It's just after midnight when his mom texts him -How is everything going? Is Rachel doing alright? -and he literally cannot stop grinning because, after all of this time and waiting, it's finally happening. He's going to be a father. Today.

Good, getting close now - 7 cm last time they checked. Rach is hanging in there like a trooper. She's amazing.

She totally is. Contractions on and off for three days and then 18 hours of hard labor, most of which she endured without an epidural, and she is still (mostly) smiling.

Thank God for epidurals.

Rachel, who had been dozing on and off between contractions, cracks open one eye and looks over at him. "Yours or mine?" she asks, giving him a knowing smile.

Both of their families are gathered out in the hospital waiting room, along with a handful of their closest friends, and they've been blowing up his phone with texts all night long, asking for updates on Rachel's progress. At one point, he was getting so many messages that his phone actually started to overheat and he had to turn it off. This is the first grandbaby born on either side so, yeah; they're all just a little bit excited. It's really nice, though, knowing that their baby is coming into the world surrounded by so much love.

"My mom," he says, slipping his phone back into his pocket. "Sorry if it woke you up."

She shakes her head and rakes her hand back through her hair, working through some of the tangles with her fingers and then twisting it into a loose bun on the top of her head. "It didn't."

"Good." He leans over and kisses her. "How do you feel?"

Rachel rubs the top of her belly and sighs. "Like this baby is never going to come out."

Finn chuckles, "I guess you just made it too cozy in there for it."

He feels sort of like an ass, calling their baby it, but they still don't know what they're having.

It was Rachel's idea not to find out. She said there were so few true surprises in life and, really, all that mattered was that their baby was healthy. Which, yeah, of course. He wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea at first, or with the fact that he would have to wait to paint the nursery until after they brought the baby home. He just wanted to be prepared and stuff, you know? Make sure that everything was perfect for their new baby. Rachel was pretty adamant about not finding out, though. He's sure she probably would have given in if he'd really fought her on it, but he figured she was doing all of the hard work in the pregnancy and that being surprised wouldn't be the worst thing ever. Now, he's honestly really happy that they decided to wait. Not knowing is only making him that much more excited to meet this new little person who is about to come into their life.

Anyway, they ended up finding the most perfect gender neutral nursery from Pottery Barn Kids -white and grey with little elephants and polka dots - that they both immediately fell in love with, so he was able to get everything ready ahead of time.

"Apparently I did. Maybe I should try to make things a little bit less hospitable for the baby."

He shrugs, "I mean, you'd think that all of those contractions would have been enough. I know I wouldn't want to hang around in my house for very long if it was squeezing me every two minutes for hours on end."

"So true," she says, and she actually laughs a little.

Finn was a pretty big baby (9 lbs, 10 oz), and he knows that Rachel is legitimately concerned that their baby might be too big for her to deliver and that she'll end up needing to have a C-Section, so he's really glad she's joking around about it with him right now.

He reaches over and rests his hand on her belly, rubs it a few times. "Hey, you in there, it's your daddy. We're totally ready to meet you, so you can come out any time you want."

"Now would be just fantastic," Rachel adds, gently poking at the side of her belly. "If only our child ended up being that obedient - ugh, what the hell?" she winces, shifting her hips in the bed.

He offers her his hand and she grabs on to it, squeezing his fingers tightly. She's a lot stronger than she looks and he's sure he's going to have a bruise where his wedding band is by the time everything is said and done, but he figures it's the least he can do.

"Breathe, babe," he reminds her, mimicking one of the breathing patterns they'd learned in their birthing class.

She lets out a shaky breath as the contraction finishes. "God," she murmurs.

"Alright?" He asks, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. It sucks, watching her suffer and not being able to do a damn thing about it. Her contractions had been crazy intense, but that was before she got the epidural, and he really doesn't want her to go back to being in that much pain again.

"Yeah," she licks at her lips to wet them, "I'm okay. I think my epidural may be wearing off, though. It doesn't hurt nearly as much as it did, but something feels weird and there's all this pressure."

