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Here we go...Mercedes takes the stand...

Chapter 14

Mercedes fidgeted in the hard wooden chair on the witness stand. The judge was conferring about something with the DA and Quinn's lawyer, so Mercedes was stuck waiting, on display in front of the entire courtroom. She was nervous enough without this added misery. Mercedes hoped she could just get up say the facts and promptly sit back down. She didn't want to be up there a moment longer than she had to be. But this was for Beth and Sam she had to do right by them, be strong and brave, endure the scrutiny, be a woman that Sam could like and respect. Someone that did the right thing and put family first, a good person like he was. All Mercedes ever wanted since meeting Sam was to be worthy of his affection and even marrying him didn't completely make her sure she achieved that status. She still couldn't help but hope that Sam would like and respect her after she spoke in court today. Everything seemed to be about Sam since Mercedes arrived in Lima, in one way or another. Today was no different.

She had tried to avoid looking at Quinn all morning. Mercedes thought it would be safer to keep a detached distance. She didn't want her emotions to get the better of her, especially on such an important day. Quinn always seemed to get a rise out of Mercedes lately. She couldn't look at Quinn without thinking about how she had tried to hurt Beth. Mercedes realized that this viewpoint may be somewhat irrational, since Quinn was sick at the time and in treatment now, but she still felt it just the same. Ever since Beth was born, Mercedes had been protective of her, now even more so. Her every instinct was telling her that Beth had to be protected from Quinn.

The judge was still conferring, so Mercedes allowed her eyes to wander in Quinn's direction. It was hard to avoid, since she was basically sitting right in front of her. There Quinn sat, looking model perfect as usual, casually sipping a glass of water, as if she were at a banquet instead of a hearing. Her tweed dress fitted to perfection, not a blond hair out of place. Mercedes self-consciously smoothed down her own black hair, sure it was a mess compared to Quinn's always pulled together style. If Mercedes were completely honest she would admit she was slightly jealous of Quinn. Even with the entire world against her, Quinn still managed to look like the picture of grace. Mercedes never could be that effortless, she was always saying the wrong things, laughing too loud, tripping over her own feet. She bet Quinn never tripped, not even while wearing five-inch heels.

The media frenzy surrounding this case had a whole lot more to do with how beautiful Quinn was and less with the welfare of a child. Every article or TV segment started off with Quinn's face for the world to see. Beiste said the media were just interested because Beth is an Evans, but Mercedes knew the truth. A beautiful crazy lady was far more intriguing to today's journalists than a frumpy stringy haired mom from Nebraska. Quinn looked like a model and the media was all over her. If Quinn managed to beat this rap, postpartum depression awareness groups would suddenly get a pretty new face to lend to their cause. Quinn would probably get offered a six-figure book deal when it was all said and done. She would get her baby back, marry a millionaire, and do the talk show circuit, all while flawlessly dressed. Maybe she would end up with her attorney. Leave it to Quinn to find such a little cutie to represent her.

And of course Mercedes would be stuck in Lima, alone and worried about whether or not Beth was getting fed on time or a having a good night's rest. Mercedes definitely felt like the ugly stepsister in this fairytale. No prince was going to ride up to her house and offer her a glass slipper. At least not another prince. She had her shot at being Cinderella once, and her prince promptly decided the shoe fit better on Quinn Fabray than on her own size 7 foot.

None of that mattered now in any case. Her only concern in life was taking care of her family. And Beth was a big part of her family, so she was willing, if not quite ready, to look out for her, no matter the costs. She made a promise and she intended to keep it. Not that it was a hard promise to keep. She loved that baby more than she ever thought possible. She was able to give all the love she kept bottled inside to Beth. The love she wished she could have given her mom to make her stop hurting her, the love she desperately had wanted to give to Sam to make him never leave, it all went to Beth now.

"Please take your seats. We are ready to continue. Mrs. Evans you're in a very interesting position in this case. You're the one person that was involved with Ms. Fabray intimately before and after the baby was born. And you currently have temporary custody of baby Beth," stated Judge Leary.

"That is correct your honor," Mercedes responded trying to swallow the lump that seemed permanently lodged in her throat.

"Let's start from the beginning. How did you come to be acquainted with Quinn Fabray?"

"I knew her from around town. She was dating my husband Sam's brother, Mike for a time, and she later became engaged to my best friend, Noah Puckerman. So I had many chances to run into her."

"How would you characterize your relationship with her at that point? Were you friends?"

