It Takes A Bit of Time
by Erin Griffin
Fandom: Glee
Pairing: Rachel/Quinn
Summary: moving on after the accident.
I haven't been vwatching Glee lately, but tumblr gave me the inspiration for this. Chances are, this type of story has aready been written.
It takes a bit of time. Quinn wakes up and realizes that she is in the hospital. Rachel is there, her head down, her hair coving her closed eyes as she sleeps in an awkward position next to her. Quinn registers the hiss and whirs of the machine next to her, and the pink itcher on the table at the foot of her bed. Her hands are heavy, but she manages to reach upward to the itch at her head, but stops at the barrior that prevents her from doing so, the bandage there that covers it. She then tries to move her legs, but she can't seem to make them comply with her brain's commands. Her breathing hitches in fear, and the alarmed croak she emits is enough to wake to brunette beside her. Rachel is quick to realize what the situation was, and she pulls back her excitement of seeing Quinn awake so she could calm the girl. When Quinn informs her that she cannot seem to move her legs, there is only a small nod before Rachel's eyes move down in sorrow.
It takes a bit of time. It is a lot to get used to, the bulkiness of the chair. Luckily she has a friend who was used to it, who tells her the tricks he spent years learning so that the transition is easier on her. She's angry that this happened to her, but she has hope. She's told it's possible for her to walk again, where it wasn't for Artie, not without further damaging his spine. But more than that, she has hope because Rachel is there. She has called everything off to be with Quinn. Her wedding, NYADA, all of it. At first, Quinn is certain the diva is only there to ease her own guilt, but Quinn never mentions that, as she knows that Rachel did feel badly. Quinn never find herself blaming Rachel for any of it, not when everyone leaves for the summer, and when school goes back in session, Rachel is the only one who still comes around. It was Rachel who takes her to physical therapy, Rachel who helps her in and out of the car, Rachel who helps her run errands, and Rachel who endurs most of Quinn's anger and frustration. Rachel even sends letters to places like Breadstix and the Lima mall to better wheelchair accessable entrances. Quinn argues all the time with Rachel. Why did that girl think that Quinn was fighting her on the marriage of Finn? What had it all been for? She wanted Rachel to get her dream, and now it is Quinn who holds her back in Lima.
It takes a bit of time. A lot of time, actually, as a new year comes and the seasons change. Slowly, as Quinn first takes steps with a walker, she feels as if she can finally do this. That night, as she raises her leg slowly before grabbing it and dragging it up into her bed, she looks to Rachel, who is making sure everything was in reach before she goes to her house for the night. "I'm getting better." Quinn states.
"Yes. And I'm proud of all the progress you're making Quinn."
"I think it is time we talked about your plans."
"Hm?"
"NYADA? Juliard?" Quinn prompts.
"Oh, those plans. There are no plans."
"There should be."
"Well there aren't. I plan to stay here with you and make sure you get better-"
"I'll be damned if I'm the one who holds you back here much longer," Quinn says firmly.
"But I can't just leave you here."
"I can take care of myself."
"I know you can-"
"What will it take for you to just leave, huh? Why are you still here? There is nothing in Lima for you."
Rachel is quiet, and then one word escapes her in almost a sigh. "You." When Quinn doesn't say anything, Rachel says it again. "You. To all of it."
"I don't-"
"I can't leave until I know you'll be okay. When you leave Lima, I will too. That is why I am still here. That is why I've stayed."
"I-" Quinn is silent, trying to take this in. She's not sure if she should be angry at the stupidity of Rachel's inner logic or touched that Rachel cares this much about her.
"Actually, I didn't want to talk to you about this for another month, but I had been looking for apartments in New York."
"Good," Quinn all but huffs as she leans back into her pillows. This conversation, though she is the one who initiates it, is wearing her out after the already exhausting physical thearapy session. Rachel takes a few steps towards her, and takes out her cellphone. A moment later, she hands the phone to Quinn.
"This two bedroom apartment is close to the hospital and a train ride away from three colleges. It's a decent neighborhood, not without its faults for the price range, but we can manage, I think."
"We?"
Rachel's look is a strange one, as if Quinn's confusion shouldn't have been there and this in turn confuses the brunette. "Yes."
"Rachel, I-"
"This is what it will take, Quinn," Rachel says.
Quinn knows the conversation is over. She's silent for a moment before she asks, "Does it come with a view?"
It takes a bit of time, but boxes are packed, with Rachel's dads doing most of the heavy lifting while Rachel sets boxes and stacks of items, labels, tape and coded stickers for Quinn to close and mark. Judy and the Berrymen set a monthly allowence for the girls until Rachel finds a job in a dance studio and Quinn find a desk job booking appointments for tavel angents, and then in an office for a realitor she really admired. As seasons change, both Quinn and Rachel attend school, the wheelchair is replaced by a walker, and the walker is replaced by a cane. Rachel lands a lead in a few small productions until, after a popular internet radio station interviewed her and had her do a radio play, she lands a small role on the Broadway strip. Quinn learns the trade of real estate, and as the cane is finally done for, she becomes one of her mentor's top students and makes more for herself.
It takes a bit of time, but Quinn, after a long day of being on her feet, rests her head on Rachel's shoulder as the brunette reads from the script of the next radio play. Rachel likes it so much, she considers voice acting as an option especially after getting the offer to permanently play the character for te show. Rachel smiles warmly at the weight of Quinn's head on her shoulder, and she turns so that she can wrap her arms around her. She kisses her on the forhead, and Quinn sighs, content. "Are you happy?" Rachel asks, seemingly out of the blue, but in truth she had the question on her mind since the two moved to New York.
"Yes." Quinn says.
Rachel places a hand on Quinn's cheek, which makes the blonde's eyes open. Rachel kisses Quinn, an act that has also been on her mind since moving to New York. Quinn kisses Rachel, an act that has been on her mind since her time as a Cheerios captain.
It takes a bit of time, but together, they make it.
They really do.