Chapter 8/Wake Up Darling

Jesse's POV

Pregnant? Babies? She saw a doctor? All these thoughts were swimming through my head as I yelled at Finn to take his damn hands off of my girlfriend. When Puck came toward me quickly, I turned from them for a moment, and I heard Finn yell out for help. As I turned back around, I saw Rachel fall. Finn caught her in his arms, and started crying out to get some help. Rachel's dads immediately sprang into action. Hiram yelled at Finn to lay Rachel on the couch, and LeRoy called 911. Puck took a card from his wallet, and handed it to Hiram. He told him that it is for Rachel's OBGYN, and they said to call in case of an emergency. Why the hell did Puck have a card to Rachel's doctor? As Hiram knelt on the floor, so did I. I took Rachel's hand in mine, and started crying.

"Wake up darling, wake up" I told her, over and over. There was no response. I thought I might die right there on the spot. My heart broke for what I had done. Why didn't I just answer her calls while I was away? She had tried to call me at least three or more times, every day. But me, being the selfish bastard that I am, decided to ignore her. All because of my hurt feelings. I heard Hiram talking to someone. He hung up the phone and informed everyone that Rachel's doctor would meet us at the hospital. Just then two paramedics arrived. They asked us all to step back, so that they could work. They checked her pulse, informing us that it was steady, and continued to work on her. When they asked if she had any significant medical problems, Finn spoke up. He informed them that she is about six weeks pregnant, with triplets. I felt like someone reached inside me, and pulled out my heart right then. Triplets? Six weeks? It all made sense. Except how Finn and Puck were involved in this.

"She is stable, but still unconscious" said one of the paramedics. They put her on a stretcher, strapped her in, and began to wheel her away to the ambulance. They informed us that only two people could ride in the ambulance with her. Hiram immediately decided to take one spot, and LeRoy said that he would follow in their car. LeRoy turned to me, and asked me to go to Rachel's room, and pack her a bag for the hospital. As much as I wanted to ride in the ambulance with Rachel, I agreed. Finn jumped in the ambulance with Hiram and Rachel, and it sped off with lights and sirens blaring. As I quickly turned to go in the house, standing there, in my way, was Puck.

"We need to talk" he said, looking very serious.

"No, I need to go get Rachel a bag, and get to the hospital" I replied, pushing past him to run up the stairs. He followed quickly behind me, and slammed the door to Rachel's room behind him. That startled me a little, and I turned around quickly, giving him a dirty look.

"What the fuck is wrong with you Puck?" I yelled at him.

"We need to talk" he replied more calmly.

"Fine" I said. "Talk while I'm packing Rachel a bag".

I didn't understand what could be more important than getting to Rachel right now.

"Ok, here goes" he said. He started by telling me that he is sorry. That stopped me dead in my tracks. Sorry for what? He continued on, reminding me about the whole Run Joey Run video. The next words that came out of his mouth were like a punch to the face. He said that he slept with Rachel. The day that we got the assignment, when he came over to talk to Rachel about it, they slept together. Then it dawned on me. When I got to her house that night, she seemed upset. I knew she had been crying, and now I know why. I didn't even hesitate. I quickly ran to where he stood, and punched him in the face.

"How could you?" I yelled at him. "You took advantage of her vulnerability. You knew that she was upset about that stupid Glist. But you did it anyway. Are you proud of yourself for that?" I said, punching him again.

"I guess I deserved that" he said, bringing his hand up to touch his busted lip. "But that's not the worst part of everything that happened" he stated.

"What could be worse" I yelled at him. Then he told me about Rachel and Finn. That was worse. Where Puck had never had Rachel's heart, Finn had. And he had always sensed that Finn wanted Rachel back. That asshole. Who did he think he was. He had his chance with Rachel, and he blew it. This entire situation was crazy. I couldn't understand why Rachel would sleep with Finn. I know why Finn would, but Rachel? Then it hit me like a ton of bricks.

"I'm not the father, am I?" I said, with sadness coming through in my voice.

"Well" Puck responded.

"Well what? I used protection" I shouted at him.

"So did I, and so did Finn" he stated. "We're not sure who the father is" he said. Now I had to sit down and process all of this. I walked over, and sat down on the end of her bed. I buried my head in my hands, and started to cry.

"I'm going to go man, and give you some time. I'll be at the hospital. I just thought you needed to know everything before you get there. We all need to try to keep our cool though. The doctor said that Rachel can't have any stress, because she is at a high risk for miscarriage. But I want you to know that I really am sorry, for what it's worth" he told me, before walking out of the room.

