Chapter 21

Rachel paused on her way to lunch and leaned against the lockers. She had been having cramps all day, but now they were getting worse. She took a deep breath, waiting for the pain to pass so she could get Finn. She knew she probably needed to go to the hospital because she thought they were contractions. And as the gush of water pooled out from between her legs, her thoughts were confirmed.

She swore under her breath, still holding onto the wall for support. The pain intensified and she slid down the lockers into sitting position. She clenched her fists and bit down on her lower lip. She cringed as she saw a cheerio strolling down the hall towards her. She attempted to pretend she wasn't there, but as the cheerio was about to pass she stopped at the sight of Rachel on the floor.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

Rachel was hesitant to tell her. "I um…I'm in labor. My water just broke."

"Oh god. Let me get Finn for you. Actually, I'll just text Santana to get him. I don't want you here by yourself." She said and she pulled out her phone.

Rachel was shocked at her compassion. "Th-thank you."

"How far along are you?"

"Thirty four weeks. Premature, but not by much. I'm hoping she'll be okay." Rachel said nervously.

"She'll be strong like you. That's exciting that it's a girl." She smiled, before noticing another contraction hit Rachel. "Just breathe."

Rachel waited a few minutes for the contraction to pass, before speaking again. "I'm fine. I've been through this before."

"Oh right. You have a son. I'm really sorry about everything you've been through. You're really strong and brave."

"Th-thanks." Rachel whispered, cringing as another contraction hit her.

Finn, Santana, Puck, and Sam came down the hall quickly. Finn darted to Rachel's side and gently brushed the curls on her face behind her ears. "Are you okay? Are you in labor?"

"Contractions are only three minutes apart. We need to get to the hospital." Rachel said calmly as her hands rested on her stomach.

"How is she so calm?" Sam whispered to Santana.

"I've been through this before." Rachel reminded. "Can someone please help me up? I'd rather not have the baby on the floor of the school hallway."

Finn and Puck both helped her up and she winced at the next contraction. She grasped onto both of their shoulders and took deep breaths. Finn took notice of her pain and became nervous. "Are you okay?"

Rachel nodded. "Just another contraction."

"Let's get you to my car." Finn said as he and Puck continued to support her.

"Miranda, thanks for the help. Would you mind telling Figgins we're leaving to get her to the hospital?"

"Of course. I'll go now. Good luck!" Miranda smiled at Rachel as she started down the hall.

"Thanks." Rachel called back as she slowly made her way towards the front door with Finn and Puck. They helped her out to Finn's truck and into the backseat with Santana and Puck. Sam sat in the front while Finn drove.

Rachel rested her head back and her hands rested on her stomach. She took deep breaths and gently rubbed her stomach.

"You're doing much better than Quinn did." Puck said with a small chuckle. "Were you this calm the first time?"

Rachel shook her head. "I wasn't screaming, but I was terrified. Mostly because they thought Liam wasn't going to be okay."

Puck moved his hand on Rachel's stomach and began to gently rub it. "I remember this helped Quinn when she was in labor."

"Thank you." Rachel whispered.

Santana took one of Rachel's hands and squeezed it comfortingly. "You're doing great, Rachel."

"We're almost there, babe." Finn called from the front.

Santana held Rachel's hand while Puck gently massaged her stomach and Rachel breathed deeply. They arrived at the hospital and to the delivery section. Finn and Puck helped Rachel out of the car while Sam grabbed a wheelchair. Sam pushed her into the hospital while Finn practically stumbled to the front desk.

"My girlfriend is in labor."

The woman looked up from the papers on her desk and spotted Rachel. "Who is her doctor?"

"Dr. Stevens." Rachel called from her wheelchair. "I'm Rachel Berry. The contractions are about two minutes apart and I'm thirty four weeks."

"Okay. Let me get a doctor and Dr. Stevens should be there in two minutes. She was here for a previous delivery and is now finished."

A nurse soon appeared and led them to a room. She and Finn helped Rachel into the bed and Finn helped her change into the gown. The nurse took her blood pressure, pulse, and temperature. Dr. Stevens entered the room shortly after. "Rachel, how are you doing?"

"Um…okay." She said with a small chuckle.

"Contractions are only two minutes apart?"

"Yeah."

"When did they start?"

"This morning. I thought it was just cramps and then they got worse and closer together. I figured they were contractions, but I knew I had time. Then they got really bad and my water broke." Rachel explained.

"Why didn't you tell me? You went to school when you were in labor!" Finn exclaimed.

"I knew you'd freak out." Rachel said.

"Alright, let's see how dilated you are."

Finn held her hand, while Santana held the other. Puck and Sam stood beside Santana, both nervous.

Rachel flinched at the touch and fear crossed over her face. She tensed, but reminded herself that it was Dr. Stevens. That nobody was hurting her.

Finn pushed her hair behind her ears and kissed her forehead. "It's okay, baby. It's just the doctor."

Dr. Stevens pulled away. "Nine centimeters. We're almost there."

Dr. Stevens set Rachel up to monitors and an IV.

"This seems a lot easier than Liam." Rachel laughed.

"Oh yes. Now you know what to expect and you had so much worry with Liam." Dr. Stevens said.

"She's okay, right? Thirty four weeks isn't that premature."

