#~rb

Rachel was kind of excited about her birthday party. She was turning 24, but that wasn't the most important part of her birthday. This will be her last birthday without her baby. Rachel was currently thirty seven and a half weeks pregnant with her and Noah's first child (Together at least) and Rachel was at the point where she felt.. Well she felt like a cow. Nothing fit, her stomach was hugely swollen compared to her petite frame. Of course she was all belly, but she was still really big. Standing in front of the mirror wearing nothing but a pair of panties, Rachel was still getting use to the whole being pregnant thing. Running her hand across her stomach, she felt her son or daughter move, holding her hand across her belly, Rachel felt her stomach tighten and bit her lips. It was probably gas, it kind of grossed her out, but she was pregnant. It happened. Grabbing her dress, Rachel pulled it on and felt the strange tightening again. She would ignore it for now. It was her party, her friends and Noah set it up for her, and she wanted to be there. Grabbing her wedding band, Rachel stepped out of the bathroom and walked over to Noah. He zipped her dress up and they headed to the venue. It was a Saturday, her birthday wasn't until Sunday, but that wasn't the point. She and Noah arrived, and their friends were there. Its strange how their friends no longer included their high school friends. A wide range of college friends, costars and Noah's friends were at the part, Rachel walked around graciously talking to their friends, occasional cringing, but other than that she was fine. Walking back over to Noah, she kissed him. "Thank you for this, baby."

Puck and Rachel weren't really big on celebrating birthdays; they never had been. But this birthday was special. Rachel was turning twenty-four, and this was really the last chance they had to celebrate before they became parents. Rachel being pregnant was something that Puck had taken quite a while to get used to - Quinn had really done a number on him with Beth, and he was still worried about his ability to be a dad, but Rachel believed he could do it and he was slowly believing that he could, too. The baby was going to be born in two and a half weeks - early January. The perfect New Year's present for his or her parents. The Puckermans had decided to keep the gender of the baby a surprise, and Puck knew that was due to his past. Rachel was too polite to say it, but the issues he had were deeply rooted, and he was sure she was afraid of his reaction to having a girl. The party, though, was so Rachel. He was proud of the planning, and he hoped that Rachel enjoyed herself; Puck never really did shit like this, but his wife (that still felt good to say) was worth it. He gathered her into his arms the best he could, given her swollen belly and kissed her back eagerly. They were the centre of attention here, and Puck knew that people were watching this little exchange. He wasn't going to censor himself for that shit though. "You're welcome," he replied, his hand lingering over her behind when they pulled away. "Enjoying yourself?"

Rachel was nervous. She couldn't say why, its just the next few weeks were going to be.. well a handful. She had her baby shower next weekend right before Christmas, and the baby was due around the New Year. Rachel was hoping it would be born on New Years Eve or Day. It would be an awesome birthday, and a nice start to the year. Still, if she actually paid attention to her pain, she would realize it was more than gas or even braxton hicks, but she had a few more weeks. She was nearly certain she might even be late, so it was nothing. Her friends were sweet, everyone wished her a happy birthday, or rubbed her belly for good luck or something. It drove her wild, but she didn't care. Not tonight at least. Humming against her husband's lips, Rachel nodded her head. "Very much so." She told him, squeezing his hand as a few friends came over and asked about the pregnancy. It was always the same question. What were they going to name it, and what were they having. She decided she wanted the baby to be a surprise. While there were other reasons why she wanted it to be a surprise, she liked guessing what they were having. Squeezing Noah's hand tightly, Rachel took a deep breath. Placing her hand on her belly, she smiled at everyone. "If you'll excuse me. I swear the baby is playing soccer with my bladder." Her friends giggled as she waddled to the bathroom. As soon as she walked into the stall, Rachel felt a gush of water between her legs. Gasping she thought she peed herself, but she realized it wasn't pee. "Oh no." She mumbled, her hand pressing to her stomach. She didn't want to ruin tonight, She couldn't. She knew she had 24 hours to give birth at this point, and the pain didn't hurt too much. Instead of telling her husband her water broke, she headed back to the party, secretly timing the contractions as she began interacting with her family and friends.

