Welcome to Storybrooke (AU)

Henry

Emma let out a loud scream while the lights in the room flickered. She gasped for a breath. She was chained to the bed. She was still serving her sentence after all.

“ That’s beautiful. Emma, it’s a boy. He’s beautiful and healthy “ The doctor admired the child

Emma let out a few cries. The social worker walked up to the doctor and told him what Emma had decided. She had planned to give him up for adoption and hope unlike her, he would end up in a good home and a loving family.

“ Oh “ the doctor said " Emma, you do know you can change your mind " 

He turned towards Emma holding the small infant.

" I can't be a mother " Emma sobbed

Emma looked away. She couldn't be a mother. How could she be a parent when she never had one? This had all happened so suddenly. She wasn’t ready. At least she thought so.

The doctor was about to take the baby out of the room. The baby continued to cry.

" Are you sure? " The doctor asked one last time.

The doctor believed in Emma even when she didn't believe in herself. He already knew Emma loved her son. She loved him enough to give him up.

He didn't want her to regret not choosing to hold him at least once. Once he was gone it was unlikely she would ever see him again. The thought saddened him. He knew she wanted to keep him but under her current circumstances he felt she thought she had no choice.

As the doctor turned to hand him over to the social worker, Emma sat up. She couldn’t explain it but she wasn’t ready to say goodbye just yet.

" Wait, let me hold him "

The doctor beamed with joy as he handed the precious little baby boy over to Emma.

The baby immediately stopped crying once he was placed in the hands of his mother.

Emma looked at him and admired him. She cooed at the child. He was beautiful.

She couldn't wrap her head around the idea that he was her biological child. She had made the decision months ago to give him up for adoption. This was her goodbye.

She looked down into his eyes and she felt sad. He looked up at her and smiled, he deserved love. He wrapped his hand around her finger. He deserved a mother who would love him unconditionally. She thought about how that was everything she had wanted as a child. Every night, she had spent crying out for her mother and hoping just one day that she would come and bring her home. Wherever that is. She just wanted her parents. She didn't want him to grow up the same way she did. She feared he'd be just like her. Wondering every single day why his parents gave him up and wondered if anyone truly loved him. She couldn't give him up unless she knew he was better off. How would she live with herself if he landed himself in the same situation as her?

Could she do it? Neal was long gone and he had left her. He was probably on the other side of the country by now. He didn’t even know she had been pregnant. The only reason she was having this baby in jail was because of him. Could she raise this child alone? She knew it wouldn't be easy and she wanted to give him his best chance at life. If there was any possibility that she could raise him than she would?

Emma had always dreamt of meeting her parents but she had given up. She didn't want him to live the same life she did. Waiting and waiting to find her parents who had sent her away and eventually giving up on the thought of that ever happening.

" I want to keep him " Emma spoke up “ I’ll protect him “

" Have you thought of a name for him? " The doctor smiled happy that Emma had changed her mind

" Henry " Emma smiled at her baby who had peacefully fallen asleep.

" I will go and fill out the paperwork " The doctor left Emma and her baby boy alone (well almost alone, she was still in jail after all. She needed to be supervised)

In less than two months, she would be released from here and she and Henry would live the life Emma always wanted and wished for with her own mysterious birth parents. She would raise him and protect him from all the dangers in the world. Until then she would only have partial custody of Henry.

She would be allowed to visit him under supervision for the remainder of her time filling out her sentence as she hadn’t committed a serious crime. Until then he would be looked after in foster care. Temporarily. It wouldn’t be long until she would have full custody of her son.

" So I'm your mother " Emma beamed " I promise you, I will give you the best life that I possibly can "

Emma kissed him on the head before the social worker took him away for a checkup.

“ See you soon, Henry “