A/N – Here is another little Rachel story. This takes place within the same world where Shelby shares custody with Hiram and Leroy and has always been a part of Rachel's life. Please let me know what you think at the end. Thanks, guys!

Disclaimer – I don't own Glee.

Shelby pulled into to Lima Middle School parking lot and found a spot in the line of visitor's spaces. She killed the engine and gathered her thoughts before having to go in and collect her twelve-year-old from the principal's office. She didn't know what had come over the girl, but her daughter had been testing her parents for close to two weeks. Everything was an issue or an argument and getting caught skipping her final class of the day that Friday afternoon was the last straw. The girl was spending the weekend with her and Shelby was going to lay down the law.

Rachel was sitting in a chair in the main office when she heard the familiar sound of her mother's heels and looked up at her when she came through the door. Her face stayed impassive and she seemed to dismiss her mother's glare when she looked away and back down at her book like she had better things to do. Rachel would have been lying if she said she wasn't intimidated by her angry mother, but she was doing her best not to let it show.

Shelby started to make her way over to her daughter, but was stopped when the principal came out to greet her.

"Ms. Corcoran, hi. Can I talk to you for a moment?" Principal Garret asked.

"Of course," Shelby answered and she followed the red-haired woman back to her office and sat down.

"Ms. Corcoran, I was surprised to see Rachel in here today," Mrs. Garret said.

"Me too," Shelby agreed.

"I know Rachel can be a little high strung and willful, and a bit stubborn, I must say, but she's normally quite well behaved," the principal said. "She acted like she didn't even care that she'd been caught and brought to me. One of our gym teachers, Mr. Hunt, spotted her sitting under the bleachers out on the field when she should have been in her math class."

"I don't know what's come over her," Shelby said, "but I promise that it won't happen again. I will take care of it."

"I know you will," Principal Garret said. "And I've assigned her a Saturday detention for tomorrow." She handed Shelby a piece of paper that spelled out Rachel's misdeeds and punishment.

"Good," Shelby said. "She'll be here."

"I just don't want to see her think she can get away with things like this."

"Oh, she most definitely will not get away with it," Shelby assured the woman.

"That's good because I'd hate to see her detentions this week turn into some sort of habit," Mrs. Garret said.

"Detentions?" Shelby asked.

"Yes, the detention she served on Wednesday and now her Saturday detention tomorrow. You didn't know about her detention on Wednesday, did you?" the principal asked.

"No," Shelby said.

"Ah, I see. So the note you signed and she returned was not actually signed by you?"

"No," Shelby shook her head. She turned around and glared at her daughter through the glass. That girl was going to get it! "What was it for?" she asked when she looked back.

"Talking back in class," Mrs. Garret answered. "Mr. McClain said she was very disrespectful."

"I'm so sorry," Shelby said. "I'll write a note to Mr. McClain and deliver it on Monday."

"He likes Rachel very much and we have shared our disbelief at her actions this week," Mrs. Garret said.

"Please pass on to him that it won't happen again," Shelby said.

"I will. Thank you for coming in," Mrs. Garret said. "I wouldn't normally have called a parent to come and pick up their child for skipping, but it was the end of the day and I wanted the chance to talk with you or her fathers. This isn't like her and I wanted to address why she's acting this way before it goes any farther."

"Thank you, Mrs. Garret," Shelby said. "And don't worry; I will get to the bottom of why she's been acting out."

The two women walked back out to where Rachel was sitting and Shelby motioned for the girl to get up. Rachel returned her book to her bag and slung it over her shoulders as she got to her feet. She wouldn't look at either woman as she moved closer to her mother... but not too close.

"Rachel, I hope this is the last time I see you in here for disciplinary problems," Mrs. Garret said. "You are too bright of a student to be getting in trouble like this."

Rachel only nodded until she felt Shelby nudge her. "Yes, ma'am."

Shelby sent the principal an apologetic look and then ushered Rachel out of the office. The angry clip of Shelby's heels could be heard up and down the hallway as the pair made their way out of the building, Rachel following behind. When they reached the car Rachel opened her book bag and pulled out her iPod before tossing the bag in the back seat and getting in the front.

"I don't think so," Shelby said when Rachel started to put the headphones in her ears.

Shelby took the iPod and wrapped the headphones around the device and then put it in her purse. Rachel sighed and put her head back against the seat.

"I would drop the attitude right now if I were you," Shelby told her. "You are in a lot of trouble."

Rachel didn't acknowledge her and instead turned her head so she could look out the window. She'd never expected any of it to go on this far or this long. Last week she'd wanted to go to a concert in Columbus, but she'd been told no because it was on a school night. There would be other concerts, they had told her. That didn't matter to Rachel because this was the one that she wanted to go to and they knew that. What was missing one lousy day of school going to do? Other kids missed school and didn't care about perfect attendance. Other kids got to do the things they wanted or goof off in school or not turn in homework. Why did she have to be the one that was perfect all the time?

