing Emma away from her.
"You are decidedly unfunny, Miss Swan."
"Yeah, says the lady who is laughing."
"You're rude."
"But I make my pregnant girlfriend laugh so I don't really care about being polite. Not when it gets a gorgeous woman such as yourself smiling at my jokes."
Regina looked away, smiling, refusing to admit she was charmed by the words. She felt calloused fingertips move her chin, Regina allowing Emma to turn her head until they were looking at one another. Emma's smile widened when their eyes locked, leaning forward and placing a chaste kiss on her lips.
"Hello, beautiful."
"You're not charming," Regina said, smile still on her lips.
"I managed to charm the pants off of you long enough for us to end up in this predicament soooo I would disagree."
Regina let out a soft chuckle, shaking her head.
"Incorrigible."
"Regina," the nurse from earlier called, "the doctor will see you now."
Emma got up, helping Regina up from the chair and placing her hand at the woman's lower back as they followed the nurse. They were led into a separate room, where Regina sat down on the raised examination table. Emma stood next to her, a hand on her thigh.
"You don't want to sit?"
"I'd rather hover over you, you know? Infringe on your space," Emma said, leaning forward and standing uncomfortable close to Regina.
"You are much more annoying than usual today."
"Can't help it. I'm in a really good mood."
"And why is that?"
"I'm incredibly lucky. This really beautiful woman was sleeping on me earlier and then afterwards she confirmed that we're dating. She's my girlfriend. Officially. And that's awesome news. It's hard to bring me down when my girlfriend is not only really fucking hot, but also really smart, interesting, an awesome cook, a great mom. And she's carrying my kid as an added bonus." Emma smiled then, pausing for a moment before saying sincerely, "It just felt really good to hear you say you're my girlfriend, even though that's silly I guess. It just really made me feel good to hear you say it. I love you, Regina. A lot. And I guess even though we didn't talk about it, I was worried maybe you didn't want to keep that label or that you were still debating."
"I wasn't… I just needed some time."
Emma nodded.
"I would never push you into something you weren't ready for. I would never want you to feel pressured."
"I know. And that's why I love you."
"The only reason?" Emma asked, smiling teasingly.
"Oh, there may be one or two more reasons I can come up with if I take enough time to think about it."
Emma laughed as she moved to stand between Regina's knees, leaning forward and stopping just short of her lips.
"Like my charming good looks?"
Regina raised her hand, but before she could push Emma away, it was intercepted and brought back down between the women's bodies. Emma chuckled as she closed the distance between them, pressing their lips together. Regina let out a soft moan at the feel of Emma's mouth against her own, twisting her hand to intertwine her fingers with Emma's. She felt a smile against her lips the second their fingers linked, stroking her thumb against the rough skin of Emma's hand.
It was curious. Regina had always enjoyed the soft skin and gentle hands of her previous female lovers. Their soft and silky skin had been one of her favourite things about women. She loved the way their smooth palms glided over her skin, feeling incredibly light and soft against her body, so unlike the hard, hairy, and scratchy bodies of the men Regina had been with. And while most of Emma's skin was incredibly soft, her hands were not. They were rough and calloused, evidence of the manual labour Emma performed every day. Years of carpentry, working on cars, doing odd jobs, and her work in law enforcement had taken their toll on her skin. Normally, Regina loathed the feel of such hard hands, but it was different with Emma. The dichotomy of Emma's rough, dry skin and incredibly soft and gentle touches made Regina's stomach clench with desire. That mix of hard and soft turned her on in a way she had never been before. She adored having Emma's hands on her, loved the contrast of rough and gentle, and as her shirt was slowly lifted and those unbelievably talented fingers felt their way along her lower back, Regina purred into their kiss, a shiver shooting straight up her spine as her back was caressed.
"God, you're so smooth," Emma panted against Regina's mouth, spreading her fingers as she covered as much of Regina's soft skin as she could. "Love the way you feel."
"I was just thinking the same thing," Regina said, ducking her head into Emma's shoulder and nuzzling her neck. "I thoroughly enjoy the feel of your hands on my body."
"Mine? My hands are gross and dry all the time. They're like sandpaper."
Regina shook her head.
"Your skin may be rough, but your touch is unbelievably gentle."
"Because you're precious," Emma said honestly.
Regina flushed, pleased. She said nothing though, sitting quietly against Emma until she heard a knock at the door. She startled and pulled back, looking at the door as the doctor made her way inside, smiling.
"Ladies, so nice to see you again. I hope I'm not interrupting."
"No," Regina said, as Emma pulled away. "It's nice to see you as well, Dr. Splinter."
"What's up doc?" Emma greeted, leaning up against the examination table.
The doctor gave a short laugh (she had definitely never heard that one before), sitting down on the rolling chair as she faced her patient.
"So we're here to finally hear the heartbeat. Are you excited?"
"Very," Regina admitted, her heart picking up speed as she thought about the fact that she'd finally get to hear the baby's heart. "And quite eager."
"Then let's not waste any more time. I'll need you to lay back and pull up your shirt for me and put your pants down a little. I've got to get between your hipbones."
Regina did as she was told, laying back and pulling up her shirt. She then tugged on her pants until they were just above her pubic bone, asking if that was low enough.
"That's perfect. Now, this may be a little cold," the doctor warned, holding up the bottle of gel. "But it'll warm up quickly."
Regina nodded, wincing as the cold gel landed on her stomach.
"Sorry," Dr. Splinter apologised, pulling out the wand and pressing it into the liquid. "Now let's see if we can find that heartbeat."
Regina immediately held out her hand in Emma's direction, eyes focused on the screen. She laced their fingers the second she felt her girlfriend's hand slip into her own, giving a responding squeeze when Emma gave her fingers a quick one. She could hear a swishing sound coming from the machine, her heart picking up speed as the doctor pushed on the area just above her pubic bone.
"Here we go," the doctor finally said, when she'd caught the right spot. "There it is."
The room was filled with the sound of the baby's heartbeat, Regina's heart jumping in her throat as she heard the sound for the first time. The baby's heartbeat was loud, fast, and almost sounded like it was underwater, which she supposed made sense. Tears sprung to her eyes (though they didn't fall), and she was left utterly speechless.
"It sounds a little like a washing machine," Emma said softly, almost in awe. "That's the baby?"
"That's the baby," the doctor confirmed. "Some people describe the heartbeat as sounding like a horse quickly galloping. I think that's the first time I hear it sounds like a washing machine though."
Emma smiled, though she didn't say anything more. She was too stunned, her eyes staring at the screen, watching as the baby moved, listening raptly as the heart beat loudly from the speakers. That was their baby. That was her baby. She could hear its heart beating loudly, strongly, and she could see the baby wiggling around on the monitor before her.
They were going to have a baby. That one right there on the screen, the one whose heartbeat could be heard beating loudly from the speaker. Emma swallowed hard against the knot in her throat. She was going to have another child. Another tiny human. Someone more to love and protect and teach. Someone else to nurture. Someone else to call her ma. Suddenly overwhelmed, Emma burst into tears, her heart squeezing in her chest as she stared in awe at the life she had helped create.
Regina glanced up, seeing that Emma was staring ahead, tears rolling down her cheeks. She squeezed her hand, smiling when Emma's gaze drifted down to her.
"We made that," Emma said in awe.
"We did," Regina confirmed.
"Thank you," Emma whispered, another sob hitching in her chest. "Thank you."
Regina tugged on Emma's hand, pulling her down until they shared a kiss, uncaring that they had an audience. They kissed softly, slowly, the sound of their baby's strong heartbeat filling their ears.