A/N – I know, I know. I'm very sorry. I know you guys don't care about excuses. I really do wish I could write as much as I used to be able to. I've had quite a lot of changes in my personal life recently and I am just really busy. And I had a horrible case of writer's block when it came to this chapter. I will try my best to do better in the future.
Thank you all so much to those of you that continue to read and review. I appreciate it so much. I know I've got some messages to get to and I'm sorry for having not answered them yet. But please just bear with me. Thank you all for being so patient.
Disclaimer – I don't own Glee.
Santana parked as close to the emergency room entrance as she could get and Kurt got out of the car the moment it was stopped and ran inside to get a wheelchair. A nurse followed him out when she saw him take it without saying anything. It was then that she noticed Santana and Rachel helping Quinn from the car. The nurse jogged a bit to catch up just as Kurt got to them and Quinn was able to sit down in the wheelchair.
Kurt pushed while Quinn talked to the nurse and Rachel hovered close behind. Santana stayed behind and quickly pulled up a phone number.
"What?" Puck asked when he answered the phone.
"Hurry up and get your ass to the hospital," Santana said bluntly. "Quinn's in labor."
Puck dropped the controller for his video game and sat up straight. "But it's too soon. She's only eight months."
"I don't think the baby cares," Santana said. "Hurry up; we're already here."
"I'll be there soon."
Puck stepped over the controller and then almost tripped down the stairs in his haste to get to his truck.
"What's wrong?" Puck's mother asked.
"Quinn's at the hospital. The baby is coming," Puck said as he passed.
Sarah Puckerman watched her son grab his keys and disappear out the front door. His truck started a moment later and the loud motor is what propelled her to her feet. She hadn't been thrilled to find out about this baby, but her son was going to become a father today and she would not be anywhere else but at the hospital by his side. She called the mother of her daughter's friend and asked if the girl could stay the night since she didn't know how long she would be at the hospital. After the call was made, Sarah too hurried to her car and followed after her son.
Eight minutes later Quinn was getting settled in a room and the other three kids waited in the hall while she changed into a gown and was checked by a doctor.
"Santana," Dr. Lopez said as he came around a corner and spotted his daughter. "Your mom called and told me you were here with Quinn."
"Yeah," Santana answered and then blushed slightly when her dad kissed her head in front of the other two. "We were all just talking and then Quinn grabbed her stomach and was in a lot of pain. She said it's too early."
"She'll be fine," Dr. Lopez assured. "Babies sometimes don't care about the schedule we have set up for them. Your mother is on her way. I've got some other patients to see, but tell Quinn I'll stop back by in a little while to see her."
"I'll tell her," Santana promised her father.
"She's in good hands; don't worry," Dr. Lopez said before heading down the hall to see some of his patients.
As the doctor finished up with Quinn, she advised her to get settled in because she was definitely in labor and she was probably going to deliver sooner than she thought. Quinn thanked her and reached for her phone. She needed to make this call before any of the others came in.
"Mr. Thomas?" Quinn said when a man answered on the other end.
"Yes?" Aaron Thomas said.
"It's Quinn Fabray. I'm at the hospital. She's coming early."
"We'll be there soon," was the hasty reply.
Quinn nodded as if to reassure herself and then hung up the phone just as Santana poked her head in the door.
"You can come in," Quinn said.
The three teenagers filed into the room and took up various chairs and looked at Quinn like she was in an exhibit. Of course they understood the outcome of the pregnancy, but it just seemed so different now that she was here in the hospital. There really was a baby coming soon.
"I called Puck and he's on the way," Santana said to break the silence. "My mom is on the way too. She could maybe call your mom if you want."
"No," Quinn shook her head. "I'm sure she doesn't want to be here. I don't want either of them here."
"Ok," Santana said and they settled into an uncomfortable silence that was interrupted when Maribel Lopez hurried into the room with Shelby close behind her. They parked two cars apart and verified on their walk inside that they were there for the same reason.
"Quinn, how are you feeling?" Maribel asked as she went to the girl's bedside. Shelby moved to Rachel and rested her hand on her back.
"Like I want this baby out of me," Quinn said. Her face started to contort in pain again and she grabbed for Maribel's hand. "Tell them I want some medicine. Anything."
