Chapter Eight: Please Don't Leave Me // P!nk
Emma rarely watched TV since she'd been married, she and Will had much better ways of spending their time then staring aimlessly at the tube. But all through the crazy Wednesday afternoon, thirteen weeks of pregnancy was catching up to her. All she wanted was a banana split while sitting on the couch with Homeward Bound playing in front of her. She didn't eat dairy and she hated cats and dogs.
She suffered through Glee practice laying on the small couch in Choir room office, not in the mood to sit in hers. It was going to be a long rehearsal and she knew it. God, she really wanted to go home. She sighed as she heard Will instruct the kids to "take five," after a long review of the Blaze of Glory choreography.
"Hey, Emma." Quinn's smiling face brightened up the office as she entered the small room, "Feeling miserable?"
Emma nodded, cringing as she did so, the headache that started sixth hour was intensifying each minute.
Quinn sat on the armrest near Emma's head, stroking her red hair gently in sympathy. Emma smiled weakly, not even a year ago, the roles had been reversed as Quinn lay sobbing on the couch in her living room late one night...
Emma had given Quinn her cell phone number, imploring the young girl to call if she ever needed anything, even if it was just someone to cry to at three in the morning.
As Quinn sat sucking up tears on Puck's porch step at eleven-thirty on a cold night in late January, she decided that this situation constituted 'anything.'
Emma was just about to curl up next to Will, after what had essentially been a very long therapy session for him, he was already beginning to doze and she was just about to turn off the light when her cell phone vibrated on the night stand.
Huffing, she reached over and seeing Quinn's name, all thoughts of annoyance left her mind, "Hello?"
"E-Emma? It's Q-Quinn."
"Sweetheart, what's wrong? Are you okay?" She sat up as Will moved to look at her in slight alarm.
"I'm okay, b-but I-I've got a problem. Mrs. Puckerman...k-kicked me o-out. I don't...I don't know where else to go and I know you p-probably don't want me there but-"
"It's fine, it's fine. Where are you?"
"S-still here. I'm outside," She choked, "I'm sorry-"
"Don't be, I'm on my way. Hang tight," Emma ended the conversation and turned to Will, "Quinn got kicked out by Mrs. Puckerman, I'm going to pick her up."
He stood and slid on a pair of jeans over his boxers while Emma pulled a sweatshirt over her tank-top, "I'll come with you, see if I can talk to Puck."
They sped down the street and were at the Puckerman residence within seven minutes of the phone call. Sure enough, Quinn was sitting outside next to Puck, who had one arm awkwardly around her. They weren't together, but they were having a baby and had decided they needed each other's support.
Emma turned off the car and Quinn bolted into her arms as she stepped out, crying loudly.
"It's okay, Quinn...it's okay," She rubbed the young girl's back soothingly while Will stood at the base of the porch, talking in low tones with Puck.
The younger boy looked angry at himself, and when he spoke, Will sensed a trail of tears ready to fall, "Please take care of her? I'm sorry."
Will's hand met Puck's shoulder, "I will. Go talk to your mom and try and work out whatever happened, alright?"
He nodded and wandered to where Quinn stood sobbing into Emma's coat. Before entering the house he placed a hand on her shoulder, muttering an apology.
Will drove while Emma continued to hold Quinn in the back, they arrived at the condo and Quinn collapsed on the couch, continuing to cry into her folded arms. Will and Emma sat on either side of her, gently rubbing her back as she let all her feelings of failure and frustration out.
After ten solid minutes of hysteria, Quinn's eyes had no tears left to cry and her sobs turned to hiccups. Her face was red and blotchy, eyes bloodshot. She sat up and leaned back, staring at the ceiling through a haze of anger and sadness.
Emma took one of her delicate hands into her own, "Sweetheart, what happened?"
With several calming breaths she met Emma's gaze, "I-it started at dinner. Mrs-Mrs. Puckerman a-asked when we were planning on buying things for the baby. I didn't realize she didn't know that we aren't keeping her."
"Oh, gosh," Emma sighed, having a feeling she knew where this conversation was headed.
"We didn't really know what to say, so Puck and I went upstairs to figure out a way to break it to her gently. It took awhile. but we finally thought we had all the right words to say...but they weren't. She flipped out and started screaming at me, saying it was all my fault, that I brainwashed Puck into not wanting it...and he tried to defend me and say he wanted to give her up and then Mrs. Puckerman slapped him...and he started crying and I started crying. I was going to go upstairs and she told me...she said that if I wasn't giving her a granddaughter, then she wasn't giving me a place to stay!" Quinn's tears returned and Will pulled her close as she shrieked, "I just want a home! And a mom who forgives me and a dad who still loves me!"
Emma felt herself tearing as well, her heart reaching out for Quinn's as the girl's face became hidden in Will's t-shirt.
