Disclaimer: I am just borrowing them for the fun of writing, BUT I do own the plot, ideas and original characters.
A/N: I edited this chapter, so all mistakes are mine.
A/N2: This story is mostly AU after Mash-up (1x08), but with some of the topics discussed in the later episodes and music used, I may sneak in a conversation, cover the same topic, or use the same song, but I will put my own twist on it and may use some of the music.
...
With Abby's party behind them, Sunday, Puck, Rachel and their daughter were able to spend her official birthday with just her grandparents and Aunt Arin. Rachel wanted to get some pictures of her and the family for Abby's '1 Year Old' photos and Jessica stopped in for a short time to help them take some family pictures, so Rachel could be in them.
It was a nice opportunity for the close-knit Berry and Puckerman family to spend time together, especially for Ethan and Deborah, because in a few short weeks their next child would be joining the world and both parents, along with their family would have their hands full. They'd be caring for a newborn, a one year old, and dealing with everything leading up to Puck's high school graduation and him leaving for boot camp, so it would be quite emotional for everyone.
...
As the new school week started Monday, their routine quickly returned. While the Glee Club spent the week continuing to prepare for their end-of-the-year performances at the middle schools, at McKinley and also for one at graduation, the students and staff were getting ready for the end of the year. Some teachers began to pile on the homework, while others continued at the normal pace and no one was looking forward to finals.
Aside from being busy with homework and Glee practices, the week was pretty uneventful, so Rachel and Puck spent as much time with Abby as they could. Puck, Rachel and their families were all excited for the weekend, because Sunday would be Mother's Day. Rachel and Deborah begged their family to refrain from getting them gifts; all they wanted was to spend time with their family and Puck, Ethan, Arin, Alan and David reluctantly agreed to respect their wishes... mostly.
As Friday arrived, the weekend was just around the corner and when Puck, Rachel and Jessica were on their way to school, Puck got concerned when he noticed Rachel was almost in tears. "Babe, what's wrong?"
Rachel bit her lip, "um... It's getting harder to leave Abby. Especially when she says 'mama' or 'dada' and reaches out to us as we're trying to leave your aunt and uncle's," she explained, "I'm looking forward to the summer, so I don't have to do that, but I'm also worried about how it will work when I have to go back to school in September."
Puck nodded in understanding, "well, have you thought about only going to school half time?" He wondered, "if I understood things correctly, the reason you were able to take a few of the classes you did this year was because you'd already gotten credit for others you needed, so you might not have as many classes to take to still graduate. You could work it out with Ms. Pillsbury and maybe go to school at lunch time for three classes and then you'd be there for Glee, but you'd still have a few extra hours with Abby in the morning," he explained, knowing of a few Seniors at McKinley who only took a few classes at school.
"Wow," Rachel contemplated his suggestion, "I never thought about that, but you're right. I'm pretty sure I don't need to take English, math or science next year, so it is possible. I'll go talk to Ms. Pillsbury today and see what she can tell me," she admitted, but then glanced in the backseat at Jessica, "but what about carpooling?"
"Don't worry about me," Jessica assured her, "I totally love and appreciate the rides to school, so I don't have to go as early as my dad does, but mom and dad promised that if I kept my grades up and finished this year with at least a 'B' in all my classes, they'd get me a car this summer. I'm getting an 'A' or 'B' in all my classes, so I'm hoping that by the time we start our Senior year, I'll have my own wheels. I think Noah is right. If you took only the classes you need and tried to get them so you could go to school in only the afternoon, you'd have more time with Abby."
Rachel smiled at nodded at the two Puckermans and took a deep breath, "I will look into it. I think it sounds like a great idea!"
...
Puck's suggestion and Jessica's encouragement gave Rachel a lot to think about. They were completely right. There was no point in her taking more classes if she didn't need them to graduate; especially if it meant giving her more time with Abby. When they arrived at McKinley, Rachel excused herself from her boyfriend and Jessica and headed for Emma's office. As she reached it, she found Will inside with Emma, "oh, sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt," Rachel admitted, pausing in the doorway.
