Puck leant in close to the incubator where his daughter lay, his index finger was still grasped tightly in her small hand and he wiggled it slightly as he spoke to her.
"I'm going to be right back," he said soothingly to the little girl, his head resting against the cool plastic container, his eye fixed on her tiny form. "I promise."
He paused for a moment, a heavy sigh escaping his lips.
"It's just…your mom," he continued. "She needs me right now and I have to go and be with her."
He closed his eyes momentarily, still jiggling his daughters' hand with his finger soothingly.
"You should know," he carried on, his voice breaking slightly. "That she loves you. I know she does…I think…. I think she's just scared to admit it."
Puck opened his eyes again to look at his daughter.
"I want you to know that, whatever happens, I love you too." Puck admitted. "That'll I'll never stop thinking about you."
The teenager watched the little girl for a moment to confirm that she was settled before gently removing his index finger from her grasp and looking towards Mr Schuester who was sitting patiently beside him. Puck was just about to speak, when the ICU nurse who had been looking after Quinn appeared outside the automatic NICU doors.
Puck frowned for a minute in confusion before quickly being consumed by an unsettling concern for Quinn. He stood quickly from his chair, Will following his worried gaze and standing slowly beside him on noticing the brunette talking to a doctor outside who was nodding in response to her words.
The dark haired teenager made to walk towards the door, but Will held him still, a firm hand on his chest.
The pair watched as the brunette entered through the automatic doors and made her way over towards them. She had a smile on her face that told them Quinn was fine. Will sensed Puck relax beside him and he patted the teenager gently on the chest before dropping his hand from where it'd been holding him.
"What's going on?" Puck asked puzzled.
"It's time for this little one to meet her mom," she said placing her hand carefully on the incubator.
"I don't understand," Puck, replied, still uncertain. "I didn't think Quinn wanted to see her."
"Seems that she's hand a change of heart," The brunette said smiling warmly.
A large smile spread over Puck's face and he turned to Mr Schuester for confirmation that he hadn't imagined the nurse's words.
Will smiled at the teenager, substantiating the brunette's words.
The nurse disconnected wires and cables from around the incubator and removing the nasal cannulae from the baby's nose before beginning to move it gently towards the door.
"Wait," Puck said suddenly worried again, causing the nurse to stop in her tracks. "Is it alright to move her? I mean…shouldn't she stay here?"
"She's fine," the nurse reassured him. "It's safer for her to go to Quinn then vice versa. She's just being monitored in here because she's slightly premature, but otherwise she's a perfectly healthy baby."
"What about the oxygen?" Puck asked unconvinced. "She needs that right?"
"She was a little hypoxic on delivery," the nurse replied, "but her oxygen saturations have improved since then. She should be fine without it."
"Should be?" Puck questioned.
"Don't worry," the nurse encouraged him. "Your daughter will be fine. I promise."
Puck looked hesitantly at Will who patted him lightly on the shoulder.
"She knows what she's doing Puck," Will persuaded the teenager.
Puck thought for a moment before nodding in approval.
On the teenagers say, the nurse began to manoeuvre the incubator towards the door, Puck and Will following after her.
Together the small group walked up the corridor towards the ICU where Quinn was still being monitored. Outside, the nurse paused momentarily, instructing the two of them to gown up.
"That's ok," Will said when the nurse offered him a new yellow gown to put on. "I'm not going in."
"You're not?" Puck asked his teacher.
"No," Will answered, "You don't need me in there. I'll go and wait with the others."
"Mr Shue," Puck said as Will made a move to leave.
"Yeah," he said turning back to face Puck.
"Would you mind waiting here?" he asked.
Will exchanged a questioning look with the ICU nurse who nodded in response.
"Of course," he promised. "I'll be right here."
"Thanks," Puck said gratefully, pulling on a pair of gloves. "Just in case…"
Puck left the sentence hanging between them and Will felt a small smile creep into the corners of his mouth.
"It'll be ok," he assured him.
Puck glanced through the glass doors in the direction of Quinn's bed, a troubled look on his face, which told Will, the teenager wasn't so sure.
The nurse gently pushed the door open with her back, pulling the incubator into the room after her. Puck followed closely behind her, throwing one last uneasy look at Will before the automatics doors shut behind him and the teacher was left alone outside.
Once inside, Puck looked to where Quinn's bed was located, noticing for the first time, a tall blonde haired woman who he'd never seen before but who, he noted, had amazing legs on display from beneath her black pinstriped skirt.
The woman looked too young to be Quinn's mom, but he did remember her talking about an older sister once after a hushed phone call at his house.
The nurse paused a short distance from the bed and turned towards Puck who stopped alongside her.
"Do you want to see her first?" she asked. "Before I bring over the baby?"
Puck glanced back towards the bed. Quinn was sitting up but her eyes were closed resting.
He nodded to the nurse and began to make his way towards the girl who could make his heart melt with one single look.
Puck inhaled deeply as he approached the bedside, the tall blonde turning her attention towards him. He avoided her gaze, instead looking towards the other blonde, who pulled her oxygen mask down around her neck as she watched him, her eyes tired and tear stained.
"Hey," Puck said dropping his gaze slightly, embarrassed.
"You came back," Quinn, said surprise in her voice.
"Of course I did," he said taking up her hand in his. "Even an egghead knows when he's being an idiot."
Quinn smiled to herself at his words, recollecting when she'd first called him an egghead in the home economics room at school. Puck had given her $18 towards stuff for the baby, it hadn't been much, but she remembered being touched by his intention.
Puck turned back towards the tall blonde who was watching the exchange, a questioning look on her face.
"I'm Puck," he said offering her his hand.