Puck was starting to worry about Rachel. She'd been gone for a while, and while he knew she just had to use the bathroom, it was taking a bit longer than usual. He was sipping a beer casually when he saw her emerge with a small, worried smile. He walked over to her instantly and wrapped his arm around her waist to talk to her quietly. "Everything okay baby?" He questioned. It was likely everything was fine, but lately he'd been more on edge than usual. Rachel being pregnant was stressing him out, especially near the end. He constantly felt the need to protect her, to be around her. Rachel didn't seem to think Puck was being overbearing or suffocating her, and he was glad. This was family. Everything needed to be perfect. Their friends and family were making conversation amongst themselves, but he could still feel their yes on them. Why was everyone so enthralled with them? They weren't the only people that had ever had a kid. "Samantha was looking for you, if you wanna go say hi," Puck mumbled. Samantha was a coworker of his they both disliked. How she'd been invited, he still didn't know. "I'll come with you for moral support if you want."

Rachel didn't know what to do. She was in labor. Her baby was going to be born soon. Still she had time. Her contractions weren't that close together. She could do this. Smiling widely at Noah, Rachel nodded her head. 'I'm fine.' she told him, her brow wrinkling, but she kept the smile on her face - people were watching. Another contraction hit her, and Rachel gasped, looking over at Noah and nodding. 'I'm fine ' she repeated. 'who invited her anyways?' Shaking her head, Rachel held on to Noah's hand. 'I'm not dealing with her alone.'

Puck raised his eyebrows at Rachel's expression - her smile seemed a little fake - but she said she was fine and he needed to believe her. She gasped quietly and he pulled her a bit closer to him and kissed her gently. "I donno. She must have heard about it at work." She was the secretary at the studio Puck was interning in, and stuck her damn nose in everything. "Let's go get this over with," he whispered, holding her hand and guiding her over to Samantha to dive head first into the most awkward conversation of the night.

Rachel knew the party would be over soon. They could cut the cake and go to the hospital. It was the perfect idea. She was getting nervous. Still, the Lamaze coach said they would have a while the first time. Rachel hoped she was right. Taking Noah's hand as they walked over to Samantha, Rachel talked to the annoying woman for a while. Contractions were closer. Gasping, Rachel squeezed Noah's hand. "How about cake?"

Puck didn't even try to hide his annoyance with Samantha as she talked to he and Rachel. He didn't know what was up with Rachel, but she was squeezing his hand every so often, a little too tightly. He wasn't sure if Sam was doing something to piss her off or what was going on, but he was confused. When they finally managed to pull themselves away from her, Puck headed toward the cake and make a short, simple speech before cutting the cake and handing Rachel the first piece. "Baby?" Puck asked again. "You sure you're okay?"

Rachel wasn't even focusing on what Sam was saying. She was talking about something her cat did. She didn't care about her stupid cat. Following Noah towards the cake station, she listened to Noah's speech, smiling at her friends before blowing out the candles and accepting a slice of cake from Noah and biting her lip. "My water broke an hour ago."

Puck did a double take at Rachel's whispered confession. "What the fuck?" he hissed. He wasn't made at her, but he was confused. No wonder she was wincing in pain all night - she was in fucking labour. "Why didn't you say anything?" he asked. Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed Rachel's hand and began pulling her toward the door. "Party's over, guys, we're out of here." Puck could see the smug looks on the faces of their family and friends and rolled his eyes. "Fuck you all. Rachel's in labour. We're having the baby."

Rachel should have told Noah earlier, but he put so much work into the party. She couldn't do that to him. She was fine, even though her contractions were suddenly closer than before. "Don't you dare curse." Rachel warned, squeezing his hand as she doubled over in pain. "I didn't want to ruin the party. I was fine." Her husband was in protective mode though. Pushing her out of the restaurant and into the car. "Contractions are four minutes apart.."

