Another 3 months had gone by, and Santana was due any day now. She had her flight to New York booked, ready to start her spring term at NYU. She was really excited to move, and really excited to start college, but she was of course most excited to be reunited with Brittany. They were finally at the finish line, and neither girl could wait. It had been really tough lying to Brittany about the pregnancy, especially when they spoke as often as they did, but Santana had to remember why she didn't tell her in the first place. She just hoped the baby would come sooner rather than later, to give her more time to prepare for her move.

"I just can't believe that in 2 weeks, you'll finally be here with me, and I won't have to speak to you through a screen" said Brittany, on their routine nightly Skype conversation.

"I know Brit" Santana sighed happily "you have no idea how excited I am to see you. I've missed you so much"

"Believe me San, I do know" Brittany replied, reflecting on her own excitement.

Santana flinched; it was the pain again. She'd been having it all day, nothing too strong, just the odd jab here and there. She didn't think it was labour, she'd watched enough medical dramas to know how bad labour would feel, and these minor pains couldn't possibly be it. She put it down to the baby moving around, getting ready to make her entrance into the world. She could hear Brittany speaking about something, but she couldn't focus on what she was saying due to the sudden pain.

"What is it?" Brittany's brow furrowed in concern, as she noticed her friend distort her face in pain

"Nothing…sorry, just a bit of period pain" Santana lied "Sorry what were you saying?"

"I was just telling you about how much you're going to love this coffee shop, honestly you'll never go to Lima Bean again, after trying New York coffee"

"Well I can't wait to see what it's all about Brit. 2 weeks" she smiled excitedly "I hope it fly's by because…. owwwww" Santana yelped, the pain suddenly hitting her again, causing concern to rise on Brittany's face. Since when did her best friend cause such fuss over a little period pain, Santana was a hard nut!

"Are you sure you're okay honey?" she frowned

Santana nodded with a grimace, squeezing tight on the cushion she was holding against her stomach, when suddenly she felt a mild popping sensation.

"Okay that didn't feel right" she thought, as she looked down to see a wet patch on her bed. Her waters…shit!

"Actually Brit, I'm gonna have to go, this period pain is suddenly really bad, I need to go take some Advil and lie down"

"Oh no, I'm sorry you're not feeling great sweetie, I ho…"

"Bye Brit" Santana interrupted, before slamming her laptop shut. If she didn't do it then, Brittany would have heard the almighty shriek Santana let out, she couldn't hold it in. The pain was suddenly excruciating, and Santana was terrified.

Maribel frantically ran upstairs after hearing the cries from her daughter, she had been on red alert the past few days, knowing Santana could go into labour any day now.

"Mom!" Santana cried from her position on the bed, panting in pain "Mom I'm scared!"

Maribel had never seen her daughter looking or sounding so vulnerable. She was scared too, but she couldn't show Santana that.

"It's okay mija, it's okay, shhhh. This is exciting!" she comforted, going over to rub Santana's back and tuck a piece of hair away from her face. She continued to comfort Santana as she breathed through another contraction.

"You're doing great already baby. You're doing great. Now, can you stand?" Maribel asked, in between contractions. It wasn't long before another contraction hit, causing Santana to cry out in pain.

This answered Maribel's question, the contractions were coming strong and fast, and she knew they needed to act quickly. It was typical that George was on a night shift, he was a medic, and would know exactly what to do. She continued to rub soothing circles on Santana's back, when she noticed her son peering warily outside the door.

"Pablo, honey? I need you to do Mami a favour. I need you to run downstairs and grab my cell please, quickly" she told the boy, who looked at her worryingly, observing the scene.

Santana screamed out in pain again, causing Pablo to look on in horror.

"Don't be scared darling, it's a good thing, it means the baby is ready to come out. That's why I need you to be fast and help out okay?" she told her son.

Pablo, happy at the thought of playing hero in the situation, suddenly sprang into action and ran downstairs to retrieve the phone, appearing back in the room at lightning speed. He stood nervously at the foot of the bed, while Maribel called her husband for advice.