"Do you want me to call the nurse?"

Rachel nods, so Finn pushes the call button and a few seconds later a nurse on the other end of the line answers.

"Yes, can I help you?"

"Yeah, this is Finn Hudson. My wife, Rachel, feels like her epidural is wearing off. She's pretty uncomfortable."

"Alright, Mr. Hudson, I'll send her nurse in to check on her in a moment."

"Thanks," he says, then turns his attention back to Rachel. "Do you need anything?"

"More ice chips, please."

He picks up the cup from the little tray next to her hospital bed and spoons some into her mouth. "Better?"

"Mmm-hmm," she murmurs, sucking on the ice. She rests her head back against the pillow and closes her eyes. "Thank you."

She keeps thanking him, every time he gets her ice chips or rubs her back or wipes her forehead with a cool cloth, and it's very sweet and very Rachel, but, god, she's having his kid and there isn't a single thing in the world he wouldn't do for her. He only wishes he could do more. "You're welcome, babe."

They're both quiet for a minute, and the room fills up entirely with the steady whooshing sound of their baby's heartbeat coming from the fetal heart monitor that is strapped to Rachel's belly. It's completely and totally surreal for him to think that, soon, that sound will be replaced with the sound of their baby's cries. He loves her like this - lovesher pregnant and with a little bit of extra fullness to her face - loves feeling the baby kick, tumble, and stretch within the confines of her womb – but he's so excited to start this next chapter in their story, the one where they stop being a couple and start being a family.

She must be able to feel him grinning at her like a fool, because she opens her eyes and looks over at him. "What?"

"Nothing," he shakes his head. "It's just – we're really doing this. We're really having a baby."

Rachel smiles softly, "Yeah, we really are." She reaches over and puts her hand on his cheek, strokes at his stubble affectionately, and asks, "You ready for this, Hudson?"

He leans forward, presses his forehead to hers, and nods. "I was born ready."

They are interrupted by a knock at the door and Rachel's night nurse, Elise, breezes into the room. Finn likes her – she looks about as young as some of his students, but she's super knowledgeable and she went to bat for them earlier in the night, when Rachel was in misery and anesthesia was taking their sweet time coming to put her epidural in. She would probably still be waiting if it weren't for Elise, and he's so appreciative he thinks maybe they should consider naming the baby after her.

"Hi, guys," she greets. "I hear you're having some pain with contractions again, Rachel."

"Yes, and pressure too. It's not nearly as bad as it was before, but still, it's not pleasant."

"Alright, well, anesthesia may need to come top off your epidural, but I want to check you first."

Rachel crinkles up her nose. "Is that really necessary?"

"Yep, I'm afraid so." She slips on a pair of gloves and lifts the sheet covering Rachel's legs. "You may feel some pressure, but let me know if you have any pain."

Finn figures that Elise will check Rachel and tell them they've still got a while to go, that anesthesia will come back down and give her some more medicine and then maybe they'll both be able to rest for a few hours while Rachel's body finishes doing what it needs to do.

So, he's utterly shocked when she finishes up her exam, pats Rachel on the shin, and says, "Well, I'm not going to call anesthesia because you're fully dilated. The baby's sitting nice and low, too, so you can try pushing with your next contraction if you feel the urge."

"What?" Rachel asks incredulously, her mouth hanging agape. "You're serious?"

Elise nods, "Mm-hmm, all that pressure you're feeling is from your baby's head."

"Holy shit," Finn laughs, brushing a kiss to her cheek, "this is it, Rach. We're finally going to meet our baby."

"Oh my God," she mutters, and he can tell by the look on her face that she's trying really hard not to freak out. "I don't know if I can do this."

"You'll do just fine," Elise reassures her. "This is what your body was made to do."

"Yeah, you've got this," he says, rubbing her shoulder lightly. "I'll be right here with you the whole time."

