A/N: Hi lovelies! Bet you didn't expect to see me back so soon, huh? Now that I'm back into it, I can't seem to go away haha.

IMPORTANT: Right, so I know that my actual words were literally, "don't worry, there will be no Dantana here," but fair warning if I don't rein it in ASAP this is gonna become a threesome fic REAL QUICK so if ya'll are violently opposed better holler right now.

This was one of the few situations, Brittany thought, for which Lord Tubbington would be unable to provide her with guidance. At the very least, he might be able to offer some comfort, but at the moment he was probably napping in her parents' house, miraculously still thriving though he was growing on twenty-five.

No, this was something that she would have to figure out herself. Santana was at work, finally having returned after taking a small break to accommodate Quinn's homecoming. They'd managed to arrange their schedules to suit them both so that one of them would always be home with Quinn but so that they could also both retain some time to remain functioning adults. The downside to that was that it meant whoever was home with her had to avert any crisis single-handedly.

That was usually Brittany's forte, most often because she chose to let them wash over her in the hopes that they wouldn't stick, but today was different. Track record or no, ignoring Quinn's raging fever and hacking cough didn't seem like an appropriate course of action. That would mean neglecting Quinn, and too many people, Brittany knew, had done just exactly that.

It was why she was now faced with this dilemma, reclining on the living room couch with a grumbly, feverish Quinn sprawled over her and Yours, Mine, and Ours playing in the background. When Santana had left for work this morning, Brittany had been excited at the prospect of spending some one-on-one time with Quinn. The morning had gone fairly well considering her little girl was sick; she'd made pancakes for her, played Laura Ingalls Wilder after reading aloud to her from Little House in the Big Woods, and taught her how to successfully draw a cat.

Shortly after noon, though, Quinn's fever had made itself known once more, this time settling at a steady 103, and her cough had returned with a vengeance. They'd been having her nurse at night because keeping her calm and in one position had soothed the cough enough to let her sleep. That wouldn't work now, though; it was going on four thirty, Quinn's nap time had passed, and bottle-feeding just didn't offer what Quinn needed for a calming connection.

She'd tried everything; she'd brought out the Tylenol, cool washrags, popsicles, cough drops, and about twenty home remedies, but so far, nothing was working. She'd even considered, in a moment of helplessness, calling Santana at work and asking her to come home, but stopped herself when she realized that it wasn't as though she could do anything to help. The problem was, though, that Quinn was utterly miserable. She seemed to be in tremendous pain from the coughing, and Brittany was worried about her fever. Santana wouldn't even get off work for another half hour, and then it was nearly an hour's commute home; she would have to figure something out herself.

"Mommy?" Brittany raised her head when Quinn whimpered. She winced a bit, the girl's elbows digging into her ribs as she squirmed on top of her. "Mommy, hot." Brittany's heart broke a little at the pitiful tone in her voice; her throat was raspy from the continuous coughing.

"I know, sweetheart," she soothed, rubbing a hand down the little girl's back. "I know it's hot, baby. Do you want another bath?" Quinn started to shake her head, then paused and nodded.

"Don't know," she mumbled grouchily. "Hot." Brittany nodded, already trying to prop herself up.

"Yeah, let's get you in the bath," she decided. "Up you go, honey." Quinn whimpered out a noise of protest as they shifted, sparking another coughing fit. Brittany pulled her in to adjust her to a better position before hefting her into her arms and standing with hardly a stagger. Thank god she'd kept up dancing; those muscles were finally being put to practical use — other than some unspeakable ones definitely not fit for Quinn's ears.

Being careful not to swing Quinn's head into the doorway, Brittany carried her down the hall to the bathroom, where she set her down on the toilet lid in order to draw the bath. When it was running cool, she left it to fill and turned her attention to undressing Quinn.

"Skin's prickly," Quinn complained as Brittany pulled her shirt over her head. "Hurts."