No answer

"Mijo, could you go get a damp washcloth please, for your sister?" Maribel instructed, causing Pablo to quickly run off again, eager to help. She observed her daughter again, before making a call to Santana's midwife. Having birthed 2 children herself, Maribel knew the signs of the final stages of labour.

"Hi Sandra, It's Maribel Lopez here, Santana's mom." said Maribel, taking the washcloth from Pablo and running it over Santana's head "She has gone into labour, and I'm not sure she's going to make it to the hospital in time "she said worriedly in a hushed tone, so not to panic Santana.

"What?" Santana panted "What did you just say?"

Maribel put the phone on loudspeaker, helping Santana into a comfier position on the bed.

"The baby is coming now darling; I don't think we are going to have time to go to the hospital. Sandra is on her way but it's going to take her at least an hour to get here, and I've left a voicemail for your father, but we may have to do this just us sweetheart okay?" Maribel soothed

"What? What no it can't be!" Santana cried. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. She was supposed to have a long, slow labour like most first-time moms. She wasn't ready. She had always had health anxiety, and the thought of giving birth scared her enough as it was. Now they were saying she'd have to potentially do it at home, with only her mom and Pablo to help. What if something went wrong? She could feel herself starting to hyperventilate, as Maribel shushed her.

"I'll be right here to guide you and your mom through Santana, don't worry" said Sandra over the phone, sensing Santana's worry.

Another contraction ripped through Santana causing her to yelp in pain.

"Ow…ow it hurts! I'm gonna die" she cried

"Santana, it's going to be okay alright?" Maribel soothed, she hated seeing her daughter like this. "When it hurts too bad you just need to squeeze my hand"

"That's great Maribel, just keep on assuring her. Santana, I need you to take some deep breaths for me, just breathe deeply, nice and slow." said Sandra "That's it!" she encouraged, as she heard Santana breathe as instructed.

Maribel wiped the cloth against Santana's head, as she struggled through another contraction, before placing a tender kiss on her head.

"Maribel, when this contraction finishes, I need you to time how long it is until the next one" Sandra instructed.

Maribel looked at her watch and did as Sandra had told her, repeating the information back to her.

"Okay. Okay that means it's nearly time. You're going to need to remove Santana's underwear, and get plenty of towels. And some hot water"

"No! Please, please don't leave me!" Santana cried, breathing heavily

"I can get them Mami!" Pablo insisted

Maribel flashed Pablo a grateful smile, before turning her attention back to Santana.

"I'm not going anywhere Santana okay!? I'm going to be right here with you. I promise" Maribel soothed, placing another kiss on her daughters' head.

Another contraction soared through Santana's body, causing her to scream the loudest she had so far.

"I need to push! I really need to push" she yelled

"How long until you get here?" Maribel asked Sandra anxiously, who was driving as fast as she could down the freeway, the Lopez family on speaker in the car so she could guide them through. She observed her surroundings.

"About 30 minutes. But I'm going to be right here on the phone with you to make this as smooth as possible" she assured "Now Santana, when you get your next contraction, I need you to push down as hard as you can for me."

As Sandra was speaking, a contraction hit Santana, so she started to push as Sandra told her.

"That's it Santana! You're doing really great. Tuck your chin into your chest, and push down right into your bottom, that's it. Good girl" said Sandra

"Good job baby, keep going!" Maribel urged, Santana squeezing her hand tightly.

The contraction stopped and Santana stopped to breathe, she had never felt pain quite like this, and she was feeling exhausted.

Beep beep beep beep

Maribel and Santana both turned to look at the phone. It had cut off. Sandra must have lost signal. Santana looked at her mother in panic.

"It's okay mija, it's okay, she'll call back in a second, we've got this" she calmed. Santana didn't have chance to reply before she was hit with another contraction. Just as she had done before, she pushed as hard as she could.