Neither adult knew what to say to make her feel any better, so Will just held her until she pulled away with a guilty expression, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for interrupting your lives and-"
"No, no. Stop, Quinn. You're not interrupting anything, understand? We care about you, we love you and we don't want to see you abandoned. I'm sorry this has happened so many times to you, you may have made a mistake but you don't deserve to be treated the way you are," Emma stated firmly as she took her turn to hold Quinn tightly, stroking her hair softly, "I'm sorry you don't have a mom and dad right now, but please, please understand that Will and I are here for you. We forgive you for everything you've done wrong and we love you all the same."
Quinn's skinny arms wrapped around Emma's neck, returning the embrace, "Thank you, so much," She breathed, "You don't know how much it means to hear that."
After a few more moments of quiet hugging, Emma pulled Quinn away, "It's late, we've got school tomorrow...I, um, we don't have an extra bed, so sorry about the couch-"
"It's fine! Really, thank you."
Will stood and made his way to the closet for blankets and pillows while Quinn dug through her duffle bag, which contained all she had—clothes, vitamins, several toiletry items and a few pairs of shoes. Emma watched sadly as she pulled out a wrinkled pair of Tinkerbell pajama bottoms and a t-shirt that read "Cheerios National Champs 2009."
"Can I, um...use the bathroom?"
"Yes, of course, Quinn, through the bedroom, on the left."
As she heard the door close, Emma made eye-contact with Will that was filled with sadness, "It's so unfair," she whispered, wrapping her arms around him, "That anyone could treat a little girl like that, especially one carrying a baby."
"I know," His nose brushed against her hair, "No one deserves this."
Quinn returned a few minutes later with her hair down and teeth brushed, her baby bump sticking out of her shirt slightly; the couch had been set up into a makeshift bed. She sighed deeply, face still pink and eyes sore from crying, but she smiled nonetheless at the couple before her, "Thank you," she said taking a step closer, hugging them both at the same time.
As their arms encircled her, Quinn felt loved for the first time in months.
"I think you're supposed to be back in there," Emma said as she heard the music start back up and Will counting the beat out loud.
"No," Quinn's fingers continued to move through the red strands of hair, "I'm supposed to be with my mom," She whispered the last word and predicting what Emma was about to protest, she continued, "You are the woman who has cared for me the most, who bought me clothes and medicine when I couldn't afford it, gave me a home when I didn't have one, gave me courage when mine ran out, held my hand when I needed to cry, took me to the doctor when I was pregnant and defended me when I was weak and beaten."
Emma's eyes shut tightly, her worst day at McKinley High flashing before her eyes...
The end of February had brought another blizzard to Lima, Ohio and for whatever reason, McKinley High had not cancelled school; students came in late and covered in slush and the halls were looking exceptionally disgusting, slimy footprints and puddles coated the way to Emma's office.
Trying not to maintain her gaze on the mess, she worked hard on reviewing transcripts before sending them off to various collages who had suggested first semester grades in order to determine financial aid packages for students who may be attending their universities in the fall.
Three hallways over, Quinn was walking alone, late for last period but not caring, her ankles were beginning to swell and her stomach inflated as she neared in her sixth month of pregnancy. She just wanted to go home and eat non-dairy ice cream and watch Free Willy while Emma worked the knots out of her shoulders. It was strange to think of Emma's one-bedroom condo as 'home,' but it was more inviting and loving then any of the other three houses she'd lived in over the course of the past few months.
Not paying attention, her foot slid under her as it made contact with a wet spot on the floor. As her pregnancy caused her to lose all sense of balance, she was about to fly forward, knowing there was no way to stop herself, she placed her palms out, hoping to at least land in a way that her stomach wouldn't crash into the floor, hurting the baby.
But the floor never came as she found her fists clutched tightly to the material of a red letter jacket that read 'Varsity Tennis,' and she gasped as she retained her footing and stood straight. The individual in the jacket turned, staring hard at the pregnant teenager.
Courtney Mavis and her two lackeys, Brenda and Kathy stood before her with her arms crossed.
"Well, well. Quinn Fabray. Haven't seen you in awhile. Heard you got knocked up and joined homo-explosion."
Quinn gulped, not prepared to deal with the large girls in front of her. They'd exchanged words last year, and they had been far from kind and supportive. Quinn had backed down from their last argument in the early fall, not wanting to get hurt, with Courtney's reputation, it was likely.
"What was it you said the last time I saw you?"
"I, I don't...remember," Quinn stuttered, suddenly finding the bulletin board to her left much more interesting.
"Really? Because I do. You called me the 'Queen of the Cunts,' if I do recall correctly. And do you happen to remember what I said I'd do to you the next time I saw your ugly little face?"
Quinn shook her head, feeling tears pooling into her eyes.
"I remember saying that I was going to beat the living shit out of you, didn't I say that Bren?"
The dark haired girl nodded with a smile, "I believe you did, Court."
Quinn took a few steps backward until she was against a wall that held a doorway which led to a flight of stairs. Will's classroom was right above her, maybe if she screamed, he'd hear her and come to her rescue, "I-I never started anything with you guys!"
"No, you didn't, slut. But your friends did. And you tagged along."
"They're not my friends anymore, look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do those things, they were a long time ago and you were just as mean to us!"