Puck was focused on getting Rachel to the cab as quickly as possible. They needed to get their asses to the hospital and fast. Rachel had this whole complex birthing plan and packed her hospital bag weeks ago. Non of that shit mattered right now, though. He just wanted her to be comfortable and somewhere safe. The last thing Puck wanted was for his kid to be born in a cab. "Baby, four minutes is nothing. You shoulda told me sooner." Yeah, he'd worked hard on the party, but none of that mattered. Seconds later, he was sitting in the back of the cab next to his wife and hollering at the driver to take them to the hospital. He kissed Rachel's forehead as she continued to hold his hand. "Squeeze my hand as hard as you need to. And just take deep breaths, okay?"

Rachel knew every she planned was ruined, but she didn't care. She was having a baby! Noah got her into the cab, and Rachel nodded her head. "I had it under control." She grunted, her eyes closing as he climbed in. Taking Noah's hand, Rachel squeezed it tightly. "They're getting stronger." She contracted the entire ride, and finally they arrived at the hospital. Rachel was taken into a room and hooked up to some monitors. "No drugs!"

Puck sighed, following along with the nurses and doctors as they asked questions about Rachel's health and family history. She was being wheeled through the halls in a wheelchair and Puck's hand was still clasped in hers like it was between a vice. As soon as she was in the room and hooked up to the monitors the baby's heartbeat filled the room and nurses began fluttering around. Puck was calming talking to the doctor about Rachel's decision to go without drugs when she blurted it out. "Yeah, baby, they know," he reassured, turning back just in time to see a nurse helping Rachel into a gown. He excused himself from the doctor and stood next to the bed, smiling down at her. "Okay?" he asked. Obviously she was in pain, but he wanted to make sure Rachel was alright with the way things were progressing.

Rachel watched as Noah went over to talk to the doctor. She couldn't believe this was happening. She had two more weeks. She hasn't even had her baby shower yet, but the baby was coming. She was in a gown and this was actually happening. Looking over at Noah, Rachel squeezed her husband's hand, leaning forward and kissing him softly. "I'm okay." Her eyes fluttered close as she felt another contraction. "God these suck." She mumbled, squeezing his hand again as she focused on the sound of the baby's heart beat. "Yeah.. I'm okay.. I'm fine." The doctor suddenly came and checked her. "Goodness, eight centimeters. Not too long."

Puck felt helpless right now. This was happening a lot faster than he thought it was going to. Half an hour ago they were celebrating Rachel's birthday, and now they were in the hospital having their baby. When they left here, their son or daughter was going to be coming with them. Puck's hand was starting to cramp from the pressure, but he didn't dare tell Rachel that. "Just remember to take deep breaths and stuff," he offered awkwardly, perching himself on the end of the bed as people buzzed around them. "You're doing awesome."

Rachel really couldn't believe this was happening so quickly. While she understood she has been in labor all day, it still didn't feel the way she thought it was just back pain. Still, the baby was coming. Leaning back in the bed, Rachel quickly began braiding her hair, because she needed it out of her face. "Yeah?" She asked softly, her hand running over her swollen belly. "I can't believe this is it.." She said softly, realizing how much she would miss her pregnancy. "Are you ready?"

Puck had seen Rachel grow attached to her belly over the past nine months; in fact he was almost jealous of the relationship she'd already formed with their baby. "It seems like forever since we found out," he replied softly. The doctors and nurses were busy, but he didn't want them to be able to hear this private conversation. "I think so," Puck nodded, swallowing a lump in his throat. "I mean. A baby, Rach. We're gonna be parents." He was having a hard time putting his feelings into works, so he settled on leaning in to kiss her again, letting his hand tub over her belly. It felt different; like the baby was kicking nonstop, always moving, but he knew that was just Rachel's body responding to the stress. "Are you ready?" Puck countered, his eyes meeting his wife's just as the doctor announced she was 9 centimeters dilated. Fuck, this was happening fast.

