Disclaimer: I am just borrowing them for the fun of writing, BUT I do own the plot, ideas and original characters.
A/N: Not beta'd; all mistakes are mine. Please mention them if you find any.
A/N2: Sectionals was amazing! I loved it! This story is mostly AU after Mash-up, but with some of the topics discussed in the later episodes, I may sneak in a conversation or cover the same topic, but I will put my own twist on it.
A/N3: Feedback keeps me writing, so keep it coming :D
...
When Finn pulled up to Rachel's dads' house just after ten, he and Puck got out and gathered their bags and headed into the house; since Finn was also staying over so he could be there in case Quinn did go into labor. Walking inside, they found everyone was up except Arin and Finn was really not in the mood to talk about what happened, so he and Quinn turned in, soon followed by everyone else.
As her boyfriend changed, Rachel settled into bed, "so did you have a good time tonight? Aside from the Burt and Carole news."
Puck slid into bed, "yeah, it was cool," he laughed, "kind of fun. Mike's dad let us have the pool room all night and after the whole Burt and Carole thing, we ended up playing pool and talking about our girlfriends, all good I promise. Don't see them much anymore, but we've all got girlfriends or jobs to keep us busy so we don't hang out much; guess that's part of growing up, but they agreed they'd help with the house this summer, so it's cool," he replied, tugging the blankets over them and slipping his arms around her.
"I feel bad you don't go out much. We have been spending a lot of time together," Rachel said. "I don't want you to feel like you can't go out with your friends, Noah," she said softly.
"Don't worry about it. I love being with you," he pressed a kiss to her lips, "I love you."
She smiled, turning in his arms to press a kiss to his lips, "I love you, too."
...
Tuesday, at school, was pretty awkward for Finn and Kurt. Not all the girls had found out about the news from the night before until the guys got to school the next morning. All of them were asking if they were alright, and Santana asked what would happen if they did become step-brothers. Both Kurt and Finn used what Matt said the night before; at least they got along so they wouldn't be enemies if it did happen. The awkwardness seemed to wear off by Wednesday and the guys seemed to be more calm about their parents dating; even if it still was weird.
Friday evening, Ethan returned to Lima and dropped off the last of his stuff; a travel carrier attached to the back of his jeep that had the rest of his things he was bringing down. Leaving the carrier at the Puckerman's, he headed over to the Berry's where his family was. When Puck got to the Berry's after work about eight-thirty, he was greeted quickly by his girlfriend and said they were waiting for him to watch a movie, so he took a quick shower and returned to the living room and sat down next to Rachel, noticing his dad across the room, "hey dad. When did you get here?"
Ethan waved at him, "couple hours ago," he admitted.
"Nice. Staying for the weekend?" Puck asked.
"Yep, til Sunday night, or whenever," he laughed, "all I'm doing is paperwork now so don't have to be there any specific time."
...
After the movie, the couples began to head to bed. David and Alan were the first to go and Quinn and Finn headed off to her room next. Deborah helped Arin get settled on the couch, before Deborah and Ethan turned in, using the guest room, while Puck and Rachel made their way to her room.
Saturday morning, Puck and Rachel came into the kitchen about eight; both had been up and showered before coming downstairs, to find the rest of the house up, except Finn and Quinn, who came down just after Rachel and Puck had. After breakfast, they found seats in the living room, kicking back. Puck was dressed for work, needing to be there by ten, but he wanted to hang with the family for a while.
Deborah noticed Quinn was shifting uncomfortably on the couch, rubbing her stomach, "Quinn, are you alright?"
"Huh? Oh, I don't know," she shook her head, "I, um, well, they started earlier while I was in the shower, but I just thought it was cramps, ya know, but they keep coming and going."
"Define coming and going," Deborah got up and moved to sit next to Quinn.
"They come and they go, I don't know how else to describe it," she replied looking at her, "Why?"
Deborah rested her hand on Quinn's stomach and glanced at her watch, "are you feeling it now?"
Quinn nodded, "yeah."
"Tell me when it stops," she said, her eyes looking down at her watch. "When they come back do they hurt more?"
Quinn told her when the pain subsided and shrugged, "the last few times have been worse," she responded.
Deborah nodded, "let me know when the next one starts again," she replied calmly, glancing at her watch.
"What's going on?" Finn asked looking at them.
Quinn shrugged her shoulders just as confused as him, but Deborah calmly replied, "going to see how far apart they are because these could be contractions, but they also could be false labor."
"What's false labor?" Finn asked with eyes wide.
"It means her body could be mimicking the symptoms of labor because of some other issue," Deborah said.
Quinn grabbed Deborah's wrist, "they're starting again," she muttered to Deborah.
Deborah nodded and glanced at her watch again, "eight minutes," she replied.
"Shouldn't we be like taking her to the hospital?" Finn asked with wide eyes.
"Shut up, FINN!" Quinn snapped.
Deborah felt Quinn's grip on her wrist relaxed, "it's gone," Quinn sighed.
Deborah nodded, "I know this is going to be painful, but we can't give you anything. I'm pretty sure it's time, but if we take you to the hospital and you're not at least three centimeters dilated they're not going to keep you because you could be that way for a while and you'll just be laying in bed there," Deborah said softly.
Quinn slouched back against the couch, "how long will it take?"