Courtney drew closer, standing over a foot taller and a hundred pounds heavier then the blonde before her, "Sure. But I never break a promised, and I promised I wouldn't let you go until your face was stamped with my fist."
"P-please, please, don't! I'm sorry, I really am," Quinn's voice rose as it trembled with tears, "PLEASE!"
The begging provided nothing but fuel for the fire as Courtney's fist collided with Quinn's jaw, her foot into her legs, knocking her off her feet. She cried and screamed as loud as she possibly could, prompting several football players from the boy's bathroom a hundred feet away to sprint out and to their direction, a classroom door opened with a stout woman racing towards them. Courtney's limbs took several more swipes at Quinn, including a kick to her swollen stomach, before she was pinned to the ground by Finn Hudson who had come out of the bathroom with the rest of the boys, who had the other two girls shoved against lockers.
Will had heard the scream from the stairwell, along with apparently every other teacher in the close vicinity who rushed to Quinn's side. She was dizzy as her head had slammed to the tile floor with the last hit from Courtney, who was screaming for Finn to let go.
One teacher called the emergency department while another led the girls, with the help of the football players, to Figgin's office. Finn gave Courtney to Matt, who nodded as they walked briskly down the hall, a second teacher on a cellphone with the office, letting them know what had happened.
Quinn's eyes struggled to stay open as she was able to whisper, "She hit the baby," before blacking out.
Will held her tightly, Finn staring in panic and shock as they waited with her for the ambulance.
Emma looked up as the parade of teachers, football players and offenders marched down the hall. She stood and held one of the teachers up, "What's going on?"
The stout woman replied, "Mavis took down the pregnant girl, Quinn Fabray. She's down the hall waiting for an ambulance."
Emma's eyes grew wide in horror as she rushed the direction they came from, freezing in her tracks as she discovered Will holding Quinn as Finn sat mind-boggled.
She kneeled down next to them, not caring about the dirty floor, stroking Quinn's cheek which was swelling as they sat, "She hit the baby," Will hissed, Emma's expression becoming more horrified as the sounds of sirens were heard a few minutes away.
Finn regained some sense and slammed his fist into the closest locker, "I'm going to kill that bitch!"
"Calm down, Finn!" Will yelled, "Emma?" She pulled her eyes away from Quinn's body to meet Will's, "You go with her in the ambulance, Finn and I will straighten things out with the principal and I'll meet you there with Puck when we're done, alright?"
"I'm coming too; I don't care if that asshole is the one who knocked her up. I want to make sure she's okay."
Several moments later, the scene was surrounded by paramedics and people from the administrative office. Quinn was moved to a stretcher as Will approached Figgins, explaining Emma would ride with the girl.
"Alright, we've got people trying to contact her parents, Schuester, you and Hudson come with me."
"Don't bother trying to call them," Finn said angrily, "They won't answer. They don't give a damn about her anymore. She hasn't even seen them since November."
Figgins glanced at Will for a confirmation, "Where has she been staying?" He asked as they watched the paramedics leave with Emma and Quinn.
Will took a deep breath, "Various places. She's actually been living with us for the past month after the baby's father's mother kicked her out of their house."
"Us?"
Cringing, Will nodded, "Emma and I. Social Services won't help her because she's pregnant and we don't have a shelter or crisis-"
Figgins brought his hands over his face and sighed deeply, "We'll deal with that later. Come with me."
Two hours later, Will entered Quinn's hospital room with not only Finn and Puck, but the other nine members of the Glee Club as well.
Emma dropped Quinn's hand as she stood to usher them in, gathering them around her bed as she slept, a breathing tube in her throat, a cast on her right arm and monitors and IV's surrounding her.
Rachel burst into tears, Puck sat on the bed and stroked her hand.
Will finally broke the silence, wrapping his arms around Emma, "How is she?"
"Okay," She breathed, "She'll be okay, mostly just some bruising and her right arm is broken, but she's going to be okay once she comes around. What happened at school?"
Will breathed deeply, "The police took Courtney into custody, but it's likely she'll be out tonight. She's expelled from the school, though. Brenda and Kathy are on a two-week suspension as accomplices. Figgin's sent everybody home and cancelled all practices for the day."
Emma sat in the chair she had been in previously, rubbing her temples.
Puck choked a loud sob, and when Emma looked up, she noticed the whole group of kids crying.
"Oh, you guys," She said standing, "Hey, she's going to make a full recovery. Her baby's okay, it's okay."
"Why does she have the breathing tube in?" Artie asked as the back of his hand moved under his glasses to wipe away tears.
"Just as a precautionary. She was having a hard time at first, so they scoped her, but it seems like she's going to be okay. The doctor should be in shortly..."
As she said the words, a grey-haired man stepped into the room with a sad smile, "Sorry to break it up in here, but I need everyone except the girl's parents to leave."
The kids left, leaving Emma and Will standing awkwardly next to Quinn's bed. The doctor looked from them to Quinn and back to them, "Explain?"
Emma twitched, knowing that they weren't even going to be able to pass as legal guardians to Quinn, "Her parent's abandoned her when they found out she was pregnant. She's bounced around a little bit, but she's been living with us for the past month."
