-Chapter 8-

Quinn breathed deep and smiled when she stepped into the familiar living room. Everything was the same it had been the first time she stepped into the house except for the addition to her picture on the wall next to Rachel's. Chuck helped her up the stairs to her room, Jim followed with Elizabeth, and Rachel brought up the rear with Quinn's bags. Jim placed the sleeping infant in her bassinet and Rachel started putting Quinn's things away and sorting laundry to wash. Quinn sat on the edge of her bed closest to the bassinet and watched over Elizabeth carefully.

There was an awkward silence before Quinn asked the question that had been plaguing her thoughts. "Did you talk to Finn?"

Rachel paused her laundry sorting for a second before responding. "I did, when he came by the hospital."

"I'll try to do some damage control when…"

"We broke up." Rachel continued sorting.

Quinn was stunned. "What? Why? I thought you were happy with him."

"I was happy with him and I do care about him. However, I'm just simply too high maintenance for him and I think it would be wise at this juncture of my life to focus on my ultimate goal. Julliard isn't going to accept me if I'm less than my best. Broadway only takes second-bests as understudies and Rachel Berry does not understudy…except when that crazy woman took over glee club, but it doesn't count. Anyways, Finn needs someone simpler, less demanding."

Quinn arched her eyebrow. "That's it?"

Rachel sighed and joined Quinn on the blonde's bed. She looked down at the bedspread and fidgeted with the hem of her skirt. "He wasn't exactly ecstatic with what happened at the hospital. I don't think I reacted in a way that he thought was appropriate."

"This is my fault," Quinn sighed. "I'm so sorry, Rachel."

"It wasn't just about you, Quinn. Finn and I just aren't a good match, it's that simple. I care about him a lot but…" Rachel bit her lip and glanced up at Quinn then back down to the bedspread. "But I don't think it's something I can't get over. You didn't do anything wrong."

"But if I hadn't run my mouth off…"

Rachel looked up and shook her head. "I should've reacted more dramatically, I suppose. When he tried to bring it up I just pushed him away, I think he was angry that neither of us ever told him. I guess I've just kind of gotten used to the idea so I didn't see it as being a big deal."

"Does that mean…"

"Quinn, I said I'm used to it. Please don't look any further than that, okay?"

"Just checking. I really am sorry though, Rach. Not just for that but for ignoring you."

"I'm sorry, too. The door swung both ways; I was ignoring you, too. But listen, all that matters is that you and Elizabeth are home, safe and sound where you belong. Mr. Schuester has been designated as your tutor, when school resumes he'll be coming in to give you your assignments and get you through the school work while you recuperate. According to my calculations your four to six weeks of recovery will allow you to come back to school for the week of finals. Until then we'll look for childcare for that week."

Quinn sighed and looked over at the bassinet where Elizabeth was stirring. "I don't know if I can do this, Rachel."

"You won't be doing it alone. You'll have plenty of help this summer if you want to continue working at the furniture store and I know Noah is willing to take her on weekends every now and then when you're ready."

Quinn nodded and lay back against her pillows. Rachel finished sorting through her laundry and pressed a kiss to the sleeping blonde's forehead before leaving her to rest.

……………

"Please Lizzy…please stop crying," Quinn sighed. She looked down at her clock and groaned. It was four in the morning and Elizabeth had been crying for over half an hour despite having been fed, burped, and changed. The baby was three weeks old now and Quinn had never had this much trouble getting her quieted down. Quinn paced back and forth in her bedroom rocking the inconsolable infant until her door opened.

"I'm so sorry Rachel…she just won't stop…I've tried everything. I'll take her downstairs…"

"Give her to me, go to my room and lay down." Rachel held out her arms.

Quinn was too tired to reject help so she handed the baby off to Rachel and headed for the door. She closed the door almost all the way but stopped and looked through the crack at the brunette cradling the small infant. Rachel brushed her fingertips over Elizabeth's forehead. Quinn had watched Rachel with Elizabeth before but the brunette was usually quiet, sometimes she would hum softly or giggle at a face or noise the baby would make. Rachel obviously had no idea Quinn was still listening when she started to talk.

