Thanks for all the positive feedback! This would have been uploaded a while ago but my computer got screwed up as soon as I started writing this so... Enjoy! If you can!
Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Glee.
"I'm freaking out," Quinn admitted to Finn. She hadn't told her boyfriend that she had fallen on her stomach, and that was the REAL reason she was freaking out. What if her baby wasn't OK? Quinn desperately wanted to let go of his greasy hand, but she needed some kind of support in this situation.
"Everything's going to be fine," Finn reassured the blonde. He squeezed her hand tighter, trying to comfort Quinn.
"Relax," the doctor soothed the couple. "At your age, there is very little chance of anything being wrong." Quinn breathed a huge sigh of relief. Her baby was going to be alright. "This is going to be a little cool to the touch," Dr. Chin warned as she applied gel to the scanning device.
As the doctor moved the machine towards Quinn's stomach, the cheerleader said, "Can you just be careful with my uniform?" She was sure Ms. Sylvester would murder her if she got the slightest of stains on her immaculate uniform.
Dr. Chin raised her eyebrows and turned her eyes toward the screen. "Speaking of your ages, have you two given any thought into what you're going to do after the baby is born?" she inquired.
Before Quinn could tell her to stay out of their business, Finn spoke up. "Whatever Quinn wants to do is fine." The blonde averted her eyes from the screen once she saw a black and white image pop up on it. She didn't want to see her baby, knowing that she would have to give it up sooner or later.
"Well," the doctor began. "If it makes a difference, it's a girl." Finn kissed Quinn's hand; the blonde tried to slip her hand out of his, but his grip was too tight. Finn shifted his hand, and she was suddenly reminded of a moment with Rachel in the bathroom.
Thinking of the petite diva made Quinn relax, and she felt much calmer sitting in the sterile office. She imagined it was Rachel's firm grip that she had experienced in the bathroom; not her lanky boyfriend's. However, it was quite difficult to compare Rachel's soft skin to Finn's calloused palm. Still, just thinking of the brunette was making her breathing easier.
"Are you scared of what will happen when our classmates find out about your condition?" Rachel asked.
"No," Quinn answered immediately. Rachel looked at her in the mirror almost as if to say, "Really?". Quinn broke under her stern gaze. "Yes," she whispered.
Rachel sympathetically placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder. Her hand unexpectedly traveled down Quinn's arm and stopped at her wrist. Quinn shivered at the soft skin that was wandering down her bare arm. Rachel tentatively placed her fingertips in the middle of Quinn's palm. She waited a couple of seconds before firmly grasping the cheerleader's hand and turning to look into her hazel eyes.
"We won't judge you," the brunette stated, referring to her and the glee club. "You can be yourself around us. You don't need to worry when you're in that choir room. You're safe."
"I know," Quinn responded. They stayed like that for a while; hand in hand. Quinn found that her breathing was slowing, and any stress in her mind was fading. For the first time in weeks, she was calm. It felt like there were no worries; just her and Rachel in the girls' bathroom. Never would she have thought this situation could even be a ghost of a possibility in Quinn's mind, yet here she was, her hand wrapped in Rachel's.
However, when Dr. Chin asked Finn to leave, Quinn tensed up again. At first, she thought it was because her hand was now limply hanging off the side of the chair instead of firmly in Rachel's imaginary hold. But then the cheerleader realized it was the fact that he was going to be sitting with Mr. Schuester in the waiting room. Then Quinn felt anger rise up in her. She hadn't asked Mr. Schue to drive them to the OB/GYN. In fact, she preferred that nobody else got involved with her life. She wished people would just keep their noses out of her business. Finn claimed he was too freaked out to drive…but he wasn't pregnant! Why would he be too nervous to drive 4 blocks? Quinn knew Mr. Schue was just trying to help the couple, but at the time, she hadn't cared. Now she regretted her reaction; she had blown up at her glee teacher.
