Thank you to everyone who's reviewed and/or messaged me about this fic, I might not be updating it as frequently as I do my others, but I really do love this AU and I'm glad that (most of) you love it just as much. That being said, if you're planning on leaving a comment just to nitpick on a stupid little thing (like an imaginary baby in a made up story being left sleeping on a couch for five minutes) either have the guts to log in so we can discuss it like adults, or find another fic to read.
A few of you asked for a chapter where Shelby's dad met Rachel, so here you go. Unless anyone has any other ideas, there'll be a time jump in the next chapter to Rachel being roughly a year old, but if there's anything you'd like to see happen between this chapter and then, feel free to let me know in a review, or send me a message!
"I feel bad" Shelby sighed down the phone, "Dad's done nothing wrong but I don't know if I can forgive Mom yet" she told Dan as she watched Rachel, the baby settled contently in the rocking swing that had been left amongst the Christmas gifts in her living room.
"Don't worry about it, Mom's not speaking to me either, I've spoken to Dad a few times since Christmas and he's been round to see Jake, but Mom's still pissed. I don't care though."
Shelby chuckled, "I, I'd be okay with Dad meeting her but I guess I worry that Mom will come too."
"Would you be comfortable meeting him somewhere else?" Dan suggested, "so that if she does turn up you and Rachel can leave."
Shelby looked at her daughter, smiling as the baby clumsily reached up, trying to grab at the mobile above her head. "Yeah, maybe."
"Call him" Daniel said softly, "offer to meet him for coffee somewhere, he'll understand that you don't want Mom there."
"Yeah" Shelby nodded, "I might give him a call tomorrow."
"I'm sure he'd love to hear from you."
Daniel and Shelby spoke a little while longer before Rachel began to get unsettled, wanting her Mom's attention, and Shelby said goodbye, tickling Rachel's tummy as she lifted the baby into her arms. "What do you think?" she asked, lifting the girl up to gently rub noses with her, "shall we ring your Grandpa and ask if he wants to meet you?"
Of course Shelby's father wanted to meet his granddaughter and they arranged to meet in a quiet coffee shop within walking distance of Shelby's home, the man promising he'd be there alone.
Shelby had been on her way out of the door when Rachel had been sick on her shoulder, so she wasn't surprised that her father was waiting for her when she arrived at the coffee shop, "sorry" she apologised as she sat beside him, "she was a bit sick and we had to get changed."
"It's okay Shelby, don't worry about it, I'm just happy you let me meet you."
"I should have called you sooner" Shelby sighed, "I'm angry at Mom, not you."
"I understand" Shelby's dad nodded, "and you've got a lot on your plate, but as long as you and Rachel are doing well then that's all that matters."
Shelby looked down at Rachel, the baby not quite asleep in the sling against her chest, "would you like to hold her?" she asked, "she's on her way to falling asleep so she might complain a little when I move her."
"I don't want to disturb her…"
Shelby smiled and stroked Rachel's back before lifting her from the sling, the baby beginning to whine quietly, just as she'd predicted. "If you rock her she'll probably fall asleep quicker than if she's just laying here" she said as she pulled a blanket from her bag and wrapped it around her daughter before handing her over, "she only likes rocking forwards and backwards though, I don't know why but she gets grumpy if you rock her side to side".
"Noted" Shelby's dad laughed as he took Rachel in his arms and began to rock her, "are you going to be a stubborn thing like your Mommy hey?" he asked quietly.
"I believe that's called karma" Shelby laughed as she watched Rachel, she'd got better at understanding her daughter's cries and body language, and right now she knew her daughter was tired and probably a little unhappy at being taken from her favourite spot against her Momma's chest, but she wasn't stressed or overwhelmed and Shelby was okay with that, "do you want a drink?" she asked her Dad.
"I'd love another coffee please" he nodded, pulling some cash from his pocket and insisting Shelby took it when she told him she'd buy the drinks herself.
She smiled when she carried the drinks back to their table, watching as her dad continued to rock Rachel, gently patting her back as he did to try and settle her, "is she okay?" she asked as she put the mugs down.
"She keeps dropping off but then startling herself awake again" he said, "she's almost gone though."
Shelby nodded and reached into her bag, pulling out a small plastic box, taking a pacifier from it and passing it over to her dad, "try her with this" she said, "sometimes she wants it, sometimes she's not bothered."
Shelby's dad nodded and put the pacifier in the baby's mouth, holding it in place until she began sucking on it, "is that better?" he asked her, "is that what you wanted?" he cooed as the baby finally began to settle. "She's so beautiful Shelby, you must be so proud."
"I am" Shelby sipped at her coffee, "she's already been through so much, but every time I see her little smile I forget everything for a second. She's amazing. Hard work, but amazing."
"Are you… is her dad not…"
"He's not around" Shelby shrugged, "it's a long story and I don't really want to go into it."
"Okay" unlike his wife, Shelby's dad respected his children's boundaries. "Are you doing okay though, do you have everything you need? Are you managing with bills and things?"
"I'm managing" Shelby nodded.
"Good" the man shifted his hold on Rachel, moving her to lay against his chest with her head on his shoulder so that he could reach for his coffee, "call me if that changes though, if you need any help. I helped Dan out when Jake was born, I'll do the same for you Shelby."
"Thank you." Silence fell between the pair as they drank their coffees, Rachel sleeping peacefully against her Grandpa's chest, "I've applied to Ohio State for the fall" Shelby finally spoke, "they have on site daycare for Rachel so…"
"That's great" Shelby's dad put down his mug, "what are you going to be studying?"