"I bet it does, sweetheart," Brittany agreed, remembering the painful feeling her skin would get when she was feverish. "Let's get you in the cool water and maybe you'll feel a little bit better, okay?" Quinn didn't respond, which she took as passive agreement; when the tub had filled, she outstretched her arms. "In you go," she ordered cheerfully, and tried not to wince at the baking heat radiating off the girl's skin.

Quinn sank into the water with a little hiss. The first few times they'd done this, she'd wanted bubbles, but now she was so thoroughly miserable that she seemed to have no more interest. That alone was raising enough red flags in Brittany's mind to have her seriously concerned.

Yet another round of coughing shook the little girl, and instantly, Brittany was leaning over, using her hands to steady her. Struggling to regain her breath, Quinn looked up at her with tears brimming in her glassy eyes.

"Mommy, make it stop." There was something so pitiful about her tone, so helpless and desperate, that Brittany suddenly couldn't take it anymore. It was enough for anyone she loved to be sick and uncomfortable, but Quinn had been suffering her whole life. She hated to watch her be miserable when there was something, anything, that she could do to help. "Mommy, pwease," Quinn pleaded again, and Brittany had had enough.

"Hold on just a minute, baby," she tried to pacify her, digging through her back pocket for her phone. "Mommy's going to help. Mommy's going to try to call Rachel and see if she can do something for us, okay?" Shivering through another cough, Quinn sniffled.

"'Tay."

"Will you be okay for just a minute while I talk?"

"'Tay," Quinn mumbled again. Her head had dropped onto her knees, which she hugged against her chest, goosebumps spreading all along her skin. With her free hand while she dialed, Brittany smoothed her damp hair back from her eyes.

Rachel picked up on the second ring.

"Brittany?"

"Rachel." She'd never had quite the tenuous relationship with Rachel as Santana had, but Brittany didn't know when she'd ever been this glad to hear the diva's voice. "Rachel, is there any way that you could do me a massive favor?" She was half-aware that she, too, was pleading, but she was distracted by trying to hold Quinn up through another rough of wracking coughs. "Quinn's sicker, and she's feeling awful, and I've tried everything, and nothing's working. Her fever's higher and the coughing's worse and I can't figure out what to do. I don't know if you know anything — "

"Of course!" Rachel sounded as certain as always beneath her obvious concern for Quinn. "I don't know if I — well, there's a phone call I can try to make that will be the best thing, if all goes well. She doesn't usually do this, but maybe — "

"Maybe what?" Brittany attempted to ask, but Rachel was already too far down her train of thought to register it.

"I'm going to hang up and make a quick call," she said determinedly. "I'll call you right back." With that, she hung up, leaving Brittany staring at the phone in bewilderment.

Fewer than five minutes later, the phone rang again, and Brittany fumbled so quickly to answer that she nearly dropped it in the bathtub.

"Rachel?"

"Practice hours were just ending, but I managed to catch her before she left the office," Rachel rattled off. "She doesn't usually make house calls, but I figured she might make an exception for you three, and she did."

"Who?" Brittany finally managed to get in edgewise. "Rachel, who did you call?"

"Dani," Rachel said without a beat. "I know she's taken a special liking to the three of you, so I had a feeling she'd be accommodating. She's on her way over right now; she said she should be there in about twenty-five minutes." Brittany sat back on her heels and allowed her head to drop on her knees in a mirror image of her daughter in the bathtub.

"Rachel, thank you," she said fervently. She could practically see Rachel waving it off.

"Don't even mention it. It's never any trouble for that sweet little girl of yours. Besides, Dani's the one you should thank, not me," she added. "Tell her I owe her drinks and a free front-row seat to my next matinee." Exhausted as she was, Brittany managed a chuckle.

"Will do, Rachel," she granted, before hanging up and leaning over to stroke a hand along Quinn's shoulders. "Did you hear that, Quinnie? Doctor Dani's going to come take care of you. She's being very nice to take her own time to come and see you." Sniffling again, Quinn raised her head slowly and blinked blearily at her mommy.

"Make feel better?" she asked plaintively. Brittany cracked a smile.

"Yes, honey," she confirmed tiredly. "I hope so."

