Who: TOO MANY PEOPLE! (EVERYONE AND THEIR MOM) Rachel, Quinn, Puck, Tina, Artie, Mike, Brittany, Santana, Lola, Finn, Kurt, Blaine, Tommy, Millie, Abby, Jen, Alvin, Gabe, Molly, Josie, Emily, Lily-Puck, Bree, Rose and Josh (mentions of other New Directions members)
When: Saturday 15th January, 2019
Where: William McKinley High School and Beavercreek, OH
What: These are a few of my favorite things...
I think I’m in labor!
Rachel gripped the back of an aisle seat as she attempted to pass it on her way backstage to congratulate her kids on their spectacular performance. “Shit,” she muttered, a contraction working it’s way through her body. She scrunched her eyes shut and almost clawed at the cushioned seat trying to concentrate through the pain. She barely felt someone stop and stand behind her, a soothing hand at her back.
Millie rubbed her hand gently on the small of Rachel’s back intending to congratulate her on a job well done when she noticed the other woman’s tight grip on the seat back and the look of pain on her face. “Hey, lady. Are the twins celebrating too?”
She winked trying to keep the mood light as she cocked her head and did a quick visual assessment. This close to the twins’ due date and still technically on bed rest, they could not be too careful.
Rachel couldn't answer her. She was sure she was in labor now. Certain of it, actually. Rachel grit her teeth as she tried to hold in a groan of pain. "Wow," she finally managed to get out as her fingers began to loosen on the seat and she took a few deep breaths.
Millie glanced down at her watch. Out of habit, she had made a mental note of the time when Rachel had gripped the seat back so strongly. Her chest tightened as she went into labor delivery nurse mode and processed the length of the contraction.
With a firmer hand on Rachel’s back, she guided the brunette into the nearest chair. “Let’s sit here for a minute while you catch your breath. Quinn mentioned you have been experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions this past week, but that seemed a little strong for that. When did you first notice them today and is there a pattern to them?” If they sat for a minute, she could monitor the frequency without alerting Rachel or anyone else.
Rachel carefully lowered herself into a vacant seat, Millie’s hand at her back. When she was finally settled into the seat properly, her forearms resting on the chair in front, her head lowered. “They’re getting stronger. They were just twinges of pain, but they’re getting worse.”
Millie glanced down at her watch again, five minutes had passed without another contraction, definitely a good sign. She wanted to stay close and casually monitor the labor, but she knew how important these kids were to Rachel.
Millie leaned close to the brunette and spoke in a quiet voice. “Rachel, I think you’re in labor, but it’s early and we should have a little time. It looked like you were heading backstage a moment ago. Allow me to accompany you?” She extended her hand to assist her to her feet.
Rachel nodded and let Millie help her up, leading her toward the stage.
A Job Well Done!
Rachel finally made it backstage where she found New Directions congratulating each other over a great performance. Rachel grinned and waddled her way toward the group, tears of gratitude in her eyes.
Gabe grinned as he saw the very pregnant woman heading their way. “Hey, where’s your ‘caution: wide load’ sign?” He teased, walking over to her and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She hadn’t been their teacher for very long, but he liked her. She was different and didn’t seem to be self-important like that Schuester fellow.
Molly followed Gabe out as the club trailed into the backstage area, smiling a little as he hugged Ms. Berry. At least the performance was over, but now they had to wait for the results. She glanced around her at the other kids, wringing her hands together. They had done so well, she knew that. It was weird to feel so much... genuine pride for this group of people she thought she wouldn’t have been able to care less about. And watching how happy Gabe was and how much he liked the club and Ms. Berry, that made her happy too.
Pulling herself from her thoughts Jen straightened up when Ms. Berry entered the room. She smiled when she saw Gabe wrap an arm around her. Always one to start thinking about the game, in this case the performance, in terms of things she maybe could’ve done differently or better, Jen was happy for the distraction.
Alvin grinned when he saw Ms. Berry enter the room. While patiently waiting for the other glee members currently around her to finish giving their hugs, he thought about how proud he was of his teammates. They were able to put aside all their differences and pull together to perform their set list without noticeable mess ups. As the crowd thinned, Alvin walked over to the director and gave her a hug of his own. "Surprise," he said softly before looking over at Gabe with a grin.
“Yeah, congrats to ya. How’d ya like your surprise?” Gabe asked, grinning proudly. “Made the mix meself...well and Alvin helped.”
Rachel grinned and leaned over to kiss Gabe on the cheek. “It clearly needed that Irish touch,” Rachel said with a grin and a wink. She wrapped her arm over Gabe’s shoulder and faced the group properly. “You guys performed brilliantly. You exceeded all expectations and they were already high.” She looked around at all their excited, accomplished and flushed faces. “I... I just... I’m so overwhelmed by how well you all came together to make this both special for all of you, unique to you and yet make it memorable for the original New Directions. I have never been more proud than right now.”
