I apologize for the wait and the shortness of the chapter
"Make it stop." Santana tried to roll away from the offending noise but couldn't because Brittany was leaning over her to shut off the alarm. "Why are we up this early?"
"So we can be there when the zoo opens." Santana glared at Quinn, the blonde was leaned against the door barely awake herself. Quinn yawned rubbing her eyes smirking when Brittany leapt out of bed running for the bathroom, stepping into the room Quinn let the taller blonde run by "All I know is someone made bacon so I will see you down stairs." her eyes still not completely open Quinn turned bumping into a laughing and already showered Mercedes.
"You might want to tidy up a bit, your boyfriend's down there."
"Nope." Quinn shook her head "I need bacon." Mercedes laughed following her.
Sitting up and stretching Santana blinked rubbing her eyes, she'd learned very early on she needed to eat in the mornings before anything else, well almost anything else, she shuffled to the other bathroom upstairs.
By the time she made it down stairs Mike was sitting next to Quinn beaming while he ate what Santana knew to be his second breakfast, "You are entirely too chipper at this time of day." Santana grumped sitting in her chair Mike chuckled, her mom already had a plate ready for her. "Where's Matt?"
"Packing the van with your father, they're going over the check list too." Maribel answered putting a plate down for Brittany, she knew the blonde would be down in a few minutes, Santana nodded drinking the milk in front of her. Wiping her mouth Quinn kissed Mike's cheek as she stole his bacon before heading back to the room to get ready, Mercedes was helping with Beth so Quinn could eat and shower.
"Breakfast smells really good." Brittany chirped as she came in the kitchen, her hair was in a simple braid and it was still wet. Kissing the top of Santana's head Brittany sat next to her "Good morning babe."
"Morning." Santana yawned still not awake.
"I promise we'll call you and Burt if there's any problems with the van." Matt said following behind Luis."Are you really eating again?" Mike smirked shoving more hash browns in his mouth.
"So what animals are you hoping to see?" Maribel asked tilting her head and getting a kiss from Luis as he took his plate from her.
"Wolf." Maribel chuckled at Santana's answer, she already knew that one.
"I like the penguins, they have the African penguins at the zoo, San said we were going to see them."
"They have a capybara in the petting zoo." Mike said excitedly.
"That's a rat." Santana arched her eyebrow at him.
Mike dramatically gasped causing Brittany to giggle. "To be fair mija your's is just a dog." Maribel laughed when Santana gasped.
"...and we're going to see the giraffes because Auntie Cedes loves them, Mommy loves otters so we'll see them too." Mercedes kept speaking to the sleeping Beth as she came into the kitchen, standing up Mike took her from Mercedes.
"We'll see Auntie Tana's dogs." Mike stuck his tongue out at Santana as he started slowly dancing with Beth. "Auntie Britty loves penguins, we have a movie we're going to watch with her and your cousins when you get bigger." Mike promised.
"Yes." Brittany agreed.
It took Quinn and then Santana a good half hour combined to finished their showers, Quinn was back at the table eating breakfast with Mike who'd had the baby stolen from him by Brittany who was humming and swaying out in the living room. Santana smiled, standing at the bottom of the steps she watched Brittany with Beth knowing she would be the exact same way with her daughters. She wasn't sure how long she was standing watching Brittany but it was long enough that Brittany caught her and smiled "Feel better?"
"I feel awake." Santana didn't bother to cover her yawn. "Sort of." Santana chuckled stepping off the final step "Let's give Baby B back to her Mami and get going."
"We'll get you some coffee." Brittany followed Santana into the kitchen.
"Yes please." Santana mumbled.
Her coffee tucked securely in her cup holder and her sunglasses on Santana curled to Brittany's side for the first of many photos, Quinn leaned in for the picture with Beth before leaning to Mercedes so the curvy black girl could take a photo with her, all in all it took about five minutes for the group to get photos together and call parents to let them know they were getting in the van and heading out.
Punching his Mom's number into his phone Mike waited watching Quinn climb into the van with Beth in her car seat, they had the back bench seat, following behind once they were settled Mike smiled "Good morning Michael."
"Good morning."
"Are you leaving?" Julia asked.
"Just getting in the van now, I'm certain that Beth and Santana will sleep for most of the trip." he chuckled, Santana flipped him off getting in her captain's chair.
"Well let them." Julia lightly chuckled. "I put some money in your account, please buy something for yourself, Quinn and Beth from me."
"Oh..okay, thank you Mom." Mike glanced at Quinn, her eyes narrowed as she buckled the car seat in place.
"Have a good time, love you."
"We will, thank you," Mike promised "Love you too."
"Call me when you get there."
"I will." Mike said helping Quinn tuck in Beth's blanket. "Bye Mom."
