Chapter Eleven
Will watched as his students nailed yet another performance; the final selection for Nationals. With a look in his eyes that could only be described as proud, he dismissed them and after exchanges of good-byes, he turned towards the door, stopping to shove his hands in his pockets and stare peacefully at a plaque on the wall. The woman depicted in it was elderly and plump, but the sparkle in her eyes matched the phrase etched in gold-plated metal below her.
Emma stepped into the room, disturbing him for a moment as he took a second to glance at her bump, which at this point was so overbearing on her small frame, it looked like she would be ready to deliver at any moment. He shuddered to think how much larger it would get in the next eight weeks as they waited for the due date to draw nearer.
He was nervous about her accompanying them to Nationals, which was taking place in Huston. As if the scorching temperatures in the southern state weren't enough, the group would be traveling by plane; and he knew that the uncleanliness alone might be enough to induce her labor. But she was insistent, saying they hadn't attended a competition without her yet, and she wasn't planning on missing the most important one to date.
Her arms were folded over her belly as Emma observed her husband's intense focus on the image before him, "She really inspired you."
Will's trademark smirk overtook his face as he gave a little nod, "She did," He sighed a bit as he looked at Emma, drawing her closer until she was in front of him, then placing his chin on her shoulder and his hands over their still-nameless baby, "I just wish she were here to give me advice. She was the most motivational person I think I've ever met...with the exception of you," He pressed a kiss to the crook of her neck, "She always knew just what to say...I guess you could say she was probably the most influential person in my life. She's part of the reason I became a teacher."
Emma took note of the words on the plaque, and in a flash, the inspiration Will spoke of hit her, "Lily."
"I don't think anyone really called her that...Well, maybe faculty did, but most people called her Lillian...we always called her coach though—"
"No, no...Lily, for our little girl. Lily Schuester. We decided we wanted to give her a name that meant something to us. And...Mrs. Lillian Adler was the woman who meant so much to you...she stands for everything we believe in...honesty, fairness...giving people chances, inspiring others...that's what we want our baby to be like, right? So...Lily. That way she's still her own person...but, we'll know."
Will spun her around to face him, the tears evident in his eyes as he tried to mask them. Slowly, he crouched to her stretched stomach and lifted her blue maternity top just enough to slide his hands up, stroking the skin and sighing contently, "Lily. Lily Schuester. I love you, baby girl...baby Lily...Lily..." He said the name over and over before bringing himself back up to meet his wife's lips, circling his arms around her and letting the tears fall fresh onto her cheeks.
"Lily," She whispered as he pulled away.
"Lily," He replied.
The tears welled up in her own eyes as she brushed Will's away, "Oh...I need to call my mother."
"Maybe after we...celebrate a little?" He raised his eyebrows, earning him a light hit to his shoulder.
"Honey," She sighed, "You know it's getting much more...difficult."
It was true, the sudden protrusion of her gut was making their lovemaking more uncomfortable then anything for Emma. As much as she loved Will, there was just no way she could give him everything they typically expected out of their special time together with her current size.
"Okay," He surrendered, taking her hand and leading them towards their vehicle, "But I at least get to cuddle you, right?"
"Sure," She smiled brightly, "And Lily."
"And Lily," Will whispered, kissing her cheek.
"Schuester!" The couple groaned at the sound of Sue's voice behind them, "Figgins would like a word with you."
Emma sighed and removed her hand from Will's, "I'll wait in my—"
"Oh no, Elaine. He wants both of you."
The couple shared a look and turned towards the principals office, leaving a smirking Sue in their wake.
"Schuesters, have a seat." His eyes were much less welcoming then Will remembered the last time he had been in the room, announcing their victory at Regionals.
Emma was nearly shaking as she settled into one of the chairs, swallowing hard and trying not to look at her boss's face.
"We've got a few things we need to discuss."
"I-Is there some sort of problem?" Will asked hesitantly.
"Sue came to talk to me earlier," Figgins started, trying to meet Emma's gaze with no avail, "She claimed to have an overwhelming amount of evidence that the two of you are engaging in inappropriate behaviors in the workplace."
Emma raised an eyebrow and finally caught the man's eye, "Wh-what?"
Will's reaction was more lively, "What evidence? That's totally insane; we would never—"
"Just listen, Schue," Figgins cut the spanish teacher off, "She says that the type of public displays of affection you two share on school grounds is vulgar and disgusting. I asked her to present her evidence."
"There's no evidence because we don't—"
Figgins picked up a manila folder and began setting out pictures one-by-one of the couple with their arms around one another, lips locked, hands tangled in each other's hair and other intimate gestures that, while not profane, were certainly not work appropriate.
"I-I don't...We don't...Where did she...?" Emma attempted to articulate her thoughts, stumbling in her revolution of the images before her.
"Now, Sue may have been a bit over the top with her documentation of the two of you. However, she has a valid point. Our school has a very strict policy towards Public Display of Affection. And while it may not be very well enforced, it still applies to everyone, including the two of you. You are supposed to be the examples for these kids. Imagine if they see you two kanoodling in the hallway; they are going to assume that since their teachers are doing it, so can they!"
Emma blushed, both in anger and embarrassment. Will took note of her demeanor and asked, "So...what sort of...punishment do we—"
"Since this is the first time I have to talk about this with you, all I'm going to do is give you a warning. You're both excellent teachers, I wouldn't want to lose you or cause your reputation to slip." The guidance counselor's expression was immediately relieved, that was until the inevitable, "However, it has also been brought to my attention that you are the only two adults attending the Glee Club's national competition. Sue believes that because of this situation and the fact that Emma is great with child," She felt his eyes on her stomach and her face flushed once more, "That it is safest for the children if you have an additional adult attend."
