He's sound asleep when the call comes in that Quinn's in labor. It only takes the sound of Brittany's voice and those two little words, it's time, to pull him back to reality. He's pretty sure he breaks every traffic law imaginable on his way to the hospital but he doesn't care because he's about to meet his daughter for the first time and that trumps a traffic ticket.
He can't sit still. He paces across the worn out carpet in the overcrowded waiting area, hands clenching and unclenching at his sides, until Mercedes demands that he stop. He's barely aware of Rachel's comforting hand on his shoulder or the steaming, hot cup of coffee that Matt offers him, but he is infinitely aware of Finn, the second his ex-best friend steps into the room. It doesn't matter that his back is to the door because the all too familiar feeling of inadequacy flares to life in the pit of his stomach. He thought that once the secret was out the jealousy would go away but it's still there, right below the surface, and it only intensifies with the other boy's presence.
-0-0-
"Dude, where were you yesterday?" Puck asks, catching up to Finn after second period. "Did you have a hot date with Kurt or something?"
"What? No! Yesterday…"
"After school, you were supposed to meet me and Mike at the park to shoot hoops."
"Oh right, sorry." Finn replies when realization hits him. "Quinn had a doctor's appointment."
"Everything okay, I mean, with the kid or whatever?"
"We got to hear the heartbeat and see it swimming around in Quinn's belly." Finn gushes, a giddy smile firmly in place. "It was…awesome."
"Dude, lose the skirt and grow a pair," Puck snarls. "The kids not even here yet and you're already whipped."
-0-0-
"What are you doing here?" Puck growls, narrowing his eyes in Finn's direction. "Nobody invited you."
Finn's brow furrows and he shoots a confused look in Brittany's direction. The blond shrugs, "Quinn asked me to call him."
"Traitor," Puck snaps, as he pushes past Brittany. He makes his way out into the hall but the strong smell of antiseptic burns his lungs with each intake of breath. When his head starts to sway he takes the elevator down to the main floor and steps outside greedily sucking in the crisp April air.
-0-0-
He's digging through his locker trying to find the wadded up napkin that holds the hot foreign exchange student's phone number when he spots Finn and Quinn at the other end of the hall. He rolls his eyes and is about to turn away when he notices Finn's large hand resting delicately on Quinn's expanding stomach. He's not jealous, he's not, but his locker slams shut with more force than he'd intended and the sound echoes down the hall drowning out his friend's excited laughter.
-0-0-
"Are you okay?" Santana asks, sliding down the brick wall to join him on the cool concrete.
"I'm fine," he sighs, leaning his head back against the rough surface.
"Idiot," she mumbles, nudging him lightly so he knows she's kidding…well half kidding anyway. "We've known each other too long for you to pull that bogus bullshit with me. I know you're lying."
"Then why ask?"
"Because," Santana grunts, "I'm not good with all this emotional garbage. I don't know what to say or what to do to make this all okay."
He gives her a sideways glance, brow arched, an innuendo on the tip of his tongue, but it falls short. "That's because there's nothing you can say or do, San." He says instead. "It is what it is, a shitty situation."
"Yeah, maybe, but you're still the father. Finn's being here doesn't change that. He can't take that away from you unless you let him."
"No, but Quinn can. She already has once."
Santana links her arm around Puck's and leans her head over on his shoulder. "You have rights too," she tells him. "I can call my dad. I'm pretty sure one of the partners at his firm handles family law; at the very least they could recommend someone. We could totally filet Quinn."
Puck chuckles, "You'd like that wouldn't you?"
Santana grins devilishly and nods.
"Do you think I'd make a good dad?" he asks, leaning his head over to rest on top of hers.
"I think all kids are destined to be fucked up by their parents but I don't think you'd be any worse than anyone else."
He snorts, kissing her lightly on the forehead. "Thanks," he offers sincerely before adding with a sigh, "We should probably get back."
Santana nods, disengaging herself from Puck before standing up. "Yeah," she replies, "because you owe Brittany an apology."
-0-0-
"Don't touch anything," Finn pleads. "The last time I left you alone in my room I had to explain to my mom why there was porn on our cable bill."
Puck laughs. "Dude it was an accident. My finger slipped."
"Right, just like you accidentally dialed that nine-hundred number when you were supposed to be calling your mom, or the time you had sex in my mom's bed and left a used condom on her bedroom floor. You're lucky she even lets you in the house at all."
"Dude, your mom loves me."
"Just don't touch anything," Finn begs, as he walks backwards towards the bedroom door.
Puck throws his hands up in surrender and watches as his friend disappears into the hallway. He counts to five before getting up and grabbing Finn's laptop from the computer desk. He cracks open the notebook and hits the power button as he mentally goes through the list of porn sites that would have Mrs. Hudson crapping in her pants if she stumbled across them.
When the screen blinks to life he forgets his mission as a black and white blob pops up instead of Finn's normal Selena Gomez background. He hits the play button and hears a faint thumping sound as the image starts to shake and shift. He knows instantly what it is, remembers how excited his mother had been to show him the video of his sister when he was seven.
His mouth goes dry and his hands shake violently as the image twists into the unmistakable shape of a tiny little face, his daughter's face. He closes the laptop quickly but the video plays on repeat in his mind.
-0-0-
The moment they place his daughter in his arms the rest of the world evaporates. He kisses her wrinkled forehead as her tiny little hand wraps around his finger and squeezes with the faintest hint of a grip. There's no mistaking who her father is because she's the spitting image of his baby pictures. He's mesmerized by the likeness and barely notices the rest of the group entering until Kurt suggests that they all sing the baby a lullaby.
"Good idea," Mike adds, clapping Kurt's shoulder. "How about Saeya, Saeya? It was my favorite when I was little."
"Oh, that's a good one," Tina eagerly agrees, but everyone else is kind of staring opened mouthed because they've never heard of it.
"Uh, Mike, with all due respect you're much more helpful when you don't try to contribute," Artie interjects.
"I got this," Mercedes offers, interrupting the group's laughter and stepping towards the couch where Puck is sitting with the baby. She leans over and softly starts to sing, "Hush little baby don't say a word, Aunt Mercedes' gonna buy you a mocking bird."
"And if that mocking bird don't sing," Santana joins in as she sits down next to Puck and rests her chin on his shoulder, "Aunt Santana will make Daddy buy you a diamond ring."
Puck snorts and shakes his head. He swears the baby smiles.
"And if that diamond ring turns brass, Uncle Kurt will lend you his looking glass."
Brittany slides off the arm of the couch and into the small space between the baby and Puck. "I like this song," she boosts, clearing her throat so she can join in. "And if that looking glass gets broke, Aunt Brittany's gonna buy you a…a…a nice warm coat."
"I think it's supposed to be a Billy goat," Finn corrects.
He's wearing that goofy grin again and Quinn's reaching out for his hand. Puck waits for the twisted knot of jealousy to tighten in his stomach but it doesn't come.
"Why would you buy a baby a Billy goat?" Brittany asks, her forehead scrunched in confusion.
Finn shrugs and laughs easily. Everyone else joins in and as Puck looks around the room at a group of people so different, so eclectic that he'd never imagined they'd ever all be friends, he can't help but think that everything might just work out okay after all.