He's My Son

Chapter 1

Emma Swan held her beautiful newborn baby boy in her arms. She couldn't believe that 12 hours of painful labor could create such a perfect thing. The little baby blinked up at her and smiled, rubbing his eyes with his small fist. "7 pounds, 9 ounces, 22 inches long. Congratulations." The doctor said, wrapping the baby in a soft blue blanket. "Have you thought of a name for him yet?"

"Henry Daniel." Emma answered, kissing her son's forehead. "That's a different name. Very normal compared to some of the other parents. I had a patient that named her daughter Honey Lemon." The doctor chuckled. "I named him after my foster brothers. They helped me get on my feet when I was taken out of the foster system." Emma explained.

"Wonderful. I'll just have you sign this birth certificate here and I'll release you both tomorrow morning." The doctor handed her a piece of paper. Emma wrote down her name and paused when she got to the birth father. She had tried to contact Neal multiple times during her pregnancy through phone calls and e-mails, but he didn't bother to answer her.

So Emma left that spot blank. "We don't need him, do we Henry." She cooed. Henry responded by wrapping his hand around her finger. She didn't sleep that night. Long after Henry had fallen asleep in her arms she held him, humming softly and watching the steady rise and fall of his chest. Her heart felt so full of love, she felt complete now that she had someone who needed her.

"My little Henry. I promise I'll always be there for you. We can make it, you and me." Emma whispered. The baby squirmed in his sleep and Emma quietly read her fairytale book aloud like she used to do when she was pregnant with him.

3 weeks later, Emma was struggling badly on her own. The bills from the hospital piled up on the kitchen counter along with other payments yet to be paid. Henry screamed from his swing, the lullaby music and swaying did nothing to calm him. "Henry, it's okay." Emma shushed him as she nursed a cup of coffee in her hands.

What was she thinking, keeping this baby? She was 18 years old, and she could barely take care of herself. It wasn't fair to Henry to live like this. The blonde picked up the phone to call Neal as a last attempt to get help. She hadn't seen him in almost a year since he left her to go to Canada. "We're sorry, but the number you are trying to reach has been disconnected." The robotic machine answered.

Emma slammed the phone down, causing Henry to scream louder. "I'm sorry, baby." Emma whispered, picking up her son and rocking him. Tears stung her eyes as she began to cry too. "I just don't know how I'm going to make it." Her eyes fell on a piece of paper that was stuck underneath the front door. She picked it up to see eviction notice written in big bold letters.

She had 2 weeks to either pay the money that was due or find another place to live. She didn't have any friends, and her foster brothers had died in a car accident months ago. No one she knew would take in a young girl and a newborn. Looking down at her son, she knew what she had to do.

A week later she was sitting in the waiting room at the Boston orphanage, Henry in her arms and all of his stuff packed in the stroller she brought him in. The only thing she had kept was the blanket that was given to her at the hospital. She watched as a dark-haired woman came in and went up to the front desk.

"My name is Regina Mills. I had an appointment with Greg Collins at 3 o'clock." The woman said. "Take a seat, he will be right with you." The receptionist said. Emma looked back down at Henry as he began to whimper. "It's okay, Henry. Everything is going to be fine, little bug." Emma quieted him down. "My father's name was Henry." The blonde looked up to see the woman had taken a seat across from her.

"I'm Regina Mills." The brunette stuck her hand out for Emma to shake. Emma smiled and shook her hand. "I'm Emma Swan." She introduced herself. "And this is my son Henry Daniel."