This is the sequel to my first story, Spring Break. Some readers expressed an interest in seeing how Puck and Quinn were coping with the arrival of their baby daughter, so here it is:) I hope everyone enjoys!
Clothes seemed to be everywhere, draped over furniture and heaped in untidy bundles on the floor. The already tiny space she lived in seemed to have halved with the arrival of baby Ella in their lives; her crib and the boxes of diapers inhabiting any free space she may once have had.
Risking a glance at her newborn, Quinn was gratified to see that her newborn was still slumbering peacefully beneath the soft pink of her baby blanket. For a change, Quinn considered ruefully, the dark shadows smudged under her eyes a testament to the hours she had spent pacing the worn carpet with Ella cradled tightly in her arms in a bid to rock her to sleep. Quietly pulling out the top drawer of the ancient dresser, Quinn rummaged through the untidy tangle of brightly colored clothes, before pulling out a white cotton dress and holding it in front of her triumphantly. White had always been her color, complementing her pale blonde hair perfectly and the dress skimmed her curves, minimizing the still swollen outline of her stomach. It was important to Quinn that she still radiated some of her former glory when she made her return to school the following day. There would be snide whispering she knew, girls making catty remarks about the last pounds of pregnancy weight that still hung onto her narrow frame and about the shadows that loomed under her eyes. Skillfully applying a generous dusting of blusher to her cheeks, Quinn was determined not to allow her classmates to indulge for too long in their smug judgement.
She was Quinn Fabray, for Christ's sake. The most beautiful girl in school with a kick ass boyfriend to boot.
Ella's gentle whimpering from the borrowed white wicker crib, pulled Quinn away from the mirror, her arms outstretched as she lifted the baby into her arms,
"What's wrong, baby?" she whispered softly, Ella pressed gently to her chest as she set about preparing the baby's bottle. Spooning the powdered milk into the colorful plastic, Quinn hummed softly, marveling at the feel of her daughter cradled so carefully in her arms.
She really was perfect. Whenever Quinn reminisced painfully over her lost position as head cheerleader or the cruel disownment by her family, she only had to look at her daughter, to run a finger over the petal softness of her skin to feel okay with how things now were.
Turning the bottle upside down and flicking a few drops onto the pale skin of her wrist, Quinn deliberated for a minute before pressing the bottle gently into her daughter's rosebud mouth.
"You're such a good baby," Quinn whispered encouragingly, smiling enthralled as Ella suckled eagerly at the rubber teat of the bottle. "Now, you need to go to your daddy so Mommy can take a minute to look pretty, for all those horrible people at school,"
Lying sprawled beneath the worn blankets, Puck was still slumbering contented, undisturbed by the hushed cries of his daughter.
He stayed over most nights, a habit borne out of both wanting to spending to spend time with Ella and Quinn needing him to share the burden of the sleepless nights.
"Puck, you need to take Ella," Quinn whispered to him softly, as she sat down on the creaking bed next to him and gave her daughter a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I need to get ready for school, if I am going to face everyone today,"
Rubbing his eyes sleepily, Puck pulled himself up in the bed, a smile spreading across his face as his gaze came to a rest on the newborn cradled carefully in his girlfriend's arms.
"Hey Ella," he cooed softly, eagerly taking the baby in his arms, the bottle angled expertly against her lips.
Running a brush through her pale blonde hair, Quinn couldn't help but smile taking in the endearing scene in front of her. Puck had been great. In the cocoon of their tiny room, away from the curious, prying eyes of the high school hallways and the pressures from his egotistical jock friends, Puck and Quinn had actually gotten along pretty well. He had been sweet, sensitive and kind. He bought little dresses for his daughter that she would be able to wear for months as they were far too big and toys that she wouldn't be able to grasp yet in her tiny, balled hands. But it was sweet and Quinn couldn't deny that he was a great father, Noah holding Ella for hours in his arms and rocking her to sleep with a patience that he had never displayed as his high school alter ego, Puck.
--
Her hand clasped securely in Noah's, the pair navigated the teeming hallways together, Quinn tossing her blonde hair pointedly over her shoulder and her expression resolute, daring anyone to cast judgement on them.
"I hope Ella's okay," Quinn fretted worriedly, rummaging in her locker distractedly as she darted anxious glances at the display of her cell phone. "She was coughing a little last night. I hope she's not coming down with something. Maybe I should call your mother just to be sure," she deliberated uncertainly, her blue eyes searching Puck's face
"Don't," Puck instructed her patiently, removing the cell phone forcibly from her hand. "Ella will be fine. My mom did raise two children, remember?
"I suppose," Quinn allowed reluctantly, though a small frown creased her brow as she slid the small pile of heavy textbooks into her bag.
Unlike the Fabray's cruel denial of their daughter's situation, Puck's parents had handled the news of the pregnancy with a little more understanding. Jane Puckerman had insisted on taking over the responsibility of caring for Ella while Quinn was at school. Ever generous, The Puckermans had even offered Quinn and Ella a place in their home but though grateful, Quinn had tactfully declined, a part of her needing to battle the initial trials of parenthood on her own.