"I'll talk to the doctor," Maribel assured her.
Kurt started to grow pale as he looked at Quinn in the bed and he stood up suddenly. "I'm, umm. I'm going to go wait out there."
The two mothers shared an amused smile as they watched Kurt rush from the room.
"Come on, Rachel, that's a good idea," Shelby said. "We're all here for you, Quinn, but we're going to wait outside too."
"Ok," Quinn grunted out. Her eyes were squeezed tight and she was squeezing Maribel's hand.
"I'm staying," Santana said and she got to her feet and took Quinn's other hand in her own.
Maribel nodded and Shelby led Rachel from the room without even the protest she thought would be coming. They took seats next to Kurt and Shelby put an arm around Rachel's shoulders.
"Kurt," Burt called out when he saw his son in the waiting room. "What's going on? Is everything ok?"
"Yeah, Dad," Kurt said when his father took a seat next to him. "Quinn went into labor and we all just kinda freaked out and started calling our parents."
"Good. That's good," Burt said. "How is she?"
Kurt shook his head like he didn't want to talk about it and Burt looked to Shelby.
"She's coming along," Shelby told him. "She's in a lot of pain."
Puck rounded the corner next and stopped only for a second so Rachel could point him to the room and he disappeared inside. Sarah Puckerman was the next to show up and she took a seat next to Kurt and only realized who was sitting across from her when she looked up and saw Shelby talking quietly with Rachel.
"Wow…" Sarah whispered. She'd heard, of course, that Shelby had been around but she never expected to see her here in the hospital.
A young couple showed up half an hour later and talked to a nurse at the desk and then took a seat across the room in some empty chairs. They looked around the room and the woman, Olivia, saw Shelby Corcoran sitting nearby. She pointed her out to her husband and said, "wow…"
Within the hour, word had spread and the rest of the glee club, including Mr. Schuester, showed at the hospital to wait on the baby to arrive. Everyone settled in to play on their phones or pace the halls to pass the time.
The afternoon dragged into the evening and Rachel was sure she was that child was never going to actually be born. What was taking it so long anyway?
"This is taking forever," Rachel said through a large yawn as she leaned against her mother.
"We've only been here like five hours, Rach," Shelby pointed out to her.
"I know," Rachel agreed. "Forever."
Shelby just chuckled and kissed her daughter's head.
"Anyone hungry?" a deep voice that Rachel recognized immediately asked.
"Daddy?" Rachel questioned as she sat up straight.
Hiram and LeRoy had rounded the corner carrying four large pizza boxes and a few two liters of soda.
"We heard you guys were all waiting," Hiram said.
There was a chorus of approval from all the people waiting and Burt and Mr. Schue went to help with setting up a spot for the food.
"What are you guys doing here?" Rachel asked as she stood to greet her fathers. They both engulfed her in hugs.
"Your mother called us and told us you guys were all waiting here and so we wanted to help out as best we could," LeRoy explained. "And from my experience, pizza is always a welcome sight."
Rachel smiled at her dads and the trio moved farther away so they could have some privacy from the main group.
"How was your trip?" Rachel asked once they had found some chairs to sit in.
"It was really great," Hiram answered.
"But your stay home alone did not really go as planned," LeRoy added.
Rachel blushed as her fathers picked up her hand and examined the stitches. They would be coming out tomorrow.
"I know," Rachel said. "You already talked to me about it."
"We know," LeRoy said. "Just a gentle reminder. Finding out you got hurt scared us."
"I know, Daddy. I'm sorry," Rachel said with complete sincerity. "I really do understand and I'll make it up to you guys."
"You don't have anything to make up, sweetheart," Hiram said. "You made a mistake that you were punished for and you're learning and growing from it. That's the most important thing. We love you."
"I love you," Rachel said with a sniffle and she wrapped her arms around both her fathers once again. "I missed you."
"We missed you too," LeRoy said. "Come on; let's go get some pizza before it's all gone. I think I saw Finn walk off with a whole box."
Rachel giggled as she and her dads rejoined the group. Life on your own could be a lot of fun, but it didn't compare to having your family around.