Jennifer took it firmly, meeting his gaze levelly, trying to size the teenager up.
"Jennifer," she replied shaking it for a second too long and unsettling Puck. "Quinn's sister."
"Puck is..." Quinn began to explain.
"It's ok," Jennifer said turning back to her sister her voice flat. "I already know who he is."
"You do?" Quinn asked worriedly.
"Yeah," Jennifer replied. "Puck's the father and you've been living with him and his family for the last few months."
Jennifer turned back towards Puck who looked intimidated by her sudden attention.
"Is that about right?" she asked him.
Puck exchanged a scared glance with Quinn before meeting her sisters' gaze again and managing to say, "Yes."
Jennifer laughed to herself at Pucks' frightened expression.
"Well, that was fun." She said finally causing Puck to look at her confused.
She leant down to kiss Quinn on the forehead.
"I'll be outside," she said warmly, turning to smile mischievously at Puck.
Puck smiled half-heartedly, not sure what to make of the tall blonde who was walking towards the automatic doors, her back to him. He turned back towards Quinn who was watching him with an amused expression on her face.
"Ok so I'm a little terrified of her," he admitted, taking a seat beside Quinn's bed and picking up her hand again.
"She's just messing with you," Quinn said a small smile on her lips.
"Well she's pretty good at it," Puck noted.
They were silent for a moment, Puck looking at his hands wrapped protectively around Quinn's. He stroked the top of her hand gently with his thumb feeling her soft skin beneath his and smiling to himself.
He looked up to find her watching him closely, her expression neutral.
"I brought someone to see you," he said turning and glancing momentarily back at the nurse who was standing beside the incubator patiently. "Is that ok?"
"It's ok," Quinn nodded slightly in response.
Puck squeezed her hand comfortingly a small smile on his face as the nurse came over with their daughter. For a moment, the brunette fiddled with the clasp on the incubator, removing the plastic lid and picking the little girl up in her arms, her form wrapped securely in a blanket.
She handed her gently to Puck, who held her cautiously, inexperienced.
"Hold her head," the nurse coached him.
Puck moved his arm slightly, cradling the little girls head supportively. The girl stirred slightly in his arms and Puck rocked her gently, turning towards Quinn, a huge smile on his face. For a moment, Quinn seemed uncertain, but as Puck turned his body slightly towards her, she caught a proper glimpse of her daughter and she smiled too.
"She's so small," Quinn said in awe.
"She's perfect," Puck replied gently rocking her from side to side.
"Is she ok?" Quinn asked the nurse who was standing beside Puck.
"She's completely healthy," the nurse informed her warmly.
"Are you sure?" Quinn questioned.
"Yes," the nurse confirmed. "She may have had a bit of a traumatic entrance to the world but she's doing fine."
Quinn smiled, looking back at the sleeping baby in Puck's arms.
"Do you want to hold her?" Puck asked Quinn smiling.
Quinn nodded, seemingly speechless and Puck slowly stood from his seat to hand the baby over to her.
The blonde rested the little girl gently in the crook of her arm.
"You're a natural," the nurse said encouragingly before leaving them alone with their daughter.
Puck leant over the cot side, stroking his daughters' forehead gently with his thumb.
"Hi little one," Quinn cooed her softly. "I'm your mom."
Puck took Quinn's free hand in his own, lifting it towards his mouth and kissing it lightly.
"Look at her Puck," Quinn said in wonder.
"She's amazing," Puck replied watching Quinn who was completely lost in their daughter. "You're amazing."
Quinn glanced towards him; saw him watching her, a serene look on his face.
"You look happy," she said smiling.
"So do you," he countered.
Quinn looked back at her daughter, putting her finger in her tiny hand and playing with it absent-mindedly.
"I can't believe this is her," Quinn said looking back at him. "That she's here, that we actually did it."
"You did it," he said brushing a stray hair out of her eyes. "She is all you Quinn."
Quinn met his eyes as he leant in closer to her and she remembered that night, the way he'd looked at her, how'd she'd lost herself in his eyes, in the emotion she'd seen there. She could see it now, that same yearning for her, that vulnerability and helplessness he rarely displayed in public.
"She's ours," Quinn responded smiling.
Puck felt his eyes moisten at her words and he closed the distance between them, kissing Quinn lightly on the lips. She kissed him back, her soft lips gentle against his own. Puck held her there for a moment, his heart already aching at the thought of being separated.
Finally he let her go, pulling back slowly, his eyes searching for hers. To his surprise she was looking at him, her eyes just as enthralling as they'd always been, stealing his breath, his heart once again.
Puck stood up, wanting to be closer to her, to them. He needed her contact to comfort him, to reassure him that things were going to be all right. He wanted her to feel that to, to convey to her, without words that he was there, that he always would be.
Carefully, Puck lowered the cot side down, glancing cautiously at the nurse across the room that appeared as though she wanted to say something to stop him, but thought better of it. Slowly he sat on the bed beside Quinn, wrapping his arm protectively around her and their daughter and pulling them into his chest, closer to his heart.
His kissed Quinn's forehead gently as she looked up at him, tears in her eyes. She loved their baby, just like he did, but neither of them knew what to do for the best. He kissed her forehead again; stroke her hair with one hand as he gently stroked their daughters face with the other.
They sat like this for a while, content to say nothing, to just be in each other's presence, to be with their daughter for the first and possibly last time until finally the silence was broken by Quinn's soft, emotional voice, singing to their daughter.
"Just like a star across my sky,
Just like an angel off the page,
You have appeared to my life,
Feel like I'll never be the same,
Just like a song in my heart,
Just like oil on my hands,
Honour to love you…"