"I wasn't aware you were looking for me. I was just coming to check on you, what's going on?" Snow was slightly confused as to why Emma was there but brushed the thought away when she noticed the way Regina was tightly gripping her daughters hands.
"Mom, thank God. She's in labor." Emma said over Regina's groan from her newest contraction.
Snow rushed over to them and rubbed Regina's arm to draw her attention.
"Oh, dear. Alright. How long?" Snow asked glancing at Emma before stepping in front of Regina.
"At least an hour, if not more." Emma said as she adjusted her footing to keep them both from falling over when Regina suddenly shifted.
"Okay, honey, breathe." Snow said crouching down into Regina's site line. She placed a hand on the side of her face and started taking deep breaths for Regina to mimic. "Water broken?"
There was a pause, then Emma realized her mother was directing the question at her not Regina.
"Oh, uh. Not that I know of. Regina?" Emma said into her friends ear as she moved her head beside Regina's.
Regina shook her head violently as she whined from her contraction.
"Hey. Look at me, look right here." Snow encouraged as she tilted Regina's chin up so they were eye to eye. "Okay, we are going to breath through this. Deep in and deep out." Snow said as she took very exaggerated breaths.
Regina began to follow, though she really just wanted to moan and hold her breath. She knew if she didn't comply Snow would just annoy her until she did, and she was in no mood for that.
"Good, honey, good. Just keep it going. I know it doesn't feel like it's helping but I promise you it is." Snow said with a sympathetic smile and a rub of her hand on the side of Regina's stomach.
Now that Regina had calmed down a bit as the contraction subsided Snow shifted her attention from her stepmother to her daughter. "What are you doing here, where's Robin or Zelena?"
"I was here playing video games with Henry and when I came up to see how she was doing I found her in the middle of a contraction." She had to pause and groan when Regina tightened her grip on her hands. "Robin's out in the woods with his phone turned off and Henry went to try to find Zelena. I couldn't leave her alone."
Emma was huffing out her words in frustration. Frustration at this situation that she had found herself in, frustration from the pain her hands were in because of Regina's crushing grip, and frustration at her mother for drilling her when she should've been helping her.
Snow had been getting better at reading her daughter, and right now she could tell she was annoyed by all the questions and really did not want to be anywhere near this situation. She didn't blame her, seeing people in pain isn't easy. Especially seeing Regina in pain. Regina was always the strong one, she never let anything she was feeling show on the surface. Her scrunched up face, rigid body and small whimpers we're so out of character, and frankly a little disturbing to even Snow.
She figured the two of them had been yelling at each other for at least half of the time they had been together, which was not good for Regina. So she decided to give her a way out. "Well, if Henry's out for Zelena why don't you go see if you can find Robin and bring him here, I'll stay with Regina."
Snow pried Regina's fingers from Emma's hands and took them in her own. Regina instinctively shifted forward and rested her forehead on her stepdaughters shoulder.
Emma mouthed a thank you to her mother and left to attempt to find Robin. If it came down to it she would have delivered Regina's baby, but if she didn't have to she was taking the out, gladly.
"Alright, honey, it's just us now. How far apart are your contractions?" Snow asked as she lead them both towards the bed so they could sit down.
"I think about 5 minutes most of the time, but they are inconsistent and long." Regina grumbled as she propped herself up with both of her hands behind her back.
"Good we still have some time then."
"Good? You want this to drag out for me?" Regina moaned as she dropped her head back and squeezed her eyes shut.
I'm not having a contraction why does my back have to hurt like I am.
"No! I would never wish that, not even on my worst enemy." Snow said nudging Regina, who glared at her. To which Snow answered with a wink.
"What? That was a good joke." She was surprised she didn't get a better reaction from Regina after that, though these were special circumstances. Regina just shook her head so Snow continued. "I just meant that we have time for Zelena and Robin to get here."
"You're right." Regina said reluctantly. She hated admitting that to anyone, especially Snow.
"I don't really want you delivering my baby anyway." Regina said without thinking. It wasn't meant to be an insult, but it sort of came off as one.
"I must say I'm a bit offended. I'm most certainly capable of delivering a baby, thank you very much. After all, I did deliver two of my own." Snow said before crossing her arms over her chest defensively. She was a little offended by Regina's lack of faith in her.
"Yes, but for those all you had to do was breathe and push. You didn't have to watch another living thing be pushed out of a very small opening." She started shifting nervously at the job she had in front of her. This was not going to be fun.
"Very true. But I have witnessed women giving birth, I even assisted during one. So, if it comes down to it you will be in good hands, if that helps reassure you at all." Snow said as she rubbed a hand between Regina's shoulder blades.
"That is comforting, thank you." Regina said with a weak smile directed at her step daughter.
