Regina had about five weeks left in her pregnancy and she was starting to get very uncomfortable. She had difficulty sleeping, her back was always hurting, and she could no longer see her feet. The glamor of being pregnant was gone and she couldn't wait for Willow to come into the world.
Robin was still very supportive and took excellent care of her. He gave her back and foot massages every other night and brought her anything she was craving. He helped her get comfortable at night as best as he could, placing pillows under her legs and rubbing her back and belly.
Regina got heartburn often so he kept Tums nearby and always stayed up with her until she felt better. She asked Snow and Emma if they had heartburn when they were pregnant and Emma actually had more to say on the subject.
"They say you get heartburn if the baby has a lot of hair. Henry had a decent amount when he was born and I had killer heartburn. So I'd bet Willow is going to have a full head of gorgeous brown locks," she laughed.
One night in the middle of her 35th week of pregnancy, Regina was especially uncomfortable. She tossed and turned, her legs cramping. She decided to get up and draw herself a bath. Robin was so worn out from taking care of her and the children that he could sleep through a tornado.
She stood in the bathroom wrapped in her robe waiting for the tub to fill with water. Suddenly, she felt liquid running down her leg and a sharp pain to her pelvis. She looked down and noticed a pool of clear liquid had formed at her feet.
Regina panicked. Her water couldn't break. She was only 35 weeks. It was too soon for the baby to be coming. She was hit hard with another contraction and she collapsed to the floor, writhing in pain. She breathed in and out, focusing on breathing the pain away. When the contraction was gone, she tried to stand up, but couldn't. Not out of pain, but she physically wasn't able to with her big belly in the way.
"Robin," she called out, knowing it would be hopeless. She waved her hand and the bathroom door swung open. She focused hard and clapped her hands together, magic making the clap echo in Robin's ears.
He shot up, nearly falling out of bed. He immediately looked to Regina's side of the bed and saw she was gone. He stood up and ran to the bathroom, finding her on the floor.
"We need to go. Now," she said.
"What happened? Are you alright," he asked helping her up with clear panic in his voice.
"She's coming."
"The baby? She can't be coming. It's too soon," he said walking her to the bed and running around to find clothes for her.
"I don't know what to tell you, Robin. This baby wants out," she gritted her teeth through another contraction. Robin pulled a night gown over his wife and wrapped her in her robe, giving her an extra layer to protect her from the chilly spring air. He picked up the hospital bag Regina had packed weeks ago to prepare for this day.
"Can you walk or do you need me to carry you," he asked, helping her walk to the top of the stairs.
"Get the car packed and tell Henry to sleep with Roland tonight so he doesn't get scared in the morning," she said. "I'll start making my way downstairs."
Robin nodded and did as he was told. Henry sleepily walked out of his room and toward Roland's.
"Good luck, Mom," he said with a yawn. Regina almost laughed, but felt another contraction.
"They're really close together, Robin," she said. "We have to go."
He ran downstairs and pulled the car to the front door. She met him at the bottom of the stairs and he lifted her into his arms. He placed her in the front seat and closed her door. She waved her hand to lock the front door and put a protection spell around the house; her own version of a security system.
Robin sped to the hospital and jumped out just barely putting the car in park. He ran around to her side and helped her out of the car, once again holding her in his arms. He rushed her inside and she laughed.
"You can put me down. I'm in labor, not bleeding out," she sighed.
The nurse came over with a wheelchair and he placed Regina gently into it.
"I'm going to park the car. I'll be right back," he said kissing her forehead and running out.
"Out of all the expectant fathers I've seen, your husband is rather calm," the nurse said with a laugh, wheeling Regina to a room.
"This isn't his first rodeo," she smiled. "He's just very protective."
"All the best ones are," the nurse said putting the brakes on the wheelchair down. "Here's a gown. You'll need to change into it before you get into the bed. I can help you if you'd like."
"That's okay. I'll just wait for my husband," she said as he burst into the room. "Right on time."
She held the gown out to him and the nurse left, closing the door behind her. She removed her robe and lifted her nightgown over her head. Her belly sat lower than usual, Willow was ready to come in the next few hours. He wrapped the hospital gown around her and pulled her into an embrace.
"Relax," Regina whispered. "She's resilient, remember? She'll be okay."
He nodded and helped her into the bed, sitting in a chair beside her. Doctors and nurses made frequent trips in and out of the room, checking her vitals and monitoring her contractions.
