Hi guys! Here is the 5th chapter of We Fought for this Land! Hopefully, you won't be disappointed that it is another Quinn chapter, but this will be the last for a couple and the time jumps will skip a LOT further ahead so we can get to the climax of the story. Thanks so much for all of the kind reviews! I am hoping to get to at least 18 total after this chapter. Please follow/favorite this story and REVIEW!

July 1942 - Lima, Ohio

Ohio was swelteringly hot and humid that summer. Quinn was knitting wool socks for Finn, Puck, and some of the other soldiers and discussing cake recipes with Carole on the Hummels' porch. The two women were sipping iced tea in an effort to stay cool, but even that wasn't working. This added to the fact that Quinn was nine months pregnant and her baby bump was very large and still growing made for a very uncomfortable summer for her.

"My recipe for lemon cake is very simple, dear," Carole was saying. "My secret is that I serve it with raspberry sauce…It really brings out the taste. Of course that's harder to make now that sugar and butter are being rationed for the war effort, but we all have to make sacrifices for Finn and the boys, right?"

Quinn had checked out of what Carole was saying a few moments ago. She loved Carole and wanted to talk to her, but she was having trouble concentrating on their conversation due to the intense stomach pains she was feeling. They felt very similar to the cramps she got monthly when she had her period. But that is impossible!, Quinn thought. I'm pregnant, I haven't had my period for nine months!

One of the pains was so intense that Quinn let out a small shriek, crying out in pain. Carole stopped what she was saying and looked worriedly on her beloved daughter-in-law, noticing the pained expression on Quinn's face. "Are you doing alright, Quinn?", she asked.

Quinn nodded. "Everything's fine. I'm having cramps, like the ones I have when I have my period," she explained. Carole gasped. "Quinn, that definitely isn't nothing!" she said. Her many years of experience in the nursing profession had taught her to recognize signs of women going into labor. "You're in labor, dear. You'll likely pop out that baby tonight!"

Quinn gasped in astonishment and fear. It was real! For nine months, she had convinced herself Finn would be there to hold her hand while she gave birth to their baby. But now, it was obvious he wouldn't be there to do so. Quinn felt sad about that, but knew she would just have to be strong.

Carole dashed inside and made a quick phone call to Burt at his tire shop. "Burt Hummel, you come home this instant!" she ordered. "Quinn's having your grandchild!" Burt hastily agreed and made his way home with Kurt as fast as possible. He scooped up the pregnant girl with the enormous baby bump as if she weighed nothing at all and walked with Carole and Kurt to Lima Memorial Hospital.

The doctors escorted Quinn and Carole into a delivery room and she immediately went into labor.

—

As the labor reached the final stage, Quinn became even more nervous and scared. Her older sister, Frannie, had told her that childbirth was even more painful than having sex for the first time, and Quinn's first time sleeping with Finn had been as painful as it was amazing. Frannie was right - this was more painful than her first time, or breaking her arm when she was nine, or falling from the top of the cheerleading pyramid, or her father hitting her with his belt like he did when he was drunk.

So many women still died in childbirth a year! Even strong, healthy girls like Quinn could die in childbirth because the available medicines weren't very reliable. The baby, from what she could tell, was very big and she was a petite girl.

"Push, Quinn!", Carole ordered. "I CAN'T DO THIS!", Quinn screamed. "I HATE FINN FOR LEAVING ME AND GETTING ME PREGNANT!" "You have to, Quinn!" Carole said. "You don't hate Finn, you love him! Just think, the baby will come out this time, and it will be beautiful! With your hair and eyes and Finn's smile! Imagine how he will feel when he meets it!", Kurt exclaimed. Kurt's encouragement pushed Quinn to make one more push, and with that final one, the baby came out.

The baby was a beautiful girl with Quinn's silky blonde hair and clear hazel eyes and Finn's sweet, goofy smile. She was big, weighing eight and a half pounds, and had wailed when she popped out of Quinn's now-small belly. Finn and I made that!, Quinn thought, tears coming to her eyes. We really created this beautiful baby girl! "Hi!", she whispered as she softly rocked her daughter. "I love you so much, and so does your daddy." The tiny girl curled her fingers around a lock of her mother's hair, and Quinn kissed the top of her daughter's fuzzy head.

Carole noticed Quinn's tears. "Life is really a miracle, isn't it?", she remarked, and Quinn nodded. She couldn't agree more. Her only wish was for Finn to be with her and experience this amazing joy with her.

"What would you like to name your daughter, Mrs. Hudson?", the doctor asked, holding up a pen and a birth certificate.

Quinn smiled. She had thought about what her baby's name would be every night before she fell asleep and thought she had found the perfect one. "Elizabeth," she said softly. "Elizabeth Drizzle Hudson."

Dear Finn,

I am writing this on the behalf of Quinn, who is too weak right now to write to you. She gave birth to your daughter today, a healthy, beautiful girl! She has decided to name her Elizabeth Drizzle Hudson, called Beth for short. I don't understand her choice for Beth's middle name (isn't Drizzle kind of weird?) but I'm sure you two discussed this. How are you? I am so happy you are safe from battle at the moment! I am so, so proud of you!

Love,

Mom

P.S. Quinn sends her love too.

Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing this! Another chapter will be posted in the next few weeks, probably about Rachel. I can write from the girls' POVs much better than the guys' since I am a girl. Please follow, favorite, and review!

-cxe128