Turn for the Worst

Chapter 48

"Have we decided on a name yet?" one of the nurses asks as Mary Margret is learning to breastfeed her son.

Both parents look down at their nursing son and then at each other.

"Jacob," Mary Margret says.

"Jacob Leon Robert Nolan," David says with a smile.

"That is quite a handsome name," the nurse says gently. "I'll come back for him later."

Soon the couple is left on their own once more. They can't keep their eyes off their son. Their hospital room is filled with presents from their friends and David's phone is buzzing with congratulatory messages from officers at the station.

"He looks so much like you," Mary Margret whispers, stroking her son's tiny cheek. A few tears roll down her cheeks. "I just wish Emma was here to meet him."

"Me too," David says, kissing his wife's head. "But keep hoping for the best, without hope, you have lost everything."

The new mother nods and watches her son sleep peacefully in her arms.

"He is our new beacon of hope," she whispers.

...

"Sir are you sure that this is your license plate number?" August asks over the phone. He sits in a coffee shop with his laptop and a notepad open. He had just got in touch with the man in Connecticut who claimed that his plates were switched a few weeks back.

The voice on the other end confirms it.

"Thank you so much sir and where were you when this happened?"

As the private investigator listens to the response, he sees a redhead and a light-haired man walk in together. He recognizes the redhead from the hospital, one of Emma's friends, but the man is new. He doesn't think much of it until they sit down with their coffees together, within eavesdropping distance of the PI. He tries to take notes from the witness on the phone, but the redhead begins speaking very loudly, limiting his hearing.

"Robin, if you really want this custody crap to be over with, just hire me," Zelena was saying.

"I don't know Zelena..." Robin says, sipping his coffee.

"Robin, I'm a fully qualified lawyer and I've hardly ever lost a case. Divorce cases are my specialty. I helped Regina through her two divorces."

Robin's blue eyes go wide.

"R-Regina was married?"

"Yeah twice," Zelena says, her red lips curling into a smile. "Very long and drawn out cases, the finances were the biggest problem."

"Why... why did they end?"

"I think both were over infidelity..." Zelena pauses. "Her mostly, but one of the reasons the second one listed on the papers was that she was very controlling and manipulative."

The personal trainer takes a deep sip of coffee, trying to process this information. Regina didn't seem like that type of person at all. She seemed like a sweet and selfless woman. Hardly to be considered controlling or manipulative.

"But the caboose on that train wreck was that she couldn't have children, that was actually one of the reasons her first husband gave..."

Robin again doesn't want to speak. He knows this isn't right, talking about Regina's private life like this and yet Zelena keeps going on and on, bashing her half-sister in every way that she can. In fact, most of their current conversations were about how bad Regina was or how selfish she could be. This could hardly be considered a date, Zelena had kind of forced him to accompany her to the coffee shop, but it certainly didn't feel very romantic or interesting. Robin found himself staring into Zelena's blue eyes, thinking about anything but her... and more specifically anyone.