Hey guys! My Stacie Fic is up! It's called Finally Here... check it out, I think it's rather cute!
As usual, I don't own anything but Jimi, and I guess the name Amaya Felicity is mine as well :)
***
Rachel woke up to the sound of her phone chirping the Jet's whistle. She unlocked it blearily and read the congratulatory text messages from the Gleeks with a smile. She changed her wallpaper from one of Glee at Nationals to the one she'd taken of Noah and Amaya last night. She sent a text to the Gleeks about visiting hours. She felt Noah move his head against her neck and pull her closer.
"Good morning daddy." Rachel said quietly.
"Morning fiancé." He whispered in reply, in between pressing kisses against her bare skin. Rachel smiled before putting her phone on the nightstand and kissing him more fully.
***
Rachel and Noah headed up to the main house for breakfast with Rachel's dads.
"Morning daddy." Rachel said cheerfully before hugging him. Malcolm looked at Rachel and Noah for a second before shouting up the stairs.
"Good Lord! Jesse, get down here! He finally did it!" Rachel looked at her daddy curiously.
"What are you talking about? Amaya was born last night." Rachel said. Jesse came down the stairs.
"We know that pumpkin, we were there. We're talking about the fact that Noah finally proposed." Malcolm said.
"Now I'm confused." Rachel said.
"I asked their permission when I moved in." Noah explained.
"We know you're both young, but we also know that you both have good heads on your shoulders. Rachie, you've known what you've wanted out of life since you were three. As if we'd ever stand in your way." Jesse said.
"Congratulations baby girl." Malcolm said. Rachel launched herself at him and hugged him tightly. She pulled away and hugged Jesse just as tightly. She smiled when she saw her dads hug Noah. They sat down to breakfast together, Rachel pouting when she realised today was the first day of her giving up coffee for at least six months.
***
"Rach, can you do something for me baby?" Noah said as they re-entered the pool house. Rachel nodded. He led her to the bathroom and pulled out his clippers.
"Its time for me to be a grownup. The 'Hawk needs to go." He said. Rachel had noticed that it had needed a trim for some time now, and she realised why he hadn't done it. She nodded and smiled. She plugged the clippers in. She kissed the crown of his head, letting her lips linger there for a few seconds. She closed her eyes for a moment and after opening them, slowly clipped away the Mohawk that had characterised Puck for so long, and when she finished, she saw the Noah that she'd known privately for so long exposed to the whole world.
"Now, I need to tell you something. I'm going to wear the ring on a chain today. This is something I will definitely be telling Quinn before anybody else; but I also don't want to be taking away from the fact that she just gave birth. Is that ok with you?" Rachel asked him. He nodded.
"As long as you wear it tonight. Mom wants us over for a late lunch/early dinner thing and I plan on telling her that you said yes then. Finn already knows that I was going to show you the ring after the baby was born, so I'll tell him that almost was not good enough for you." He said. Rachel nodded and kissed his lips. She dusted him off and cleaned up the hair from the floor, and headed into her room to get changed.
"Babe, I think I might spend some time at home before I go into visit Q and Maya. I haven't hung out properly with Nay for a while and she's already scared I'm going to forget about her, so I wand to make sure she knows I haven't traded her in for a newer model." Noah said. Rachel nodded, and moved toward him so he could do up her chain for her.
"I think that is a really good idea baby. I'm sure Nay is missing you." She said. After ensuring Quinn didn't need anything from home, Rachel kissed Noah goodbye and headed to the hospital. She picked up a flower arrangement for Quinn and headed into the hospital.
"Morning mommy." Rachel said quietly. Quinn smiled.
"Hey there MILF." She teased back. Rachel put the flowers down on the vanity and hugged Quinn tightly. She looked over at Finn.
"Morning to you too, gentle giant. Do you wanna take my car home and shower and stuff?" She asked him. Finn nodded. She handed him her keys and he said his goodbyes to them both and headed out.
"Amaya fed again about half an hour ago. She's off having her sight and hearing tests done now." Quinn said. Rachel nodded. She handed Quinn her phone to read all the texts from the Gleeks.
"I'm not sure when they're planning to head in to see you today, but I figure you might want to get changed into some nicer PJs for when they arrive?" Rachel asked. Quinn nodded. The hospital gown she was wearing wasn't even a little bit comfortable.