The doctor raised an eyebrow, "And you're related, how?"
"Um, we're her teachers, actually," Will cringed again, not thrilled that their secret was out.
"But you're not her legal guardians?"
"N-no, we're not. Social services won't take her because she's pregnant and..."
"Alright, alright. I suppose I'll let it go. Well, we're going to keep her overnight, she really should be coming around any moment now, the medicine we gave her when she got her e should be wearing off. I'm going to have you sign for a dose of heavy-duty pain medication," He said, handing Emma a clipboard, "And when she does wake up, make sure she doesn't try to talk until a nurse can come in and remove the tube, she'll choke if she does. I'll be back in a few hours of nothing changes."
Emma had yet to sign the paperwork, "Is this going to hurt the baby?"
"No, it's safe."
She scrawled her signature and the doctor left, sanitizing her hands, and collapsing into Will's arms once more, "Figgins knows," he said quietly.
"I figured. Guess we'll be in for it when we go back."
"He gave you permission to stay home with Quinn until she's recovered. He said we'd talk about it then, but I don't think he's upset."
Emma pulled back and kissed him lightly. Turning back to Quinn, she smiled widely when she saw her eyelids flutter.
She sat down, one hand gently cupping the girl's cheek that wasn't puffy and blue, "Don't try to talk, sweetheart," She instructed as Quinn's expression seemed to be one of panic, "You've got a tube down your throat, just relax."
Will called a nurse in, who arrived to remove the tube, making Quinn gag several times before Emma lifted a cup of water to her lips
She drank greedily until it was gone, "Emma? The baby," she started horsely.
"It's okay, it's fine, sweetheart. You're okay too, just some bruising and a broken arm. They're keeping you overnight to keep an eye on the baby, but everything looks normal."
Quinn's eyes closed in thanks, her fingers moving slightly to take Emma's. The Glee kids returned, each with a smiling face and a happy hello. She tried to smile in return, but found her cheek in too much pain, instead she made eye-contact with each one of them and let them each hug her as lightly and with as little pressure as possible.
The following morning, Quinn was wheeled to Emma's car and eased into the passenger seat. Will insisted on carrying her weak body inside, resting her on the couch. She sat with her head in Emma's lap, watching movies and listening to Emma talk, confiding her fears and secrets into the woman who had taken the place of her mother in her heart.
She was well enough to return to school the following week, and found herself the center of attention for the third time that year. Unwilling to deal with the phony apologies from people who had made it very clear she wasn't really their friend, she left math to sit in Emma's office, only to find the guidance counselor not there.
Emma nervously next to Will in Figgin's office, fiddling with the hem of her skirt as he asked them all sorts of questions and explained that it was inappropriate to have a student living with them.
"However, I am very appreciative of the fact that you were willing to care for this girl when no one else would. I am going to have to ask that she move out of your home, but that does not mean that you can not have a relationship with the girl, even if it is a bit unconventional. I'm contacting Noah Puckerman's mother to explain the situation and ask if she would be willing to accept Quinn Fabray back into her home."
Despite telling herself that it was the right thing to do, Emma didn't want Quinn to leave, and Quinn didn't want to leave Emma, which is why she was clinging tightly to her shoulders as Will announced that Mrs. Puckerman was willing to let her move back.
"Please don't leave me!" She cried in such a hysterical way that Emma couldn't help but think it sounded like a song she'd heard on the radio.
"I'm always here, Quinn," Emma loosened Quinn's grip on her shoulders, "Always here when you need me."
Quinn smiled down at Emma, pulling her fingers out of her hair, "You were there for me for everything. You're going to be a great mom, you already have been. I know you feel like real shit right now, but in a few months it'll be over. And you'll be able to hold your baby, so it'll be worth all the pain even more for you." She stood to join the rest of New Directions, but Emma sat up and pulled her into a tight hug first.
"Thanks, Quinn. Want to come over and eat non-dairy ice cream and watch movies about animals with me when practice is done?"
Quinn laughed, returning the hug with as much intensity, "I'd love to."
The real-estate woman called that night as Emma and Quinn were watching Babe.
"Hey, Em?" She paused the movie after the sheep rang a chorus of 'Bah-Ram-Yew!' "Mandy wants to know if we want to come check out a house real quick. She thinks it's exactly what we're looking for."
Emma nodded, "Just give me ten minutes for the ice cream to come back up before we go."
Will glanced at Quinn before returning to the phone, "Want to come, Quinn?"
She shrugged, "If you want me there."
As Emma anticipated, the ice cream was gone and they left shortly after she'd brushed her teeth—she'd gotten over showering after every fountain of vomit by the third day of morning sickness.
They pulled up to a modest looking ranch-style house detailed with grey bricks and a white door and shutters. The relator met them at the door, which led directly to a nice-sized living room. The carpet was a clean white and the walls were a chocolate brown. An archway to the kitchen was directly in front of them as Mandy led them in, "The house is four years old was owned only once by a couple with no pets or kids."
