Disclaimer: Still not owning Glee

Chapter 21

Lunch over and 'Little Red Riding Hood' finished, Beth played with Santana who was sitting on the rug in the living room. The pair were currently engaged in a tickle fight of mammoth proportions.

Beth kept saying over and over, "Tana stop!" but giggling so hard that Santana just did it again. Kurt went to do the dishes and Rachel sat and talked to Shelby about music for the most part whilst Quinn sat in her chair and rocked backwards and forwards watching the toddler and her friend. Eventually fed up of not being involved, Quinn decided to risk embarrassment and pulled her chair forwards a little to the edge of the rug.

"You getting down with us?" Santana asked. It was an invite to get help if she needed it, but being Santana it was disguised.

"Yep," Quinn huffed as she lifted her feet off the footrest and set the brakes. She pushed her legs further away from the chair and then levered her hips to the front of the seat so she was perched on the edge. She put her hands on the frame of the chair and pushed her bottom off the seat and lowered herself using her arms and shoulders to control the descent. It only took a couple of seconds to lower herself and then turn to remove the brakes and roll the chair back out of the way.

Quinn stretched her legs out in front of her to begin with, but then crossed them and was now in the dubious position of having to scoot around on her backside using her arms to lift herself around. But now she was at least on the same level as Beth and could play with her better. Beth had a small bag of toys and started emptying them out. There were a couple of soft toys and a doll as well as a toy phone and some costume jewelry. She gave the phone to Santana and then put a long necklace of beads around Quinn's neck.

"Uncle Turtle," Beth said to the Latina, handing her the phone.

She laughed and started shouting down the phone to Kurt who was in the kitchen.

"Pretty," Beth said to Quinn adding another necklace. Santana got a bracelet of the same beads next and then Rachel shortly afterwards.

"What songs does Beth like?" Rachel asked her mother.

"Well, you may want to educate her about show tunes one day because at the moment she seems to like anything by the Muppets, which gets a lot of airtime in pre-school, plus Michael Jackson, you know things like 'ABC' or 'Black or White' I think it's because it has words in that she recognizes, you know colors and stuff. She seems to like anything upbeat."

Rachel went to the stereo and put on her Michael Jackson playlist. 'ABC' was actually the first song on there so she played the tunes in order. They were all singing along in no time and the afternoon just vanished.

Shelby had actually really enjoyed herself for the first time in the company of her daughter. Rachel was much less intense and needy than on the previous occasions they had met. She also found herself admiring the mother of her adoptive daughter more and more as time passed. She saw a much more intelligent and well-rounded human being than previously.

Beth had a wonderful time, with Quinn and Santana especially, both of whom had a natural affinity for children. Kurt and Rachel were both more reserved, but as only children that was understandable. As she looked at her watch and realized that it was five o'clock, Shelby watched Quinn, now lying on her back draped in costume jewelry, arms outstretched above her chest and Beth in her hands doing an impression of an aircraft. Quinn might not be able to lift Beth from her stroller without losing her balance, but with her back on the floor, she was strong as anything. She kept bending her arms so that Beth's head lowered and she could kiss her, then pushing her back up to fly around some more.

Santana sat beside them just watching and being ready to jump in if Quinn's arms tired, which of course they didn't because they were like steel these days, so mostly she just laughed at them and tickled Beth's bare feet, her shoes and socks having been abandoned some time ago.

"Guys, I think we are going to have to make a move." Shelby was torn because Beth was having such a lovely time, but she needed to get home and sort out things for the week ahead.

"Okay, San can you take her from me?" Quinn released the toddler to her friend who deposited Beth on the rug.

"Shoes and socks, Beth." Santana sat the little girl down in the space between her legs and started to redress her playmate. "Did you have fun with Aunty Tana?"

The curly head bobbed up and down.

Quinn pushed up onto her elbows and then sat upright. She was some way from her chair now and looked around to see just how far, but needn't have worried.

Beth now with shoes back on went to the back of Quinn's chair and pushed it, somewhat clumsily forwards. She ran it into the coffee table, but Santana jumped up and straightened it out. It was a bizarre little moment ending in Beth saying 'Kin, 'troller."

Quinn and Santana just laughed at it.

"She caught on quick," the darker girl smiled and turned to the toddler. "Good girl, Beth."

"Thanks, San. I got it now." Quinn scooted back against the frame and crossed her legs, then pushed up on the frame to get back in. It was an easy move she did all the time at the pool, so she was in quickly and seated properly. But then found herself bemused again as Beth had snuck around the side and now tried to lift her foot up for her. Shaking her head, Quinn pulled under her knee so that she had the weight of her leg, whilst Beth placed her foot down. They did the other one the same way. "How did she know to do that?" Quinn looked up at Shelby who shrugged.

"I haven't said anything to her. I was going to wait until she could understand a bit better or asked me herself."

