Hello! I'm back with another update! It's almost been a year since I started this story! Crazy! Thanks to all who still read! I own the plot, Zack, and Lainey. Nothing else! Mistakes are all mine!
The car was silent on the drive down to Lima. It appeared he was the only one who slept well last night. Both Zack and Lainey were passed out in the back seat, tired from being up in the night mixed with the excitement of going on a trip. They had never left Cincinnati before, or at least they can't remember if they had. They buzzed around all morning as Finn packed the car. Zack asked every five minutes if it was time to leave yet. It was nice to see them more excited than nervous about something. Two months ago this much uncertainty would have caused a major problem.
Rachel was next to him in the passenger seat asleep, mouth hanging slightly open. She fell asleep first out of everyone, exhausted from last night's events. These past two months have made his love for her grow ten times it seemed. She has been amazing through all of the ups and downs of fostering these two kids. He will never admit how worried he was those first few weeks. Rachel, although strong, was still so emotionally fragile at times. When the kids first arrived everything was so hectic that even he was having a hard time grasping what to do. She had proved him wrong through. Rachel had stayed focused and never let the kids see her waiver.
They pulled up to his parents' house with everyone still asleep. When the car stopped Rachel's eyes opened slowly.
"Did I sleep the entire way? I'm sorry Finn." Rachel yawned as she sat upright in her seat.
"Don't apologize. You all passed out before we got out of the city. You needed the rest."
Rachel smiled at him as she looked in the back seat. She shook the kids' legs gently to wake them up.
"Hey guys, we're here. Let's wake up so we can go inside ok?"
The two excitedly opened their eyes and began to unbuckle themselves. Carole came out front to greet them as they unloaded the car.
"Hello everyone! How was the drive?" she asked as she hugged Rachel.
"Well unfortunately for Finn we all slept the entire way here, so all in all it was great!" Rachel laughed as she pulled Lainey from her car seat.
"Lainey can you say hi to Carole for me?" Lainey laid her head on Rachel's shoulder, not fully awake.
"Hi Lady Carole," she replied.
Rachel and Carole both gave each other a look but continued heading toward the house. Zack was helping Finn with the bags.
"Finn can I carry my bag into the house by myself? I can do it."
"Sure buddy. Want to get your sisters bag too?"
Zack carried the two bags inside of the house where the girls had already begun to discuss the room situation.
"So Rachel, you and Finn can have Kurt's old room because it has a Queen sized bed. The kids can go into Finn's room with the two twin beds if that's okay."
"That sounds great. Zack do you want to follow us upstairs to see where you'll be sleeping?"
Zack nodded yes as he followed the two upstairs. Finn was soon up with them with the remainder of the bags. They quickly dropped everything in its appropriate place when Rachel felt a tug on her arm.
"Rachel?" Zack asked as he looked up at her, "Where is Burt?"
Zack had really been looking forward to seeing Burt again. He had really hit it off with him last month and it was endearing to see him forming attachments to people.
"Oh he's actually already at the shop. He had to go in to meet a client but asked if you and Finn could head down there when you arrived. I think us girls will have a girls day if that sounds ok?"
Zack smiled at Carole's response. "Can we go now Finn? I want to see all of his cars there!"
"Sure! How about we pick up some lunch to bring Burt too? Sound good?"
The two headed downstairs quickly while Rachel and Carole began to unpack with Lainey in tow.
"What's a girl's day?" Lainey asked.
Rachel knelt down to Lainey's level. "Oh well it's a day where just you, me, and Carole will do stuff without the boys. What should we do today?"
"Well I thought I would treat you two to a manicure and then lunch. Unless you have something else you'd rather do?"
Rachel could tell Lainey wasn't quite grasping what was going on. "Lainey do you want to go get your nails painted? It's like when I paint them but at a fancy place? Then we can go have lunch at a restaurant. What do you think?"
"YAY! Can I get my nails sparkly? With l lots of sparkles?"
"Of course you can! Let's finish unpacking so we can go!"
