Hello! Here is the next installment of this story. I'm doing my best researching this so I apologize if things seem off with the legal aspect of Foster Care. Thanks to Erica for proofing for me! Enjoy!
May 2026
Finn tipped his head back to take a swig of his beer as he watched a late night baseball game on TV. Rachel had long been in bed but he was restless and decided to stay up a tad later. To be honest these past 8 weeks have been a whirlwind. Ever since he and Rachel decided to move forward in the Foster Care System they've been engulfed in the process.
First they met with their caseworker, Mrs. Kent, to have an initial meeting and review the process. Rachel had been very good about ensuring Finn was well informed. Finn had embraced this once they had decided to move forward, but they both told each other that they could stop at any point if it became something they no longer wanted to do. However, Finn found that the more informed he became, the more he too was drawn to Fostering children to eventually adopt them. He spent many nights at his computer reading about success stories from Foster Children who were later adopted.
After they met with their caseworker, they had to have a background check and references. This step they knew was a no brainer and they would easily pass. They both have a squeaky clean past as well as an abundance of personal and professional references to vouch for them. Mrs. Kent told them they looked perfect on paper, but that wasn't all that was considered. The background check was the quickest and easiest step by far.
Finn and Rachel had to complete over 30 hours of classes that varied from parenting, behavior issues, and legal information. Every spare moment they had during the week or weekend was spend at these classes. Although they were busy, this really helped them channel all of their conversations towards analyzing their situation.
The hardest class by far was learning how to deal with possible behaviors that can occur with kids in Foster Care. Of course they are traumatized by being removed from their parents care, no matter how horrible the situation. It would be Finn and Rachel's job to help them work through this, even if it meant they would eventually go back to those same parents. Reunification was priority in Foster Care. Yes, they wanted to adopt, but not all kids in Foster Care are eligible. They had discussed this at length but ultimately they both want to help kids. All kids deserve to be loved and nurtured. They had to be ready for what could possibly happen though. It wasn't going to be a walk in the park.
After their final behavior class, Rachel sat Finn down at the table once they arrived home. "You know, if you have any hesitations at all, we don't have to do this."
Finn had thought long and hard about this. He knew Rachel would give him an out if he wanted one. The more educated he became though, the more he wanted to move forward.
"No. I don't have any hesitations. We have a great home with love to spare, and I think helping kids without a place to go is just the right thing for us right now."
Rachel beamed at his answer. "I love you so much."
The home inspections occurred while they were taking their courses. The first one was to analyze their house and tell them what they needed to do to get their house ready and approved. They had to have beds and bedrooms for each child. A child over the age of 6 could not share a room. Rachel took this part very seriously.
Rachel walked into the bedroom next to theirs. This bedroom that has been waiting all of these years to be used. She made sure to buy neutral things, not knowing if a boy or a girl would ever live in this room. She unfolded the light green comforter to lay out on the bed. They had added a bookshelf with a variety of children's books, most of them favorites from her childhood. She had hung a picture above the bed that read "You are Loved", because whoever sleeps in this room will be.
The room across the hall was also prepared. It had a twin bed and room for a crib if they needed one. The comforter on that bed was a pale blue with a matching white and pale blue striped rug on the floor. There was a taller bookcase in this room filled with books from Finn's childhood and a rocking chair in the corner.
Rachel kept the two rooms simple and understated to allow the kids the ability to individualize them how they wanted. They had no idea how old the kids would be, but they had told the agency they would take as old as 10 and as young as a newborn.
Each night she would spend a little time in each room, allowing herself to close her eyes and hope for the future again. It's something she hadn't allowed herself to do for quite some time.
The next two visits were to see if they had followed through with the criteria of an approved home. This is where Rachel's obsessiveness came in handy because the house was of course ready by visit number 2. Visit 3 ended up being a formality for Mrs. Kent which they happily agreed to.
Now they wait. Mrs. Kent had completed their file and sent it off for them to become licensed Foster Care parents. They felt ready. It was a little weird to Finn how their lives had taken such a drastic turn, but he no longer felt reserved about it. Rachel had surprised him in so many ways during this entire process. She really was assertive and headstrong during this, but mostly because she felt like she was somewhat in control. Unlike their fertility cycles, Rachel could take charge and feel like she could cross everything off their list and know that the end was in sight. The waiting was just all part of the process, no uncertainty was looming.
Finn was shaken from his thoughts as Rachel tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey. It's late. Are you okay? Come to bed." Rachel held out her hand to Finn as he sat with his legs outstretched across the sofa.