"As short as a few hours, to six or eight; or more... I was in labor for ten with Noah."
"Oh great! With my luck, like father, like daughter," Quinn muttered.
Ethan smirked from across the room, "oh yes, I remember that well."
Quinn's contractions went down to seven minutes apart and were starting to get more painful, so she called her sister to tell her; giving her a chance to drive up and Finn called his mom and Carole came over within thirty minutes. Puck called Burt and told him why he wasn't coming to work, and everyone in the house began to get nervous, all pacing.
Puck changed from his work clothes into normal clothes, knowing he wouldn't be going to work for a few days, but time seemed to tick by. Just after one in the afternoon, when Quinn's contractions were down to six minutes apart, Deborah agreed it was time for them to get to the hospital, knowing the pain would only get worse and Quinn would need something to help ease it.
"We're not all going," Deborah said.
"What?" Puck exclaimed.
Deborah pinched the bridge of her nose, "there is no reason for all of us to rush up there right now. Carole and I can take Quinn up there now and get her settled and you can come up in a little while."
"I want Rachel to come too," Quinn said. "She can stay calm under pressure while these two are already nervous wrecks," she explained looking at Puck and Finn who were both pacing in the living room.
Though the guys tried to say they would be fine, Ethan talked them into staying for the time being, so Rachel gathered up the baby bag and Quinn's stuff, before hugging her boyfriend, and following Carole, Quinn and Deborah out of the house and to Carole's car.
...
At Quinn's last doctor's appointment, she had already checked into the hospital, so she didn't need to take time to fill out paperwork, and once there she was whisked off to a room. The labor and delivery wing of the hospital was more secure than the rest, so as Quinn was taken into her room, Rachel, Deborah and Carole were given special badges to wear with a number on them corresponding to the room Quinn was in; if they were seen, they wouldn't be questioned as to why they were there. Once they had their badges, a nurse let them back to the birthing suites and Deborah guided them down to Quinn's room, finding Quinn already changed, in bed and hooked up to some monitors.
"Hey Deborah," one of the nurses said.
"Hey Melissa," Deborah replied, "how's she doing?"
"Five centimeters, half way there," Melissa replied.
Deborah nodded, "okay, thanks. Who is on call up here today?"
"Dr. Stevens from ER and Quinn has requested he deliver," she replied.
"When I saw his name on the board out there, I wanted him to," Quinn said.
"It's totally up to you," Deborah admitted, knowing why she wanted Brad to be her doctor.
...
When the guys and Arin arrived, Finn latched onto Quinn's hand and refused to leave, shifting only when Melissa needed to check on something. Her contractions began to get worse and she was up to seven centimeters by the time her sister, Rebecca, arrived at four that afternoon.
"Knock, knock, everyone," Brad said, walking into the room with a lab coat on over his blue scrubs.
"What's up, doc?" Puck responded with a grin.
"Ha! I expected it this time," Brad laughed moving over to glance at the monitors, "so, I'm hearing you're getting close," he said. "Have you guys decided who's going to be in the room during the birth?"
Quinn's eyes widened, "we've never even talked about it," she admitted.
Brad looked at his watch, "well, it looks like you've got about two hours to figure it out," he admitted patting Puck on the shoulder. "Will, Emma and the rest of the Glee Club are out in the waiting room. Brittany attacked me as I was coming up to check on you and I hadn't even seen you yet," he laughed a little.
"I've been texting them updates, but there isn't much to update," Rachel admitted.
"I'd say close to six we'll be meeting Ms. Abigail," Brad smiled, "so could you guys step out and let me give her a quick exam and we'll know for sure," he added.
The three dads and Arin booked first, then Deborah, Carole and Rachel left, with Finn and Puck right behind them, leaving Quinn's sister to remain during the exam. As Brad checked her out, he confirmed his previous statement and agreed it wouldn't be more than a few hours before she gave birth. Given the all clear to go back into the room, most did, while Ethan, Deborah, Alan and Brad stayed in the hall to talk, Quinn's sister joining them moments later.
Quinn's contractions were painful, but with the paid medication in her system, they didn't hurt as bad and taking her sisters advice, she chose not to get an epidural, because her sister had had issues with them before.
Puck was sitting in a chair near Quinn, Rachel sitting on his lap, Finn was on Quinn's other side, their hands held tightly together and the adults and Arin were sitting around.
"I hate waiting," Rachel muttered, a sigh escaping her lips.
"Tell me about it," Finn replied, "so, um, who's staying?" Finn asked softly, glancing at Puck and Rachel and then to Quinn.
"Um," Quinn looked around, "obviously, Rachel, Puck and you, Finn, and I'd like Carole and Deborah, here, too," she said, "and I'm sure my sister will want to stay, and I don't know if David, Alan, Ethan and Arin will want to."
David laughed from the corner of the room, "the guys, Arin and I will wait in the waiting room, we already talked about it."
"Then that's settled," Puck nodded, "and where my mom and dad anyway?"
"I think they're talking to Brad in the hallway," Rachel responded, standing up and moving to the door, glancing out to the adults. As soon as they saw her, they stopped talking and Rachel raised a curious eyebrow at them, "uh, just wondering where you guys were," she said before coming back into the room. "Yep, they're out there," she said, "and I think something is up."
