I got inspired to write this after reading a fic about Quinn getting amnesia and remembering a beautiful gifset of Rachel after Quinn's car crash talking about how she didn't remember her. It's my first story so hopefully it's not too bad :)
Alot had changed since her sophomore year of high school. She used to be Rachel Berry, the annoying Jewish girl who had two gay dads and an intense love for Broadway. Now it's her senior year, and everything feels different. Yes, she is still Jewish, still has two gays dads, and her love for Broadway has only increased. But now, she is so much more. She's the captain of the glee club, the girlfriend of the star quarterback, a finalist for NYADA, but most importantly, Quinn Fabray's best friend. This was no easy accomplishment. Neither of them had forgotten what had happened in sophomore year. Yet at the beginning of their senior year, they somehow got past all of that and created a strong bond. After seeing her emotional and psychological breakdown that included dyed hair and a questionable tattoo of Ryan Seacrest, Rachel reached out to Quinn. And even more surprisingly, Quinn reached back. Since then, they had been inseparable.
When the news of Quinn's car crash reached Rachel, she forgot about everything. The wedding, Finn, her parents, her fellow glee clubbers, everything. Because at that moment, nothing mattered more than making sure Quinn was ok. Rachel rushed to the hospital and as soon as she walked through the doors, demanded to see Quinn. After a rather long winded rant about the idiocy of the family policy that hospitals had, Rachel was finally allowed to see Quinn. She paused at the door and took a deep breath, preparing herself for whatever was behind it. The first thing she noticed after opening it was how awful Quinn looked.
She had bruises all along her face and her arms, and undoubtedly more underneath the hospital gown. There were a few cuts on her face and her left eye was swollen shut. Someone had propped up her leg, which was in a cast. Various tubes had been attached to her, all running to their respective machines. It was a heart breaking sight.
"Oh, Quinn," Rachel whispered, feeling the tears begin to well up. She hurried to the chair at the side of her bed and gently took Quinn's hand in her own, careful not to touch the I.V. Rachel felt Quinn stir slightly at her touch, but other than that, there was no reaction. She stayed in that position for a while, silently crying as she looked at Quinn's bleak condition. The sound of the door being opened made her look up.
"Thank you, doctor," Judy Fabray said politely, looking at something out of Rachel's line of sight. When she turned, she looked at Rachel sadly.
"What are they saying?" Rachel asked, aware of how small her normally loud voice sounded. Her best friend's mother didn't say much at first. Instead, she made her way over to Rachel and took her into a big hug.
"It's not looking good, sweetie," she finally said, "The doctors say that she might not wake up." At these words, Rachel felt herself crumple. She sobbed into Judy's shirt, feeling the older woman's tears on her own shoulder.
"She has to wake up. She can't leave," Rachel heard herself plead. Judy tensed and pulled away from Rachel, looking her in the eyes. Rachel couldn't help but think of how similar Judy's hazel eyes were to Quinn's.
"No. She's going to make it. We are not going to even think about any other outcome," Judy said firmly, "Do you hear me, Rachel? We have to be strong... for Quinn." Rachel took in her words, and after a moment, nodded her head.
"Good," Judy said, giving Rachel a watery smile before taking a step back and smoothing her shirt out. Even in times of crisis, she was still a Fabray. In a more business like tone, she continued, "Now, the doctor said she might not wake up, but if she makes it through the night, the chances of her waking up will be greater than not."
Rachel nodded again, a feeling hope rising in her. Just as she was about to reply, the door opened again. Actually, it was kicked in. Both Rachel and Judy flinched at the loud noise. Santana burst in, followed closely by Brittany and then by Finn. She rushed over to Quinn's bed and knelt down. Rachel looked on in confusion until she heard s string of Spanish leaving the girl's mouth. Santana was praying.
Brittany stood beside her girlfriend, sending a sad smile to Rachel before placing a hand on Santana's shoulder. Rachel could see tears on both the girls' faces. She felt a large hand on her own shoulder and looked up to see Finn gazing down at her sadly. She couldn't help thinking for a second that it wasn't his touch she wanted. She looked back down at Quinn, who seemed so small in the hospital bed.