The couple shared a look, knowing which of their fellow faculty members would offer to join them.
"I know that you and Sue have had some drama in the past, however, she certainly has a lot of experience in the field of National Competition; and she is the only faculty member who even offered to pay her own airfare."
"This is...this is...She can't come. She's going to ruin—"
"Schue, please. All the fighting from last year has ended. It's going to be fine."
Will put his head in his hands and closed his eyes, trying not to lash out. Emma finally found her voice, "Is there anyone...anyone else?"
Figgins stood, their cue to do the same, "This is a final decision. I don't want to make this into that big of a deal. She isn't scheming or trying to ruin this for you. I believe this is the best bet if you don't want all the incriminating evidence against you to go to the board. I'm doing you a solid. Now I will see you all tomorrow." He ushered them out, humming softly, doing a little jig as he turned off the light, "I've got my Zumba class tonight."
Emma convinced Will to let her drive, knowing he often sped like a maniac when mad. With a sigh, she took his hand into hers and played the role he usually did for her, "It's going to be okay, Will. You've worked to hard to let Sue stand in the way." He almost said something out of anger that he would regret later, but one look at her belly, which was touching the steering wheel, and he changed his mind, opting to squeeze their intertwined fingers closer together, "Besides, Lily doesn't like seeing her daddy all upset."
He felt his lips tug into a smile of their own accord, the mere thought of his little girl, no longer nameless, was enough to brighten his mood, "Lily." After a moment, he asked, "I know it's not your favorite thing to do, but maybe we could have my parents over tonight? I mean, my dad didn't even see the place after getting all the furniture in and mom's been begging for weeks—"
"Sure," Emma responded simply. She wasn't the worlds biggest fan of Will's parents, his mom was loud and drunk, while the elder Mr. Schuester was pushy and awkward, but she knew how important they were to him.
"Thanks, Em."
She swallowed, biting back a dramatic sigh; praying that Will's mother would be sober when she arrived and their conversation could be more like the first few time's she met the woman.
Six hours later, Emma sat in her glider — a combined gift from the members of the New Directions — rubbing her stomach and trying to fight back tears of unexplainable guilt. She was sure she shouldn't be feeling guilty, but she shouldn't feel good.
"Em, sweetheart..." Will stepped into the nursery, sitting on the footrest part of the chair and placing his hands on her knees, "She wasn't offended, I don't understand why you're feeling this way."
It had started during desert, when the older Mrs. Schuester asked Emma if she planned on putting the baby in a daycare program so she could return to work. Emma had said that they were still discussing their options, honestly unsure of whether or not their financial situation would allow a center, as a house with a daycare may be more affordable. The alcoholic woman made a very sweet and generous offer, claiming she would be thrilled to take Lily while her son and daughter-in-law were at work.
"Oh, no, I couldn't let you do that," Emma had slipped before catching herself. Fortunately, the plump woman had taken it to mean Emma wouldn't allow someone to watch her child without pay, whereas she had really been thinking she couldn't allow someone who's brain was soaked in corn-booze to tend to her daughter's needs.
"She may not have understood, but your father, I'm sure, did. And you knew what I meant...Will, I feel terrible. I wouldn't mind letting her watch Lily, maybe for a few hours every now and then so we could go out or something...but..."
"It's okay, Em. I know, and my father knows, that she just isn't responsible enough to care for a child like that on a daily basis. I don't think dad would let her stay alone with her, anyway. Even though he can have his moments, he isn't drinking from the time he wakes up in the morning until he goes to bed like my mom often does...he knows. It's okay, Emma. No one got hurt by what you said." She pulled Will closer, until he was kissing her softly, then let him pull away and place a hand behind her back, one on her arm and helping her out of the comfortable seat, "How's your back?" He asked, knowing she was constantly sore.
"Oh, you're so wonderful," She murmured as he settled her into his lap on the edge of their bed, working his thumbs into the knots in her shoulders, his fingertips massaging the tender muscles and joints above her hips.
He nestled his face into her neck, pressing soft kisses against it, "Eight more weeks."
"Eight more weeks," She repeated, stroking her baby bump with a happy sigh, "I'm over being scared. I'm ready. I want to hold her close and tell her how much I love her."
Emma felt Will smile into her skin, "Are you tired, sweetheart?"
"Beyond," She breathed, leaning back, "How about a quick shower and we call it a night?"
Will kissed her again, then guided her up, untying the bow of her maternity shirt and letting her take care of his buttons. He assisted her into the shower, enjoying their last few weeks of time alone together. Even though they weren't quite as physical as they had been for the past year, the couple was just as intimate.
"Oh, God." Emma's knuckles were white as her death grip on Will's hand intensified, her face becoming progressively more pale and her breathing labored.
"Hey, hey, it's okay...it's okay. Just take a deep breath. It'll all be over in a few minutes."
"I-I...oh, God."
"Emma...honey, it's fine. Just a little rumbling and maybe your ears will hurt a little, but it's not that bad."
Will stroked her leg, attempting to keep her calm as the plane towards Houston took off. She closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to see the world rush past her as they sped down the runway.
Four minutes later they were above the clouds and Emma's blood pressure dropped considerably as Will moved the armrest between them up and slid his arm around her, allowing her face to snuggle into his chest.