Three hours a later a small, but loud and feisty baby girl, made her way into the world. Though Quinn wore a wide smile, tears lined her face and looked into the blue eyes of her beautiful baby. She knew this was the only moment the little girl would really feel like hers. Puck was in awe and openly cried at the sight of his daughter. He too took her in his arms and tried to soak in every detail about the infant. Santana gripped her mother's hand tightly, mostly because she was so grossed out by what she had just seen. If there's one thing Santana now knew without a doubt, it was that she wanted as many drugs as they would give her when she had a baby. She hadn't really expected to get a full view but Quinn's inhibitions had gone out the window and Santana did not really appreciate the full Alien reenactment she just witnessed.
"She's beautiful, Quinn," Maribel said.
"Thanks," Quinn said through her exhaustion.
"Santana and I are going to step out for a bit to give you and Puck some time, but we'll be right outside if you need us."
"Okay," Quinn nodded. She was grateful, but she had no idea how to say that right now.
"Are you sure we're doing the right thing?" Puck asked as he stared down at the tiny baby in his arms. She was watching him intently.
"Yes," Quinn answered. "How are we supposed to give her a home? Or a life? I don't even really have a home and I don't have money and your pool business is great, but it can't support her. We can't drop out of school."
"Yeah," Puck said. "I don't want her to have two loser parents. She deserves everything."
"She deserves better than us," Quinn said, putting into words what they were both feeling.
"I love her so much," Puck said. He started to get choked up again.
"I do too," Quinn said. "Enough to give her away."
Puck nodded as he held the baby closer and kissed her head.
"They said they would send us pictures and that we'd get to see her," Quinn said. "We can give her a life that includes adult parents with good jobs. She'll have more than just one grandparent who loves her." Quinn's eyes darkened for a moment as she tried to push the faces of her angry parents from her mind.
"And she'll still have us," Puck said. There was a hopeful quality to his voice that Quinn rarely heard from him.
"Yeah," Quinn nodded. "She will."
The baby was taken to be evaluated and cleaned up while Quinn was moved to another room where she would spend the night. The glee club and other adults followed as well as the Aaron and Olivia Thomas. Everyone watched curiously as the young couple disappeared into the room to talk with Quinn and Puck.
"That's quite a group you've got out there waiting on you," Aaron said.
"Yeah," Quinn agreed. "They're our friends. Can they- I want them to see the baby if that's ok. They've kind of all gone through this pregnancy with me."
"Of course," Olivia said. "We understand."
Quinn nodded her appreciation at the couple. She and Puck decided on adoption months ago, but kept it to themselves. Quinn contacted a lawyer who gave them some names of people waiting. The kids sat down together one day and decided on Aaron and Olivia and set it all up. They were going to be the ones taking the baby home from the hospital. Both teenagers had been glad to know they would still get to see pictures of the little girl and even visit her.
The baby was brought back some time later and Quinn and Puck both teared up as Olivia was handed the tiny bundle. She was small due to arriving early, but was otherwise healthy. Olivia and Aaron stared down at the girl as if she were the most precious thing they had ever seen. Quinn knew it's because she was. They were looking at their daughter.
The glee kids all shuffled in and held the child for a bit and Quinn made sure to snap a picture with all of them. Kurt kissed her head but didn't let her get too close to his designer jacket. Santana had recovered by the time she and Maribel entered the room with Shelby and Rachel.
They had all been surprised to learn about the adoptive couple, but everyone approved. Maribel kissed Quinn's head and held her hand.
"You're Shelby Corcoran," Olivia said finally. She couldn't help it any longer. Shelby was one of her favorites.
"Yes, I am," Shelby smiled. "Rachel, my daughter, is friends with Quinn."
"Would you like to hold her?" Olivia asked. "Can we take a picture?"
"Sure," Shelby said as Rachel rolled her eyes. "I'd love to hold her. Do you have a name picked out?"
"We're going to name her Elizabeth Nicole," Aaron answered as he handed the baby to Shelby.
"Beth," Puck whispered and cast a meaningful glance at Quinn.
"That's right," Aaron said. "We plan on calling her Beth."
"I like it," Puck said. "Will you sing her the song every once in a while?"
"That's one of my favorites," Olivia said.
"Ours too," Quinn answered.