"No, don't worry. You're not interrupting, Rachel," Emma said standing up, "how can I help you? Is everything alright?"
"Yes, it is," Rachel assured her, "but I have some questions about my schedule next year and wanted to see if it was even possible. I could make an appointment for later in the day, if you'd rather, but I thought I'd stop in now to see about it."
"I'll leave you two to talk. See you later," Will waved at them and left the office, giving them some privacy.
Emma motioned to an empty seat by her desk, "have a seat, Rachel. We can talk now. What would you like to know?"
Rachel explained the conversation she'd had in the car on the way to school with Puck and Jessica, "if it's possible, I'd like to have a shorter school day. Maybe only coming to school at lunch time for three classes and still be here for Glee."
"I completely understand and there are several Seniors who only go half a day. They're in a similar situation as you with their classes. There are a few who only go in the morning and leave at lunchtime, and also a few who take afternoon classes," Emma pulled up Rachel's information and after skimming over it, she nodded, "from what is required to graduate, by the end of the year, you'll have met your English, math, science and history requirements. You still need a few more electives," Emma confirmed. "Have you already turned in the class registration for next year?"
"Yes, last week," Rachel nodded. "I really am that close to graduating?"
"It looks like it and if you take a few electives, computer classes and others, you'll be ready to graduate," Emma pulled up the following year schedule system and nodded, "I see what you registered for. You're not taking choir?" She asked surprised.
"Since I've decided to put my focus on my photography business and my family, I didn't see a need to take up a class with choir when I have Glee that I enjoy more. I also thought it would free me up to take a few classes that could help me with my photography and give me a chance to see if it's really what I want to do, before I go to OSU and major in it," Rachel explained.
Emma nodded, "that's quite understandable. I see that you've signed up for web design and photography. Those two will help with your business. You've met your history requirements, and Psychology is in that category, so you know you don't have to take it, right?"
"I know, but my daddy's a psychologist, so I thought it would be neat to take a class and learn a little more about what he deals with," Rachel admitted.
"Oh yes," Emma blushed, "I forgot he was a psychologist."
Emma did a few things on her computer and then turned the screen so Rachel could see it, "I've dropped the English, Math and Science classes and left you with the other three. The teachers haven't set their class times yet, but once we get those, I'll be able to schedule you for them. There will be a few things I need from you and your dads," she printed off the tentative schedule and an unofficial transcript, then went to get a few sheets out of her file cabinet. Grabbing the printed paper, she returned to her desk, "you need to apply for three free periods. There's a box asking for 'why' and you just explain because you're a mom and want more time with your daughter or something like that. Get your dads to agree and sign it, along with you and then myself and Principal Figgins will go through the application. You need to have a good grade point average, which you do, and a good reason and I don't see any reason why he'd say 'no', but we have to do it officially. Once it's approved and we know when those classes will be offered, we can schedule you."
"Really? It's that easy?" Rachel gasped, taking the papers, "when Noah mentioned it, I hadn't even thought about something like this."
"Yes. You've met the requirements, so you don't have to take more of them, just to fill your day, in a sense wasting your time. When I was a Senior in high school, I did that. Actually I only had one free period at the end of the day, so I went home after fifth period, but still, it was one less class I didn't need to take," she explained.
Rachel looked over the sheets and slid them into her bag, "thank you. I'll talk to my dads this weekend and try to get these back next week."
...
With only a short time before classes began, Rachel made her way towards her locker and found her boyfriend, Jessica and several of their friends standing around. "Hey, babe. You talk to Ms. Pillsbury?" Puck asked.
"I did," she nodded, "and I have some paperwork to look at and fill out with my dads, but she's pretty confident I'll be able to have a short school day next year," she smiled, "and it will definitely give Abby and I some time together in the morning."
"Wait, what were you doing?" Tina asked.