"Probably talking about how things are going to work since we're minors still," Quinn muttered, "I just hope they don't have to call my parents."
"I don't think they will. Your sister is legally allowed to make decisions for you, as well," David replied, "unless you want them here," he added.
"No way!" Quinn exclaimed, "I don't want them anywhere near me or Abigail."
"Who don't you want near Abigail or you?" Ethan asked as he came back into the room with everyone else following behind him.
"My parents," Quinn replied.
"Nope, don't need them," Rebecca assured her as she moved to stand near her sister, "I'm just as legal as they are to sign anything, but I'm told nothing needs to be signed other than the release papers, anyway, which I can sign."
"Good," Quinn shifted a little in bed and groaned as another contraction came, the ache still there, but not as painful as she thought they'd be.
Another hour passed and everyone was in and out. Rachel went out and visited with the club for a bit, but returned around five-fifteen, when Puck text her and told her she should get back because it was almost time. As she entered the room, Quinn was breathing through a contraction, her hands clamped down tightly on Puck and Finn's hands. When the pain began to subside, Puck took his hand back, massaging it gently with his other hand. "I hope she's here, soon," Puck muttered as he slipped one arm around his girlfriend's waist.
Quinn nodded in agreement, "yeah, as soon as possible. Where's Brad?" Quinn snapped, "I'm fully dilated, it's time for her to get out of me!"
"He's on his way up," Deborah assured her.
Melissa and two other nurses came in to set up for the birth, so Alan, David, Ethan and Arin said their goodbyes and headed out to the waiting room. When Brad came in, he looked around and smiled, "great, looks like we're ready," he said. "How are you doing, Quinn?"
"Just get her out of me!" She exclaimed.
He laughed a little, but nodded, "soon, I promise," he agreed. "Who's cutting the cord?"
"I am," Puck said not letting anyone else take that from him.
"Okay," Brad nodded and slid onto a stool, "guys stay there and help Quinn if she needs it, Rachel, Rebecca, you may wanna move over by Carole and Deborah unless you're comfortable with all this," he said.
Rachel and Rebecca chose to stay so while one of Puck and Finn's arms were wrapped around Quinn's pack, Rachel stood next to Puck, Rebecca stood next to Finn.
She was crowning already, so Brad knew it wouldn't be a hard birth, and though excruciatingly painful and tiring, Quinn managed, on her first push, to get Abigail's head out. She was in pain and didn't feel like she could push again, but she needed to, so with Finn and Puck next to her, her hands clamped down on theirs, she fought to push again, this time getting her shoulders and part of her chest out, "come on, Quinn, you're doing great, just keep holding on," Brad coaxed her, "she's almost here."
"You're doing great, Quinn, just a little more," Finn assured her.
It seemed like ages they had waited, but finally, with one final push and a gasp from Quinn, she collapsed back against the bed as a wail from the small child echoed through the room.
"Everyone, lets say hello to Ms. Abigail Marie," Brad said with a smile, gently laying her on Quinn's stomach. "I think we all know it's a girl," he added.
Quinn was panting, and they were all fighting back tears of happiness at seeing her for the first time. Rachel slipped her arms around her boyfriend as the two stared at their daughter.
"Five-forty-five pm, May first, two-thousand-ten," Brad said.
Melissa clamped off the umbilical cord and held out scissors to Puck, "here you go, dad," she said with a smile.
Puck shifted from his girlfriend, took the scissors and gently cut the cord between the two clamps; staring down at his daughter who's eyes were slightly open and he could see the faint coloring of them; bright blue.
Once the cord was cut, he handed back the scissors and Melissa and another nurse carefully moved a still crying Abigail over to a table in the room to clean her off and check her out. "Give us a bit to check her out and and measure her and then she's all yours," Melissa told him with a gentle smile.
Puck nodded, wiping his eyes and stepped back to Rachel and wrapped his arms around her again; no one really able to speak until he turned to Quinn and reached out, taking her hand in his, "thank you, Quinn."
Quinn smiled weakly at him, nodding, "you're welcome."
The other nurse in the room helped clean up Quinn and then covered her for the moment; giving her some time to relax before moving her to the other bed in the room for recovery.
Abigail's cries had subsided a lot once she had been cleaned off and her circulation began to get better, but as soon as they put the ink on her feet to get her footprints, she started squirming and crying, not liking it one bit.
Time ticked by and she continued to fuss, even after Melissa wrapped her in a pink blanket and walked her over to Puck and Rachel. Warming up, she had calmed down some, but still was fussing, "here she is. Nineteen-inches long and seven-pounds, two-ounces," she explained, "congratulations," she smiled at them.
Puck turned and held out his arms carefully taking her from her, "thanks," Puck smiled and finally held his daughter for the first time, "hey baby girl," he whispered. The small child, though newborn and had never seen much in her life, seemed to look right up at him with barely open eyes and stopped fussing, as if she knew she was safe with him.
Deborah came over and rested her hands on his shoulders, "she recognizes your voice," she said softly.
Rachel wiped her eyes and looked up at him, "she's finally here."
"Yeah, she is," he nodded, "though I don't want to give her up yet, you want to hold her?" He asked softly.
"After we get a picture of you holding her," she replied.