Rachel couldn't believe how quickly this was happening. Noah was right. It seemed like forever, and at the same time it felt like yesterday. She found out she was pregnant yesterday and here they were having a baby. From the chatter she heard around, Rachel could tell they said she was progressing quickly. It felt like it. Looking at the clock, she saw it was finally her birthday. "Its my birthday." SHe mumbled, looking up at her husband. It looked as if she and the baby were going to share a birthday. The contractions were getting stronger, this was happening so quickly. Too quickly. "I ammmm.." She cried out as she felt another contraction. 

Puck was doing his best to comfort his wife but he was kind of at a loss. Everything they'd been taught at birthing class (yes, he went to that shit) was pointless. He just made sure Rachel's hair was out of her eyes, and gave her a hand to squeeze when the pain became too much. "Happy birthday, baby," he smiled, joining their lips when her next contraction hit - maybe it could serve as a bit of a distraction from the pain. "I love you. You're doing so good, Rach. So good."

Rachel didn't realize this would hurt so badly. Well... She did, but that wasn't the point. Practicing her breathing, Rachel leaned back, her lower half pushing up as she tried getting more comfortable. "Thank you." She muttered as he kissed her through a contraction. Crying out into his mouth, Rachel broke the kiss, gasping for air. The contractions were closer than before. The hour labored on, and she finally hit ten centimeters. "Okay, Rachel. You need to push."

Puck saw the panic in Rachel's eyes when the doctor said she needed to push. This was the part she'd been dreading; she'd told him how the body ran on pure adrenaline and blocked out the pain when the baby was actually being born. Puck leaned in again and smiled. "You ready to kick some ass here?" he asked, squeezing her hand reassuringly. Puck licked his lips and nodded down to the doctor, and the command to push came. He felt Rachel's grip tighten and watched her face contort in agony as he counted her down from ten.

Rachel suddenly felt nervous. This was it. There was no turning back now. She had to push. Looking over at Noah in fear, Rachel took a deep breath, and began pushing, screaming in pain as she felt the pain. Gasping, Rachel leaned back on the bed when she pushed again. "It hurts!"

Puck hated seeing Rachel in any sort of pain; she stubbed her toe on the door frame once at home and he fawned over her for two hours to make sure she was okay. There was nothing he could do to help her now, and Puck hated that it had come to this. He grabbed a damp washcloth from the table next to the bed and ran it over her forehead quickly. "You're doing so good, baby. I know it hurts, but you have to do it again. A couple more times and we're gonna have our baby."

Rachel didn't think it would be this bad. "I want drugs." She grunted, glaring at her husband. "Get me drugs!" She demanded, but the doctor said it was too late. Pushing again, Rachel leaned into Noah. "It hurts!" She didn't like this, but she kept pushing. "I can see the head!" The doctor exclaimed, and she gasped. "You can see it?!?"

Puck knew that Rachel would regret getting any sort of drugs, even if it was possible at this point but it was too late. The whine in her voice broke his heart and Puck moved as close to Rachel as he could, perching on the end of the bed so she could lean into him. He felt his heart rate pick up when the doctor said he could see the head; shit, this was really happening. "So close, Rach. One more time. Can you go one more time for us?"

Rachel was tired. She felt so weak and she felt like she read being split in to. "Can you see?" She asked Noah, taking a deep breath, Gasping for air. "It hurts." She whined, taking a deep breath as she pushed. A cry Was heard through the air. "Its a girl!" They exclaimed, laying the baby on her stomach, and Rachel began to cry.

Puck just nodded when Rachel asked if he could see. He knew giving birth was supposed to be a miracle and shit, but he'd also been through this once before and knew that he wanted to stay at the head of the bed. "Yeah, I can see," he told Rachel, smiling at her as she pushed again. As soon as he heard the small cry fill the room and the doctor announce that the baby - their baby was a girl, Puck felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. He had a daughter. The doctor handed him the scissors and Puck cut the cord in a daze. Everything was moving in slow motion, clouded by the tears in his eyes as he gazed at the crying baby laid on Rachel's stomach. The doctors were working over her, wiping her clean and checking her vitals and it was all Puck could do to stare in amazement.