"I didn't know her very well. She seemed sweet enough, very quiet though. I have a hard time with quiet people. I talk a lot and when someone doesn't talk back, it makes me nervous." Mercedes giggled slightly as she twisted her wedding rings around her finger. "I don't think I ever had longer than a five minute conversation with her, until Sam and I became engaged."

"Your husband, Sam Evans, was close to Ms. Fabray?"

"Yes. She and Sam went to high school together. They were sweethearts, first loves," she said rolling her eyes upward emphatically. "They maintained a close friendship over the years."

"So you got to know her better through your husband?"

"And my father."

Not that Quinn was very embracing of Mercedes. She was rather standoffish for the most part. There was that time when Quinn planned a brunch for all of them. It was nice, but it felt more like Quinn was doing it to impress Julian rather than truly wanting to bond as a future family.

"After spending more time with her, did your impressions of Quinn change?"

Mercedes quickly glanced over at Quinn before answering. "Well she still was pretty quiet with me. Things were awkward between us. I think because Julian and I newly discovered we were father and daughter. That's a lot to handle out of the blue, not only for us, but for Quinn as well. I sort of thought she might have resented my sudden presence in her life. Up until then Quinn was the only daughter," Mercedes made quotes in the air with her fingers when she said the word, "in my father's life."

"Did Ms. Fabray ever express any of those feelings to you?"

"No, she always maintained she was happy that Julian and I found each other," said Mercedes looking down at her lap.

She always wanted to believe that Quinn wanted her around Julian, but at times it was hard. She couldn't help feeling like she was always interrupting some private family moment or established routine. The timing never felt right whenever she came around their house. Both Julian and Quinn had assured her she was being silly, but Mercedes still didn't quite believe them.

"I have here in my report that you delivered Beth. Is that correct?"

"I helped. I was with Quinn when she went into labor on the side of the road. Lucky for us, my father arrived just before Beth was born. I'm not sure I could have managed without him. I didn't picture my first birthing experience as a nurse to be in the middle of nowhere." Mercedes looked over at Quinn and smiled. Quinn smiled back at her as if she too were remembering Beth's birth.

It had been an amazing day, one that she had hoped would be a new beginning for the both of them. Quinn had given her a chance at a real family with Beth. Puck was like a brother to Mercedes since Julian thought of him as a son. For Mercedes, Beth's birth was almost like getting a little sister, someone she would know from the start. She wouldn't be some newly discovered relative that had to find a way to accept and love her. She would be in Beth's heart from day one, a real big sister. It was something she had always dreamed about. Mercedes had felt so grateful. She wanted to forgive Quinn of everything after that. And she did, for about two hours, until she found out Beth was Sam's baby and not Puck's. She felt like an idiot for even allowing herself to be that happy, even for a few hours. Mercedes knew better. Dreams never came true for long in her world.

"Was it because you were there at her birth that you developed a close bond with Beth?" asked Judge Leary turning to face Mercedes more fully. "I ask this because you are her temporary guardian, and yet she was conceived with another woman outside of your marriage."

"At first we all thought Beth was Puck's, so of course I loved her already. When I found out that she actually was my husband's daughter, I was stunned. I was certain that all the anger and resentment I felt about his infidelity would impact how I saw Beth. But when I went into the NICU and saw her little face again, none of that mattered," she said with a small smile, running her fingers through the front of her hair. "She's her own little person you know? It doesn't matter how she came into the world."

"You lived with Shannon Beiste the same time that Quinn and Beth did last November?"

"I have lived with Beiste for about three years. When Sam and I got married we continued to live there. It's the only home I have ever known in Lima, anywhere really." Mercedes looked over at Beiste who was seated next to Dwight. She gave Mercedes a small wave from her seat. Mercedes smiled back at her as she continued. "Beth was in the hospital for about a month because she was premature and developed an infection at birth. She was released in early November and that is when she and Quinn moved in."

"Tell me about Quinn's interaction with Beth during that time period."

"It is kind of hard to say this," Mercedes hesitated pushing her hair out of her face before she spoke. "Quinn didn't seem all that interested in Beth. She rarely held her or played with her, she was always so quick to pass her off to someone else. It almost seemed like she was annoyed by her presence. It was very strange, because I was around her during her pregnancy and she was excited about having the baby."

"Can you give me some specific examples of this behavior?"