"Talking to Ms. Pillsbury about next year. I've met the graduation requirements for several of my classes, so instead of taking classes I don't need, I'm only going to have three a day. Two of them will be helpful with my business," Rachel explained opening her locker and digging for the books she needed for her first class.
"Whoa, you can do that?" Mercedes wondered, surprised.
"Yes. It's not an option for everyone, but for some it is," Rachel said, "I didn't even know it was possible until Noah brought it up on the way to school."
"There's a guy in my sixth period that only has afternoon classes. That's how I knew about it," Puck shrugged.
Rachel closed her locker and slipped her arm around her boyfriend's waist, "well, I'm glad you did. It will be nice if everything works out, because I won't have to be away from Abby as long."
"Even though I know you're parents, sometimes it's still really hard to believe that you are," Tina admitted, blushing lightly.
Puck glanced at Rachel and smiled, "sometimes it's surprising for us, too. We have those moments when it hits us that we're parents."
"We do," Rachel agreed and smiled brightly, "but I wouldn't change a thing. I love our daughter; she's perfect."
...
Over the next few classes, since Puck and Rachel had them together, Puck noticed Rachel seemed to drift off several times. It was odd, because he was used to her being very focused on taking as many notes as she could during their teacher's lecture. Now, she hardly wrote in her notebook and he found himself writing more than usual, as a way to make up for what she wasn't doing. When the two finally made it to lunch and got their food, they sat down at the table where the club usually ate and some of their friends were already there. "Alright, where have you been all morning?" Puck asked curiously.
"In class with you," Rachel replied, turning to look at him, "what do you mean?"
"Yeah, physically maybe," he agreed, "but ever since first period all of a sudden your face goes blank and it's like you're day dreaming. What are you thinking about?"
"Oh," she blushed, reaching for her bottle of water, "with all the talk this morning about my schedule for next year, it got me thinking about how things will work when you're not here. Realizing that so many things I'm used to now, will be gone and it won't be the same, no matter how much we try," she explained softly.
Puck nodded, slipping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close to him, "I know, babe. I think about it, too. A lot of things will be different, but we're going to be okay. Things will be tough, but I know we can handle it; we're strong."
"I hope I am. I've never had to deal with someone I love leaving for such a long time. I know there's a first time for everything and it will give us an opportunity to grow a lot more on our own, too, but it's still rough to think about," she took a deep breath, "and it wasn't all about us as a couple. It was also about us as a club," she motioned around the table, "you, Finn, Quinn, Matt, Mike and Ryan won't be here. The club isn't going to be the same."
"But we're still going to be around," Quinn assured her, "I know it won't be the same as being here every day, but we're all going to stop in and we can still help the club; just not as members, anymore."
"That will be wonderful," Rachel smiled at the blond, "and I know it's part of growing up, but it's still a weird feeling."
"It is," Kurt nodded, looking around at their friends, "and you're not the only one who has a boyfriend graduating."
"Wait, what?" Rachel gasped, at the same time as some of the others did.
Kurt glanced at Ryan, and then returned his gaze to everyone else, "as you know, since Ryan joined the club, he's been involved a lot with things we do. In that time we started to get to know each other, but it wasn't until Christmas break that we really started hanging out. Since then, we've gone out a lot more, but we never really labeled our relationship. That was until we went up to Detroit for Nationals. We decided to make it official, so we've been boyfriends since then," Kurt explained with a smile.
"We apologize for not telling anyone sooner, but we didn't want to change everything all at once. We chose to keep it between us for a short time, but we decided it was time to tell you all," Ryan added.
The teens around the table congratulated Kurt and Ryan on their relationship, "I had a feeling you guys were dating; you're always going out with him," Quinn admitted.
"Me too," Rachel agreed, "I've seen Ryan's car pass by our house several times a week and had a feeling your relationship had gotten more serious. I'm happy for you both."