"Bye Michael."
Hanging up Mike quickly poked his phone, blinking in surprise his mother had given him three hundred dollars. Resting her hand on his bicep Quinn softly asked "Are you okay?"
"Yea," Mike nodded giving Quinn a smile "Mom put money in my account, told me to buy me, you and Beth something."
"Oh."
"Yea." Mike chuckled.
"Come here." Quinn leaned closer to him, he wasn't sure what she was going to do but he did as requested, Quinn snapped a quick picture before kissing his cheek and taking another picture.
"Get a room." Santana mumbled.
"You're just mad I got a hot dancer too." Quinn quipped before kissing Mike one last time before buckling herself in, without looking Santana flipped Quinn off.
"Baby be nice." Brittany reprimanded slipping into her captain's chair.
"Quinn's being mean to me." Santana pouted, taking Santana's hand Brittany brought it to her lips and kissed the Latina's knuckles.
"You just nap baby, or have one of your churros..."
"Bacon!" Quinn gasped remembering her snack choice, chuckling Mike reached behind the seat where Matt had put their ice chest, grabbing her chocolate covered bacon he handed it to her. Brittany had their ice chest wedged right behind the one for Matt and Mercedes, which was between their seats, leaning Brittany grabbed Santana's churros.
"Thank you sweetie." Santana smiled taking the container from Brittany.
"Welcome." Brittany smiled pulling her phone out to text her mom, Mercedes was doing the same. Matt had already called his parents so they were waiting outside to wave as they drove by.
"Seat belts." Matt reminded adjusting the mirrors before he started the van, hooking up his phone he set the GPS as the rest of the group continued to call and text their parents to let them know they were leaving. Brittany sending a text to her mom with one of the group photos they took before climbing into the van, Quinn sent a picture of her and Mike to her mom and his mom along with the message of 'Just leaving now.' The group waved at Matt's parents and sisters as they drove by the house yelling "Bye!"
Once out of the neighborhood they rolled up the windows and turned on the music, not loud because of the sleeping baby, but that didn't stop them from singing along.
Despite drinking her coffee and eating a churro Santana fell asleep and so did Quinn, Mike covered Quinn with his Letterman jacket while Brittany covered Santana with a small pink blanket covered in duckies, Mercedes took a picture sending it to Mike and Brittany.
"Can we listen to soft music?" Brittany asked.
Matt nodded understanding that she meant slow, he had a disc just for that, all of Brittany's favorites. "It's in the CD case, marked Brittany." Matt said to Mercedes, he'd given her the tiny case when they got in, nodding Mercedes opened it flipping the pages, he had one marked for himself and Mike and each of the Unholy Trinity as well as one marked for the trio. Brittany had two, one marked Disney and one marked slow songs. Grabbing the second one Mercedes put it in, it wasn't a sad slow song that started just a soft romance song.
Brittany settled in her seat singing to Santana as she watched Santana sleep, Mike smiled picking up his phone he recorded it, he would show Santana later. Brittany really was the best thing for her, the girls took care of each other.
The cement guys had already put in the path ways, everything wheelchair accessible, which of course was perfect for the hospital so the first thing they were going to do was the soil and then the gazebo. "So what are we planting?" Finn asked carrying the bags for the soil while Puck pulled the cart with the gazebo boxes.
"Two trees, two rose bushes, some butterfly weed..."
"What's that?"
"It's a flower that butterflies and humming birds dig, I think the people might like it." Puck explained, when Finn looked at him amused Puck said. "Shut up, I've been paying attention to Mr. Pierce about what plants are most popular and shit. Like the roses, he says the medium pink rose means a lot of things like cheering up the people who are sick and helping the people who are upset. I wrote that shit down, they're good for a hospital. I got some photos framed and ready to put in the gazebo of an oak tree and palm trees and a cedar tree, the oak means courage and palm trees mean peace, the cedar's for healing."
"You have put a lot of thought into this." Finn grunted as he dropped the bags into his designated flower areas.
"Mr. Pierce and Coach believe in me, I don't want to screw this up." Puck admitted.
"I got your back." Finn nodded.
"Alright," Puck parked his cart locking the wheels "selfie time." making sure he had the soil and cart in the background Puck took a selfie with Finn before recording a quick before video and a few photos. "Let's do this." setting multiple alarms on his phone Puck tucked it in his pocket.
"She's still pretty fast." Quinn chuckled watching Santana bolt for the diner with Brittany close behind.
"Mikey wanna see what they got?" Matt asked as he climbed out to stretch.
"You want anything?" Mike asked unbuckling.
"Surprise me" Quinn smiled unbuckling Beth, "I'm going to change her and see if she's hungry."
