A/N - I know some of you aren't going to be happy with me about this, but there is a time jump. *hides behind couch*
Disclaimer - I wish I owned Glee, but sadly I don't.
Chapter 6 – The Wickedly Nice Doctor
Three years later…
Quinn was running around the house, trying to catch the bare-naked toddler who was determined to get away from her. She'd been trying to get him dressed for the last fifteen minutes and she had to admit he was pretty fast on those little legs. "Jaxon, get your cute little butt back here!" Quinn called out, trying to hold in a laugh but failing miserably.
The little boy just giggled and ran into his bedroom, shrieking loudly. Quinn couldn't hold back her laughter anymore. Her son was definitely stubborn, but he was adorable when he was stubborn.
With his shirt, pants and diaper in her hands, the blonde snuck over to her son's bedroom, then bent down and got on all fours. She slowly and quietly crawled into the teddy bear themed room. She could hear Jax giggling. When she rounded the bookcase, she saw him crouched down under the window. And as soon as he saw her, he started squealing and laughing. Quinn rawr-ed at him with her big lion roar as he scampered onto his bed and dove under his favorite dark blue blanket.
Quinn continued to rawr at the little boy as she nudged his uncovered foot with her nose. He squealed again and yanked his foot under the blanket so his whole body was all covered.
"Oh, no! Where did Jaxon go?" Quinn wondered, smiling at her son's giggles. "Oh man! I lost him. I guess I will just leave." She turned around and began crawling toward the door.
She stopped when she heard the little boy yell, "I here, Mama!"
She turned around and saw the most precious sight – Jaxon had the blanket still covering the top of his head, his wavy dark brown hair barely poking out from under it. His brown eyes were twinkling and he had the biggest grin on his face. He was such a charming little boy.
"Oh my gosh! There he is!" she exclaimed, putting her hand over her heart.
"Silly, Mama! I under Lankie!" he laughed, pointing to his blanket. His mother stood up and walked over to his bed, sitting down on the edge.
"You are my silly Jaxon."
"Me silly."
Quinn smiled. "Yes you are. Now, we need to get you dressed so we can go see Dr. Shelby."
His eyes lit up. "Doc Shel?!" he asked.
She nodded, reaching for his legs. "Yep, but you have to get dressed first."
Jaxon crossed his arms and pouted. "No. Me naked."
"No, Jaxon. You can't go to the doctor naked."
"Just 'iaper."
"No, Jax, you can't just wear your diaper. Now, let's go."
After twenty minutes and a very stubborn toddler, the two Fabrays were out the door and on their way to the doctor's office.
~~~~~QR~~~~~
Quinn was thankful the waiting room only had one other mother with her young daughter who were waiting. It was always a headache when there were tons of kids running around, breathing their germs on each other.
It didn't take long for the nurse to call Jaxon's name and they were escorted back to an examination room.
Quinn loved the way Dr. Corcoran…Shelby…decorated all the exam rooms. Each room had a Broadway theme and was very colorful. There was the Wizard of Oz room, the Lion King room, Finding Neverland room, and Jaxon's favorite – the Wicked room.
And as luck would have it, they were taken to that room.
Jaxon ran into the room. "'Reen!" he called excitedly as he pointed at the green walls. "'itch hat room!"
Not only were the rooms painted for their particular theme, they also contained several props to keep the kids entertained. Obviously Jaxon's favorite were the witch's hat and the broom as he put the black hat on, straddled the broom and 'flew' around the room. Quinn chuckled at him. She pulled her phone out and took several pictures of him as he ran around, holding a fist up in the air.
"I fly!" he squealed just as the door opened and the beautiful brown haired doctor walked into the room.
Shelby stood in the doorway, watching the little brown haired, brown eyed boy as he was lost in his own imagination. She still couldn't believe how much he looked like Rachel. She remembered when Rachel did the same exact thing with the witch's hat and broom when she was little.
"There's my little man!" Shelby exclaimed, a big smile on her face.
Jaxon stopped and turned toward the voice. "Doc Shel!" he exclaimed as he dropped the broom and ran over to her, throwing his arms around her legs.
Shelby laughed and picked him up. She ruffled his curly hair. "I hear that a sweet little boy just had a birthday."
Jaxon's smile grew wide. He bounced in her arms and yelled, "Me!"
