The elevator doors opened to a crisp white hallway, sporadically lined with images of newborn babies adorably posed with their chubby cheeks and legs. Tender anticipation flooded Emmeline's heart. How many hours would it be until she was holding her newborn in her arms? She looked up at Nicholas, who was now more cautiously pushing her wheelchair well away from the commotion, and caught his eye. He knowingly smiled at her as if he was thinking the same thing. What would the baby look like? Would he or she have Nicholas' smile or his hair? Would the baby be short like her? Would it have his personality, or have one all their own?

"Do you think it will take long for them to find us?" asked Emmeline, not enjoying the thought of her next encounter with her Mom. "They are going to be so mad." She was still surprised with herself that she had made Nicholas shut the door before they could get in.

Nicholas chuckled. "Probably, but at least it gets them off our backs for a while." Emmeline was pleased he was taking this so well. It was one thing she didn't need to feel guilty about for now. Until Emmeline got pregnant, it seemed like he had a reasonably normal, close family. They had accepted Emmeline into the fold and even had her and her parents over for dinner, which pleased her Mom to no end. Everything changed the moment when they found out about the pregnancy, which sent Emmeline for a loop, stunned at their sudden brutality. It had been a horrible time. She was dealing with the idea of becoming a Mom herself, had just barely worked things out with Nicholas, and then she had to deal with his Mom, who seemed like she would go out of her way to attack Emmeline. Not to mention her parents' disappointment when they learned the news. It was all too much!  Erik, Nicholas' much younger brother, alone was thrilled amongst the families. He was ten years younger and the idea of being an uncle sounded to him like the coolest thing ever, and he tried to console Emmeline by saying, "I'm going to be the best Uncle!"

The nurse directed them down the hall, past the nurse's station, stopping briefly to say, "Emmeline Hope is here." The nurse at the desk nodded her head, "Put her in room three, Emerg called up already to let us know she was coming."

Another wave of contractions hit Emmeline. They were coming fast and consistently. She tried to think back to all the books she had read about pregnancy.   They had all agreed, for a first labor, it could take hours, although it didn't feel like that at that moment. It felt as though this baby could crawl out any second.

"When does the person with the epidural get here?" begged Emmeline, anxious for the pain to stop.

The nurse, unfazed, said, "We'll get you settled in room three, and the doctor will be in to see you in a few minutes. "

Nicholas pushed Emmeline in her wheelchair to the assigned room close to the desk, following the emergency room nurse, who found a blue cotton hospital gown and handed it to Emmeline.

As the nurse walked out, Emmeline could hear through the open door that the parents had found them. She hadn't exactly planned on telling them the wrong floor, but she was grateful for the moment of peace it gave them.

Emmeline grimaced, listening to the commotion as she stared at the pale salmon walls of her room. Nicholas placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Where are they?" demanded Dorothy. "Where is my son and that hussy?"

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," answered the Nurse at the ward desk.

"MY SON!"

Amy interrupted sharply. "I want to see my daughter; she is about to give birth. She needs her mother."

"If she gets to go in, so do I," Dorothy declared haughtily, clearly used to getting her way.

The emergency room nurse glanced back again at the couple who were looking out into the hallway, horror on their faces, and pleading in their eyes. "Let me see what I can do," she said as drew a light blue curtain across, shielding the bed and she walked out.

"Do you think she'll be able to keep them at bay for a while?" asked Emmeline quietly. She was surprised at how cool her mother was towards Dorothy. Emmeline knew that part of her desperately wanted to be accepted by her as an equal. Amy had the respected Hope last name, yet Dorothy had all the prestige. There probably would be a different reaction if they were announcing their marriage - despite their age- instead of having a baby.

"Aw, don't worry. Olivia, I have this," Emmeline heard the nurse say.

"Would you like a cup of coffee," the maternity ward nurse asked. Both Emmeline and Nicholas were listening carefully. "I'm sure I can scrounge you up one if you like."

"No," Amy said sharply. " I want to see my daughter. She needs her mother."

"My son can't be in there all by himself!" said Dorothy. "I have to be there for him."

Emmeline squirmed in her bed, listening. Nicholas rolled his eyes and shut the door, grateful they couldn't see into the room.

"Why is it that I go into labor, and it's all about them?" asked Emmeline. Her dreams of beautiful, tv perfect delivery vanishing. Would anything go right?

"Listen, who gives a crap about what they are doing out there. We're having a baby, and I refuse to let them spoil it. I am happy, I mean, terrified too, but I get to welcome my own little girl into the world today."

Emmeline's eyes went misty. As long as he was beside her, she figured she could make it through this. They had come so far already. There was a knock on the open door, and the Doctor introduced himself. He was a small man, with thick glasses and an air of confidence that made Emmeline feel more at ease almost immediately.

"Do those happy people outside belong to you?" he asked. Emmeline noted the sarcasm in his voice.

"Unfortunately, yes," confessed Nicholas. "I swear they were reasonably normal until they learned about the baby. Although, I think my Mom's been off for a while, I don't know...." His voice trailed off.

"I can keep them out of the delivery room if you would like," the Doctor kindly offered, pushing his glasses up on his nose.

They both gratefully nodded.

"Deal. Now, shall we check and see if this little one is on their way anytime soon?" He took a moment to check her over, and then said, "This is it, you guys are going to be parents today, and by the look of it, pretty soon."

The next few hours were a blur of pain and tears. They struggled to find someone to administer an epidural on time, and with how quickly she dilated, by the time they arrived, it was too late. Emmeline whimpered as she realized she'd have to go through the whole labor without painkillers. Not the experience that she was expecting. She couldn't remember what she thought labor would be like, but she was sure, that this wasn't it.

Nicholas held her hand, and rubbed her back; little drips of sweat lined his forehead. He never left. Occasionally they both heard mumblings from the hallway behind the closed door. It was easy to block them out then. Although, if Emmeline was being honest, there were times she wished she could have her mother in there with her. Holding her hand, telling her that she was going to be alright, stroking her hair. Maybe it would have made it easier, but in her heart, she knew that once those doors were opened, the circus would start all over again. Besides, she didn't want Dorothy in the room. It was better this way.

The pushing started, and she grunted outcries with each one. Emmeline was shocked at how her body took over, seemly knowing exactly what to do, even as her brain fumbled around, not understanding how to process the pain or what was happening.

One, two, three, ahh!  Nicholas peaked and saw the little head emerging, beautiful and slimy. The Doctor invited Nicholas around and sat him down on the rolly stool, that had been the Doctor's position for the past several hours, and with two more gigantic pushes, a little girl slid safely into her father's arms.

Emmeline sucked in. Her whole life had just changed.

🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹

Author's Notes

Ah Dorothy, I hate you, and love to write you! Just you wait, we get to exact revenge on you -although not until a little later in the book!

This Chapter is dedicated to krazydiamond. I fell in love with her Zombie vs Aliens book on wattpad, and it's available for sale on Amazon! Thank you for being a sounding board, for checking things over, and always there encouraging me. I couldn't do this without you! She also has this amazing story for the Target #onceuponanow contest. It's a really magical read.