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.
...
Puck and Rachel gathered up their homework, some things for Abby and Kona and soon all of them were over at Deborah, Ethan and Arin's place. Puck and Rachel wanted to get their homework done, so while Deborah relaxed on the couch, Ethan and Kona entertained Abby.
Ethan wasn't upset that Deborah kept her contractions from him. He understood it could take a while and trusted she knew what she was doing. He also knew if he'd found out while at work, the distraction could have been a danger to him or others, so it was better he found out when he got home.
Deborah's contractions were now about twenty-five minutes apart, but they'd finally started to hurt, more than what she could deal with alone and asked Ethan for some help. He gladly rubbed her back and helped her breathe through the pain, which helped relieve some of the pressure, but she still refused to go to the hospital when he and Puck suggested it.
When Alan and David got off of work and had a chance to go home to change, they came over to the house to check on everyone, since Rachel had let them know where they would be. Once they found everything out, the two men assured Rachel and Puck they'd take care of Abby while they were at the hospital, so the teens could be with Deborah and Ethan.
After dinner, Ben and Arin came over. They wanted to check on Deborah and Arin also wanted to get some things so she could stay the night at Ben and Susan's house, just in case it took all night for Deborah to have the baby. Deborah and Ethan wanted to have Arin with them during the birth, but Deborah didn't think it was a good idea for her to be up there, in case she saw something that made her uncomfortable. Arin understood that and spent some time with her mom and family, excited to meet her new sister, just like everyone else was.
Arin and Ben went back to Ben and Susan's around seven-thirty, and Deborah was glad they left when they did. Deborah contractions were starting to get even worse, were lasting longer and seemed to be closer together, and Deborah was worried that Arin would get scared when she saw her mom in pain.
Just after eight, another contraction hit her and this time it was even more painful than before. Knowing they'd continue to get worse and her water could break anytime, Deborah knew it was time to go to the hospital. Ethan got her overnight bag and they said 'bye' to David, Alan, Rachel, Puck, Abby and Kona and then headed off to the hospital, leaving the others to lock up the house.
David and Alan took Abby and Kona home and Rachel and Puck cleaned up a few things in the house, before grabbing their bags, turning the lights off and locking the doors. Once back in their home, they put their things away and Rachel collected her camera, some extra memory cards and batteries; she wanted to be ready when they decided to go to the hospital, but for the moment, they were giving Ethan and Deborah a chance to get checked in and to her room before they arrived.
Knowing what time it was, David and Alan didn't want to break Abby's nightly routine too much, so they decided to give her a bath and get her ready for bed. Since Puck and Rachel would be leaving before they were done, they said 'goodnight' to Abby before they took her upstairs, just in case she got fussy and hard to handle, if they interrupted her bath and she didn't want them to leave.
...
When they did end up leaving, Rachel drove her and Puck to the hospital and she noticed Puck was more mellow than he usually was, "Noah, are you alright?" She asked softly.
"Yeah," Puck nodded, taking a deep breath and sighing, "just trying to wrap my head around what's about to happen," he admitted, "I know mom's been pregnant, but now we're finally going to meet her," he paused, gathering his thoughts, "in just a few hours I'm gonna have another full-sister; not just a half-sister."
"Did you expect to have half-siblings?" Rachel wondered.
Puck nodded again and turned to look at her, "yeah. When I was younger, I figured if mom dated again, she'd end up with someone and Arin and I would have half-siblings. I never expected our parents to get back together and have another child. It's still sometimes hard to believe it happened, but on the other hand, it's really awesome."
"It is," Rachel agreed, pulling her car into the parking lot of the hospital, "I'm really happy for mom and dad, as well as you and Arin. It's a big deal for your... our family," Rachel blushed, still not used to saying 'our' family.
Reaching over, Puck rested his hand on her shoulder as she parked the car, "it is a big deal and I'm so glad you're here. There's no one else I could imagine having with me during this. You're amazing and," he smiled, "I honestly look forward to when we can give our daughter siblings."
"Me, too," Rachel agreed as her blush continued to grow and she looked down at her stomach, "I know it will be a while, but yes, I do look forward to expanding our family."
Puck leaned over, pressed a kiss to her lips and rested his hand on her stomach, "I'm glad we feel the same way."
"Same here," she replied as they pulled apart, "and as much as I'd love to continue to talk about our future together, I think we should focus on right now. I'm really excited to meet your sister."
"You're right," he nodded, "and I am, too."
...
Climbing out of the car, Rachel grabbed her camera bag and the two joined hands and headed into the hospital. Puck guided her to the maternity wing and once they checked in and were given badges with Deborah's room number, they followed the familiar path to the maternity rooms and came to a stop outside of Deborah's room. Ethan saw them arrive, so he motioned for them to come in. "Hey, how are you doing?" Puck asked glancing at Deborah.