Her dark hair bouncing in unison with her every step, Rachel practically bounded down the crowded hallway, her eyes alight when she spotted Quinn. "May I just begin by welcoming you back to McKinley, Quinn," she announced brightly, a smile plastered across her face. "Parenthood certainly seems to suit you,"
Rachel always knew how to rub her up the wrong way. Swallowing her annoyance, Quinn faked an equally sunny smile, knowing the girl was only trying to be friendly.
"Would you like to see a picture of Ella?" Quinn offered uncertainly, unused to people being enthusiastic over the birth of her baby daughter. Pushing Ella along the streets in her stroller, Quinn had become accustomed to the pitiful stares, women tutting condescendingly that she was too young to be charged with such a burden.
Accepting the miniature album, cartoon yellow ducklings adorning the shiny plastic, Rachel flicked through the carefully positioned photographs, an enthralled smile on her face.
"She's beautiful," she sighed in awe, her fingers tracing over the soft fuzz of hair that sprouted from Ella's head. "You know, you can come to me if you ever need any baby related advice." Rachel offered in a matter-of-fact tone, a serious expression suddenly crossing her face as she passed the photograph album back into Quinn's hand. "My expert babysitting skills have been commented on regularly by the a number of families in our neighborhood. Really, if you have any concerns or any questions, you can contact me on my cell. You have my number right?"
Glancing disbelievingly at the girl, Quinn was struck by the almost irresistible urge to break into a snide grin. No. That was the old Quinn, she reminded herself sternly, the weight of the album suddenly heavy in her hands. The new Quinn, needed to be charitable and kind in her actions if she were to set a good example to her daughter.
Instead, she smiled sweetly at Rachel before sliding the photograph album into her bag. "Thank you for the offer, Rachel," she beamed, slamming her locker door shut with a resounding bang.
--
Picking up her fork, Quinn sifted through the unappetizing mess of pasta and tomato sauce that was masquerading as lasagna. She could feel eyes boring into her back, Quinn almost able to hear the whisper of smug voices gossiping gleefully behind her back.
"They'll be talking about someone else next week, Quinn," Santana offered matter-of-factly before glaring daggers at a freckled blonde who dared turn around and gape openly at Quinn. "Probably, Mr. Shue. Word on the street is that he and Ms. Pillsbury have been engaging in some extracurricular activities if you catch my drift."
"You're not serious," Quinn retorted in shock, her eyes widening curiously as she took a delicate sip from her bottle of water.
As Santana launched into a detailed description of the alleged tryst, Quinn couldn't help but gaze enviously at her friend's ever perfect figure. The bright red of her cheerio's uniform glided seamlessly over her neat curves, displaying her long, tanned legs to their best advantage.
"You're coming to Glee club, right?" Santana asked distractedly as she examined her salad suspiciously.
"Definitely," Quinn agreed, pushing the cold remains of her pasta dinner around the plate. Quinn had missed this. As much as she loved Ella, a part of her still yearned for how things were. Returning to school and to Glee club gave her a semblance of her old life and for that Quinn was grateful. "Mrs. Puckerman has agreed to look after Ella until I get home,"
"How are things going with Puck?" Santana cut in with curious eyes, before biting noisily into her apple.
Quinn knew her friends would never fully understand her relationship with Puck; his role long cast as that of a shameless womanizer.
"Great," Quinn sighed happily, recalling the soft look in Puck's eyes as he tenderly held their daughter in his arms that morning. "He's amazing with Ella, really," she proclaimed, noting the unconvinced expression on her friend's face.
The thrill of music sounding from her bag, prompted Quinn to rummage frantically for the offending cell phone, already sensing the likely reason for the call.
"Is Ella alright?" Quinn demanded nervously, her heart beating frantically as she recalled her daughter's choked fits of coughing the previous night. What if there was something wrong? I know I shouldn't have left her, she berated herself unhappily, her hand twisting awkwardly in her lap.
"She's fine," Jane Puckerman reassured the panicked teen soothingly, though Quinn could hear Ella's angry cries in the background. "It's just her cough is getting worse and I think she needs to see a doctor. I hate ringing you like this when you're at school but Ella needs her mother at the moment,"
"That's okay," Quinn sighed in relief, issuing a hasty goodbye to Jane Puckerman before impatiently punching in Noah's number. There was no reply, only his same cute attempt at creating a witty voice mail greeting. Damn you, Puck she swore inwardly, though she displayed none of her annoyance to the openly interested Santana.
Tossing the cellphone into her bag, Quinn stepped up from the table, an apologetic look on her face. "I've got to go. Ella's cough has got worse and I need to take her to the doctor,"
"What about Glee club?" Santana demanded, her tone almost accusing as she scraped her long, dark hair into a high ponytail, the red ribbon trailing down her back.
"I'll be there tomorrow, I promise," Quinn replied earnestly though the truth was that she had no idea if she'd be in school, much less have the luxury of attending Glee club.
Up until now, Quinn had managed to convince herself that she could have out all. That she would reclaim her position as head cheerleader in the Cheerios and have Puck and Glee club and that Ella would just somehow fit into all that in the background. Now, she could clearly see how wrong she had been. Everything had changed. There would be parties and prom nights she would miss out on because Ella could be sick and the mere notion of attending college suddenly seemed like an impossible dream.
"Sure," Santana replied, though her tone was doubtful. "Call me later, okay?"
Nodding unconvincingly, Quinn grabbed her bag before rushing out into the bright blueness outside.