"Go to sleep, sweetheart. It'll be a few hours."
She yawned and complied, feeling she wouldn't be missing out on the in-flight movie of Hotel for Dogs — she hated the mangey species anyway — and was woken up just a few hours later as the plane made contact with the ground once more.
"Sure is a good thing I came along to make sure this rowdy bunch was able to contain themselves, as you weren't the most helpful of chaperones."
Will groaned as Sue forcefully shoved his carry-on bag into his arms, growling as she smirked and moved in front of them.
"It's only a week, Will. We can deal with it," Emma made a move to reach her own bag, but Finn snuck up from behind her and pulled it down with ease. She beamed her thanks and took note of his blush; he had been exceptionally sweet and had gone out of his way to make her life easier at school since their personal chat three months prior.
"So, uh, Mr. Schue? Is Mrs. Sylvester going to be at our performances?"
"God, I hope not," The glee coach sighed as they stepped into the crowded airport lobby to wait for their luggage.
An hour later they were at their hotel, Will informing the kids to be on their best behavior once more, and just before he turned them lose, Sue interjected his speech, "I beg your pardon? You are going to let these children run wild in a glitzy hotel in a foreign state all by themselves?"
Will rolled his eyes, battle number two ready to be fought, "Sue, they aren't little kids. They are responsible enough to do act maturely and I have full confidence that none of them would mess around a day before a big competition anyways. For now, they need to relax and have fun; not sit around stressing out and rehearsing."
"Really, William? When I take my Cheerio's to competition, I find that they don't win by going out and getting wasted the night before."
"They're not going to get—"
"Oh, really? Not these kids, no. It's not like one of them was inseminated by—"
"Enough!" Emma surprised even herself as she stepped forward so she was between the pair of coaches, "Sue, you are not in charge here. You are merely here to chaperone. If you want to keep an eye on them, follow them to the pool or arcade; but you can't tell them or Will what to do. Believe it or not, you aren't running this club."
With a satisfied smile, she dismissed the group, who took off as fast as they could in hopes to avoid the reign of terror Sue could force upon them.
Will placed a hand on Emma's lower back and led them towards an elevator so they could spend time putting their room together the way Emma would feel most comfortable.
She curled up in the freshly made bed moments later, a tired expression on her brow as she cringed and placed a hand on her back. While Will knew she didn't like him fretting over her every wince, he sprawled out next to her, rubbing over the place her had fell.
"You feeling miserable?"
Emma simply nodded, her eyelids dropping.
"Ready to be done now?"
Her head shook again and Will kissed her hair, "Want to go get some food?"
They hadn't brought anything, Emma had decided she would be alright eating out a bit whilst they were in Houston, and they planned on getting some groceries for the week later that night, "No...I'm really, really tired, Will." She said quietly, her hand moving from her back to her stomach as she groaned in fatigue and pain.
"Oh, sweetheart..."
"You go get something to eat, though. I'll be fine here. Just make sure your phone is on."
"You sure? I don't want to leave you alone—"
"I'll be fine. Go ahead. Check on the kids...I'll feel better after another quick nap."
Will smiled weakly and kissed her again. Ten minutes later, he texted Finn to ask what the kids were up to.
He met them in a ballroom which had been transformed into a performance of some type, trophies and crowns lined the back of the stage, as a little girl strutted across wearing an elaborate mermaid costume and dancing around the stage to Under the Sea while watching self-consciously as her mother executed the same routine in the front of the audience.
Sliding next to Puck in one of the rear seats he asked, "What is this nonsense?"
"It's some sort of baby pageant. These moms are forcing their kids up on stage against their will to get some dumb prize. It's insane. But...I can't stop watching."
Rachel was beaming three chairs down, chatting away with the girls who appeared to adore the grand-supreme hopefuls on stage.
Will watched for almost an hour before he decided that with the insanity factor taken away, he wouldn't mind putting his little girl into one of these sorts of events; provided he didn't force her into it and he wasn't the one dancing up front, wanting the glory for himself. Lily would be the cutest, most talented little girl on the planet. Why not show her off?
"You guys want to catch something to eat?" He asked the assembled group of Finn, Puck, Rachel, Quinn and Britney.
They agreed, texting the rest of the bunch to meet them in the hotel's restaurant, ordering a few pizza's and discussing the hype for the first round tomorrow.
Emma sat in her seat, front and center, her feelings of nervousness nearly matched the kids as they took the stage for the first round of competition at Nationals.
The entire even was broken down into four performances, each at different times, wearing different costumes and in different brackets. Not every team would be performing all four of their songs, as eliminations took place after each round. But all five of their numbers were strong, and Emma prayed that New Directions would be able to show off all of them.
"...And up next...from Lima Ohio, New Directions!"
Will took a nervous seat next to her, "Here we go," She gripped his hand, squeezing tightly.
"They'll be great," Emma whispered.
The group wrapped up a stunning rendition of Take a Chance on Me, which they slowed down and rearranged, creating an interesting dynamic on the stage which the crowed appeared receptive to as they observed the McKinley group.
The audience whipped into a wild applause, Will and Emma sprung to their feet and cheered loudly. They had been one of twelve to perform thus far, but there were still another hundred, if not more, to participate in the first round.
"That was great," Will congratulated the group as he met them backstage, Emma waddling behind him, "Keep it up and we're moving into the finals without a doubt."
After seven painful hours of waiting, the glee clubs with the most points were announced to be performing the following morning; New Directions being in the top half of highest scores didn't surprise any of them.
