Because I Never Found Another You
(I do not own Glee or any of the characters. All names are fictitious and appear only by coincidence.)
Rachel returned to Lima for Leroy's funeral with her 15 year old son Brandon Weston. Finn had never left Ohio after Rachel married Brody. Instead he stayed behind and raised a daughter.
Lima- 2030
Dragging her suitcase up the steps of her childhood home, it was already hot for May in Ohio.
Rachel was 35 and had been summoned home by her dying father Leroy. He knew that he didn't have much time left, and he wanted to see his family one more time. Cancer had riddled his body, but his mind was as sharp as a tack. Hiram was a different story. He was in mid-stage Alzheimer's and Leroy had been his caregiver, refusing to place him in a nursing home. Now when Leroy passed Hiram would be unable to live alone.
Rachel had exploded on the Broadway scene when she was 24 with one big show after another. Producers were scrambling for her to head-line their next big production. Those days were now waning with newer and brighter talent snapping at her heels every day for every part.
Lately the parts that she had been offered were for more matronly types and Rachel didn't want to be remembered that way.
She didn't need the money. Over the years she had raked in millions on Broadway and from her album sales and had invested it wisely. She was pretty much set for life if she never worked another day.
On this trip she was accompanied by her fifteen year old son Brandon. He didn't want to come, but Rachel had insisted that he see his grandfather one last time.
When Rachel was twenty and a rising junior at NYADA she discovered that she was pregnant. Brody had seemed to be happy with the idea of being a father so the two married quickly. When their son was born, Brody had insisted on naming him Brandon. The marriage didn't last long. Brody quickly found out that he would always be a second choice. Rachel's heart would forever belong to Finn Hudson. A man that Rachel hadn't seen in almost two years.
Over the years Rachel married three more times, but none of them stuck. Rachel felt like they were only after her money, and the troublesome Brandon was a step-son that none of them had signed on for.
Brandon at fifteen was a handful. Rachel had been doing a steady eight shows a week since he was a toddler, and he was raised by so many nannies that even she had lost count. He had been kicked out of one private school after another. A bad attitude turned into fighting, which turned into lying and stealing, which turned into alcohol, and then to drugs.
The boy was taller than Rachel and at times she even feared him when he was angry and in a rage.
Rachel had felt guilty that Brandon was raised without a father, and that she was away so much of his childhood years. After Rachel and Brody broke up, Brody went to England and made a name for himself there.
To compensate Rachel was never able to say no to Brandon until he was kicked out of school for drugs. This was the last straw. The headmaster had wanted to hand him over to the police, but Rachel had used her influence to handle the matter quietly.
It had been a tantrum every day since he was expelled from his last school. Every tutor that Rachel had hired to complete his education quit within days. Now at the end of her rope, Rachel had refused to let him get his driver's license or buy a car for him when he turned sixteen. When she received the call from Leroy she insisted that Brandon accompany her to see his grandfather. Brandon had been in a surly mood ever since.
-/-
Flash Back -
Finn had never left Ohio. He had enrolled at Lima Community College and had graduated with an two-year degree. He had been accepted at The University of Ohio at Lima, Ohio State, and NYU as a junior transfer student. Things were finally looking up for him. Finn had planned on transferring to NYU and joining Rachel, Kurt, and Blaine in New York.
Finn had kept up with Rachel mainly through Kurt. Finn knew that Rachel was still seeing Brody, but hoped to win Rachel back when he was finally in New York. All that changed when Kurt called to tell Finn that Rachel was pregnant and was marrying Brody as soon as possible.
Finn transferred to the University of Ohio at Lima instead of NYU and continued to live at the Hummel/Hudson home. He worked at Hummel Tires for Burt part-time.
It was during the summer between his sophomore and junior year that one Quinn Fabray returned from New Haven. She had attended a frat party back in September the year before, and someone had slipped something into her drink. A month later she discovered that she was pregnant and didn't have a clue who the father was. Ashamed that this was her second pregnancy she told no one, not even the police or her mother. It was cold in New Haven that winter, and no one bothered to notice the baby bump under her layers of clothes.
Quinn came home for the summer to find her childhood home with a "For Sale" sign in the yard. Her mother received a large settlement when she divorced Russell and always seemed to be gone on a cruise or something. Lima held too many bad memories for Judy so moving on seemed to be her solution. Her drinking had become a problem, and she hadn't closed a sale in over a year.