Puck knew that had been coming, but nodded, turning a little to Quinn, "what do you think, Quinn?"
"She's beautiful," Quinn admitted with a smile, "and all yours," she added.
...
Will, Emma and the entire Glee Club, along with Ethan, Alan, David and Arin, all sat waiting for the news of the arrival. No one was really talking, but as the minutes passed by, they all were getting antsy. As if on cue, everyone's phone began to beep, ring or sing, alerting them to a new message. Seeing as they all got one, everyone knew it had to be news, so Ethan pulled his phone out with Arin sitting on his lap and flipped his phone open to see a picture message from Rachel. Choosing to read it, he stared down at his granddaughter and Arin looked over at it, "is that her?" She asked.
Scrolling down a little, he nodded, seeing the words, 'Abigail Marie Puckerman, 5:45pm 5.1.2010' under the picture, "yep, that's her," he replied, a smile on his face.
After the message was received, everyone in the room jumped up to congratulate the dads, now grandfathers and Auntie Arin before the doors to the birthing rooms opened and Brad stepped out and walked over to them, "hey everyone. David, Alan, Ethan, Arin, Noah wants you guys to come back first, so we can get the birth certificate filled out and then if they're up for it, you guys can see them," Brad said.
"Everything went alright?" Ethan asked.
"Yeah, Quinn did great. Rachel was almost scared to hold her, but with Noah, Deborah, Rebecca and Carole assuring her, she finally did," Brad laughed a little as the four followed him through the doors and back to Quinn's room.
Brad stopped at the nurses station to get the paperwork, while the dads and Arin headed into the room, finding Deborah was sitting in a chair, holding Abigail; Puck next to her with Rachel standing between them. Quinn was laying back in her bed, but saw them come in, so she smiled at them, "hey guys."
"Hey, Quinn, how are you feeling?" David asked.
She nodded, "tired, but I'm okay," she admitted.
Rachel and Puck had both been so into Abigail they hadn't noticed them come in until Quinn greeted them. Rachel tore her eyes away from the tiny child and moved over to her fathers, Ethan and Arin and hugged them all, "she's finally here," she grinned.
Brad and Melissa came into the room and Brad closed the door. Melissa pulled the table over and lifted it up so he could stand and look through the papers. He silently filled out his part of the certificate and then motioned for Puck to come over, "Noah, come on over and sign. Yours is easy to fill out," Brad said.
Puck got up from where he was and moved over to Brad, taking his pen and filling in his full name, date of birth, state of birth and then signed it where he needed to. "What the hell?" Puck looked back down at the papers, this time reading the mothers information, then looked at the doctor confused.
Brad laughed, "I figured you'd see that."
"I won't sign it," Quinn said calmly from her bed, "and my lawyer assured me that it was completely legal," she explained glancing over at Alan.
"If Quinn's not signing it then who is?" Rachel asked.
"You are," Puck said sitting back down where he had been, glancing at Alan, "what?"
Alan shrugged, "this is no different than if Quinn was a surrogate for you two. A surrogate mother never signs the child's birth certificate. David and I are on Rachel's," he explained.
"But you and daddy had a contract with her. We never had one," Rachel said, narrowing her eyes in confusion.
"Who said you didn't have a verbal one?" Alan commented, "which you guys kind of did," he added, "sweetheart, it's legal, just sign it," he told her truthfully.
Rachel moved across to Brad and glanced down at the papers, seeing her name filled into the 'mothers information' section and taking a deep breath, she pressed the pen to the line and allowed her hand to move across the paper, filling in her neat, readable signature with her first, middle and last name.
Brad nodded at her as she set the pen down and he handed her two plastic strips, "could you check out her name and make sure it's spelled right on both of them?" He asked her. Rachel took them and realized they were hospital bracelets and with two; she could tell they matched in color so they couldn't mix her up with another baby. She glanced at them and nodded, seeing Abigail's name spelled correctly on both and handed them back to him. "This one's for dad," Ethan said handing it to Rachel and then she walked back to her boyfriend, while Brad handed the other to Melissa, "Melissa, why don't you help Deborah get that on Abigail and then she needs to go down to to the nursery to get checked out," he said.
Puck put his bracelet on and between Melissa and Deborah, they got her leg free and Melissa wrapped the small band around the newborn's ankle before wrapping her back up again. Melissa moved towards the door, getting the paperwork from Brad. "I'll go register this and bring the originals back to you guys in a little bit," she told them, "and Sarah will come down to take her to the nursery," she added before leaving the room.
"Why does she have to leave?" Rachel asked, concern flashing across her face.
Brad didn't miss Rachel's look, "she's alright, but she's gotta go get checked out by a pediatrician and then the nursery attendant will clean her up and make sure she's doing alright; she can come back soon," Brad explained, "which is also why she and dad get a bracelet that match; so there isn't any confusion."
Rachel's eyes widened at the thought of getting their daughter mixed up with another, "that doesn't happen, like ever, does it?" She asked.
"Never in this hospital and it sure as hell ain't gonna start now, but in some of the larger hospitals in major cities there have been cases of mistaken identities," he admitted.
Rachel bit her lip, but nodded, "um, alright." She paused a moment and picked up her camera again, "before she goes then, we've gotta get pictures with the grand-," Rachel stopped mid-sentence, "who's going to be called what? I can't believe we never talked about this!" She exclaimed with wide eyes.
