Rachel stumbled up the apartment complex, kicking her heels off as she walked to the sought out door. Her feet were killing her but that was nothing compared to the pain she was feeling on the inside. Ten hours ago, New Directions lost Regionals. Nine hours ago, Rachel was told by her mother that there was no place for Rachel in her life. Eight hours ago, Rachel found out that her mother was adopting Quinn's newborn baby girl. Now 4 hours into the after party, Rachel was on a mission to seek answers.
Leaves, dirt and grass caked her dress, legs and arms. Lets just say, the three block walk had been an interesting one. The girl could barely talk straight, let alone walk and had found herself flat out on the ground about 15 times. Half the vodka was missing from the Grey Goose bottle she gripped in her right hand, of course most of that had been spilled along the way and hadn't actually been consumed by the 15 year old.
Reaching the apartment, Rachel began pounding her fists on the heavy wooden door. A light from the inside flicked on, followed by the porch light. Seconds later the door opened, revealing a shocked and concerned Shelby. What was Rachel doing at her apartment? Was that a vodka bottle in her hand?
"Rachel?" Shelby said, pulling her cotton robe closer to her body as the chilly May breeze hit.
"In the flesh." Rachel harshly said.
"Honey, what are you doing here?"
"I'm sorry, am I inconviencing you?" Rachel asked, taking a small sip of vodka. Yes Rachel, 2am is an inconvience but no way was Shelby going to tell her that.
"No, um. Why don't you come in?" Shelby said, widening the door to allow Rachel to get by.
"I'm fine out here."
"We won't disturb the neighbors if we go inside." Shelby quietly tried to usher Rachel into the apartment but Rachel wasn't having it.
"Why? Afraid they might find out what a horrible mother you are?" Rachel bit, pulling back from Shelby and almost falling on her butt. Shelby helped her regain her balance and nearly dragged her into the apartment and shut the door.
"Sit down." Shelby said, leading her to the couch. As Rachel sat down, she went to sip from the bottle again but Shelby snatched it from her. "Give me that."
"Hey, that's mine. You can't have it."
"You're underage and it is illiegal for you to have it. You know if you had gotten caught by a cop, you'd be in serious trouble."
"What do you care, you're not my mother." Rachel glared.
"This is also my house and you will not be drinking while you are here." Shelby said, throwing the bottle in the trash can and walked back into the sitting area. "Now why are you here?"
"To talk to you." Rachel slurred.
"About?"
"Why you think you can't be my mom."
"We are not having this conversation when you are drunk." Shelby shook her head and held out her hand. "Give me your phone so I can call one of your dads to come and get you."
"No."
"Rachel give it to me." Shelby demanded, not in the mood to deal with a drunk, stubborn teenager.
"No, it wouldn't make a differnce anyway, they are on their way to the Bahamas and won't be back until Friday." Rachel said and got up, heading towards the door.
"Where are you going?" She asked, holding the door shut.
"Well you don't want to talk so I am leaving."Rachel said, pushing on the door handle. She became increasingly annoyed as she fumbled with getting the door open. "Let go!"
"Fine." Shelby said, removing her hand from the door.
"Thank you." Rachel grumbled, the door wouldn't budge and she dropped her hands in annoyance. "Damn it! Your stupid door is broken."
"Try pulling on it." Shelby rolled her eyes. Rachel did just that and the door opened, without any problems.
"Well, that's..that's.." Rachel stuttered for something to say and when she couldn't find any words, she turned to Shelby. "I'm leaving now."
Shelby stood on the front porch and watched Rachel storm down the sidewalk. Being drunk, angry and hurt was not a good mix for Rachel. Forgetting that she had tossed her shoes off in the middle of the sidewalk, Rachel tripped over one of the silver stilettos and landed on her stomach. Rachel got back on her feet and tried to pick up the offending shoe but she got dizzy and landed on her butt. Shelby walked the 15 feet to Rachel and knelt down next to her. Rachel began crying and looked up to her mom with sad eyes.
"Why are you replacing me? Aren't I enough?" Rachel sobbed.
"I'm not replacing you. Beth needs a home and I need a family." Shelby told her.
"But I'm your family."
"You came from my body but you belong to your dads. I gave you up Rachel, so they could have a family." Shelby said, pulling Rachel to her feet. "I want a baby of my own, to raise and love."