Emily had to admit, that this performance had filled her with a sense of accomplishment that didn’t come from winning a cheerleading competition. She smiled a gentle smile as her fellow club members spoke to Ms. Berry. Now that the performance was over, there was a fresh wave of nerves wondering whether they’d even place. Coach had called glee club a useless waste of time that coddled society’s those that had drawn the genetic short straws of life and made them think that they were special enough to be more than the rejects that they were. She’d especially blamed Ms. Berry for perpetuating that with her rags to riches story.
For almost four years, Emily had agreed, but now that she was a part of the team, she realized that maybe she hadn’t been right at all. These were kids that she’d tortured on a nearly daily basis and not one of them had ever made her feel unwelcomed even when she’d been quite vocal about her displeasure at being forced to be there. It really had the makings of one of those cheesy “mean girl is turned by the outcasts’ hearts of gold.” But that wasn’t true either. At the end of the day, she’d always be who she was and she’d never be friends with a lot of these people, but she’d at least think twice before throwing a slushie into one of their faces.
Rachel couldn't help but keep grinning at her group. "Whatever the outcome today, you should be proud of yourselves. No trophy could ever live up to how you've helped so many others heal and remember today." Rachel took a deep breath. "But a trophy would certainly be lovely to look at in the trophy case at school," she giggled.
What did you think?
Tommy dialed Tina so they could have a uPhone chat about the performance. He knew that she had wanted to be there but needed to be in New York to help run the art gallery. Watching it online was almost as good as being there, right?
Tina heard her phone vibrating on the counter beside her computer. She had been watching the performances at work from the live stream Tommy sent her. She was glad nobody had come in during; she had started to cry at one point.
Noticing Tommy’s name on the caller ID, she momentarily pulled out her earpiece and brought the phone to her ear. “Hey. Oh my God, that was great, Tommy!”
“You cried didn’t you?” he laughed, “I bet you did. And yes, they did kill it.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Tina protested, but the sniffle that followed didn’t really help her case. “It was just...” She trailed off, trying to think of the words. Reminiscent was definitely one of them. While their performance had their own distinctive flair to it, the throwbacks to their original club definitely brought up some good memories.
“Perfect. Matt would’ve loved it.” Nothing beat the very screechy and very wonderful rendition Mike and Matt once did of ‘The Climb’, but these kids came pretty close. “Where’s Mike? Can you tell him and Britt they did a great job on the choreography for me? I’ll try to get a hold of them later.”
“Yeah sure,” he replied, “Migs is watching Lily for me since I’m technically here in a professional capacity. I’ll let him know though. I still am amazed at how he’s able to dance so effortlessly while I have a difficult time not tripping most days. As a surgeon I probably shouldn’t say that out loud though.”
As if the karma gods had heard him, Rachel’s monitors started to sound off letting him know that things were starting to pick up again. He scanned over the data and realized he needed to find her quickly.
“Um, T?” he started, “It looks like I’d better get going. Things are beeping like crazy so something’s up with my patient. I’m glad you could watch it with us and I fully agree it was awesome. I miss you bunso!”
Tina paused in surprise at the sudden news. “Oh wow. Is there a hospital nearby? Uh. Thanks again for the stream. Tell Mike to call me and...good luck?” Tina never really knew what to say in regards to labor and delivery.
“Oh yeah. Miami Valley is super close.” he replied, “I did the research before we came just in case of such an event would occur. No problem with the stream. And I’ll take any luck that’s given to me because I have a hunch I’m gonna need it. Ugh. Bye T!”
Announcing the winners
Rachel sat with New Directions, eagerly awaiting the results of the competition from their seats. She frustratedly shifted in her seat. For the past few hours, what she had thought were just Braxton Hicks, were turning into full blown contractions and she desperately wanted and needed to leave. Rachel gripped onto Josie’s hand as the teen stood beside her, the rest of New Directions at their backs.
Josie began to fiddle with her charm bracelet again, twirling the tiny microphone charm. The gold star charm was pointy though, and it pricked her fingers, so she stopped. She breathed in sharply as the announcer made his way onto the stage, a white envelope in his hands. The auditorium went deathly quiet and Josie reached her hand back to blindly grab onto someone’s hand.
After spending the last week hanging out with Josie, Jen knew how much this meant to her. How nervous she was. So when she saw Josie’s hand she reached forward and took it. She owed her at least that.
Josie turned her head back and smiled at Jen. She squeezed Jen’s hand and turned her head back to face the announcer, who was giving a long speech about show choir and how the groups that performed tonight were blah blah blah blah... Josie bit her lip, wishing for him to hurry up and announce the results. The anticipation was killing her.