I just sat there for a while. Wondering how all this happened. Then I got up and started packing the bag again. I heard a phone ringing downstairs, and ran to get it. It was Rachel's cell phone. I found it in her purse. The caller ID said *Dad#1, and I answered. It was LeRoy. He asked me where I am, and updated me on Rachel. He said to make sure that I grabbed her brush, some pajamas, and a change of clothes. I told him that I would, and that I would be there soon. After we hung up, I put her phone back in her purse, and something fell out. It looked like ultrasound pictures. Her name was in the corner, and three dots were circled. WOW, these could be my children. My heart started beating fast, and I was tearing up again. That's when I made my decision. If there was any chance that I was the father, and their definately was, I was going to love those babies, and Rachel forever. I saw writing on the back of the ultrasound pictures, and flipped them over to look. On one of them was my name, with a big heart next to it. That made me smile. I took that picture off, put it in my wallet, and put the others back in her purse. I ran back upstairs, got everything packed, ran downstairs to grab her purse and my keys, and headed out.

As I pulled into a spot at the hospital, my cell phone started ringing. The caller Id said Shelby. Oh shit, I didn't even think about her. She is going to kill me when she finds out about this. I let the call go to voicemail, and decided to text her.

'With Rachel right now. Can't answer.' I typed.

'Will meet you tonight to talk, like we planned.' I typed again. With that, I put my phone back in my pocket, grabbed Rachel's bag and purse, and went into the hospital. The nurse at the front desk asked if she could help me. I told her what happened, she picked up her telephone, talked for a minute, then pointed me toward the Emergency room. I thanked her and walked that way. When I got there, everyone was sitting in the waiting room. Puck got up and came over to me.

"I know LeRoy told you that she made it here fine, but we haven't heard anything since then" he told me.

"Has anyone informed her dads about the situation?" I asked, looking toward them.

"Finn told them everything. He thought that Hiram was going to kill him, but LeRoy calmed him down" he said. "I think Hiram was happy to see me walk in with a busted lip though" he said smiling. That even made me smile a little. We walked back over to where they were sitting, and I sat down. I didn't sit next to Finn though. I knew that I had to control my anger, for Rachel, but God I hated that guy right now. We all sat quietly for the next half hour. Then finally the nurse asked us to go to the private waiting room, and said the doctor would be there soon to talk to us. We all got to the room, took our seats, and the doctor came in. Hiram and LeRoy got up and introduced themselves. Then I did the same. He asked us all to take our seats and began.

"Rachel is still currently unconscious. She and the babies are doing fine. I have been monitoring them for the last hour. Her blood pressure is higher than it should be, making me believe that she may be developing a condition called preeclampsia. It is very common in young mothers, and mothers carrying multiple children. I am going to run further tests to determine if that is the cause. However, I wanted to speak to all of you to find out what happened just before she fainted?" Dr. Wu said. Hiram spoke up first. He explained to Dr.Wu what had happened just before she fainted, and Dr.Wu looked upset.

"I believe that I explained to Mr. Hudson, and Mr. Puckerman how important it is that Rachel stay calm, and stress free during her pregnancy" he said, staring at Finn and Puck. They both looked at him guiltily and he continued. "Now that I am aware of the circumstances, it is much more likely that her blood pressure rose due to the stress of the situation that she was put in. It became to much for her, and she fainted. When her blood pressure rises due to stress, this can happen. Much worse can also happen, which is why I warned against stress, and overexertion at her first appointment. I am still going to run the tests for preeclampsia, but I suspect that her high blood pressure is just a result of the situation. I am going to transfer her to the maternity wing, and monitor her for several days. However, I highly suggest that everyone in this room put aside their anger, and learn to work together for the sake of Rachel and the babies. Otherwise, we could be looking at losing these babies, and possibly Rachel" said Dr.Wu in a firm voice. "Now, does anyone have any questions for me?" he asked.

"When will Rachel wake up?" I asked. He informed us that as soon as her blood pressure returned to normal levels, she should wake up. He also said that there could be no arguing or fighting in her presence. He said that it would take longer for her blood pressure to return to normal if we did. He said that he would be coming by to check on her several times a day. We all thanked him, and assured him that we would put our personal feelings aside for Rachel and the babies health. He said that as soon as they had her settled upstairs, we could go to visit her. He suggested one at a time, except for her dads. With that, he left, and we all sat back down to talk.

"I can't say that I'm very pleased with this situation" Hiram said. "I do however understand that all of you want to step up and do the right thing. And we would expect no less" he said. "I know that each of you will have an important part in Rachel's life now, and I will not interfere with that. I know my daughter well, and she would not have been intimate with any of you, without trusting you. So I will put aside my own personal feelings, and do what's right for my daughter" he said. LeRoy agreed with him, and they excused themselves so that we could talk to each other. I decided to go first, and make my feelings known right from the start.