"We did," Ethan laughed, taking the small child from Deborah, "I'm gonna be grandpa, so if we have another child they won't get confused."
"I'm going to be grandfather," Alan said from where he was against the wall.
"And I'll be granddad," David grinned, "we talked about that weeks ago," he laughed.
A smile tugged at Rachel's lips and she nodded, taking a picture of Ethan holding his granddaughter and then he passed her off to David. Rachel took a picture and David handed her to Alan as Rachel got another one, and then Arin sat down in a chair next to her mom and Rachel got one of Arin holding. Puck took his daughter back, but only held her a few moments before Sarah came to get the newborn.
"I don't like this idea," Puck muttered, "I don't trust people I don't know."
The woman nodded in understanding, "someone is welcome to come if you'd like them to," She replied.
Puck glanced at Deborah and she stood up, "I'll go."
"Thanks, mom," Puck smiled at her.
Deborah nodded and patted his shoulder before taking Abigail from him, "it'll be okay," she promised before going out into the hallway with Sarah and laid Abigail in a warm carrier and the two wheeled her down to the nursery just a few hallways down in the same wing.
Brad was still in the room and he glanced around, "Noah, Rachel, she'll be fine," he promised, "I totally understand why you are concerned, but don't worry." Puck sighed at the doctor's words and plopped down in a chair. "There's a whole bunch of people I believe wanna see you guys, but if Quinn's not up for visitors, you, Rachel and Finn could go out and see them. It'll help get your mind off this and she won't be gone long," Brad assured him.
"I'm pretty tired and I don't feel like dealing with all of the club right now, so I think you guys should go out there," Quinn said softly.
"You sure you'll be okay?" Finn asked.
Quinn eyed him, "I'll be fine," she replied.
Finn nodded and with Rachel and a reluctant Puck, the three headed down the hallway with Brad, who let them out of the secure wing. Once in the hallway, they headed for their friends and as soon as they entered the waiting room, everyone jumped up and ran over to them, hugging them all with excitement. All sorts of questions were being asked by their friends and between Puck, Rachel and Finn, they were having a hard time picking which ones to answer first, so Will got them to settle down enough for Rachel to explain that Quinn was tired and wasn't up for a lot of visitors and Abigail was currently getting checked out by a pediatrician, so as much as they wanted to show her off, they would have to wait a few days. She promised to post pictures online and they could figure out a time to bring her to school so they could meet her. Will thought that was a good idea, and as much as everyone wanted to see her, they agreed it would be better if they waited a few days, so they gradually began to leave, hugging the new parents and uncle before they did.
Kurt was the final one, moving to Puck, "hey, my dad told me to tell you that you can have as much time off as you want, but he would kind of like to know what you're doing. You don't have to make a decision right now, but when you get a chance, call him or stop by, okay?" Kurt asked.
Puck nodded, "yeah, thanks man. Tell your dad, thanks, too."
Kurt smiled at him and nodded, waving 'goodbye' before heading out. Rachel, Puck and Finn went back to the doors; the nurse at the desk letting them back in and as they walked back, they passed the nurses station where Brad was sitting at a computer. "Hey guys," he said, "congratulations."
"Thanks, Dr. Stevens, for everything," Rachel smiled at him.
Brad nodded at her, "you're welcome and you guys can call me Brad. I think I've dealt with all of you enough that we can be on first name basis," he laughed a little. "I'm getting ready to get off, so I'll be back sometime tomorrow late morning to check on Quinn."
"Okay, thanks; see you then," Puck nodded at him.
Returning to the room, the teens greeted their family members again and then took seats or chose to stand around talking. Rachel ended up sitting and Puck was standing next to her, but then he began pacing to the door and back, wondering how much longer it'll take.
"Noah," Ethan stepped over to him and rested his hands on Puck's shoulders, "she'll be back soon. Your mom is with her so she's fine," he promised.
"This is like a sick joke; we all get to hold her for a few minutes and then she's gone," he stopped and sighed.
"But she'll be back soon and you can choose to have her stay in here if you want," he said, "that's what your mom and I did when we had you," he said wrapping his arms around his son in a hug.
Puck returned his dad's hug and relaxed for a second, feeling someone else's hand on his back and realized it was Rachel. "Thanks," he murmured to his dad as he pulled away and turned to take Rachel's hand in his.
Rachel stood up and moved to wrap her arms around her boyfriend's waist, holding him close as they waited. With his arms wrapped around his girlfriend, Puck felt calmer, but he couldn't help glancing at his watch or the clock on the wall and finally, two hours and fifteen minutes later, at eight pm, Sarah and his mom returned with Abigail in a bassinet and wheeled it into the room. Sarah nodded at Deborah and left the room, so Deborah picked up Abigail, "hey everyone, miss us?" She asked with a grin.
Ethan smirked, "you could say that," he admitted.
"I told them she'd be staying in here, because a little birdie told me someone was pitching a fit in here a little while ago," Deborah laughed.
Puck blushed and moved over to his mom, pressing a kiss to her cheek before he took his daughter from her, not wanting to let her go again; the protective father in him having worked it's way to the surface. "She's okay, right?" Puck asked.