"Thank you," Kurt smiled, "and I definitely get what you're feeling about things changing next year; it's gonna be weird not having Ryan in Glee."
Rachel nodded and took her boyfriend's hand in hers, squeezing it gently as she looked around at the table at their friends; some of them also being couples, "it will be very odd not having everyone there next year, so I suggest that we all make the most out of the next few weeks that we have together, as friends, classmates and significant others."
Puck smiled at her and kissed her cheek, "I think that's a great idea, babe."
...
Since lunch was about an hour and a half long, no one was in too much of a hurry to finish eating, but as they finished, the teens continued to sit at the table, some doing homework so they had less over the weekend and others read a book, or talked to their friends. A little after eleven-forty-five, Ben made his way over to the table and Puck was the first to notice his concerned look, "what's wrong, Uncle Ben?" Puck asked quickly.
Puck's question startled Rachel and she looked at Ben and Puck, immediately worried something had happened to Abby, "is..."
"Abby's fine," Ben said quickly, knowing both would be concerned and once they relaxed he motioned to a corner of the cafeteria that was empty, "may I talk to the two of you in private?" He asked hopeful.
"Uh, yeah, sure," Puck nodded. He and Rachel stood up and followed Ben, now more curious and nervous, "so, what's going on?"
Ben took a deep breath, "have you talked to your mom today?"
"No. I saw her go to school this morning, but that's it. Why?" Puck wondered.
"She's stubborn," Ben commented with a sigh, rubbing his forehead, "she's been having contractions since she woke up and won't go to the damn hospital."
"What?" Puck and Rachel gasped at the same time.
Ben nodded, "she's been keeping an eye on them, and they're still over thirty minutes apart and she's 'fine', but won't go to the hospital to get looked at. Her water hasn't broken, so the pain could be a false alarm, but if it's not, she's gonna have to go. I don't think she should be alone and she's refusing to go home. I realized something was up when she was sitting with me, Will and at lunch. She's passing it off and we're all concerned about her. I'd stay with her, but I can't get a sub right now, so I was thinking both of you, or at least one of you could hang out with her the rest of the day," he suggested, concerned for his sister.
"I'm there," Puck said, "does dad know?"
"No. Do you really think Ethan would have gone to work, or let her go to work, if he'd known she was having contractions?" Ben looked at Puck.
Rachel and Puck laughed lightly, "no, he wouldn't. We'll get our things and go check on her," Rachel said, "she'll be able to excuse Noah for his classes, in case he does have to take her to the hospital, but I don't know if she can for me, so we'll have to figure something out."
"Yeah, do what you have to. My phone's on me, so keep me posted. If anything, Noah, you could drive her home, because you, Rachel and Jessica came to school in the same car, right?" Ben asked.
"We did. She'll be going home," Puck confirmed, "even if I have to carry her to the car. She doesn't need to be here."
"I tried to get her to go home, but she won't go. She says she has all the medical equipment in her office to check her blood pressure and if it goes up or the baby's heartbeat gets weak, she'll either go right to the hospital or go home to relax. She's just being stubborn," Ben sighed.
"Relax, Uncle Ben. We don't need you having a heart attack. We'll go check on her and I'll let you know if anything changes," Puck assured him, realizing how worried Ben was for her.
Ben nodded and took a deep breath, "I think it's the brother thing; especially because we're coworkers, too. I'm right here and she's not letting me do anything."
"Yeah, she gets like that sometimes. I don't think she likes asking for help, unless it's absolutely necessary," Puck replied, guiding Ben and Rachel back to where their friends were sitting.
"Is everything alright?" Jessica asked, "dad?"
"Mom's possibly having contractions," Puck said simply, "so we're gonna see what's up and figure out what we're gonna do."
...
The teens all understood why Rachel and Puck gathered their bags and soon left the table with Ben right behind them. As they reached the nurse's office, Puck knocked on the closed door, before pushing it open and found Deborah sitting at her desk, "mom! Seriously?" Puck asked looking at her.
