My New Beginning: Part 3

Chapter 23 And So It Begins

I opened my eyes to see an IV in my left arm, two familiar heartbeats were heard on the ultrasound machine, and Emma holding my left hand.

"Emma…what's going on?"

Emma looked down at me with tears in her eyes. "Don't scare me like that again."

"I'm sorry," I groaned, and Emma kissed my hand. "It's okay."

Dr. Fabin said, "Regina, you are going to have to stay here. I am noticing a small tear in the sacks. I want to keep my eye on you. So far, these little sweethearts look perfectly fine, but I want to monitor those tears just in case. If they get any worse, we're inducing you."

She cleaned the gel off of me carefully and went to wash her hands. After drying her hands, she left the room.

I started crying. "Emma, I'm so sorry. I should have listened to you and stayed behind, but no, my damn hard head!"

Emma kissed the top of my head. "Babe, listen to me; you are alive and well. The twins are fine with one minor scare. Now, will you listen to me when I tell you that you need to take it easy?"

I reluctantly nodded then Snow, and Henry entered the room. Henry ran up to me and hugged me.

"Careful sweetheart, I'm still sore."

"Regina, what were you thinking? You could have died! The twins could have died! Emma would be a raging volcano becoming the next Evil Queen…"

"Mom…"

"Yes, Emma?"

"Shut up."

Snow's mouth dropped, and I laughed.

I pulled my wife toward me and whispered into Emma's ear, "Once I have the twins, I will be repaying you for telling your mother to shut up."

Emma smiled and looked at me. "I'll hold you to it."

I smiled and gave Emma a kiss on her cheek.

* * * * *MY NEW BEGINNING* * * * *

-January 31st Storybrooke General Hospital 7:45 pm-

I was sound asleep in the hospital bed, and Emma was wide awake; I could sense it. I could tell she was tired of feeling helpless. Being the Savior, and yet she couldn't save the people she loves the most from getting seriously injured. She pondered on what she did to lose her ability to save people.

"All of your thinking is making my head hurt."

Emma looked to see I was awake and took my hand in hers. "I'm sorry."

The flood gate was released, and I got worried. "Emma, darling, what's wrong?"

"I let my family down," Emma began then took a deep breath, "First Katherine and now you and the twins…"

I interrupted, "Emma Grace Swan-Mills, look at me."

Emma gazed into my eyes with tear-stained ones then I continued, "You didn't fail us. We failed you by not listening to you. Can you ever forgive us?"

"Of course, I do. You are my wife, and I love you with every fiber of my being. I love my girl and my boy very much. Katherine has both of her mother's hard heads because she sprang to the rescue when you couldn't. She is one amazing kid, and I wouldn't have her any other way."

I smiled and said, "Gold came yesterday, and he gave her that stuffed horse that she is holding."

Emma smiled, "Really?"

"Emma," My face turned serious. "I think he's going to sacrifice his magic."

"Wait," Emma was trying to process what she just heard, "he's going to sacrifice his magic? How is that possible?"

I began to play with our intertwined fingers. "All I know is that it is an old ritual and once that magic is sacrificed it dispels all dark entities back to where they belong for all eternity."

Something clicked inside Emma's mind. She remembered seeing the parchment in Gold's office about the magical sacrifice. She also recalled that Claire didn't summon her "friends from the other side" to help her in their fight.

Emma's eyes widened with realization. "I think he already did."

"Indeed, I did, dearie," Gold limped in with his cane. "How are you feeling, Madam Mayor?"

I exhaled, "Tired of being in a hospital."

"Gold, why did you sacrifice your magic?" Emma questioned very curiously as to what made him do it.

Gold limped up to Emma and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Because Emma when you two were on your little honeymoon do over, Katherine had a magical outburst caused by Voodoo magic. I was the only one that could calm her. I had a vision that Katherine was going to get hurt just like she is now and it showed me sacrificing my magic for her to be there with you two in the final battle against Claire Fairchild."

Emma and I were perplexed by what the former Dark One just told us. How could Katherine possibly get out of her magical coma to help us take down Claire? Dr. Fabin walked in with the ultrasound machine, and Gold told them farewell. I mouthed "thank you" to him, and he smiled as he limped out the room.

"Alright, let's check on these little ones."

After turning the machine on, she squirted the gel on my belly and placed the probe moving it to get a good look at each baby. I gave Emma's hand a gentle squeeze, and Emma gave a reassuring squeeze as we watched the doctor do her examination.

"The tear in the sacks got about two inches longer than what it was when you first came in. I am very worried. We are going to have to induce you."

I turned to look at Emma. "Emma…"

"It's going to be fine. We are all going to be alright. Those kiddos will be okay."

I shook my head. "How can you be so sure?"

Emma smiled, "Because they told me that they would be coming early. They also said that you would need me and they would need me, too, because they would be scared."

"I'm terrified," I admitted, "What if something goes wrong? What if they come out not breathing? What if they die?"

"Regina Katherine!" Emma took my face in her hands. "I am here for you. I am here for these twins. I won't let anything happen to either of you. I don't care if I have to sacrifice my own life to keep the three of you alive. You and our family are my world. Without you, I'm nothing but an empty shell just existing."

I had tears streaming down my face. "I am tired of feeling helpless."

"You and me both," Emma replied, "But you and I are stronger together. Together, we created them, and we are delivering them together."

I nodded, "Together."

Sarah walked in with a bag to put into the IV. "I am here to start the Pitocin drip."

My heartbeat sped up because it was finally setting in that our babies will be here very soon.