"Teaching" Shelby ran her index finger around the rim of her mug, "I want to be an English teacher. I know it's not Broadway but it's… It's something that's achievable now I've got Rachel."
"I know you had big dreams Shelby" her Dad reached across the table to squeeze her hand, "but this doesn't have to be the end of it, you could just put those dreams on hold for a while and move to New York when Rachel's a little older."
Shelby shook her head, "I don't think so. Broadway's a lot of work, I'd never get to see her and after… after everything I don't want to miss anything." She couldn't bring herself to say it, her daughter had fought through so much, it had been such a long road to get here, to have her daughter home with her and Shelby didn't want to do anything that would take her away from her daughter, even her decision to go to college had been a difficult one, but one that Shelby knew would ultimately benefit her and Rachel in the long run. Rachel would benefit from being able to socialise with other children at daycare and Shelby would benefit, not only from the company of people other than her daughter, but in the long run, having a career to support herself and her daughter could only be a good thing.
"Well if you're happy teaching then I'm happy for you Shelby. And I'll support you through college, just like I supported Dan."
"You don't have to do that" Shelby's head snapped up to meet her father's gaze.
"No but I'm going to" he told her, "I supported your brother through college, I'll support you, and Rachel, too."
"But Mom…"
"It's my money" he told her, "I'll spend it how I want, and I want to support my daughter the same way I supported my son."
"Thank you".
"You don't need to thank me. And if you need anything before then, you know you just need to ask."
"Thanks Dad."
"I should be the one thanking you, for letting me see you, for letting me meet this little lady."
"I shouldn't have kept her from you."
"I understand Shelby, and it's okay, you're a Mom and you were putting your baby first, that's exactly how it should be, never apologise for looking out for your daughter." Shelby didn't have chance to reply before her Dad looked down at Rachel, "I think she knows we're talking about her" he smiled as she began to stir, "hello beautiful" he moved Rachel so he could have a better look at her. "She looks just like you did" be smiled, chuckling as Rachel frowned up at him.
"She's perfect Dad, I didn't think I could ever love someone the way I love her." She was overwhelmed sometimes, surprised by the sheer amount of love she felt for someone so tiny. She knew she didn't plan to be a mother, but even just thinking about the 'what ifs' about how there were so many times where she could have left that hospital without Rachel, made Shelby feel like someone had torn her heart from her chest. She couldn't imagine living in a world that didn't have Rachel in it.
"She is" Shelby's dad agreed, "and so are you Shelby, and from the looks of things, you're a brilliant mother. From the sounds of it this little one needs someone who'll stand up for her and what she needs, and I know she's got that in you."
"She has" Shelby looked at her daughter, "I don't know what the future's going to bring, if she'll have any lasting effects from being born so early, but whatever happens I'll do all I can to give her the best life, to make sure she can be the best person that she can be."
"I have no doubt about that" he handed Rachel to Shelby when she started to whine, "I think she's getting sick of me."
"She likes to be tucked up sometimes" Shelby slipped Rachel back into the sling, rubbing her back until she settled again, pacifier still firmly in her mouth, "she gets stressed sometimes, and overstimulated if there's too much going on, this comforts her."
"You don't need to explain yourself Shelby, not to me. She's your daughter. You do what you think is best for her."
Shelby and her dad spoke for a little while longer before the man said he should be getting home. "I'll call you" Shelby said as she stood to hug him, "so you can come and see Rachel again?"
"And you" her Dad hugged her back, careful of the baby against his daughter's chest. "I want to see you both."
"And we want to see you too" Shelby smiled.
Her dad kissed her forehead, "you're doing an amazing job Shelbel, that little lady is lucky to have you as her Mommy."
"Thank you" Shelby blushed slightly.
"I'll speak to you soon" he promised as they walked out of the coffee shop, "but if you need anything…"
"I'll call you" Shelby kissed his cheek, "I love you Dad."
"I love you too Shel, Rachel too" he smiled, giving his daughter a final hug before leaving for home.
Shelby stood outside the coffee shop for a moment, part of her wanted to get Rachel home as soon as possible, but there was another part of her telling her that the baby was settled, that she couldn't spend the rest of her life keeping Rachel in the house just because it was 'safe'. That wasn't the life she wanted for Rachel, she didn't want to grow up wrapped in cotton wool, so she decided to take a walk around the park before they went home.
"Did you like meeting your Grandpa?" Shelby asked, beginning to chat to Rachel as she walked. "I think he enjoyed meeting you, and you seemed to settle with him didn't you, but then you'd probably settle with anyone who cuddled you wouldn't you." She smiled as she glanced down and saw Rachel's big brown eyes gazing up at her and couldn't stop herself dipping her head to rub noses with her daughter, Rachel's little hand reaching up to curl around her index finger, "you're so beautiful" she whispered, kissing her daughter's head and making her way over to an empty swingset, chuckling to herself when she saw Rachel yawn as she began to swing slowly, "every time" she whispered to herself.
Once Rachel fell asleep, Shelby spent half an hour walking around the park before heading home, deciding there and then that she'd make a conscious effort to take Rachel out more often, for both their sakes.
"Well Kid" Shelby chuckled once they were home, pulling out her phone to see messages from both her dad and her brother, her dad once again thanking her for letting him meet Rachel and telling her how nice it was to see them both, her brother asking how things had gone with their dad, "it looks like it isn't just me and you anymore, and you know what? I think I'm okay with that."