"Tomorrow is a single-gender performance," Will said, reading off an e-mail he received from the judges, "And we've been given, at random, the ladies. So Hot and Cold Goodbye it is, girls. Better be ready. And guys, just because you aren't preforming doesn't mean you can sleep in. You'll be up to support the girls."
Emma attempted to keep the pain and tiredness off her face, but a wince and a breathy groan gave her away. Finn looked up from his seat next to her, "Mrs. Schue? You okay?"
She sniffed and looked down, "Yeah, yeah...just...yeah."
Will gave her a look of concern before dismissing the group, reminding them to get a good night's rest before the following day of competition.
"Hey," He whispered, taking Emma's face into his hands and kissing her lips lightly, "You okay, sweetheart?"
"N-no," She choked, allowing a tear to escape which Will caught with his thumb, "I-I'm so tired. S-so tired."
Will brought her close, resting her head on his chest, "Sweetheart...then let's go to turn in for the night, alright? I'll set my phone and do a quick check of the kids around midnight. You just curl up and sleep."
"A-all I do is s-sleep! I've slept for eighteen hours today. And now I'm going back to sleep! A-and my back...h-hurts so much...and I just...I d-don't know if it's normal."
Will reached into her purse and pulling out her cellphone, "Call Annie. I'm sure she'll know."
Emma sniffed and slowly shuffled towards the bed, one hand on her lower back, "Hey, Ann," She said quietly as her sister picked up.
"Ems! Are you okay? Oh my god, Emma—"
"I-I think I'm okay...Well, I don't know. That's why I'm calling you."
Will applied pressure to the spots on her back where he knew she was most sore as she explained her symptoms to her sister.
"Emma, honey...honestly, it probably is normal, but I'm no doctor so I can't say for sure. Listen, you're in Texas already, right? I...God, Emma, I really wish you had listened to me and hadn't gone."
Emma's mind wandered briefly back to when Annie had stayed with her nearly two months ago, her older sister had been full of great advice, but also alarming facts that made Emma uncomfortable.
"It's a long way from your OB, Emma, should anything happen. It's a long way from your family. It's going to be hotter then hell and you'll be taking a plane."
"I know, but Annie...I want to be there. For Will. For the kids. I don't want to miss his...their first national competition."
"Sweetheart, do you realize just how dangerous it can be? You've never flown before. Do you know how bad things can turn if your blood pressure skyrockets during the takeoff? I don't know if your aware of pre-eclampsia—"
"Ann, I really think I'll be fine. It'll be seven weeks before I'm scheduled to deliver and if Will's with me...I'm usually not so bad...I don't...freak out."
Annie pulled Kendal into her lap and kissed the little girl's forehead, "Okay, Emma. If you think you can handle it, then go...I just think you should put your baby's needs before your own desires. If something goes wrong—"
"I don't play 'what if' anymore, alright, and you know what, I really think that you shouldn't try and tell me what choices to make about my baby." Emma took a step back, realizing what she was saying, "B-but I-I don't mean...um...oh, gosh, Annie—"
The elder red-head smiled weakly, sliding her daughter off to run to the basement to 'make music' with her Uncle Will. "It's okay, you're right. I was over the line. I just want to make sure you and my niece are safe and healthy, Emma. That's all I really want. If you want to go to Texas to support your husband, that's your choice. And if anything were to happen, and I mean anything, I don't care if it's just Braxton Hicks contractions, I'd take the soonest flight out to be with you. I love you, Emma. I'm going to be there for you." She pulled her sister into a tight hug and kissed her cheek, "I swear, I'll be there for you, always."
Emma sniffed again, "I-I know, Annie, you were right...b-but I..."
"Shh, I'm catching a flight. I'll be there by tomorrow morning."
"N-no, Ann, you don't have to—"
"Emma, hush. If something's wrong, I'll be able to be with you so that Will can be with his kids when he needs to; and if nothing else, I'll be in Texas with my little sister."
Twenty minutes later, Annie had called ahead to reserve a seat on the next redeye to Houston and Emma collapsed into Will's arms crying in anger at herself and in pain.
Throughout the night, Will watched as Emma's face twisted and contorted into expressions of pain and newfound pressure in her pelvic region.
The following morning, Will woke Emma with a brief goodbye, explaining that Annie was about an hour away, and after the kid's performance he would be meeting her at the airport. He implored her to call if the tiniest problem arose and swore he'd be back before ten.
She sighed, leaning back into the pillows and letting her tears fall as Will left.
"Emma!" Annie called, as Will promised, shortly before ten. She rushed to her sister's side and kissed her forehead, pulling back the blankets and sat next to Emma, stroking her belly softly, "Where does it hurt, sweetheart."
Emma sobbed softly as a wave of pain swept over her. She placed her hands near her pelvic bones, then moved them to her lower back. She attempted to explain how it felt to her sister, but her hysterical nature made it difficult, "Emma, sweetie...calm down."
Will was at a loss for what to do as he watched the exchange from the sisters. The results from the second round would be announced at any minute and if the girls scored like he was guessing they did; he'd be gone for a two-hour coaches meeting for the semi-final round.
"Will?" Annie sighed, taking his arm and setting him next to Emma, "I don't...I don't think this is normal."
Emma's eyes grew wide and Will cupped her hand into his own, "A-are you sure?"
"I," Annie sighed again, "I think you need to call her OB now. See what she says. I can't make that decision, I'm not a doctor."
Will whipped out his cellphone and called the office, "Doctor Romano's office, Terri speaking."