Emily’s stomach was in knots as the host announced the third place group. She let her eyes squeeze shut. One of their competitors hadn’t been all that great and one had been pretty amazing, not that she’d ever tell anyone that. But she was well aware that sometimes it wasn’t about how good you were, it was who you knew. It was part of the reason she not only knew the right people, but that she also made sure she was always a person you needed to know. However, this was Ohio show choir. She didn’t know any of these people. Maybe she should’ve told her parents. She frowned at that thought. She wanted to make a name of her own, not live off of her parents forever. That was just weak.
“In third place, coming to us from....Bath High School, give a round of applause to Oral Celebration!” The host announced with faux excitement. The audience applauded with sincerity and a few whistles were heard.
She rolled her eyes as the group exclaimed loudly, their reactions faker than most of their spray-on tans. At least the worst group had come in last. That just left them and the group from Shawnee High, Lift Our Voices. Maybe this would be where who you knew, counted.
Rachel didn’t want to sound pompous or come off as acting more important than the other schools, but New Directions blew this competition out of the water. She knew it with every fibre of her being, just as she had known it the year the original New Directions had finally taken Nationals. She squeezed Josie’s hand again and felt a tremor of pain shoot through her lower back. Rachel made a mental note to teach the twins better timing in the future.
Bree exhaled a sigh of relief, clapping for the third-place group, thankful it wasn’t them. She looked around at the hopeful faces of her friends, then turned her attention back to the host, who was beginning to speak again. She crossed her fingers tighter and bit her lip, waiting for the result.
So, she might have thought they had it in the bag, but that didn’t mean that Rachel still didn’t get a little nervous about the results. “Now for our runners up. Singing a medley of vintage ABBA songs, Lift Our Voices!” The announcer yelled into his microphone.
As the crowd cheered and applauded, Rachel held herself back from jumping up and down in excitement.
Josie gasped, a big grin spreading on her face. Her heart seemed to stop for that one second. That means... that means...
“That means, our first place winners are New Directions, from McKinley High School!” the announcer congratulated. Instantly, around Josie, New Directions began screaming for joy. She herself let out a partly relieved but mostly excited cry. Now her heartbeat was faster for the right reasons.
Gabe let out a loud whistle before lifting Molly, who was standing next to him, and spun her around. He held her close and planted a sloppy kiss on her lips. “Fu-Heck yeah!”
Molly barely had time to let out a laugh of excitement before Gabe was picking her up. Her arms wrapped around his neck, still laughing as he spun her around. We won! She squealed a little as he stopped spinning her, raising her eyebrows as he leaned forward and kissed her. Molly pulled back a little in protest, slapping her hand across her boyfriend’s cheek for being so publicly affectionate. But she blinked for a moment before letting out a laugh. Oh goodness, who cares. We won! And she reached out to grab the back of his neck, kissing him again.
Alvin couldn't believe it. They won, they actually won! He stood in shock for a second before giving a silent thanks. We did it. The others may have done it for Ms. Berry and the rest of the original New Directions, but not me. I did this for you, Matt. All for you. I miss you, man. A moment later the cheering from his teammates broke him from his thoughts. Alvin cheered loudly with a victorious fist pump before turning and giving a hug to the person closest to him. "We won, Jen. We won!"
Jen laughed, elated that they’d won. She wrapped her arms around Alvin as he spun them around. Once her feet had reached the ground she gave him one last squeeze before she turned to embrace another glee clubber.
Puck laughed as she pumped her fist in the air. Not that she was surprised. Okay, maybe a little. They’d been awesome, but so had that ABBA group or whatever. She turned and hugged Bree. It felt good to win. It always felt good to win. Plus, something just felt special about this year. Maybe it was just Berry, but something felt particularly sweet about the win. Puck let go of Bree and pivoted to hug Emily, not even caring that people would see. If anyone asked, they won and she was happy. It felt awesome to have this win together, like they’d finally accomplished something positive by being together. She hugged Emily tighter. I can not wait to go home and celebrate.
It had overtaken Josh now. The nerves he’d lacked initially now overtaking him completely. After everything he’d been through, everything he’d done that had brought him to this point and place- it all made sense. When this had all started he was invested because Blaine had urged him to be invested in something. But now he was invested for himself- he wanted this. He wanted to win, for himself. As they were finally announced as the winners he felt almost sick from the circles his stomach was turning. Smiling brightly and even tearing up slightly he looked around at his teammates and smiled brightly. This was his new family and for the first time in a long time he was part of something completely and whole-hearted.
Unwelcomed Guest
Abby was so excited and nervous. It was like her heart was having a pizza party. She looked around to see if everyone else was feeling the same way. A few rows back, she spotted a familiar face. It was the man that had given her a guitar strap. A guitar strap that knew her name. She tried to get her mother’s attention. She pulled on her mother’s hand. “Mama.”
Quinn noticed how antsy Rachel had become over the course of the day and she was concerned. She hadn’t wanted to make a fuss, but now there seemed to be a call for it. She could see Tommy checking his phone and her sister moving closer to Rachel. She felt the tug at her hand and looked down at her daughter. “Not now, Abby. I need to see if Rachel is okay,”
“But!” Abby tried. She looked back at the man, hoping her mother would follow her gaze. But she was already going to see Rachel. The eight year old pouted. Deciding to try again, Abby followed behind her and tugged again. “Mama, I have something to show you.”