Deborah nodded, "Dr. Roberts says she's healthy; great mobility; she's already gripping onto our fingers and active; she's perfect," she explained.
Puck sighed in relief and smiled, "good, really good," he said moving back take a seat, Rachel sitting down next to him, both now lost in their own little world with their daughter.
"I know this is a stupid question, but what happens now?" Finn asked calmly. "I mean, like when can they go home?"
"Depends on when their doctor's stop by. Brad said he'd come by sometime late morning and check her out and as long as things progress well, she can probably go home tomorrow. Vaginal births are easier to bounce back form than a C-section, so she should only have to stay in the hospital twenty-four hours at the most. Same for Abigail; Dr. Roberts will stop by in the morning and give her an exam and if things are alright, then she should be released. The only usual thing that would keep a baby in the hospital is if they are under five-pounds, or something major arises within the first few hours of birth, but so far so good," Deborah assured them.
"I'm staying here tonight," Puck said.
"Me too," Finn replied.
"I'm also staying," Rebecca replied with a laugh at the two boys who were eager to stay.
"Well, since the whole family is here, I might as well tell you guys this before I fall asleep," Quinn said shifting a little in bed. "I know we talked a few weeks ago about me nursing, but after I said that, I realized that it's kind of a time for mom and baby to bond, and well, I don't want to do that... So I'll still watch her, but I'm going to pump and bottle feed her instead; that way you guys can give her breast milk when I'm not around, too," she explained, "or do half breast milk and half formula; I just don't want it to become an issue if I tried to nurse and she got attached," Quinn added.
Puck nodded, "fine with me," he commented.
"That will be fine, Quinn, whatever you're more comfortable with," Deborah replied.
"Then I'm more comfortable with bottle feeding her and pumping," she said. "I told Melissa so she's gonna get a pump for me, too."
As their conversation ended, Melissa came in with a folder, "here's the birth certificate. The paper that you guys signed," she showed it to them real quick, "is the legal one she'll need if she ever has to get a passport or anything like that; the other one; the shorter one that just says her name, when and where she was born and the parents; is more of an informal one that women like to add to baby books. There's also the usual paperwork in there, I'm sure Deborah knows about, so that's for you guys," she sat the folder down on the table and then looked around. "I see she's staying in here tonight?" Melissa asked glancing at Puck.
Puck looked at his daughter, asleep in his arms and nodded, "yep, she's not going anywhere. She was gone long enough."
Melissa laughed, "okay, your call," she nodded, "I'll get the pump for Quinn and did you guys bring bottles with you?" She asked.
Rachel nodded, "yes, do you need them?"
"No, but when Quinn pumps, she will. Though it's early, visiting hours do end at nine, which is in about an hour or so from now, so you all don't have to leave, but some of you might want to clear out soon so they can get some rest. Well so Quinn can, 'cause it looks like this one is content right where she is," Melissa laughed, seeing Puck holding her protectively in his arms as she slept. "Not the first time I've seen that," she admitted.
"We're actually getting ready to head out, too," Ethan admitted, "well some of us anyway."
"No worries, no one is really gonna know if you're quiet anyway," she shrugged.
Melissa left the room and gave them some alone time, and they started to shuffle. "Rachel, are you staying here or going home?" David asked.
"I'll stay," Rachel replied.
"Okay, call us if any of you need anything. Your dad and I are going to go home," David replied giving her a hug and kiss.
"We will do that," Rachel agreed. "Um, the car seat is in my car, but I don't have it, so if you guys come back tomorrow can you bring my car, too?" She asked.
"Sure, we'll be up in the morning," Alan nodded as he also hugged her.
David and Alan said goodbye to Quinn and everyone else and then headed out. Carole also chose to leave, making Finn promise to keep her updated on what was going on. The only ones left to leave was Deborah, Ethan and Arin. Arin was tired, so she gave Rachel and Puck a hug and said 'bye' to Quinn and Finn before going out in the hallway to wait for her parents. Deborah wrapped her arms around her son's neck and hugged him, knowing he wouldn't move with Abigail in his arms, "I love you, Noah," she whispered.
Puck smiled and turned to look at his mom, "I love you, too, mom," he replied, "see you tomorrow."
She nodded, "yeah, we'll be up by eight or so."
Deborah hugged Rachel and went over to say goodbye to the others while Ethan moved to his son and wrapped am arm around his shoulders, staring down at his granddaughter, "you're gonna do great, Sport," he said with a grin.
Puck looked up at him, smiling, "thanks dad. You haven't called me that since I was a kid."
"Yeah, I know," he nodded.
Puck looked down at his daughter and then back up at his dad, "I love you, dad. I know I haven't said it yet, but I do."
He nodded, a smile tugging at his lips, "I love you, too, Noah, always have," he replied, squeezing his son's shoulders lightly before pulling away and hugging Rachel.
Ethan walked over and said goodbye to Quinn and as he was walking away, Quinn called him back, "hey Ethan?"
"Yeah, Quinn?" He asked turning back around.
"Thanks, um, for making sure we got here," she said motioning around to the room.
He raised a curious eyebrow for a moment, but then nodded at what she meant, "I told you I wouldn't let anything happen to either of you and I kept my promise," he smiled, "you're welcome." He nodded at her and then joined Deborah at the doorway, "see everyone in the morning. Call if you need anything," he added before they headed out.