"You don't love me?" Rachel asked, with tears streaming down her face.
"I do love you, Rachel."
"But not like Beth, right?" Rachel whispered and Shelby didn't say anything. Rachel shook her head, wiping her eyes and nose. "I see, well sorry for bothering you tonight. I'm sure you need to prepare for your true daughter's arrival."
"Rachel, wait." Shelby called out as Rachel stumbled down the sidewalk. It hurt her to watch Rachel's weakened body drag itself in the direction of her fathers' house. The girl didn't stop to acknowledge that Shelby had called out to her.
Rachel walked into the empty house and woefully climbed the stairs to her bedroom. Her mother didn't love her the way she should and that hurt. Sitting on her bed, Rachel took out her phone and composed a message to the only person in the world who seemed to even care about her. It was hard to see the buttons on her phone but she managed to get out what she needed to say.
Shutting off the phone, she dropped it to the floor and walked into her fathers' room, across the hall. The bathroom medicine cabinet was stocked of different toiletries and bottles. Pulling multiple things from the small shelves, she found that bottle she was looking for. Rachel needed it all to go away as she couldn't take the pain and abandonment anymore.
Finn re-read the message for the tenth time, trying to figure out what Rachel was talking about. He knew she had been drinking and there was a chance that it was just a drunk ramble text but there was something about the text that worried him. What did she mean by needing to be free from the hurt?
He dialed Rachel's number but it went directly to voicemail. It wasn't like Rachel to not have her phone on. Going down to the basement, he found Kurt setting up to do his nightly skin treatment.
"Hey we need to do to Rachel's house."
"Why is she puking?" Kurt chuckled.
"No, she left me this message." Finn said, handing Kurt his phone. "Now she's not answering her phone."
"This is not good." Kurt said and grabbed his car keys from his blazer pocket.
The brothers ran out to the car and headed to Rachel's house. A few lights were on in the livingroom, Rachel's room and hallway when the boys walked in. There was no sound anywhere in the house and they spread out to start searching.
Kurt took the stairs two at a time and checked Rachel's room. She wasn't in there but he noticed the bathroom light on in the master bedroom. Rachel was laying on the floor with pills scattered around her and the tap was running in the sink. He shut off the water and knelt to the ground, shaking Rachel but she didn't move.
"Finn! Finn! Up here hurry!" Kurt shouted. "Finn!"
"Rachel!" Finn gasped, walking into the room. He felt for Rachel's pulse but it was low and tried to wake her up but he had just as much luck as Kurt. "Call 911."
Kurt pulled his phone from his pocket, dialing the number and calling for help. Finn lifted her up and carried Rachel down to the livingroom couch. Getting a cool wash cloth, he draped it over her forehead. Finn wasn't sure if it was going to help but he was going to do anything he can to save her life.
The paramedics and police officers arrived 6 minutes later and the EMTs began working on Rachel. Two officers, pulled the boys out of the house to get statements from them.
Shelby paced the small kitchen and tried to call Rachel again. The girl left less than 45 minutes ago and should have been home by now. She just wanted to make sure Rachel had gotten home and was safe. Shelby regretted letting Rachel leave without trying to offer her a ride or suggesting Rachel sleep on her couch. Grabbing her keys from her purse, Shelby decided to go and check on her. She was already awake and losing another 30 minutes or so of sleep wasn't a big deal.
Coming up to Rachel's street, she was stopped by a police officer's car that was barricading the street. Several houses down, Shelby noticed the bundle of flashing lights in front of Rachel's house. Her eyes darted around trying to figure out what was happening. As she scanned the house, Shelby's eyes turned to focus on the front door as the paramedic's wheeled a gurney out of the house. Her eyes widened seeing Rachel laying on it with an air mask on her face.
"Rachel!" Shelby screamed, throwing her car into park and getting out of the car. She ran past the barricade and up to the ambulance. She watched as Rachel was loaded into the back and she tried to go in after her but was stopped.
"Ma'am, you can't come in here." One of the EMTs said.
"She's my daughter." Shelby tearfully said.
"I'm sorry but there isn't enough room. You can meet us at Lima Community Hospital." He said and closed the doors on Shelby. The ambulance took off down the street and Shelby tried to breathe before she headed back to her car.
"Miss Corcoran!" Kurt said running up to the SUV.
