Hi guys!

A speedy update this time to make up for the time I made you wait for the last one :D

Just a quick note to say, for this chapter I kind ignored the whole 'giving Beth up' possibility and went with the idea that Puck and Quinn were very much together as a couple when Beth was born.

Enjoy!

Puck didn't know how long they'd been gone, he'd never thought to glance at his watch as he'd wandered aimlessly around the hospital corridors carrying a quiet Beth on his hip and trying to gather his thoughts.

He knew they needed to get back and see Quinn. He knew it should have been them that had gone in first but he hadn't been ready.

He wasn't afraid of what he might see or how he might feel. He was just scared that if they went and saw Quinn now, it might be the last time they did, which was exactly why he'd been wasting precious time and avoiding the ICU for as long as possible.

Beth gurgled a little as he switched her position a little to save his one arm from going dead and he kissed her blonde curls softly as they rounded a corner and entered yet another white hallway.

Glancing up, the arrowed sign swinging from the ceiling caught Puck's eye.

"Maternity ward," He whispered to himself, a small smile pulling at the corners of his mouth as he remembered the last time they'd been here.

"Careful with her head Puck, put your hand behind her neck." Quinn instructed from her hospital bed as she tied her sleep mussed hair in a messy pony and pulled her pink gown a little tighter around her.

"Like this?" Puck asked, carefully placing his hand where Quinn had told him to and shifting his tiny daughter a little closer to him.

"Perfect." Quinn smiled, watching Puck gazing down at their daughter. She was so tiny, like a doll almost and she didn't think she'd ever seen Puck be quite so gentle with anything in his life before. He was going to be the best dad.

Puck nodded, his eyes locked on the delicate creature that slept so peacefully in his arms and he felt his eyes filling up for what must have been the one hundredth time that day.

She was just so perfect! At only six hours old, Puck could already see how much she looked like her mother. The same shade of blonde covered her small head, twisting into silky soft curls at the nape of her neck. Her lips were set in the same, rosebud shaped pout that Quinn's fell into when she slept and on the rare occasion that their daughter had opened her eyes, both parents were shocked to see that her irises had skipped the 'baby blue' stage and were already an exact colour replica of her mothers.

"You're so beautiful." He murmured as he planted a soft kiss on his daughter's warm forehead and took a few careful steps towards the bed.

"And so is your momma." He smiled, leaning down and catching Quinn's lips with his for a sweet, gentle kiss which Quinn returned just as willingly.

They stayed like that for a few seconds, the three of them locked in an embrace held together by a love so strong it would be almost impossible to break. Almost. A sudden high pitched wail from the pink bundle in Puck's arms had them both jumping back from each other, the silence shattered.

Quinn giggled.

"What's up baby? Isn't daddy giving you enough attention?" She grinned up at Puck who rolled his eyes playfully, rocking the now gurgling baby softly from side to side.

"I think this little one's going to be a handful." Quinn smiled, watching their little girl squirm and wriggle, desperate for some sort of response from her father.

"She's a Puckerman babe, what did you expect?" Puck winked before tickling Beth under her tiny chin which earned him another wail and a little gurgle. He thought for a minute.

"You're cool with her being a Puckerman aren't you, Q? I mean I'd understand if you wanted Fabray-"

She shook her head, cutting him off.

"No, she's a Puckerman, Noah." She smiled, looking up at him from under her lashes.

Puck beamed.

"Beth Puckerman." He murmured.

"Elizabeth." Quinn corrected, though she didn't really mind the shortened version. "What about middle name?" She asked, stoking her daughters head as Puck perched on the bed next to her.

"Quinn." Puck said without pause, he'd already thought this one through.

Quinn blinked, a little taken back by his suggestion. She thought maybe Puck had something in mind, but not that!

"What? Why?" She asked, a slight frown forming between her eyebrows.

"Because," Puck shrugged, "I want her to know how much her mom means to me. Naming her after you will always remind her that the two of you are the most precious thing in the world to me. I don't ever want her to forget that, whatever happens."

He glanced at Quinn and noticed that now it was her turn to blink back the tears.

"Thank you." She whispered, resting her forehead against his, his warm breath tickling her nose.

"No babe, thank you." He said.

"For what?"

"For Beth, for us, for everything."

"Excuse me, Sir?" A deep voice cut through his daydream and bought him crashing back to reality so quickly that he gasped loudly before swallowing hard and trying to regain focus.

"Are you waiting for someone?" The voice, which he now realised belonged to a kindly looking doctor with silver hair and warm eyes.

He shook his head.

"No," he said firmly, taking a deep breath. "She's waiting for me."

And with that, he turned on his heel and marched swiftly back through the endless hospital corridors, searching for the one that would lead him to the girl who was waiting. Waiting for him to come, waiting for him to be strong.

When he finally laid eyes on the ICU sigh, it took all he had to stop himself from breaking into a jog. He didn't want to waste any more time. Quinn needed him.

Pushing the final doors that led to the right place open, he let out a quiet sigh of relief, glad to have finally found it.

In his absence, the rest of the glee club had stayed loyal to their friends and were still waiting patiently for his return. After Santana and Brittany had returned, looking dazed and puffy eyed (Santana especially) the other decided that no more of them would take their turn until Puck and Beth had theirs. It was important to them that Quinn's family spent as much time with her as possible and none of them had wanted to prevent that.

Their quiet chatter silenced as puck entered the hallway, a determined look in his eyes and his shoulders squared as if ready for battle.

"Puck." Rachel smiled, having spent the past hour worrying that he'd done a runner.

"How're you holding up, dude?" Finn asked, standing to put a comforting hand on his friends shoulder.

"Okay," Puck said flatly. "We're okay."

The others nodded, still a little wary of Puck, unsure of how he was coping, if he was coping at all.

Puck cleared his throat.

"Did, uh, did you guys go in already?" he asked, running his free hand through is Mohawk.

"We did." Santana said from her seat, gesturing to herself and Brittany. "But then we thought we should wait for you." She said quietly, trying to assess what his reaction would be.

All he did was nod.

"She's just through those doors." Rachel offered kindly, sensing that this was what they'd been waiting for. Puck was ready to take his turn.

Puck nodded again, before placing a struggling Beth on the floor. Being 11 months old, Beth had a new found love for walking despite not being the best at it, but she didn't seem to mind. She'd happily toddle around for ten minutes at a time and Puck was happy to let her if it meant saving his arms.

But still, he took her small hand in his to help her keep her balance. She gurgled happily, pointing at the door Rachel had pointed out.

Puck didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Beth wanted her momma.

"Come on kid, let's go find her." He said, pushing the door open and leading Beth inside.

The rest of the glee club watched in silence until the pair were out of sight and even then, the feeling of pity and fear hung heavily in the air.

They were all thinking the same thing.

If the worst came to worst, would he be able to do it? Bring up a child alone?

Only time would tell.

Okay, there you go!

Did you like it? Review and let me know!

And regarding the flashbacks, do you want more? Maybe a chapter dedicated to flashbacks only? Let me know!

Anyways, I shall be updating soon with Chapter 8 in which Puck will take his turn with Quinn so stay tuned!

Much love x