They entered the kitchen, Emma was excited to see an island with room for stools under one side. The cabinets were red as the kitchen seemed to have had a farm theme at one time. Stainless steal appliances made Emma smile and a wide archway led to a very small dining room, where a sliding door to the backyard was found.
They left the kitchen to wander down the hall from living room, where three bedrooms and a bathroom (with a bathtub) were found. The first on the right was what Emma pictured as the nursery, small with a big window, surrounded by shelves that were attached to the wall, and a bench beneath the window that Mandy demonstrated opened as storage. The walls were a shade of white, perfect to be painted over. The carpet was a lovely shade of green, perfect for a garden themed room...
A second bedroom was directly across from the first, slightly larger, again with white walls, only this one had blue carpet, which would be perfect for a space themed room...
The master bedroom was a door at the end of the hall, and to Emma's happiest surprise thus far, it had a window seat. A walk in closet and a second full-sized bathroom also adorned the bedroom with beige carpet and similar colored walls, except for one which was a deep red. A small laundry room on the other end of the hall, past the kitchen doubled as a 'mud room,' which led to a two-car garage.
Will seemed to like everything thus far as well, but the relator saved his favorite for last as she led them to the finished basement, which had a room they supposed could be another bedroom, a bar in one corner (complete with attached swivel stools) and what looked like—
"A stage?" Quinn asked as Will's mega-watt smile extended as far as it possibly could. A nice-sized platform was against a far wall with stairs beneath it. From the dents in the carpet, he imagined there had been folding chairs in front of it at one time.
"But wait," Mandy smiled, opening the last door in the basement, "The couple that lived here before were trying to make it as a folk band. I remembered you saying you were director of a show choir and thought this might be perfect," She flipped on a light revealing a very small, yet fully functional recording studio.
"Oh my god!" His eyes grew wide as he examined the equipment—it was no wonder the previous owners went broke, "This is...this is amazing!"
Before he let himself get too excited, they walked back to the kitchen counter to look over paperwork that would break down financial options. After twenty minutes of intense math and Quinn looking totally lost at the prospect of anything dealing with money, Will turned to Emma who was glowing again, "Emma...we can afford this."
She threw her arms around him, kissing him repeatedly, happy as she had ever been.
Quinn turned away, feeling as though she was intruding on a private moment.
Mandy cleared her throat, "Well, if you want, we can start signing paperwork and get things rolling."
Will broke away from Emma's happy embrace as they started signing and initialing things before an official contract was drawn up.
Emma pulled Quinn close as they left nearly an hour later, "Sorry to bore you," she said as she placed a kiss to the younger girl's forehead.
"Oh, no, that was nice! I'm so happy for you guys, it's so perfect for you."
They dropped Quinn off at Rachel's as Finn was leaving the house, "Perfect timing," She laughed, waving a "see you tomorrow!"
"What's got you two so obnoxiously happy today?" Sue demanded to know, sitting at one of the empty chairs at Emma and Will's lunch table the following afternoon.
"Not really any of your business, is it, Sue?" Emma smirked.
"I'm just trying to make friendly conversation with my coworkers. But the couple attacks me, again," She emphasized the word and dug into a Tupperware container of a casserole-looking dish, "Isn't there some sort of rule about discrimination in the workplace?"
"We're not discriminating against you," Emma said curtly, stabbing at her salad—although she wasn't sure why she continued to bother attempting to eat.
"I'll have you know I'm one-sixteenth Apache indian, so unless you are prepared to take me to court, you'll stop these scandalous accusations against me!"
"What acusa-"
"Don't play dumb, Alayna, it's just not cute anymore." The coach stood to leave as Will rolled his eyes and resumed eating.
"I'm not even going to say anything because this is just getting stupid. And old," Emma stopped mid-sentence and pushed her chair back, quickly leaving the teacher's lounge for a trip to the ladies room.
That night, Emma hadn't even been able to keep down oatmeal, and despite her protests, Will asked her to step on the scale in their bathroom. She cringed as it read one hundred five, two pounds lighter then she had been two weeks ago.
"Sweetheart, you should have gained ten pounds by now, not lost it."
"I know," She whimpered, stepping off the scale and fighting back tears.
"We'll call the doctor tomorrow morning, she what she wants us to do. If it means a couple hours in the hospital, then we'll sit through them, okay? I won't let you go alone," Will lifted her up even easier then he used to and set her on the bathroom counter, stepping very close and starring deeply into her scared brown eyes, "I love you, Emma."
"I just hope there's nothing wrong with the baby," She blinked softly, looking down at the lump that was forming, placing a hand on it, "I'm not sure how much of the vitamins are getting into my system if I keep throwing up shortly after taking them."
"Well," Will sighed, one hand rubbing Emma's back and the other cupping her cheek, "That's probably why the doctor would give you an IV."
The following morning Emma woke with shooting pain in her abdomen, causing her to double over, "Will?" She shook his shoulder hysterically, "Will, something's wrong!"
He sat up confused, "What's going on?"