"I am obviously aware that Rachel cheated on me. I'm not very happy about it, especially where your concerned Finn, but I am man enough to do the right thing now. I just need you both to understand and respect the fact that Rachel and I are still boyfriend and girlfriend. And not to interfere with that. If Rachel wants it to be different, then that's up to her, but until she says otherwise, that's how it is. Do we understand each other?" I said, mainly looking at Finn. They both agreed, but Finn looked like he wanted to punch me. Funny, I felt the same. We all shook hands, and agreed to get along for Rachel and the babies. We also agreed that her dads would obviously get to be the first ones to see her. Then we decided on Finn, Puck and myself, in that order. Unless Rachel woke up and specifically asked for one of us. I wanted to go last so that I could spend as much time with her as I could get. And maybe even convince the nurses to let me stay the night. I left Rachel's bag and purse with her dads, and gave them my phone number in case anything changed and they needed to reach me. I told them that I was going to run home to shower and change, then talk to my parents. They both shook my hand goodbye, and I left. I did need to go shower and change, but I also had to meet Shelby. Hopefully she would be somewhat understanding of everything.

Finn's POV

When I caught Rachel in my arms, my world stopped. I honestly didn't know what to think. My first thought was that she was losing the babies. Just the thought of that tore at my gut. I would never forgive myself if that happened, not to mention what it would do to her. Jesse seriously needed to watch it. Telling me to take my damn hands off his girlfriend, hah. He left her for over a week, and wouldn't even return her phone calls. What kind of boyfriend treats his girlfriend like that? I wanted to punch that smug look off his face then, just like I wanted to now. But honestly, he is right. I love Rachel, and I was trying to steal her back when I slept with her. Nevermind that she told me that she has deep feelings for Jesse. I just felt that if I could get her to be with me, that would be it. We would be back together. Never thinking about anyone's feelings, but my own. I still hate Jesse with a passion, but I of all people understand his anger. After what happened with Puck and Quinn, how could I not. I was so glad when Jesse left the hospital. They had already moved Rachel upstairs, and her dads were almost done with their visit. I was getting impatient waiting for my turn. Pacing back and forth in the waiting room.

"Chill man" Puck said. Trying to help me control my nerves. It didn't really help. Finally I saw Rachel's dads coming toward us. They walked in, and let us know that Rachel is still unconscious. They said that the nurse told them that she may not wake up until tomorrow. They said that they would be leaving for the night, but they would be back early tomorrow morning. We all exchanged phone numbers, and Puck and I thanked them for being so understanding. Finally it was my turn to see her. And now I was starting to chicken out. What if she woke up, and immediately asked for Jesse. That would just kill me.

"Go and see her now Finn. It's going to be alright you know" Puck said. He was right. Rachel and the babies were going to make it, and that was all that mattered right now. I turned and said goodbye to him, and pressed the button on the wall. They buzzed me in and pointed me to her room. Right away I felt relieved. She looked so beautiful and peaceful lying there. I heard the babies heartbeats right away, and I could see Rachel's on the monitor. I moved the chair to sit beside her bed, and held her hand.

"I love you so much, you know. If anything ever happened to you or the babies, I don't think I would survive. Please wake up. I don't care if you tell me that you love Jesse, and want to be with him. I just want you to come back. Like I told you before, I just need you in my life" I told her. She didn't respond by waking up, but I swear I saw her slightly smile. Wishful thinking, I guess. So I just laid my head down by her leg, and rested with her.

Jesse's POV

I had already made it home, showered, changed my clothes, and now I was on my to see Shelby. It had started to rain, so I slowed down a little to make sure that I didn't have an accident. When I pulled into the parking lot of Carmel High School, I saw her sitting in her car, waiting. Great, this was going to be dramatic. I could tell. I parked next to her, exited my car, and got into the passenger seat of hers, closing the door quickly behind me.

"Does she have the tape?" Shelby asked me.

"Not yet. Some things came up, and I didn't have the chance yet" I replied, sighing a little.

"What? She has to listen to it. That's the point of all this" she said with irritation.

"I'm doing my best. Look, when you told me to seduce her" I said, but she cut me off there.

"Befriend" her was the word I used actually" she said, looking at me with daggers.

"Whatever. The thing is I was into it, because I thought it would be a good acting exercise. But now I love her. I don't want her to get hurt" I said, trying to be honest with Shelby.

"Look, one more week, this will all be done. You can come back to Vocal Adrenaline where you belong" she replied, trying to ignore the fact that I just told her that I love Rachel.

"I don't understand why you don't just go up to her and say "Hi. My name's Shelby. I'm your mom. " I asked her.

"I signed a contract. I can't contact her until she's 18. She has to come to me. That's why she has to listen to the tape. Once she hears it, she won't be able to sleep until she finds me. I answered an ad in the paper. Nine months' work here would make me enough money to live in New York for two years. Her dads seemed like nice guys, so I went for it. I never got to hold her. And I only saw her for a second when they were cleaning her off. It was through a bunch of nurses but she turned her little head and she looked at me" she said, smiling at the memory. "I failed as an actress. My walls are lined with trophies instead of wedding pictures. But through all of that I only have one regret. You get her to listen to that tape" she said with venom in her voice.