"Good girl! You're doing brilliant Santana, good girl!"

"Great job Sanny!" Pablo shouted, copying his mother, from his position in the corner of the room.

As Santana stopped to breathe again, waiting for the next contraction, Maribel moved down the bed to observe what was going on.

"It's okay Santana, I'm right here, I just need to see what's happening down here" she assured her daughter.

Soon, Santana was pushing again. Exhausted and in pain, she cried out.

"I can't do it Mom! Just make it stop please, I can't do it"

"You can do it darling. You are doing it! Come on Santana, be brave, I need you to keep pushing for me"

Santana continued to push as hard as she could, causing Maribel to exclaim

"That's it sweetheart! That's it. I can see the head! Oh my gosh Santana, she has so much dark hair, just like you!"

Maribel was getting very emotional; her baby was having a baby. She had been proud of Santana many times in her life, but here she was at 18, her life thrown into chaos despite precautions she had taken. Giving birth with no medical help and no pain relief. She went over to plant 3 kisses on her daughters' head, grabbing her face with her hands and staring at her encouragingly.

"With this next push, she's going to be here Santana, so I need you to push with everything you have okay?"

Santana nodded tearfully, before her face contorted in pain again.

"This is it!" said Maribel, as she ran back to her position at the end of the bead.

"Push Santana, come on push as hard as you can, you can do it!"

Santana yelped as the pain hit her. The phone was ringing from Sandra calling back, but Maribel couldn't answer it. They were almost there.

"Big effort now come on! One last push!" Maribel yelled reassuringly

Santana gave the biggest push she could, and suddenly the baby was there. The tears hit Maribel like a ton of bricks, as she delivered her precious granddaughter. So small, and so like Santana. It was a very surreal moment for her.

Santana collapsed back on the bed exhausted, while Pablo hurried over to peer at his new-born niece.

"Wow!" he said, "Being a girl sucks but…wow."

"She's perfect Santana. She's so, so perfect" Maribel cried, as she wrapped her in a towel. She was about to bring her over to Santana, when Sandra burst in.

"I'm so sorry! The signal must have cut off. I let myself in" she said frantically, before seeing the baby in Maribel's arms. She smiled. "Well it looks like you didn't even need me anyway. I'm just going to check her over, but it looks like you've done a great job. Well done Mama!" she said, grabbing her bag with all of her equipment, before cursing inwardly. She had said it out of habit, momentarily forgetting that Santana was giving the baby up for adoption.

After Sandra had checked over the baby, she passed her to Maribel, before moving on to check an exhausted Santana. While Sandra was doing this, Maribel called the Social Worker, as Santana had requested. She didn't want to be around the baby or do anything that would encourage bonding. She wanted the Social Worker to come as soon as he could.

Maribel stared down at her granddaughter, and it instantly brought back memories of her holding a baby Santana. Although she had only been on earth a few minutes, Maribel had bonded with her instantly, so she could understand why Santana didn't want to hold her. She knew if she held her, she would find it hard to give her away. Maribel was emotional about the fact herself.

"You'll have a good life, pequeño" she sighed, as she pressed a kiss into her baby soft skin.

As Sandra finished her checks, Maribel noticed Santana looking over at them. She looked so exhausted and fragile.

"Do you want us to leave the room with her?" Maribel asked gently

Santana stared, deep in thought.

"No…no it's okay" she replied "just don't come too close please"

Maribel nodded understandingly. She sat in the corner just watching her granddaughter, with Pablo sat at her side. He reached out and placed his finger into her little hand, smiling as she wrapped her fingers around it.

"I'm your uncle Pabby' he whispered gently. Maribel shot him a disapproving look, glad that he hadn't said it loud enough for Santana to hear, but inside her heart ached at her sons' statement.

The baby's adoption would impact the whole family, because they were a very close unit, but it was Santana's life and Santana's choice. She just hoped Santana would not live to regret it.

A knock on the door brought them all from their thoughts.