A knock at the door sounded just as Brittany was finishing getting Quinn into her pajamas. She'd already sent an explanatory text to Santana, who had replied that she would expected to be home in an hour and a half. Consequently, she knew that the visitor had to be Dani, and hurried to open the door without even checking to see if she was presentable.

She threw the door open to reveal Dani, still in her scrubs, bouncing on the doorstep on the balls of her feet.

"Hi!" the doctor greeted brightly, swinging her bag down off her shoulder. "May I come in? I hope I'm not late." Brittany stepped back, relieved.

"Of course — it's wonderful of you to do this; thank you so much for taking the time," she said gratefully. Stepping inside, Dani waved it off.

"It's nothing at all," she assured her. "My job is taking care of kids; I wouldn't be able to rest knowing that there was a kid who needed my help."

Dani had noticed the warm atmosphere immediately upon stepping into the apartment. From where she was standing in the entryway, she could only see a little way into the living room and kitchen in either direction, but already she'd gotten the feeling that this was a homey place, well-loved and comfortable. Brittany, in her yoga pants and looking much the part of a harried new parent, had her smiling without even thinking about it. The first time she'd spoken with the little family, she'd taken an immediate liking to them; Brittany and Santana, young as they were, had hearts big enough to change a young woman's life beyond all comprehension.

That wasn't to mention that Quinn was unbelievably adorable.

"Where is she?" she wanted to know, looking to Brittany for guidance. "Rachel said on the phone that you were worried her fever was going up so you probably had her in another bath."

"I did," Brittany confirmed, beckoning her to come in further so that she could shut the door. "It read 103 the last time I checked, and that was an hour and a half ago. I've had her in three cool baths already today, but it doesn't seem to be doing much." As she spoke, she led Dani through the living room towards what Dani presumed was the back hall towards the bedrooms. Though small, Dani noted that apartment was comfortable and well-kept, with a number of Quinn's toys scattered throughout the living room.

"I took her out of the bath again a few minutes after Rachel called," Brittany continued, reaching the doorway of the first room on the left. "I was just getting her back into her pajamas when you showed up." Nodding in acknowledgment as she entered the bedroom, Dani took in the scene presented to her.

If Quinn wasn't well-treated before, she realized immediately that this arrangement must have come as something of a shock to the system. From floor to ceiling, the little room was decked out in full nursery apparel — shelves of children's books, drawings, baskets of toys, a mobile, and a bed made up complete with jungle animal sheets. On the bed, curled into a compact little ball with her thumb in her mouth, lay Quinn. Her stuffed lion was clutched tightly to her chest.

Hearing footsteps enter the room, Quinn's eyes fluttered open. Her head was swimming, but she could make out the figures of her Mommy and someone else, not Mama, but another blonde woman, shorter than her Mommy by a good head and wearing funny matching clothes . . .

Doctor Dani.

Seeing who her Mommy had brought, Quinn struggled to sit up, only to fall back with a whimper as a cough chafed her lungs. Brittany moved forward immediately to hold her while Dani, clearly seeing the severity of the situation, quickly set down her bag.

"Hi there, sweetheart," she greeted cheerfully as she moved towards the bed. "You're feeling pretty sick today, huh?" Leaning away from the blazing heat of Brittany's body, Quinn nodded through teary eyes. The back of Dani's hand was already pressed lightly to her forehead; at the feeling of hot skin against hers, she closed her eyes. Normally, she didn't like being touched by anyone but Rachel or her mommies, but she'd had enough good encounters with Dani that she trusted her. Besides, Mommy had said that Dani would help her feel better, and right now, Quinn wanted that more than ever.

"You do feel very warm, sweetheart, so I'm going to take your temperature just to see what we're dealing with, okay?" Quinn decided that she liked Dani's voice; it was low and soft, a little rough but in the sort of way that the mane of her stuffed lion was silky and the rest of it fuzzier. It had a comforting feel to it, like if it were something solid she might like to hug it in order to fall asleep.

Quinn also registered, vaguely, that fever brain was setting in; everything around her was beginning to feel a little surreal.