Finn grabbed Rachel's hand and pulled her down on top of him so their faces were just inches apart. "I couldn't sleep. Too much on my mind." Finn leans up and kissed Rachel on her forehead.
Rachel laid her head on Finn's chest with her body outstretched. Even laying like this, her feet barely hit his shins. She always felt protected by him, as he wrapped his arms around her back. "I know. These past two months have been crazy. We've been running non-stop since we decided to move forward. I think it's been good though. We've learned so much about Foster Care, and each other. "
Finn rubbed his fingers through Rachel's hair as he listened to her speak. She was right. They have come so far in these past two months. After a few moments of silence Finn speaks up. "I know Rach. This is all crazy, but maybe this is what we were meant to do. Not that I wanted us to go through all of those years of heartbreak, but now it feels like maybe there was a greater plan for us. I don't think we would have ever thought about doing this otherwise. Life is funny that way."
Upon hearing this Rachel pushes herself up and pulled her legs around so she was straddling Finn. "I couldn't agree more," she smiled. "I mean I never pictured us doing this. Ever. But as we've gone through this process we've grown in so many ways. I'm so ready for what's next." Rachel leaned over to give Finn soft kiss on the lips.
"Me too. I'm ready to get everything going. We've worked really hard for this and I just hope we can help some kids out who need it." Finn was proud of them. They were starting to resemble the couple they once were before all of their problems happened. They were happy again.
Hey," Finn paused, "since everyone is coming over this weekend for Memorial Day, do you think we can tell people what's going on now? I think we should tell them now versus just calling them up one day to tell them we have a few kids running around right? Your dads will freak out and my mom will never forgive me." Finn started to laugh at the thought of what those phone calls would be like.
Rachel rolled her eyes knowing Finn was right. "Yes let's tell them at our barbecue this weekend. That way everyone finds out at once and no one gets offended that the others knew a few minutes before."
Everyone in their family wanted to be the first to know things, which resulted in everything being announced in group settings now. It became a Hudson/Hummel/Berry thing now. New baby? Announce it at a gathering. Job promotion? Announce it at Christmas. This is how everything went down now. It really made functions without an announcement pretty boring.
Finn smiled in agreement. "Awesome!" he shouted. "Okay let's head up to bed. Honestly with you straddling me like this I can't focus on anything else right now and if you don't move I might just have my way with you." Finn gripped the waistband of Rachel's pajama pants tightly as she squealed. Neither of them stopped to look in the empty bedrooms as they ran to their bed.
The next morning Finn was working in his office as he heard Rachel in the kitchen preparing some food for the day. Their entire family would be here in a few hours for the Memorial Day barbecue, as well as some of their friends they hadn't seen in a while. Between the business and all of their fertility stuff going on, Finn and Rachel had sort of closed themselves off from everyone. Sometimes it was just too hard to deal with everyone as they watched others' lives progress while theirs was at a standstill for so many years.
Rachel went out to get the mail before the party started. To her surprise there was an envelope from the state addressed to both of them. It took her a moment to realize what it really was. At that instant she went tearing back into the house to show Finn.
"FINN! It's here!" she screamed which caused Finn to come running.
"What is it?" he replied, expecting some huge package to be sitting in living room.
"Our license Finn! Our license to make us Foster Parents. We did it!" Rachel was beaming. All of their hard work over the past two months has led to this piece of paper. "This is so perfect because when we tell everyone today it's truly an official thing!"
"Wow," Finn said, taking a deep breath as he looked down at the envelope. Here it is. We can move forward and things are going to start happening. At that moment he felt overcome with emotion and grabbed Rachel to pull her in for a hug. "I'm really excited Rach."
Rachel returned the sentiment with a tight squeeze. "Me too. I really feel this is right for us. Now I'll be obsessed about the phone ringing," she laughed. Finn knew how badly Rachel wanted all of this to happen and just fall into place. He could only hope that it would be an easy transition.
A few hours later the barbecue was in full swing. Rachel's dad's and Finn's parents arrived first as they usually do. They were never late to anything, no matter how minute the occasion.
Next to arrive were Kurt and Blaine with Warner in tow. He quickly began running around the backyard with his football begging Finn to play with him. Finn happily joined him as the other guests arrived.
Their friends showed up last as usual. Puck and Quinn came in with their daughter Ashley, who is 4. Puck is an agent with their company so they see them fairly often and Ashley is a spitfire just like Puck. They had moved to Cincinnati when Quinn got a job as a journalist for the Cincinnati Chronicle five years ago. All of their other friends are now scattered in various places across the US. They try to get together once a year but as they get older and their families grow, it gets harder and harder to make that happen.