"We're good," Deborah replied, "the pain meds are working and I'm already dilated to six centimeters, so it'll be happening soon."
"Awesome," Puck smiled, taking a seat, "have you seen Brad yet?"
"Yeah. You just missed him," Ethan commented, "he said everything's looking okay, now we're just waiting for her to dilate the rest of the way."
"Waiting - something we all have problems with," Puck laughed lightly.
"We do," Deborah agreed, laughing with him, "but we won't have to wait too long. Some women, the closer they are to ten centimeters, the faster they go, and I think that might be happening now. I checked myself when I got home from school and didn't seem to be that far," she explained. "And I've been contracting since this morning."
"So we might meet her before midnight?" Puck wondered.
Deborah nodded, "it's possible."
...
Excitement and nerves filled the room as the four of them waited to meet the newest addition to the family and were hoping for a smooth delivery and recovery for Deborah. The contractions continued to get closer together, but the meds were diluting a lot of the pain, so Deborah was a lot more relaxed through them. A few nurses and Brad stopped in a few times, not only to check on her as a patient, but to also wish her well and congratulations, because she was still friends with many of the staff at the hospital, even if she didn't work there anymore.
The closer Deborah got to ten centimeters, the more the nurses got ready for the delivery, making sure the correct supplies were there, arranging some of the furniture and preparing for the clean up of Deborah and the baby. A little before ten, Deborah was finally dilated to where she needed to be and a nurse paged Brad to her room.
As soon as Brad walked in the room, he checked on her vitals and found her contractions only a few minutes apart, "yep, it's definitely time to meet her. You guys do have a name picked out, right?"
"They do, they just won't tell anyone until she's born," Puck commented.
"Well, we won't have to wait long now," Rachel replied with a smile, already filming.
"I know," Puck smirked.
The room got busy with several nurses there to assist and one helped Brad into some protective items, like a mask, gown and gloves, then he moved towards the stool he was going to sit on and looked at Deborah and the others, "are you guys ready?"
The four family members exchanged glances and Deborah nodded, "yeah, we are."
...
Puck and Ethan took a spot on opposite sides of Deborah to help her sit up and Rachel stood out of the way, but so she had a great view of Ethan, Deborah and Puck, and some of what Brad was doing. Also in that time, Deborah's water broke, so besides being dilated, there was no question about it; she was ready to have the baby.
"Alright, Deborah, as soon as the next contraction hits I want you to push as hard as you can," Brad told her, seeing the baby crowning already.
Deborah sat up, with Puck and Ethan each having an arm around her back for support and she gripped onto her their hands as the next contraction hit her. Taking a deep breath, she pushed as hard as she could, feeling some of the pain, even though the medication was still blocking most of it. After one painful twinge, she realized the head was free, so she gasped and sunk back into the pillows for a moment, "I need a second," she murmured.
"You're doing great, sweetheart," Ethan murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"You are," Brad agreed, smiling, "I've got the head," he said, carefully supporting the baby. "On the next push, we'll try to get the shoulders, okay?"
Breathing heavy for a moment, Deborah nodded and sat up again, just as another contraction built, "okay," she replied, tightening her grasp on Ethan and Puck's hands as she again pushed as hard as she could. This time when she did, she felt some pressure and then a few tugs and knew the baby's shoulders were free, so she leaned back again to catch her breath, and groaned from the ache.
"Good job, Deborah. The shoulders are out so this should be the last push, but this time, push and hold it," Brad told her encouragingly.
"She's almost here, mom," Puck smiled happily, "you can do this."
"Thanks," she returned his smile as she continued to breathe through everything that was going on around her. Taking another deep breath, she sat up again and looked at her husband, "ready?"
Ethan didn't care that there were tears in his eyes as he nodded and kissed her, "I am," he promised.
Bearing down as much as she could, Deborah pushed and held it, watching Brad focus. As he reach for something, she felt a few tugs and she continued to hold, but she was beginning to lose her strength to continue, "please tell me she's close," she begged.
"You're almost there," Brad assured her, carefully supporting the small body. After a few moments, the baby was completely free and he gently turned her over, confirming her gender, "it's a girl," he called out, just as she let out a loud cry, which echoed in the room.
"You did it mom," Puck grinned brightly, wiping his eyes as he looked at his new sister and gently massaged his hand from the pressure she'd had on it.
Brad gently laid the crying baby onto a blanket on Deborah's stomach and Deborah reached out, carefully touching her head, "welcome to the family, baby girl," she cried happily, relieved to finally have her there.