"Terri, it's Will."
"Oh, hi."
"Is Dr. Romano free? I need to speak with her as soon as possible."
"She won't be in the office for another twenty minutes or so."
"I...can you...get a hold of her sooner then that? Do you have her cellphone number?" Will could practically see her eyes rolling over the phone.
"We don't give doctors personal numbers out to patients."
"Terri, it's really important...Emma's not doing so well—"
"I can't just give you her number. It'll be twenty minutes."
Will paused, taken aback by her behavior, "Terri, please. I need you."
He heard the breath catch in her throat and knew the look on her face; the one of indescribable shock and horror, the one where her sparkly blue eyes would shine with an urgency to help, to try and make the situation better.
"W-Will...I really can't give you her number...but...oh, our midwife isn't in yet...but I may be able to help...I'm over half-way through my certification...What's wrong?"
Will eyed his current wife, the look of misery on her face breaking his heart as he described her symptoms to Terri, "Emma has severe back pain and stomach pain and pelvic...pressure, Annie, her sister, said that's what it was. And she's been sleeping for the past three days..."
He heard Terri scratching down his words and was thankful she wasn't going to try to tell them what to do all on her own, knowing her track record for medical accuracy, but desperate for advice at this moment, he was sure that her experience of working at the obstetrician's office for several months had brought her some wealth of knowledge, "Has she had any contractions? Even ones that feel fake?" When Will reported a negative, Terri continued, "Has she noticed any bleeding or clear liquid?" Will asked and Emma said she hadn't, "How about burning?"
"A little," Will sucked in a breath, hoping Terri knew what was going on.
"Okay, stay calm, Will, but it sounds like she could be approaching preterm labor. The good news is, she hasn't had any bleeding or contractions, so it may be preventable. For now, keep her in bed, on her side. And get her plenty of fluids, dehydration is one of the leading causes of preterm labor. That's all I can tell you for now, but if it gets any worse, and I mean anything, especially if she's got contractions or bleeding, you need to get to a hospital. I'll have Dr. Romano call the moment she gets in."
Terri sighed as Will thanked her in a rush and hung up the phone. Crumbling only slightly, she set the phone in it's cradle and pulled at the hair close to her scalp. She genuinely wanted Will to be happy. He was finally having the little girl he always wanted; and she didn't want that to be taken away from him. Against her better judgement, she called the doctor's personal number.
Will's cellphone rang again just as Annie was helping Emma onto her side and he was about to twist the cap off a bottle of water.
"Hello?" He asked as an unknown number appeared.
"Will, this is Dr. Romano. My secretary called saying you may have an emergency situation? I need you to describe her symptoms in full to me."
Will made a mental note to thank Terri later, going over Emma's pain and exhaustion once more.
"Alright, what Terri said to do is what I'm going to recommend until you could come in—"
"We're um...we're in Texas, actually."
The doctor stopped for a moment to process this, drawing from her memory which coworkers were in the area, "I'll find you a doctor when I get to my office. For now, I'm going to have you keep her in bed and pump her full of fluids. I don't think she needs to go to the hospital unless she starts vomiting, bleeding or having contractions. In that case, you'll need to admit her and they'll try their best to stop the labor. If worst comes to worse, you may have to deliver now. I hope this isn't the case, but you do need to be aware that it could happen. The good news is, at...how many weeks is she?"
"Thirty-three..going on thirty-four."
"At that point, the baby's really completed development of all major systems down to minor details. The main job of the baby in the last few weeks is to gain weight, so if you do deliver, baby will be small, but she may be fine."
Will took little comfort in this as he hung up with the doctor and forced Emma to drink, relaying the information to her.
"Oh, God, Will," Her tears continued to pool, "This is all my fault! I should have stayed home—"
"Emma, honey, stop. It's going to be alright, okay? We're going to be alright." He kissed her sweetly and made a quick check on the time. He still had an hour before the results would be in.
Nothing to do but sit and wait.
Throughout the remainder of the morning and into the mid-afternoon, Emma's pain had yet to subside, but her condition hadn't worsened. Annie and Will took turns laying with her while Will accompanied the kids to their workshops and attended a coaches meeting. The third competition had ended and the kid's performance wasn't up to their usual par, and Will felt that it was his fault. He hadn't been a very effective coach, his mind on his wife and daughter. Will was slightly torn between staying with Emma now that Annie would be there, and joining his kids. They couldn't go on without him, but neither could Emma. And his love for Emma was of a far greater magnitude then his love for Glee.
"Hey, sweetheart," He kissed her softly as she weakly grasped his hand. She bit her lip in attempt to make her tears stay down, not wanting to continue crying over the pain. "You can cry. It's okay...I know, it hurts...I know."
Annie watched from a seated position next to Emma as Will sprawled himself parallel to his wife and let her clutch him with all the pain and guilt she felt, his shirt become wet with tears and her heart was heavy with feelings of regret.
"Stop blaming yourself, Em. I'd rather have you here with me then suffering on your own, alone, at home."
Annie pondered the thought and a surge of anger shot through her, she wanted to say something; that the Glee Club could have gone on without him, that he could have stayed home with his wife. She held her tongue and continued to watch the exchange.
"How are the kids?" Emma asked softly as she began to compose herself.
Will stroked her hair, "They're scared for you. And nervous as hell. But, they've come above the top half of competitors both times. They're doing real good, for their first time here."
