Shelby was in awe of what she saw. Her children were all asleep next to each other. A very tired and jet lagged, Jesse Antonio St. James was resting on the backboard of her older daughter's bed. An exhausted, 18-year-old Rachel Barbra Berry was laying her head on Jesse's chest. A slightly feverish, three-year-old Bethany "Beth" Drizzle Maria Corcoran was cuddled into Rachel's chest.
Give Shelby a few minutes and she'll explain how all three of these kids were her children. When Shelby was 19-years-old , she was impregnated by her ex-boyfriend, Cooper McKeiren. The day before Cooper went off to be in the army, Cooper and Shelby had sex for a final time.
Two short weeks later, Shelby was sitting in her dorm at University of Michigan, the best college she could get into with scholarships and lack of college fund, throwing up everyday. Her friend, Claire, suggested she go to a doctor.
When Shelby did go to her doctor, she found out she was two weeks pregnant.
Twenty short weeks later, Shelby found out she was having a boy. Shelby and Cooper had decied to name him Tony. Cooper had been updated every week about the pregnancy. Every letter Shelby sent to Cooper, he responded. Except for the week of February 11, 1992.
That week instead of a letter from Cooper, she got a letter from the US military.
It said : Dear Miss Corcoran,
We are very sorry to tell you your boyfriend, Cooper Adam McKeiren, died in combat on February 9.
We send our condolences. Contact an army official with funeral arrangements.
Sincerely,
The United States Military
She didn't know what to feel. The father of her child had just died. Her boyfriend of 4 years had just been killed. This also created a major problem. She was going to take her second year of school of to raise Tony. Then, when Cooper came home, they would work their schedules so they could go to class and have one of them watching Tony.
But that wasn't going to happen. Her son's father was dead, and her plan was ruined.
She knew without Cooper, she wouldn't be able to raise her son and live the life she always dreamed of.
That's when Shelby deiced to turn to adoption. Her Tony would be raised by a couple who would be able to care for him much more than her.
About 3 weeks later she met with an adoption agent. The agent gave her a few adoption family books and she was left to read them in her dorm. Only two of the families she saw were good enough for her: Ash and Rose St. James from Detroit and Drew and May Kito from Rapid Falls.
Ash St. James was a forensic chemist in a law firm in downtown Detroit. Rose St. James was an RN at the local hospital who mainly worked in helping paitents after surgery. They had three other adopted children: Paul, Solidad, and Max.
Drew Kito was a history teacher in the local high school in Rapid Falls. May, like Rose, was an RN. May worked more specifically in the field of gynecology. Drew and May had three biological sons named Aaron, Todd, and Scott.
Due to the fact May and Drew had biological children, Shelby decided to give Tony to Ash and Rose.
On June 23, 1992, Shelby delivered a healthy baby boy. Ash and Rose had another son they could love as much as the others and their daughter.
Ash and Rose named him Jesse Antonio. Jesse because they had a weird obession with John Stamos. Antonio for Shelby's sake and because Anthony didn't sound right.
Ash and Rose let Shelby have a semi-open adoption with Jesse.
In May of 1994, Shelby's friend from her previous job at the local hospital, Adam, had a proposition for her. "Marcus and I would like to have a baby together. You're an intellagent woman and we would like you to carry our baby. We think u'd be the perfect person because your pretty, have a college degree, and you've already had a baby. So will you be the mother to Marcus and I's child?"
"I don't know, can I have some time to think?"
"Of course," he said nodding his head.
Shelby thought about it all night. She was able to give up Jesse; so why couldn't she do the same thing on purpose?
She agreed to the deal. Then Adam had told her she would be paid $200,000. Plenty for her to live her life-long dream in New York City for a while.
And so with a trip to the doctor, Adam and Marcus' sperm was inside her and created a little baby.
On September 14, 1994, Shelby was four and a half months along and learned the baby was a little girl.
The rest of Shelby's pregnancy was easy compared to her first. Aside from one little thing, that little girl was born two months early.
Late on December 17, 1994, Shelby's water broke and was put into a 15 hour labor. As a result of blood, sweat, and tears having a baby brings, a beautiful baby girl named Rachel Barbra Berry. Rachel from the TV show Friends and Barbra because of Barbra Striesand.
Marcus and Adam made her sign a contract saying she couldn't contact Rachel until she was 18. It killed her inside to do it, but she had to.
15 1/2 years later with the help of Jesse, she did get to know her biological daughter without stopping the contract.
It was unexpected; but, on June 9, 2010, Shelby adopted Quinn Fabray's daughter, Bethany Drizzle Maria Corcoran. She named her Bethany because the father wanted to name her Beth. Drizzle was Quinn's choice for a middle name (it had something to do with a boy who loved Beth very much). And Maria was because it was Quinn's middle name.
By now, she, Rachel, and Jesse were residing in Lima, Ohio
Eventually, Shelby told Rachel that Jesse was her half brother. ("Mom! I almost lost my virginty to my brother!")
Shelby, Adam, and Marcus had a discussion, which led to a new custody arrangment. Rachel would live with Shelby Monday- Thursday and Adam and Marcus for the weekend.
Rachel was the big sister Shelby could hope her to be to Beth. As Jesse was the best big brother to both of them Shelby could ever dream of.
When Jesse came home from LA for the holidays, he would stay with his parents but always stay at least one night with Shelby. The same with Rachel and her Dads when she came home from New York.
Now, its Christmas break and both Rachel and Jesse are staying with Shelby for the night. Poor baby Beth has a cold, but Jesse and Rachel are both fine with her sleeping on top of them. As Shelby walks past Rachel's bedroom door all the memories flood in. Shelby's boyfriend, Will, wraps his arms around Shelby and whispers "What ya doing, Shel Bell?"
"Thinking about our crazy family."
"How about we lay down with our crazy family and make this full circle?"
"Okay."Shelby lifts the sick toddler and puts her between herself and Rachel as Will gets on the other side of Rachel and falls asleep.
It may have been a crazy family with all the adoption and biological mess, but it was her family.