"When you're ready, I want you to take a nice, deep breath. Then grab behind your knees, bring your chin to your chest, and bear down as hard as you can."

She nods, catches her bottom lip in her teeth and worries it anxiously. "Finn, will you please text my dads and let them know what's happening? I promised them we would."

"Sure," he says, fumbling a bit as he pulls his phone from his pocket and types a single word - pushing – in all caps, following it up with enough exclamation points to rival Rachel herself.

Hiram replies seconds later and Finn chuckles, reading the text aloud.

"Your dad says break a leg."

Rachel manages a tired little smile and shakes her head. "I'm not entirely certain that saying applies to this particular situation.

"No, I don't think it does."

He keeps an eye on the monitor by her bed and as another contraction starts to build, Rachel reaches out for him. "I need to push," she groans.

"Alright, sweetie, go on. Finn, will you grab her left leg and help her pull it back further? It'll open things up and make more room for the baby."

Finn nods, tucks his free hand under Rachel's knee and pulls back gently. "Good job, babe," he tells her, pressing a kiss to her hair as she pushes.

She's barely been at it for ten minutes when Elise abruptly says, "Rachel, I need you stop pushing right now." And there is sense of urgency in her voice that scares the shit out of him.

"I can't!"

"Blow – like this," Elise demonstrates, "but do not push."

"Why? What's wrong?" Rachel cries, collapsing back against the pillows. "Finn?"

His heart is beating so fast that he seriously feels like he's going to pass out or have a heart attack or something, but he can't because she needs him and all he can think is 'Dear God, please don't let anything happen to this baby'.

"Nothing is wrong, but this is going incredibly fast. The head is literally right there and if I don't page for your OB now, I'll be delivering this baby myself."

Rachel's OB comes running into the room five minutes later, out of breath and apologizing profusely. It's a good thing, too. Finn isn't sure they were going to be able to hold her off from pushing for very much longer.

"Let's have a baby, shall we?" Dr. McCleary says, gowning up and positioning herself between Rachel's legs.

"God, yes, let's," Rachel says, and they all laugh.

"Next contraction, Rachel, push exactly like you were before and you'll have this baby out in no time."

"Okay," she nods, closing her eyes and trying center herself. Her grasp on his hand tightens and she groans as a contraction tightens in her belly. She curls forward, giving into her body and bearing down hard.

"Good girl," Dr. McCleary encourages from the end of the bed. "Are you sure you've never done this before?"

"Son of a bitch," Rachel growls, "it burns."

"That's because your baby is already crowning. Push through it, Rachel."

"Ugh, get it out!"

"Keep pushing," Finn tells her, rubbing the back of her knee with his thumb. "You're so close. The baby is right there. I can see the top of its head."

He sort of promised her months ago that he wouldn't look when the time came, but he gets caught up in the moment and, really, how many times is he going to get the opportunity to witness the birth of his child?

"Hair?" Rachel asks when she stops to take a breath between pushes.

"Yeah," he laughs, "lots of dark hair."

Rachel starts crying then - happy tears, he knows. She pushes twice more before Dr. McCleary declares that the head is out. "Take a quick rest and you'll have a baby on the next contraction."

Rachel collapses back onto her pillow, panting breathlessly.

"You're doing incredible, Rach." Finn murmurs, kissing her temple before brushing a few strands of sweat dampened hair off of her forehead. "I'm so proud of you."

Proud doesn't even begin to convey how he feels about her, but it's the best he can come up with at the moment.

"I love you so much," she says, and, yeah, that pretty much covers it.

He brings her hand to his lips and presses a kiss to her knuckles. "I love you, too."

"Care to make any final wagers on the gender of this baby before you meet face to face?" Dr. McCleary asks.

"Boy," Rachel asserts, and Finn shakes his head.

"Girl."

It's a feeling he's had for the entirety of Rachel's pregnancy. Somewhere deep down inside he just knows it's a girl. He'll be thrilled either way, though.