Emma felt the traces of a smile forming on her face and knew that Will was looking forward to spending time with the kids in Houston, knowing he wouldn't be seeing nearly as much of them next year as he had previously, "Sorry for messing things up."
"Hey, none of that, Emma. You know you are much more important then the club is."
At this, Annie lowered her natural defenses for her sister; Will was an amazing man and she knew Emma had found her soulmate after their first encounter.
Will watched as his brown-eyed sister-and-law grazed her eyes over her sister and her look suddenly turned to one of panic.
"E-Emma? Sweetheart, don't move," Annie gulped, "Stay calm and keep holding on to Will, okay?"
"Wh-what—?" She started and was just about to turn to look at her sister, who placed a heavy hand on her side.
"Honey, you're bleeding."
Emma gasped and tried her hardest not to look down, feeling another bout of tears approaching, "W-Will!" She shrieked, her breath quickening and her grip on his shoulders intensifying.
"Emma, Emma, honey, calm down. I'm calling the hospital, right now," Annie had always been the one to keep her cool when things went haywire, and Emma was grateful for that.
Dr. Romaro had provided the number for an OB just around the corner at a huge hospital in Houston. She had called earlier to explain the situation, including Emma's unique case of mysophobia, and had them on standby incase Emma would need to come in.
Five minutes later, Will had Emma settled into a wheelchair with a towel beneath her, at her own insistence, and Annie had pulled their rental car up to the front of the hotel. He didn't even search out the kids to explain the situation, his only goal was to get Emma to the hospital so they could make attempts to stop the labor and avoid a premature birth.
"W-Will!" Emma choked again as he assisted her into the car, "I-I'm sorry, i-if something happens, if she doesn't—"
He kissed her temple before sliding in next to her, "I love you, Emma. Let's just try and keep it positive. Doctors stop preterm labor every day, and Dr. Romaro said her chances are really good, even if they do need to deliver." He kissed her again as Annie floored her way to the hospital, "It's going to be okay, sweetheart."
She sniffed and just as she was about to rest her head on his chest, Emma gasped suddenly and placed a hand over her stomach, "A-Ann! I-I think she just went down lower...or something!"
Will could see Annie cringe in the rear-view mirror, "Shit," She hissed, increasing their speed, "Sweetheart, you've got to stay calm, alright?"
Emma nodded weakly, her face paling, "Honey, breathe," Will whispered and she gasped again, this one sounding a bit more painful, "Em?"
"Oh, oh God. Annie, what does...ah!...what does a contraction feel like?"
They pulled into the family center side of the hospital and were immediately greeted by a nurse and an attendant who assisted Emma into the wheelchair and along with Will, were taken into a room where Emma was lifted gently into the bed.
The nurse propped her legs and sighed sadly, "I hate to be impersonal, sweetheart, but I've got to see if you've begun dilating. I know you are really uncomfortable with this sort of thing, but I promise it's going to be okay."
Emma hissed and clutched her husband's hand tightly, her nails dug into his skin and she cried out lightly as another wave of pain fell over her.
Will felt the room spinning with chaos as the nurse stood as two others entered, gently prepping Emma's arm for an IV and sliding a heart-rate monitor over her finger.
"She's already three centimeters," Emma heard one of the nurses mutter and felt her heart sink as a fourth contraction rippled through her lower body, "Where's Doctor Eilatan?"
"She's on her way down from the delivery."
"Oh, God," Emma sobbed lightly and a green line on one of the monitors flew up dramatically as she became more hysteric.
One of the nurses scooted her way in towards the red head and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Listen, listen, Emma," She said soothingly, "I need you to take a few deep breaths and calm down. The green line over here," She pointed, making sure she had the attention of the woman in labor, "Measures blood pressure. You're already awfully high and we don't want it to raise anymore. That would be very dangerous for both you and your baby. Just calm down...There..." She stroked Emma's arm lightly, continuing her instructions to breathe deeply and relax.
When Annie entered moments later after parking the car and filling out initial paperwork, Emma settled even more and the nurse left her side briefly to discuss the situation with the other medical professionals in the room.
"Oh, Emma..." Annie sighed and kissed her little sister, sitting next to Will on the bed, stroking her knees while he clasped her hands tightly.
She sat up and gripped Will's hands tighter a few minutes later as another contraction hit, her eyes shut tightly and her face became red, "Oh, God—It hurts!"
Will brought her face close to his and kissed her a few times, "I'm sorry, Emma. I'm so, so sorry we're going through this right now. This isn't how it was supposed to be and I'm sorry that we are here, with someone you won't be very comfortable with."
"I-It's okay," She breathed as the pain passed, "Th-they can st-stop it. I read about it."
Annie shared a look with her brother-in-law and was about to correct her delusional sister as the doctor entered with the team of nurses hot on her heals.
"Emma Schuester? I'm Doctor Renee Eilatan. I've been informed of your condition. How are you feeling overall, right now?"
She stuttered a few responses of misery and cringed as the doctor felt around her stomach and moved to take another look between Emma's legs.
"Okay, here's the plan. I'm going to move you up to labor and delivery, just so we're ready incase this doesn't work out. What I'm going to do is pump you full of a drug that is going to hopefully stop your cervix from dilating any further. If everything goes well, the contractions will stop within two hours and we'll be able to postpone labor. We'll then give you steroids for the baby, which are going to increase her lung capacity and make it safer for her to be delivered if your labor returns; we'll deliver then. Sometimes, we're able to have mom wait a few more days, sometimes even weeks before she returns to labor."
