Author's Note:

This story is a collaboration between Beth Smith, who writes for Quinn, and tinkerbellbones, who writes for Puck, and is derived from a text-based roleplay game involving both authors and their characters.

It is set in February 2016; Puck and Quinn live in Lima, Ohio, with their daughter Beth [five years old], whom they decided at the eleventh hour to keep and raise. After beginning a relationship in February 2011, they married in September 2015. While Puck had a [canon] vasectomy over the summer of 2010, the couple decided to have it reversed prior to their wedding, and learned over Hanukkah that they were expecting. Quinn formally converted to Conservative Judaism in January 2016 after a humiliating public excommunication that occurred at her Presbyterian Church.

We'd like to warn you before you continue to read that this story will contain some potentially upsetting subject matter involving pregnancy trauma that will occur after the first chapter. We have set it at a Mature rating for that reason, and we have done our best to use our experience (and research that which our experience does not include) to write this as truthfully as possible. Please consider this when deciding whether or not you will continue to read this story.

Disclaimer: Neither author owns anything to do with Glee and does not profit from the writing of this story. The plot is a collaborative effort from the authors' minds.

Thank you for reading.
Beth Smith and tinkerbellbones

L'Chayim

Chapter One

"I Wanna Wake Up Where You Are"

Quinn smiles at her husband as he walks out the door to head off to work. She's still got an hour or so before Beth is up and hungry, so she crawls back into bed for a few extra winks.

She hasn't been asleep long when she wakes up with the terrible feeling that something is horribly wrong. Her back aches, and she feels like she's having major menstrual cramps, but... that doesn't make any sense... She's seventeen weeks pregnant... She's not going to have menstrual cramps.

Her hand moves to cover her tiny bump. "It's okay," she says softly, to herself and her baby. She needs to know that this is nothing.

But honestly, she's scared... She glances back at the clock. Puck's been gone maybe half an hour. She grabs her phone from the bedside table and calls him, praying to God that he will answer.

This morning is, superficially, like any other morning for Noah Puckerman. He rides in one of the pickup trucks with Adam, who's driving while he nurses a scalding cup of coffee. The morning had been one of those mornings you want to forget, to crawl back in bed and sleep for another two years. The coffee was a way of coping with that; he hadn't wanted to leave a drowsy Quinn, spooning behind her with his hand cupping her belly [growing a little more every fucking day, and he loves that he's been able to give her this, and to take none of this for granted as he witnesses all the things he'd missed with Beth] as their daughter slept downstairs. The past year had been a fucking whirlwind, and he and Quinn had celebrated their usual several-day-extravaganza of both their anniversary (11 February - 2016 made five years together) and Valentine's Day. Even if he'd been inclined to forget either holiday, it was pretty ingenious that the dates aligned so that they'd never forget. Beth's in kindergarten now and she's definitely her father's hell-raising daughter with the saccharine sweetness of her mother, and he'd slipped into her bedroom to kiss her forehead before leaving for work. It was their routine. If he didn't do it, Beth would be upset with him when he returned home from work at night.

His phone rings, and he'd grumble if it were anybody other than Quinn. Queen's "Somebody to Love" is the song that plays when she calls, and it makes him smile even when he's got a headache and really wants to be anywhere than where he's at. He loves his job working construction, and Adam's his best friend on site and they usually work together, but for the past few days, he really hasn't wanted to leave home. He's becoming one of those guys who are utterly domesticated; he's tamed and owned by virtue of the ring on his finger. It's comfortable, and he hasn't removed it since the moment Quinn slipped it on his finger. He doesn't want to risk losing it. He doesn't want to see what his hand looks like without it.

"'Sup, MILF?" he answers the phone teasingly, a smile curving over his lips. "I miss you, babe. You miss me, too?" he asks before she has a chance to say anything. Now really isn't the time for phone sex - at least, not on his end - but he's not opposed to vaguely guiding her through it. His smile widens at the thought, and he settles back in the passenger seat, coffee forgotten.

"Puck..." Quinn says, hearing his voice on the other line. "I... Baby, I feel really weird... I'm all achy and stuff..." She's got major cramps in her abdomen, too, but she's chalking that up to eating something that didn't agree with her. Granted, that's not even the same vicinity as her stomach, but hey... Weird things happen to pregnant ladies. "Do... do you think you could get your mom to come get Beth for kindergarten today... I think it might be the flu thing, and I feel really awful."

Quinn isn't the type to ask for help if she can do something herself, but she feels pretty rough.

Puck frowns at her question, glancing out the window. It's out of the ordinary for Quinn to ask for help; she'd barely faltered, even when the inaccurately-named "morning sickness" had her hunched over the toilet morning, noon, and night. Today's work site isn't too far away, and he'd be able to drive back if he needed to get Beth, or return to their home. "Just achy?" he asks quietly, admittedly a little worried and trying to keep his voice from being affected by his emotions. He's pretty good at lying when he has to, but Quinn can always tell when he's hiding something. He's learned to just not do that. It's easier when it comes to their relationship. The whole honesty is the best policy thing? Honesty keeps you from sleeping on the couch.

"Babe," he suggests softly, "why don't you call your doc, see what he says? Maybe there's something you can take to make it stop hurting. I'll call my mom, see if she and Hannah can take Beth. I can pick her up on my way home or something. I want you to lie down and rest, okay? And call me if you get worse or you need me."

Quinn nods, as if Puck can see her, and says, "Sure, baby... I love you, okay?" She doesn't know why she says it that way, like she needs to be sure he knows that, as if she's not already. "Bye..."

She hangs up the phone, and dials the OB (who she may or may not have put on speed dial), giving him a brief description of what's going on. He seems to believe it's the flu, just as Quinn does, and tells her to take some Tylenol and rest... drink a lot of water and juice to keep herself hydrated, and avoid being around Beth if she can to keep from passing the germs on to the little girl.

Puck's mom arrives on time to pick Beth up for school, and comes in to check on Quinn. "I'm okay..." the woman insists. "Stupid flu on top of being pregnant..." She sighs. "Just my luck, I guess." She really does feel pretty miserable.

After Puck's mom and Beth are gone, the normal hustle and bustle of the house are gone with them, and Quinn feels very much alone. A quick glance at the clock tells her that her cooperating teacher for student teaching will already be at the school. Quinn calls her to let her know that she's not feeling well and won't be in, but the sub plans are ready. The woman is totally understanding, for which Quinn is extremely grateful. She closes her eyes, trying to go back to sleep, or, at the least, rest like she promised Puck she would.

She doesn't know how long she's been asleep when she wakes. It's later, but how much later, she isn't sure. She's feeling worse, cramping more, and when she goes to the bathroom, it becomes evident that something's not exactly right. She stumbles back to the bedroom, finding her cell phone, and calls Puck.

"Baby... please answer... please..." she whispers into the phone as it rings.