"I need you to open your mouth, honey, so I can get the thermometer in," Dani was saying, but Quinn wasn't quite present enough to fully take in the command. Dizzily, she was aware that she needed to be doing something, but opted for blinking at the blur that was Dani's shoulder instead. A moment later, she felt something brushing lightly against her lips. Instinctively, she opened her mouth and latched on, and she heard Dani chuckle. "Not quite, little one. Open up a little more."

Brittany watched, impressed, as Dani managed to work the thermometer into Quinn's mouth beside her index finger.

"How did you know to do that?" she wondered. Now holding the thermometer in place between her thumb and finger, not trusting Quinn to do so herself, Dani kept her attention on the little girl in front of her.

"It's because she's nursing," she explained simply. "It's how you encourage a baby to latch on, by brushing against their lips. Since she's in the habit of it, it's instinctive." Brittany's eyes were fastened on Quinn; her eyes were closed, her head supported by the doctor's other hand. For someone whose fingers were being sucked on, Dani looked distinctly unperturbed.

"Don't you mind getting slobbered on?" The words were out of Brittany's mouth before she could really think of saying them; a moment later, she realized how silly she must have sounded. Predictably, Dani let out a little laugh and sent her an amused glance.

"I'm a pediatrician, Brittany," she said with an indulgent smile. "If I had a problem with having my hands in kids' mouths, I would have found myself another job. And don't worry; I washed my hands," she added knowingly. Brittany shrugged.

"I wasn't worried," she said easily, and it was true; she hadn't been. After getting over her initial fears regarding how any stranger might treat someone like Quinn, she'd acquired a deep and abiding trust in the young doctor Rachel had somehow managed to dig out of the woodwork. She'd dealt with her fair share of bad doctors in her time, too, but she'd seen more than enough to know that Dani wasn't one of them. She was patient and understanding and willing to listen, and she'd never once shown any sign of judgment. She'd only ever been helpful and sweet, and she'd treated Quinn so carefully that it just about made Brittany ache. Sometimes it was overwhelming enough for Brittany to think about how Quinn's life must have changed since she'd met them, but to watch a stranger interact with her so kindly hit home how the world really did hold its fair share of good people. It made her feel hopeful for a world in which Quinn wouldn't feel so alone and ashamed to be who she was.

Quinn's eyes were closed in contentment. A fevered flush rested blotchily on her cheeks, but at the moment her breathing was deep and even. With her baby-fine hair lying in soft curls against her cheeks, Brittany thought she was the picture of childhood innocence. And here she was, finally able to experience that truly for the first time in a safe home with loving parents. That wasn't even all; there were still more people dedicated to providing her with a good life — as evidenced by the young woman patiently allowing her to suckle on her fingertips.

Having reached the four-minute mark, Dani managed to remove the thermometer but allowed her fingers to remain when Quinn whined a little in protest. Brittany leaned over when she noted the frown on the doctor's face.

"What is it?" she questioned worriedly.

"She's at one-ought-four," Dani replied; her tone was even, but Brittany could sense her concern. "I'm going to listen to her lungs and see what's going on, but I'm glad that Rachel called; this little lady isn't doing so hot." Her words lilted upwards reassuringly as she turned her focus back to Quinn, stroking a hand through her hair. Quinn grumbled a little at the attention, shifting on the bed. "You want to sit up for me, kiddo?" she coaxed sweetly. "Let's see what we can do about that cough." With another mumble of contentment, Quinn's eyes blinked blearily open.

She was still dizzy, though less so now that she had been lying down. With the hand smoothing her hair back, though, she'd grown a little drowsy and lost track of the conversation for a minute, dipping in and out of sleep. Now it took her a moment to reorient herself. Mommy was here, she knew; Mama was still at work, but Mommy had said that she would be home soon. And here was Dani, up close and in-focus with her kind, knowing eyes.

Dani was kneeling next to the bed, her open bag at her side. With her scrub shirt still on, she retained an air of professionalism, but there was something soft about the way that she was looking at her charge that Quinn felt wash over her like one of her mommies' warm hugs. A wisp of baby hair had come loose from her ponytail; between that and the gentle smile she was sporting, Quinn could sense an air of ease and tenderness about her.