"Can you help me change for a shower? I know it's a little awkward. I can you know, bathe just fine, it's the changing and the moving in and out that's the problem." Quinn asked uncomfortably. Rachel nodded and shut the door and helped Quinn change. The epidural had worn off, but she was still on painkillers for caesarean incision, so she was a little shaky on her feet. After a shower, brushing her teeth and hair, cleaning her face, and changing out of the nightgown the hospital had given her after the procedure; Quinn was feeling much more comfortable. A nurse wheeled Amaya back in. She had a nametag on the top of her bassinet, and a sign declaring she'd passed her hearing and sight tests.
"She's doing really well. She's exactly where we want her to be. Also, make sure you get up and start walking around. I know it's unpleasant, but you're at risk of blood clots if you stay in bed." The nurse explained to Quinn. Quinn smiled as the nurse left the room. Rachel had cleared her camera of concert photos from the night before that morning, and she quickly snapped a shot of the signs, before taking a photo of Amaya dressed in her Calvin Klein onesie from Aunty Kurt. Rachel put the camera down and picked Amaya up.
"So, I have something to tell you." Rachel said. Quinn looked at her, frowning slightly.
"Its nothing bad." Rachel said. She sighed and shook her head.
"Ok, I don't know exactly how to say this, so I'm just gonna say it. Noah proposed." Rachel said. Quinn's eyes widened, and her jaw dropped.
"What did you say?" She asked.
"I said yes, obviously! Apart from my parents, you are the first to know." Rachel said. Quinn covered her mouth to muffle her squeal of excitement.
"Oh my gosh! Rachel, congratulations! That is so incredible! Where's the ring?" she asked. Rachel handed her Amaya and undid the chain around her neck. She slid the ring back onto her finger and showed it to Quinn.
"It was his grandmother's. I want to keep this quiet for a while though. I'm not stealing Amaya's spotlight. I just wanted my maid of honour to be the first person to know." Rachel said. Quinn nodded and gasped.
"Really? Not Jimi?" she asked. Rachel shook her head.
"Nope. Its you. We've gone through way too much together for it to be anyone else." Rachel said. Quinn gently put Amaya down and hugged her. Rachel put the ring back around her neck and opened Quinn's door.
"Rachel, could you do something for me?" Quinn asked. Rachel nodded.
"Can you please call my parents house and let them know that I gave birth? I know they're jerks, but I don't ever want them to be able to say that I kept knowledge of Amaya from them." Quinn said. Rachel nodded.
"Ok Quinn, we are going to take a turn around the room." Rachel said firmly. Quinn glared at her. Rachel offered her an arm and helped her up.
"Ok, all we have to do is walk around the bed a few times. It's easy."Rachel said encouragingly. They managed five loops around the bed before Quinn insisted she wanted to sit down again.
Rachel and Quinn were chatting quietly when they heard a knock at the door. They looked up to see Mr. Schue and Ms. Pillsbury there, holding a giant bunch of flowers.
"Congratulations, both of you." Ms. Pillsbury said. Rachel smiled.
"Come on in. Amaya, I'd like you to meet Mr. Schue and Ms. Pillsbury" Rachel said to Amaya, currently resting in Quinn's arms.
"Oh please girls, its Emma and Will." Emma said quietly. Rachel smiled, and accepted the flowers off of Emma.
"Ok then, Amaya Felicity Puckerman-Hudson, meet Uncle Will and Aunty Emma." She said. Quinn looked at Will.
"Would you like to hold her?" She asked. He nodded. Quinn carefully passed her to him. Rachel could sense that both Quinn and Will were feeling slightly uncomfortable about the fact that Will was holding the baby that was so close to being his. Rachel indicated to Emma that they should give them a moment of privacy.
"Mr. Schuester... Will. I am so sorry for what I did to you." Quinn breathed. Will looked at her and shook his head.
"Don't you dare apologise. Terri took advantage of you when you were vulnerable. Believe me, you weren't the only one that fell for her act. Amaya is gorgeous Quinn, you should be very proud of her." He said. Quinn smiled; glad she'd finally cleared the air with the one of two teachers who hadn't looked at her in disgust once she'd popped.
"Thank you. She's the best thing I've ever done." She replied. After a few moments, Emma and Rachel returned. Rachel snapped a shot of Will and the baby. Emma looked terrified when Will handed Amaya to her, but finally relaxed when she saw how peaceful she remained, and managed to smile for the camera. Emma held Amaya for a few moments, before putting her down in the bassinet. Rachel shook her head when she heard Noah reminding Naomi to be quiet before they came in the door.
"Hi Aunty Nay! Hey babe, Will and Emma came in to see us," Rachel said. Will stood and shook Noah's hand, and Emma gave him a quick hug. Naomi stood over the bassinet, enthralled.
"Quinn, Noah, you guys make pretty babies." She breathed. Noah broke into a wide grin.