Quinn looked at Puck and smiled with tears in her eyes. He met her eyes with watery ones of his own and they both nodded slightly. This was how it was meant to be.
A couple months passed since the birth little miss Beth Thomas and life returned to its relative normalcy. Quinn still lived with the Lopez family and she was thriving there. The friendship Santana and Quinn were forming with Rachel was still tenuous, but it was growing. The school year was drawing to a close which only meant one thing to Rachel; she would get to spend longer periods of time with Shelby.
Shelby was leaving her musical soon and it was that occasion that brought Rachel and Kurt to the airport. They were soon flying to New York that Thursday morning to spend the time with Shelby and see her final few performances. Hiram and LeRoy would be following early Saturday morning. Kurt was beside himself with excitement and Rachel was ready to show off New York to her friend.
The flight was uneventful and both kids were ready to get off the plane and get out into the city.
"I told her we landed," Rachel said as the plane continued to taxi to the gate. "She's waiting."
"This is amazing," Kurt said. "What are we going to do today?"
"I don't know," Rachel shrugged. "We'll probably go to the house first and drop your stuff off. But I don't know if she has anything planned."
"I hope we get to go out and see things too," Kurt said.
"We will," Rachel said excitedly. "There are still plenty of things I want to see that I haven't been able to go to yet."
Shelby was waiting to meet them when they got off the plane and she greeted each kid with a hug and an added kiss on the head for Rachel.
"Welcome to New York, Kurt," Shelby said when they finally got in their cab and got away from the airport.
"Thank you so much for having me," Kurt said. "My dad said to tell you he's sorry he couldn't come as well."
"That's ok," Shelby said. "Maybe he'll be able to join you one time in the future."
"I hope so," Kurt said.
Rachel took great pleasure in pointing out various landmarks to Kurt as they drove. Shelby just sat back and smiled and let Rachel play tour guide. She remembered what her first time in this city felt like and she was glad Kurt was excited and taking it all in.
By the time they got to the building Shelby lived in, Kurt was on cloud nine. Mother and daughter couldn't wait to take him out in the city if this is how happy he was after one car ride.
"Wow…" Kurt said when they stepped into Shelby's lavish apartment.
"I know. Isn't it amazing?" Rachel asked.
Kurt only nodded as his eyes continued to scan the room.
"Come on, I'll show you the guest room and my room," Rachel said eagerly.
"Wait," Kurt said. His eyes were focused on an object on the other side of the living room. "Is that?"
"It most certainly is!" Rachel squealed out in a delighted tone. "Come and see it."
The kids dropped their bags in the entryway and made a beeline for Shelby's Tony. Rachel let the moment linger so Kurt could look at it with the full appreciation it deserved.
"She's got another one in the back office," Rachel bragged proudly.
"Can I touch it?" Kurt asked.
"Oh sure," Rachel said and she plucked it from the shelf and put it in Kurt's shaking hands. "Hold it up; I'll take a picture."
Kurt did as he was told and Rachel pulled out her phone and snapped some pictures. She would send them to him a little later.
"Wow," Kurt said reverently when the pictures were done and he really got the chance to look at and study the award.
"I know," Rachel agreed.
Shelby just shook her head at the kids and bypassed their bags and headed into the kitchen to get another cup of coffee. On top of the stress and publicity she'd have to take part in for her final shows, Shelby had the feeling that she was going to be run in circles by two eager teenagers.
"Come put your bags away," Shelby ordered kindly and then laughed to herself when she could tell whether Kurt was debating whether or not he'd have to put the Tony back down. Finally, the boy reluctantly placed it back on the shelf and he and Rachel did as they were told.
Shelby made them lunch at the house because she wanted to be able to talk to them and actually have their attention.
"Now listen, I know you two are eager to go out and explore and shop and that's fine, but we need to have a few ground rules," Shelby said.
Rachel resisted the urge to roll her eyes while Kurt looked at Shelby intently.
"I need you two to listen to me when I give you times to be places," Shelby said. "I'm fine with you going off on your own and being tourists, but it has to be close and you have to be back when I tell you to. This is going to be a very busy few days and I need to know where you two are and I need to know that I can trust you to be here when I tell you to."