"Kurt what happened?" Shelby asked, rolling down the window.
"She tried to kill herself." Kurt said, tears spewing down his face. "She was barely alive when the EMTs took her out."
"Oh God." Shelby choked out. "Do you need a ride to the hospital?"
"No, Finn is waiting for me."
"Okay, well I will meet you there and we can talk more." Shelby said and the boy nodded, taking off for his own car.
Shelby waited for the boys to pass her before she followed them to the hospital. She tapped her fingers impatiently on the steering wheel as she sat through a red light. When it finally turned green the two vehicles turned down the street and into the hospital parking lot in the emergency section. Shelby noticed the ambulance had already been unloaded and Rachel was inside being treated.
The nurse told Shelby and the two boys that they needed to wait in the waiting room and a doctor would be out to speak to them as soon as possible. An hour passed by without a word being spoken between the three. Kurt and Finn were aware that Shelby was in the process of adopting Beth but they had no idea about the private conversations that had taken place earlier in the day and just a few hours ago.
"Have her dads been contacted?" Shelby asked, breaking the silence.
"Leroy lives in Florida now and Hiram is out of town on a business trip for the next three weeks, which is nothing knew. He's always gone, leaving Rachel alone." Finn answered.
"Are they on their way?" Shelby asked again more clearly as Finn hadn't really answered her question.
"Leroy hasn't talked to Rachel in 6 months. He changed his number and she doesn't even know how to get in touch with him, so he won't be coming. I talked to Hiram but he says he can't come home and is having Rachel admitted into the psych ward until he gets back." Finn said.
"She didn't tell me things were like this." Shelby whispered, sitting down.
"She tried but you didn't give her the time of day. You closed yourself off from her and made her feel like you didn't care just like her dads." Kurt quietly said.
Shelby was dumbfounded by the new information that had been relayed to her. How could her fathers not care about their daughter? Of course Shelby wasn't any better. How could she miss the signs of Rachel reaching out to her? Then she remembered when Rachel came to see her about her Lady Gaga outfit. Rachel asked for her help saying her dad was too busy to help her and the time Rachel told her the story about her daddy bringing her a glass of water when she was sad. Rachel had made a comment saying 'That was before Daddy left.' Was she really that cold-hearted that she ignored Rachel's statements?
Another two hours of silence passed before Rachel's attending doctor came out of the ER,. The three people crowded around him, waiting for answers.
"Rachel is gonna be just fine." Dr. Black assured them. "We pumped her stomach and now have her on a mild sedative. She will be ready to go home tomorrow as long as there is someone around to keep a sharp eye on her."
"Can we see her?" Kurt asked.
"She is in her own room as of 10 minutes ago but I would like to limit her visitors to just family for right now." The doctor said. "You're her mother?"
"Yes." Shelby almost hesitantly nodded.
"I'll have the nurse take you to see Rachel." He said before walking off.
Assuring the boys that she would call them with an update about Rachel, Shelby followed the nurse up to Rachel's room. Rachel was peacefully sleeping and Shelby was careful to not disturb her as she pulled a chair to Rachel's bed. For over three hours, Shelby had been afraid that Rachel wasn't going to make it and now seeing her little girl alive in front of her was more than Shelby could take and she began to cry. When she had no more tears to shed, she rested her head on the flimsy mattress and closed her eyes, holding Rachel's hand tightly.
Hearing the door open, Shelby sat up and turned to see the nurse walk in with a piece of paper.
"Hiram Berry is requesting that you call him right away." She said, giving the paper to Shelby and then left.
Shelby kissed Rachel's forehead before stepping out into the hallway to place the nerve wrecking call. The phone only had to ring once before Hiram picked up. "Shelby?"
"Yes, Hiram. Hi." Shelby greeted.
"I spoke to Rachel's doctor and he said you were with her."
"Yeah, uh just wanted to make sure she was okay." Shelby said.
"How did you know where to find her?" Hiram questioned. "You're not suppose to contact her until she is 18 or she finds you on her own."
"Rachel did find me herself." Shelby fudged the truth a little. "Last month but nothing has really come out of the reunion. Rachel and I have briefly talked about 4 times since reconnecting."
"Oh, I see." He said, his voice becoming less accusing and he took a small pause. "I wanted to talk to you about something."
"Okay, shoot." Shelby said, peeking into Rachel's room.
