Glee: Race to the Finish (the fifth book in the Glee series)

Chapter 31: Blessed

Kara peered into the living room, where Julie was struggling to pick up her pen from the floor where she'd dropped it. "Um... I'm kind of stuck taking care of preggers right now..."

Jake sighed. She heard shuffling from the other end of the line until he said, "I'm sending someone over who will gladly take care of her. You just get ready to meet me at Alex's in twenty minutes."

Kara rolled her eyes but obliged, "Aye aye, captain."

She ended the call and walked back into the living room. "Good news, you're getting rid of me."

"What?" Julie asked, trying to sit down. "Why?"

Kara picked up the fallen pen and handed it to her. "Because I apparently have somewhere I need to be. But don't worry. Someone caring and responsible is going to come down to take care of you for me."

"Who?" Julie asked.

"I have no clue," Kara responded with a grin.

***

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

"I'm so in love with those designs," Bree babbled as she had a cocktail with Santana, Brittany, Quinn, Jesse, Luke, Kurt and Rachel. They all gathered around a small circular table at the gathering they had attended together after the fashion show. 

"I'm in love with those wings," Kurt said, watching as one of the angels passed by. "I want those wings."

"I want her in my bed," Luke said, admiring everything but the wings on the model. 

Santana rolled her eyes at him and said, "In your dreams, Walters."

"Ok, I think it's about time Luke and I leave you ladies to your girls' night," Jesse told them. "Come on, kiddo."

"Kiddo?" Luke scoffed as Jesse gave a goodbye kiss to Quinn. 

The guys walked away as Santana turned to Bree and asked, "Ready to go?"

Bree looked at Kurt and the girls, her attention briefly stolen by a text message from Kitty. She didn't bother opening it, however, and immediately put her phone away. 

"You know what?" Bree responded with a smile. "I'm so ready."

***

LIMA, OHIO

"What you got there?" Ryder asked as he walked into Julie's living room. She looked up at him startled, so he said, "Kara let me in on her way out."

Julie nodded and did her best to sit up, but failed. Ryder, in turn, signaled for her to stay where she was and took a seat across from her. "Hello," she told him. "And to answer your question, this is a card the New Directions wrote for Sam. It's really sweet."

"I'm sure it is but that's not what I meant," Ryder said, nodding towards the notebook on Julie's lap. Julie followed his gaze and flushed red.

"Oh right..." she mumbled. "This old thing."

"Is that a song journal I'm seeing?" he asked with a smile.

Julie couldn't help but smile sheepishly as she answered, "Maybe it is... It's silly, I just... I want to be prepared for when it's time for me to go back. To my career, that is."

"Oh, so you do want to go back to singing?" Ryder asked.

She shrugged. "I guess I do. I love it and it's become a part of who I am. I can't just live in this house, raise two girls, and have nowhere to pull money from. I mean it's not like I'm going to live off of Sam for the rest of..."