Ashley quickly joined Warner out in the yard, opening up the packages of bubbles Rachel had set out for the kids. She always made sure the kids had plenty to do so the adults could eat and not worry about having to entertain the little ones. Finn and Puck were in charge of grilling the food while everyone else hung out on the deck and chatted.
"Hey Puck, hand me those burgers on that table to throw on the grill will ya?" Finn shouted at Puck.
"Geez Finn! Could you ask me nicely next time?" Puck laughed as Finn threw a napkin at him. "Oh wow I'm scared now," he answered sarcastically. "Hey where have you two been by the way? We haven't seen you in a long ass time!"
Finn didn't want to tell Puck yet as he and Rachel were going to announce their new plans at dinner in a short while. He took a deep breath, keeping his eye on the grill. "Oh you know, super busy with the company right now. As you know this is our busiest season for house sales in Ohio. Nice weather brings out the home buyers! By the way, nice job on the sale of that house on Jacob St.!" Finn hoped he could change the subject, which with Puck was easy if you wanted him to brag about himself.
"Oh thanks man! That was on the market a while but I'm glad I could get it off our hands! The sellers were thrilled! You know Puck always gets the job done man!" Puck smirked at Finn to which Finn rolled his eyes.
"Haha. Very funny. I'm sure Quinn will be so happy that you're still making sexual references about yourself. Now let's get this cooked before the natives get restless." Finn and Puck continued to cook the food and soon enough Rachel was setting up the table for everyone to eat.
Everyone filled their plates and grabbed seats at the tables set up on the deck. Warner was napping, but everyone else was ready to eat. It was a beautiful May day. Clear skies, not too humid. Once everyone was settled in, Finn squeezed Rachel's hand under the table to grab her attention. Rachel looked up at Finn questioning him. "What do you need hon?"
Finn whispers, "Are you ready? I need to announce this before I burst."
"Oh," Rachel paused as she looked at him out of the corner of her eyes. "Yeah. Yes let's tell them. . Why am I so nervous?"
Kurt notices their conversation and chimes in. "Hey you two! What are you whispering about over there?"
Finn looks at Rachel and smiles. They both stand up together, hands still held together.
"OH an announcement! YAY!" Carole looks up at them clapping quickly.
"Yes MOM," Finn says sarcastically. "Rachel and I do have something to announce." Rachel leans into his side and smiles.
"OMG you are pregnant! I knew it!" Hiram shouted.
Rachel's smile fell. "No. No dad I'm not pregnant." There was an awkward silence at the table. Rachel could feel a lump in her throat form but was fighting it hard. She pushed back the few tears that had managed to pool in her eyes.
Finn continued "No, we are not expecting in that sense. Rachel and I have spent a lot of time and energy over the past two months working towards starting a family in another way. As of today we are officially licensed Foster parents. We are going to try to adopt through the Ohio State Foster Care system.
Rachel and Finn had both been expecting some sort of reaction. Clapping maybe? Shouts of joy? Instead they were met with blank stares from the crowd.
Burt was the first to speak up. "Are you guys sure this is what you want? Foster kids can be a real problem." Rachel's mouth fell open and she felt Finn squeeze her side tighter.
"Yes Burt. We are sure. We've spent a lot of time researching, taking classes, and making SURE we want to do this." Finn stood up straighter to get his point across. "We didn't tell anyone because we wanted to make sure we were going through with it so no one got too excited. Now I can see that wasn't what we had to worry about."
Carole looked up at Finn from her seat. "I think what Burt means is Foster Care is a hard road Finn. We don't want to see you two get hurt."
Kurt, Blaine, Quinn, and Puck all just sat there in uncomfortable silence. Ashley began to fidget and spilled her entire drink all over her dress. "Oh my. I guess we need to clean you up!" Quinn said as she scooped up Ashley to bring her inside to change. Blaine kept looking at the baby monitor hoping Warner was up so he could excuse himself from this awkward situation.
LeRoy broke the silence "I'm with Burt and Carole. Is this really the best idea? What about private adoption? Or a surrogate? You can use Kurt and Blaine's agency!"
The lump in Rachel's throat became too big to ignore. The tears began spilling from her eyes before she opened her mouth. "ENOUGH!" she shouted choking back a sob. "Honestly, this is no one's decision but mine and Finn's. I'm sorry if none of you support it, but this is something we feel strongly about. Does it matter if our kids have our DNA? Look around! ALL of you should know that it doesn't. If none of you want to be supportive then fine. We can do this alone. It's our life and the rest of you can just get over yourselves!"
