Andante, Andante

Chapter Eighteen

Emma sips her coffee quietly on Cora's front porch, drowning in her thoughts once again. She can't sleep and she didn't want to bother Regina. The brunette only has one day left there before her insanely busy life back in New York, so she knows she needs all the sleep she can get at the moment.

"Good morning, Emma," Cora's voice startles her from her own depressing thoughts, provoking her to whip around abruptly.

"Cora," she breathes, clenching her coffee mug even tighter to keep it from spilling over the rim. "What are you doing up?"

"I'm always up this early, dear," she casually responds, claiming the wooden rocking chair beside her. "The real question is why are you up and not clinging to my daughter before she leaves?" Emma sighs, her eyes falling closed as she tries so very hard not to cry. The older woman leans over and gently removes her full cup of coffee from her death grip. "You can't have this, dear."

"I-what?" She stammers, dumbly observing as this woman steals her coffee and sets it down beside her slippered feet.

"You can have this," Cora states and places another cup in her hand while Emma gazes at her perplexed by the action. Emma raises one eyebrow in questioning and watches as the woman picks up the rejected coffee and sips the steaming beverage. "When are you going to tell my daughter?"

Her big brown eyes are the spitting image of Regina's, just wiser, containing tired little bags below. They are scanning her body, assessing and slowly, Cora nods in her direction, with her eyes locked onto her stomach.

"H-how...did..." the words die on her tongue and she swallows down the emotions bubbling to the surface while a wave of nausea ripples through her stomach.

"I can see it, dear, in your face," she calmly replies as though the word is written clear as day across her forehead and not on some little screen that now sits in a garbage can. "When are you going to tell Regina?"

"I'm not," she mutters and leans down to sniff the cup that was offered, inhaling the scent of apple cinnamon. Her nose scrunches in confusion while her eyes flick back to the older woman's.

"Decaffeinated tea. No more caffeine for you and what do you mean you aren't going to tell my daughter?" Cora interrogates with her tone growing colder and bitter with each word that passes her thin lips.

Emma sighs heavily, feeling the weight of the world come crashing down on her chest, making it nearly impossible to breathe. "I can't do that to her. You know Regina, she's not going to leave here if she finds out I'm pregnant and she needs to finish her residency. I'm not going to be the reason she doesn't finish her schooling and become a doctor. And you know damn well that I am right," she strictly declares.

Yet, her body deflates at the horrible thought of not being able to share this with Regina, but she knows she can't. She sinks down into the chair and slowly sips her tea, grimacing at the awful taste.

Ugh she hates tea.

"Well, will you tell her when you go back home?" Cora questions sternly, but her voice is much softer than the last time she spoke.

"I-" Emma's eyes fall closed again and her face pinches painfully tight as she hopelessly fights away her tears.

"Emma," Cora calls out to catch her attention and regain her focus, but the tears are building far too quickly. The soft gentle touch of a mother's hand covers Emma's, persuading her to release a harsh sob. "Emma dear, look at me," she softly coos, her hand gently gripping Emma's chin while the tears spill through the cracks of her closed eyes and she begs for them to stop. Then she feels both of Cora's soft hands cupping her face delicately. "What's wrong Emma, tell me," she whispers encouragingly while her thumbs sweep away the cold tears.