The room fell into a relaxing silence; Quinn closed her eyes and easily drifted off to sleep, while Finn and Rebecca sat in chairs on one side of her bed and Puck and Rachel sat in chairs opposite them.
"Hey Rebecca," Puck said softly.
"Yeah?" Rebecca sat up a little and looked at him.
"Thanks," he smiled a little, glancing down at his daughter, before looking back up to the older blond, "for um, not... Fighting about this... For letting Rachel and I keep her," he said softly.
Rebecca smiled at him, "you're welcome. I'm sorry I threatened to take her away, you know, back in December when I said that," she replied.
"Don't be," Puck shook his head, "you had every right to say that and I think it made us all realize just what we were getting into and woke me up a lot," he admitted softly.
She nodded, "I heard you were joining the Navy."
Puck stiffened nervously, nodding, "yes, I know that it's going to take me away from her and Rachel, but it's really my only option."
Rebecca realized why he got uncomfortable, "joining the military is very admirable and yes it will take you from her, but I will never try and take her from you guys," she paused, "I know I haven't been around, but I've talked to Quinn a lot. With you all helping her, she told me she didn't want me to come around, so I respected her wishes and stayed away. From what she's told me and from what I've seen here today, I'm not concerned one bit about the choice Quinn made about giving her to you two. Abigail's got a wonderful mom and dad to take care of her, along with a lot of great family and friends around, so I know she will be cared for and loved," she smiled at them. "So I'm respecting my sister's wishes and staying out of it all."
Puck nodded at her, "thank you, Rebecca; that really means a lot," he glanced at Rachel and saw her wiping her eyes so he leaned over and pressed a kiss to her cheek, "my family comes first and I would have fought with everything I could to keep her," he whispered.
"I've been told that," the blond smiled, "in fact, I was the one to suggest she didn't sign the birth certificate in the first place," she explained.
Rachel gasped, "really?"
The woman nodded, "yeah, I told her if she didn't want to have anything to do with Abigail, as in the mother sense, not to sign it. She wasn't sure, so she talked to Alan."
"Wow," Puck smiled, "that's cool; I never even thought about the birth certificate or who would sign it until I saw Rachel's name on it and not Quinn's," he laughed.
Rebecca laughed, "yeah, that is usually over looked until the last minute," she agreed.
Puck had one more thing he wanted to talk to Rebecca about, "um, do you think we'll really be able to keep this from your parents?" He asked glancing down to see Abigail was awake a little, her eyes fluttering open and closed.
Rebecca nodded, "yes we will be; considering they don't live in Lima anymore."
"What?" Rachel exclaimed, her voice echoing a little and she threw her hand over her mouth when she realized it startled Abigail, who began to cry.
Puck shifted the small bundle in his arms, "shh, it's okay baby girl, mom's just gotta learn she can't squeak anymore," he smirked, gently rocking her until she settled down, this time, her eyes fully open and looking up at him.
Rebecca smiled and nodded at them, "she didn't tell you? They moved to Cincinnati in February. Well, they still have the house here, but are now living in their house there."
"No, she never told us," Rachel said shaking her head.
"Well, she must have had her reasons," she commented. "Our mom is upset it all and dad, well, you know; asshole and all. Mom asks me about Quinn all the time because she knows I'm talking to her, but dad refuses to even talk about her, so he's ignoring the situation."
"So, they just wrote her off, just walked away?" Finn asked, taking his sleeping girlfriend's hand in his.
"Sadly, yes," Rebecca sighed, leaning back in her seat. "Dad says it's because he got a better job offer in his company if he moved down there, but I know it was to get away from Lima. Quinn doesn't need them in her life if dad's going to act that way, anyway, and this way, there's no chance you guys could bump into them on accident around town," she said trying to put a positive spin on it.
"But, what if once they find out she gave the baby away they come back?" Rachel asked.
"I doubt it. They always wanted to move there, so this was a way to do it. Mom doesn't know I came up here, so I'm staying until Quinn gets home, then I'm going back to my family. I'll call mom in a few days and let her know Quinn had the baby and gave 'it' up in a closed adoption; I won't tell her the gender and we're sticking with Finn being the father."
"Quinn told us that, but do you think that will be enough?" Finn asked looking at her.
"Probably," she sighed, "I don't know. Dad says he doesn't have a daughter named Quinn anymore and mom doesn't want him to be like that, but he refuses to change his mind. Mom might call Quinn after I tell her, but I doubt there will be much more than that; I wish I knew." Rebecca admitted.
Before their conversation could continue, Melissa came in with the pump for Quinn, suggesting she get up for a bit to pump, so when Abigail is hungry they don't have to do it then. Finn leaned over and kissed Quinn, helping her to wake up and when she did, they told her why they woke her up and she muttered, "guys out."
"Don't have to tell me twice," Puck agreed, shifting. "Rach, you're gonna have to take her."
Rachel's eyes widened, but moved and carefully took Abigail, settling her protectively in her arms. She fussed for a moment with the movement, but her eyes settled on Rachel and stopped fussing as soon as Rachel started cooing to her.
Puck smiled and kissed Rachel's forehead, "be back in a bit. Anyone want anything?"