The older blonde had just reached the pregnant woman when she felt Abby tugging her again. Frowning, she turned and looked down at her. She didn’t have time for this, but she’d just look and be back in a few moments. “What is it, Abigail?”
Finally “It’s him. The man that gave me my present.” Abby pointed. The man was still there. Good. She had been worried it would be like in a horror movie where the suspicious character would disappear and no one would believe the good guy.
As the crowd started to leave the auditorium, Puck saw her. His little girl was there, as was her mother. As Abby pointed a finger towards him, he wanted to wave at her, but his eyes were fixed on Quinn. A pregnant Quinn. No, no it can’t be. Puck’s train of thought ended there, as he remembered all the years that have gone by. Quinn wasn’t his anymore, and that was something that he hadn’t realized til that moment. There was nothing he could do about the fact that she had lived a life without him, and no matter how much he wanted it, things weren’t going to be easy.
Quinn frowned and followed Abby’s line of vision, her breath catching when her eyes landed on her ex-husband, standing just at the back, his eyes on the two of them. She immediately stepped in front of Abby, blocking her from Puck’s line of vision. “He’s the man that gave you that strap? I...” Then she remembered seeing it on Puck’s guitar so many times she couldn’t believe she’d ever forgotten. Angry with herself for being so preoccupied, she lifted Abby’s chin. “Listen to me, Abby. This is really important, okay? Stay away from that man. He’s not a good man. In fact, he’s bad news. Promise me, if he ever comes near you again, you’ll run away.”
Abby tried to look at the man again, but her mother was standing in front of her. He didn’t look like a bad guy. But her mother’s tone was serious. “Okay, Mama. I promise.”
With a forced smile she was sure looked more like a grimace, Quinn hugged Abby to her. “Let’s go find Daddy. I think we need to get Rachel to the hospital.” Taking her daughter’s hand, Quinn pulled Abby behind her towards Finn and Mike. She cleared her throat, drawing their attention. “We have a situation.”
Mike looked over at Quinn, frowning. He adjusted Lily in his arms. He was looking after his niece right now, and he did not need another thing to worry about in addition to Rachel. “What is it now?”
"A situation?" Finn asked, smiling down at Abby. "Is this like a spy movie? Should I be wearing sunglasses?" He joked, then saw Quinn's serious look and sobered up. "Wait, really? What's up?"
Quinn covered Abby’s ears and stepped even closer to the two men. “Puck is here. Abby said...she said he was the one that gave her the strap for Christmas.” Quinn looked around as if she expected Puck to appear just behind them at any second.
Mike sighed. “Of course he is.” He looked at Finn to gauge how the other man was taking the news. He himself was growing agitated. He had his fair share of rushing into things without thinking so he took a calming breath.
"Puck? Well yeah, she was..." Finn made a motion toward the stage before stopping, his whole body freezing. He looked between Quinn and Mike before blinking and looking down at Abby, remembering her in front of the display window, package in hand. He blinked again before looking up at Quinn, his face frozen blank. "Puck is here?"
“Apparently, and I can’t...deal with this right now. Rachel’s in labor. I need to get to her. She needs to go to the hospital. So, can you two please keep Abby with you and away from him? I don’t even want to think about why he’s here.” Quinn glanced behind her and saw that Puck was still there, now distracted by his sister bounding up to him and she took the opportunity to get away. “Can we just get out of here, please?” She hissed desperately.
Finn followed Quinn's glance and found himself paralyzed at the sight of Puck after all this time. Part of him wanted to go punch the smile off of his face, while another part of him just wanted to go home and pretend he wasn't real. He shook his head to clear it, looking back at Quinn and taking Abby's hand. "Yeah," Finn said distractedly. "Yeah, let's go."
Quinn looked down at her phone as it alerted her to a text message from Millie. “Shit, Rachel’s contractions are getting closer and there’s an ambulance coming. Look. I need to get to her. Can you maybe take Abby and Lily out to get dinner? Then you can meet us at the hospital.” She looked between the two men, feeling her anxiety creep even higher.
"Don't worry, Quinn, we've got this covered," Finn said, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder gently. "You just get where you need to be."
Letting out a relieved sigh, Quinn leaned up and kissed the bottom of his jaw before turning and kissing Abby’s forehead. “Thanks, I’ll see you guys at the hospital. With any luck, the babies will be born quickly. I doubt it, but I’m hopeful.” She reached out and gave Mike and Lily quick hugs before turning and making her way to the backstage area.
Finn followed Quinn's departure with his eyes before he turned back to Mike, his jaw tense. "We really need to get out of here," he said, glancing to where Puck was and seeing him still preoccupied. "I don't want to chance him anywhere near Drizzle or else Quinn's gonna be pissed when she has to bail me out of jail."