Quinn heard a horn honk outside. She opened the door and looked out onto the street where a blue Bomber dragging a muffler sat on the road. She wrinkled her brow in confusion. There was Finn, sitting in the front seat…but that definitely wasn't his car. The window was rolled down and then Quinn saw who was sitting in the driver's seat; Mr. Schue. The blonde advanced down the front steps and marched up to the front window, fuming.
"Hey Quinn," Finn greeted her.
"Why is Mr. Schue in the car?" Quinn demanded.
Finn looked flustered. "I, uh, well, um…" he tried to answer.
"I told you to pick me up," Quinn went on. "Not Mr. Schue. This is our situation, not anyone else's. Why do you have to get other people involved in our problems?"
"Quinn," the teacher began. "I just want to help. You kids can't do this all on your own."
"Mr. Schuester," Quinn interjected. "I appreciate your concern but this is our"—she gestured to Finn—"problem. Not yours. Finn is perfectly capable of taking us to the doctor all on his own."
"Actually," Finn protested. "I'm kinda freaking out. I don't think it would be safe for me to drive."
The blonde rolled her eyes. "Oh please! It's not safe for you to be trying to dance in glee club either, but that doesn't stop you."
"Quinn," Mr. Schue tried.
"NO!" Quinn yelled. "Finn's being immature; you don't have to try and cover for him."
"I'm not trying to cover for anyone," the teacher said. "I'm just trying to help you guys out."
"Well don't!" Quinn shot back. "We don't need your help. We don't need anyone's help. We're just fine on our own. Mr. Schuester, please let Finn take care of our little mistake." When those last words were spoken, she wanted to slap herself across the face. Lately, words had come spilling out of her mouth without her even knowing what she was saying.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Finn asked. He opened the door and led her to the other end of the car without waiting for an answer.
"What?" Quinn snapped.
"Can you just…I don't know…" the tall teen began. "Chill out a little? Mr. Schue is just doing us a favor. You could be a little grateful, you know."
How dare he talk to her like that! "Oh sure," Quinn replied. "Should I also be grateful that I'm the new poster child for 'Sixteen and Pregnant'?"
"Um…Quinn? Finn?" Mr. Schuester called from the car. "We're gonna be late if we don't get going now." The blonde shot an icy glare at Finn and wrenched the car door open. The ride to the doctor's office was silent and awkward. The tension in the atmosphere was like a blanket smothering the three people sitting together. As soon as Mr. Schue had parked the car, Quinn had jumped out of the rusty vehicle and was marching huffily into the building.
"Alright, you're good to go." The doctor interrupted Quinn's thoughts. The blonde hopped down from the chair and opened the door. She glanced at Finn and Mr. Schue sitting in the waiting room, deep in conversation. She caught Finn's words as she walked toward the door.
"It's cool, Mr. Schue. You wouldn't understand," Finn remarked.
Quinn frowned. What wouldn't he understand? Having a pregnant girlfriend? His wife is pregnant...or so he thought she was. Quinn was reluctant to give up her baby, especially to someone as deceiving as Terri, but she knew it was for the best. At least her baby would have a good father figure instead of a senseless quarterback or a conceited jock with a Mohawk. And she knew her daughter would be in good hands. Mr. Schue would be a terrific father.
Finn rounded the corner and pulled the waiting blonde into a hug that could've crushed her ribs. She pulled back, and he held her at arm's length.
"Hey; everything's going to be OK," he reassured Quinn. Mr. Schue appeared next to Finn and gave the couple a small smile.
XXXXX
After Quinn stepped out of the car, she turned back to the man in the driver's seat and apologized. "Mr. Schuester?" Quinn began. He turned his head to look at the blonde. "I-I'm sorry for…blowing up at you before. I know you're just trying to help."
"Don't worry about it Quinn," the teacher replied. "It's fine. Have a good day, OK?"
Quinn managed a small smile and nodded in response. She turned on her heel and walked back up to her house, not even bothering to say good-bye to Finn. Once she was inside her home, she shut the door behind her, leaning up against it. Quinn shut her eyes and breathed slowly through her nose. All she wanted to do was go up to her room, turn off the lights, and take a good, long, nap.