"Oh, god, there's a lot of pain," She cried out as another surge swept over her, "I-I don't know what to do."
He pulled the covers back and looked at the time, only four twenty, far to early to call the doctor. "Alright, let's go to the hospital."
Emma took a few calming breaths as she pressed her hand to her stomach, "I-I, oh god, what if I'm miscarrying?"
Will sat next to her and forced her to meet his eyes, "Emma," he tried his best to be hopeful as he pulled the blankets away from her body, seeing no blood beneath her, he took her hand, squeezing it tightly, "It's probably just pain, okay? But you need nutrients and it's better to be safe then sorry." He stood and took out a pair of grey sweatpants and helped her ease them up as she hissed in pain, then assisted in taking off her lacy nightgown, wishing he was taking it off for another reason, and replaced it with a sweatshirt.
He pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and with a hand on her lower back, he pulled her up. After seeing her wince, he opted to carry her, settling her on the couch to put shoes and coats on both of them, grabbed his wallet, keys and her purse, then carried her to the garage and settled her gently into the Pacifica.
They arrived at the hospital quickly, although not as quickly as Emma imagined they would if she were actually in labor, Will stopped at the door where a greeter assisted Emma into a wheelchair as he drove to park, returning moments later and checking her in.
The emergency waiting room was near empty as they were escorted into a real room right away, where Will again assisted her in changing into a gown. A nurse took Emma's vitals and blood samples and attached an identification bracelet to her left wrist. She held Will's hand tightly as they waited for a doctor.
An older woman entered, greeting them kindly, "You're thirteen weeks along?"
"Going on fourteen," Will responded.
The doctor washed her hands and lifted Emma's hospital gown up, pressing her fingers onto the sides of Emma's stomach, causing her to moan in pain and squeeze Will tighter. The doctor continued to feel around, then pulled away, "We'll do an ultrasound to confirm that there is nothing wrong with the baby, but it appears that you are suffering from round ligament pain. This is pretty common around this time, the uterus walls are expanding and the muscles are thickening and it can be pretty painful. There's not much we can do about it except a low-dose painkiller, but now that you're entering the second trimester, you've got to be much more careful about what you intake, as everything will pass through the placenta and to your baby."
Emma nodded and the doctor continued, "I'm also concerned as you noted a recent weight loss of ten pounds from continued morning sickness. We're still waiting to get the blood work back, but it could be that you're suffering from Hyperemesis Gravidarum. As a result of your morning sickness, you've lost about five percent of your body weight and are losing nutrients that you and your baby need to keep yourself healthy. After we get the results in, I'll call your OB and see if she wants me to treat you through an IV line. We're going to hook you up now and get you hydrated and add nutrients if we need to."
"What, um, what causes this?" Emma asked quietly, not looking forward to a saline drip, knowing she'd be urinating for hours on end.
"Well, a lot of it is stress induced. I see here that you suffer from OCD and Mysophobia, and I'm sure being pregnant isn't easy for you...But pregnancy symptoms differ from woman to woman, and some, like yourself, are simply more prone to morning sickness, which is very much hormonal."
"Is this bad for the baby?"
The doctor shook her head, "It usually isn't. If you continue to suffer there may be a few nutrient deficits that will be filled after it's born and there may be a lower birth weight, but it isn't a terrible outcome for the baby."
With that, the doctor called in a nurse to hook an IV line up to Emma and Will called the school to leave them a message that neither of them would be making it in today.
The nurse left and Will shut his phone, sitting on the edge of Emma's bed and kissing her cheek, "Hey."
She sighed, "Hey. I'm sorry about all this. I know you were supposed to have a big rehearsal today and—"
"Don't be sorry, Em. You are a thousand times more important to me then the Glee Club."
While she knew this to be true, Emma was pretty sure it was the first time Will had ever said it out loud. Smiling weakly, she raised a hand to his face, drawing him into a kiss, but pulling back as another spasm of pain shot through her lower body. His hand moved across it, massaging along her pelvic bones and beneath her belly button.
Her eyes were growing heavy and just when she was about to fall asleep a nurse came in saying an imaging technician was ready for the ultrasound.
The nurse wheeled the IV line while Will pushed Emma in a wheelchair and lifted her into the bed of the darkly-lit sonography room. The technician introduced herself as Janelle and rolled Emma's gown, squirting the blue gel onto her stomach, making her flinch and grab Will's hand.
After a few moment's the baby appeared on the screen, its form a little longer and head slightly more proportionate then last time.
Ten minutes later Janelle clicked the machine to send the images to the doctor and handed Emma a towel, who allowed Will to clean the gel off of her. They returned to the room discussing how amazing it was that the baby had developed so much in only a matter of two and a half weeks.
Will helped his wife back into the bed and the nurse administered a low-dose pain killer through the IV line, instructing Emma it would make her sleepy and to rest if she needed it, after all, it was only six-thirty in the morning and the OB wouldn't be available until at least eight o'clock.
The drowsiness was kicking in and Emma allowed herself to surrender to a nap leaving Will to stroke her hair or hands while aimlessly watching the morning news at a low volume on the complementary ER television.
