In some ways, it would have been nice to just get the birth over with. Three weeks wasn't too terribly early, her doctor had said just that, so maybe Quinn had unwittingly eaten the spicy meal because a small part of her just wanted to jump-start labor, even if it meant Jacob Ben Israel had to take her place at Regionals.

The contractions had felt awfully real, in the moments leading up to her decision to go to the hospital. Mercedes had driven them there, trying and failing not to speed, and they'd rushed Quinn inside as she clutched her belly in pain. Tina had even gone so far as to get a wheelchair and bring it to the car. It was kind of silly and dramatic, like something you'd see on TV. In all the excitement, though, those contractions that previously seemed to be coming one on top of another stalled out to an abrupt halt.

So even though she'd just had a check-up earlier that day, they checked out Quinn and the baby again. As they assured her that she was not in labor, and still not even dilated, Quinn felt her face start to flush as they gave her the run-down. She felt embarrassed, having mistaken indigestion and Braxton Hicks contractions for the real deal. But they assured her that this happened all the time, especially in first time mothers.

As Quinn followed the girls back out to Mercedes car, some paperwork from the hospital in hand and a souvenir cup full of ice water, she could only sigh in frustration. "I'm sorry, girls," she said. "Now we're gonna hit rush hour traffic on the way out of town."

"We'll just stay at my house tonight and go back tomorrow morning," Mercedes reasoned. "Tina, you can spend the night if you want to. I already told DeShaun we need his bed again, and he's washing his sheets."

Quinn groaned at that. They looked at her in alarm, and she quickly explained herself. "I was just groaning because I didn't mean to push DeShaun out of his room during Spring Break. I'm not in pain. The water does help. Except I think I'll have to pee pretty soon."

"You really gave us a scare," Mercedes told her. "I guess it was the curry. When I told my mom about the food, she says that can induce labor."

"So, I'll have some again after Regionals," Quinn joked, as the other two laughed appreciatively. As they all climbed in the car, Quinn noticed Tina's thumbs working double time across her phone's screen. "Who are you texting over there?"

"Oh, just Artie," she said, as she climbed in the back and continued to send her messages, Quinn eyeing her curiously. "I was just letting him know you're alright and it wasn't real labor but that we're staying in Lima tonight."

Quinn glared over her shoulder at Tina. "Wait, did you tell them I was in labor?"

Tina squirmed a bit. "Maybe?"

Quinn sighed and faced forward. "Great," she said, wishing this to be over yet still wishing for the chance to sing at Regionals and perform the number she helped choreograph. These were complex emotions, without a doubt.

...

Later, she still had some pain that night, but she'd accepted that this was probably just how the next three weeks or so would go. Her hips were in constant agony, her ankles were a little swollen, and she was already pretty sure she wasn't going to sleep well.

She tried her best to ignore it as she, Tina, and Mercedes continued their girls' night by finishing '27 Dresses' at Mercedes' house, then finding something decidedly "less vanilla" to watch after that, at Mercedes' request. The best part of girls' night, though, was the dessert. Quinn was more than a little excited about her own little pint of cookie dough ice-cream, even though hours earlier, she thought she'd never want to eat again.

"Santana and Brittany would have shamed me for eating this," Quinn said, with a giggle as she dug straight into the pint with a spoon. "I love that you guys don't do that."

Tina exchanged a look with Mercedes. "Well, that's probably why Mercedes and I don't look like them," she countered, wrinkling her nose in disdain.

"It's overrated." Quinn said this with a mouthful of cookie dough and ice-cream, which got her friends giggling once more. They probably couldn't believe that Quinn, the former ice queen herself, was now the current Dairy Queen. But she couldn't help it. Besides, she was already fat and the baby loved it.

"What are you going to do when this is over?" Mercedes suddenly asked. "I mean, like, do you see yourself going out for Cheerios again and just pretending it never even happened?"

"I mean, that is the goal." Quinn knew that, with a truckload of weight to lose after the baby, she had her work cut out for her. But she'd have a summer to do it in and hopefully she could muster up whatever courage she had found inside of herself the first time, when she was still Lucy Caboosey, and do it again.

"What about Glee club?" Tina wanted to know. "If there even still is a glee club, I mean..."

Quinn furrowed her brow. "Well, yeah, I'd still be in glee club," she said. "Why wouldn't I?"

Mercedes and Tina exchanged looks again. Quinn knew why they didn't trust her. It probably had something to do with the fact that, before Glee club, they'd all known who she was but she didn't know any of their names. She remembered how Tina had cried at the setlist song selection party about how glee club had given her real friends who weren't her parents or Artie, for the first time. Then Quinn recalled how Mercedes had wondered aloud if any of the popular kids would still talk to the original Glee kids once it was over.

"Well, we hope you stick around." Mercedes had ended that with a tactful smirk, as she got to her feet. "Okay, after today, I am wiped out. And Quinn, I can only imagine you must feel even more exhausted, after that whole ordeal. If you want to take a shower, you're welcome to go first."

"Thank you," Quinn said, accepting a hand up from Mercedes and giving a little laugh as she rose unsteadily to her feet. "You read my mind. That sounds amazing."

