A/N – Sorry I haven't been writing lately, but now I'm on vacation and I can start again. Thank you for all your reviews.

DISCLAIMER: If I owned GLEE there would be no Finchel or Quick, only Puckleberry.

Chapter Three:

Puck stares, not blinking, at Rachel for a couple minutes before literally shaking himself out of it.

"What'd'ya mean she's my daughter?" Uh oh.

"She means Caroline is your spawn." Santana steps in for her, thankfully.

"And you kept her from me?" He's practically yelling now and Rachel glances toward her living room.

"I wasn't keeping her from you, I…" Before she can keep going Puck interrupts her.

"Then what were you doing Rachel? Because if you weren't I would have known about this four fucking years ago!" He's seething at this point.

"I know, Noah. But, I just couldn't tell you." He looks even more mad at this point.

"You couldn't tell me? I already had to give up one child and you made me give up another one!" Rachel winced when he insinuated that she was anything like Quinn.

"No. Don't throw that shit in my face, Puckerman. That had nothing to do with me, and this is a completely different situation! I kept my daughter, I love my daughter. I didn't want you to not want her." She's trying so hard not to cry and yell.

"So, now I'm like my father? And this is kind of the same thing, I never got to meet her. And she's mine. I should have gotten to meet her. As soon as she was born. Before she was born!" He's actually kind of hurt, but he refuses to show that.

"Don't put words in my mouth. I didn't say you were anything like your father. You're not. I just wasn't sure if you'd want her, or me, or her because I'm the mom. I just didn't want to count on you and then be shot down. I'm sorry." Rachel hangs her head, Santana was right. She should have told him.

"Sorry isn't gonna make this alright, Rachel. You kept my daughter from me. Nothing can change that." After this is said he stands from the stool to go check on his sleeping child.

Rachel stares at the stool that had Puck in it only seconds ago, and she breaks. Santana sees it coming and moves to hug her. Before she can completely fall apart Puck comes back in with this look on his face and Rachel just knows something is wrong with Caroline.

"Rachel, she needs to go to a doctor now. She's burning up, and shivering, and I don't know what else. I just know she needs to go to the doctor." And right away Rachel jumps into 'protective mommy' mode.

"San, get me the thermometer. Noah, would you mind wetting a cloth?" He shakes his head and makes his way toward the sink, while Rachel gets her a glass of water.

When Rachel walks into the room, she freezes. Well, not so much freezes as almost freaks out at the sight of her. She's not sleeping; she's laying there shaking and she has tears running down her cheeks, and Rachel has never been able to handle her little girl crying. She knew that she shouldn't just keep standing there, watching, but she felt like she was trapped. Until she felt the hand on the small of her back making her move.

Caroline looked at her mom and the man she had just met with tears in her eyes; eyes just like his. Rachel sat down, slowly, on the edge of the couch handing her the glass of water. Santana seemed to come out of nowhere with the thermometer, and Rachel can already tell it's going to be high. What she doesn't expect is for it to be 101.5, of course she would have taken her to the hospital for anything over 100, but now she's rushing and crying, and scaring her daughter unintentionally. Santana is trying to calm her down, but it's just not happening. Puck sighs while he watches her freak out, wondering how she's done this with just Santana for so long.

"Berry." He tries. And fails. "Rachel," he gets a little louder. "Rach," she finally looks at him, while Santana finishes buckling Caroline into her car seat. He steps closer to her. "You've gotta calm down; you're scaring our daughter." She looks surprised when he says 'our daughter' but starts to calm down, regardless.

"I know, but what if something is wrong with my baby?" He knows he should still be pissed at her, but he can be mad after she stops looking all broken and shit.

"I'll be right there with you, Rach. You don't have to do this alone. And she'll be fine." Logically she knows he can't guarantee that, but him saying it makes her feel better.

"Promise?" She questions, and he nods, smiling lightly. If Puck is being honest, he didn't expect to be the one to calm her down, but he really is glad that he did.

The ride to the hospital is tense, Rachel and Puck, who fought Santana, are sitting in the back seat with Caroline. Puck is trying his best to keep both of his girls sane. Yes, for now he is calling them both his. He probably won't be calling Rachel that after today though.

When they walk into the hospital Rachel breaks into true Rachel Berry mode, talking to the lady at the front desk until her daughter is bumped up on the list to see the doctor. Of course it's still about a half hour before they finally get seen, but it's a shorter wait than it could have been.

Caroline sits on Rachel's lap and holds Puck and Santana's hands while the doctor asks about her. He's using big words that no one in the room except for Rachel understands and then he's telling them that he needs to run some tests. When Rachel starts to question whether that is really necessary Puck gives her a look and she stops talking, and nods slowly. Caroline is reluctant to leave with the strange man, but eventually lets the doc lead her away.

"She'll be okay, right, Noah?" Rachel wonders staring at the door her daughter just left through.

"She'll be just fine, babe." He let the endearment slip without thinking, and she does too. Santana gives them both an odd look but brushes it off, knowing they're both really worried.

They wait in silence for about ten minutes when Rachel breaks. "What is taking so long? What if the had to rush her to surgery? What if-.."

"Rach, baby, she's fine. They're running tests it might take a little time. Come 'ere, sit with me." Rachel nods, moving to sit beside him. As soon as she's in her seat his hand is in hers, and she realizes, she isn't the only one who need reassuring.

About thirty five minutes later the doctor is back in the room with Caroline in tow. She still looks terrible, but Rachel, Puck and Santana are all happy to see her.

"Mom? Dad?" Puck and Rachel stand and Caroline's eyes widen. "She should be fine, but we think we should keep her for a couple of days, just to make sure everything turns out okay. She has Pneumonia, but you caught it early enough that she'll be fine soon." Puck freezes at the word Pneumonia, but Rachel froze at the 'keep her over night' thing.

"So, you're sure she'll be okay then right?" Santana speaks up for them. The doctor nods and heads toward the door.

"Let her rest now." Is the last thing he says before he disappears out the door.

It's quiet for a couple moments before Caroline speaks from the bed in the room.

"You're my daddy?" She wonders, staring wide eyed at Puck. He looks at Rachel to find out if it's okay to tell her. Rachel nods.

"Yes, sunshine, he's your daddy." Caroline nods still staring at Puck in fascination.

"How come I just meeted you then?" She has a deep frown on her face.

"He didn't know he was your daddy, baby. He only found out this morning." Puck steps toward Caroline, with a little smile on his face.

"So, can I call you daddy, or no? Are you gonna stay around?" Rachel feels terrible for keeping them apart, and Santana watches the family moment from the side lines, hoping that even with Puck around she'll still be needed.

"You can call me daddy if you want, I won't make you, but I'd really like that. And of course I'm gonna stay around, baby girl." Caroline smiles through her cough and spreads her little arms for a hug. Puck melts at the sight of his baby girl, and bends to give her a hug. Rachel smiles and makes her way to the bed.

"I'm sorry I kept you guys from each other." She whispers. Puck unwraps one arm from Caroline and wraps it around her, and now they're hugging as a family for the first time. Rachel decides that they can talk tomorrow about everything that's happening, right now she just wants to enjoy this.

Chapter Three.

A/N - So that's chapter three. Hopefully you didn't hate it. I tried.

R&R?

Love,

Katie :)