The room was all but silent as Rachel entered, the only sound the steady beeping of the monitor. Looking down on the blonde girl who lay unconscious on the bed, she thought she had never seen anything more fragile. Quinn was deathly pale, the only colour in her cheeks a thin cut running from temple to chin. Her left arm lay coated in snow white bandages, more of which undoubtedly lay under the thin hospital sheets. Even at her very weakness, Rachel's breath was taken away by the beauty before her. She'd never really allowed herself to reflect on the attraction between herself and the blonde, settling instead for handsome, charming, albeit slightly dimwitted, Finn. But after hearing the news just seconds before she had convinced herself she would say "I do", she knew that she could no longer pretend to love Finn.
He had been surprised at first by the sobbing girl he found himself with – Quinn and Rachel had never been close, right? But then as she cried, she told him everything. Why she had wanted Quinn there so badly, how she had fallen for Quinn, how she couldn't lie to him anymore. At first he was in shock – why would Rachel knowingly try to hurt him, mislead him, betray him? But then he'd gotten angry – all his veiled insecurities coming to the surface; his failure as a quarterback, his average body, his mediocre singing – and he'd started to yell. Crowds from the wedding stood and watched as Finn screamed at the sobbing figure on the floor. The Glee club had stepped in there, holding Finn away from Rachel, while her Dad's cradled her in their arms.
Seeing Rachel so desperate, so broken and lost had done things to him. Despite all of his anger and rage, he truly loved her. And he wanted to see her happy. Even if he couldn't make her be happy. So as their eyes met one more time, he told her, without saying anything, to go and find Quinn. He'd left the courthouse, and let her go. Rachel's dads had bundled her up into the car, with the Glee club not far behind and sped to the hospital, and threatened the receptionist with the ACLU unless she let Rachel through.
Rachel had always admired Quinn's ability to come back fighting. First getting pregnant, getting kicked out of her home and thrown to the dogs at the bottom of the food chain. Then having her heart broken by Finn and dropping off the rails at the end of junior year. Then drugs and the Skanks. After everything, she'd crawled back to the top, even more radiant than the last time. And now, Rachel knew not even this could stop her. She'd been in a near fatal car crash, and here she was, more beautiful than ever. And Rachel couldn't stop loving her.
Rachel walked slowly over to Quinn's bed side, coming to a top near her head. She gazed down at the girl she loved, so vulnerable and exposed. For every moment she was eternally grateful that Quinn had survived, the what-ifs hung over her head, and still she felt immeasurably guilty about it. If she hadn't hurried her, if she hadn't sent that last text, would the accident have happened? In that moment, Rachel promised herself, Quinn and anyone who cared that she would never let Quinn go.
She hoisted herself up onto the bed, and curled her body around Quinn's, holding tight onto the girl she nearly lost. And as the tears streamed down her face, she sang softly into Quinn's ear, singing not at her, but to her, as though she was speaking.
"They said love hurts,
I wrote that book,
I climbed that wall,
I had one look,
But you just came around
To say hello."
She intertwined her fingers with the blonde's, and pulled her closer towards her. She promised to tell Quinn how she felt, consequences be damned. Life's too short to be afraid.
"The streets were filled,
With guilty hearts,
And here was I right from the start,
And I lost everything,
When I lost you."
She sang louder now, praying all the while for Quinn to hear or comprehend in some way, just how much Rachel felt for her, even through the coma haze.
"So tell me why
Should I let you go?
Give me twenty good reasons, I need to know."
She prayed for Quinn to fight out of her coma. To never give up. To always fight for herself.
"And at that point,
There was no pain,
There was no sky,
There was no rain,
All there was was you,
And your sweet face."
Rachel vowed right then to always show Quinn that she was her everything. That nothing else would matter if she had her.
"But life is life,
And things will change,
Like scenes upon
An actor's stage.
Tomorrow comes today,
For all we know.
So tell me baby,
Why should I let you go?
Give me twenty good reasons,
I need to know.
Give me twenty good reasons
Give me twenty good reasons
Give me twenty good reasons
To let you go."
As Rachel finished, she closed her eyes, listening to the comforting sound of Quinn's heart beating steadily, pumping life around her body. She knew then that there was hope, that there was a chance for the future, and she vowed never to look back, or back down. Life was too precious, and too short and so worth fighting for. She took a deep breath as the last of her tears dried an uttered one more line into the near silence of the room.
"I love you, Quinn Fabray."
So? Thoughts? Feelings? Hated it? Tolerated it? Loved it? Should I write a follow up? Or just leave it like this? Please, as always feedback is much appreciated.
Also, how amazing was Max Adler in this episode as well? Him and Dianna do not get enough screen time. Thankyou and farewell, for now.