"Oh really?" Shelby asked, looking over at Quinn and giving her a wink. "And how old is Jaxon Berry Fabray now?"
"Three!" he exclaimed, holding up three fingers.
"No way! You're already that old?" she feigned innocence. "I thought you wanted to stay two forever."
He furiously shook his head, pointing at his own chest and said, "No! No, me three! Me big boy!"
Shelby smiled at him.
He pointed over at Quinn. "Mama say I big boy."
"And your mama is right, you are a big boy now." Shelby gave him a big hug, kissing him on the top of his head and setting him back down on his feet. He immediately went back to playing with the hat and broom.
Shelby pulled the wheeled stool over to the table, laying Jaxon's chart down. She opened it and looked over his past examinations and notes. She looked up at Quinn and had to smile as she watched the blonde gaze at the little boy with unending love in her eyes. She knew Quinn was a great mother and she was so happy that the blonde was raising her grandson. Of course, the blonde didn't know that little tidbit of information, but Shelby was still grateful for the love Quinn was always showing to Jaxon.
"So, Quinn. How has Jax been doing?"
Quinn looked back over at Shelby. "He's doing great. I think he's beginning a growth spurt. We measure him against his bedroom wall, and the latest mark is a couple inches higher than the last one."
"Well, just looking at him, he looks perfectly healthy."
The two women silently watched the little boy pick up a stuffed flying monkey and began talking to it.
"Hey, Jax?" Shelby called. He looked over at her. "Will you come sit up on the table so we can listen to your heart?"
He nodded. Quinn lifted him up onto the table.
Shelby took out her stethoscope and reached out to place it on his heart.
"Me listen?" Jax asked.
Shelby smiled. "Sure." She put the buds in his ears and placed the other end over his heart.
Both women could tell he was concentrating really hard, then a huge smile filled his face as he heard his heartbeat. "I hear it!" he exclaimed with wide bright eyes. He pulled the buds out of his ears and held them out to Quinn. "Mama, hear it!"
Quinn put them in her ears and smiled when she heard the familiar heartbeat she had heard during each of his ultrasounds. "It sounds great, Jax!"
"Hear it!" Jaxon told the doctor.
Shelby put the buds in her ears and smiled at the little boy. "You have a strong heartbeat, sweetie."
Jaxon grinned proudly like his heartbeat was a personal accomplishment.
Surprisingly, Jaxon was well behaved for the rest of his exam. He didn't even throw a fit when Shelby had to test his joints and muscles. When his part was over, Shelby told him that he could return to the toys. He didn't need to be told twice as he jumped down and hurried back over to where he had left the hat, broom and monkey.
"He's looking really good, Quinn," she smiled at the young woman. "You are doing a fantastic job."
Quinn blushed. "Thank you."
"However, there are a couple things we should talk about."
"Okay."
The doctor looked down at Jaxon's chart. "Has Jax expressed any interest in potty training?"
Quinn let out a deep breath, shaking her head. "No, not yet. But I hope he does soon."
"That's fine. He will warm up to the idea soon, just be patient. We'll check his progress the next time he comes back here."
"However, he is having a problem with never wanting to put clothes on. He prefers to run around naked all the time."
Shelby muffled her loud laugh. Rachel had the same issue. "That's too funny."
Quinn shook her head. "I swear, that little boy. Whenever I turn around, he has his clothes off and is running around the house butt naked. I have no idea where he gets it from," she said, then a recent photo of Rachel in People magazine, wearing only short cut-off jean shorts and a skimpy tank top, filled her mind.
Shelby smiled, then flipped through a few pages of the medical chart. "Quinn, there is one thing… and it's not a big deal at all, but I just wanted you to know about it…"
Quinn felt her heart plummet. Was something wrong with her baby?
Seeing the fear on the blonde's face, Shelby quickly went on. "…Don't worry, Quinn, it's nothing to worry about. It's just… his heart has a very small murmur."
'That doesn't sound good,' Quinn thought to herself nervously.
Shelby went on, "My daughter had the same thing when she was his age and she grew out of it. Pretty much all kids who have it grow out of it."
Quinn blew out a big breath she didn't even know she had been holding. "Okay. So… he'll be fine?"
"Yes, he will be perfectly fine. I just wanted you to know."
The blonde looked over at the little boy who filled her heart. "Good." She turned back to Shelby. "I didn't know you had a daughter, Shelby."