Finn and Zack stopped to buy sandwiches on the way to the auto shop. Zack was actually very chatty, constantly asking Finn questions about the different things he saw around town. It was a nice change from him sulking in the backseat.
They pulled up to the shop and could see Burt working in the garage. Zack held Finn's hand as he skipped alongside him to walk inside.
"Hey Burt! Hope you don't mind but we brought some lunch." Finn placed the sandwiches on a table near Burt's office as Zack looked around wide eyed.
"Hey guys! Welcome! Let me just wash my hands and we can get eat. I also have a surprise for you Zack."
Burt went to wash his hands and returned holding something behind his back. "Now Zack, I'm about to give you something that only truly qualified helpers can get in my shop. Finn got some when he started working here and now it's your turn." Burt pulled his hands out from behind his back to reveal a tiny pair of blue coveralls with the name "Zack" embroidered on the front pocket.
Zack's mouth flew open as he ran towards Burt to grab the coveralls from him. "Can I put them on? Now?"
"Sure I'll help you. They just slide right over your clothes so they don't get dirty." Finn helped Zack slide them on over the clothes. Zack stared down at himself, brushing his hands over the material. He beamed as he looked at Burt in his coveralls, realizing that they matched.
"Where are yours Finn? You can't help unless you have them on." Zack skipped back over to the table and sat down in front of his lunch.
"Well I'm sure they are here somewhere, let's hope they fit."
Finn got changed into his coveralls. Zack smiled widely as Finn joined them at the table.
"I'm going to have to get a picture of this. Rachel will flip out."
"Why will she be mad?" Zack asked.
"Oh no not flip out mad, flip out excited. She will love that we are all in matching outfits. Watch this."
Finn asked a worker in the shop to take a picture of them all side by side. Then he quickly sent a text to Rachel with the picture and the caption "Your main men are ready for work."
Not two seconds later he got a text back from her. "OH my gosh this is the cutest thing I've ever seen! I'm framing this!"
Finn read the text to them and they all laughed. "I told you she'd love it. Now let's get to work."
Lainey sat upright in the chair, legs swinging underneath her, hands outstretched onto the counter in front of her. She watched intently as the woman across from her painted hot pink nail polish onto her tiny fingers. Carole and Rachel were seated on either side of her, also getting their nails done. Rachel was so impressed with how still Lainey was.
"Lainey that color is so pretty. Now remember to sit still so they don't get messed up ok?" Lainey nodded in reply to Rachel's request, calming her legs, careful not to move any other part of her body.
It was rare Lainey had any time alone with Rachel. Since they had arrived Rachel usually had both kids or they did things as a family. This was the longest they had ever broken off separately from each other. Lainey seemed comfortable and calm though, never asking where Zack was.
"Lady, you sit still too ok? Be very careful." Rachel and Carole both smirked at each other over Lainey's head at this statement.
"So where would you like to go to lunch Lainey? What do you want to eat?" Carole turned her body slightly to hear her response.
"I want grilled cheese. Do they have that here at your house?"
"I think we can manage that! Now let's finish up so we can get going. I'm starving!"
Lainey giggled at Carole as the woman finished up her nails. "Lady Carole, you should have had a snack before we came so you wouldn't get so hungry."
Rachel tried to hide her laughter. This is something she tells the kids all of the time before they would leave the house.
"Lainey you're right! I'll remember that for next time!"
Zack quickly asked Burt to start working on a car the second he finished eating. Burt led him to an old corvette he was restoring. He'd been working on it for six months already and was happy to show Zack the ropes.
Finn stood back as he watched Zack and Burt chit chat away. Burt had lifted the hood of the car to show Zack the various parts of the engine. He could really see the huge changes in Zack since he arrived a few months ago. If this situation had occurred in June, Zack would have stood back, reluctant to talk or participate. He probably would have tried to run away at some point of the day. Now, Zack was fully engaged with Burt, asking questions and interacting with him fully. Finn felt his heart swell watching his dad and son (wow that is weird to say) working on a car just as he had done in High School when he first started working here.
"Hey Finn come help me!" Zack shouted, breaking Finn out of his trance.