Deborah sighed and glared at her brother, "Noah, like I told Benjamin, I'm fine. Yes, I'm having contractions, but they're still over thirty minutes apart and they're very mild. My water hasn't broken, my blood pressure and the baby's heart rate is normal, so for all I know, they're just false labor pains."
"But you could have at least said something to someone, so we could have checked on you. I get you didn't want to sit at home, but if you weren't going to tell dad, because he would have stayed home with you, you could have come to find us," Puck motioned to him, Rachel and Ben, "and we could have stopped in between classes."
"Yes, you're right, I could have done that, but I didn't see a need to worry anyone until it got bad enough to say something. This isn't my first time giving birth, you know?" Deborah smiled at Puck, "and I appreciate the concern, but I'm okay. I'm also a nurse and know most of the signs to look for when it comes to complications. So far, we're good and I have more equipment here than I do at home, so it's honestly a better place for me, at least for right now."
Puck took a deep breath and couldn't help glancing around, realizing she was right, "alright, I'll give you that one, but mom; you should have said something."
Deborah nodded, getting up carefully and moving around the desk to them, "you're right, I should have, but I just didn't want to worry any one," she glanced at her watch, which was currently counting the minutes between her last contraction, "it's been about thirty minutes since my last contraction and I could have one anytime. They're probably going to get more painful and if they get too bad I'll have to go to the hospital, but right now, there's nothing to do except wait, which is something a lot of us are not good at," she laughed lightly.
Rachel couldn't help giggling a little, "very true."
The bell rang overhead, ending lunch and Puck sighed, "I'm not going to class."
Realizing her son was not going to budge, she decided to try a different tactic, "yes you are. The only thing you're going to do up here is watch me finish up some work and inventory my supplies. I'll be fine. You're welcome to come up and check on me between classes and if things change, I have my phone, so I can text you, but I'm sure that won't be necessary. Emma is also just down the hallway and knows what's going on, so she's around if I have a problem."
"Noah, she's right. She has things under control here and we're only a short distance away if things change. We can check in between classes, and make sure things are alright and if they are, at least we wouldn't have missed half a day of classes, though I know we'd both be willing to," Rachel said, looking at Deborah.
Puck sighed again and looked at his mom, "are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes, I am," she nodded, stepping forward and resting her hands on his shoulders, "I'm okay, Noah. Even if 'it's time', we still have a long time before it happens."
Realizing that his girlfriend and mom were right, and he was nearby in case something did happen, he gave in, "alright, but if anything changes, text me. I don't care if it's the middle of class or not, okay?"
"I will, I promise," Deborah assured him, looking at Ben and Rachel, "I will message you if something changes."
...
Puck didn't like leaving his mom, but logically knew she and Rachel were right, so he tried to focus on math when he and Rachel got to class, but he was still worried about her. Rachel tried to help him stay focused, but it didn't work well and when class was over, she wasn't surprised when he jumped up and left the room quickly, heading off to check on Deborah. Confident that Deborah was okay and Puck just needed to reassure himself of that, Rachel headed towards her locker to wait for him.
"Rachel, how's Deborah?" Quinn asked as she reached her locker.
"Okay, I think. Noah went to check on her between classes," Rachel admitted, "he's concerned about her. I am, too, but even if these are real contractions, they're still over a half an hour apart, so it's not like she's having the baby now. There is still a while to go."
"Wouldn't it be cool if she had the baby before Sunday? Since it's Mother's Day," Jessica smiled.
"Yes, I think it would be very cool. Abby was born just before Mother's Day, so last year, spending it with my newborn daughter was awesome," Rachel smiled at the memory, "it was actually my first Mother's Day; well for a 'mom'. I've celebrated it, kind of, with my grandmas and aunts when I was younger, but it's not the same."
"Why... Oh," Jessica blushed, "I remember. Sorry, it didn't click right away."