Everyone looked at Rachel wide eyed as they realized the ramifications of their reactions to the news, or lack thereof. Finn continued to stand next to Rachel, rubbing small circles on her lower back to soothe her. A few seconds passed before Rachel began to squirm from Finn's grip and ran into the house.
"Finn, I'm sorry I-," Carole tried to apologize to Finn.
"Mom NO. Just no right now. I have to go take care of my sobbing wife. Finish eating." Finn stormed through the sliding glass door into the house to see Quinn and Ashley coming out of the downstairs bathroom. Quinn said nothing, just pointed to the upstairs. Finn ran to Rachel, taking two steps at a time.
He found Rachel sitting on their bed, facing the wall. Her shoulders shuttering up and down with her silent sobs. Finn walked up to sit beside her on the bed.
"So that didn't go how we imagined it huh?" Finn said as he reached over and rubbed Rachel's back. "They just don't understand everything. We have educated ourselves and they don't know what we know." Finn was trying desperately to justify the actions of their parents but was finding it hard to do so.
Rachel turned her body toward Finn, folding one leg underneath her body. She looked at him with her swollen eyes, mascara streaming down her face. "I don't want them to view our kids as "problems". Don't they have faith in us?"
Just then there was a knock at the door. "Rachel?" Carole said in a calm but quiet voice. "Rachel can I please talk to you?"
Rachel looked at Finn and gave a small nod. Finn opened the door as Carole reluctantly walked in.
Carole took Finn's place beside Rachel on the bed. Rachel still cried as she looked down at the floor. Carole took Rachel's hands in hers as she spoke. "Rachel, I want to apologize. All of us do. This just really took us by surprise and bottom line is we don't want you guys to get hurt again. We know you've been through a lot and I think all of us just want to save you from any future heartbreak. You know we will love any grandchild of ours to the moon and back and spoil them rotten." Carole became teary as she reached over to give Rachel a hug.
"Thank you Carole," Rachel replied. "Finn and I are taking this seriously. We have spent two months preparing for this and didn't want to tell you guys until it was all finalized. This is real for us. This is how we want to start our family now. "
Finn cracked a smile as he watched Rachel talk to his mom. She still managed to be so strong even though she's emotionally spent at times. These past two months have really made her a stronger woman he thinks. Rachel definitely feels like she is in control of her life again.
"Well I'm guessing the rest of the group is waiting downstairs for us?" Finn asked, knowing that they all had a discussion at the table after they had retreated. Carole laughed and nodded and all three made their way back to the party.
As soon as Rachel got to the bottom of the stairs, Quinn rushed up to give her a hug. "We are so excited for you! Ashley can't wait to have some new best friends to play with around here!" Quinn pulled away and Hiram held out his arms.
"Rachel we didn't mean any harm. We had no idea you two were considering this but we will support you guys with whatever happens. You know we don't care if the child is yours biologically or not. We just knew that is what you and Finn had tried so hard for and were shocked you were giving up on that." Hiram looked to Finn, hoping he had something to add to their statement.
"We aren't giving up on that. Maybe it will happen one day. We just decided to move in a different direction for now. We've learned there are so many kids out there who need stability and love and we know we can provide that." Rachel watched Finn explain their situation to their families and began to feel calmer. She stood next to Finn, arms crossed and heart guarded. She never imagined that this is how today would have gone. Thank god for Finn. He always had a way with getting everyone to settle down when a situation became heated.
"Well any kid that gets to come live with you two will be the luckiest kid around. You guys are so great with Warner and he can't wait to have some cousins to play with!" Kurt reached out to give each of them a hug.
"Thank you," Rachel whispered under her breath. "How about we go finish dinner before it gets dark?" Rachel led the way as they all followed her back outside to their seats.
Puck and Quinn had made a quick exit after dinner when Ashley had another meltdown. Ashley trailing behind them as she rambled on about Warner stealing her bubbles. "He's only two honey," Quinn says trying to calm Ashley down. "He doesn't know how to share all of the time like you because you're a big girl".
Finn and Rachel both laughed overhearing this conversation. As Puck passes Finn, he gave him a firm handshake. "Hey man, I'm really happy for you guys. I hope it all works out."
"Me too Puck. Thanks! See you at the office on Tuesday! Enjoy your day off!" Finn closed the door as the family exited.
Everyone else was hanging around enjoying the night, Warner finally up and playing on the back deck as the adults conversed. The mood seemed to calm down a bit as dessert was served the family became more comfortable with asking questions about the Foster care system.