Rachel stared at her daughter. She was covered in bodily fluid, but she was perfect. "Hi baby." Rachel cooed, kissing her dark hair softly and looking over at Noah. He cut the cord, but he was in a daze. Covering the baby with the blanket, she looked over at Noah. "Meet your daughter. "

Puck could hear Rachel talking to him about the baby, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from the tiny bundle on her stomach. She was swaddled in a blanket by someone - he wasn't sure if it was a nurse or Rachel, but he registered Rachel telling him to come 'meet his daughter.' Puck leaned in a bit and ran a single finger over her cheek, just staring at her wide eyes and wild hair.

Rachel couldn't get over how perfect she was. She had a head full of wild dark hair. Even her eyes seemed dark as she stared around, almost like she couldn't figure out where she was. Looking up at Noah, Rachel knew he was in shock. "Baby." She cooed. "She's ours.." she knew what he was thinking. " Hold her.."

Puck was struggling to keep himself together. Everything in the room was reminding him of the last time he was in this situation; the feeling of giving a baby away was something he didn't need to feel again. They were keeping this baby. They didn't need to sign papers to hand her off to her real parents. She was coming home with them. The tears that had been welling in his eyes since they first announced to the room that she was a girl spilled over when Puck finally scooped his daughter into his arms. He used his free hand to shield his eyes from everyone else in the room and took large, gulping breaths as he held her.

Rachel knew what was going through Noah's head. The last time he had a baby, he had to give her up. This was their baby, no one was taking her from them, and she was perfect. She could tell he was crying, she was too. Watching Noah take their daughter into his arms, she began to cry harder. She couldn't help it. "Oh Noah."

Puck was holding onto their daughter and he didn't want to let go. He needed to get himself together, though. He shouldn't be crying like this. Puck sat back down on the bed beside Rachel when their daughter started cooing softly. She was the perfect mix of both of them, with Rachel's eyes and his nose. He took deep breaths, in through his nose, out through his mouth and just looked at her. His tears had slowed, but his crying was still obvious. He still couldn't bring himself to speak, though.

Rachel waited for this moment. Noah had a hard time adjusting to the pregnancy. That's why she waited until the baby was here to find out the sex. She was perfect though, and thankfully had his nose. Smiling at Noah as he sat down, Rachel laid her head on his shoulder. "She's ours, baby.. She's so perfect."

Puck knew Rachel was trying to make him feel at ease, repeating that the baby was theirs. That she was theirs forever, but deep down Puck was still having a hard time believing it. They weren't alone yet, still joined by a room full of nurses. An aid came up to them and swiftly took the baby from his arms, mentioning that they needed to take her stats, and Puck felt the loss immediately. He knew she was coming back, but fuck. Couldn't they wait just a few more minutes?

Rachel couldn't wait to be alone with her family. Her husband and daughter. This was so unreal. Staring down at the baby, she couldn't get over how perfect she was. Rachel was tired, but she felt amazing right now. The nurse took Her from them, and she could see how upset he was. "Thank you, Noah. " she said finally. "I love you so much."

Puck turned his attention back to Rachel and leaned in to her, kissing her quickly. "For what?" He asked. She was the one that did all the work. He was surprised she was still managing to speak after the hit her body had just endured. "I love you too, Rach."

Rachel looked up at Noah and shrugged. "She's here because of you too... Best birthday gift ever." Rachel said, kissing him back. "I know you do." The nurse brought the baby back and smiled. "She's a special one." She handed the baby to Rachel. "She's hungry.. Or would you rather bottle feed her?" Rachel shook her head. "I want to feed her." Looking over at Noah, the nurse helped Rachel undo her robe and helped her bring the baby to her breast. She latched on instantly. "Oh wow... She looks like you, Noah." She teased.

