She beckons me to her and my feet are leading me before the rest of me even has chance to catch up, I look down at her in that chair and the tears finally pour down my cheeks.
She holds her arms open and I sigh before falling into them as I weep against her shoulder.
She grips me tightly, almost protectively, and momentarily I forget about any one else in the room.
"I'm so glad you're okay" I whisper and she pulls me back in time to see her smile.
Then she takes my hand in hers like it's the most natural thing in the world and because of that I feel like it is.
Quinn starts talking but I'm too mesmerized by the feel of her soft smooth skin against mine, it's like a heavenly pale wave crashing onto a tan shore.
I'm smiling like a buffoon but I don't care, because Quinn is alive and talking and still holding my hand and god, as beautiful as ever in her sweet blouse-blazer combination and that dazzling smile that reaches her eyes making them twinkle like stars.
Her face is so animated when she talks, she really lights up the room and I stop to realize how it isn't the first time I've had a thought like that. In fact, it's just one of many.
She finally lets go of my hand and I watch hers fall into her lap.
I frown, was my palm clammy or something?
Everyone starts leaving the room talking loudly amongst themselves about the Senior Skip Day, even though not everyone was actually a senior. Finn is the only one that stops and I almost jump out of my skin as he puts a hand, a notably large one, on my shoulder.
"Are you coming?" he asks.
"Uh…I'll catch up with you, okay?" I tell him quickly and he looks puzzled but nods back at me any way, it wouldn't be the first time I'd confused him lately.
I watch as Quinn reaches back to pull a book out of her bag, I smile at this.
"Do you ever stop reading?" I chide playfully as I pull a chair next to hers, she chuckles.
"Hey, there's a reason I got into Yale, besides my options of ways to spend my time are limited nowadays"
I bit my lip painfully; I really couldn't stop feeling like I was to blame, that I was the reason this beautiful girl was stuck in a wheel chair.
"Rachel" she said so gently my chest ached, "please stop blaming yourself"
"You're in a wheelchair because of me"
"No, I'm in a wheelchair because I was texting behind the wheel, and because a truck driver saw me a second too late and couldn't slam on his brakes in time" Quinn stated matter of factly.
"You were texting because of me" I frowned and heard the blonde sigh before her warm hand was squeezing my own once again.
I looked down to see the tan and porcelain amalgamate, a warmth emulating through my chest and right to my toes as her eyes bore down on me.
"Rachel, please listen to me" she gently ordered, "the accident wasn't your fault, it was unfortunate and a silly decision on my part. I've learnt my lesson the hard way, but I'm alive. As much as I don't want to be in this chair I've accepted that I am, and I don't know for how long but I'm not going to let it stop me from living because I know just how lucky I am to be here"
She paused to let me nod in understanding.
"Do you know what the doctor said to me when I woke up?" I shook my head. "He told me that I must be tough as old nails to survive a crash like that, I should've died just from the impact"
I squeezed my eyes together tightly at the thought, sure she'd gotten lucky but it still wasn't easy to hear just how easily she could've been gone.
"When I came off the majority of the pain medication and didn't once complain in front of anyone he told me that he thinks I'm one of the bravest patients he's ever had" she smiled proudly, I smiled proudly too.
"And what did you say to him?"
"I told him it must be a woman thing and that he'd understand if he'd ever had to pass a bowling ball between his legs" she grinned cheekily and I couldn't hold back my laugh.
She laughed too and the sound was glorious, it sounded like life and beauty and courage.
"I'm so glad you're still here, Quinn" I told her sincerely, unable to break my eyes away from the glistening hazel that seemed to call to me.
"Someone had to be here to stop you from making big mistakes" she told me with a wink. "How are things with you and Finn any way?"
I opened my mouth to defend my relationship but ended up opening and closing my mouth before furrowing my brows. She'd asked something I didn't actually know.
"I think we're fine" I said, the uncertainty clear in my voice.
"You think?" she repeated with a trademark quirked brow.
"We haven't really spoken much since we heard about your accident" I admitted, "knowing you were okay was my first priority and I think Finn got a bit tired of my moping"
"Rachel Berry did you just say you were moping?"
"Yes" I sighed, "I was miserable, Quinn, the image of you bleeding, broken and bruised haunted me, it still does. Whenever I close my eyes I picture you on that hospital bed connected to a million different wires with a machine helping you breath and I-" I gulped thickly, "I can't help but feel responsible, the thought of you not being here makes me sick to my stomach"
"Rachel" she sighed as her thumb danced over my knuckles, "I am here, you don't have to think like that any more. Look at me. You heard me in the choir room; I'll be walking and moving across that stage before you know it"
"How can you know that for sure?" I asked.
"I don't" she admitted, "but if I think for a second that I can't do it then I probably won't. I need you to have faith in me, Rach, like you always do, like you always have done even after I was awful to you. So when you think of what could of happened, just look at me and remember that it didn't, okay?"
I shook my head and chuckled to myself.
"What?" she asked with a smile.
"Quinn Fabray, you're amazing, you know that?"
"Thank you, you're pretty amazing yourself"
The bell rang indicating next period and Quinn started to get her things together, she reached over to start rolling herself but I stopped her hand, she looked to me.
"What are you doing?"
"It must be exhausting pushing yourself around all day, let me push you to class?"
She rolled her eyes but smiled.
"Okay, just this once if you must, but I'm wheeling you to Spanish after" she told me as she leaned up pointing her finger at me.
"Deal" I beamed as I started to push her to her afternoon English Lit class, which I happened to share with her, in fact, we shared a few classes this year.
I let go outside the door and she took over, smiling gratefully.
The class was over before I knew it and Quinn rolled herself to a stop next to me, clearing her throat and motioning for me to sit on her legs.
I think I must have looked worried cause' she was chuckling at me.
"I'm not going to break, Rach, and you're tiny"
"I am not tiny I am merely petite, I'm only two inches shorter than Santana" I huffed and folded my arms, she looked amused.
"I apologize. Now, petite Rachel, please accept my apology and sit on my lap before we miss Mr Schu mispronouncing something important in the idioma espanol"
I snorted and sighed dramatically before draping myself across her legs.
She started wheeling us out of the room and down the long corridor to our Spanish class humming as we moved along slowly but surely.
I caught on to what she was humming and tried to hide a giggle.
"Are you laughing at my humming, Berry?" she asked pretending to sound offended.
"It's just very fitting is all" I replied appreciating the irony of her humming Merrily We Roll Along as we, well, rolled along.
"And it's Sondheim" she told me proudly, "impressed?"
She wheeled us to a stop in front of the class room and I pulled myself on to my feet.
I considered her question and thought about everything we'd come from and everything Quinn had battled, was still battling.
"Yes" I told her, "I'm very impressed"