"So," Carole began, "When will you know if you are getting a child? Did you put any preferences down?" she asked.
"Well, we said we would take any child from birth to 10. No other preferences really. I mean, we'd love a newborn, but I think we are just ready to see what our fate has in store. We are ready." Rachel looked up at her family, all of them listening intently to her words.
"Yeah, we knew if we opened up our age range a bit we would probably get a placement faster. I know most of you think we have no business having a 10 year old in the house, but we've studied hard and know what resources are available to us if we get an older child," Finn added.
Rachel took a deep breathe, crossing her arms across her chest. "We actually wanted to ask all of you if you would be willing to become certified in CPR and First aid. In order to babysit or be left alone with any of our kids before or if they are adopted, you have to be certified and approved by our agency. We would love for you all to do it but understand if you aren't comfortable."
The crowd then broke out into a fit of "Of course!" and "We'd love to!" Everyone took turns hugging Finn and Rachel, congratulating them and wishing them luck. The tension at the table subsided and the chatter continued as the two explained the rest of the process of how to be a Foster parent.
Rachel and Finn spent the night side by side on the deck. Finn didn't want to wander too far in case conversations turned negative again, but that turned out not to be the case. Everyone now seemed genuinely interested
Blaine was out in the yard with Warner running around playing catch. That kid couldn't get enough. Rachel let her mind wander slightly, imagining her own kids at this barbecue next year. A smile cracked across her face thinking about Finn out in the yard playing football with a little boy of their own.
Rachel is jolted from her thoughts as her dads announce they are leaving. She hugged them goodbye, followed by Carole and Burt. They all give one more apology before they leave and Rachel promises to email them the information on becoming CPR certified.
30 minutes later Kurt and Blaine headed out the door with a passed out Warner on Blaine's shoulder. "Bye buddy," Finn says as he kisses Warner's forehead.
He turned around to see Rachel standing in the foyer sobbing. "Hey wait! What happened? Are you sad they left or something?" Finn honestly had no idea why she was crying now.
"No," Rachel answered. "I just wanted tonight to go well and it didn't and I don't want people second guessing what we want to do. Why is this such a big deal? I thought everyone would be excited for us." Rachel sniffled through her words as she reflected on the night's earlier events. "I feel like we are doing what's right for us. Do you?"
Finn walked forward to pull Rachel in for a hug. This seemed to be a common theme for today. "We are doing what we want to do. It doesn't matter what they think. They seemed to come around after we talked to them more about it. All they know about Foster care is from the horror stories they see on the news or in movies. It's not always like that. Didn't we learn all about that in our classes? We know what we are doing. Don't let other people's reactions make you waiver on that. Plus, now that we are licensed we can get a call any day."
Rachel used Finn's shirt to wipe away the tears on her cheeks. "Yeah, I'm sure we just shocked them that's all. I just want this all to go perfectly. Plus, we'll need the support if things get tough. Sometimes I still feel like such a failure."
Finn pulled back to look Rachel in the eye. "Rachel you are not a failure. You are amazing. I never ever look at you like you've failed at this. We've tried. Both of us have been committed to having a family for six years. Once we have a family, this will all seem like a distant memory ok?"
Rachel sniffled a few more times. "Okay. I love you."
"Why don't you head up to bed and I'll clean up quickly outside. We can finish the rest in the morning."
Rachel shook her head in agreement and headed up the stairs.
A short while later Finn had finished cleaning up the deck and headed upstairs to their bedroom. This night had exhausted him and he couldn't wait to lay his head on his pillow. As he passed the bedroom across the hall, he saw Rachel sitting in the rocking chair staring out the window.
Finn walked in and Rachel turned as she heard his footsteps creak on the hardwood floor.
"Hey, you cleaned up already?" she asked.
"Yes, everything is okay until tomorrow. Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm okay. I just like to sit in these rooms sometimes. These empty rooms used to bring me heartache, but now they have a new meaning." Rachel stood up and grabbed Finn's hand and began walking towards their bedroom. They stopped quickly to look in the room next to theirs.
"You've done a really great job with these rooms. Any kid will be happy to stay in here."
"Finn, I'm a little scared. Just a little. It's real now." Rachel leaned on Finn's shoulder as they both continued to look into the bedroom.
"I'm a little scared too Rach. I think that's good though. It means we are excited but serious about it. I would be worried if we weren't."
Rachel didn't even reply. He was right and he knew she agreed.
"Let's head to bed ok? We've had a long night. You never know, the phone could ring tomorrow." Finn pulled Rachel's hand and led her to the room. They both went to sleep exhausted but anxious for the future.