Finn hurriedly walked over to him, grabbing the tool he was holding out to for him to use. "Sure thing buddy. Let's get to work."
Lunch for the girls went off without a hitch. Lainey was well behaved and ate all of her food. No eating off of the floor this time. She was quietly coloring when Carole whispered to Rachel, "So what's going on with their mom?"
Rachel's eyes grew wide. She realized they hadn't told anyone about the phone call from last night or their big news. "Oh Carole we got a call last night. Her rights were terminated and," she paused as she looked down at Lainey, "we are going to adopt them."
Carole's eyes filled with tears as she tried to contain her excitement. She didn't want to cause a scene. "Rachel this is just wonderful. Wonderful. I am so happy these little ones have come into our lives. I know how hard you've worked for this." Carole reached over to pull Rachel in for a hug.
"Hey I want hugs too!" Lainey cried as she noticed what was going on next to her. "Why are you crying Lady Carole? Are you sad?"
Carole wiped the tears from her eyes with the napkin on her lap. "Oh no, I'm very happy that's all."
Lainey smiled up at Carole and then continued on with her coloring, not bothered by Carole crying any longer.
"So how did they take it? The kids I mean..."
Rachel sighed. "Well, they were upset as you would expect them to be. They settled down but were both up last night at different times. This morning they haven't mentioned it so we've decided to just follow their lead. I haven't heard from Finn since he sent that adorable picture of them together, so I'm guessing everything is okay with Zack too. I think they do feel safe with us. And loved."
Carole rubbed Rachel's back as she too was tearing up. "I just don't know how to take their pain away," she whispered. "I don't want them to hate us or think I'm replacing their mom."
Rachel peered over to be sure Lainey was still distracted.
"Oh Rachel I know you can't see it, but I see a huge difference in them just from a month ago. Lainey seems so comfortable now and no one in this restaurant would be able to look over here and see anything other than a mom and a grandma out with their little girl."
The girls arrived home just in time to see Finn and Zack pulling into the driveway.
"Rachel! Guess what I got to do today!?" Zack shouted as he ran towards her.
"Let me guess? You got to ride an elephant?" Rachel smiled as she teased him.
"No! I got to fix a car! A real car! And I got to wear a special outfit and Finn and Burt helped me!" Zack was jumping up and down, unable to contain his excitement as he retold the events of the day.
"Zack look! Look at my hands!" Lainey cried as she came running over. "They are so sparkly! And I ate a grilled cheese and then Lady Carole cried at the restaurant!"
Finn gave his mom and Rachel a confused look. "We'll explain later."
As soon as they got inside, Burt arrived home and they started to prep for the family BBQ the following day. The kids settled in to watch a movie as the adults worked in the kitchen, both Finn and Burt drinking beers at the table.
"So Burt, did Finn tell you our news?" Rachel asked.
Burt took a swig of his beer. "No..."
"Oh Burt I'm so sorry. Rachel and I found out last night that we are getting to keep the kids. We're officially adopting them."
Burt immediately jumped up to hug them both. "This is amazing news! I know we weren't thrilled when you first told us about becoming Foster parents. We were wrong. You two have been amazing with those kids and they are so lucky to have you."
"So I'm guessing this is why you cried at the restaurant mom? Did Lainey know why?"
"No, I just told her I was happy that's all. It's been really nice to see you all evolve as a family. I'm sure you have many more good things to come."
Finn stood next to Rachel, grabbing her hand. "We have come a long way. It's been hard but worth it."
Just then Zack walked into the kitchen with tears in his eyes.
Rachel ran to his side. "Zack, what's wrong? Did something happen?"
Zack wiped his face, leaving wet remnants on his cheeks from his tears. "I don't know. We were watching the movie and I started to think about mom and now I'm just crying."
Rachel pulled him in for a hug as she realized that this was his next step of grieving. He spent so much time angry that he never allowed himself to be sad.