"Wh-what if the drugs don't work?" Emma asked, the worry clearly written on her face.
Renee placed a hand on Emma's foot rail, "Then we'll probably have to go through with the delivery. The baby is already almost thirty-four weeks along, that's not too bad. She'll have very good chances of thriving normally. We'll keep her in the NICU and monitor her development and keep a close watch on her. If everything goes real smooth, we've had parents take baby home as soon as six days in the NICU at thirty-four weeks."
Will watched Emma's eyes widen and shrink as the doctor delivered the news, "It's going to be okay," he whispered, kissing her fingers and helping prepare to move Emma towards the separate delivery unit.
Three hours and eighteen missed messages later, Will closed the door to Emma's new room and placed his head in his hands, trying to keep himself together as he slid to the tiled surface and flipped through the names, text messages and voicemails from his kids. It was nearly midnight. They were scheduled to perform in eight hours.
His selfish side was screaming to leave the hospital for a few minutes, to talk to the kids and explain the situation; and hope and pray that he might be able to be there so they could preform. Without a coach or director present, the groups would be disqualified. They had come to far at this point to be taken out of the game because of him.
On the other hand, the decision he knew in his heart he had to make was screaming in hysterics behind the door while her sister held her tightly. His wife, his soulmate, the one who claimed all the pieces of his heart before the group of misfits, was the one who he would be with in the end. Without her, the kids would have never been able to make it to this point in anyway; as she was the one who took them to their deciding competition.
His daughter needed him; Lily needed him to hold her mother's hand while she screamed, to kiss her hair while she sweated and cursed the world, she needed him to join her in the NICU within her first hour of quiet and alert moments while her mother was cleaned up and probably sedated from the impending panic attack.
He called the last number on the list, Puck. The phone was picked up immediately, "Where are you?"
"Is everyone with you?" Will asked, agitated, his hands falling over his eyes as he pleaded with himself not to act too weak or take out his anger with the group listening in.
"Yeah, yeah...I'm putting you on speaker...okay, what's going on?"
Will took a deep breath, "I'm at the hospital. With Emma and her sister. She started having very serious complications last night and it got much worse this afternoon. We've been here for a few hours, they tried to give her some medication because she was having contractions, but it didn't work. It looks like she'll be delivering the baby sometime between tonight and tomorrow morning."
He heard a series of gasps from the other end of the phone before a chaotic stream of questions filtered through. Puck shouted for the crew to "Shut the hell up! Okay, explain what's happening, Schue."
Will sighed again, "I know how much you guys need me, I know. But...I you're going to need to bring in Sue as an interim director. She may tell the judges that you'll be preforming a different song. She may tell the orchestra to take it down a key; I don't know how she'll want to make it difficult for you. I do know that I need to be here, with my wife and my daughter. I'm sorry," He whispered as silent tears streamed down his face. He didn't want to hear their responses as he flipped the phone shut and opened the door to comfort his wife before the impending storm of labor.
Knowing that Emma needed to hear him confirm that he wouldn't leave her for the kids —even though her heart knew he wouldn't—, Will settled himself down next to her, took both her hands into his and squeezed for what already felt like the hundredth time since they'd been in the hospital, and made her tearily look him in the eye.
"I'm here. I'm not going anywhere—"
"But the kids—" She blurted, tears spilling down her cheeks.
"Have performed without me before and can do just fine on their own," He kissed her lips before returning to his pep talk, "I am not leaving your side. You are my wife, and I love you, so, so much. I'm not going to walk out on you when you need me most. And our little girl," He paused to drop a hand to her belly, "Lily, needs us to be strong, Emma. She knows how much we love her, but she needs to see that we can keep it together, alright? You can't fall apart on her now. You've made it so far already."
"E-everything just went so-so wrong!" She cried, her face falling into his chest and he felt her body tremor with another contraction.
Will rubbed Emma's back as soothingly as he could, "It may not be going according to the plan, but it's happening now and we've got to adjust to it. That's part of being a parent, Em...learning how to respond to something in an instant. We can do this, sweetheart."
"Oh, God..." She shuddered and moaned as the feeling subsided, "We-we...Just don't leave, Will. Oh, God! Just don't leave!"
"I'm not, I swear to you, Emma, I'm not going anywhere." Not even the thought of his kids winning nationals would tear him away at this point, he was fully committed to his wife, "Lily's coming, Em. She's coming a lot sooner then we thought, but she's coming. In just a few hours, we'll be seeing our little girl." He kissed her hair and pulled Emma back, laying her against the stack of pillows. "Let's call Dr. Eilatan and have her walk us through the next few hours, okay? So we know what to expect?"
Annie sat back down and whipped her sister's face of her tears, "Stay strong, sweetheart."
Ten minutes later, the obstetrician was standing next to the couple, breaking down the labor process, "You are already close to five centimeters, Emma, so you're really already halfway there. The next few hours, you'll be having contractions at about the same rate they are now, until you are at eight to ten. Then they will be much more frequent and quite a bit more painful."
Emma nodded, swallowing hard, "Wh-when do I get the shot?"
The doctor smiled, "Soon, very soon. I just called the anesthesiologist and he's on his way. Once we get to ten, you'll be pushing. We're going to have Will and Annie right next to you the whole time, making sure you're breathing and keeping you going. The baby's going to be taken to the NICU very quickly for testing and making sure she's in the best environment that will be safest and healthiest for her."
"Wh-when do I get to hold her?"