"It's okay," Rachel assured her, "I get to celebrate it with Deborah, who's my mom, and my daughter, so it's a wonderful day for me," she glanced down the hallway and saw her boyfriend walking towards her, "hey! How's mom?"
"She's okay," he shrugged, "she had a contraction just after we left her office and one just a bit ago, so this last one was thirty-two minutes from the other one. They're getting closer, but she said there's still a long way to go."
"There is," she nodded, slipping her arm around his waist and kissed him gently, "she's gonna be fine," she added, then turned to Jessica and Quinn, "we were just talking about how neat it would be if she can have her before Sunday."
"I was thinking about that, too. It is gonna be cool," he agreed. "I really think she'll have her tonight or tomorrow morning, so we're gonna have to figure out how we're going to work everything," he said, looking at Rachel.
"What do you mean?" She wondered.
"No matter what time it is, I'm going to be with her and dad for the birth, so I don't know if you want to be up there with your camera, or if you'd rather be at home with Abby, or if your dads want to watch her. Mom doesn't want Arin in the room, so we're gonna have to talk about it after school," he told her.
Rachel nodded and waved at the girls as the teens began to move off to their next classes so they wouldn't be late, "we can figure something out once we get home."
...
Now that Puck was a little more relaxed, he was able to focus some more to help Will grade some homework for a few of his Spanish classes. When class was over, he and Rachel, who was taking Spanish with Will during the same time Puck was his assistant, went to check on Deborah before their final class of the day. Again, she assured them she was fine and agreed to let Puck drive her home after school, because he didn't want her doing that.
Heading in different directions for their last class, Puck did his best to stay on task, because of all his classes, this one was his favorite, but he still couldn't help thinking about his mom. The topic of discussion that day also seemed to pique his interest, since they were talking about various other types of cops; not just the ones who dealt directly with criminology or forensics, which is what his class was about.
"Mr. Anderson, I know this is going to sound like a strange question, but you keep saying you worked for the Detroit SRT. What's that stand for?" One of Puck's classmates asked.
Logan glanced at Puck, "you wanna answer that, Puckerman?"
"Special Response Team, Detroit's name for their SWAT team," Puck replied simply.
The teens in class all turned to Puck, who was sitting in the back and stared at him surprised, "how did you know that?" His classmate asked.
"Because my dad used to be on that team. In fact, Mr. Anderson used to be his boss," Puck replied, glancing at the older man.
"Puckerman's right. His dad joined my team as a rookie and I worked with him for several years before I left the force," Logan explained, having gotten used to always calling his students by their last name.
"That's so cool! Do you have any stories to share?" Someone else asked him.
"Yes, but we should save that for another day," he motioned to the clock, "class is almost out." As he finished his statement, the bell rang to end class, "no homework tonight, see you all Monday!" The teacher called out, glancing at Puck, "Puckerman, hang out a second before you leave."
"Of all the days he wants to talk," Puck mentally groaned, grabbing his things and heading up to the front of the class.
"I'm sure you have other places to be, so I'll make it quick. I've talked to Ethan already, about getting permission, but we also wanted to ask you before we go ahead with making definite plans. Sometime before school is out, I'd like my two criminology classes here at McKinley to take a trip to your dad's station," he explained, "to let them see all this stuff we're learning about in person. Do you think you'd be alright with that? I know about the history with your dad, and he said you haven't been to the station before, so we weren't sure if it was just because you hadn't had an opportunity to or because of something else."
"I have no problem with that," Puck replied, "I think it'd be a cool trip. I just have never had a chance to go up there. He's usually home around the time I get home from school, so I haven't had a need to go to the station," he shrugged.
"Okay, I'm glad I asked. Nothing is decided yet, but now that I know you're okay with it, we can can go ahead with plans. Mention it to him. Maybe you two can come up with some ideas," he suggested, "I also know your mom is close to giving birth so that's on all of your minds. You don't have to get back to me Monday, but soon. We need to figure things out, so we have time to schedule it before the end of the year," Logan told him.