"It's okay to feel sad bud. You miss her and that's okay. Don't ever be afraid to tell us that ok?" Rachel sat down on the kitchen chair behind her, pulling Zack onto her lap. Burt and Carole made their way into the living room with Lainey to allow them to deal with Zack alone.
"I still miss my dad all of the time Zack. It's okay. I promise its okay."
Zack looked up at Finn with sad eyes. "When will I feel better?"
Finn sat next to Rachel and held out his arms for Zack to join him. Zack climbed up onto Finn's lap, using Finn's shirt to wipe the tears on his face. "You might always miss her, but we hope that you have happy times with us. Did you have a good time today at Burt's shop?"
Zack nodded his head slightly.
"So see? Just because you miss your mom doesn't mean you can never have fun or be happy. She wouldn't want you to be sad all of the time. "
"I just miss her."
Finn hugged him tightly as Rachel tried to hide her tears. This wasn't going to be easy.
The next morning the kids were buzzing around the house awaiting everyone's arrival. They talked about how much fun they'd had on the fourth of July and were excited to see everyone again. Rachel could tell they hadn't had many consistent people in their lives, so these types of visits were important. Kurt, Blaine, and Warner were on their way and her dads would follow later in the afternoon.
Once they arrived, everyone headed to the backyard. Lainey and Warner were playing at a water table Carole had set up. Finn and Zack were out in the yard kicking a soccer ball while Burt grilled. It was a pretty typical Hudson family barbecue.
"So Kurt," Rachel began, "are you guys going to find out the sex of the new baby? Or are you still keeping it a secret? I'm dying to know!"
Kurt rolled his eyes. "Yes it's still a secret. We want to be surprised this time around. There's very little mystery to how this baby came to be, so we want to experience that excitement."
Blaine coughed loudly. "You mean YOU want to experience it. I'm dying to know too Rachel, but he won't budge. For now we will just set up the nursery with Warner's old stuff and if it's a girl she'll have to deal for a while."
"She most certainly will not! You know its Rachel's job to come down and fix the nursery for us. I'll have everything picked out and ready to go."
A few months prior this conversation would have stung. Rachel would have had to grit her teeth and fight back tears to discuss someone having not their first, but second baby. Today though, she felt fine. Actually, she felt excited for them.
"Well that might not be so easy to do now that I have these guys with me, but I'll try my best. I'm sure Lainey would love to see a new baby wouldn't you?"
Lainey looked up at Rachel and smiled. "My mom's having a baby and I'm going to be a big sister!"
Finn and Zack walked over as everyone sat there speechless.
"Rachel are you pregnant?!" Carole screamed.
Rachel looked around confused. "Um, no. I'm not pregnant. Don't you think I would have told you?"
"Lady are you having a baby like my mommy is? When's it coming out?" Lainey looked at Rachel waiting for a reply.
"Lainey I think you are confused. I am not having a baby and we were talking about Warner having a baby brother or sister soon."
Finn just looked at Rachel, bewildered at the conversation. "What did I miss?"
"Lady, my mommy has a baby in her belly. She told me. Before. When we were at our house."
Rachel looked to Zack to see if he could shed some light on the situation. "Zack is this true?"
Zack just shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah I guess. She said it once right before she left us at the grocery store."
Rachel felt sick. Finn could see from her reaction that he needed to distract the kids and get Rachel out of there.
"Hey Blaine, would you mind helping the kids wash up for dinner? Rachel and I are going to go upstairs for a minute."
Blaine quickly ushered the kids into the bathroom while Finn followed Rachel up the stairs.
"What is going on Finn? Their mom was pregnant? Mrs. Kent didn't say anything to us about this!"
Rachel paced back and forth across the guest room. "I mean, how does she get to have another baby while we raise her other two? It isn't fair Finn! It isn't fair!"
Finn quickly stopped Rachel in her tracks. "Rach, we don't know if this is true. She has a history of mental instability and drug use. Who knows how accurate this is. Sadly their memories aren't always reliable. This could have been a year ago for all we know!"
"I just need the surprises to stop. Just for a day. Right when I feel things are normalizing, the kids tell us some horrible story or some bomb gets dropped on us and I just need a day Finn. Just one day."