"From what I can tell, we'll be ready to head into the delivery room in a few minutes. As I'm sure you're aware, 35 weeks is a bit too soon so there can be complications, but we'll monitor her. Her heartbeat seems to be normal so we're hoping she's just a little peanut with no other issues," he smiled at the couple. Regina held onto Robin's hand tight and he nodded as the doctor left the room.
Another contraction came and went, Robin helping her through it the entire way. He wiped the sweat from her forehead with a wet towel and helped her sit up so he could rub her back. By this time Robin had changed into scrubs so he would be allowed in the delivery room. A nurse came in with a big smile across her face right in the middle of another contraction.
"Uh oh, looks like somebody's not happy," she said to Regina. She looked up at the stupid nurse with fire in her eyes. She lifted her hand to conjure a fireball, but the nurse ran out, too frightened to be seen near Regina again.
"That wasn't really necessary," Robin said. "She was trying to be friendly."
"I don't want friendly. I want competent," she paused. "I wasn't really going to throw it at her. She just thought I did and that was enough."
Another nurse entered without saying a word, no doubt she heard what happened from the other nurse, and unlocked the brakes on the bed. She wheeled Regina to the delivery room, Robin by her side every step of the way. The contractions were less than a minute apart at this point and there wasn't much more she could take of this.
"What if something is really wrong with her, Robin," Regina cried, trying to breathe through her contractions and sweat pouring off her face.
"Hey, look at me," he said and she did so, grinding her teeth together and breathing heavily. He pressed his forehead against hers. "We'll deal with it like we deal with everything else."
"Together," she said and nodded, knowing he was right. No matter what they would love Willow. She would be perfect for them regardless of any difficulties because she would be their daughter, no one else's.
"Okay Regina, you're doing great. In a minute I'm gonna need you to start pushing, okay? I'll count to ten and you'll push for the full ten count. After that, you can rest to breathe and then we'll be back at it until you're holding your beautiful baby girl. How's that sound," the doctor asked. Regina just nodded wanting to get this over with so she could take her daughter home.
"Okay, here we go," the doctor said and began counting. Regina pushed hard, Robin holding one leg back while a nurse held the other. She squeezed his other hand so tight he was afraid she might conjure a fireball and burn it off. Regardless, he held onto her knowing how much she needed his support. On ten, she lay back, resting her head. Robin wiped the sweat from her forehead and kissed her.
"You're doing wonderfully, my love. Just hold on a bit longer," he said. Regina looked like a mess for the first time since he'd known her. Her hair was all over the place, she was sweating, her face a bright shade of red from exerting so much energy. But Robin found her so attractive. She was giving birth to their baby; the result of their love for one another. Nothing could amount to her beauty in this moment.
The doctor began counting again and Robin assumed his prior position. After doing this a few times, Regina had exhausted herself.
"I can't do it anymore," she said, wanting to just rest her eyes for a minute.
"Hold on, Regina. One more push and we'll have a baby," the doctor said.
"Did you hear that? Just hold on for one more minute and Willow will be here. Come on, my love. You can do it," he said, squeezing her hand.
She sat up and on the doctor's count, she gave one final push. Cries of a newborn infant filled the room. She was crying, that was a good sign.
"Dad, do you want to do the honors," a nurse asked, handing him a tiny pair of scissors. He cut the umbilical chord and felt tears stream down his face as he watched the nurse take his daughter to clean her off. He went back to Regina, who was crying on the table with her head resting on a pillow.
"You did it," he whispered to her and gently kissed her on the lips. The nurse came over with Willow in her arms, wrapped in a pink blanket. She handed her to Regina. Her eyes released more tears than ever before in her entire life. She held her baby girl close, Robin sitting down next to her holding on for dear life.
"Hello Princess," Regina said through her tears. "I'm your Mommy."
The doctor came over to the couple, smiling at the sight before him.
"Willow weighed in on the smaller side which is no surprise because she is premature: 5 lbs, 4 oz. Because she has a lack of stored body fat, her body temperatures are pretty low. We'll have to keep her warm in the NICU and keep her for observation for a few days minimum. I also want to see if she'll feed so I can check her sucking reflexes since those may have been in their developing stages in the womb. But we can do all that once you've rested and spent some time with your new baby."
"She's beautiful," Regina whispered when the doctor walked away.
"She definitely has your hair," he said with a laugh, noticing her full head of dark brown hair.
"We did this. We made this," she said, staring at Willow, asleep in her arms. Robin nodded, amazed that their love could create something so perfect.