"Look Shelby, I'm not sure that I can follow your plan anymore" I said to her, waiting for the reaction that I knew was coming.

"What? You will follow my plan, or I will ruin you" she shouted at me.

"I can't" I said looking right at her. "I can't because Rachel's pregnant, and I love her". The look on her face was like steel. She brought her hand back, and just slapped me. Damn that hurt. I had to rub my cheek to stop the pain.

"You little prick, you got MY daughter pregnant?" she screamed at me. "What the hell were you thinking?" she continued.

"Actually" I said, in a soothing voice, trying to calm her down. "We aren't sure yet who the father is. Yes, it might be mine, but it could also be Finn or Puck's" I said. "Rachel isn't a slut or anything. She just made some mistakes, because some ass went and made her feel bad about herself. There's more though" I continued.

"Oh, I have to hear this. And you better make sure you tell me the truth. I'm already very, very upset that this happened. I can't believe that you slept with her. Tell me everything, NOW" she demanded.

So I went back to the beginning and told her everything. When I told her Rachel is carrying triplets, I thought that she would slap me again. And when I said that Rachel is currently in the hospital, and revealed how it happened, she started to cry. She was ready for me to go back to the hospital to be with Rachel, but not before she gave me a warning. She told me that I better be serious about loving her daughter, because if I hurt Rachel, ever again, I would have to deal with her wrath. She also told me that I better keep her informed on everything that happens from this point on. But to be honest, she didn't have to say a word about me being in love with Rachel. In my heart, I know that she is the love of my life.

Finn's POV

I woke up a little startled, and then I remembered where I am. I looked at Rachel's face, and smiled. She was still unconscious, but she just looks like she's sleeping. Turning my head, I looked at the clock. Oh shit, I was sleeping for almost 2 hours. We made a deal, and now Puck won't get a chance to see her before he leaves tonight. I reluctantly stood up, leaned over, kissed Rachel on the lips, and whispered that I love her. I took her hand out of mine, and gently laid it on the bed.

"Sleep well my princess. I will be back to see you tomorrow. Hopefully you open those beautiful eyes then" I told her. Then I turned and walked out of her room, but not before turning just one more time to see her. I walked back to the door, pushed the button, and was buzzed out. I felt really bad when I walked back into the waiting room, and saw Puck sleeping in the chair. I nudged his shoulder, and he woke up.

"I'm really sorry Puck. I fell asleep in Rachel's room, and I took your visiting hour" I said apologetically.

"It's alright Finn. Your my best friend. After what I did, I owed it to you" he said. Just then Jesse walked in.

"How's Rachel?" he asked.

"About the same" I told him.

"Can I go back and see her now?" he asked.

"Yeah, just go over to those double doors, push the button, and they will buzz you in" I said. He said alright, and got buzzed in. I have to give myself credit for being so nice. It was really difficult

with Jesse. Probably because I know in my heart that Rachel has feelings for him too. I needed to go home and talk to my mom. So I asked Puck if he's ready. He needed to give me a ride back to Rachel's to get my car. He said that he's ready, so we left, which was really hard to do. I knew we would both be right back there tomorrow morning.

Rachel's POV

They were just standing there, holding out their hands. Finn was looking at me with such a big smile, that I was tempted to run to him. Noah put his hand down, and leaned his head toward Finn. That made me laugh uncontrollably. Of course Noah wanted me to go to Finn. But then I heard Jesse.

'Hello, is it me your looking for?

I can see it in your eyes,

I can see it in your smile,

You're all I've ever wanted, and my arms are open wide'

"Jesse" I yelled, looking for him. The fog was getting very thick, and I couldn't see him. Then he just appeared in front of me, holding out his hand to me. I took it, and he started singing to me again.

'Cause you know just what to say,

And you know just what to do,

And I want to tell you so much, I love you'

I kissed him then, with so much passion that it surprised me. When I opened my eyes to look at him, he seemed sad. Why was he sad? I didn't understand?

"I just want you here with me. Wake up darling" he said so sadly.

"But I am here" I said. It's like he didn't even hear me. Why didn't he hear me? I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping that he would see me when I opened them again. I opened them again, and was surprised.

"Where am I" I said, my voice sounding strange to me.

Jesse stood up quickly, still holding my hand. He yelled for a nurse.

"Thank God your back Rachel" he said with so much love in his eyes.

"I love you so much, I have to tell you that right now" he said.

The next thing I knew, a nurse came running in. She looked at me and smiled.

"It's very nice to see you Ms.Berry. It's so wonderful that you are awake" she said.