Quinn tried to stay at her old house, but the realtors were showing it constantly. She had to be out of the house when prospective buyers were there.
It was on a Wednesday when she was out driving around Lima killing time while the realtors were showing her house again. Driving no where in particular, she turned down the street where Hummel Tires was located, and out front she saw Finn putting new wiper blades on a Jeep. With nothing else to do she stopped to say hi to her old high school sweetheart.
"Hi stranger, long time to see! I thought that you'd be in New York by now," Quinn said as she walked up and hugged Finn from behind.
"Quinn, it's so good to see you! What are you doing in Lima? I haven't seen you since you left for New Haven and the Ivy League."
"It's summer break so I decided to come home."
Now facing her, Finn hugged her again and immediately felt her baby bump under her baggy shirt.
"Quinn are you pregnant?" Finn asked before he could stop himself.
"Yes, I'm afraid so," Quinn said sadly. "I came home to tell my mom, but she's never home. That's why I stopped coming back to Lima. She never here, but I had to come this time. This baby is due soon, I don't know who the father is, and I don't know what else to do."
Again, Finn spoke again without thinking. "You don't know who the father is?"
"It's not what you think; I wasn't sleeping around with every guy on campus. I went to a party and someone slipped something in my drink. I didn't know that I was pregnant until a month later. My mom doesn't know. I didn't have the courage to tell her after what happen with Beth. Now I don't have a choice."
"Do you know what you're going to do?" Finn asked.
"All I know is that I didn't want an abortion, and I don't want to put this baby up for adoption. Mom offered to help me take care of Beth. I was hoping that she would help me take care of this one, but she's never here and she's drinking more. She doesn't answer her phone. I've tried leaving messages, but her mailbox is always full."
"I'm sorry to hear that. I knew that your house was for sale, but I didn't know about your mom. Are you staying there by yourself?"
"I'm there when the realtors aren't parading some prospective buyers through it."
"I thought your mom would be selling it, she's a realtor isn't she?" Finn asked.
"Was a realtor. She hasn't closed a deal in over a year so they let her go. I think she's been on one cruise after another ever since."
"How far along are you?"
"Over eight months. That's why I came home. I didn't want to have this baby alone."
"You shouldn't be alone when you're this close. The tire shop will be closing in an hour. If you don't mind hanging around, we can go to Breadsticks and catch up," Finn offered.
"I'd like that; you can tell me everything that has been happening,"
Quinn and Finn spent the next couple of days together catching up after the tire shop closed in the evening. Judy finally called, and Quinn told her the news. Quinn didn't know if Judy was stunned, confused, or just plain drunk. Judy made a quick excuse telling her daughter that she was in Spain and didn't know when she would be home.
Drowning in hopelessness Quinn collapsed on Finn's shoulder sobbing when her mother hung up.
"What am I going to do Finn? I was raped at some frat party. I don't have any idea who the father is. I'm about to have a rapist's baby, and I'm all alone."
"You're not alone," Finn looked her in the eye. "I'm here for you. I don't want you to be alone when your baby comes. Why don't you stay with us? You can stay in Kurt's old room. I know Mom and Burt won't mind."
"I would like that, but won't your Mom think I'm a slut, I stayed with you for awhile when I was pregnant with Beth. She knows that I lied, and told everyone that you were the father. I lied because I knew you'd be a much better father than Puck, and I loved you, not him."
"Please don't be mad, but I've already told Mom and Burt about what happened to you in New Haven. They understand. Mom wouldn't want you to go into labor by yourself."
"Then I'll say yes, just because I'm desperate."
"Then it's settled. You'll stay with us until after your baby is born."
Carole and Burt welcomed Quinn, but were worried about how Finn was becoming close to her again.
"Son, you've been through this before with this girl. Your mom and I are worried that you may be becoming too involved."
"Burt, I appreciate your concern, but I'm not some stupid kid this time, and she's not trying to pass this baby off as mine. She was raped, and has had to carry a rapist's baby for almost nine months. She left Lima with such big plans, and now not even her mom will help her."
"Your mom and I don't want you getting yourself in too deep. We know that you're still hurting over Rachel, and Quinn has hurt you before too."
"I know, and please don't remind me about Rachel. She married another man remember? Quinn's in trouble and needs help. Her mother is off on another booze cruise, and her father has been MIA for years."
"It would just be so easy to rebound with Quinn. You have a history with her," Carole warned.