Ethan's tears were now falling, as a build up of many emotions finally spilled free, while he stared at the new life he and Deborah had created. "I love you so much, Deb," he said softly, pressing a kiss to his wife's lips and hugged her tightly.
Deborah happily returned his hug, "I love you, too," she smiled, now exhausted, but also full of excitement to be able to hold their daughter soon.
"Here you go, dad," a nurse said, holding something out to Ethan.
For a moment, Ethan looked at her confused, but when he saw the small clamps on the umbilical cord, he knew what was next, so he took the offered scissors and carefully cut the cord. "She's here. She's finally here," Ethan smiled, handing the scissors back once he was done and watched as a nurse scooped the baby up and took her over to a scale and table to check her out, clean her off and measure her.
"She is and she's beautiful," Deborah agreed, relaxing for a moment as a nurse helped clean her up and check to make sure something wasn't missed.
Ethan nodded at her response, "she is. Just like her mom."
...
While Puck and Ethan stayed with Deborah for a moment, Rachel continued to film what the nurses were doing with the baby. Once her weight and measurement had been taken, Rachel ended the video, so she could take a few photos while they were cleaning her up and checking her over. While she watched the newborn, all the emotions that she'd had been holding back began to surface, tears falling from her eyes in happiness and excitement.
Rachel knew of Deborah and Ethan's past and why they split up, but she also knew what brought them back together years later and the newborn baby was proof of the love they shared. To witness her birth was an honor to Rachel and it also helped confirm everything she'd always believed. That she and Puck's love, as well as their family bond, would make it through all the rough times ahead. It also showed Rachel that she truly was part of the Puckerman family and that meant the world to her.
Puck happened to notice Rachel wiping her eyes and now that Deborah was settled into her recovery bed, he moved over to his girlfriend and slipped an arm around her shoulders, "you okay, babe?" He asked softly.
"Yes, I am," Rachel nodded, "I'm great, actually. Through I do admit this is very emotional."
"Yeah, it is. I keep thinking about meeting Abby for the first time and wondering what our next child will be," he admitted, smiling at her.
"I wondered that, too, but I'm also thinking about what she stands for," she motioned to the newborn currently whimpering and trying to pull her foot away from the nurse putting ink on her foot to get her footprint. "Undying love and that we can make it, Noah. I've always believed it, but she's proof it."
"She is," he agreed, "and we will make it," he promised, no doubt in his mind.
...
As the newborn's tiny feet were pressed onto the paper to get her footprints, she continued to fuss, but her cries had subsided a lot now that she was warming up. Once the nurse managed to get her prints, she carefully wrapped the baby up in a soft pink blanket and gently put on a matching cap to help her stay warm.
Puck pulled his phone from his pocket and took a photo of his new sister, and then he and Rachel watched as the nurse picked up the child and carefully carried her over to her parents, "alright, mom and dad. Here she is, seven-pounds, eight-ounces and twenty-inches long," the woman told them. "Who would like to hold her first?"
"I would," Ethan said honestly and Deborah nodded, so he shifted and held his arms out to the nurse. The woman carefully laid the newborn in her dad's arms and he made sure to support her head as he sat down on the edge of Deborah's bed, "hey there baby girl," he smiled, "I'm so glad you're finally here," he said softly, leaning in to press a kiss to her cheek.
"We all are," Puck commented, as he and Rachel moved closer to them and Rachel snapped a few pictures of Ethan holding her, "so, what's her name?"
Deborah sat up a little and rested her hand on the child's head, "Dena Ariel Puckerman, spelled D-E-N-A," she explained, looking up at Puck.
"That's a beautiful name," Rachel replied.
"We thought so, but we didn't pick it for a meaning. We picked it for the spelling," Ethan admitted, shifting a little so he could hand Dena to Deborah.
"What do you mean?" Puck wondered.
"When Ethan pointed out the four letters also could stand for Deborah, Ethan, Noah and Arin, we couldn't help picking it, given everything that's gone on with our family," Deborah told them, settling her into her arms, "and the 'A' and 'R' in Ariel can be for Abigail and Rachel, too."
Rachel smiled, "you don't have to factor our names into hers, but that means a lot you would consider it. I think having just Dena representing her biological siblings and parents is a perfect idea," she replied honestly, continuing to take some photos.
"Dena," Puck reached out and brushed his finger gently over her cheek, "I like it and it also goes along with my name and Arin's because they're all four letters long."
"That, too," Ethan agreed, wiping his eyes.
Puck rested his hand on Ethan's shoulder and squeezed it gently, "congrats, dad."
Ethan smiled at him, then stood up and wrapped his arms around his son in a tight hug, "thanks, son."
