Back At One
Disclaimer: I never owned Glee
Chapter 1: Love Me Anyway
Noah Puckerman stood by Quinn Fabray's bedside, clenching his fists as he saw her lying motionless with tubes in her veins. He hadn't seen her in three years and didn't hear about her car wreck until an hour ago. As he stood there, the radio started playing Pink's song "Love Me Anyway," but he heard Quinn's voice instead and broke down. He knew Quinn had crashed her car on purpose. Noah took her hand and gently kissed it as tears streamed down his face. He had never told Quinn how sorry he was for running out on her. Noah knew this was his last chance. He whispered a prayer to the heavens, begging for her recovery, and he vowed never to let her go again if she survived. He stayed by her side, holding her hand, until she woke up.
Soon, Burt Hummel, Kurt Anderson's father, and Noah's mother, Norah, enter the room with a three-year-old girl asleep in their arms. Then Burt says, "This is my granddaughter, Tracy."
Then Norah puts the other girl in Noah's arms and says, "This is your daughter, Lucy Quinn Puckerman. Quinn's parents wanted to abort her, but I said no. I had to have a paternity test to prove she was yours before I could get custody of her."
Noah looks at Lucy as he says, "Sarah, Rachel, Kurt, and Blaine posted pictures of her on Facebook and called her Beth's sister. I thought Shelby had adopted another little girl until now. Why didn't you tell me sooner, Mom?"
Noah didn't wait for an answer as Lucy woke up and touched his face as she said, "Daddy?" She hugs him and squeezes his neck before breaking down.
Noah takes Quinn's hand and sings along with Garth Brooks's song When You Come Back To Me Again, as it plays on the TV in the room. Noah kisses her lips as Rachel St. James enters the room, then he hands Lucy to Norah before having her and Burt leave the room with the girls. He looks at Quinn as he tells Rachel, "I'm sorry I didn't keep in touch after Finn died, Rachel. I get how you felt. Finn was your everything, and then he was ripped from your life in one second. I don't know if Quinn will wake up or not. But I hope we can start over as friends. When Finn died, I thought no one understood how I felt. I never once thought about how you felt. Now I get why you went back to Jesse. You wanted to feel happy again like Mr. and Mrs. H."
Burt returns as Noah starts throwing things around the room before he breaks down crying and falls to his knees. He sobs as he repeatedly says, "Why didn't anyone tell me about Quinn or Lucy? What did I do to deserve this? Why, God, why? I am not like my dad!" Soon, Burt has Rachel leave as he helps Noah up and sits him in the chair next to Quinn's bed.
Noah felt Quinn's hand in his and looked up to see her wide awake. He didn't even notice Burt leaving to get a doctor; all of his attention was on Quinn. Suddenly, everything else that had happened before seemed insignificant, and not knowing she was in a coma or about Lucy seemed irrelevant.
As soon as they were alone, Quinn broke down as Beth came in, holding Lucy. It was impossible to understand her. Soon, Lucy wiggles out of Beth's hold and climbs Quinn's bed before saying, "Hi Mama, it's okay. I'm Lucy Quinn Puckerman. Nana Norah named me after you. Daddy didn't know about me until today, either. Tracy's mama, Rachel, and her parents were the only ones trying to tell him about me. Grandpa Burt wants to give Daddy a job at his car shop." Quinn glares at Burt as he enters the room and shakes her head. Then throws a tissue box at him before breaking down.
When she calms down, she says, "Fuck, Er, Nono go. Burt, talk about your Beth."
As Noah leaves, Quinn says, "Was your Beth the reason everybody was afraid? Did they think I would die?"
Burt takes Quinn's hand and says, "Please don't make me say what Kurt always told me, Quinn. You're here, and that's all that matters."
Quinn looked out the window as she said, "I crashed on purpose, Mr. H. I was depressed after breaking up with Nono. I didn't know I was pregnant. Why didn't my parents raise Lucy?"
Then Norah enters and says, "They wanted to abort her, and I fought to keep her alive. I didn't want to tell Puck about Lucy or you because I thought he would leave you when the pressure got to him. I'm sorry, Quinn."