Rachel's home alone fiasco was behind them and all three parents trusted her enough to give the kids their space in the town. They'd all sat and talked with Burt and agreed on where the kids should and shouldn't go alone and how late they could stay out. Burt didn't want Kurt out with just Rachel after dark in the city. He trusted the kids but worried about what could happen to them. The other parents agreed.
"You can trust us," Kurt said.
"Absolutely," Rachel agreed.
"Good. Because I have a surprise for you two, but only if you can behave long enough to get it," Shelby told them. "I will take it away without question if I feel that either of you can't handle it."
"What is it?" Rachel asked with wide eyes.
"It's a surprise," Shelby said. "And that's all you get to know right now."
"But, Mom," Rachel whined.
"Be patient, my dear," Shelby laughed. "And be good."
Later that evening, Rachel and Kurt attended Shelby's show and Kurt couldn't stop the tears at getting to see it. It was his first Broadway show and Shelby was amazing. Afterwards, he made sure to buy a few souvenirs before they went back to see Shelby in her dressing room.
"Will you sign my playbill?" Kurt asked.
"Kurt, you don't need me to sign your playbill," Shelby said. Kurt knew her and Shelby was forgetting what it was like to be in his position.
"Please," Kurt said. "I want to save it."
"I still have mine," Rachel said.
"Of course," Shelby told him as she picked up his playbill and added her signature. "Wait right here." She stepped out of her dressing room with his playbill and left the kids to look around.
"I can't believe I'm actually here," Kurt said.
"I know," Rachel agreed. "I was in awe the first few times I was back here. But look, she's got a picture of me up. She's just my mom."
"Just is an awfully big word," Kurt said. "And just your mom or not, she's got the coolest job in the world."
"She certainly does," Rachel said.
"Here you go," Shelby said when she stepped back into her dressing room and handed Kurt his playbill. It was now signed by the rest of the cast.
"Wow, thank you!" Kurt said. "This is amazing!"
"Keep it safe," Shelby advised.
"I will," Kurt nodded seriously. He missed the tongue-in-cheek nature of her comment.
"Good," Shelby said. "Let me do the stage door and then we'll get out of here."
Shelby took the kids to a restaurant she liked and they all had dessert.
"I've got a bunch of press to do tomorrow morning and I know you two want to go out," Shelby said. "But I need you to be back at the apartment by five because Marie and Elizabeth will be here and we're all doing dinner before the show."
Rachel ducked her head a little and took another bite of ice cream. She was nervous to meet the people who mother considered family. It hadn't gone over so well with her real grandmother and what if they didn't like her either. Shelby assured her that it would be completely different and Rachel believed her, but that didn't stop her from being nervous.
"We'll be back in time," Kurt assured her. "We'll get an early start and that way we'll be able to go and do a lot of things."
"That sounds like a good plan," Shelby said. She noticed Rachel's demeanor and reached down and patted her leg. "It'll be a good day, ok?"
"Ok," Rachel said.
"Good girl," Shelby said with a smile that she was happy to see Rachel return.
The kids went to bed not long after they got home and Shelby wasn't surprised. It had been a long day and tomorrow would probably feel even longer. At 12:30, Shelby will still sitting up reading and it only startled her slightly when she heard someone around her door.
"Rach?"
"Can I come in?" Rachel asked.
"Of course, sweetheart," Shelby said. "Come climb in bed and keep warm."
Rachel got in bed next to her mother and leaned into her. Shelby put her book down and wrapped her arms around Rachel and snuggled her close.
"What's on your mind?" Shelby asked.
"I want Marie and Elizabeth to like me," Rachel said honestly.
"They will. They already do," Shelby said. "Meeting them will just be a formality because I know they both already think of you as family."
"What if it's like Brian?" Rachel asked.
The subject of Brian was a sticky one for the pair and they dealt with it infrequently. This weekend would be a time when it would come up though because Brian would be at the final performance. Shelby hoped that Rachel gave him a better chance than she had in the past.
"It's completely different from Brian," Shelby said. "You don't need to worry about it. You'll see tomorrow that all of your worrying was for nothing because they love you and you are going to love them. Trust me on this one, kiddo."