Puck nodded in understanding, "okay. Actually, Mom's been having contractions today, so I'm thinking she may have the baby this weekend. Dad and I will have plenty of time to talk, so I'll get back to you."
"Fair enough. Hope everything goes well for you guys," Logan smiled, "I know your dad is excited. Hope you and your sister are, too."
"We all are," Puck assured him.
"Good to hear," Logan nodded, "I won't keep you. I'm sure you want to go see your mom."
A light blush grew on his cheeks, "yeah," Puck nodded, "I do."
...
Leaving class after talking to his teacher, Puck made his way to his locker, finding his girlfriend and some of their friends standing around. "Noah! Everything alright?" Rachel asked concerned.
"Oh yeah, well, I think so. Why?" He wondered, opening his locker.
"You normally get here first," Rachel admitted, "did you stop to talk to mom?"
"No. My teacher wanted to ask me something," Puck replied, switching out a few books.
"He's the one who used to work with your dad, right?" Rachel responded.
"Yep," Puck nodded and closed his locker, "he wants to take his classes to the police station and have him and dad show everyone what we're learning. They wanted to make sure I'd be okay with it, which I am," he explained. "So are you ready? I'm driving mom home. Do you mind going to get Abby?" He asked her, wanting to get up to his mom.
Rachel nodded, "I don't mind, but I'll walk up to mom's office with you. Jessica and TJ had plans after school, so they already left."
"And we're gonna get going now, but let us know what's going on," Finn said, as he, Quinn and Kurt got ready to go.
"We will," Puck assured them.
Exchanging a few hugs and waves, the teens parted and Rachel and Puck made their way up to Deborah's office, finding her on the phone when they walked in. At first they thought she was talking to Ethan, but the more she gave medical terms and information to the person, they realized she might be talking to her doctor. After a few moments, she thanked them and said she'd see them later, before hanging up, "hey you two," she greeted.
"Mom, what's going on?" Puck asked, worried about everything she had said to the person on the phone.
"Nothing's wrong, exactly, but my contractions have gotten closer together. There is still a long way to go, but I thought I'd call Brad and talk to him. He's pretty sure they're the real thing and he's on call tonight. As much as I like my obstetrician, I'd rather Brad deliver her. I've worked with him for quite a while and I trust him more," she explained, "so he said he'd stay at the hospital until we come in."
"Oh, wow, alright. That makes sense," Puck nodded, relaxing a little, "how close are they?"
"About twenty-five minutes," she replied gathering up a few folders on her desk.
"So do you think it will be tonight or tomorrow that she's born?" Rachel asked curiously.
"I'm not sure. Maybe tonight. Sometimes contractions like this can go all day and then the closer they get together, the faster it goes, but sometimes it's the other way, also. It all depends on my body. It's been quite a while since Arin was born, so even though I'm familiar with pregnancy, my body has changed a lot. She'll get here when she gets here," Deborah smiled, standing up and moving to the file cabinet, "I have just a few more things to take care of."
"No hurry," Puck commented, taking a seat on one of the chairs, "I'll wait."
Rachel smiled, knowing her boyfriend wouldn't leave without Deborah, "I could go get Abby and meet you two at home," she suggested.
"Alright," Deborah nodded, "oh, I spoke with Susan earlier and Arin's going to stay there for a while, until we figure out what's going on," she paused, looking at Rachel, "Rachel, would you up for being in the room when I have her?"
"I would be. Do you want me to be there?" Rachel asked with a smile.
"Yes, I do," Deborah returned her smile, "I was hoping you could take some pictures and video for us, too."
"I'd be happy to do that. I'll talk to my dads about watching Abby so we can both be at the hospital with you and Ethan," Rachel explained, "then whenever you have her they can bring Arin and Abby up so they can see her."
"That sounds like a good idea," Deborah agreed and Puck nodded.