Finn realized that Rachel had kept a lot of things bottled up inside for the sake of the kids. Rachel hated looking weak, which is how she felt all of those years they tried for a baby.
"Rachel this is their life. It was inconsistent with scary things happening every day. It's okay to feel sad and overwhelmed by it. I feel like this every single time I look at them. Wondering how someone could not love the hell out of these two kids. They've done nothing to deserve their past, but they deserve a great future. We can call Mrs. Kent on Monday to ask about their mom, but it's really not our business to know. Unless it involves these two kids, she doesn't have to tell us. "
Rachel fell into Finn's arms, hugging him tightly as she buried her head in his chest. She took a deep breathe inhaling his scent, which was always a comfort to her.
"I know Finn. I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize Rachel. Maybe we need a break. We can maybe go away for a night or two and have my parents watch the kids. That's what we had them certified for isn't it?"
"Finn I don't know if I'm ready for that. I just maybe need to vent to you a little more. I just love them so much it hurts, in good ways and bad."
Hiram and LeRoy had arrived just before dinner. No one spoke about the conversation before they arrived. The kids were all running in the yard with the various toys Carole had set up. Blaine had Lainey on his back running around the yard. She was screaming in delight as he chased the other kids with her on his back.
"She's really adjusting well Rachel. It's so great to see," Hiram said as he sat in the chair next to her. "How has Zack been? He seems happier."
Rachel sighed. "It's been hardest on him, especially now that he knows his mom isn't coming back. He is starting to bond with people though and he allows us to talk him through this more versus shutting down so that's a plus."
"Well you two have done a phenomenal job. We are so proud of the both of you and these kids are just precious." LeRoy rubbed Rachel's shoulder before joining the kids in the yard.
"Big Guy! We are coming to get you!" Lainey screamed as Blaine ran towards him.
Finn pretended to be scared as they reached him. He grabbed Lainey off of Blaine's back and threw her over his shoulder. She shrieked in delight as Finn began to run away with her. "I've got her now Blaine. You'll never get her back! You won't scare me again! "
Lainey laughed so hard she could barely breathe. He ran her over to Rachel and placed her in Rachel's lap. "Now you can't have her because the Queen has her and she will never let her go."
Lainey squirmed in Rachel's arms as Blaine came closer. Zack ran up to Blaine before he could reach her. "I'll help! I'll help you scare him!" Zack jumped up on Blaine's back as they approached Lainey. "Big Guy help me!" she cried. Finn threw her onto his own back as they all began to chase and scream around the yard again.
Carole leaned over and whispered in Rachel's ear. "See, it's all going to be fine."
Rachel awoke that night disoriented. It took her a minute to remember she was at the Hummel's house. Then she heard the thunder and realized why she had woken up. She rolled herself over towards Finn and reached her arms out for comfort. The sheets were cold as she found the bed empty. Rachel swung her legs over the side of the bed, the wood floor cool to the touch.
She walked quietly across the hall to where the kids were sleeping. She turned the knob, wincing when it squeaked. The room was dark except for a tiny nightlight in the corner of the room. Both kids were asleep soundly in their beds. It was when Rachel glanced at the floor, she saw him. Finn was sleeping in between the two beds, propped up on a dresser. He looked so uncomfortable and she couldn't leave him.
"Finn," she whispered as she shook his arm.
Finn was startled awake at the sound of her voice. He moaned quietly as he rubbed his neck, sore from the way he had been sleeping.
"Honey why are you in here?"
"I got up to go to the bathroom and Zack was awake and afraid of the storm. I offered to sit in the room with him and I must have fallen asleep."
Rachel rubbed Finn's arm as he spoke. "I don't want to leave him. He made me promise I wouldn't leave during the storm."
Just then a loud crack of thunder shook the house. Lainey shot up from her bed and screamed. Rachel rushed to her side to try and settle her down. Zack was still asleep and Rachel didn't want him to wake up too.