It's not that she didn't trust her with the task, she probably knew as much about childbirth as Zelena. It's just that she would be more comfortable with having her sister, a trained midwife, deliver the baby. Not to mention it would be very awkward knowing Snow had seen her, well, lady bits. She really couldn't live with that. She cringed a little at just the thought, but didn't have to think about it any longer because a contraction surprised her and cleared her mind of the thoughts and replaced them with pain.
Snow saw the contraction building and tried to catch Regina before it got bad. "Relax, relax your body. Breathe it out."
"How am I supposed to relax when my stomach is being ripped apart!" Regina's voice was high and tight as her contraction slowly got stronger. She dropped down to her elbows and moved her hands to her lower back for support.
"Believe me I know, but I promise it helps. Lay back and try to relax your muscles." Snow stood up so she could lean over Regina's stomach and rub soothing circles over it. "Slow in through your nose and out through your mouth."
Regina lay flat on her back and closed her eyes in an attempt to relax her body. It was proving to be impossible because her contraction only grew stronger.
"I can't do it." Regina whispered as she tightly gripped the comforter at her sides.
"Yes, you can. Here." Snow said as she took one of Regina's hands in hers. "Focus on squeezing my hand and breathing."
Surprisingly squeezing the life out of Snow's was not helping her at all. She just wanted to curl up into a ball and scream until it passed, but she wouldn't. She didn't want Snow to hear her scream, it would make her feel weak. "This isn't working! I can't be on my back!" Regina yelled. She didn't mean to yell, couldn't help it. That didn't count as screaming though. Yelling and screaming are definitely different.
Being on her back was making it hurt more. It was stretching her stomach muscles laying on the bed the way she was, it was only adding to her pain.
"Okay, honey. Can you move?" Snow asked as she took both of Regina's hands in hers.
Regina nodded and Snow was suddenly pulling her up and looping her arms over her shoulders. Regina was sitting up in one swift motion, she already felt much better with the pressure off of her back.
"Okay, hold on to me, we are going to stand up. Do worry, I've got you, just breathe." And with that Snow was pulling Regina to her feet.
Regina moaned and squeezed Snow's shoulders hard. She thought being on her feet would be better, she was very wrong. "Oh! I need to sit back down. I feel like she's about to fall out."
Snow had to chuckle at her friend before answering. "Well, I can guarantee that will not happen. She's just moving down into the birth canal, that's what we want."
Regina's grip on her shoulders tightened which caused her to grimace. Probably not the best thing for her to say while she was in the middle of a contraction.
"The hell it's what we want!" Regina screamed as she closed her eyes tightly shut and hunched over. "What we want is for my sister to get here so she can deliver my baby and for my damn husband to show up so I can kill him for leaving me!" She paused to take a few deep breaths and lightly moan out her pain (which didn't count because they were barely audible) as the contraction peeked, then it slowly faded away.
She most definitely was not just yelling from pain, she was yelling from frustration. Yes, frustration.
"No, what we really want is for this to be over." She said after she straightened out and rubbed her stomach with one hand. The other stayed on Snow's shoulder because she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to keep her balance if she removed it.
"I know, honey, I know. I'm sure they will be here any minute." Snow said as she rubbed Regina's lower back.
Snow was beginning to get nervous that she would be the one delivering the baby. Regina's contractions were getting closer together and they still weren't there. As a matter of fact she hadn't heard from any of them, not even Henry. Something had to be wrong, that was the only explanation. Whatever it was she was sure they were dealing with it. Her only worry needed to be Regina and keeping her as calm as possible, which was becoming harder.
Regina was slightly distracted by the pain and the process of labor, but she wasn't a fool. Even with the pain she definitely knew something was wrong. It had been far too long with no word from anyone and they were running out of time.
Where the hell are they? There'd better be something seriously wrong for them to be taking this long.
Damn it.
There was something seriously wrong. That was the only explanation for their continued absence.
"Everything is going to be alright. I'm sure there's a logical reason that they aren't here." Snow could see Regina's mind working. Her face shifted from anger to worry, so she decided she needed to say something to stop her from jumping into the worst conclusion. "They will probably come through that door any second."
"They better, I don't think we have much time left." Regina said looking down at her stomach. She could feel the baby moving further down and she was beginning to feel some pressure. She moved her hand to the bottom of her stomach to try to hold it up to maybe relieve some of it, which didn't work. Wishful thinking.
"What are you feeling?" Snow asked quickly. Regina's comment made her very nervous. They definitely were running out of time.
Regina opened her mouth to answer but she was cut of by yet another contraction. She leaned back over onto Snow and squeezed her shoulders again.
Where the hell are they!
...
Finally an update! Sorry it took so long!
I know this is short but I already have some for the next chapter so hopefully I will have that done soon.
Anyway, please enjoy and let me know what you think. Mwah!