"We sure do. How would you like to hold her kiddo?" he asked. Naomi gave him a toothy grin and nodded fervently. She sat down in the seat that Rachel vacated for her, and listened to Noah's instructions on supporting her head intently. Her eyes lit up when she finally got to hold her niece, and she smiled for Rachel's camera. She sat there holding the baby for several minutes, when she frowned slightly.
"Is something wrong Nay?" Rachel asked. Naomi looked up at her.
"Well, I don't think so. But she doesn't do very much, does she?" Naomi commented. The adults in the room stifled their laughter.
"She won't do much for a while now. All she really can do is eat, poop and sleep. You have to remember that she's not even a day old." Quinn explained gently. Naomi nodded.
"Well, someone else can have a turn of her now." She said. Noah didn't need more of an invitation. He swooped down and picked up his daughter.
"We might head off now. Congratulations again, you have a beautiful little girl." Emma said, handing Quinn a gift. Quinn thanked them and waved as they left.
"Oh yeah, Noah, congratulations. I heard the big news and I gotta say, you moved in on what is definitely in the top ten best things that has ever happened to you." Quinn said. Noah grinned.
"Thanks Quinn." He replied. He handed Amaya to Rachel, and hugged Quinn tightly. Amaya began to whimper.
"Ok, squirt, that's our cue to check out the cafeteria food." Noah said, grabbing Naomi and leaving Quinn so that she could feed Amaya in peace.
***
Finn arrived at the same time that Tina and Artie did. Rachel was carefully burping Amaya, and it took a few minutes for them to clear space in the tiny room for Artie's wheelchair to fit comfortably.
"Was it like, brutal?" Tina asked, her bright blue nails gently playing with the hair on Amaya's head.
"It was the most painful experience of my life. I had to have a c-section, because Amaya managed to wrap her umbilical cord around her neck" Quinn explained. Tina nodded.
"Hearing that was really scary. The good part was that we got to meet her way sooner, because if Quinn had to push her out, she probably would've given birth like an hour ago." Finn commented. Tina placed the baby in Artie's arms, and went through the pictures that Rachel had taken.
"I can see it already. She's going to be stunning." Tina said. She quickly took one of Artie and the baby at Rachel's suggestion.
"Oh come on, with parents like hers, there's no way she's gonna be anything but stunning." Noah said from the door.
"Whoa. You sound like Puck, and you kinda look like Puck, but you can't be Puck. What happened to the Mohawk?" Artie asked. Noah shrugged.
"It was time to grow up. The 'Hawk had to go. It was way too high maintenance anyway." Noah said.
"I agree with you Artie, he looks weird." Naomi commented from her colouring book in the corner.
"Are you kidding me? It looks fabulous." Kurt commented from the doorway. He and Mercedes had arrived.
"Congratulations guys." Mercedes said softly. They filed into the room. They stopped when they saw Artie with the baby.
"She's so cute." Mercedes said.
"You could totally pimp her out for baby commercials." Kurt added.
"There will be none of that." Rachel said firmly.
"You guys take a seat and hold her now, because she's due for a sleep." Quinn said. Rachel carefully deposited her in Kurt's arms, and took a photo.
"I love that she's wearing my outfit." Kurt commented. He handed the baby over to Mercedes.
"She's so tiny. Aren't you scared of breaking her?" Mercedes asked. She smiled for the camera.
"Only all the time." Finn commented. He took her from Mercedes and made quick work of putting Amaya to sleep. Rachel hit the call button, and a nurse came to take her to the nursery, promising to bring her back when she woke up. A few minutes later, Quinn's was brought in for her.
"Sorry guys, I'm just going to eat in front of you. Breastfeeding makes you totally ravenous." She said.
***
Most of the Gleeks headed off soon after, and left the young parents and Naomi to hang out.
"Visiting hours is nearly over." Rachel commented. She looked over at Quinn, who looked pooped.
"Finn, you stick around and have nap time with Quinn. You and Amaya can bond while Quinn sleeps. You and Quinn should take a walk up and down the corridor too." Rachel suggested. Quinn was practically asleep as she said goodbye to them, and Finn waved as he asked a nurse to bring his trundle bed back. Rachel fumbled through her bag for her keys as they walked to the car. She unlocked the car and handed the keys to Noah.
"You can drive babe, I'm in the land of I can't be bothered, especially after getting no sleep and not being allowed coffee." She said. She moved the passenger's seat forward so that Naomi could jump into the back, and she sat down in the seat and did her belt up. It took her several goes to undo the chain that held her engagement ring around her neck, and she slid it on before having a power nap on the way to Deborah's house.
