Author's Note: An idea that hit me after watching "Dream On" and discussing the Rachel/Quinn friendship in the chat room I was in at the time.
A lot of things could be done in fifteen hours, Quinn mused after she'd been cleaned up and allowed to relax. All of the released Harry Potter movies could be watched, she could watch an entire season of a half-hour sitcom, she could've driven to New York and seen a Broadway show. She could've done a lot of things but instead, she was in labor and then giving birth to the tiny little girl that was in the plastic bassinet right next to her bed. They were the only two in the room, it was three after nine in the morning. Santana, surprisingly, had been the one to hold her hand while she pushed and pushed and pushed some more. The Latina had left only a few hours before, citing she was exhausted. Even though Quinn was sure she was much more exhausted than her friend, she understood. Santana had no obligation to be there.
Quinn stared at the tiny bundle in the bassinet and felt completely lost. Completely helpless. She wasn't sure what she was going to do with her. She didn't even have a name. She was just Baby Fabray. Puck showed no interest despite his previous claims to want to be a good dad. Quinn had thought about finding an adoptive couple but she had watched from afar as Rachel, annoying as she was, had gone through the pain and angst of finding her own mother. It broke Quinn's heart a little thinking that one day her baby might go through that. The blonde never talked to Rachel, never found out how the situation was resolved and it only added to wondering what would happen in sixteen years.
There was a soft knock on the door and Quinn snapped her head up from looking at the baby to a short brunette who had occupied her thoughts moments before. Rachel had her hands clasped in front of her over her pink and white plaid skirt. The blonde smirked a little at Rachel's white shirt with pale pink sweater over it; she was a little obvious in the fact that she'd chosen a baby-gender matching outfit for the visit.
"I hope it's not too early," the brunette said with a small smile. "I wanted to get here at the earliest time possible…I was actually here an hour ago but the nurses refused to let me come in stating visiting hours didn't start until nine. So I waited."
"It's fine Ru-Rachel. You can come in."
Rachel smiled a little brighter and there was a bounce in her step as she approached the blonde and the bassinet. She gripped into the rim of the plastic bin and peered down at the bundle in pink blankets and the pink hat on the baby's head.
"She's beautiful, Quinn."
Quinn smiled a little even though Rachel didn't see it, her eyes were fixated on the tiny baby who had begun to stir as if she knew she was being watched. The baby's eyes opened and she looked straight up at Rachel and grunted a little. The smile on Rachel's face rivaled every other time Quinn had ever seen the singer smile.
"Would you like to hold her?" Quinn asked softly, almost cautiously.
Rachel's eyes lit up and she sprinted to the sink in the corner of the hospital room and spent the next sixty seconds scrubbing her hands. Quinn knew it was sixty seconds because Rachel counted it. Out loud.
Quinn swallowed hard and watched nervously as Rachel slipped one hand underneath Baby Fabray's neck and the other under her body and carefully cradled her in her arms as though she'd been holding babies every single day her entire life.
"I volunteer at the hospital during the summer," Rachel said like she had read Quinn's mind. "Last year they had me in the maternity ward for a week during the nights to soothe the newborns while the mothers rested. Unfortunately I was unable to hold the position for very long, it got tiring not having any energy for my copious amounts of other activities I partake in during the summer. I spent the remainder of it reading to the children in the pediatric ward and giving concerts in the long-term care facility."
"How…noble of you."
"It looks good on college applications," the brunette said. Her eyes never left the infant in her arms and she swayed a little when the baby started whimpering. Baby Fabray immediately settled down when Rachel started humming to match the sways.
"Can I ask you something, Rachel? Something…kind of personal?"
Quinn chewed on her lower lip nervously and Rachel nodded. Quinn saw the look in Rachel's eyes that said she knew what was about to happen was important and she moved to the edge of the bed. Quinn scooted over and Rachel sat down, careful not to make any sudden movements.
"If I give her up…what will it be like? For her?"
"If she knows," Rachel said softly, "she'll wonder. She'll always wonder. She'll love her adoptive parents and they'll love her like their own flesh and blood. She'll appreciate them and everything they do for her…but she'll always wonder. She'll want to know who you are someday."
"And if she doesn't know?"
"I'm not sure. Obviously, I knew at a very young age that I had a mother that wasn't present in my life. My dads told me when I was four and inquired as to why all of the other kids had a woman and a man as their parents. They had a slide show prepared. I suppose it's where I get my affinity for PowerPoints and multimedia projects in order to express my points." Rachel blinked a few times and shook her head a little. "Back to the original point, I honestly don't know."