"Mom it's not going to happen. Now can everyone please stop talking about Mrs. Rachel Weston? I can't take it anymore!"
On the night that Quinn went into labor, she knocked on Finn's bedroom door. "It's time, my water broke."
"Are you sure?" Finn asked trying to wake himself up. "You wait right here, I'll go get Mom"
Carole panicked when she saw Quinn. Quinn's water had broken, but she was also bleeding. Meeting Finn on the stairs, Carole told Finn to turn around and call Dr. Greene, Quinn's OBGYN and to tell her that Quinn's water had broken, but she was bleeding too.
Carole and Burt were helping Quinn into the backseat of their car when Finn came running out of the house to join them.
"Quinn's doctor is out of town. Her answering service said to take Quinn straight to the ER. Dr. Helena Torrez will meet us there. She's covering for Dr. Greene."
"But I've never met Dr. Torrez," Quinn cried.
"A doctor is a doctor, and you need one now!" Finn scolded as he got in beside her.
The ER staff was waiting with a wheelchair when Burt's stopped the car at the ER entrance. Dr. Torrez was waiting already dressed for delivery.
Dr. Torrez took a quick look and told the staff to get Quinn into a delivery room as quickly as possible. The baby might be in distress and needed to get out ASAP.
"Please don't leave me," Quinn begged Finn.
Finn took a deep breath and nodded as a delivery room nurse quickly dressed Finn in a gown, cap, and mask.
There was no time for an epidural. This baby was on the move and within minutes she was wailing her lungs out in Dr. Torrez's hands.
Dr. Torrez handed the baby to the delivery nurse who wiped her off and wrapped her in a blanket.
"Give the baby to the father," Doctor Torrez ordered the nurse. "I think there's a tear in the mother's uterus and we need to put her under for surgery."
The delivery nurse immediately placed the baby in Finn's arms and said, "Congratulations. It's a girl!" Finn didn't have time to explain before the nurse left leaving him holding the crying baby.
A neo-natal nurse came and took the baby from Finn as they wheeled Quinn to surgery. Quinn only saw a passing glimpse of the blanket wrapped infant.
"We just need to clean and dress this little one up and check all of her vitals. You can see your daughter up in the nursery in about an hour. And congratulations, Daddy!"
Finn was standing there trying to explain, but no words were coming out, and no one was listening either. They had whisked both the baby and Quinn away.
Burt and Carole were standing in the hall when Finn came out still in the hospital gown.
"How's Quinn? Did she have the baby?"
"Yeah, it's a girl. Quinn had to have surgery after the baby was born. They think her something-or-other was torn. Mom, the doctor and nurses think I'm the father. They handed the baby to me and congratulated me," Finn said stunned.
"Meet me in the nursery waiting room. I've got to go to the admitting office and get Quinn admitted. I'll get things straightened out." Carole turned and was gone leaving Finn in Burt's care.
When the new baby appeared in the nursery window about an hour later she was placed on the front row of multiple newborns. The pink sign on her bassinette was marked "Girl Fabray."
The baby was alert and had about an inch of red hair. Her eyes appeared to be blue.
When Quinn woke up from surgery, she was in a private room with Burt, Carole, and Finn waiting patiently. The baby was asleep in a bassinette beside her.
Quinn came around slowly and at first didn't know where she was at.
"You're in the hospital. You had your baby girl, but the doctors had to take you to surgery to mend a tear in your uterus. You're both doing fine now. Would you like to hold your little girl?" Carole asked.
Quinn was still a little woozy, but her eyes flew wide open when she saw the red-headed baby in Carole's arms.
"No, No!" Quinn screamed. "That can't be my baby. Get that baby away from me! Get it out of this room now!"
"Quinn, what's wrong?" Finn asked trying to calm her down. "You've had a baby girl and you're both fine. Are you still trying to wake up?"
"Finn, I've been having dreams and flashbacks of the night I was raped! He had red hair! Get that baby out of here now!" Quinn was screaming so loud that the baby woke up and was crying too. A nurse came in, saw the commotion and quickly returned the baby to the nursery.
Quinn was hysterical, but Finn eventually calmed her down enough to speak.
"Do you remember that night? Do you remember who did this to you?" Finn asked.
"Just bits and pieces. I see him over me in my dreams. I feel him on top of me. The guy who raped me had red hair just like that baby!"