Dr. Eilatan sighed, "It depends on how she's doing. Hopefully sometime today, but you have to understand, sometimes premature babies are very, very sick. I'm not saying that yours will be, but we just can't know."
Feeling discouraged and maternal guilt for something she couldn't control, the waterworks started again, and this time, instead of Will or her sister, Dr. Eilatan took Emma's hand, "Hey, Emma. We're going to do the best we can. Her chances are really good right now. You've got great support here and if you can stay calm and can keep going, we'll be able to do this naturally. If you can't stay calm, though, your blood pressure is going to skyrocket like it did earlier and we'll have to do a cesarian. We don't want to have to do that. Just relax, the drugs are on their way and your husband and sister aren't leaving your side. It's going to be okay."
She stepped out of the room, leaving Will to press his lips to Emma's forehead, "I love you," He whispered.
An hour later, Emma was partially numb from the waist down and Annie was feeding her ice cubes while Will sat behind her, keeping her folded in his arms for warmth as she had begun shaking. The nurse said it was normal, but for Will, there was nothing normal about the state his wife was in. He hadn't ever seen her so weak or frail.
The bubbly nurse was doing their best to keep them happy and accommodated, providing blankets and a good sense of humor to keep Emma's distraught feelings at bay.
Emma sighed deeply, her patience wearing thin as she waited through the contractions. She was only an hour or so in,but she was miserable as she could ever remember feeling. She was cold and trembling, her pain was as minimal as it could be, given the epidural; but she could now agree with her pregnancy book, labor was like nothing she'd ever felt in her life.
"Oh, come on, now. Don't make me start singing again!" The nurse giggled, scribbling down a few numbers from Emma's monitors to a clipboard.
Emma smiled weakly and fell back into Will's chest, heaving dramatically, "We should probably call our parents," She breathed.
He did so, making contact with her mother before calling his own father nearly spit out his alcoholic beverage, "They both agreed they wouldn't fly out here." The last thing they wanted were a set of first-time grandparents hovering in fear and excitement, and a set of eighth-time grandparents drawling out advice as if they were the expert fountains of child-birthing knowledge. Both pairs of elderly couples would have to wait for their children's return to Lima before witnessing their granddaughter.
"You're at eight," The nurse said a few hours later, Emma had been alternating between sweating and freezing every few minutes, her contractions were barely two minutes apart and lasted nearly the entire expanse of time between them. She was growing less upset and more irritable, but thus far everything was labeled 'normal.'
"Oh. God!" She shouted as another pulse began to rumble through her, "Will!" She whined.
All he could do was rub her shoulders or arms, muttering nonsense phrases and hoping things continued to move along.
At seven forty-three, his cellphone rang and rang before Emma encouraged him to, "Answer the damn thing," not caring if it was one of the kids having a wardrobe malfunction.
"Sue's not here!" She could hear Rachel's panic stricken voice from Will's speaker, "We're going to get disqualified! We are losing all our chances! We can't—"
When he closed the phone, Emma's mouth dropped for a moment before she reached out to take his face into her hands and draw him into a meaningful kiss.
"I love you," She murmured into it, "I love you, I love you."
Another hour passed and Dr. Eilatan returned, propping Emma's legs and sliding a few mats and towels beneath her, "It's going to get a little messy down here," She said with a bit of humor laced in her voice, "But I'm going to have you start pushing in about fifteen minutes. You're ready."
Emma met Will's gaze after she met her sisters, and after reassuring nods from both of them, she took a deep breath and mentally prepared herself for the mess she was about to throw herself into.
She was much quieter then Will expected her to be, about twenty minutes into the pushing. She moaned and grunted, but there wasn't blood curdling screams or shouts of damning him to hell. Emma was doing her best to keep calm through the pain; he hadn't let go of her hand in over an hour.
He kissed her hair as she fell back towards the pillows after a particularly long and hard push, breathing deeply and squeezing his hand, meeting his face with a contented smile, "I can't...believe...this is...actually...happening."
"Alright, time for another one, sweetheart. You're doing great!"
Fifteen minutes later and the doctor knew she was ready for the big finish, "She's crowning! Keep going, Emma! Big push!"
"Bah!" Emma gasped, her eyes nearly rolling back in her head as her teeth clenched shut and both her husband and sister had lost all sensation in one of their hands, "Come on!" She hissed, "Come on!"
Will's eyes were wide as he took a peak at what was going on down by the doctor, and once he had he wished briefly that he hadn't; suddenly feeling dizzy. Snapping himself out of the dizzy state, he kissed his wife once more in encouragement, "You can do this, Em. You can do this."
"I-I- AH!"
"That's it, keep it coming! One more like that, Emma. One more."
"I-I can...come on, Lily! Come on!"
Something I neglected to do in the end of the last chapter; credit the baby-name givers! So sorry I missed you! In my rush to get it posted, combined with my frustration with the extensive crashing of this site, I failed to do so...but a huge thanks to the following reviewers: EjoIsObsessed (Samantha), Hezmana Girl (Audrey), Wemma4EVER (Ava), Softballerr4 (Hannah), TheLovelyMaggieMay (Grace), GleeGirl (Allie), Permanent Rose (Ella), Mystique84 (Jane). Thanks again!
Also, a huge thank you to my beta reader, Jaymafans, without whom, this fic probably would have been discontinued. Check out my profile for a link to her awesome tumbler featuring our favorite mysophobic guidance counselor and the actress who portrays her, Jayma Mays.
Thank you so much to everyone who is reading and reviewing these chapters! The story is just about finished - thanks for sticking it out!