Rachel had cried and pouted and thrown a fit all before stomping out of the room and making sure all of her parents knew that they were ruining her life. The three adults left her alone that night and let her be angry because they knew what it was like to miss out on something they really wanted. Rachel had been fine for a couple of days and they thought she was over it, but her anger was just dormant because that weekend she'd picked a fight and every turn and had been free with giving attitude to all of those around her. Rachel had spent days after the concert reading articles and forums on the internet that gushed over how amazing the whole thing had been and she just couldn't believe that she had missed it. Stupid school and her stupid parents for not taking her! And now Shelby knew that that attitude had manifested itself in school as well.

Shelby pulled the car onto the road and started to drive to her house. Logically Rachel realized that now was the time to let go of her anger. Her mother wasn't going to accept the answer of nothing was wrong, but Rachel also knew that her parents weren't going to like that all of this trouble was due to the fact that she was sulking over a missed concert . 'Rachel, you will not always get your way in life and your behavior because of that unacceptable,' she could already hear Hiram saying. But her biggest worry right now was her mother and what was going to happen when they got home. Rachel had a sinking feeling that she knew what was in store for her. She knot in her stomach was already there and she needed to think of any way possible to talk her way out of it. Rachel hadn't really thought this far ahead when she'd decided she didn't want to sit through her math class today.

"I don't know what has come over you, but it is going to stop right now," Shelby started to lecture. "You have been talking back and arguing over everything for over a week now. And then I have to find out from your principal that you received detention earlier this week and you didn't bother to mention it to anyone. Instead, you just forged my name to the note that was sent home and lied to your teacher and to us."

Rachel's eyes went wide because she didn't know that Mrs. Garret had also told her mother about the previous detention. This was not going to be good.

"I don't know where you ever got it in your head that it was ok to forge one of our signatures," Shelby continued on. "So please tell me what you were thinking?"

Rachel didn't say anything. She knew that signing the detention form had been wrong, but at the time she didn't think anyone was going to find out.

Shelby stopped at a red light and turned to look at her daughter. Rachel had yet to meet her eyes since she'd picked her up and Shelby was getting angrier.

"And disrespecting your teacher and then skipping class," Shelby chided. "You know better than that."

Shelby was growing frustrated with Rachel's lack of responses and gave the girl who refused to look at her and instead looked out the window a hard stare.

"I am so disappointed in you, Rachel."

Rachel felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes and her brain was screaming at her to look at her mother and apologize. She knew it wouldn't get her out of trouble, but she needed her mom to know that her words were getting through to her and making an impact.

But her mouth refused to cooperate and when she finally spoke it was only to say, "The light is green."

Shelby let out an angry sigh and turned back to the road and pulled into the intersection. She heard the sound of it before she even realized what had happened. There was a crash and a car horn and she felt the jolt of it and had to work her way through the haze that had settled over her mind. Her head hurt, she knew. What had she banged it on? There were voices now. Someone was shouting. She didn't recognize it…

The few seconds of being dazed seemed to vanish in an instant and reality came crashing back to her. She hadn't even made it through the intersection. Her car had been hit. Shelby looked to her right and started to scream.

Rachel was unconscious with her head thrown back and off to the side. There was blood all over her head and face and her little body had been pushed towards the center console because the car had crumpled in. Rachel was covered in broken glass and she had multiple cuts. Shelby could see that her right arm seemed to be positioned wrong and the bone had broken through the skin. The incessant car horn that she was hearing belonged to the car she could see through Rachel's window. They'd been hit directly on the passenger side.

"Rachel," Shelby's screams turned to sobs. "Rachel, please."

Her hand was shaking as she reached over and gently pressed two fingers to Rachel's wrist on her left arm. She had to reposition her fingers a few times, and she grew more desperate each time she did so, but she finally found what she was looking for; a pulse. It wasn't very strong, Shelby knew, but it was there. Next she reached up and put a finger under Rachel's nose and felt the shallow exhales. Shelby pulled her hand away when she was satisfied that the girl was breathing. She had blood on her hand from Rachel's face and she started to reach out and touch her daughter's head, but pulled her hand back. A flash from a long ago first aid class cross her mind; don't move the victim.

Shelby's car door swung open and a young man in his early twenties appeared at her side.

"Lady, are you ok?"

"No. Yeah. My daughter," Shelby motioned to Rachel. "Please help her." Her voice didn't sound like her own.

"The ambulance is already on its way," he told her. "They'll be here any second."

"She's so little," Shelby said.

"Can you get out of the car?" He reached around and turned the key back in the ignition so that it wasn't running anymore.

"No, I can't leave her," Shelby said.

"You're going to have to get out of the car so the paramedics can help her," he said gently. "They're almost here."

"But-"

"My name is Rob. What's yours?"

"Shelby. My daughter is Rachel. Please help her."

"Shelby, she'll get help, I promise," Rob said. "But right now you've got to get out of the car so you can talk to the paramedics when they get here. They're going to need you to answer questions about her. You need to be ready to go to the hospital with her."

"Ok," Shelby nodded.

"Do you have a purse or anything?" Rob asked. "You'll probably need it."

"I put her iPod in it," Shelby said.

Her eyes were far away and Rob could tell that she was in shock. The sirens were close now. A police car was the first to pull up.