"That's enough to have a DNA test performed on the child and every guy who was at the party. I'll call the police in New Haven, and we can start trying to find this guy," Burt offered.
"That party was nine months ago, and I didn't report it to the police then. Are you planning on having every guy at Yale tested? It was a football weekend; the guy may not have even been a student. I don't remember enough to identify anyone." Quinn was still crying.
"We'll do whatever you want, but there's a scared, crying baby out there. What do you want to do about her?" Finn asked.
"For tonight can the nursery take care of her? I can't do this right now. Finn will you stay with me? Just for tonight?" Quinn pleaded.
"Like I said, I'll do whatever you want. Mom, would you and Burt explain things to the nurses in the baby nursery and ask them to keep the baby tonight?"
"Sure honey, we'll ask them. Quinn, get some sleep. Burt and I'll be back in the morning."
Out in the nursery, Carole asked to hold the still crying baby girl. The nurses knew that Quinn had needed extra surgery and a good night's sleep would help her recover. Carole didn't tell them all of the circumstances.
"There, there, it's alright. Everything's going to be alright. None of this is your fault," Carole cooed softly to the newborn.
After a while Quinn spoke to Finn who was sitting in a chair by her hospital bed waiting silently. "You probably think I'm horrible don't you, rejecting my own child."
"Quinn, I don't know what to think. You said that you wanted to keep this baby because of Beth, but this isn't an ordinary baby."
"I know. It's just seeing that red hair triggered a flashback of that night. How am I supposed to keep a baby who looks like the man who raped me? She'll be a reminder of that night everyday."
"Then maybe giving her up would be the best thing to do. But I gotta say, except for the red hair, she looks like you. Mom and Burt even said so. Now that you've seen her are you still planning on keeping her?"
"I honestly don't know. I still haven't gotten over giving up Beth. I swore that I would never do that again, but I don't even have my mom to help me this time, and I would like to finish college."
"I'll help you," Finn offered out of the blue.
"That's very noble of you Finn, but this isn't even your child. You're still grieving over losing Rachel."
"You don't have to decide anything tonight. Maybe in the morning things will look different. You just had major surgery, and you're probably still coming out from under the anesthesia."
"I hope so. I keep hoping that this is all some horrible nightmare, and I'm going to wake up soon."
The next morning, Finn was sleeping in the same chair when a day shift nurse came in to check on Quinn. "Would you like to see your baby now? She's certainly a pretty little thing."
"Give it a try; I'll be here with you. You're more awake now," Finn suggested. Quinn nodded okay to the nurse who went to get the baby.
When the nurse came back, she was carrying a pink bundle who was wearing a pink sock cap that covered her head. Not a single red hair was visible. Quinn was having second thoughts, but when Finn nodded encouragement she took the child in her arms.
"See, she does look like you," Finn smiled watching Quinn hold the baby. "Mom says that a baby's hair color will probably change as it grows older. She said that I had blond hair until I was five years old."
Quinn watch the baby very closely as she yawned, stretched, and then started rooting at her breast.
"She's hungry. Will you be breast feeding?" the nurse asked. "The night shift nurses have been giving her formula in the nursery. And have you decided on a name? You need to fill out the birth certificate so Dr. Torrez can sign it."
"No, no, I won't be breast feeding. Keep giving her the formula." Finn noticed that Quinn pushed the baby away a few inches.
"And a name?" the nurse asked again.
"I've always liked the name Emily. She looks like an Emily, don't you think so Finn?"
"I think it's a beautiful name for a beautiful little girl."
"You still have time to decide, but we need the birth certificate filled out before you leave the hospital. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go and get a bottle of formula from the nursery and a clean diaper. You can start practicing while the nursing staff is here to help you."
Returning with the bottle, Quinn was hesitant at first, but little Emily latched on to the bottle like she was starving. Finn didn't want to try burping. He was afraid that she would throw up on him, so Quinn lifted the baby to her shoulder and patted her back softly.
Finn and Quinn were hilarious changing the diaper. Since it was only a wet one, Finn did most of the work, but promised Quinn the next dirty one was hers.
The same nurse returned in a little while with a small plastic bath tub and baby soap. "It's time for your first baby bath lesson so roll up your sleeves."
Quinn and Finn were doing okay giving Emily a bath until it came time for the shampoo. Pulling the cap off of the baby's head, Quinn stopped in her tracks.