The doctor returned an hour later while Emma was still asleep, "We got her labs back, she's low on just about everything. I'm going to start her on a nutrient drip that will take several hours and by the time it's done Dr. Romano will be here to asses the situation further and decide what she's going to do about the morning sickness."
Will thanked the doctor who handed him a full report of her blood work for reference as the saline bag was replaced by another clear one.
Emma woke several hours later, promptly stating she needed to "go like there was no tomorrow," Will helped her into the bathroom that was attached to her room, giving her a bit of privacy while she did her business and washed her hands.
"So what's the news?"
"You've got a new IV bag with nutrients for you and the baby, you were low on all the important stuff," He said handing her the report as if she would understand it any better then he did.
She eyed the clock on the wall, noting it was past ten in the morning, "Have you eaten anything?"
"Yeah, I ran to the caf while you were sleeping. Hospital food is the greatest," he joked, kissing her sweetly.
"Anything going on in the world?" She asked, nodding to the television.
"It's snowing. Celebrities are acting stupid. Everyone hates the government."
"So nothing?"
"Essentially. The doctor's supposed to be here in a little bit. How's the pain?"
"Good, I mean, gone, for now. I mean, I can't feel anything, so I don't really know, but..."
He kissed her again as a nurse came to change the IV to a fresh bag, informing them that their doctor was in the building, in delivery, and would be in when she was done.
Emma's phone rang from her purse several minutes later, a text from Quinn read, "Where r u guys? R u ok?"
Emma replied, "Hospital, we think so"
"OMG wats going on?"
Realizing she probably should have been more specific, she typed, "IV and US - had pain this mrning. waiting for OB"
Will played with Emma's messy hair as she continued to text Quinn, he found it ironic that the girl was texting a teacher during school.
Almost two hours later Dr. Romano entered, mumbling an apology at the time it took, "Are you feeling any better?"
Emma nodded, "The medicine worked."
Dr. Romano pulled a stool out from a counter and met Emma's gaze as she spoke, "I double-checked the ultrasound images and the baby looks fine, you really were just having round ligament pain. You're into the second trimester, so the likelihood of miscarrying is smaller. You really do need to start eating food again."
"We've tried every suggestion we found online, and I don't want the baby to have flippers for arms."
The OB laughed, "We haven't used thalidomide since the sixties, honey. No, I'm going to give you a very, very small dosage of anti-nausea pill that is similar to motion-sickness medicine. Hopefully we'll have you eating by this evening so you don't have to stay overnight. Otherwise, everything else looks good. I don't want to give you anymore pain medication, though. While it's not dangerous, it's not great either. I'd rather you just deal with it the natural way with relaxing and staying off your feet."
She preformed a quick physical exam, feeling around Emma's stomach then was off to deliver more babies while the nurse gave Emma the medicine the doctor had instructed.
More time passed and Emma was growing restless when the nurse knocked on the door, smiling, "You have visitors," she said as Quinn, Rachel and Finn entered.
"Hey, Mrs. Schue," Finn's goofy smirk brightened her immediately.
"Hi, guys, what are you doing here?"
Rachel scooted towards Will, "Just visiting our favorite people. There's really no point of going to school when you're not there."
Finn agreed, "I probably would have dropped out by now if I knew I wouldn't get to see you every day."
Emma rolled her eyes as Quinn bent to hug her, "You may think they're kidding, but it's true. We had Mrs. Carson for Spanish today, ugh."
Will cringed, noting that nothing was accomplished from his lesson plans—which he'd begun leaving at school at the end of each day once they discovered Emma's pregnancy, just in case—and accepted Quinn's hug before she sat on the edge of the bed, "So what's the verdict?" She asked.
"The baby's just fine," Emma reached to the small table next to her and handed Quinn the ultrasound image from the morning, "All good. It was just round ligament pain. They gave me a bunch of nutrients to replace what I've lost over the last few weeks and some medicine to help with the nausea so I can hopefully eat something without ralphing later."
Will stifled a laugh as a flashback hit him, "Kurt ralphed on me."
Emma gave him a look as Rachel babbled about the latest drama and ideas she had for regionals, "Are we going to make up practice on Monday?"
He shrugged, "Depends on how things are going," He said with a glance at his wife, "If Em's still feeling terrible then probably not. But, who knows." Will took her hand with a smile.
His stomach spoke loudly, causing everyone in the room to laugh. He hadn't eaten since early that morning, not wanting to leave Emma alone; but now that Quinn was there...
"Why don't you go eat something?" She suggested, kissing his fingers.
Knowing that Emma wouldn't want to be trapped with all three kids, he put a hand on Rachel's shoulder, "How about you give me some ideas for classic rock songs you'd like to do..."
Her eyes lit up as they walked out the door, causing Quinn and Emma to giggle at each other, "That's my best friend."
"She's a good friend to have, Quinn."
The younger girl's face turned more serious as she played with the edge of the blanket covering Emma, "Can I talk to you about something?"
"Of course, anything," Emma said, sitting up taller against the pillows.