Eventually the rest of the Glee club made their way into the room, but Rachel hardly noticed. She distantly heard Tina's sniffles and Mike's reassuring words. She barely noticed Mercedes looking away and Sam comforting her. She stayed by Judy, who seemed just as withdrawn as Rachel. One by one, each member left, offering kind words to Judy as they went. Only Rachel, Judy, and Santana were left. Finn had had to go home, as well as Brittany. He left with barely any recognition from Rachel. Brittany gave everyone a hug before leaving.
For the rest of the night, the three women said nothing. Their attention was all on Quinn, who wasn't responding much. A nurse came in at some point to check on her and told Rachel and Santana that they had to go. Judy took her aside quickly and told the nurse that they would be staying. Absentmindedly, Rachel imagined what either Santana or herself would have done had they tried to kick them out. At some point all three fell asleep, Rachel and Judy on one side of the bed, and Santana on the other.
Rachel woke up with her head on Quinn's bed. Judy was already awake, sipping a lukewarm cup of coffee and holding a small book. Santana was still sleeping, her body in a similar position to Rachel's. Rachel looked at Quinn and the small movements her chest made as she breathed in and out. She smiled up at Judy, who returned her gaze.
"We made it," Rachel said softly, not wanting to disturb Santana. Judy smiled back and took her hand.
"It's going to be touch and go from now on, but the doctors are saying that there's a good chance she will wake up soon. Right now they're worried about infection and..." Judy stopped herself. Rachel waited for her to continue, but Judy merely looked away.
"What else?"
"They're worried that Quinn won't be able to walk again." Judy's eyes were shining with fresh tears. "We won't know until she wakes up, but the doctors say that her spine took some serious damage..."
Rachel didn't say a word. She got up and, ignoring the ache in her back, wrapped her arms around the older woman. On the outside she seemed calm, but on the inside she was frantic. What if Quinn could never walk again? What if she was forced into a wheelchair, just like their friend, Artie. He seemed unfazed by his disability, but Rachel would catch him looking on sadly at the rest of the glee club as they practiced dancing. Quinn once told Rachel that she loved to perform. Now, her chances of being able to perform again were slim.
Rachel was uncharacteristically quiet the rest of the day. When the glee clubbers came to visit, she didn't say much. When Santana began lashing out at the doctors and the nurses, she didn't scold her. When her fathers came with food for her to eat, she barely said a word. When Finn came asking to take her home, she wordlessly declined. Judy noticed, but didn't say anything.
That night, Rachel fell asleep holding Quinn's hand. In her dreams, she was with Quinn in her small red VW. She watched as Quinn looked at her phone. She yelled at Quinn to be careful, but the blonde only laughed at her. She saw the incoming truck when Quinn stopped at a red light. When she screamed at Quinn to move, Quinn looked at her and replied, "This was for you, Rach," before Rachel felt the truck's impact.
Rachel barely registered the pain she should've felt. All she saw was Quinn's broken form next to her. Blood was pouring out of her head, and bits of glass were stuck in her hair.
"Quinn! Quinn, wake up!" Rachel yelled. She felt someone tug on her hand, and began panicking. "NO, get to Quinn! She needs your help!" she yelled.
She woke up still feeling someone pulling on her hand. Realizing that it was Quinn, Rachel sat up quickly, trying to keep from yelling out. She looked down at their hands and watched Quinn's hand twitch and move. She looked up and saw Quinn moving her head back and forth, her eyebrows furrowed. Rachel quickly shook Judy, who immediately looked at Quinn and cried out. After what seemed like an eternity, Quinn's eyes began slowly opening up. She blinked a few times, before looking around the room dazedly. Rachel held her breath as her eyes landed on Rachel, and then their entwined fingers.
"Quinn," Rachel breathed out, smiling at her. Suddenly, Quinn yanked her hand out of Rachel's, narrowing her eyes.
"What the hell are you doing, Manhands?" she demanded loudly, and with those few words, Rachel felt her heart break.