A/N: Thank you, thank you for the reviews. Lots of Baby Fluff going on in this chapter. Next few chapters will be quite fluffy, hopefully that will balance out the angst filled emotional chapters in the beginning. As always, feedback is very much appreciated.
Quinn laid back in her hospital bed, sadly watching a nurse wheel her baby out to go to the intensive care unit for observation. "She looks like him." She said quietly, glancing up to meet Rachel's eyes for a brief second, quickly returning her gaze to the door, wishing she could have gone with the baby, but she was under strict orders to rest.
"I agree, but she looks like you too. She's so beautiful Quinn." Rachel paused for a moment. "Does she have a name?"
Quinn closed her eyes, too exhausted to shed the tears she wanted to. "I know what I want to name her, but I don't know if it is my place."
Rachel placed her hand on Quinn's shoulder. "Regardless of whether you keep her or not, you are her mother, you always will be and if there is a name you would like to give her, then you should."
"Beth." Quinn's voice was soft, barely above a whisper. "Beth Caroline Fabray Puckerman. He wanted to name her Beth. And when he sang Sweet Caroline, even though it was to you, it absolutely melted me."
"Beth Caroline Fabray Puckerman." Rachel repeated. "A beautiful name for a beautiful baby."
Quinn blinked her eyes rapidly as Rachel's bright camera flash went off in her face. "Berry." She practically growled.
"The moment you named your daughter should be captured." Rachel said matter of factly ignoring Quinn's glares. After a few minutes Quinn's face softened and Rachel used this opportunity to ask Quinn a question which had been weighing on her mind since the moment Beth was placed on Quinn's chest. "Will you keep her?"
Quinn let out a shaky sigh. "I love her, the love I feel for her is s strong and was so immediate, I cannot imagine spending a single day without her. On top of that, she is Puck's baby girl. She is a part of him and the thought of giving up the one piece of Puck we all have left is unbearable. However, the rational part of me realizes I am a homeless sixteen year old and I know I cannot raise Beth alone, she deserves better than that."
Rachel stared into Quinn's sad eyes, counting the specks of brown and orange amongst the deep green. "You certainly are not homeless, Quinn nor are you alone you have Glee we will-"
Quinn raised her hand up, indicating Rachel to stop talking. "I could never ask your fathers, who have already done more than enough for me to allow me to move into their home with a newborn. Please do not make this any more difficult than it already is." Quinn felt slightly guilty when she saw Rachel's face fall, she knew the girl was only trying to help. "Hey Rachel? Do you think you could do me a favor?" Quinn asked after a few moments of silence.
"Absolutely. Anything you need Quinn. Are you hungry? Do you need another blanket? I will summon the rude nursing staff and acquire whatever it is."
Quinn shook her head. "No. No it's nothing like that. I was wondering if you could go check on Beth, I'm really worried about her and the doctor has ordered me to stay in bed and rest."
"Of course Quinn." Rachel began to walk out of the room before slowly turning around. "Try and rest Quinn, you've had a long day. Once in the hall Rachel pulled her phone out sending a text to both of her dads, telling them to go to Quinn's room immediately.
Paul and Brian both jumped as their phones went off simultaneously. They read the text from their daughter and shared a worried glance. They looked around the room at everyone else and wondered if they should worry them too.
Santana and Brittany lay with their heads on each others shoulder, both having dosed off into a light sleep. Artie was rolling his wheelchair back and forth doing a nervous pace. Tina mindlessly flipped through a magazine with Mercedes, trying to find a distraction. Kurt sat staring at the doors willing them to open, secretly wondering what kind of impact all of this stress was going to have on his skin. Ms. Pillsbury wiped the chair she was in with a sanitizing wipe, for the eighth time. Mike and Matt played a quiet game of cards in the corner.
Finn sat quietly by himself, staring at the floor, thinking about how different this moment would be if Rachel had never told him the truth. He would be behind those doors, welcoming his little Drizzle into the world. Will was having similar thoughts, wondering if Terri could have ever pulled off her crazy plan. Both of them mourning a daughter who was never theirs.
"Excuse us." Brian said standing up "Paul and I just received a text from Rachel, she told us to come to Quinn's room as soon as we could. We'll let you know what we find out." He gave the group a reassuring smile before leading his husband towards the double doors.
"Do you think the baby's here, Mr. Schu?" Artie asked nervously, ceasing his pacing.
"I don't know guys. " Will's stomach was tied into a nervous knot, as was everyone else's .
"Dad! Daddy! Rachel shouted from where she was leaning on the wall outside of Quinn's room.
"Rachel what is it? Is Quinn okay? Is it the baby?" Paul ask nervously.
"The baby is beautiful dad. Beth, her name is Beth." Rachel beamed.
Paul and Brian both smiled. "I'll go tell everyone, they will all be delighted!" Brian said.