"Quinnie!" The exclamation shook Quinn out of her thoughts and her eyes snapped open. There was her mother, bright as always, clad in a yellow sweater and a white skirt that reached her knees. "What are you doing home so late?" her mother asked.
"Um…Cheerios practice," Quinn responded quickly. Her mother blinked, but the smile plastered on her face didn't falter.
"Oh," her mother whispered. "Well, that's OK. Cheerleading is a good reason for being home so late. You just had me worried, that's all."
"I'm sorry I didn't call. It was a tough practice today. There wasn't much break time," Quinn explained. The corners of her mother's mouth rose impossibly higher and Quinn desperately felt the need to run out from under her mom's blank gaze. She knew exactly what that empty stare meant. Her mom had been drinking. Again. "I'm, uh, gonna go to my room," Quinn said. She unattached herself from the door and sprinted past the blonde woman standing in the foyer. She pounded up the stairs and ran down the hall to her blue room. Breathless, she slammed her door shut, trying to drown out the tinkling of liquor being poured into a glass.
XXXXX
When Quinn walked into the kitchen the next morning, she had the displeasure of spotting an empty scotch bottle on the countertop. Her heart sank to the bottom of her stomach. Although it was far too early for school, she grabbed a granola bar and headed out to her car, tears in her eyes.
A few minutes later, Quinn found herself walking through the empty halls of McKinley, not exactly sure where she was headed. Lost in her thoughts, she could barely hear the beautiful voice wafting from the classroom just a couple of feet away from the cheerleader.
"What the…?" Quinn wondered out loud. She peeked through the window of the seemingly empty choir room and smirked. There was a small brunette standing in the middle of the room, belting out high note after high note. Quinn didn't recognize the song, but assumed it was definitely from the Great White Way. The blonde slowly turned the handle, and stealthily slipped into the room. Rachel was much too caught up in her song to notice anything else.
Quinn admired the way Rachel's voice easily poured out of her throat; her voice was a racehorse. Extremely powerful, yet so controlled it was almost as if she was roping in her voice when it got too wild. Quinn marveled at the emotion that was pulsating throughout the lyrics. Rachel was putting her all into the song being performed in front of an invisible audience. Quinn could hear the ache in her voice as she hit the last note. She held it out until she was completely breathless. Once the brunette finally dropped the tone, she spent a few moments catching her breath and then nodded to herself as if her performance was just satisfactory. Rachel turned back to the piano to collect her music and caught sight of the blonde pressed against the wall next to the door.
"Hi," Quinn said meekly.
Rachel smiled and tucked a lock of brown hair behind her ear. "Good morning Quinn," she greeted. "Why are you here so early? You must be wondering the same thing; I've been here for about an hour now, attempting to perfect the song I've been working on since early childhood. You would think I'd be able to sing it effortlessly by now, but we can't all be flawless." Her eyes ducked down and then shot back up at Quinn, who was staring at Rachel, her hazel eyes boring into the brunette.
Quinn had never really appreciated how gorgeous Rachel was. But now, the early morning light was pouring in through the window behind her, forming a halo around her chocolate mane. It made her brown eyes seem impossibly dark and soulful. The light shone behind her, outlining the silhouette of her tiny frame. Quinn could see very curve, every shape of her body. Rachel's pink lips quirked into a smile; her bright white teeth glowing against her tan skin.
"Quinn?" Rachel whispered, shaking the blonde out of her reverie. "Are you…OK?"
"Yeah. Yes. Of course. Why?" Quinn hurriedly replied.
"No particular reason," Rachel said. "But usually you're quick to answer questions…even mine."
"Did you ask a question?" Quinn inquired. The brunette giggled and walked over to the cheerleader, who was still pressed against the wall. She wanted to try something. Rachel gently touched Quinn's fingertips, trying to see if she would pull back in disgust, or let the action continue, like the other day. When Rachel was sure that Quinn wasn't going to recoil, she lightly wrapped her fingers around the blonde's hand.