"I'm not able to return to Lima until this business thing is taken care of and I can't admit Rachel into the psych ward without being there in person, as they need me to fill out some forms."
"So you want me to do it?"
"No."
"Then what do you want?" Shelby asked.
"I need you to look after Rachel while I'm away. Obviously she can't be left alone and you are the only one left to take care of her." Hiram explained. "Would you be interested?"
"I'd love too but I'm not sure if Rachel would like that."
"She doesn't have a choice." Hiram stated. "I will call her when she is ready to be released tomorrow and explain that she is to go with you."
"Okay, I guess that will work." Shelby slowly said.
The two worked on little arrangements regarding money matters and whatnot before they hung up. Rachel was still asleep so Shelby decided to go up to the nursery and see Beth. As she rocked her baby girl, it hit her that Beth and Rachel would be coming home a few days later. How on earth was she going to handle her suicidal daughter and her newborn daughter? She thought about calling Hiram back but she didn't have the heart too and she even admonished herself for thinking about doing so in the first place. She was just going to have to deal with it one step at a time.
She fed Beth a bottle before she laid the baby back in her plastic bassinet and slipped out of the room to check on Rachel. Rachel had shifted to lay on her side but she was still passed out and Shelby decided that it was safe to head home to get some sleep. It was almost 8am before Shelby was in her bed and asleep herself. At noon her alarm went off and she reluctantly crawled out of bed to being getting her apartment ready for Beth and Rachel. Originally Beth was going to be in the spare room but Rachel was going to need her own space so she decided the crib should be moved into the master bedroom.
Luckily Beth's nursery hadn't been decorated or painted yet so it was still age appropriate for Rachel. The only problem was there wasn't a spare bed for Rachel. Remembering she had an air mattress, she figured that would have to do for now. She had two hours before Beth was going to be released and wanted to see Rachel before leaving the hospital. Shelby had gone shopping after Quinn and Puck let her adopt Beth and bought all of the necessities, however, all of her stuff was still in boxes and bags.
Calling Finn and Kurt for help, they agreed to come over and help out. They brought along Mike to help them out to make up for Kurt's lack of manly skills and muscles. The guys moved her bedroom furniture around to give Beth her own wall for her crib and changing table. While Shelby put together her carseat, Kurt got started on decorating Beth's space and Shelby had to admit the boy was a pro at interior design.
Grabbing the pink carseat and purple diaper bag, Shelby invited the three boys over for dinner the following weekend to thank them for helping her out and for finding Rachel before she could die. Shelby got Beth signed out of the hospital and watched as the nurses strapped her into the seat. Shelby carried the sleeping baby down to Rachel's room and she pushed the door open with her foot.
"Hey." Shelby gently smiled as she walked in and placed the car seat on the floor with the diaper bag.
"What are you doing here?" Rachel mumbled, staring at Beth. "How did you know I was here?"
"I showed up at your house to check on you last night and saw the ambulance." Shelby shortened the story.
"Oh." Rachel said, still watching the baby. "So you got Beth?"
"Yeah." Shelby nodded and glanced down at the baby at her feet, then back at Rachel. "So has your dad called?"
"I talked to them a half hour ago, they're trying to find a flight home." Rachel lied, not knowing that Shelby knew the truth.
"You don't need to lie to me anymore, I know the truth." Shelby said, sitting on the bed. "I know Leroy took off 6 months ago and Hiram is out of town for three weeks."
"Who told you?"
"Finn and Kurt, they were the ones who found you." Shelby bit her lip before continuing. "I was really scared Rachel."
"Of what?"
"Losing you."
"You don't have me to lose." Rachel bit.
"Rach, there is no excuse for the way I have treated you and I'm sorry for the things I have said. I-"
"Shelby, I don't care anymore. I just don't." Rachel sadly sighed, leaning back in against the pillow. "Why did they have to show up? I wanted to die."
"Don't say that." Shelby said as her chin quivered.
"What do you care, you let me walk away."
"If I had known that you were so broken, I would have never let you leave. If I had known any of this was going on in your life, I would have never left. I thought you had it all, Rachel. When I met your dads, they seemed like the most amazing people and the way you spoke of them made me think you had the perfect life." Shelby said, wiping a few stray tears away. "Looking back on the time we spent together, I realize that I wasn't paying enough attention to you and the hints you were dropping me."
