No More Happy Endings

In Laws

Regina

I woke up to the sound of my daughter wailing in the quiet room, I looked around and Robin was probably out getting some food so I slowly stood up and dragged the incubator over to myself, lifting her into my arms. She immediately stopped crying and looked up at me. "Hi Ava, it's your mommy." I said quietly, I leaned back and held her close to me, my eyes growing heavy.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door and Trina came in with a teddy bear. "Hi mommy." She gushed as she walked towards me, I smiled and rocked my baby gently, my smile growing by the second.

"Can I hold her please?" She asked quietly, I nodded and handed her off, snapping a quick picture. "I just wanted to thank you for earlier, I know it was long but you never left my side so thank you." I said smiling, she just looked at me and gently rocked my daughter. "Well of course! And I'd do it all again, it was pretty amazing watching this little munchkin come into the world." She said looking down, I smiled and nodded at her.

"Where's Robin?" I asked, checking my watch, she made a strange face and sat down.

"He's talking to his mother, they needed a moment so to catch up." She said looking down at Ava who was cooing in her arms. "His mother?" I asked feeling quite surprised over her appearance.

"Yeah, they have some catching up to do, I guess they haven't seen each other in a while." She said rocking Ava back and forth.

"Hi sweetheart." I looked up and saw Robin peeking his head into the room. "Hi, what's going on?" I said smiling back at him, Trina stood up and handed Ava back to me before she squeezed my hand as a goodbye.

"Oh my god, Robin she's beautiful." The woman behind him said, her eyes tearing up. "Who's this?" I asked, sitting up, cradling my baby in my arms, the young woman must have been at least thirty who had bright red hair that spiraled in wild curls and a smooth complexion that was lighter than Robin's, her blue eyes almost identical to Robin's.

"Regina, this is my mother Merida of Locksley." Robin said giving me a strange look, I stared at her for a minute and then back at him.

"Then why...?" I started, she closed her eyes and nodded, stepping in front of Robin. "I know it's confusing, and that I look younger than my son, but the thing is, I died when Robin was five. " She said looking at her son with a confused look.

"I fell in the portal while Robin was jumping through, I saw him and I was trying to catch up with him but I fell in." She said looking at Robin again, in awe of her son.

"Can I meet her?" She asked both of us, Robin smiled and nodded at her, walking the young girl towards the hospital bed. I held Ava out to her and she lightly touched her, holding back her tears as she looked at her. "She's beautiful, she looks just like you." She said to me, I smiled and looked at Robin. "Thank you, but she does have her features that look just like her daddy." I said rubbing her cheek gently, she gave me another smile and moved closer.

"Is it okay if I hold her?" She asked looking at me, I nodded and handed my small baby over to her, bundling her blankets as I passed her off.

"What's her name?" She asked rocking her gently, Robin sat down next to me and wrapped his arm around me, I leaned my head on his shoulder and stared at her.

"Ava Charlotte Mills, eight pounds and eleven ounces." I said yawning, she looked up with wide tear filled eyes and gave me a questioning look.

"You named her Ava?" She wept, I nodded and looked at Robin who had tears in his eyes. "Yes, well it was Robin's idea." I said turning around, he was now crying and gave me a smile.

"That was my sister's name, she passed when I was younger, she raised me after my mother died." He said wiping his tears, I tilted my head at him in confusion, wondering why he hadn't told me about this.

"Well I should go, you're obviously tired, and rightfully so, these babies aren't dainty coming out." She said winking at me, handing Ava back to me, I smiled and pulled my daughter close to me.

"Sorry I had to spring the mother in law on you after you gave birth." Robin said walking back into the room with a bashful smile, I just shook my head and placed Ava back into her incubator  and gently pushed it away. "It's fine, she seems sweet, I just want to know what happened when you were younger?" I asked leaning on him, he sighed and pulled me close, kissing the top of my head.

"My mother was married off young, at sixteen, and she was pregnant with my sister a year later, she was seven when I was born. When I was five my mother was kidnapped and killed by the King Leopold for something that I don't even know now, but my sister and I fled, she raised me in Sherwood Forest and posed as my mother, but then one night my sister tucked me in to bed, but when she went to leave the tent the king's guards raped her and killed her. I had to leave her body and flee in the night until I made it to the safe part of the woods, that was when I vowed to be a thief, but I then realized that Ava wouldn't want me to live like that, so I stopped before I met you." He said rubbing my cheek, his face damp with tears.

"I'm so sorry, but you're very lucky to get a second chance with her, I'd give anything to see my father again." I said taking his hand tightly, he looked down at me and pulled me close to him and kissed my temple. "It's okay, now I have my beautiful daughter to remember her by." He said staring at the clear incubator. I leaned back and smiled at her, my eyes growing heavy.

"But enough about me, you need to sleep, if she wakes up I got her, you go ahead and nap, you've earned it mommy." He said standing up, I went to argue but my body betrayed me, sending me to sleep.

"Regina, sweetheart I know I promised to get her but she's hungry, and well I can't really help her there." Robin said holding our daughter carefully, I sat up and nodded, taking her into my arms as he unsnapped my gown.

"Okay, now... Ah! Okay, alright, good girl, good Ava." I whimpered, looking down, biting my lip as I felt my baby feed. "Oh dear lord, does that hurt?" Robin asked, I gently rubbed her head and looked at him. "Kind of, it's just really weird and a bizarre feeling." I admitted, he just smiled and sat down next to me, massaging my shoulders as I fed her.

"Can you hand me the burping towel?" I asked pulling her away, I quickly cleaned myself and buttoned my gown, then wiped her scrunched face before I placed her on my shoulder to burp her.

"Knock knock." I looked up and Belle popped her head in with a big bear that had a bright pink bow wrapped around its neck. I smiled at her and made sure I had buttoned everything and I was presentable enough. "Hi Belle." I said quietly, she walked in and hugged Robin who had gotten up to greet her.

"Congratulations! She's beautiful!" She exclaimed, hugging me gently before she looked at Ava closely. "Do you want to hold her?" I asked, she nodded frantically and squirted some hand sanitizer on before I handed off my sleeping baby.

"Oh my! She's so beautiful, what's her name?" She asked gently swaying back and forth, a glint of worry in her eyes. "Ava Charlotte Mills." I said leaning back, her eyes welled up and she nodded, letting a nervous laugh out. "I love that name, it's gorgeous." She said almost in tears.

"Belle, honey are you okay?" I asked sitting up, she nodded and wiped her tears away, gently handing Ava back to me.

"Well-." She started but suddenly the nurse opened the door and picked up the clip board.

"I'm sorry to interrupt but we have to take little Ava for her first bath and all that, don't worry you will get her back as soon as she's done! But daddy if you want to come and take pictures we have a bunch of window space for that!" He said taking Ava from my arms and placing her in the clear holder before he and Robin left the room with Ava.

"Sorry, sweetie what's wrong?" I said sitting up a bit straighter, I saw her bite her lip and look at her thumbs. "I shouldn't be burdening you with this, I will just do it, sorry." She said frantically gathering her purse and coat.

"Belle no it's okay, go ahead and tell me, all I have is time in this dreary hospital." I said smiling at her, she looked down and I could see the same tears in her eyes.

"I'm thinking about getting an abortion."