"I...you told me that I need to talk about the baby, my baby...and I think you're right. Ever since you told me that you're pregnant, I haven't been able to get her out of my mind," A guilty look swept across Emma's face, but Quinn quickly deflected it, "I'm not blaming you, or anything! It's just...you made me think about all the feelings I've buried over the past few months."
Emma's hand moved from under the thin, worn hospital blanket to cover Quinn's, "And what are some of those feelings?"
"I'm...worried and paranoid."
"About?"
Quinn's thoughts trailed off before answering, "That the family won't take good care of her. That she'll be mad at me when she finds out she was adopted. Think that I didn't want her, that she was just an accident."
"Well, first of all, I'm sure she is fine. Families go through very intense screening before they are allowed to participate in an adoption program. And when she does find out, she'll probably be upset at first, but eventually she'll come around to realize that her birth mother loved her enough to give her to people who could raise her properly."
A few tears escaped Quinn's green eyes as she stared a hole into the IV in Emma's arm, "I-I'm starting to wish that I had decided to go for an open adoption. I want to know her name, to see her."
Emma breathed deeply, "Sweetheart, why did you decide to pick the closed adoption? Because you didn't want to have to know her without being able to be her mother? Remember?" Quinn nodded, more tears falling with each bob of her head, "There's nothing we can do to change it now."
"I know," She choked, "But I c-can't help b-but have all these feelings that I want to hold my baby close, to rock her to sleep...I have dreams every night and I pray for her every day and...I just want to be apart of her life!"
Emma pulled Quinn into a deep hug, "Honey, I can't do that for you. There's nothing we can do to get you into her life. But," Quinn's face moved to rest on her shoulder near her chest, "There are lots of things you can do to cope with it. There's support groups and books and bracelets..."
"I don't know if I should have, but in my mind I gave her a name, since I can't find out what her adoptive parents named her."
"And what's that?"
"Josephine. I've been writing her a journal, telling her all the things I'm thinking. All the 'what if's and stuff. I call her Josie."
"That's a great name, Quinn. And I think it's a good idea to name her."
"I hope she will forgive me someday."
"I hope you'll forgive yourself someday, sweetheart."
"I'm getting there. I know, I really know it was the right thing to give her up, but I can't stop myself form wondering if I could have done it. If I could make her happy, if Puck would have really stepped up."
Emma rubbed her back, "Now that, I don't think you should keep thinking about. There's no point in 'what if's because there is no 'if' here, Quinn. This is very set in stone. But, there is a baby who's life you can be apart of. I can let you be apart of my baby's life. It won't be the same, but it might help you get some of these feelings off your plate, help you move forward."
Quinn smiled through her tears, "I-I'd like that." Emma wiped her tears away and kissed the top of her head.
Will, Finn and Rachel returned a few moments later, along with a nurse who politely asked the kids to leave so she could draw a few more blood samples and see if Emma was up to the challenge of eating.
An hour later, Emma had managed to keep down a bowl full of bland and flavorless hospital oatmeal, but being the first meal she'd eaten in almost three days that settled into her stomach, it seemed like the greatest delicacy on earth. Dr. Romano returned with the results of the last blood panel and announced that Emma was ready to go home.
Well, that wasn't in the original plans. This story is going to be significantly longer then I intended, as she's only at fourteen weeks right now and I have twenty-eight weeks from my original outline for chapter eight.
This chapter was very real and I just want to break it down, because some of it sounds like a far cry from reality, and none of it is.
A lot of Quinn's pregnancy and aftermath is loosely based off events on MTV's new reality series Teen Mom. Her being kicked out by Puck's mom is from Catelyn leaving her mom and Butch's house because Butch is an asshole who thinks she shouldn't have given up her baby for adoption. Quinn being beaten up in the hall was based off of true facts from my high school experience. The feelings after adoption are based off of a friend of mine and again, Catelyn's retreat from Teen Mom.
As for Emma's baby drama, it's all medically real. (I was going to be an obstetrician and was obsessed with maternity television and journals for two years) All of her symptoms follow the typical timeline for pregnant women (as I remember from my classes in early childhood development and with a few refreshers from the internet). The Hyperemesis Gravidarum is very real and effects approx. 1 in 300 woman during pregnancy (you didn't think I'd make this easy for them did you?), usually peaking shortly after week twelve. The round ligament pain is something every pregnant woman suffers from, usually starting shortly after the second trimester. Emma just over reacted because, well, she's Emma. As for hospital procedures and timeline, I've spent enough time in the hospital to know what goes on. After working in a doctors office for the past few summers, I've acquired a wealth of medical jargon but I wasn't sure how medically-literate the readers are, so I tried to "keep it simple—" bawh, I love Figgins!
And as I said, I love the idea of Quinn/Emma/Will friendship and seeing them as her parents. It's so sweet.
A request for readers! If you chose to review, please include what gender you would like the baby to be. I've gotten a few requests already and thought I had my mind made up, but I would like your input as well. I don't know if I'm going to take the majority of requests or just bear them in mind, but they will help me decide.
Thank you for reading!