Mike just nodded at Finn. “Yeah. Let’s get the girls someplace that isn’t here.” He didn’t want to dwell on his best friend’s joke about jail. He knew the other man was trying to lighten up the mood. Mike had been there too, wanting to protect the people he loved. And he’d been on the receiving end as well. He had threatened Artie and had gotten punched by Nolan. He was afraid that if it had just been him he probably would have already done something stupid. But right now he had Lily, Abby and Finn to think of. Still, he was worried about losing control over his actions.
Looking between her daddy and a man she thought of as a second father, Abby found herself becoming more curious. She knew that this stranger was serious business. Not only was her mother telling her to stay away from him, but her daddy, the gentlest adult she knew, looked like he wanted to scream. Her two adults weren’t joking around or smiling. This guy must be like Dr. Doom or Ultron. Then a distraction was needed.
She looked over at Lily, and asked the younger girl, “So Lil’ Lily, where do you feel like eating?”
Oh Brother Where Art Thou
Puck grinned as she spotted the awkward looking mohawk amidst the crowd. She had thought she’d spotted him while she’d been performing, but with all the lights it was hard to be sure. But now with the house lights on and the crowds slowly shifting, she knew for sure. She ran quickly, tackling her brother.
“Noah! You’re here!” she mumbled into his shoulder as her arms wrapped around him as tightly as she could manage.
“Hey Lily,” Puck replied not really knowing what to tell his sister. “Brittany told me to come, that you needed me. Since when do you need me, Lils? I always thought I got in your way.” He wrapped his own arms around his small sister and held her tight. At least someone is glad that I showed my face today...
“You’re stupid,” Puck muttered, burying her face in her brother’s neck. “You’re my brother. I always need you. You’re my family.”
“So mom isn’t good enough now?” Noah said as a joke, hoping that he could finally let a smile go himself. It was too tense being in that auditorium, knowing that he was getting the death glare from Finn and Mike. It spoiled the moment, really, since it made him consider bolting. “Do you have any plans after this? If you have a hot date, I totally understand, since I am asking last minute. But I’m here now and I want to be in your life. Fix the shit I put you through.”
Puck bit her lip. She wanted to say yes, wanted to blurt out yes times a million, but came up with, “I think I’m required to go home on the bus with everyone else.” She frowned. Part of her wanted to reply that, yes, she did have a hot date. A very hot date. But even that could wait for her brother. Still... “So, are you, like, allowed to be around now? Like, done with rehab and stuff?”
“Yeah I am. I am living behind Rachel’s house, and I’m sort of on my own.” Puck didn’t want to plague his sister with the difficulties of job hunting and having to live off of Rachel. He wanted her to think that he had it all together, that was what he had always done, never let Lily see how bad things had really gotten. “Maybe we can meet up next week? Does that truck of mine still work? If it does, come by after school some day.”
Puck grinned and nodded, her arms still curled around Noah’s waist. “Does it work?” she laughed, “Just wait until you see what Finn and I did to her this summer. She does more than work. When will you be around?”
Puck debated telling her that he was around all the time, since generally he was. He went to some AA meetings but there were a few different ones in Lima, so he could miss one if it meant spending some time with his sister. “Just show up after school, I’m generally around after then, and maybe I can cook you some dinner. My cooking skills may not have improved greatly, just a warning.”
Puck laughed, gently nuzzling her brother. “Don’t worry,” she replied, “Lucky for you, I did get better at cooking. But don’t tell anyone. It’s a secret.”
A smile crept onto Noah Puckerman’s face. “It’s settled then, you are going to be making me some dinner this week. Maybe I will get to eat something that isn’t cereal or mac and cheese... Now you get out of here and get on that bus.”
Puck smiled up at her brother. “I’ll be there Tuesday. Make sure there’s at least something I can work with. And meat. Screw Berry’s veganism. Make sure there’s meat.”
Mad at Rachel
Tommy looked down to the last readout his phone had received from Rachel’s sensors. He ran his fingers through his hair as he looked over the numbers.
“I’m calling the ambulance now, Ms Berry. Your contractions are almost seven minutes apart and they’re increasing in severity as well as duration.” he said animatedly, “You can yell at me the entire extent of your labor but we’re getting you to the closest hospital regardless of the tirade I’m assured you’re going to launch into.”
Rachel ducked her head as she gripped the back of two chairs and breathed through another, more intense contraction. They were getting quicker and stronger and she knew she wouldn’t make it back to Lima in time. She honestly didn’t think she could make the bus ride back. She managed to nod her head in agreement as she grit her teeth and attempted to keep her growl of pain to a minimum.
After a quick phone call to Miami Valley Hospital the concerned doctor went back to his patient and try to assess how well she was managing her discomfort. He needed to make sure that the babies and mother weren’t under any undue stress considering everything that had happened in the last few weeks of the pregnancy . The looks he had seen on Rachel’s face didn’t bode well.