***
Deborah had squealed when she saw the ring on Rachel's finger. She launched herself at Rachel and squeezed her tightly, thanking her quietly for setting her boy back on the straight and narrow. Naomi's only concern was whether or not she could be the flower girl.
"Rachel, you look exhausted." Deborah said. Rachel accepted the cup of tea that Deborah offered her.
"Well, I can't say I did a lot of sleeping last night. That and now that Amaya is here, I can't drink coffee. It will affect my breast milk." Rachel explained. Deborah nodded.
"I understand completely sweetheart." She said.
***
After a short nap on Noah's old bed, Rachel and Noah headed back to the see Quinn and the baby. They headed in with Quinn's requested McDonalds order about an hour after visiting hours started for the evening. Quinn attacked the bag of food, and Finn looked at them proudly.
"I changed Amaya's first ever diaper." He said proudly. Rachel smiled.
"Good work Finn." She answered, stealing a few of Quinn's fries. Finn's jaw dropped and he shoved Noah lightly.
"You asked her?" He said. Noah nodded.
"Congratulations asshole!" Finn said, getting up and hugging him. He grabbed Rachel and pulled her into a bone-breaking embrace.
"Congrats Rach," he said, giving her a brotherly kiss on the cheek.
"Thanks Finn." Rachel said. She answered her phone and had a brief conversation.
"That was Jimi. She's on her way up with San and Britt." She said. She reached around to undo her necklace. After slipping the ring back onto her chain, Noah came behind her and did it back up. His hands stayed on her shoulders, massaging them lightly.
"Congratulations world's hottest family." Jimi said from the doorway. The girls came in and hugged them all hello. Santana added another bunch of flowers to the already groaning bedside table.
"So, where is she?" Santana asked. Quinn pressed the button that asked a nurse to bring the baby back from the nursery.
"Well, she's in the nursery at the moment, but someone will be bringing her back again." Quinn said. As they were waiting, Quinn told them the story of the birth.
"They sliced the baby out of you? Ouch!" Brittany said. Quinn nodded. The nurse brought Amaya back into the room.
"Hey princess. You have some more Aunties here to come visit you." Rachel cooed as she picked her up. She handed the baby to Brittany, who carefully leaned back into her chair as she held her. Rachel took a picture of her.
"Jimi, if you smell like smoke you're so not holding her." Rachel commented, flipping through the pictures with Noah.
"Relax, mom, I don't smell like smoke." Jimi replied.
"Hey, when did Matt and Mike come?" Noah asked.
"They were here about an hour ago. Mike nearly cried when he saw her. That dude is clucky. Mercedes should be careful." Finn commented. Brittany breathed a sigh of relief when Santana took Amaya from her.
"She's like, really pretty and all, but I don't want to squish her," she explained to Quinn.
"You are so cute. You are so cute. You are making my ovaries hurt you're so cute. Yes you are." Santana crooned to Amaya. She smiled as Rachel took her picture. Santana really was clucky. She finally handed the baby over to Jimi, who looked slightly terrified in her photo. Rachel put the camera down and reclaimed the baby.
"You guys are so brave." Brittany commented.
"I wouldn't even know what to do with a baby." She added. There were many responses that one could make to a statement like that from Brittany, but everyone in the room bit their tongues. Soon after, the girls headed off for the evening.
Rachel was humming lightly to the baby, and pressed a kiss to her forehead lightly. She looked up when she heard the camera click.
"Show me that." She demanded. Quinn held the camera out to her.
"You're always stuck behind that thing. It was about time someone got a decent photo of you with your daughter." Quinn said.
"Are you going to be ok here on your own tomorrow?" Finn asked. The next day was Monday, so Rachel, Finn and Noah were supposed to be heading off to school, but they were all open to the idea of cutting if Quinn needed them.
"I'll be fine. I'll have a quiet day with Amaya. Deborah said she might come hang out with me for a bit anyway. But someone is welcome to stay with me tonight if they want to." Quinn replied. Rachel looked at the infant in her arms.
"Noah, you stay tonight." She said softly. Finn nodded.
"Is that ok?" Noah asked Quinn. Quinn nodded.
"It's totally cool. But you're on the trundle." She said. Rachel told him she'd bring by a change of clothes for him before school tomorrow. Quinn took Amaya for her night time feed. Noah hugged Rachel and kissed her forehead.
"I'll see you tomorrow morning gorgeous. I love you." He whispered in her ear. Rachel put her arms around his neck and kissed him.
"I'll see you then." She replied, before heading home with Finn.
***