Quinn went back to her temporary bedroom and grabbed some pajama pants and another oversized t-shirt to change into afterwards. She felt right at home when she found the shower with her shampoo and conditioner and body wash just where she had left it. She undressed quickly as the shower steamed up, avoiding looking at herself in the mirror, as she climbed in. The water felt amazing as she washed her hair and body and shaved her legs to the best of her ability. That had become tricky, and she understood why pregnant women got their partners to shave their legs. She had no such luxury, so she just had to do her best.

When she'd finished in there, she took her time combing out her hair and then blow-drying it completely, making good use of the seat next to the vanity. She glanced at her phone, noticing that she'd missed a few texts while in the shower.

The first was from Artie: "hey, we were all really worried but glad you are ok and looking forward to you coming back to the lake. Kurt's feeling really outnumbered. I think he misses you girls the most."

The next was an uninvited message from someone named in her phone simply as 'Lima Loser' - Puck. His read: "Rutherford said you're in labor. Is the baby here yet?"

Quinn rolled her eyes. Even Matt Rutherford couldn't keep his mouth shut. She was just about message Puck back when she heard a knock at the door.

"Uh, Quinn," said Mercedes, on the other side. "I'm not rushing you. Just wanted to let you know Puck is here to see you. Are you... do you want to see him?"

Quinn paused. "I guess."

"Are you sure?" Mercedes asked, sounding doubtful. "Because just say the word, and I'll get rid of him. Actually, I can ask DeShaun to get rid of him."

Quinn had climbed to her feet by then and was already opening the door. "Don't do that," she said, begrudgingly. "I'll talk to him."

Mercedes led her out to the front porch where Puck was perched casually atop the railing. He actually walked towards her, though, with no hint of his usual tough-guy demeanor and reached for the closest thing, which was her shoulder. Quinn looked at it as he held it there for a moment, then let his arm fall to his side.

"I was worried," he said. "When I heard you were at the hospital. I came to see if you're alright. So, it really wasn't anything?"

"Obviously." Quinn gestured to her still heavily pregnant form, then pressed her lips together as she considered the fact that he was here, showing concern, and she supposed it counted for something. But still, he was the last person she wanted to see, the person who had done this to her.

"Okay, so..." Puck trailed off, momentarily at a loss for words as he stared and stared at her. "Will you at least let me be there when she comes?"

Oh, boy. They hadn't been down this road yet, as it was just one of the things she didn't talk with him about, when they talked, which wasn't much.

"Like... like come to the hospital to see her or be at the birth?" Quinn clarified.

"Be at the birth." When she immediately shook her head, he continued to argue. "Oh, come on, Quinn! It's important to me to. I know we aren't keeping her, but I want to see her, to know what she looks like, all of that..."

"I'm not keeping her," Quinn corrected. "Not we. There was never any we, and we were not going to be the ones who would have kept her. Since I'm on my own here, it was my choice and I'm not keeping her."

The baby would have to kick the crap out of Quinn's insides then, almost as if to protest. Quinn winced in pain as a hand went to her side, and almost by instinct, Puck's hand went there too. Quinn didn't know why she didn't stop him. That very sentence was the basis of their whole relationship.

She grabbed his hand and pressed it more firmly into her side, gritting her teeth and glaring at him. "Feel that?" she asked, angrily. "That's the very real baby we're talking about, the one I have to feel moving and kicking every single day and night, only to go through labor and give birth and then give her up. You can't even imagine what it's like!"

Puck fell silent as they just stood there. She let go of his hand, but he didn't move it, so she just looked away and stood there until he finally dropped his hand and took a step away from her. She then folded her arms across her chest and continued to look at everything around her but Puck.

"That's why I want to be there," he finally said. "I know there's no we, you don't have to remind me of that. I know how much you'd rather it be Finn, but it's me. And, like it or not, I deserve to meet her, too."

Quinn sighed and met his eyes again. His usual demeanor had changed, and she'd noticed. She held his gaze for a long time, trying to figure out his angle, but his passionate plea was beginning to get to her. She finally just shook her head, rolling her eyes over what she was about to do.

"Fine," she said, again through gritted teeth. "But if you come to the birth, you won't try to change my mind about the adoption during or afterwards. The birth mother's already footed all the bills you weren't paying."

"About that..." Puck reached into his pocket and thrust a wad of cash into her hand. It was maybe a hundred dollars. "I figure maybe you have some living expenses. It'll take me longer to pay back Ms. Corcoran but you're welcome."

"I don't think I said thank you," she said, coolly.

"No, you didn't," he said, just as coolly. But he seemed to be working on controlling himself, so Quinn wouldn't suddenly go changing her mind about letting him be there when the baby came. "But that's alright. Anyway, uh, glad to see you're okay. I guess I'll see you around."

She said nothing more as she watched him leave, just glaring at him as he climbed into his broken down truck and pulled out of the driveway to leave. As he left, Tina and Mercedes cautiously edged their way out the front door and onto the porch to join her. It seemed they'd stayed close by and watched the whole exchange from inside.

"You okay?" That was Mercedes, who gently touched her shoulder as Tina did the same on the opposite side. Quinn folded her arms across her body and looked down, slowly shaking her head and crying. She sure did cry a lot lately.

"I don't know if I'll ever be okay," she admitted, before following them back inside, leaning against Mercedes as they went.