Puck was reduced to silence as he watched the nurses with his baby. Every move she made completely amazed him, and Puck continued to stare when Rachel took their daughter and began to feed her. He allowed himself to laugh and even blush a bit when Rachel mentioned that she looked like him. The nurses might take it as a comment on her physical appearance but he knew better. He loved her boobs, and it wasn't a secret. "She's a Puckerman. She knows a good thing when she sees it."

Rachel was glad she had the baby back. She was so use to having her there, moving inside of her and now she was out on her own. It was so weird. Looking over at her blushing husband, Rachel kissed him on the lips. "It's a good thing." Stroking the baby's foot, she watched as the nurse left. "What are we going to name her?"

Puck kissed Rachel back gently - almost as though she would break if he pushed her too hard. Watching his wife nurse their baby made his stomach do a quick flip - he was so in love with his daughter already. Surprisingly, they hasn't planned names, deciding to see what the baby looked like before they decided. "Caroline," Puck said quietly as he reached back out to stroke her tiny cheek as she fed. There were so many memories attached to that name. He hoped Rachel would like it.

Rachel smiled against Noah's lips. She was worn out, but she felt amazing at the same time. She had a handsome husband, and now a beautiful daughter. Looking up at Noah, she looked down at their daughter. "Hi, Caroline." She mumbled, staring at her as she nursed. "Caroline Isobel Puckerman."

Puck sighed happily and shifted on the bed to wrap his arm around Rachel's body. It was awkward, given they monitors and machines that she had hooked to her. "I love it," he smiled, nodding his head resolutely. Puck didn't want to stop touching the baby; she wasn't going anywhere but he wanted to make sure. To have a tangible reminder that this was real. "You did it, mommy," Puck mused, kissing Rachel again.

To say that the last couple weeks had been stressful for Puck would be an understatement. He'd been working his ass off on this album that he fucking hated, and his coworker was being a complete and total asshole about the whole thing. The two men worked for the same studio and often co-produced tracks. Puck knew that Patrick was jealous of him. It was no secret that Pat had been gunning for the chance to get his name on the synthesized, candy pop album currently in production. It was a guaranteed hit, and likely to be a major source of income for whoever landed the job. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you looked at it, Puck was the lucky guy. Apparently the talent had asked for him specifically, and Puck had never hated his job more.

This was not the kind of music he wanted his name on. He wanted to produce music for artists, not robots. The kid's schedule was crazy, too - they only had two weeks to record and master the entire album - so the days were long and full of recording and rerecording everything from backing tracks, lead vocals and instrumentation and back again. He left the house long before either of his daughters or his wife were even thinking about waking up, and Puck had arrived home after dinner three times this week. Add in the stress of the "Beth Situation" and Puck was a fucking mess.

He was confused about what he felt about Beth. Obviously, he loved her and he wanted to meet her, but he was being continually denied by Shelby and Quinn. It was weighing on him, and he knew it was putting a wedge between he and Rachel. They had always depended on each other and being so distant both physically and emotionally was difficult. It'd been a long time since they'd slept together, and that was taking a tole on his wellbeing, too. He felt tense, like he could snap any moment, and apparently that moment was tonight.

He was in the middle of running through a rhythm guitar section when he and Rachel started texting. Before he knew what was happening, there were harsh misunderstandings and accusations being thrown. Regardless of Puck's negative feelings toward his work, he needed to do the best he could on each and every track. As much as he wanted to run home and talk to Rachel now, he needed to finish this job on schedule. He pushed through, finishing the session successfully (albeit late. Again) before catching the train home.

The apartment was quiet when he arrived, and Puck dropped his shoulder bag near the door and shoved his hands in his pockets, heading toward the girl's rooms. He poked his head into Kip's room and smiled when he saw her sleeping soundly, swallowed by the huge blankets in her bed. His favourite part of the night was putting his girls to bed, and he felt a hollow place in his chest as he looked at his daughter. It'd been almost a week since he was able to tuck her in.