"Ok," Rachel yawned. "I will." She turned to her side and tried to snuggle even closer to her mother. "Will you sing for me?"
"Of course," Shelby said.
She didn't even complete a full stanza before Rachel was asleep. Shelby moved her slightly so Rachel was comfortable and then shut off her light and settled into her spot in the bed. She kissed Rachel softly on the head before drifting off to sleep herself.
By nine the following morning, Rachel and Kurt were set free in Manhattan and they were extremely excited. Shelby dropped them off in Times Square on her way to do some interviews and reminded them again to be back at the apartment by five. She also gave them each extra spending money that both kids accepted without question.
They started out by getting coffee and checking out the stores in that area. They went in every Broadway themed gift shop they could find and made purchases in each and every one of them. They eventually left that area and headed for Rockefeller Center where they had lunch and then they went to Central Park.
"This is so cool," Kurt gushed as he and Rachel stared out towards one of the entrances to the park. The Plaza hotel was on their left and FAO Schwartz was on their right.
"I know," Rachel agreed. "I can't wait to live here."
"Me too," Kurt said.
"Ok, what do you want to do first, the toy store or the park?" Rachel asked.
"FAO Schwartz, definitely," Kurt said. "We're right here."
With the decision made, the pair headed towards the grand toy store and started to look around. They split up and eventually found each other a while later, each with more than a few things to buy.
When they were finished in there, they took their many bags and headed across the street to Central Park. They spent a couple hours walking through the shaded areas of the grand park. They visited the Strawberry Fields and the tribute to John Lennon. They even sang a duet of Imagine that drew a round of applause from various onlookers. Rachel and Kurt beamed at each other as they took their bows.
"What time is it?" Rachel asked when she noticed Kurt pulled his cell phone out.
"Just a couple minutes after four," Kurt answered. "Maybe we should start heading back."
"Yeah," Rachel agreed. "My arms are getting tired of holding all these bags and I want to get a shower and have plenty of time to get ready."
"Me too," Kurt said. "Should we get a cab?"
"I don't think I have enough money left for a cab," Rachel said sheepishly.
"I don't either," Kurt admitted.
"That's ok, we'll take the subway," Rachel declared.
"Do you even know where you're going on the subway?" Kurt asked.
"Not really," Rachel shrugged. "But how hard can it be?"
That question was answered when the two teens stood staring at the subway map in the nearest station they had found.
"Which way do we go?" Kurt asked.
"Umm... The A line maybe?" Rachel guessed. "I'm going to call my mom real quick."
Kurt nodded his approval at that plan and they moved off to the side so they wouldn't be in the way. Rachel stamped her foot when her mother didn't answer and looked down at the phone like it was the one to blame.
"She's not answering," Rachel said. "Maybe she's doing another interview."
"So what do we do now?" Kurt asked.
"I think we can take the A line to a stop near her house," Rachel said.
"Are you sure?" Kurt asked.
"I think," Rachel said again. "But we need to switch trains a few stops up. Come on; let's not waste any more time."
"Ok," Kurt said warily. He was not all sure she knew what she was doing.
They rode a few stops and switched trains as planned but neither of them knew which stop they were looking for. They didn't even know if they were going the right way. They tried reading the subway map, but it wasn't offering them any clues.
"We need to just get off and try calling again," Kurt said. "We've been riding way too long."
"Ok," Rachel said. She was getting anxious because the minutes kept ticking by.
Unfortunately there was a long gap between when their decision was made and when the train stopped again. When it finally paused at a station, Kurt and Rachel got off and looked around at the run down, small station and made their way towards the exit.
"Excuse me," Rachel asked a woman who was walking out with them. "Where are we?"
"Brooklyn," the lady answered without breaking her stride.
Kurt and Rachel looked at each other with wide eyes. How had they gotten to Brooklyn? Rachel hurriedly took her phone out and called her mother.
"Hey, Rach," Shelby greeted. "I'm sorry I missed your call earlier. I'm almost home with Elizabeth and Marie. Where are you and Kurt?"
"Umm… Brooklyn," Rachel answered.
A/N – Again, I'm so sorry for the delay. I will try and do better next time. Please leave me a review if you can and let me know what you think. Your feedback means so much to me. Thanks, guys.