"Will she resent me?"
"I don't know that either, Quinn. Shelby did what she did as a job. It was a money-making opportunity for her and…it's a bit of a complicated relationship. I wanted to know and I found out. I suppose since she is my biological parent there will always be a connection and I am interested in exploring a further relationship with her but Quinn, you have to know that I love my dads to no end. They are my parents. They raised me and loved me and cared for me and groomed me to become the star I'm destined to be. Shelby is…she's the woman who gave me life and she is my mother but I'm not sure I'll ever have the relationship with her that I envisioned."
Quinn stared down at her hands and the bed shifted a little. She glanced up and watched Rachel carefully put the baby back in her bassinet before returning to sit next to her.
The brunette reached out slowly and placed her hand on Quinn's arm.
"What do I do, Rachel?"
"I can't…"
"What would you do?"
Quinn looked up into the eyes of her nemesis, possibly former-nemesis, and searched for answers to questions she knew she'd never get. She looked at Rachel like the girl might hold an insight to the future, knowing what would happen whether she kept the baby or not. Rachel's eyes were swimming with thoughts, as if she hadn't thought about getting knocked up at sixteen. Then again, no one thinks about it, Quinn thought.
"Would you like my brutally honest answer or would you prefer it if I said what you'd like to hear, Quinn?"
"Since when are you not brutally honest?" Quinn smiled a little and Rachel's grip on her arm tightened.
"I'm not as brave as you are. I…don't think I would've gone through with the pregnancy. I'm selfish, I'm self absorbed…I wouldn't have done it. I think too much about my future and a child would've taken time away from dance training through the pregnancy and if I hadn't given it up for adoption then my chances of a career on Broadway would've decreased significantly."
"Right," Quinn breathed. "You would've done the smart thing."
"Quinn, your decision to carry the baby to term is no reflection on your intelligence. You had your deeply religious upbringing to weigh in on the choice. While I have been raised in a Jewish household, religion isn't a large factor in most of my decisions. I wouldn't have had the threat of guilt preached by someone to influence me. However, the current issue is not what you should or could have done months ago. It's the immediate future you should be focused on."
"I don't know what I want to do. I…I don't know if I want to give her up but if I keep her I'll…I'll be a Lima Loser. I want so badly to get out of here, Rachel. I just don't want her to think I hate her." Quinn peered around Rachel to the baby again. She had maneuvered one of her feet out of the blanket and was sleeping soundly.
"Have you considered an open adoption? It would allow you to be present in her life without being a parent."
"I…I don't know. I just thought they took her away and I wouldn't get to see her again unless she wanted to."
"There are different types of adoptions and I'm certain you could find a couple that would be willing to negotiate an arrangement that would allow you to be a part of your daughter's life."
Quinn shook her head. "Why would anyone want to do that?"
"Couples understand emotional attachments that mothers have to children. I am almost one-hundred percent positive we could find a loving couple."
"That's a pretty strong promise, Rachel."
"Please, Quinn, my dads are extremely active in the Ohio state ACLU and the local PFLAG organization. If you're not opposed to your daughter being raised by a gay or lesbian couple then you could start screening potential parents right away. I'm sure there are waiting lists miles long for couples within an hour radius of Lima looking for any chance to adopt."
Quinn had to smile a little. She moved her hand over to place it over Rachel's that had remained on her arm and she held onto it.
"Will she turn out like you?" the blonde inquired softly.
"With any luck at all," Rachel said with a grin.
Quinn nodded and with tears in her eyes, she whispered, "Good."
Not so unexpectedly, Rachel launched herself forward and wrapped her arms around Quinn's back and the blonde buried her face into Rachel's shoulder and couldn't help but cry. Rachel ran her hand up and down the girl's spine and gripped onto her tighter as sobs wracked Quinn's body.
"Thank you," she whispered over and over again to the diva.
Rachel whispered reassuring words to her and held her close. When Quinn had exhausted herself from crying the small brunette retrieved a cold washcloth and cleaned off the blonde's face.
"Your little girl is going to have so much love in her life, Quinn."
Quinn sniffled a little and nodded again. Rachel brushed her blonde hair out of her face and gently nudged her to lay back and she reclined the bed a little.
"Get a little sleep," Rachel whispered. "I'm certain you deserve it."
"Stay with me?" Quinn mumbled as her eyes closed. She reached out for Rachel's hand and sighed when it was taken.
"For as long as you need."
Please don't ask for a sequel or a multi-chapter story. I like this the way it is. =)