"At first it was subtle. People tend to gush over a newborn, asking to hold her and such, and Quinn would always let them. Which is fine in and of itself, but she seemed so reluctant to take her back. I think in the month that both of them were living with us, I took care of Beth more than she did. I would come in from the hospital and Quinn would be waiting for me by the kitchen door. She would claim she had to go get diapers or run some errand and she would shove Beth at me and leave. It sometimes would be hours before she returned. Don't get me wrong, I love Beth and I was happy to spend time with her, but I just found it a bit confusing that Quinn seemed like she wanted to get away from her or something."

"Did you ever witness Quinn neglecting the baby or drinking while taking care of her?"

"Does never responding when she cried count as neglect? It was either me or Beiste that got up with Beth in the middle of the night. Quinn didn't seem to hear her. There also was this one time that she left Beth home alone. I came in from the hospital and Beth was in the kitchen strapped in the carrier crying her eyes out. Quinn was nowhere to be found. I know there were other instances when she left her alone as well. I didn't witness those times so I can't really speak on them. As far as drinking, I never witnessed anything directly. But there was this time I received a call from Scandals. My husband's cousin Kurt's parents own the place, so they called the house to tell me that Quinn was there drunk. It was the middle of the day, and she was supposed to be home with Beth, while I went to work. So I had to get someone to cover my shift and stay with Beth the rest of the day. Quinn finally staggered in a few hours later reeking of booze."

"Did you ever report this to anyone?"

"Just my husband's mother, Sue Evans Sylvester. She was as concerned as I was about Beth. I figured she would know what to do. I wasn't really sure how to handle it. I didn't know she was getting treated for postpartum depression until much later. My first thoughts were just that she was a bad mother. But I realize now that she was ill."

"Where were you on the evening of December 9th?"

"I was working in the ER that night. I actually was there when they brought Beth in. I didn't know it was Beth at the time of course. All I knew was that it was a baby suffering from exposure."

"Before we talk about Beth's situation that evening, let's talk about Quinn. Were you there when Ms. Fabray was brought into the emergency room?"

"Yes I was. Puck came in carrying her, they both were soaking wet. Quinn was rushed to a room and Puck was examined in triage. I actually was his attending nurse."

"Did Mr. Puckerman say anything to you about what happened with Ms. Fabray?"

"Not really. He just said that he was worried because Quinn had fallen into the river. I remember asking him how she managed to do that, but he never really answered me."

"Were you also the nurse that attended to Beth Evans?"

"No I was not. She was immediately taken to intensive care. I didn't find out the baby was Beth until a few hours later. My supervisor, Cheryl Underwood, called me into her office. She was the one that told me the baby was in fact my stepdaughter. She also showed me the note that was pinned to her."

"I have a copy of that note right here," said the Judge as he sorted through the pile of papers in front of him. "I assume she showed the note to you because you and your husband were referenced in it."

"I think so. She told me that Beth was found in the middle of the woods and was probably left there for close to an hour. Her cheeks were frostbitten and her body temperature was very low. They feared she was hypothermic. I couldn't believe it." Tears blurred Mercedes' eyes as she remembered Beth that night. "I thought someone had maybe kidnapped Quinn and Beth, tried to do them harm. My husband is from a very powerful family, sometimes things happen. But when I found out it was Quinn that did it, I just couldn't believe it. How could anyone want to hurt something so precious?"

Wiping a few tears that had escaped from her cheeks she looked angrily over at Quinn. She could tell Quinn had been crying as well. Her nose was red and a few unshed tears were shining in her green eyes. Mercedes couldn't help but feel a little pleased that Quinn seemed to be reacting to what she had said. She wasn't trying to be malicious. She didn't want to deliberately upset Quinn, but at the same time she needed Quinn to know the true impact of her actions. She wasn't sure if any of this was real to Quinn, if she understood that Beth could have easily died that night, all because of her selfish behavior.

"I am going to read the note that was left with the baby aloud for the record," stated the Judge taking off his glasses and holding up a paper in his hands. "The note says,

Dear Sam,

Please take your daughter. You will do a much better job raising her than I ever could. Everything I touch just withers and dies. I need you to save Beth from me. You and Mercedes will give her a great life. I trust that. Be sure to tell her that I loved her, but I had to go.

Love you always, Quinn

This note was later turned over to the police as evidence and subsequently used to build the case against Ms. Fabray. How did it happen that you were awarded temporary custody of Beth and not her grandparents or some other blood relative?" asked Judge Leary adjusting his glasses back on the bridge of his nose.