"Quinn it's only a color. Maybe you had a grandparent who had red hair too. You've been doing so well with Emily," Finn coaxed.
Swallowing deep, Quinn washed the baby's hair while Finn held her. As soon as the baby's hair was dry, Quinn slipped the pink cap back on her tiny head.
Emily slept for several hours while Finn went home to get some rest. Quinn slept too until the baby woke up hungry again. Ringing the call button, a nurse soon appeared with another bottle and a diaper.
Quinn felt like she was going to panic taking care of the infant by herself, but the nurse stayed close. Actually Quinn was beginning to like taking care of Emily as long as her little pink cap was on her head. This baby really was the spitting image of her own baby pictures.
Quinn couldn't make up her mind. She had sworn that she would never give up another child, but this baby was the result of a rape. Could she get past that? Could she even take care of this child? She had two years left at Yale and she wanted to return to New Haven in the fall. How would she juggle a baby and classes?
Giving Emily up seemed like the logical thing to do, but then she remember how much she had missed Beth and how she had tried to get her back. At least she knew where Beth was. She would be giving Emily to complete strangers.
When Finn came to visit that day, Emily and Quinn were both asleep. On the table the nurse had left the birth certificate for Quinn to fill out. Everything was complete except for the mother and father's information and the baby's name.
Finn sat back down in the chair he had spent the night in and watched Quinn and Emily sleep. He had been so broken since Rachel married Brody that he had hardly been able to function. When Quinn returned to Lima he felt like he could at least breathe again.
Taking care of the two of them was not his original plan. His original plan was to get into NYU and win Rachel back. With Rachel's marriage to Brody that was never going to happen and this seemed like a good second choice.
Emily was so tiny, so innocent, and so perfect, but he couldn't encourage Quinn to keep a child of rape if she couldn't handle it. This had to be Quinn's decision.
When Emily woke up Quinn was sleeping soundly so Finn picked the baby up and went to the nursery for a bottle. Feeding the baby felt comfortable to him. The baby seemed to be tracking him with her eyes as he talked to her. Finishing the bottle, Finn changed her diaper and then settled down to rock her. Soon the baby was asleep again snuggled into Finn's chest.
Quinn opened her eyes to see Finn rocking the sleeping baby. He was talking to her and singing bits of Journey and Foreigner songs to her. She watched the two for a good fifteen minutes before she moved.
"You're going to make a terrific daddy one day," Quinn finally spoke to Finn.
"Shhh, Emily's sleeping," Finn whispered. "Emily wanted someone to hold her. I thought I would let you sleep."
Quinn could see that Finn was falling in love with the baby. She was too except for the red hair. Something about the angelic face was irresistible.
After the nurse returned the baby to the nursery, Finn told Quinn that the birth certificate was there waiting for her to fill out and sign.
Quinn studied it for a few minutes and then burst into tears.
"What's wrong?" Finn asked.
"How am I going to fill out the father's section when I don't even know who her father is? What if Emily comes searching for me someday and sees that I filled out 'father unknown' on her birth certificate. She's going to think that her mother was some slut who was sleeping around with a bunch of guys and got knocked up!"
"So you've decided to give her up?" Finn asked.
"It would be for the best," Quinn continued to sob.
"Then put me down as the father." Finn swallowed hard.
"What? Are you insane? This baby isn't yours. Why would you want to claim her as yours? Do you have any idea what this could mean in the future?" Quinn continued to cry.
"I know, but this baby didn't ask to be here, she's innocent. She came into this world with three strikes against her, and I don't want her to ever know that she's the result of a rape."
"But your mom and Burt and my mom know."
Mom and Burt would never tell her. Put me down as the father, and Emily will have a chance of never knowing how she was conceived.
Quinn couldn't do it so Finn filled out his name in the blank and signed at the bottom of the certificate.
"You know if I give her up, you'll have to fill out the adoption papers too."
"I know, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. If you decide to keep Emily, I'll help you."
"Finn, I know that you're using this baby and me to block out the Rachel pain. Please think about what you're doing."
"I have, and you and Emily have helped me feel like living again. But I'm not going to force you to keep her if you don't think you can. I just didn't want Emily to start life with 'father unknown' on her birth certificate."
"Have you noticed how much you're calling her Emily, not the baby, or she, or her? You call her Emily almost every time."