Shelby's brown eyes grew large when she realized what she had let slip out. "Uh… yeah. Yeah, I have a daughter."
Quinn smiled. "Well, she is one lucky girl."
"Thanks," Shelby ducked her head in embarrassment.
"I have a question."
'Oh no,' Shelby prayed, hoping Quinn wouldn't ask anything about Rachel.
"What do you think causes the heart to have a murmur?" Quinn asked.
The doctor let out a relieved breath. "Oh… um, it's genetic. A parent passes the particular gene on. But that doesn't mean that all your children will have a heart murmur."
Quinn nodded, lost in thought. She didn't know of any of her extended family that had had a heart murmur. 'It must come from Rachel's side.'
That reminded her of another question she wanted to ask the doctor. "I came across an article that was talking about the different genes that are passed down from parent to child, and one stuck out to me. It talked about a disease called Tay-Sachs Disease and how it is… more common… in a child if their parents were from Jewish descent."
Shelby nodded. "That is correct."
"I…um…" she looked down at her hands. "Well, Jaxon's… other parent… is Jewish, and I wondered if we needed to test him for that disease."
Shelby obviously knew about the disease and as soon as she found out in the hospital when Jaxon was born that he was Rachel's son, she tested him for it. "Don't worry, Quinn. I had a feeling and… uh, I already tested him. He doesn't have it."
Quinn was relieved. "Oh thank goodness. That makes me feel so much better."
Shelby smiled. "Any other questions?"
"No. I think I'm good." Quinn looked over at her bouncy son. She was so thankful that he was healthy.
"Well…" the doctor began as she stood up. "Keep doing what you're doing, Quinn. Whatever it is, it's working. Jaxon is a very well-behaved and good little boy." She walked over to the little brunette and crouched down so she could look into the same set of identical eyes as hers. "Well, Jax. You are good to go home now."
Jaxon didn't like that suggestion. He was having fun and wanted to stay and play. "No. Stay play."
"Jaxon, sweetheart. We are all done here," Quinn told him.
The little brunette shook his head, folded his arms across his chest and poked out his bottom lip in defiance. Shelby's eyes grew wide - he was the spitting image of Rachel! The singer had looked and acted the exact same when she was his age and wasn't able to get her own way. Actually, she still acted that way sometimes.
"Jaxon Berry Fabray," Quinn said sternly in her 'no nonsense' voice. "I said it was time to go."
"But I play wif Doc Shel," he told her, shooting puppy dogs eyes at the doctor.
The older brunette chuckled. "Oh, my little boy, come here." Miraculously he put away the toys and slowly walked over to the doctor. She gathered him up in her arms, giving him a big hug. "I love playing toys with you, Jaxon." He grinned, hoping he could stay. "You are my number one witch sidekick. But you need to listen to your Mama and do what she tells you, because she loves you so very much and she only does what is the very best for you. Okay?"
He reluctantly nodded his head, his eyes focused on picking at his fingers. "Okay, Doc Shel," he muttered.
She smiled. "Okay. And always remember that I love you." She pulled him in for another big hug, giving him a kiss on the side of his head.
"Luv you too," he said, throwing his arms around her neck.
Quinn watched the interaction between her son and Shelby and found it fascinating. It amazed her how much love she could see pouring off the doctor toward her son. The two brunettes definitely had a unique bond.
~~~~~QR~~~~~
"I can't believe we're actually going to be on the Ellen Show!" Blaine exclaimed to the rest of the band as they walked into the large building where the talk show was filmed.
Blaine had been giddy ever since they heard the news from Tina two weeks ago. Kurt was just as excited and had spent the last two weeks shopping for outfits for him and Blaine. He couldn't care less about the rest of the band's wardrobe, his thoughts were only on him, Blaine and Ellen; and if the gods answered his prayer – Portia would show up. Oh how he would just die if they saw Ellen and Portia together!
Rachel rolled her eyes and giggled at Blaine's words. Even though he and Kurt had been obnoxiously irritating these past two weeks, she had to admit that she was excited to meet Ellen too.
Time flew by and before they knew it, a producer met them in their dressing room and informed them of what was going to happen.
"In about ten minutes, during a commercial break," he told them, "you guys are going to go out on the stage. Your instruments and mics are already set up and ready, so all you need to do is get comfortable. Then after you perform, there will be another commercial break. After that, we will have stools set up on the stage for all of you and Ellen. She wants to interview you guys and ask some questions that the fans sent in. Sound good?"