As the two pulled apart, Rachel looked at them, "should we let everyone know? It's after ten-thirty and she'll have to get checked out by the pediatrician and all that, so with it being so late, wouldn't it make more sense for everyone to visit in the morning?"
"Yeah, it would, but we should at least let David, Alan, Ben, Susan and the girls know. Maybe even Carole, Burt, Finn, Quinn and Kurt," Deborah suggested, "then we can tell everyone else in the morning."
...
As news traveled to those Deborah mentioned, everyone sent their congratulations and promised to visit in the morning, understanding it was late and after the hospital's visiting hours. Dena was held for a short time by Rachel and Puck, before she was returned to her parents and the small family sat back to relax. It'd been a long and emotional day, but they were glad Dena arrived and very thankful that everything had gone smoothly.
A little after eleven, Brad returned to check on Deborah and Dena and to get the birth certificate filled out and signed and soon Dena and Ethan were getting matching hospital bracelets and she was heading off to the nursery to get checked out again. The nurse even let Rachel join her, so she could continue to take pictures and also because Rachel wanted to see what they did, since she hadn't seen everything when Abby was born the year prior.
Rachel and Dena were gone about an hour, but returned around midnight and by then Dena was hungry. Mom and daughter got situated under a sheet, so Puck and Rachel didn't get uncomfortable, "were you two planning to stay the night?" Deborah asked curiously.
"We actually haven't talked about it," Rachel replied.
"You don't have to, if you don't want to. I'll be here and Dena's staying in here with us, but you two could go home and sleep in your own bed," Ethan offered.
"We're all fine and so far everything is going well, so you guys don't need to stick around. I'm probably going to fall asleep as soon as she's done, because I'm tired," Deborah explained, "and you don't need to stay just to watch me sleep."
"Are you sure you're okay with us leaving?" Puck asked, thinking about it.
"We are," Deborah nodded, "we're so glad you both were here and Rachel, I'm sure, got some amazing photos and video, but we all need to relax and you'll be more comfortable at home."
Puck and Rachel exchanged glances, "that is true and then dad and daddy can go home and we can meet up in the morning before we all come up here again," Rachel suggested.
"Yeah, good idea," Puck agreed, realizing that his dad was there, his mom and sister were okay and knew they were in good hands if something happened, so he nodded at Rachel, "alright, we'll go."
...
After their conversation, Puck and Rachel stayed until Dena was done nursing and then the two said 'goodbye' their parents and the newest Puckerman, before returning their visitor badges and making their way out to Rachel's car.
As they walked, Puck put his arm around Rachel and pressed a kiss to her forehead, "I love you, Rach."
"I love you, too, Noah," she replied, "um, what was that for?" She wondered, unsure what exactly caused him to say it at that moment.
"Just because," he shrugged, glancing up at the clear night sky, stars twinkling in all directions, "tonight was awesome and to share it with you and everything I've been thinking of, I just know that I'm damn lucky to have you and can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."
Rachel smiled brightly and when they reached her car, she turned around and wrapped her arms around him, stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him, "I feel the same way, Noah. We're both very lucky," she agreed happily, just as something off in the distance caught her attention, "Noah, look! Shooting stars!"
Streaks of light dashed across the night sky as Puck looked up and he smiled, "we should each make a wish, huh?"
The two fell into silence for a brief moment as they both thought of something to wish for and when Puck finished, he tightened his grip on her and kissed her again, "what did you wish for, babe?"
Rachel shook her head, "I'm not telling or it won't come true."
Puck nodded in understanding, "oh yeah, that's right. Then I guess we'll have to wait and see if our wishes come true."
...
A/N3: Happy birthday, Out of the Blue! Today is 10/19/2012, and exactly three years ago today, I posted the first chapter to this story on my LJ. It began as a one-shot, something I wasn't sure anyone would want to see more of and now here we are: almost 90 chapters, over 600K words, almost 1600 reviews... It's epic and I love this story! It's my first Puckleberry story and I know I've got many more to write! Thank you to everyone who has been with me since the beginning and to those who have joined me over the years. I love all of my readers and am so thankful for the continued support and friendship that you have given me and I look forward to continuing that! Thank you, all of you for sticking with me!
A/N4: I know I just updated this story a few weeks ago and I have several WIPs that need to be updated (I'm working on them, I promise!), but given what today is and because of the topic I had planned for this story, I decided to update 'Out of the Blue' again. Besides, what better way to celebrate the story's birthday than with the birth of Puck's sister, Dena! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Please review and let me know! It is a bit shorter than my usual chapters, but those will return in the next one.
A/N5: I have a one-shot I just finished recently that will be posted sometime this month. It's kinda has a Halloween party / theme to it in honor of Halloween coming up, so look out for it!
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