"That will be the social worker, I'll go let them in" Sandra said, gaining an approving nod from Maribel.

She walked closer to her daughter, to study her face, but not close enough to upset her. She held the baby close to her chest, making sure Santana couldn't see her, as she had requested. As they heard Sandra let the Social Worker in, Maribel noticed her daughters face drop, showing a hint of worry and sadness.

She hadn't even laid eyes on her daughter. The daughter she had carried and nurtured for 9 months. She needed to make sure she wasn't going to regret never seeing her.

"Are you sure you don't want one quick hold, before they take her?" Maribel asked gently.

Santana stared tearfully. She yearned to hold the precious bundle in her mother's arms. She had yearned to since the moment she came out. It was a natural instinct after all. But she knew she couldn't.

If I hold her, I might never let go

She reluctantly shook her head, ignoring every instinct inside of her to take the baby and run.

"No, I best not." She gulped emotionally "It's for the best."

She started nodding, tears fell from her eyes, as she tried to convince herself it really was for the best.

Her mom looked at her unsure, almost pleading with her to really think this through, so she simply turned her head to stare at the wall. The tears continued to fall as she heard her mother's footsteps walking out of the bedroom, but then another sound filled her ears.

Hiccup

Santana's heartstrings tugged, before again

Hiccup

She sat up quickly in the bed, her mother was just outside the door now, about to walk downstairs.

"Wait!" she yelled, causing Maribel to turn around "I'm sure one little hold won't hurt…"

Maribel smiled tearfully; it had certainly been an emotional day.

"Are you sure?"

Santana nodded hesitantly.

Maribel walked over with the tiny little girl, before gently placing her in Santana's arms. She then retreated back, letting Santana enjoy the moment with her daughter, her hand on Pablo's shoulder. She watched as Santana's face turned to one of awe, to one of emotion, the tears falling thick and fast as she stared at her daughter for the 1st time.

Santana ran her thumb soothingly against the baby's arm, gently shushing her, in an attempt to rid her of the hiccups she seemed to be so prone to getting. As she stared at her, she couldn't quite believe she had created something quite so perfect. She saw a lot of herself in the baby, and nothing of Puck, which she was glad about.

Eyes full of emotion, she stared up at Maribel with a smile, who returned the smile with a raised eyebrow.

Santana looked back down at the little girl, eyes open and gurgling, she was very alert for a new-born. She stroked her cheek lightly with her forefinger.

"Mila" she whispered "Sweet little Mila" to the hiccupping child

She couldn't help it, it just slipped out. Despite knowing she was going to give her away, she had the name Mila in her head ever since she had found out it was going to be a little girl.

She laughed in adoration, as she placed her finger on the cute little button nose, as if by pressing it she could stop the hiccups.

"Do you want to take a picture with her?" Maribel suggested

Santana looked down at her daughter before staring back up at Maribel with a nod. She reached for her phone, which was still on the bedside table next to her.

1 new message

Brittany

You poor thing! Looks like you're suffering pretty bad this month. I wish I was there to make it all feel better and give you lots of cuddles and tickle your arm, just the way you like. Make sure you get an early night tonight and snuggle your hot water bottle. Feel better angel! The two-week countdown is officially on. Speak tomorrow, love you! Xxx

A pang of guilt washed over Santana as she read the message, but before she could think too deep into it, she handed Maribel the phone to take the photo.

"Just perfect!" Maribel exclaimed in adoration, setting the phone down, as Santana went back to gazing at her daughter. A knock at the bedroom door broke them from their thoughts.

"Santana?" Sandra called "I have the Social Worker out here"

Santana's eyes grew wide as she stared down at the sleeping little girl in her arms and back up to her mom. She chewed anxiously on her bottom lip, as her eyes moved over her daughter. Making eye contact with Maribel again, she simply said.

"I've changed my mind. I want to keep her, Mom." Before looking back down at her daughter with an adoring smile "I'm gonna be a good Mommy'.