The three ladies asked for something and Puck and Finn promised to go find what they could, unsure what they'd find at ten at night. Finn was reluctant to leave the room, but once he did, he looked at his friend and patted him on the shoulder, "congrats, dad. Haven't really had a chance to tell you that yet."
Puck smiled at him, "thanks man."
A nurse let them out of the secure wing and they headed down a hallway, "uh, where are we going?" Finn asked.
"The cafeteria. Mom worked here all my life; I know my way around," Puck laughed as he reached an elevator and pressed the button.
Finn nodded, "um," Finn rubbed his neck nervously, "I'm glad... glad things worked out between us... and with everything... and that Abigail is here, ya know? Like... I'm glad Quinn didn't keep telling me she was mine and then give her up for adoption. As soon as I saw her, even though I knew she was yours, the first thing I thought of was I'm glad things worked out this way, because I wouldn't have been able to give her up as she was born."
The doors opened and Puck silently stepped on, Finn following him and he hit the button for the ground floor where the cafeteria was, "I'm glad, too," Puck admitted. "If she still refused to let me keep her, I would have had a fit, but... Yeah, I'm really happy things worked out. I know it may be hard for the next few weeks; the transition and all, but we'll work it out."
"Do you think it'd be easier if she stays at my house? You know, since it's closer?"
Puck shrugged, "don't think it matters now," he replied, "with her not nursing physically, she can stay at either place. Like I said, we'll work it out."
Finn nodded and the two boys stepped off the elevator and headed for the cafeteria, finding it filled with mostly men and woman dressed in various colored scrubs. They got into line and picked up some muffins and bagels with cream cheese before heading back up to the room. Finn stuck his head in first to make sure it was safe and then the two continued on in. Rachel had Abigail propped up and she was holding a bottle for her, the small child suckling on it without an issue and Puck smiled, "you're doing good, mom."
Rachel smiled at him, "I hope so," she admitted glancing at the baby before turning back to him, "I just don't want to hurt her."
"She'll let you know if she's uncomfortable," he replied pressing a kiss to her lips gently before sitting down and leaning back.
"After she eats I'm going to put her in the bassinet to rest so we can eat and I think we should all try and get some sleep; I know it won't be very comfortable, but tomorrow will a long day, too," she explained.
"You don't have to tell me twice," Finn laughed halfway through his muffin.
Puck smirked, "yeah, it will be."
When Abigail stopped suckling on the bottle, Rachel set it aside and looked at her boyfriend, "um, how do I... um..." She blushed, knowing what she needed to do, but wasn't sure how.
Puck grabbed the towel from her knee and threw it over his shoulder, taking Abigail and carefully resting her against his shoulder and once she was settled he gently patted her back until he heard a tiny burp. "Easy," he smiled as he shifted her back into the crook of his arm and tugged the towel to wipe her mouth off with gently. Standing up, he moved to the bassinet and unwrapped her from the blanket, knowing it was warm so she didn't need it. Returning to his seat once she was settled, he leaned back and closed his eyes.
Rachel reached out and took his hand, squeezing it, "we're here, Noah, we're finally here."
Puck opened his eyes and turned his head to look at her, "yeah we are, babe, finally."
...
A/N4: A majorly special thanks to all my new friends who have assured me I could do this; it means so much!
A/N5: Oye! This took a while lot to write. I've never had a baby before, nor have I known anyone who had; except a guy friend who's girlfriend had one and I was not there during the birth; only saw the baby about six hours later. Anyway, I hope you guys like how this turned out; I think I do. Let me know; I hope it wasn't rushed. :) Finally, we meet Abigail!
A/N6: Thanks to everyone for the feedback and the reviews. It's been great to see your responses, but I would like everyone to know... I try my best to respond to as many reviews as I can. If you mention or ask something, I do my best to reply, so if you have reviewed; check out your inbox and you may find a message from me. With that said, I would like to say that though I understand that not everyone has an account on or LJ, I have turned off anonymous reviews. I have had a few that I would like to reply to, but am unable to because they are unsigned, so I have responded to one below.
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Angiekins38 ~ I am unable to reply to your review, so I'm doing it here... I'm glad you're enjoying my story, and thanks for the review, but I'd like to mention a few things about it.
I'm well aware of the NROTC option, but unfortunately, OSU only has Army ROTC, so he would still have to leave Ohio, his daughter and Rachel to go to a university somewhere else; for example, the University of Washington in Seattle, where they have and Navy ROTC program. Not every university offers an ROTC program, and those that do; it's not always Navy, sometimes its Army, Marine Corps, Air Force or Coast Guard, too. He either has the choice of joining right out of high school and missing only 4 to 6 years of his daughters life, or go away for 4 years of university and then at least 4 more to serve, missing more of his daughters life, so she'd be closer to 10 before he could get out. I'm choosing him joining the Navy right out of high school. Not only do you have to be accepted into the ROTC program, but you STILL have to be accepted into the university with their requirements, too; not just the ASVAB test. I know what the ROTC program entails and that the military pays for most of it (I have a few friends from high school who went through it) and I also know that an officer offers better support for a family. I am not going to reveal my plans for Puck's job and/or rank until its closer to the end of 'Out of the Blue,' but trust me. Everyone will like the choice. I've discussed it with a few Navy pals and they really like the idea I have and they say it is very possible.