"No. You can't. Not yet." Rachel said before the man could leave. "Its Quinn, that's why I needed to talk to you."
Their smiles quickly faded. "Were there complications? Is Quinn okay?"
"No. No complications." Rachel responded. "Physically, Quinn's okay but emotionally, that is another story. I can see she wants to keep Beth, however she feels as if she is no longer welcome in our home and she believes a baby would be an even bigger imposition."
Paul and Brian shared a look before Brian finally spoke. "We'll take care of this SugarPlum, will you be joining us?"
Rachel shook her head no. "I must go check on Beth."
Rachel stood outside the intensive care nursery, anxiously waiting for assistance. "Hello, I was wondering if I could check on Beth, well I mean Baby Girl Fabray."
"Only family is permitted back here, are you related to the baby?" The nurse replied.
Rachel bit her lip nervously, she might as well be related she saw the baby come into the world, heard her first cries, and even held her just minutes after she was born. "Yes, I'm her...aunt." Rachel flashed her award winning smile before the nurse instructed her to wash her hands and place a gown over her clothes. "How is she?" Rachel asked when they reached Beth's bassinet.
The nurse could see the worry in Rachel's eyes. "No need for concern she's doing wonderful. 5lbs 6oz and 19 inches long."
Rachel smiled as she placed her finger near Beth's hand, the baby squeezed the finger tightly. Beth was beautiful. She had a head full of Noah's thick dark hair, that curled at the nape of her neck. She had Quinn's button nose and wide eyes, and her father's pouty lips were pursed as she slept peacefully.
"I was getting ready to wheel her to the regular nursery, you can meet us there if you'd like."
Rachel nodded. "May the rest of the family meet her?"
The nurse nodded. "Come to the glass window, I'll bring her over when we get there"
Rachel stopped by Quinn's room first. "So?" She questioned when she walked in the room, to see the sight of Quinn and her daddy hugging, Quinn saying thank you over and over again through her tears.
"We're going to have to stock up on diapers and bottles." Paul said with a smile.
"How is she? Is she breathing on her own? Is she sick?" Quinn asked, wanting an update on her daughter, fearing her condition had deteriorated.
"Well, Mommy, she is a tiny, but perfect 5 lbs 6oz and is in fact being transfered to the regular nursery as we speak." Rachel replied smiling as Quinn's concerned face softened into an exhausted smile. "I'm going to go tell the others, they still don't know Baby Beth is here." Rachel smiled as she left the room.
"There's Rachel!" Kurt shouted, startling his teammates.
"Would New Directions care to meet their newest member?" Rachel smiled and raised her eyebrows, summoning everyone over to the nursery window. Squeals of excited chatter came from the group as they made their way over. "There." Rachel pointed to the bassinet closest to them.
"She is the porcelain doll I always wanted and never got." Kurt exclaimed. "She has her mother's flawless bone structure."
"I wanted her to look like me." Brittany pouted. "Why is she black? Why does she look like Mercedes?"
Santana gave her friend a disapproving look, noticing her line of sight was pointed at the wrong baby. "No B, this baby here is Q's." Santana corrected gesturing towards Beth's bassinet.
Everyone smiled as they watched the tiny baby squirming in her bassinet, her pink hat too big, rebelling against the blanket the nurse kept trying to swaddle her in. "Well it seems as if she has certainly inherited her father's defiant nature, Quinn is going to have her hands full." Rachel smiled as she watched the baby, who, in her opinion, was clearly the cutest out of all the babies in the nursery, the tiniest, but still the cutest.
Will raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I was under the impression Quinn was giving the baby up?" He asked, glancing towards Rachel.
"She's had a change of heart, her and Beth will be staying with my fathers and I, for the time being." Rachel's eyes never left the baby. She could not really explain it, but she felt a connection to the baby, perhaps it was because she watched her come into this world or maybe it was because she missed the baby's father so much, but whatever the reason, it was there.
"She named her Beth, just like he asked." Kurt said, remembering the day Puck had sung to Quinn.
"Beth Caroline Fabray Puckerman." Rachel smiled again. "It's perfect.."
"It's kind of a mouthful." Santana shrugged her shoulders.
Rachel glared at her. "It. is. perfect."
Santana rolled her eyes. "Settle down Berry, I guess its a fine name. So what is Q going to do, clear out a dresser drawer and let the kid sleep in there?" Santana furrowed her brow when she recognized a certain twinkle in Rachel's eye. It was the same twinkle she got prior to presenting a fifty slide powerpoint on the importance of vocal warm-ups or when she thought of dramatic new number to do. "I know that look Berry, and I do not like it."
"I have a project, that involves each and every one of you." Rachel smiled brightly as she turned from the glass to face her team. "This is going to be wonderful.