"It all happened so quickly. It was either find someone to take the baby right away or have her put into the child welfare system. I couldn't let that happen, not even for a day. So I volunteered. I guess the court agreed because Beth was already living in the same household with me and I was actively involved in her care. Beth's grandparents are older with very busy careers. I guess the court thought I was a better choice."

"How is Beth since she has been in your care?"

"She's a wonderful little girl," Mercedes broke into a broad grin as she spoke. "She is in the 95th percentile for her age in height and weight, which is amazing because she was premature. She's a big baby that loves to eat and play. She's alert and already is trying to sit up independently. Sleeping is not really her thing, but we are working on that."

"So you have not seen any adverse reactions to her being left in the cold or to not having her mother around?"

"No your honor. She's a very happy, healthy baby that smiles all the time. The way her face lights up when I come into the room, it reminds me of her father." Mercedes smiled sadly as she imagined Sam holding Beth, with matching grins on their faces. If only she were able to make that image a reality.

"So in your opinion, would you say that Beth is better off now that her mother is not in her daily life?"

"Wow that is a hard question to answer. I mean obviously every child is better off with a mother. I had a horrible mother growing up and I'm very sure I suffered because of that. But with Beth, she always had a support system in place that made sure she was cared for even while Quinn was acting somewhat unstable. So I don't think she senses that much of a difference in her life now that Quinn is gone. I think Beth would be happy to have her mother back, and I also think she would still be just as happy without her. I'm the one that is having difficulty."

"How so?"

Mercedes sat back in her chair and took a deep breath. "I am scared by the idea of Beth being alone with Quinn. After she left her alone in the woods, I don't trust her."

Mercedes heard Quinn make a muffled noise at her seat. Quinn looked pale and had one hand over her mouth and her other gripped onto her lawyer. Mercedes straightened her back and gathered her courage. She had to see this through.

"Ms. Fabray is getting treatment for her PPD. Her doctors feel pretty confident that incidents such as that one will no longer occur. Doesn't that put your mind at ease?"

"Not really your honor. We're talking about the life of a child." Mercedes turned and looked Judge Leary directly in the eyes. "Can you just so casually put her back in the arms of a mother that tried to kill her?"

A hush fell over the courtroom at her words. Mercedes thought she even heard a gasp from Beiste, but she didn't dare look in that direction. She couldn't bear the disappointment she would inevitably see on her face. Mercedes knew Beiste would not agree with what she was saying. But there was no turning back now. Mercedes had finally found the courage to voice her fears. She felt liberated, she felt like she finally had come through for Beth and for Sam.

"Nothing about my decision is casual Mrs. Evans. Beth's welfare is first and foremost in my mind."

"In my mind as well. I can't shake the feeling that Quinn is a ticking time bomb. She may seem fine on the surface, I'm sure she even feels fine right now, but what happens if she snaps one day? Runs out of the house because she can't cope and leaves a pot on or something? What if this time she jumps into the river with Beth in her arms? Can you live with those questions on your conscience your honor? I know I can't. These thoughts have been keeping me up at night."

"You hateful bitch!" yelled Quinn as she bolted from her seat. Her lawyer tried to pull her back down, but Quinn was vigorously fought him off. She made her way around the table and headed in Mercedes' direction, tears streaming down her face. "She is trying to steal my baby your honor. She wants to keep Beth!"

"Order in this court! I ask that you take your seat Ms. Fabray and control yourself. Counselor handle your client," said Judge Leary, loudly banging his gavel on his desk for emphasis.

Quinn's lawyer rushed to her side, once again trying to pull her back to the table, but Quinn seemed determined. She was almost to the witness stand when a large baldheaded bailiff lifted Quinn clear off the floor. Her shoes hitting the ground as he picked her up.

"Put me down!" screamed Quinn. "I need the judge to understand. She told me! Last night she told me! She's stealing my baby! You've got to stop her!" Tears slurred Quinn's speech as she yelled. Her face was beet red and she was kicking and hitting at the bailiff almost hysterically, her dress rising up her thighs as she struggled. Mercedes just stared wide eyed in shocked horror.

"Get her out of this courtroom!" demanded Judge Leary.

"I'm going to tell Sam about this Mercedes! I'm going to tell him what you're doing. And he will hate you. He'll hate you forever when I tell him what you're doing to his baby!" screamed Quinn as the bailiff carried her toward the door.

Mercedes recoiled in horror at her words, every syllable feeling like a punch in the gut. "I am going to tell Sam! Sam will help me!"