“Does anyone know this venue well? We need to get you to a private room so I can do a quick check to see how dilated you are.” he said quietly. “The hospital we’re taking you to has the best maternal care in the region so all three of you will be in excellent hands.”
Rachel just nodded in understanding, her right hand moving to her lower back as she massaged the muscles.
“Let me see if I can get a dressing room, or maybe the green room cleared out quickly.” Millie tapped Rachel’s leg gently before standing. “Tommy, I’ll text you when its ready. We probably should try to be somewhat discreet as we don’t want to alarm the kids if we can help it.”
“That would be fantastic!” Tommy replied, “If they have a wheelchair that would also be stellar. I’m positive I’d be able to carry Ms. Berry but I’d rather have her in a mode of transportation that has less chance of bumps along the way. Okay, now I need you to tell me what would make you more comfortable Ms. Berry. I have heating packs, ice packs and an electric massager in my bag.”
Rachel really wasn’t in the mood for Tommy’s excited tone. She shot him a glare before realizing her efforts were futile. She needed him to deliver these babies safely. “My water hasn’t broken, yet,” she began taking a deep breath. “I think I need to walk around a little.”
Tommy nodded as he helped Rachel out of her chair, “The walking will help progress the labor as well as ensure the first baby’s head is engaged. Since both babies are in a head first presentation I’m optimistic both can be VBAC deliveries. We’ll just be watching the twin that had the murmur extra closely.”
He looked down to his phone as it beeped again. He felt Rachel’s nails start to dig into his arm as the contraction started again.
Green room is clear. 2nd room behind the stage. Chair ramp left of stage. Usher has chair and will direct you to this room. Millie typed out the message, sending it to both Tommy and Quinn, before clearing the room and making it ready for a quick check prior to the ambulance arriving.
“Millie says the green room is clear,” Tommy whispered to Rachel. “And as soon as this contraction is over the usher should be here with the wheelchair and we can get you there to get checked out.”
Tommy looked up the aisle to see the anxious uniformed young man hurtling toward them. He mentally crossed his fingers that things would actually go according to some sort of plan and no emergencies would present themselves.
Once she was sure Abby was securely away with Mike and Finn and far from Puck, she got back to the task at hand. Looking at her phone again, Quinn rushed to the green room behind the stage. She sighed when found only Millie. “Where’s Rachel?”
“She should be heading this way right now with Tommy.” Millie continued to survey the room making sure he would have enough space to do what he needed to do, but also affording Rachel some privacy. With everything seemingly in order, she turned to her sister. “Are you ready for a long evening? From the looks of things, I would say the twins will be here sooner rather than later.”
“I don’t know. I’m a little scared and excited now that they’re on their way.” Quinn looked around. “Millie, Puck’s here. What is he doing here? And do you know he was the one that gave Abby the guitar strap?”
“He’s here? and he’s talked to Abby?” Millie’s voice escalated with each additional syllable. She took a deep breath and made an effort to keep herself in check. “God, Quinn. He gave that to her when I was no more than a few hundred feet away. I ... I didn’t see him or maybe I didn’t recognize him. I don’t know. Where is she now?”
Quinn shook her head. “I don’t think he spoke to her. She pointed him out to me. I’m so mad at myself for not recognizing that stupid strap!” The blonde paced, starting to panic about what her ex-husband being back could mean. “What is he doing here? RIGHT NOW?” She spun and looked at her sister. “You don’t think he’s trying to start shit again, do you? What am I going to do? Well, I’m going to keep Abby away from him, but I just want him to go back to whatever rock he’s slithered from beneath.”
Millie took another deep breath and took a step toward Quinn, stopping just short. “Quinn, I don’t know what he wants, but he won’t get near your daughter. Between you, Finn, Mike, and me, he won’t get near her.” Millie held her sister’s gaze before reaching out to touch her arm. “But listen to me, for right now, you are going to have to put this aside. I promise we will figure this out, but any second now, Rachel is going to be wheeled in. She’s in labor and is going to need you to be calm and there for her. Okay?”
“I know. I know. I’m just...freaking out! I hate him. I literally hate him with my entire being. I want him gone. I asked Finn and Mike to get her out of here. I think they’re going to take her and Lily to get some dinner and then meet us at the hospital.” Quinn started pacing again. “Okay, it’s okay. I just need to focus.” She took deep breaths and ran her fingers through her hair. “I’m here for Rachel. I trust Finn. He’s a good dad. He won’t let anything happen to her.”
“He won’t. You know he won’t.” Millie nodded at her sister. “And I think I hear some commotion in the hallway which means it’s probably showtime. You got this, little sister.”
As soon as they were through the door and Rachel spotted Quinn and Millie, she opened her mouth. “How the hell did you two do this?” she practically yelled. “I feel like my body is about to be ripped apart!”
