The funny thing about life is that it never works the way we expect it to. When I started my senior year at McKinley I had no idea that this year would change my life like it did; but sadly it drastically changed things. It's almost impossible to find the good in what happened; and I have to admit I'm still working on the good of everything that happened. Senior year was pretty fantastic until about the week before fall break. My dads were going away on a business trip to San Francisco for the weekend so I had the house to myself and Finn and I planned to use that to our advantage. That's when all of the bad stuff start pilling on. Finn and I were laying in my bed together watching old movies when the phone on my bedside table started ringing. I paused the movie and told Finn to hush in case it was my dads.
"Hello?" I asked into the receiver.
"Is this Miss Rachel Berry?" A voice asked.
"Yes, who is this?" I asked.
"This is Dr. Timothy Arwell at San Francisco Memorial Hospital. I'm calling about your dads." He began. My heart skipped a beat.
"Are they okay?" I asked.
"Mrs. Berry, I'm so sorry. But you fathers have been in a very serious wreck. Hiram was announced dead on arrival." Dr. Arwell explained. I fought back the tears that were threatening to spill from my eyes.
"What about my other dad Leroy?" I dared to ask.
"He's in critical condition." Dr. Arwell answered. Tears started spilling from my eyes and Finn reached out to pull me into a tight embrace. "We've contacted your birth mother and informed her of the situation, it was your father's wish for us to do this." Dr. Arwell told me. My breath caught. What if something happened to dad and he died too? Would I have to live with Shelby?
"Thank you, I'm catching a flight to San Francisco. Please keep him alive." I begged.
"We will do our absolute best." Dr. Arwell promised before I hung up. I turned into Finn and buried my face in his chest.
"My dad died." I sobbed.
"Oh Rach, I am so sorry. I'm right here. I'm not going to leave you." Finn promised. I nodded. "I love you." He added and kissed the top of my head. My cell phone started ringing this time. I pulled my face out of Finn's chest and pulled my phone out of my pocket to check it. It was Shelby. I took a deep breath and answered the call.
"Rachel! Baby I'm so sorry. I'm getting a flight from New York to Columbus right now. I already booked us the same flight to San Francisco from Columbus. There's a few seats left still if Finn wants to come. I know I've never really been a mom to you, but I want to be there for you in this tough time." Shelby rambled. I smiled slightly.
"Thanks Shelby. What's the flight number and when is it?" I asked.
"8723 and it is tomorrow morning at 5 am." Shelby told me.
"Okay when is your flight to Columbus?" I asked.
"Midnight." Shelby answered. I glanced at the clock. 9:30 stared back at me in bright red numbers.
"Thanks so much for doing this. I'll have Finn drive me to Columbus. See you then." I told her.
"Anytime sweetie. Hang in there." Shelby encouraged. I nodded and hung up. Finn pulled me back into his embrace.
"I need to pack. Can you drive me to Columbus?" I asked after a few minutes.
"I'm coming with." Finn told me firmly.
"Where are you going to get the money Finn?" I asked seriously.
"I've been saving to take you to New York for a year now so we could go see Wicked." Finn confessed. I grinned so wide.
"I love you." I told him and leaned in to kiss him. Finn smiled into the kiss before pulling away.
"I love you too. Now can you get me your laptop so I can book my ticket?" Finn asked. I nodded and pulled slowly out of his embrace. Finn pulled out his phone and started dialing whom I could only assume was Carol. I handed him my laptop before going into my closet and pulling my New York landscape suitcase down from the top shelf. My dad's had gotten me this suitcase for Christmas last year. I took a deep breath and held back tears as I started to pack. If I had known last Christmas had been my last with Daddy I would have never asked to go on the ski trip with Finn. I was just praying last Christmas wasn't my last with dad. I couldn't bear the thought of not having them to give me away at my wedding or look after my kids when I had them or them not being able to come to my first Broadway opener. I wasn't sure what San Francisco was like in the fall but I decided on warm and just threw random shorts into my bag.
"Mom I have to be there with her." I heard Finn argue. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes tight in attempt to stop my tears from falling. I needed Finn with me, I wasn't sure if Shelby was going to make this easier or harder, and I needed someone that I knew would be there to come with me. I threw in the last of my things and zipped the suitcase closed. I had no idea how long we'd be there so I'd thrown in three days' worth. I figured I could do laundry somewhere or buy more if I needed it. When I looked up at Finn again he was typing furiously on my computer. He had his head cocked to the side and he was holding the phone to his ear with his shoulder. "Right, no. It's just a one way flight. We don't know how long we'll be out there right now. I think Rachel's packed so once I finish booking my ticket we'll head over to the house so I can pack." Finn explained to his mom. "Okay mom, I love you." Finn told her and hung up. He let his phone drop down to my comforter and continued typing away.
"So she said you could come?" I asked tentatively. Finn nodded.
"The flight number is 8723 right?" Finn clarified. I nodded. He smiled slightly and left clicked on my thumb pad. "There I booked a seat. I don't think it's next to you and Shelby though." Finn told me. I nodded.
"That's okay. Thank you so much for coming." I told him and leaned into his embrace again. Finn smiled and pulled me in closer.
"Always." Finn promised. I smiled lightly and closed my eyes. I felt incredibly safe in his arms. Three hours later Finn and I were saying goodbye to his mom and Burt.
"Be extra careful driving Finny. It's Midnight so that means you're getting tired and you won't be the only person on the road either. So you need to be super careful." Carole told Finn as she hugged him. Finn nodded.
"Okay mom. I'll text you when we get to the airport." Finn promised. Carole smiled slightly and nodded to him before turning to give me a hug.
"I am so sorry for your loss Rach. We'll be praying for Leroy to heal." Carole told me. I nodded and pulled away from her hug.
"Let's get going." Finn told me. I nodded and followed him out of his house and out to his old white car. By 3:30 am we were walking into the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. Security was incredibly fast, but honestly not many people were flying at 3:30 in the morning. Once we got through security we spent ten minutes looking for our gate. When we finally got there Shelby was already waiting for us. She smiled sadly when she saw me and got up to give me a hug. I sighed and folded like a house of cards in her arms. Something just felt so right about hugging my mom even if I hadn't been able to really know her. There was just something about a mom and a daughter hugging. I broke down right there in her arms and started sobbing uncontrollably. Shelby just pulled me in closer and held me tight. I cried for a long time, probably like ten solid minutes before I started to choke on my sobs. Shelby rubbed my back soothingly.
"Rachel baby, you have to calm down or you'll make yourself sick. Finn go buy a water bottle so she doesn't dehydrate." Shelby said. I nodded and tried to take in a deep breath. When I let it out I felt a little better, but I still wanted to just lay in her arms forever. I ended up stretched across a few chairs with my head in her lap while she stroked my hair.
"What happens if dad dies too?" I choked out. Shelby sighed.
"I don't know baby; but I'm never going to leave you again I promise." Shelby told me gently. I nodded.
So I just randomly had this idea for a story because I love the potential I feel that Shelby and Rachel's relationship had to grow. I also needed some Finchel love because I miss him so much. Drop me a review and let me know if you like it and if I should keep going. Reviews mean a lot.