"You're spacing out, huh?" Dani laughed, seeing her waver a little. "That's okay. Let's get you sitting up, though. Brittany, could you help me out?" Brittany blinked, not anticipating being called to attention. She'd been so absorbed in watching the two in front of her interact that she hadn't really been listening.

Dani was watching her expectantly; swiftly, she moved to the doctor's side.

"Sorry," she said quickly. "How do you want her?"

"Just sitting normally; I need to be able to reach her lower back. She might not be able to hold herself up, so you might have to support her," Dani instructed. When Quinn squirmed a little, she took the opportunity to free her fingers from the little girl's mouth. Then, at her signal, Brittany slipped her arms beneath Quinn and, with a little heavy, managed to maneuver her into a somewhat upright position.

Quinn didn't protest as Dani and her mommy moved her, but she was grateful for her mommy's strong arms supporting her; she didn't quite feel in control enough of her own muscles to do it herself. She didn't feel well. She could almost feel the heat off her own skin, and she was clammy in her Winnie-the-Pooh pajamas. The whole world felt hot and woozy and wrong, like when she used to wake up needing a hug after a nightmare but knowing that Judy would never give her one.

One of Dani's arms was around her now as her hand moved beneath her pajama shirt to press the stethoscope to her back, and Quinn leaned into her touch. She jumped a little, though, as the cold disk met her skin. Both women laughed; Dani was listening, now, and her eyes flickered up to Quinn's.

"Deep breaths for me, honey," she instructed, and Quinn obeyed. Something in her chest crackled after a moment, though, and her lungs felt constricted, as though that extra-tight hair tie her mommy wore had been fastened around her body. Dani frowned a little in concentration, moving the disk up. "Another." Again, Quinn complied, and then again when Dani moved to her chest.

At last, the doctor moved back, and Quinn's tense muscles relaxed in the absence of the cold metal against her burning skin. Even the sheets felt cool; right now, everything that touched her made her skin feel like it was going to shatter.

"I'm hearing definite signs of bronchitis," Dani was saying to Brittany, and Quinn tuned in a bit more. "She's rattling a bit on the lower left and upper right; it doesn't sound too bad right now, but we definitely want to catch it before it gets any worse." Brittany, to Quinn's eyes, was wearing an expression of deep concern.

"Antibiotics?" she questioned, and Dani nodded.

"If I can hop on your wifi for a moment, I'll send in a prescription right now, and maybe you can have Santana stop on her way home and pick it up," she suggested; Brittany nodded. "Unfortunately, though," Dani continued, "she's going to have to swallow the pills; they definitely don't make adult doses in liquid form, and a kid's dose won't cut it. Will she be okay doing that?" Brittany hummed.

"We'll figure something out," she answered simply. They would; so far, Quinn had proved fairly easy to trick into doing important things she didn't want to do, perhaps because her adult self was subconsciously aware of their necessity. If all else failed, they could call out Big Quinn for a moment to reach an understanding.

"I'll send it right out, then. The Rite-Aid around the corner, I'm presuming?" Confirming that, Brittany gave her the wifi password, and within a few minutes, Dani shut her laptop with a nod. "All right, I've filled it out. If you want to have Santana stop, you can start the first dose tonight. Just make sure it's been twelve hours when you give it to her tomorrow morning." Watching Dani's movements as she pulled away, Quinn had a quick flash of the first time they'd met, when Dani had given the stethoscope to her and she'd been able to hear her mama's heartbeat.

That had been a special moment for her; Quinn had been longing for someone to hold her for so many years, for someone to act as her parent, and Brittany and Santana had. That moment, though, had cemented even further in her mind the recognition that they were the people who ought to have been her mothers all along. That was the bond she'd been wanting, what Judy had so coldly denied her: the chance to connect.