"That's because she's a real little person to me, but I really think you need to talk to someone professional about this. You've already been through one adoption that you regretted, but I don't want Emily to be a constant reminder of what happened to you. I want your nightmares to stop."
"Fine, Dr. Greene will be back this afternoon, I'll tell her about how I'm feeling."
Dr. Greene listened to Quinn and then had her meet with an adoption counselor, a rape counselor, and a therapist. Because of Quinn's surgery, she had to stay in the hospital a few extra days and had more time to decide.
Mr. Schue and Miss Pillsbury were now Mr. and Mrs. Schuster, they had married the year before. During hospital visiting hours they came by to see Quinn and the baby.
"Quinn, she looks so much like you," Mr. Schue commented as he held the baby girl.
"That's what I keep telling her," Finn seconded as Will slipped Emily into Emma's arms.
"Oh I see that's she's a ginger like me! Will, if we have kids there's a good chance that they'll be gingers too? What do you think about that?"
"If they're half as beautiful as this little girl, then I'll think that we've won the lottery. Who in your family has red hair?" Will ask Quinn.
Finn could see Quinn cringe before she answered. "My dad's hair had a little red in it. I think his father was kind of red headed. I really don't remember."
When the Schuster's had left, Finn could see that Quinn was deep in thought. "See, someone in your family has red hair. Maybe Emily got it from your dad or his dad."
"Maybe you're right. I'm just letting it bother me. Like you say, it's just a color, and it'll probably change," Quinn agreed.
On the morning that Quinn was discharged from the hospital, Emily was discharged with her. Quinn had talked repeatedly to the counselors and a therapist and had decided to try and keep Emily.
At the Hummel/Hudson house Finn had given up his room and had moved downstairs to the den. Quinn and Emily were staying upstairs in his and Kurt's old rooms.
Carole and Burt did enjoy having a baby around, but were still leery of Quinn. They knew what this girl had done to Finn in the past, and they thought Finn was looking at the situation with blinders on. He had already fallen in love with Emily.
Carole and Finn argued repeatedly when Quinn couldn't hear them. Finn didn't tell his mom that he had put himself down as the father on Emily's birth certificate.
"Mom, Quinn's just staying with us just until her mom gets back from Spain. I just asked her to stay here so she wouldn't be alone. I haven't asked her to marry me or anything like that. Do you want her over there in her big empty house with a newborn and strangers parading through it? Quinn just had surgery herself, and she needs help," Finn argued with his mother.
"See that you don't ask her to marry you!" You're both vulnerable right now, and you've been hurt enough!"
Burt was not as emotional as Carole, but he was worried about Finn too. He told his step-son that he thought that he had gotten too deeply involved already.
Quinn was functioning as a mother with everyone's help, but kept Emily's hair covered with the pink cap. Carole was giving Emily a bath one day when she noticed that the cap had given Emily a heat rash all over her scalp. July in Ohio was too hot for a sock cap.
It was August and Emily was almost two months old. She was smiling and cooing and even had Burt wrapped around her finger.
Late one night Carole could hear Quinn come downstairs to get a bottle for Emily's two o'clock feeding. Quinn got the bottle out of the refrigerator, warmed it, and then went back upstairs. About an hour later Carole heard Quinn come back down stairs except this time the front door opened and closed and Quinn's car started and left.
Wondering what was going on, Carole went up the stairs to check on Emily. Not believing her eyes, she ran to the den downstairs and woke Finn up.
"Finn, you're never going to believe this! You've got to see what Quinn had done to Emily!"
Finn shot up the stairs and stared down into the crib at the baby girl who was sleeping. Clumps of her red hair had been cut off and were lying around her along with the kitchen scissors and a letter addressed to Finn.
Carole reached to hold the baby while Finn read the letter to himself.
Dear Finn,
I'm so sorry, I really tried, but every time I look at Emily's red hair I see his face over me. I know that she's innocent, but I can't do this anymore. Look what I have done to her. I'm afraid of what I might do the next time. I have to leave. I hope that you and your family will give her a good home, but if you can't you can put her up for adoption, you still have time. Your name is on the birth certificate so you can do it without me if you can't find me.
Please don't hate me, and. please don't look for me, Quinn
"HELL NO!" Finn screamed. "That bitch is abandoning Emily! The baby isn't a stray dog that you can pass around! Mom, look after Emily, I'm going after Quinn!"
Emily was startled by Finn's screaming and was now crying in Carole's arms.