"It doesn't matter." Rachel sullenly said, flipping to her side with her back to Shelby. "You can leave now, I'm sure you want to start your new life with your daughter."
"You're right, I do." Shelby said and laid her hand on Rachel's hip. "But I want to start my new life with both my daughters."
"You can't be my mom, remember." Rachel mumbled.
"I can, if you'll let me." Shelby hopefully said. "Your dad and I talked on the phone after you were brought up here. He asked me if I would watch over you until he gets back and I said yes."
"Why?"
"Because I was wrong about what I said to you and I am truly sorry. It took almost loosing you forever to realize that I can't let you go. You need someone to get you through this rough patch and I want to be that someone. I want to be the one person who is consistently at your side, holding your hand. Please give me the next three weeks to prove that I really mean what I am saying right now and if you feel that I haven't proven myself or that I can be in your life, I will leave you alone."
"What about Beth?"
"She'll be there too so that means you're gonna have to work with me a little bit and I don't mean that you have to help out with her. I mean that I need you to take it easy on me the first week. I've never parented a baby or teen before so you have to understand that I'm learning this as I go. Do you think this is something you might want to try?"
"Seeing as I probably don't have any other choice, I suppose I'll have to agree." She sighed. Hiram called Rachel just a few minutes later and Beth began to get fussy in her seat so Shelby told Rachel she would be back later to come and get her. "Are you sure you can't come home sooner?"
"I'm positive." Hiram said not giving it a further thought. "You are not a child anymore Rachel, you need to learn to handle your issues in a mature, less dramatic way. I can't run home every time you need attention so stay with Shelby and I will be home in three weeks."
"Okay." Rachel whispered.
"Knock if off Rachel, it's not like I'm abusing you. I am doing what I need to do to keep a roof over your head."
"I know." Rachel said, trying to sound less upset.
"I have to go." Hiram said and hung up the phone without another word.
Too numb to cry, Rachel pulled herself into the fetal position and waited for her next round of drugs to be administered. She was only given a small dose as the nurses wanted her awake so she could attend a one on one therapy session with a child advocate.
She was in the middle of watching TV when Charlotte came into the room. Turning off the TV, she gave the red headed woman her full attention.
"Hi, Rachel. My name is Charlotte and I will be doing some one on one therapy sessions with you. The doctor says you can go home after your 72 hour watch is lifted but it is my job to make sure his assessment is a good idea. If I find that you are okay to leave, I will do a follow up at one, four and six weeks. So lets start by having you tell me how you are feeling right now, in this very moment."
"Fine." Rachel shrugged.
"Is anything specific bothering you?" Charlotte asked. "Anything you say to me, stays between us and the best thing you can do is be honest with me."
"No one cares about me." Rachel whispered.
"What makes you think that?"
"My dad left six months ago and I haven't heard from him since. My other dad couldn't even leave his business trip in Las Vegas to be with me and my mom recently said I had no place in her life, then she went and adopted my enemy's baby yesterday. Everyone just thinks that none of this bothers me, that I just forget any of this ever happened. Now Dad and Shelby want me to stay with her for three weeks until he comes back."
"How does that make you feel?"
"Well Shelby is realizing her mistakes but it leaves me a little apprehensive about what is going to happen after I go back to my house." Rachel said. "I just feel like I can't get too close to her."
"Have you two discussed the arrangement?"
"Sorta but not really. She asked me to give her a chance to show me that she can and wants to be my mom."
"So after telling you there isn't a place for you in her life, she is now begging to be there?"
"Yeah."
"That's gotta be confusing."
"I guess." Rachel shrugged, ready to end this conversation.
"How about we discuss healthy ways to deal with your emotions? Do you like to write?"
"Yes I do." Rachel nodded.
"Maybe you could have your mom take you to the store and get you a notebook that is specifically for journaling purposes. Don't force yourself to write when you don't want to, only when you feel like it and if you are comfortable enough talk to Shelby about any entries or concerns you have. Do you think you could talk to Shelby about your feelings?"
"Possibly."
"That's always another option or even your school guidance counselor and I will give you my business card so you can get a hold of me." Charlotte said, handing her a small card.
"Okay."
"If you feel like causing harm to yourself, there is a hotline you can call if you don't feel like you can go to Shelby. You are not alone anymore Rachel. You have a dedicated team of people standing behind you, who are willing to help you in anyway."