The band all looked around at each other and nodded. The producer grinned and said, "Excellent! Our Assistant Stage Manager will be here shortly to escort you to the stage."
As soon as he left, the five members of the band plus Kurt, Mercedes, Tina and Holly, gathered in a tight circle and had their traditional family huddle.
"Okay you guys," Holly started. "Being here is huge! But you all totally deserve it."
Tina nodded. "You have worked so hard for so long and now you can enjoy the perks of super stardom. So go out there and have fun!"
Everyone cheered and their excitement escalated. They were led to the dimly lit stage a few minutes later where Jake got comfortable behind the drums, Puck and Sam picked up their guitars, Blaine stood behind the keyboard and Rachel pulled the microphone off the stand.
The director counted down from the commercial break and then pointed to Ellen to begin.
Ellen grinned at the camera and said, "Welcome back everyone! I have to warn all those who are watching at home on your televisions that you might want to turn the volume down, because as soon as I announce our next guests, your speakers might explode from all the noise this audience is going to make."
Some loud cheers and whistles were heard from the audience.
Ellen chuckled. "Keep your panties on," she told the crowd then turned back to the camera. "Here to grace our stage and blow out all the speakers are the number one recording artists and multi Grammy Award winning band… New Directions!"
The lights slowly illuminated the dark stage and screams from the audience filled the studio as Rachel Berry, looking sexy as hell in her black leather pants and black tank top with black ankle boots to complete the orgasm-induced outfit, came into view. She stood behind the microphone stand, her right hand on the mic while her head bobbed to the beat of the opening bars of the song.
Rachel glanced back at her four bandmates, then lifted the microphone to her mouth and began to sing:
Come out of the shadow
Step into the light
This could be the moment
Are you ready to fight?
Don't you know, you know
You're not the only one
Why so low, so low
What are you waiting for
All I ever hear are whispers
All I ever hear are whispers
When the chorus began, more lights flared to life, colorfully lighting up the stage and the entire studio along with it. Full of energy, Rachel pulled the mic from the stand and wandered the stage, making sure to interact with the audience but also with the camera, causing the viewers at home to feel just as connected to the brunette as if they too were in the studio.
But I just wanna hear your voice
Don't be afraid
Why don't you scream a little louder
Turn it up
I know you can
Come on and scream a little louder
Oh, oh-hoh, oh-hoh,
Why don't you scream a little louder
Oh, oh-hoh, oh-hoh,
Why don't you scream a little louder
Rachel showcased her range by hitting those high notes. And after every one, the crowd screamed in support and love for the singer. They were all entranced in Rachel's performance.
The verses of the song were a little less intense than the chorus, so the lights would calm back down, dimming slightly. However, that didn't stop the singer on stage from performing with just as much energy and conviction.
Wanna be remembered?
Stand out in the crowd
Don't choke on the fire
It's tryin' to burn you out
Why so low, so low
What are you waiting for
All I ever hear are whispers
All I ever hear are whispers
Once again for the chorus, the lights picked up, flashing around the stage. Comfortably roaming about the stage, Rachel took a breath and smiled. She was in her element and it was exhilarating.
But I just wanna hear your voice
Don't be afraid
Why don't you scream a little louder
Turn it up
I know you can
Come on and scream a little louder
Oh, oh-hoh, oh-hoh,
Why don't you scream a little louder
Oh, oh-hoh, oh-hoh,
Why don't you scream a little louder
Come out of the shadow
Step into the light
This could be the moment
It could change your life
All I ever hear are whispers
A few small pyrotechnics flared up in the background and the studio audience went wild. The golden spray of sparks sent a thrill through everyone watching.
But I just wanna hear your voice
Don't be afraid
Why don't you scream a little louder
Turn it up
I know you can
Come on and scream a little louder
Oh, oh-hoh, oh-hoh,
Why don't you scream a little louder
Turn it up
I know you can
Why don't you scream a little louder
Oh, oh-hoh, oh-hoh,
Why don't you scream a little louder
Rachel lowered the microphone as the last chord faded out.
The hysterical screams in the audience about blew the roof off the studio. The band, all grinning and laughing, bowed for the crowd as the director called out for the commercial break.
