Disclaimer: I do not own Glee, I am just borrowing the characters.
Rachel couldn't believe it, she was a mother at the age of 16. She had a 2 month old daughter and Puck was the father. Puck was her husband; she still couldn't wrap her mind around that fact. Rachel looked down at a sleeping Leah Puckerman and held her breath as she tried to slip quietly from the room. She was half way through the door when Leah started crying, groaning Rachel returned to her daughter's side. She gently picked up her daughter and began to rock her. Rachel was losing her mind, Leah just wouldn't stop crying and Rach didn't know what to do. Rach had tried feeding her and changing her diaper, but nothing seemed to help. Cradling Leah to her chest she began to sing, trying to sooth and at the same time drowned out her daughter's wails. Twenty minutes later Puck arrived home to find Rachel nearing hysterics and the baby crying. Rach tried to hand the baby to Puck but he waved her off.
"Maybe she would stop crying if her mom wasn't trying to light her on fire by singing all the damn time. I bet if you paid more attention to her than the sound of your own voice your kid would actually like you," he groused at her, wanting nothing to do with the situation.
Rachel fell quiet as Puck began his rant and the silence stretched between them as Leah continued to cry. Seeming to gather some strength as she clung to her daughter Rach raised her defiantly against Puck, "You ass, how dare you judge my parenting skills. You're never here; you're either at football practice, "cleaning" pools, or screwing cherrios. Maybe if you took your daughter off my hands once in a while I could deal better with her."
Puck couldn't deny the slight guilt that flowed through him, but he was Puck and she was friggin Rachel Berry. "Well maybe if I wasn't shackled to a pathetic loser like you I might help out more often," he replied.
Rachel had been on an emotional rollercoaster and Puck's last words finally pushed her over the edge. Holding tightly to Leah, Rachel slid to the floor sobbing.
Puck stared in shock at the sight of Rachel crying, he had never seen her cry before, he wasn't even sure it was possible. But somehow the sight of her right now really got him in the gut, "Look, Berry I am sorry," he said stepping towards her.
Rachel for hearing all that just began to cry harder. Puck dropped down behind Rachel and pulled her to his chest, he hugged her gently as he rocked the three of them back and forth. Eventually both Rachel's and Leah's sobs quieted down. When he realized Leah was asleep he gently laid her in her crib before leading Rachel quietly from the room. Once down stairs he fixed them both a glass of water. "Look Berry I really am sorry for what I said, for what it's worth I think you'll make a wonderful mom. I just, well I don't want to be married to you or be the father of your child and I guess I have been taking it out on you."
Rachel sipped her water before she replied, "You think I am thrilled to be married to you, I would have preferred to be a single mother, but wasn't given a choice. We both said "I do" and you said you would help with the baby. This is the first time since I brought her home that I have asked for your help and you just treated me like crap, worse than usual. I may not want you in my life either Noah Puckerman, but at least I am trying to make it easier on the both of us."
Puck nodded his head, "I know." The two sat in silence for another thirty minutes until Leah started crying again. Rachel lunged off the couch before a hand stopped her. "My turn, I did make a promise to help out," Puck said at her questioning look.
Rachel nodded before replying, "Leah needs her bottle and she needs to be changed." Rachel returned to her sitting position on the couch and decided to put her iPod on. An hour later Puck was shaking her shoulder, "Listen I been thinking, maybe I could take Leah home with me tonight. You know to help out more like I promised I would."
Rachel stared hard at Puck, "While I would love, and I mean absolutely love to take you up on that offer, No. I don't want to be docked a whole letter grade because your little sister Rebeccah, decided Leah is extremely cool toy and dropped her or something. We only have five more weeks with her left and if you could help out on the weekends and stuff that should be sufficient for me to regain my calm."
Puck sighed, "Yeah your right, and I will make an effort to help out more." Puck grabbed his stuff and head towards the door. "Berry for what its worth I think if the kid was real, your singing would have worked to calm her down. Because when your singing it's about the only time I don't want to light myself on fire."
Rachel stared in shock at the closed door, a small smile playing on her lips. Taking a deep breath, only five more weeks, if I can survive this stupid health class for five more weeks this whole thing will be nothing but a haunting memory.