Dreaming Out Loud

There's No Place Like Home

Chapter 108: There's No Place Like Home.

Snow cried out, as another contraction hit, just as they wheeled her into the delivery room.

"We need to move her to the bed now or we won't be able to," Artemis instructed, as David lifted his wife into his arms as gently as possible and placed her on the hospital bed.

"David..." Snow cried.

"It's okay...I'm here, my darling..." he soothed, as he clutched her hand and he looked around, noticing how the lights were beginning to flicker wildly. Instinctively, he knew what it meant, for he remembered the candlelight and lanterns doing the same thing while Snow was giving birth to Emma.

"But...I was only four months along before the spell! How is this happening? How do we know I'm not early...what if the baby doesn't make it!" Snow rambled, as she started to hyperventilate.

"No...no...sweetheart, you need to stay calm," Persephone said, as she put her hands on her daughter's belly.

"You're full term," Persephone assured.

"She's right and I'm sensing no abnormalities. The baby's heartbeat is strong," Artemis assured.

"Then somehow the spell just sped up her pregnancy?" David asked.

"That would be my guess. Time travel is forbidden for a reason. Messing with it can create unpredictable results. But the baby is okay," Persephone assured, as Snow's water broke.

"And apparently this one is super impatient and anxious to meet his mommy and daddy," Artemis said, as she positioned Snow to give birth.

"His?" Snow squeaked.

"Yes...I'm sensing the child is male. Are you ready to meet your baby boy?" she asked, with a soft smile. Snow and David nodded eagerly, as another contraction hit.

"It's time to start pushing," Artemis instructed, as she guided Snow through it. Snow cried out and breathed through the push, before relaxing slightly. David put a cool cloth and dabbed her forehead, as he held her and helped brace her through everything, just as he had done when she gave birth to Emma.

"You're doing wonderful honey...this one is very impatient and his head is already crowning," Artemis coached.

"Impatience...I wonder where he gets that from," Persephone mused and David chuckled, as he kissed her hair.

"Not funny," Snow pouted, as another contraction reared up and he braced her.

"Okay...this is the really big push..." Artemis warned. Snow cried out, as her mother and David both held her hands and she fell back against him once it was over.

"Okay...one more big push and it's over," Artemis instructed.

"I can see him, Snow..." David said, as his eyes were big in wonder. With another agonizing push, she finished delivering their son and they looked on in awe, as Artemis cradled their wriggling infant. She smiled down at the infant, waved her hand to clean him off, while Persephone used her own magic to conjure a blanket for him. It was much like Emma, only with a blue ribbon.

"We can add the name to it when you decide," she said and Snow burst into happy tears, as he was placed in her arms.

"Oh Snow...he's perfect..." David uttered, as he stared at their son.

"He is...perfect and completely healthy," Artemis assured. David grinned and kissed her hair. She looked at him with a wide smile and then back down at the perfect bundle in her arms.

Regina sat quietly in the lobby and mulled over the memories she had of both lives. Neither had been very good. She had lost Daniel in both of them and had turned to revenge to satisfy her. But it didn't work and she had almost made the most terrible error in the latter.