Quinn glances at Burt and yells, "You better be! I could have died like Kurt's mom! How could you keep Lucy a secret? You know what? Go!" Burt has Norah leave and sits by Quinn's bedside.
Quinn starts throwing things around and screaming before Burt holds her until she calms down. As Noah returns, Quinn says, "Why didn't I just die?" repeatedly. Burt is about to say something when Noah has him leave before Noah wraps his arms around Quinn as he lies beside her.
Burt returns fifteen minutes later, and Noah says, "I heard from Rachel that you tried to get Mom to tell me about Lucy since she was born."
Burt sighs and says, "That's why I told you about Quinn, Puck. I knew she wouldn't, and it made me mad that she and Quinn's parents didn't think you should know anything. Elizabeth's parents tried to get custody of Kurt after she died because they didn't think I could raise him right. They knew he was gay since he was six and were trying to get me to send him away to one of those camps. I refused to send him and had cut off contact with them by the time I met Carole. I'm glad Quinn is alive, but I hate that her parents are like Elizabeth's."
Tracy and Lucy soon run in, and Tracy says, "Queenie's parents had Nono's mama arrested, and now they want to take Lucy and Queenie away from Nono." Rachel and Santana soon rush in as they hear Carole yelling at someone.
Burt and Noah storm out to see Carole and Norah in handcuffs. Noah sees Quinn's mother, Judy, and gets in her face, yelling, "Quinn may not be my girlfriend, but Lucy is my daughter! You took Beth from me! You are not taking Lucy!" He sees Nancy Abrams, Artie's mom, walking down the hall with Tina and Artie.
He looks at Burt and then back at Nancy before continuing, "I never stopped loving Quinn, and I will do whatever it takes to see you never see them again! Quinn is my world, and I am nothing like my dad!"
He picks up Lucy, who ran out of Quinn's hospital room, and tells the police, "Let Mrs. Hummel and my mom go. I want to file a restraining order against Ms. Fabray's parents."
Soon, Quinn's parents are arrested, and Lucy says, "Nana Judy is a meanie; she tried to send me to a school where Uncle Blaine's parents live. Nana Norah told Grandpa Burt before you came to see Mama. She also tried to get me to pretend I was Tracy." Then Norah takes Lucy as Patrick and Pam Anderson appear behind Nancy.
Patrick looks at Lucy, saying, "They tried to get Shelby to adopt her, but she wouldn't, and Burt has been helping Norah keep Quinn's parents from taking her."
Patrick pulls Noah aside and continues, "General Michael Young and I went to school together. Puck, don't tell Quinn or Blaine this, but Judy hired someone to hurt Tracy in response to Burt trying to get her to tell you about Quinn."
Noah looks at Tracy and Lucy playing in the hall. Then he said, "I'm sure you heard stories about Mr. H's anger from Kurt, but did he tell you about mine?"
Patrick chuckles and says, "No, but Tracy refers to you and Burt as Hulks." Then Noah storms out.
Noah heads straight to the police station. Soon, Noah is in an interrogation room talking to Judy. Noah gets in Judy's face and says, "I can't believe you!"
He sits down across from her and continues, "I know I ruined Quinn's life when I got her pregnant with Beth. But keeping Lucy a secret from me wasn't smart, nor was trying to replace Mr. H's granddaughter."
He knew Judy knew that Tracy was Kurt's daughter, but calling her Burt's granddaughter was his way of reminding her that Burt had the same past. But Judy wasn't falling for it and crossed her arms as she said, "Burt didn't get Elizabeth pregnant or accuse her of getting him drunk. Burt is a better man than you. I don't know why he would defend you or why he is on Norah's side."
Noah gets in Judy's face and yells, "Think about it! Kurt hasn't heard from Elizabeth's family since she died because they thought Mr. H was like me! A loser, and they did Kurt a favor by cutting off all contact with them! Which is what you should do! Lucy has my mom as a grandma, and Mr. H is her grandpa now!" He soon storms out and returns to the hospital. Never noticing Burt's truck at the police station.
Chapter 2 will be up soon.