Quinn's breath caught in her throat as Rachel's soft hand slipped into hers. The familiar calm that she had felt in the bathroom settled over the blonde, releasing the tension from her entire body. The brunette gently tugged Quinn's arm and led her to the empty chairs on the risers. Rachel released the blonde's hand and sat down on the closest seat; she gestured for Quinn to do the same.
As Quinn sat down, Rachel asked her, "So, to repeat the question you obviously didn't hear; why are you in school so early?"
Quinn quickly averted her eyes and shifted in her seat. "Um… Just some…issues at home."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Rachel quietly asked. She saw the look on Quinn's face and quickly tried to take back her words. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so intrusive. I know not many people are comfortable discussing the trouble that's brewing at home."
And once again, Quinn started talking without knowing what she was saying. "It's just that…my mom has a bit of a drinking problem. Whenever she's worried or stressed she breaks out the liquor. I actually think it was my dad who influenced her to drown her worries in a bottle. He's an alcoholic and I think it rubbed off on her somehow. I'm just afraid that if my mom finds out about my…um"—Quinn cleared her throat uncomfortably—"condition, that she'll just lose herself in the alcohol. I can't have her finding out."
"She won't," Rachel quickly reassured the blonde.
Tears sprang to Quinn's eyes. "I think she already does," she whispered. Rachel looked at her with inquiring eyes. "Yesterday, I had my 10 week ultrasound, and when I came home, I…I just knew she'd been drinking."
Rachel had deflated a bit from the mention of the ultrasound, but she quickly regained her composure and tried to console the blonde. "I'm so sorry Quinn," she said. "That must be terrible. Knowing that your parent has a problem and having to worry that your situation will only put recovery farther into the future…I can't even begin to imagine the pain you're in."
Quinn smirked. "No one does," she said under her breath. Rachel pretended to ignore what Quinn had just uttered and turned to face the black piano in the middle of the room.
"I'm sorry about your dilemma Quinn," Rachel began. "But, you still haven't answered my query. Why are you here so early?"
"Well," Quinn started tentatively. "I came downstairs this morning and…and there was an empty bottle in the kitchen." Quinn tried to swallow down her tears. "And I just couldn't take it anymore." Her voice cracked, and she knew that if she looked at Rachel, she would break down sobbing.
"So you came here," Rachel concluded. "You came here to let out your feelings in the safest place in the school. The place where, even though you've only been in glee club for a short time, it feels like home. No one can hurt you here,"—she turned to the blonde—"and no one will. And you know that. This became your sanctuary; your peaceful place. I can definitely relate." She offered a small smile.
Quinn sat back in amazement. That was the second time this week that the brunette had read her mind. She wanted to say something back, something that would impress the diva; something that would let her know she was just as observant as Rachel. But all that she could emit was "Um…yeah. That's about right." Quinn wanted to smack herself on the forehead, but she was currently immobile, as Rachel was blinding her with a white smile that dimmed the stars.
The bell rang and both girls jumped. Neither had realized how long they'd been conversing. Rachel blushed, and Quinn admired the way color flooded Rachel's cheeks. The pair stood from their chairs and turned to face one another. The brunette attempted to look deep into Quinn's eyes again, but the blonde had shut herself down. After her revealing admission, she was closing up. Rachel was hurt, but she couldn't understand why. The brunette looked just above her lash line and spoke to her eyelids. "Quinn," Rachel said sternly. "Thank you for being so honest with me. If you EVER need anyone to speak to, I will be here for you. I may not be able to understand your situation exactly, but I will always lend an ear."
"Thanks Rachel," Quinn replied. "Thanks a lot." With a final glance at each other, the two girls walked out opposite doors of the choir room and continued to their respective classrooms.
I hope you liked it! Reviews are love. (no seriously, I live for them)