Sometimes it hit her how truly and irrevocably her life had changed. Even though she was sick and miserable, she'd woken up this morning in her own room, holding a stuffed animal, wearing her favorite pajamas, with two people who cared about her deeply ready to take on the day at her side. She had a mommy who made her breakfast every morning and read her favorite stories aloud and always did her hair in whatever fun way she wanted. She had a mama who snuggled her close and sang to her and would play with her whenever she wanted company. Rachel had gone above and beyond to entertain her, and Dani . . . Dani had let her connect with her mama in the way she'd always wished for.

Forgetting her dizziness for a moment, she reached out.

"I try?" Dani glanced up to meet the little girl's eyes to find her staring at her with something akin to sleepy hunger lit beneath her cheekbones. There was something about her in that moment that seemed strained, caught somewhere between a young woman and a baby seconds out of the womb. Her eyes were rimmed with red, cartoon figures printed on her cotton pajamas and her silky hair tousled with sleep, but the fingers that reached out were worn at the knuckles and rough along the fingertips.

"Show me." Quinn stated it as a demand rather than a question; beside her, Dani could sense Brittany's confusion, but she followed the lock of Quinn's eyes to the stethoscope and comprehension dawned.

"You want to see how it works?" She waited for confirmation, a tight nod, before complying and retrieving the instrument from her bag. "Sure thing, little one. Brittany, do you mind?" Jolted once more out of her thoughts, Brittany shook her head.

"Of course not," she granted, scooting forward on the bed. Probably, she thought, this might bother someone else. She knew, though, that this sort of thing would be Santana's connection with their daughter. They met Quinn's needs in different ways, and that was totally fine with her; she understood that equitable treatment, not necessarily equal, was what they were going for. She connected with her little girl differently, by being a source of comfort — a provider of food and snuggles — and a calming space that could absorb all of the hurt and fear and angst without letting it wound.

It might have bothered someone else to miss out on this connection when even a stranger got to experience it and she didn't, but Brittany didn't mind. She would help guide Quinn's hands, and that was the role that she took: a teacher. A guide.

That, she'd decided, was just as important a quality in a parent as being a nurturer was. The world was a big, confusing, scary place; being little, it was important to have someone to help lead you through it. It was like nighttime — less scary when you weren't alone.

"Give me your hands, Quinnie Bear," she coaxed, and took them when offered. "We're going to take these ends and put them in your ears, okay? Like before, with Mama." Quinn obeyed, allowing her mommy's hands to guide the ends to her ears. "Hold this piece in your hand — that's right. Now let Doctor Dani show you what to do."

"Put it right here, little one." Dani gestured to a little below her collarbone. "Then I'll take a big breath, and you listen and tell me what you hear, okay?"

Seemingly intently focused, Quinn allowed Brittany to hold the earpieces in place as she leaned forward. Entirely used to it, Dani didn't jump at the sudden cold, but something in her twitched involuntarily, just enough to be noticeable. Quinn giggled.

She quickly hushed, rapt with fascination at the whoosh of air being drawn into Dani's lungs. It was a strange sound in her ears, light but loud, and she squirmed slightly when something about it tickled the back of her neck. Alongside it, steady and calm, Dani's heartbeat met her ears. Another deep breath, and Quinn abruptly found that if she allowed her concentration to flow with the rhythm of the exhales, she could tune into the little quirks of breath: a tiny hitch, a pause between the steady push-pull of in and out. It felt like more, somehow, as though by hearing so clearly the motions that allowed for life she was part of it herself.

She'd understood the concept of breath and a heartbeat meaning life, but it startled her a little to realize that she was listening to it, which meant that it was real and more tangible than she'd ever considered it to be. Abruptly, life seemed startlingly fragile, and Quinn jerked away a bit when it began to make her too conscious of the way her own chest rose and fell. She felt the absence of the sound immediately, but didn't dare return to it, feeling suddenly very aware of the delicate nature of the strange process that was living.

Brittany and Dani were watching her with mildly amused expressions, clearly struggling not to smile.

"What do you think?" Dani asked with a quirk of her eyebrows.

Quinn looked up.

"I want to be a doctor," she said.