"Finn why don't you sleep in Lainey's bed and she can bunk with me. That way Zack isn't alone but you also won't wake up crippled in the morning." Finn nodded in agreement as Rachel picked Lainey up out of the bed. She was still whimpering and Rachel knew she would settle down in bed with her.
Rachel shut the door quietly behind her and headed back to her room. She heard another door open and saw Carole in the doorway. "Is everything ok?"
"Yes, sorry we woke you," Rachel answered as she held Lainey in her arms.
"Oh you didn't, the storm did. Do you need any help?"
Lainey lifted her head to see Carole standing there. "I'm going to sleep in Lady's bed so we won't be scared." Rachel smiled at her answer.
"Oh okay, well I'm sure it will be over soon. Come and get me if you need help ok?"
Carole retreated back into her bedroom and the boy's room was quiet. Rachel placed Lainey on the bed and she climbed onto Finn's pillow. Rachel covered them up, tucking the covers under Lainey's chin. "Go back to sleep Lainey. I love you."
"I love you too Lady."
Rachel pulled Lainey closer to kiss her on the forehead before she drifted off to sleep.
On Monday Rachel put in a call to Mrs. Kent about the information Lainey had shared. Mrs. Kent had no idea if it was true, but since no one could even locate their mother she couldn't say for certain. She did assure Rachel that if she did check into a hospital in the area they would be alerted immediately.
Upon hanging up the phone, Rachel felt defeated. She didn't want to believe the kids. She didn't want to think that this woman who already had two children taken away would be pregnant again. Why would the children lie about it? They had no reason to make that up.
School was approaching and the kids hadn't been left anywhere since the daycare incident in June. She had promised the kids they would go back to school shopping this week and they both seemed excited. Rachel could tell Zack thrived on the routine and normalcy.
Finn and Rachel had both decided it would be best if Rachel continued to stay home until the kids were settled in school. One of them had to be available at all times in case of an emergency with Zack. Plus Lainey was only going to preschool half day and Rachel didn't want to hire a sitter to watch her after school.
Rachel heard a commotion by the front door followed by the kids running towards the kitchen.
"Finn got us donuts!" Zack yelled as he pummeled towards the table, donut in hand.
"Big Guy let me get a pink one!" Lainey squealed as she sat patiently for Finn to serve her.
"Donuts huh?" Rachel raised an eyebrow as Finn entered the kitchen. "I thought you were taking them out for breakfast. A real breakfast."
"Well on our way to breakfast we stopped at the pond to see the ducks and then we were running late so I took them to the donut shop. Did you know donuts are their favorite Rach?" Finn laughed knowing Rachel did not approve. Sometimes it was fun to break the rules.
"Are they? Who would have known that two little kids would love donuts? Amazing!" Rachel smiled as the kids tried to figure out if she was joking or not. "Eat up kids! We have to go get school supplies today! School starts in a few weeks and both of you need all new stuff!"
The kids ate and chatted at the table while Finn cornered Rachel in the living room. "Well? What did Mrs. Kent say?"
"She doesn't know anything Finn. This is driving me nuts. I just have a weird feeling about it. I can't explain it, but something is off. Where is this woman? What if she comes back when she has this baby and wants them back? Finn I can't let her have them back." Rachel could feel her mind spiraling out of control.
"Rachel you need to stay calm. Her rights have been terminated. Even if she has another baby or comes back she would have to fight long and hard to get them back. I'm on your side but you need to try and just enjoy them. They are finally relaxing and having fun! You should have seen them at the pond. Smiles from ear to ear. No one cried, tried to run away, or told me a sad story. We're getting there. Don't let this become your new obsession."
Rachel gave Finn a huge hug. "Thanks for taking them this morning. I needed some time after that phone call to decompress."
"Lady!" Lainey shouted from the kitchen. "Can I have some milk please?"
"Be right there!" Rachel replied. "Well the children need me so I'll try my best to focus on them and forget about their mom for now."
"Rachel, you are their mom now. Try and remember that."
Thanks for reading! This still has at least five chapters to go...haven't decided. I appreciate everyone who is sticking with me! What do you think?