After the commercial break, the five band members were all sitting on black wooden stools set up in a curve shape and Ellen was sitting to their left so she could see them all.
Ellen began as she addressed the camera, "New Directions had some extra time to spend with us today-"
Loud screams from the audience interrupted the host. Then a girl shouted, "I love you, Rachel!"
Rachel grinned, laughing as she tucked a strand of her long brunette hair behind her ear and looked in the direction of the call-out. "I love you too," she said.
They all laughed when a high pitched squeal was heard, obviously from the receiver of that love.
"Well, Rachel," Ellen said turning to look at the diva. "It looks like you have some admirers."
Before Rachel could answer, Puck scoffed and cut in, "Some? Ellen, out of all of us, Rach has the most fans."
"Actually, if you combine all of our fans together," Blaine said, indicating to the four boys, "Rachel would still have more."
"No I wouldn't!" Rachel exclaimed, her face blushing as everyone laughed at her embarrassment. "We all have fantastic fans, who we love for their unending support. We honestly couldn't do what we do without our fans," she told Ellen.
"Well," the host said, holding up a stack of notecards. "We posted on our website last week that you guys were going to be on the show and asked your fans to send in any questions they wanted us to ask."
They all nodded. Sam and Jake both said "Cool".
Ellen shuffled through the cards. "And we received over a million questions."
The entire band balked.
"Seriously?" Puck asked.
"Yep," the host said, looking down at the cards. "Okay… this one is for the whole band. 'Can you guys please come to Boise, Idaho on your next tour? My friends and I really want to see you in concert.'"
Blaine spoke up first, "We're currently planning our next tour for the end of the year. We've had several cities added to the schedule and our manager is in discussions with a few more venues. So, who knows. Hopefully."
Ellen read the next card, "Who is the biggest practical joker? I bet it's Jake."
Puck and Sam cracked up and shoved Jake while the drummer yelled, "Hey! That's not fair!"
"You are definitely the biggest prankster in the band," Puck told his brother.
"But Cassie is worse than me," Jake defended himself.
"True," the rest of the band nodded their agreement.
Ellen raised an eyebrow and asked, "Cassie? Is she a girlfriend?"
"No no no no," they said, shaking their heads furiously.
"Cassandra July is my best friend," Rachel informed the host. "She comes on tour with us whenever she has some downtime in her career."
Ellen nodded then turned back to the cards. "Ah, this one is for you, Rachel. 'I wanted to ask Rachel if she has a girlfriend; and if not, what she is looking for in a girlfriend. I hope I'm her perfect girl!'"
The crowd "awww" and cheered. Some even yelled, "Tell us!" Probably hoping that they were Rachel's perfect girl too.
Rachel chuckled, looking a little embarrassed. "Well… I do not have a girlfriend…"
She was cut off with cheers and whistles and "I love you"s from the crowd.
Rachel just smiled at them and crossed her leather-clad legs to get more comfortable. "What I think the perfect girl for me is… Let's see – she has to be kind, ambitious, down to earth, a good listener. She needs to be patient since my life is pretty crazy," Rachel laughed.
"I hate to admit this, Rachel," Ellen interrupted the singer, "but I thought your perfect girl would be someone who was wild, likes to have fun and go to parties… an energetic dancer, or someone like that."
Rachel curled her lip up and shook her head. "No, not at all. I do admit that I'm not surprised most people have that impression of me, considering who I've been seen with at parties or in the tabloids. And that type of girl is a lot of fun and wild to hang out with, but honestly I'm ready to calm my life down a little. I want a girl who loves me for me, one who makes learning a priority, likes art and museums, able to walk around hand in hand with really no destination just being together, someone who is smart and loves to read and wants to have a family."
Ellen smiled at the singer's answer. "I have to say, Rachel, that a large portion of your description sounds like you are looking for a slightly nerdy girl."
Rachel laughed as the audience cheered. "I guess you could say that. Opposites attract, right?"
"Yes, they do. And I am happy that nerdy girls like me everywhere have a chance at winning the heart of the most popular singer in the country," Ellen said, encouraging the crowd to yell and make noise.
The interview lasted ten more minutes with lots of fan questions directed at different members of the band. It was an experience that they would always remember.
~~~~~QR~~~~~
A/N - I hope you're all not mad at me. *innocent face* Let me know!
Song: "Louder" by Lea Michele