"She has a great chance of survival. And her heartbeat is going strong." Dr. Stevens said pointing to the machine attached to Rachel.

Rachel bit down on her lip and squeezed Santana and Finn's hand as another contraction hit her. She took deep breaths until it finally ended.

Finn watched her nervously. He wanted to take away the pain, but he knew he couldn't. He held her hand and gently stroked her hair. "You're doing great, baby."

It took another twenty minutes before she had the urge to push. Sam got the doctor and several nurses joined her. Two nurses held her legs up, while the other waited by the doctor. "Okay Rachel, on the next contraction I need you to push."

"That's now." Rachel choked out. She pressed her chin against her chest and pushed. Sweat began to bead on her forehead and the ache in her back increased. She took a deep breath, before pushing again.

"You're doing great, Rach." Finn smiled, despite the nerves coursing through his body.

Sam and Santana both watched in shock. Santana continued to hold Rachel's hand and felt her tiny hand squeeze when she pushed.

"The head is crowning!" Dr. Stevens shouted after several minutes of pushing.

Rachel took a deep breath and rested her head back for a second. She took her last bit of energy and pushed again. It was another few minutes before the loud screams filled the room. Rachel collapsed against the bed and tears pricked her eyes as she saw her baby being held in the air. But they whisked her away quickly to be check and cleaned.

Finn leaned in and kissed Rachel's lips. "You did great, baby!"

"It's not over. The placenta is next." Rachel groaned. "It's a lot easier and less painful than the baby though."

"On this next contraction, push." Dr. Stevens instructed.

Rachel nodded and waited a minute until the contraction came, this time less painful. She pushed and the placenta was out.

They cleaned Rachel up and she sat there anxiously waiting for her daughter. The nurse finally returned with the little girl wrapped in a pink blanket. "Here she is."

Rachel felt the tears spill from her eyes as she took her daughter into her arms. A wide smile spread across her lips as she examined every detail. She had a lot of hair for a newborn and it was dark with a hint of curls. Her eyes were big and brown, her nose small, and her lips pink and plump. Her complexion was smooth and creamy and her cheeks were chubby. "She's perfect."

"She looks just like you." Finn whispered as tears sprang to his eyes too. Finn gently stroked the baby's smooth cheek with his thumb. He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her head. "She's beautiful."

"I'm defiantly going to have to beat up some boys when she gets older." Puck chuckled as he stared down at the little girl.

Rachel smiled and the baby gripped onto her finger. "Lily Hope Berry."

Finn shook his head. "Lily Hope Hudson."

Rachel looked up at him with wide eyes. "Finn…"

"No, Rachel. I told you I want to be the father. I love her so much already. I told you, I'm not leaving. Ever."

Rachel nodded as she felt more tears spring to her eyes. Finn leaned down to kiss her, before she returned her attention to the happy baby in her arms. "Can somebody go get the rest of the glee club? And my dads. If they're here yet. My dads are going to be so upset that they weren't here for the birth."

"I'll go get them." Sam offered.

"Let's all get them." Santana said, pulling at Puck to come too. She wanted to give Finn and Rachel a few minutes alone.

"Hey Lily. I'm your mommy. I love you so, so much. I'm not going to let anything happen to you, baby." Rachel whispered to the little girl. She turned to Finn. "Why don't you hold her?"

Rachel carefully handed the baby to Finn and the widest smile stretched his lips as he held her in his arms. His heart melted and emotions overwhelmed him. "Hey beautiful, I'm your daddy. I love you just as much as Mommy does."

Rachel felt more tears form as she watched Finn bond with her baby. "It's crazy that I have two kids at seventeen, but I wouldn't change it."

Finn smiled at her. He became nervous as the baby began to whine. He handed her back to Rachel carefully. "What's wrong? Did I do something?"

Rachel laughed at his reaction. "Finn, relax. She's a baby. That's what they do. They cry and whine. Usually for food or a diaper change or to be held, but sometimes for no reason."

Finn watched as Lily stopped whining and looked up at her mother with her big brown eyes. "I think she just wanted you."

The door opened and a crowd of people piled in. the entire glee club, including Mr. Schuester and Emma, Rachel's fathers, Liam, and Carole and Burt entered, all smiling as they saw the baby in Rachel's arms.

"Mommy!" Liam squealed as he ran to his mother's bed and hopped up. "Is that her? That my sister?"

"Yes. This is your sister, Lily." Rachel said as she peeled her eyes away from her daughter to look at her son.

"She tiny." His eyes widened as he observed his sister.

"You were this tiny too. Even tinier." Rachel said, thinking back to when she first held him in her arms.

"Oh she's beautiful, Rachel. She looks just like you." Carole gushed as tears welled in her eyes.

"Oh she's precious." Hiram cried as he smiled at his daughter holding his granddaughter.

"How are you feeling, Rachel?" Mr. Schuester asked.

"A little bit of pain, but with her in my arms and my son next to me, I'm wonderful."

"She didn't scream once. I was shocked. She made it look easy." Santana said.

"Even the first time she was like that. I was shocked too." Leroy said with a small chuckle.

Rachel just smiled, feeling an overwhelming feeling of happiness overcome her. Right now she had all she needed. Her two children, Finn, her parents and her friends.

Thanks for reading! Everything is happy right now, but there is some slight drama in the next chapter. Review!