"Well, you'll find out for certain in a minute. You've got a big contraction coming, get ready for it."

Rachel nods, her brows knit together in concentration as she focuses everything she has on pushing one final time.

His heart is in his throat and he starts to feel kind of dizzy because everything is happening so damn fast and then, before he knows it, Dr. McCleary is telling Rachel to reach down and he's watching as the baby slips from her body and she pulls it up onto her chest.

It's the most incredible thing ever, watching her bring this brand new life into the world.

"Oh," Rachel exclaims softly, wrapping her arms around the baby. "Hello, you," she greets, patting the baby's back gently as it continues to wail furiously in her arms. "Shhh, you're okay, you're okay."

"Congratulations, you two," Elise says as she covers the baby with a warm blanket and begins drying it off. "Baby looks really healthy."

Finn just stands there for a minute, marveling at this beautiful little thing in his wife's arms and wondering how he could possibly feel so much love for someone he'd just met seconds before. It's completely overwhelming –falling in love so hard and so fast.

She is positively beaming when she turns to him and says, "Look, Finn."

He nods, not trusting his own voice. Then, he leans down and kisses her on the lips - once, twice, three times - unable to find the words to express just how in love he is with them both.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Rachel asks, and up until that very moment he'd completely forgotten that they still didn't know.

Dr. McCleary smiles, "Why don't you see for yourself?"

Rachel looks to him again and he nods at her to go ahead. So, with a trembling hand, she lifts one of the baby's legs and peeks underneath it. "You're a girl!" She sobs happily, and he starts crying right along with her. "We have a daughter!"

"A daughter," Finn repeats, wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand. "Stella."

It's one of the names they talked about months ago, and it also happens to be Rachel's personal favorite. It means star, so – naturally. He wasn't exactly in love with the name at first, but looking at her now, he can't imagine naming her anything else.

"Really?" She rubs her thumb lightly over the baby's wrinkly little forehead. "You're sure?"

"I'm positive," he says, reaching down and cupping the back of the baby's head in his hand. "Just look at her, she's totally a Stella."

"She is," Rachel coos. "Welcome to the world, Stella."

It's nearly two in the morningby the time both Rachel and Stella are cleaned up and ready for visitors, so their families only stay long enough to peek at Stella and give her a quick snuggle. They leave, offering their congratulations and promising to return later in the day after everyone had gotten some much needed rest.

And then, for the first time ever, it's just the three of them.

Rachel is propped up in bed, nursing a contented Stella. He has his laptop open with the intent of posting Stella's birth stats and a few pictures on Facebook, except that isn't really happening because he can't seem to make himself stop staring at her long enough to get it done.

Not that he's biased or anything, but Stella is beautiful. The most beautiful baby he's ever seen. She has a head full of dark brown hair and these wide, curious eyes. All the nurses keep commenting on how alert she is for a newborn, and he swears when she looks at him it's as if she knows exactly what's going on in the world – like she already has this whole life thing figured out. And her nose is seriously the cutest nose ever. It isn't his, but it isn't Rachel's, either – it is uniquely her own. She definitely has Rachel's lips, though, pink and full and gorgeous.

She's just – she's perfect, okay?

Six pounds, eight ounces of perfection.

And he's just so unbelievably happy. Happy that this is his life, happy that Rachel has let him love her all these years - and that she loves him in return - happy that even after everything they've been through, together and apart, this is where they ended up. In this tiny hospital room in New York City, with their beautiful, healthy baby girl and so much love between them.

Rachel looks over at him, tips her head to the side, smiles. "Come, join us," she beckons.

Finn nods, closing his laptop and setting it aside before carefully situating himself next to her in the hospital bed. "We made her," he muses, reaching over and touching Stella's tiny foot.

"Yeah," Rachel laughs lightly, "we did."

He bends and presses a kiss to her bare shoulder, then asks, "Best day ever?"

"Best day ever," she affirms.

~fin~