Quinn smiled sympathetically at Tommy as he wheeled Rachel in. “We’re Fabrays. It takes us a long time to admit defeat. The ambulance probably won’t be much longer. Think you can wait?” She asked, rubbing Rachel’s shoulders.
Rachel bit her bottom lip and nodded her head. “I better! I am not giving birth in the back room of a high school auditorium,” she replied, reaching up to grip Quinn’s hand.
Nodding, Quinn tried not to flinch as Rachel squeezed her hand. “We’re going to make sure that doesn’t happen,” the blonde said, kissing Rachel’s forehead. It was going to be a long night.
Going Home
Josie clutched tightly to the trophy in her hands, boarding the bus and putting it on a seat first before heading back off the bus to help the rest load the used props. She couldn’t stop grinning. They won! They won! This would probably be the highlight of her year, that is until Regionals, and then Nationals. Josie liked to plan ahead. She turned to face the glee club, who although had smiles on their faces, were evidently tired as well. “Once again, good job today everyone. Thanks everyone for helping to load the props, we can leave once everything is up. Ms Berry won’t be with us for the bus-ride since she’s in the hospital right now, but my parents have decided to step in as last minute chaperones, so we should be good to go.” She barely cringed as her parents came up to the bus carrying a gigantic home-made banner with ‘Go McKinley High ’ on it. To her, her parents were just cool like that. It was easy to see where Josie got her enthusiasm from.
~*~*~
Emily made her way down the aisles as everyone filed out from behind the stage and ran to meet their parents. She and Puck would be meeting up later, maybe, but for now, she needed to see Rose. She grinned sheepishly as she approached her friend. “So...what’d you think? First place isn’t bad for my first time on stage.”
“Well it’s not like you did it alone, the whole team was just great!” Rose exclaimed. She knew that someone had to be the one that brought down Emily’s ego every once and awhile. “But you were great. I still think that you should have told your parents.”
“Yeah? Maybe next time,” she said noncommittally. “I’m just glad this club isn’t proving to be a big waste of my time. This is just something else for the college applications, right?”
Rose shook her head with a smile. Of course Emily wouldn’t admit that she enjoyed being in the club, but Rose knew that was true. There was something about the smile that made Rose know that this was more than something to add to the applications. “Yeah, glee is making you look like a well-rounded student, not just a cheerleader who’s main form of fun involves going to Neiman-Marcus.”
Emily smacked Rose’s arm lightly. “Hey! I also take AP courses. I am a well-rounded student, thank you very much.” She smiled at her friend again, happy that she’d come to support her. “Come on. You drove, right? Let’s go get some dinner. My treat.”
“How else would I have gotten here? Teleported? Let’s go to Breadsticks, my treat for your big win,” Rose could be a little bit of a geek sometimes, but she blamed it on the hours of Syfy channel she had to watch because of her brother hogging the television.
“Cute. How about this...I’ll buy dinner and you can get dessert?” Emily suggested. After all, Rose had come to support her. The least she could do was treat her to a meal for her troubles. “Deal?”
“As long as dessert is Cold Stone, I have been having a major craving for some ice cream, and no one makes it better,” Rose grinned, she was really glad that she had decided to spend the afternoon cheering on her friends. Part of her wanted to say a quick hello to Al, Jen and Puck, but she couldn’t see them. “I wish I knew where Puck and Jen were though, I should probably congratulate my teammates.”
Emily thought about protesting going to Cold Stone but decided against it. She’d just get the non-fat frozen yogurt or something. “Yeah, yeah...just hurry up. I’m kind of hungry.” She watched as Rose moved to her friends. She was just grateful she’d managed to get Puck alone long enough to say her goodbyes and make plans for later.
Rose ran around and looked for Jen and Puck, but couldn’t find them in the dense crowd, so she shrugged it off and figured she could send them a text message later with her congratulations. She walked back over to where Emily was waiting for her. “Let’s get you out of here before you explode.”
~*~*~
Gabe grabbed hold of Molly’s hand, stopping her before she made her way from behind stage and down the aisle to her parents. “Hey, not so fast, lassie,” he said, using his exaggerated Irish accent.
Molly turned as he grabbed her hand, taking a step back towards him, eyebrows raised. “When you talk like that, you sound like a parody of yourself, really.”
“Well thanks for the oh so kind words. I was gonna give you a proper snoggin’ before you had to run off to your family, but forget it now. You’ll be gettin’ none of this.” He turned and ran his hand over his bottom.
Molly sighed, rolling her eyes, but the smile didn’t leave her face. Even this ridiculousness wasn’t going to ruin her good mood. She bit her lip, frowning at how... happy she was that they had won before she looked up at him. “Gabe...” But she stopped herself, shaking her head. “Nevermind.”
Frowning a little, he stepped closer to her. “What is it?”