"Okay, I'll get going. See you guys at home in a little bit," Rachel pressed a kiss to her boyfriend's cheek, "be good. Don't nag on mom. She knows what she's doing."
Puck blushed, "alright, I'll be good."
...
Picking up Abby and talking with Susan and Arin for a short time, Rachel and Abby returned home, just as Puck and Deborah pulled into the driveway. Ethan was already home, so Deborah went right inside and Puck met up with his family, greeting Abby with a kiss on her forehead when she saw him and carried her and her car seat inside. "I figure we could get our things and then go over to mom and dad's," Puck suggested, petting Kona as she met them at the door.
"Okay. We should definitely get our homework done as soon as possible. I don't want to be doing it on Mother's Day," Rachel commented honestly, blushing a little.
"I agree," Puck dropped his bag on the floor and then moved into the living room with Abby still in her car seat, "and if mom does have the baby this weekend, we're going to be busy with her, so we won't have time."
"There is that, too," Rachel nodded and followed him, "part of me has a hard time believing that your parents are having another child," she admitted.
"I feel the same way," Puck laughed lightly, "it's weird. I mean, when she and Abby graduate high school, we'll be what? Mid-thirties?" He asked, shaking his head as he freed Abby from her seat and picked her up, "I'm starting to feel old," he groaned.
Rachel slipped her arm around his waist and rested her head on his upper arm as he held Abby with the other, "I assure you, Noah, we're not old. We have so many things to get through and a lot of time to go before we're old. Though, we will get older, like our parents, but they're not old, either."
Puck slipped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her on the lips, "I love how you think," he smiled, "just like I love you. And speaking of 'Mother's Day', you're an amazing mom. Abby adores you and there isn't anyone in this world I'd rather have as the mother of my children."
"Oh, Noah," Rachel felt tears building in her eyes as she snuggled against him, "I love you both so much and I love being a mom and your partner and I can't wait to spend the rest of our lives as a family; however large it may grow."
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A/N3: Yay, an update! Hope you all enjoyed. Please review and let me know! Last update for one of my stories, I only got 3 reviews. I appreciate all my readers and I know I'm behind on replying to reviews, but I try the best I can. I do read them all and hope you all are still enjoying this. I had more planned for this chapter, but decided to split it up. This was a good place to stop and the next chapter will be the birth of Puck's sister. In a few chapters, once Puck graduates and goes off to boot camp, I'll be doing a time jump to him finishing boot. Once Rachel gets back to school, I'll probably do another time jump and hopefully cover her whole Senior year in just a few chapters. I think this story is going to end at her high school graduation and the sequel will begin sometime afterward. Not sure how I will set it up yet.
A/N4: So sorry it's been so long since my last update. I thought I was through the worst of it when I had my surgery. I healed well from that, but my body had other ideas. I started having issues again, so my summer sucked, and have been dealing with the new issues since and then September has been pretty emotional. My dad spent six days in the hospital earlier this month with a serious infection in his foot (long story!). He's home now, (thank God!) on antibiotics, but for a while, we weren't sure if he would lose his foot or not (and if it doesn't heal, he may lose it, which makes me super scared and sad!). My emotions have been on high and with all the stress I've been under (there's a lot of other things going on, too), I've started seeing my psychologist again. My dad's issues are constantly changing and it's a mess right now, so there's a lot going on, plus other things keep coming up, so I'm not on the computer as much as I want to be. It sucks, because writing calms me down and I hope once things mellow out, I'll be able to get more writing in (I want to, so bad!). I feel horrible my updates are so far apart, but I'm trying the best I can. Thank you for all your support and understanding! It really means a lot! I also want to tell you that I promise I'm still here and I'll always love, ship and write Puckleberry. I have so many awesome story ideas for them and have 2 WIPs that are not posted that once some of my other fics are finished I can start posting... If you ever wanna say 'hi' or ask questions feel free to PM me here or at Tumbr and Twitter as EJ8302. I'm happy to talk to anyone who messages me.
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