"Okay." Mike nodded, leaning he kissed her before climbing out.
Mercedes smiled watching the boys both pull out their phones to call their parents, sitting down in the opening of the sliding door Mercedes asked Quinn "How are you guys doing? You're both quiet today."
Quinn sighed putting the changing pad on the floor of the van before sitting on the floor with Beth in her arms "My mom gave me an envelope of cash and Mike's dad doesn't want me with him."
"You told me that, we got snacks with it and put it in the bank and I already suspected the other thing, Mike's dad's high strung." Mercedes said trying to get Quinn to laugh.
"It was more money than I told you and Mike's parents were arguing about me this morning." Quinn said laying Beth down to change her, her phone pinging behind her head on the seat Quinn glanced at it, she'd check her texts when she was finished .
"How much more?" Mercedes asked carefully, she could tell by the eyebrow arch it was way more than she'd told them earlier in the morning. "Okay, insane amount, got it." Mercedes nodded. "And the Changs?"
"Mrs. Chang likes me, she adores Beth, I just don't want to start anything between his parents." Quinn admitted with a frown before smiling down at Beth "He's so good to us and he's not trying to be her dad but he's always helping me with her."
"How about we stop thinking about our parents, other then checking in with them, and just have a good time today?" Mercedes asked. "No worrying today."
"Okay." Quinn nodded finishing up with Beth. "I'm just going to feed her." Quinn said sitting up with Beth in her arms.
"I'll stay with you until your man gets back." Mercedes chuckled.
"Thank you for coming along, it gives us an even number and Matt someone to hang out with if we're paired off doing couple things. We're not trying to force you to date, we just don't want him to be alone." Quinn said searching for the pre-made bottle.
"I get it." Mercedes nodded. "Ooh, your honey's back." Mercedes teased.
"Shut up." Quinn rolled her eyes.
"Hey." Mike smiled "They want to eat here, is that okay?"
"I'm good." Mercedes opened the passenger door grabbing her purse.
Leaning in the van Mike held his hands out for Beth, since she'd just changed her Quinn left the diaper bag but brought the car seat and burp cloth and her purse. Matt locked the van from the diner entrance after they closed all the doors.
Once they were seated in the corner Quinn took Beth to feed her, while the others figured out seating arrangements, Santana, of course, was on the end because of her being pregnant and left handed. "Somebody grab my phone please, Puck texted me."
"If it's the same thing he texted me it's a picture of him and Finn starting work on the hospital job." Santana said opening the kids menu for Brittany so she could do the puzzles.
"Daddy and Uncle Brighton are letting them do the job themselves." Brittany said taking the crayons and paper from Santana.
"Finn says Puck's doing a good job at the landscaping stuff, since they bought the pool cleaning business from Puck they put him in charge of it, he takes Finn along to help clean." Santana said as she looked over the menu, she almost missed the four shocked faces. "What?"
"Finn? Not Finnocence or Frankenteen?" Mercedes asked.
"There wasn't one insult in there." Quinn said surprised.
"You actually talk to Finn?" Matt chuckled.
"Shut up." Santana rolled her eyes muttering "Assholes."
Laughing Quinn shifted Beth to her burp cloth covered shoulder to burp her, getting serious she said "I think it's nice that you're talking to the boys."
"Puck just wants me to know Finn's trying and Finn's making sure I'm okay and he wants me to let you know that Puck's trying." Santana said going back to the menu.
"I keep Puck updated on all things Beth." Quinn said glancing at the menu in Mike's hand. "Oooh, double bacon cheeseburger."
Mike chuckled, Quinn's love of food was something he loved seeing after everything the girls had been through.
Pierce and Brighton stood inside the hospital watching the boys through the window "They're doing a good." Pierce beamed. The boys had finished the soil and were working on the gazebo, they were so focused on their job they didn't see the duo checking in on them.
"They are, it looks like Santana was correct, they just needed someone to believe in them and help keep them on the right path." Brighton nodded.
"She's a nice girl." Pierce nodded. "Good guitar player." Brighton couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head, Pierce was one of a kind.
"Did she get any on you?" Mercedes teased, Beth had just let out a loud burp.
"Must be the Puckerman genes." Quinn chuckled bringing Beth back down to feed her.
Their food and drinks ordered the small group chatted about the animals and other attractions at the zoo they were going to check out. "Obviously the aquarium." Matt piped up. "I need pictures of the clown fish."
"Obviously." Santana agreed, she knew one of his little sisters loved fish.
"We need to see if they have otters." Quinn said once the bottle was back in Beth's mouth.
"They have otters." Santana promised.
Once the food and drink arrived conversation stopped as they all ate their second breakfast or early lunch as Mike called it.