Molly shook her head again quickly. Now really wasn’t the time to ask him if he would still like her so much if he knew what she had been doing behind everyone’s back. Just celebrate. Be happy and don’t think about it. She smiled up at him, pecking his lips. “Just... I’m happy we won.” She paused for a moment before she added, “Thank you.”
“For what?” Gabe asked. Sometimes she made no sense at all.
“For...” Molly shrugged vaguely, smoothing Gabe’s shirt out over his shoulders. “Being such a leader and having initiative. It’s very... handsome. And thank you for being my boyfriend.”
Pushing his chest out, he reached for the blonde. His head descended as their bodies crushed together and he pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was unhurried even though he knew they didn’t have much time left. He just didn’t care.
She giggled a little as he kissed her, resting her hands on his chest. If it were any other situation, she probably would’ve kept the kiss from going past nothing more than a peck, but she knew she had been rather mean to him all day, with the yelling and stuff. But she was just wound up and now that they had won... well, there was nothing to be wound up about anymore. Except a few other things that she just wasn’t going to think about. Plus she had slapped him on stage, which might have been a bit much.
Gabe slide his tongue past her lips, surprised that she was letting him kiss her like this, but he wasn’t going to complain. His hands feel to her waist, squeezing rhythmically. He pulled her closer and explored her mouth thoroughly.
Molly sighed, her hands still on his chest. Of course she gave him an inch and he had to take a mile. She let the kiss go on for a few more moments before she pulled away, clearing her throat. “Now, that’s quite enough of that. We are still in public after all.” She nodded, her lips pursed as she smoothed his shirt out again before she looked up. Molly thought for a moment before she spoke, her voice low. “Now, maybe if you come over later and you play by my rules you can have some more but for now we are in a public setting. Okay?”
“Uh...sure, right then. I guess I’ll meet my family, or you know, take a quick trip to this school’s cafeteria and pour ice down my trousers.” He adjusted himself and sighed. “See you tomorrow, Molls.”
She rolled her eyes, sliding her hands down his arms. “You’re so dramatic.” Molly pecked him again, smiling softly. “Bye, Gabe.”
Saluting, Gabe walked over to where Alvin stood with the rest of their various family members. He flexed and strutted, grinning smugly as they congratulated both of the boys on a job well done.
Alvin said his goodbyes to the rest of the gleeks before heading over to his family. He wiped away his mom's happy tears before giving her a hug, everyone else joining in. Laughing at the way Gabe strutted over, Alvin greeted him with their complicated handshake. "Are you ready to go out and celebrate?"
“Of course, I’m starvin.’ I could eat my own arm I’m so hungry. We should go to one of those...buffets all you Americans love so much. There’s like twenty of us here anyway.” He turned to his parents. “I’m hungry. Can we go eat now?”
Once all of the adults agreed that a buffet was probably the best idea, they all began to file out of the auditorium and headed to their various cars. Alvin followed Gabe to the Young’s car, citing that there was more room with them, but Gabe knew he just wanted the break from his siblings.
~*~*~
Josh came out from the wings, looking over the various heads rushing around him. He was happy and wanted to celebrate with his team of course, but he needed to see Blaine. He wanted to share this win with him first and foremost. Spotting the man a few people ahead, he weaved through the arms and bodies and grabbed Blaine’s wrist lightly- smiling brightly as he hugged him. “We did it!”
Blaine laughed and hugged him tighter. “You did it. You were amazing up there.”
“I just...” He looked at him as he finally pulled away from him. “Thank you for all of this. I know it’s really after-school special, given the timing. But without you- I’m not sure... “ he stopped and shook his head. “I know I wouldn’t be doing anything remotely like this. Thank you...Dad.” He smiled lightly as he said it and hugged him again.
There was a look of surprise on Blaine's face. It was the first time Josh called him Dad. He didn't think he'd actually hear Josh say it. Usually it was just Blaine or sir. Dad! He called me dad!Blaine felt giddy and couldn’t stop the wide smile forming on his face as he hugged the boy. He ruffled Josh’s hair and chuckled. “I knew you had it in you, kiddo.”
Grinning and moving his head along with Blaine’s hand he nodded. “It was surreal. But once we started I just sorta knew we had it.” he laughs a little and pulls away from Blaine, keeping an arm wrapped around his shoulders. “We heading out?”
“I think a performance like that deserves a special treat.” Blaine grinned. “We can go to that place you like and celebrate.”
Nodding as they move away from everyone else he smiles brightly. “That’d be great.” Taking another glance back at the crowd he can’t even hide his excitement and happiness in the least bit.
He kept a hand on Josh’s arm as he guided him out to the parking lot. Blaine can’t help but notice the sheer look of joy on the boy’s face. It was a different Josh with him tonight. Gone was the sullen boy he first met in San Francisco. Moving to Lima had done wonders to him.
Blaine grabbed his keys from his pocket and unlocked the car. “Hop in and we’ll go.”