"Kid's obviously got brains," Santana announced softly shaking her head. "She worked it out for herself, even if she doesn't know why." Standing, Santana went to get coats for their guests.

Rachel stood and collected Kurt from the kitchen to say goodbye, San was preoccupied putting Beth's coat on so Quinn took her opportunity to speak to Shelby alone.

"Shelby, can I ask you a favor? I was wondering if we could meet up one day. I have something I want to talk to you about."

Shelby looked at the blonde girl. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing. I would just rather do it in private with the two of us. It's nothing sinister, I promise, in fact it's the very opposite. I just don't want an audience for it. I finish classes on Wednesday at eleven and thought maybe I could get a taxi over to the East Side and meet you for lunch. I only need half an hour or so, if you can get away from work for a little while."

"I get an hour at twelve if that's any good."

"Perfect. If you let me have the address, I'll meet you outside at twelve."

They exchanged details and cell numbers.

Quinn looked up at the older woman. "I just wanted to say thanks for today too. I'm so happy right now, you wouldn't believe it. This is the best day I've had since she was born." Quinn didn't realize that a tear had formed until she blinked and it started rolling down her face. "She's amazing and you are the reason. I am so glad you wanted her."

"Thank you for letting me have her; she is like a precious gift and the most important thing in the world to me." Shelby wasn't an overly emotional person, but she stepped forwards and gave Quinn a long hug. She stood up and stroked the blonde hair beneath her hands. "Everything is going to work out fine for all of us, you know that right." Quinn didn't reply to her, but she felt the head nod beneath her hands. Shelby felt that Quinn herself could do with a little more mothering. She knelt and looked Quinn in the eyes. "Thank you for today, I know it's hard for you to say goodbye to her. I'll see you on Wednesday and it won't be too long until you see her again."

Quinn escaped the Upper campus as quickly as possible and made her way out of the east gate onto Amsterdam Avenue. It took a few minutes to hail a cab but one stopped and pulled over with the back door by a low curb so she could get in.

It took twenty minutes to skirt the northern edge of Central Park down to 5th Avenue, but the taxi driver was savvy enough to get off there quickly because it was thick with traffic. He dodged down 102nd Street past Mount Sinai Hospital where she went occasionally to see a physical therapist at the rehab center. Eventually he pulled up outside the address Shelby had given her. The driver helped her with her chair and she tipped him a little extra as he was nice about it.

She didn't wait outside the pre-school as she was thirty minutes early, but went for a roll down the block to find somewhere suitable for lunch. It was always a bit embarrassing to turn up somewhere and find she couldn't actually get in the place. She found a couple of suitable places within a five minute walk, so headed back to Shelby's workplace.

She waited outside as agreed. Shelby found her, back to the wall, resting on the back wheels alone. The front of the wheelchair was tipped up so she could warm her face, daydreaming in the sunshine.

"Hi."

"Oh hey," Quinn shrugged her shoulders from where they were resting on the wall and the front wheels dropped to the ground.

"Is that safe?"

"Probably not," Quinn grinned at the older woman. "Thanks for this, it means a lot."

"Well I'm very curious about why you wanted to meet in private. It all sounds mysterious."

"It's not, trust me. Do you have a favorite lunch spot?"

"There is a small Italian café round the corner if that suits you?" Shelby pointed the way.

"I saw it earlier. I had some time to kill so I went for a walk around the block. It's nice round this part of the city."

"I get a mix of people bringing their kids though. Lots of theatrical types; I still have a lot of contacts in the business, plus health care workers from the hospital and professionals from the big companies around the area."

"I go to Mt Sinai rehab every once in a while."

"I thought Rachel said you were through with rehab when I dropped in on you the other week," Shelby was curious.

"I am, but I go see a physical therapist now and again, just to keep tabs on my condition and make sure I'm looking after myself properly."

"She said that it was a pretty serious injury."

"It's almost complete, which means not much chance that I'll ever recover. Even if they come up with new treatments, it's not likely to help me."

"Sorry, I shouldn't really pry into your health."

"Don't be. I don't mind talking about it you know. I tend to live with no regrets now and I find it helps people treat me normally if they understand what happened."

"I noticed."

"Santana." Quinn rolled her eyes.

Shelby nodded.

Quinn laughed. "She does it deliberately. She wouldn't admit it if you asked her but she cares about her friends a massive amount and pretends to be all hard just 'cause she's from Lima Heights originally, but really she's a total softy. She takes it personally if anyone upsets me, even inadvertently, so she tries her best to stave it off by calling me names and teasing. I give her some back. We have a laugh about it and everyone stops being so sensitive. It's funny that we're the ones to help other people feel better about themselves, when it's me stuck in the chair. I thought everyone would feel sorry for me, but I feel sorry for them instead."