"Okay my little gold star," Rachel said softly. "What shall it be tonight, hm? We did Barbra yesterday while Mommy was at the doctor. I think we should go for a little Defying Gravity, don't you?"

Rachel started singing and Quinn smiled. She decided that this was her second most favorite sound in the entire world right behind Elizabeth's first cry. Elizabeth quieted down quickly and only let out an occasional whimper by the time Rachel got to the second verse. Quinn made her way to Rachel's room and crawled into the brunette's bed. She inhaled the scent of Rachel before falling asleep.

Quinn woke up a few hours later, slightly confused as to why she was in Rachel's room. She went to her own and saw Rachel curled up in the middle of her bed, face buried in a pillow and snoring lightly. Quinn shook her head and knew Rachel would never admit to the snoring but she made a note to tease the brunette about it as often as possible. Elizabeth was starting to stir in her bassinet and Quinn quickly picked up the infant and rocked her. She looked over at Rachel who hadn't moved and shook her head. She didn't have the heart to wake her and so Quinn let Rachel sleep while she left to feed Elizabeth.

……………

Quinn cried when she took Elizabeth to stay with the wife of one of Jim's business partners the first day she had to go back to school. She had special permission from Principal Figgins to leave school during lunch to go see the baby; Jim picked her up on his lunch break to take her over. She cried again after lunch when she had to leave. Rachel announced an emergency glee meeting on the last day of school and everyone delegated out babysitting schedules and rules so Quinn could still work and Rachel could get breaks. Brittany, Santana, and Kurt took Mondays; Tina, Mercedes and Artie called Wednesdays. Puck agreed to take her Fridays and weekends when Quinn was comfortable with it. Finn was still stand-offish but said he would help out on Mondays and Wednesdays when he could. Mike and Matt would both be at football camp all summer but they made everyone swear to send them pictures and video.

The schedule ran smoothly all summer. On days when Elizabeth went on outings with the gleeks they showed up at eight o'clock sharp and her car seat was buckled in to whoever's vehicle they're taking. If it was Brittany, Santana, and Kurt they usually took her to the baby store and Kurt splurged on designer outfits. She was definitely the best dressed baby in Lima and probably the entire state of Ohio. Thanks to Brittany, Elizabeth had already amassed a collection of ducks, both stuffed and rubber. It wasn't until the end of June that Santana agreed to hold her again but only if the Latina was thoroughly covered.

Tina, Mercedes, and Artie usually ended up at Mercedes' house and they would listen to old vinyls of Aretha Franklin and The Supremes since Mercedes was sure that all Elizabeth listened to at the Berry's house was the soundtrack to Wicked. On days when it wasn't too hot, they would fit Artie with the baby carrier and go around the park.

Puck wasn't entirely sure what to do so Rachel and Quinn came up with a list of baby-suitable activities. Usually he'd read to her or listen to music. Sometimes, if one of his customers was scheduled for a pool cleaning on a Friday, he would take Elizabeth with him and if the customer wasn't home he'd change her into the swimsuit that he bought her and take her in the pool, making sure to hold her tight against his chest so she didn't slip away.

Despite being the one that created the babysitting schedule to give herself a break since she had Elizabeth to herself on Tuesdays and Thursdays it became normal for Rachel to join the other glee kids on their outings with baby Elizabeth. On the days when it was just the two of them Rachel would of course play plenty of music from Broadway's finest while she twirled around the house with Elizabeth nuzzled to her chest in the baby carrier. The brunette's MySpace videos featured Elizabeth more often than not now; the baby just gurgling and cooing and Rachel swearing she was a star in the making because of her very strong set of lungs. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence for Quinn and Chuck to come home and find Rachel on the couch, Funny Girl on the TV, with Elizabeth sleeping peacefully on Rachel's chest.