"Finn, no! Look what she has done to her own baby! We're lucky that she stopped with the hair. She could have easily killed her with those scissors."
"Mom, I didn't realize that Quinn was this bad! I've got to find her! She needs help!"
"You don't even know where she went. Please son, let her go. Hold Emily while I go and get Burt. Emily needs you a lot more that Quinn does."
Finn took the crying child into his arms and she soon settled down. Finn looked at her scalp and couldn't believe what Quinn had done to her. Her hair was cut in patches and she was nearly bald.
Finn cried as he rocked the infant back and forth the rest of the night. As Emily snuggled into Finn's chest, he decided that he was going to keep her no matter what.
At six in the morning Finn carried her downstairs for her bottle. Carole and Burt were sitting at the kitchen table waiting.
"What do you want to do Son?" Burt asked. "I wanted to call the police to track Quinn down, but your mom made me wait until I talked to you first."
Looking down at Emily's head Finn sighed heavily "Let her go."
"What about Emily? I thing we need to get her checked out by a doctor."
"That's a good idea Mom. Emily doesn't appear to be hurt, but I would like her checked to be on the safe side."
"The doctor will want to report this to the police."
"I know," Finn said as he rubbed his hand over what remained of Emily's mutilated hair.
"Child Services will want to take her since her only known parent has abandoned her."
"No, they won't," Finn said softly as he held the baby close to him. "I'm on her birth certificate as her father, and I've decided to keep her. She's not even two months old as has been through enough already."
"You are what?" Finn you aren't the father! Just like you weren't Beth's father either! Quinn is trying to saddle you with a child that's not yours again! I can't believe that she put you down as the father on the birth certificate!"
"Mom, I put myself down on the birth certificate. I didn't want Emily to ever know that her real father was a rapist. Please calm down, you're scaring Emily."
"You're only twenty years old, how are you going to raise a baby?"
"I was hoping that you and Burt would help me. If not I can drop out of college, work full time, and put her in daycare."
"You're not going to do that. You've worked too hard to get where you are. If it's okay with Burt, we'll try to work things out."
"I think we can arrange that, but what about Emily's real parents? You've got an unstable girl running around out there, and a rapist who's still on the lose back in Connecticut."
"Burt you can contact the police if you want to but look at Emily. We're lucky that Quinn only cut her hair."
Quinn never returned. Finn struggled to raise Emily and go to school too, but with Carole and Burt's help he managed. Two years later he graduated with a business management degree from the University of Ohio at Lima and took over the business end of Hummel Tires.
When Burt retired he gave his fifty percent of the business to Finn. Kurt gave him the other half.
Hummel Tires became Hudson Tires and eventually expanded into two more shops.
Emily grew and there was never a daughter that loved her daddy more than she loved Finn. Carole was Nana and Burt was Pops.
Finn did date from time to time, but never really found someone that felt right. He also had a daughter, and not many young women wanted a ready-made family.
Kurt and Blaine had married in New York earlier. Kurt was a designer for a famous fashion house and Blaine was a lawyer in the Public Defenders' office. Kurt called his dad every Sunday, and the two came home for holidays.
Kurt and Blaine knew all about how Emily had become part of their family, but never mentioned it to anyone. It was just Uncle Kurt and Uncle Blaine.
When Emily was about ten, she asked why she didn't have a mother when her friends did. Finn told her that she did have a mom, who loved her very much, but she had to be somewhere else. He, Nana, Pops, Uncle Kurt, and Uncle Blaine had done their best to be her mother too.
Kurt even kidded her once saying, "Who needs a mom when you've got me?" Kurt did fill that role pretty well. He took Emily shopping when he was in town, made sure she was up to date on the latest styles from New York, taught her how to apply make-up, listened to the problems that Daddy didn't understand.
Finn never really forgot Rachel and every now and then she would be on the cover of some tabloid at the grocery store check out.
Rachel had been a headliner on Broadway, but the tabloids only reported on her latest marriages or divorces.
The summer that Emily turned sixteen, Kurt called and told the family that Rachel's father Leroy had died. Finn dug through the paper until he found the obituaries. Leroy's funeral would be at noon the next day. Hiram and Leroy had always been loyal customers at Hudson Tires so Finn decided that he would be there.
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Chapter two is now up. The title is We Grew Up. If you have enjoyed this chapter please review. I would appreciate your comments and suggestions!
Sincerely, Whistler Nights