"Yeah." Rachel said, playing with the card. She truly didn't believe Charlotte's latest remark, no one cared about her and she needed to accept that. Shelby was only letting her stay with her because she felt sorry for her and as soon as she returned to school, glee club was going to go back to being mean to her. "So what happens now?"
"The doctor is going to come and check on you, then you will be moved to a temporary psychiatric hospital room for the remainder of your stay. While you are there you will participate in group therapy as well as continuing one on one sessions with me. A doctor will meet with you and your mom about medications to keep your moods stable. You'll be allowed two 1 hour visits a day."
"Do I have to do this?"
"It is all part of a required protocol for your release." Charlotte replied. "If you do all of these, you can be out of here by Tuesday afternoon."
"Ugh." Rachel growled.
"Is everything okay?"
"Peachy." Rachel sarcastically said, rolling her eyes. "Are we done here?"
"If that is what you want, we can finish this tomorrow."
"Lovely. I'm looking forward to it." Rachel folded her arms. Charlotte left and Rachel got out of bed to shut her door but a nurse reopened it moments later. "Seriously? Can I get some privacy?"
"Sorry, door has to stay open."
"There are fucking cameras in here." Rachel said pointing to the device in the ceiling.
"Sorry, hospital policy." The nurse said, leaving the room.
"You can take your fucking policy and shove it up your ass!" Rachel yelled, slamming the door. Again, the door was pushed open but this time two male nurses came in and pulled her to the bed. "Let me go!"
Her doctor came in with a female nurse. "Rachel you need to calm down."
"No! You all need to get off of me and leave me alone!" Rachel screamed.
She wiggled free from the grasp of the two males and ripped the phone from the wall, throwing it at them to keep them from advancing on her. The doctor whispered something to the woman next to him and she left the room, coming back with a needle and small bottle. Rachel was so focused on what the doctor was doing, that she forgot about the other people in the room. She was grabbed, pushed on the bed and held down so the sedative could be administered.
Rachel started sobbing as the needle moved closer to her skin and moments later the sobs subsided and the medicine began working. Rachel was moved under the blankets and had her arms safely secured to the bed, in case she had another outburst when she woke up. The nurses left and the doctor followed out to call Shelby and inform her of the recent incident.
Shelby was just laying Beth in her swing when her cell phone loudly buzzed on the counter, a few feet away. She quickly ran to answer it, hoping it didn't startle Beth awake. "Hello?"
"Miss Corcoran? This is Dr. Black."
"Oh, hello." Shelby greeted.
"I was just calling to update you on Rachel."
"Okay."
"We had to sedate her after an angry outburst and is being confined to her bed until she can be moved to the psychiatric unit."
"I thought you needed her father's permission?" Shelby asked, confused about all this hospital jumble.
"That's only for long term care." Dr. Black explained. "She will only be in the unit until Tuesday. Rachel will be meeting with a doctor later today to discuss medication options and you'll need to be there."
"Will she be okay to come home on Tuesday?"
"While her body adjusts to the anti-depressants, we are going to keep her on the mild sedative so she will be sleepy for the first two or three days home."
"I see, well is she okay now?"
"Yes, she is sleeping now and will be for the next couple hours."
"Could you perhaps call when she wakes up again, I'd like to come see her before she gets another dose of the sedative."
"I will have the nurses do that."
"Thank you." Shelby said.
She hung up the phone and laid down on the livingroom couch and took a short 30 minute lap, until Beth screamed to have her diaper changed. The hospital called Shelby three and a half hours later so Shelby got Beth's stuff together to go see Rachel. If Beth wasn't so tiny and new, Shelby would have found a sitter for her. This isn't exactly how Shelby pictured her first day with Beth would be but it was giving her the opportunity to make things right with Rachel.
"Thank God you are here." Rachel groggily said, lifting her retrained wrists up for Shelby to see the shackles. "Will you tell them to let me out of these things?"
"They're for your own good."
"Wonderful." Rachel angrily said and just as fast as she got angry, she became sad and started to cry. "I just want out of here."
"You won't be here forever. We're gonna get you set up with a therapist and some meds and it won't be long before you start feeling better." Shelby smiled at Rachel and reached to tuck some hair behind Rachel's ear. "And I'll be there every step of the way."