"When Rachel said you had changed, she didn't do you justice, you know? I don't think I have seen anyone become quite the polar opposite in such a short space of time."

They arrived at the café and went inside to find a table. They ordered food and drink and then as they waited for it to come, Quinn pulled her backpack from the rear of her chair and took out an envelope.

"The reason I wanted to talk to you is inside this envelope, but I wanted to explain first. It's to do with the accident. Because neither Rachel or I were to blame, we made a claim against the driver and the trucking company for our injuries. They were both at fault. Rachel got paid out pretty quickly as her injuries were less complicated and she was given a substantial settlement for her medical bills and the pain and suffering she went through. It isn't enough to live on for the rest of her life, but it means she doesn't have to worry about student loans and tuition fees as a result."

"I didn't realize, she didn't mention it."

"She doesn't like to think about it too much. It upsets her that I came out of it so much worse. They call it survivor's guilt. It's a form of PTSD I guess. Anyway my situation was more complicated. I was in hospital much longer, my medical bills were astronomical and I will have ongoing expenses for the rest of my life as well as other things like adaptive housing and possibly not getting proper work and the pain and suffering thing, so LeRoy helped to get the insurance settlement sorted for me. It took a while but he was pretty confident I wouldn't have to go to court."

"Why was he so sure?"

"He said there was no way the companies would want me in front of the judge."

"Why?"

"These aren't my words I have you know. LeRoy said they wouldn't want and I quote, a beautiful, young, talented, intelligent, former cheerleader sat in a wheelchair in court because they would lose their shirts. Oh I forgot innocent as well."

"He has a point," Shelby smiled.

"I know. He used it to good effect. Anyway, we heard on Thanksgiving that they settled for a sickening amount that still doesn't seem real to me, but let's just say that even after the legal and medical bills were cleared and my Mom reluctantly let me pay her back the cost of adapting our house, the amount left over is considerable. I need some for the cost of managing my disability and accommodation and that is set aside. Hiram sorted it all out so that each pot of money is invested for a specific purpose so that they grow at the right amount and will last. The money that is mine to do with as I please is the compensation for the pain and suffering. I figure I will use some of it for travelling because I still want to see more of the world, but I also have a responsibility in Beth. I know Puck is as much to blame for what happened, but I need to know that I am fulfilling my responsibilities for bringing her into the world, so I want to give you this." Quinn slid the envelope across the table.

"It's a trust fund. You don't need to do anything except maybe put that in a fireproof box and it absolutely has no strings attached. It's in Beth's name and only she can touch it when she's eighteen. I am never going to hold it over your head or hers. I will never even tell her that it's from me, that is entirely up to you if you choose, but I wanted to give it to you now because it means that when she's old enough to consider what she wants to do, maybe college or similar, you have an open choice. If she wants she can go to Harvard, Yale or Stanford, even Oxford or Cambridge can be hers. It means you don't have to make a compromise on her education. It's not a gift or a bargaining chip; it's a responsibility."

"Quinn, I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything, just take it. And if you need anything else for her, you just have to ask. I know you will always take care of her, but if there is anything really important and she can't live without it, promise me you'll ask. I don't want her to be spoilt, but I wouldn't want hardship for her either. I was totally spoilt as a child and look where it got me. I was allowed whatever I wanted so long as my father thought it made us look like the perfect family, but I didn't get love when I needed it. My friend Sam has had the opposite, years of poverty and constantly changing schools because his parents had to keep moving around for work. He has love but such a disrupted education that he is struggling academically. I don't want either of those extremes for her."

"Thank you. This is exceptionally generous in the circumstances. I know that you love her a great deal. I won't tell her about this until she is older, but I think she should know maybe when she starts high school that this is waiting for her. I also think that she should know it's from you and that it was given out of love."

"Then the debt would be mine, because I really do love her. I wish I had been older and wiser before she came along and that I would have been in a position to care for her myself, but who am I kidding? Look at me. I would have been a terrible mother at sixteen with my parents as role models. Besides, the accident has changed everything. I was pretty dependent for months afterwards and my mother had a hard enough time looking after me let alone a small child as well."

"You know that things change and you will make a great mother in the future. Take care of yourself and use some of that money to invest in a family when the time is right. Look at me, I never thought I would get a second chance and thanks to you, I have."

"I know that now. I am pretty good at taking care of myself now and I would love to have another chance at being a parent when the time is right. I would love that to be with Rachel as well. Are you really okay with us being together or are you disappointed?"

"Honestly, I was just surprised, not disappointed. It wouldn't have occurred to me that the two of you would ever get on, especially as you seemed to be fighting over the same boy for years, let alone get together as a couple." Shelby smiled.

"It is the very definition of irony I think." Quinn grinned. "But we care deeply for one another and I promise you that I will look after her for as long as she will let me."

"I know you will, Quinn."