The name 'Sam' echoed in Mercedes' ears as Quinn's hysterical screams faded out of the courtroom. All that remained were Quinn's pumps sadly scattered in the center of the courtroom. Mercedes stared at them with tear filled eyes, fighting the urge to throw up in her seat.

"Due to the disruption, court is adjourned for today. Mrs. Evans you are free to go. DA Brennan, Mr. Abrams may I speak with you in my chambers please?"

The judge was already out of the door before Mercedes even registered what he said. She was still haunted by Quinn's words. "Sam would hate her". Would he really hate her for protecting Beth? Mercedes wanted to believe he would understand, but Quinn seemed so adamant. Maybe she was right, maybe Sam would hate her for the things she said.

"Mercedes sweetheart." Mercedes turned toward the soft voice calling her name. Beiste was standing in front of her looking very upset.

"Did you hear what Quinn said? Did you hear her calling for Sam?" Tears ran down Mercedes's face as she spoke, the horror of just a few moments before replaying over and over in her mind.

"I'm more concerned about what you said Mercedes," said Beiste firmly.

"What did I say?" asked Mercedes in confusion.

"On the stand. Do you realize what you did to Quinn up there? You might have made it a whole lot harder on her."

"I didn't do anything but tell the truth."

"You couldn't have meant all that you said. You don't actually think that Quinn was trying to kill Beth?" asked Beiste in disbelief.

"She left her in the woods where no one would find her. That sounds like attempted murder to me."

"Mercedes! You need to stop this right now. If you're trying to take out your anger over their affair here in this courtroom, I will be so disappointed in you. This should have been all about Beth."

"I was thinking about Beth! I don't care about their stupid fling. I don't want that little girl hurt, or abandoned, or abused. I don't want her to go through any of the things I had to. And I'm going to see to it she doesn't. I'm sorry you don't approve of me right now Beiste, but I'm not going to apologize and I'm not going to take anything back. Parents have the power to damage their children. I'm living proof of that. Quinn could really hurt Beth, she did it before and I don't trust her not to do it again."

"I couldn't agree with you more," chimed in Sue as she joined them at the witness stand. "I thought Mercedes was very brave up there. You stood up for my granddaughter, and I want to thank you for that."

"Get real Kate! You don't care about Beth, you just want to stick it to Quinn," huffed Beiste.

"My distaste for Quinn Fabray has nothing to do with what is right for my granddaughter. Not even you can argue that Quinn didn't put Beth in serious danger when she had her in her care. Mercedes just stated what we all were feeling, if we were honest with ourselves."

"Where's Beth now?' asked Mercedes.

"I left her at the house with Kurt and Sugar since I was unexpectedly called to court," answered Beiste.

"I need to go see her," said Mercedes getting up from her seat and stepping down onto the floor with Sue and Beiste.

"I'm not done talking to you young lady," said Beiste sternly with one hand on her hip.

"I could ring my son's neck," growled Dwight as he suddenly appeared. "I just want to grab him and shake him. How could he do this? An Evans man doesn't shrink away from his responsibilities like this," Dwight pumped his fist in the air violently as he spoke. "He has one crazy woman screaming bloody murder and another taking care of his daughter and holding his life together. He should be here to handle this chaos he created himself. I just want to throttle him. I just – " Dwight shook his head in disgust, unable to find the words to continue. Mercedes had never seen Dwight this upset, he was visibly shaking and tiny veins were popping out all over his forehead.

"I think I should see you home," said Beiste gently as she took Dwight's hand. "He's my ride. So we are going to go. But this is not over," she added turning to Mercedes. "I will talk to you at home."

"Beiste, I can't see that there is anything left to say. I just really need to go and see Beth right now. I need to hug her and make sure she is all right."

Mercedes brushed past Dwight and Beiste as she made her way down the aisle toward Julian. Her father would take her home. He would understand what she needed. Julian was waiting at the end of the aisle a few feet from the double doors leading to the corridor, watching her approach.

"Are you ready to go?" Julian asked as he pulled Mercedes into his arms.

Mercedes nodded in response as she burrowed into his shoulder, thankful that there was someone in the world that would always be there for her. In the blink of an eye she had found unconditional love in the form of her father. Now in another blink, it seemed she would have to be the one to give that same unconditional love to Beth. She prayed she was up to the challenge, because it didn't seem like either of Beth's parents were going to be around to do the job.