"I'll get it," Rob said. He opened the back door and found the woman's purse and then had her hold it as he helped her remove her seatbelt and stand up out of the car. They moved to the side of the road and watched as an ambulance arrived and then a second one after that. A paramedic ran over to Shelby and asked for the girl's name and if there were any allergies and took off again when she had her answers. Shelby watched helplessly as two medics got in the car from the driver's side, one in the front and one in the back, to start attending to Rachel. A new police car arrived and one of its officers came over and squatted down in front of Shelby.

"Ma'am, can you tell me what happened?"

"I don't know. I think I banged my head. There was a green light. Rachel said the light was green," Shelby said. "I was driving home. There was a crash. And the car horn. Why won't that stupid horn stop blasting?"

"Did you see what happened?" the officer asked of Rob.

"She definitely had the green light," Rob said. "We had the red light. I was on the opposite side of the street from the car that hit her. He ran right through the red light."

The man in question was getting out of his car with some gauze pressed to his head. Shelby could see the deflated airbag on his steering wheel and other than the cut, he looked fine. He was an older man, probably in his early sixties, and was talking to another police officer.

Shelby was on her feet in an instant and started walking towards the man.

"What were you thinking?" Shelby yelled at him. "Why weren't you paying attention? My daughter is in that car! She's so little."

"Ma'am, you need to calm down," the officer said as he followed after her.

"Shelby," Rob tried as well.

"Look at her," Shelby commanded, but her voice broke and she started to cry again when she turned to her car. "Look at her."

The man looked stunned as he glanced over at Shelby's car and saw the paramedics trying to stabilize Rachel to get her out. They had a neck brace on her and were working to get a backboard in the right position. A paramedic led the man towards one of the waiting ambulances and Shelby watched as he was taken off to the hospital before her daughter.

"Ma'am, are you hurt anywhere?" a medic asked.

"I'm fine," Shelby said.

"She said she hit her head," the police officer supplied helpfully.

"Can I see?"

"Why can't they get her out?" Shelby asked.

"They're doing everything they can," the medic assured her. "Where did you hit your head?"

Shelby put her hand to her head but backed away when the medic tried to look.

"Leave me alone," Shelby yelled. "I'm fine. Go and help my daughter."

Another paramedic came up to her and handed her an ice pack that she agreed to put on her head as long as they left her alone until Rachel was taken care of. It took some maneuvering, but they were finally able to get Rachel from the car and the backboard she was secured to was then put on a gurney and she was loaded into the back of the ambulance. Shelby said a quick thank you to Rob who told her to look after the little girl and then climbed into the front of the ambulance for the short ride to the hospital.

There were doctors waiting in the bay when the ambulance pulled up and they hurried Rachel inside with Shelby following after them. She crowded into the exam room and stood by anxiously and tried to soak up every piece of information that was flying through the room.

"Is she going to be ok?" Shelby asked. "Please."

"Ma'am, you need to wait outside."

"But I need to stay with her," Shelby said and her tears returned. "Please, she's my baby."

"I know," a doctor told her, "and the best thing you can do for her is to wait outside so that we can concentrate on helping her."

The doctor walked with Shelby to the waiting room and sat her down. He took the ice pack from her and she let him feel the knot on her head.

"Are you injured anywhere else?"

"No," Shelby answered.

"That's quite a knot you have there and I'd like to give you an MRI just to rule out anything," the doctor explained.

"Later," Shelby said. "Rachel first."

"Keep the ice on it for now and I'll check back on you in a little while," he told her. "And I'll let you know the moment we have some information on your daughter."

"Thank you," Shelby said sincerely.

"Is there anyone you can call to come and wait with you?"

"I have to call her dads," Shelby said.

"Ok," the doctor said. "I'll be back in a little while."

Shelby didn't watch him walk away because she was digging through her purse for her phone. She quickly called the number and then put it to her ear.

"Leroy…"

Leroy and Hiram came rushing into the emergency room twelve minutes later and scanned the room frantically before locating Shelby and moving towards her. Shelby was crying and shaking her head and Leroy pulled her into arms and held her tightly against his chest. Hiram had to wipe away tears of his own and Leroy was doing his best to remain strong.

"She- He hit her," Shelby choked out. "He ran the red light. She said the light is green."

Leroy sat Shelby down and Hiram found a chair and grabbed it so he could sit in front of the row of chairs they were occupying.

"Have they told you anything yet?" Hiram asked. "About her condition?"

"No," Shelby said. "You should have seen her. There was so much blood and she's so tiny." Shelby started to cry again and Leroy rubbed her back to soothe her.

"What happened?" Leroy asked.

"I picked her up from school," Shelby said.

"Right because Mrs. Garret called," Leroy said. Shelby had called them when she'd received the call from the school. They'd been waiting to hear from her on how it went.

"Rachel skipped class," Shelby said. "And I was so angry. God, why was I so mad?"

"It's ok," Hiram said. "It was ok to be mad at her."

"No," Shelby shook her head.

"Then what happened?" Leroy coaxed.

"We stopped at a red light," Shelby said. "And Rachel told me when it was green. It was the only thing she said. Then," her lip started to tremble and fresh tears rolled down her cheeks, "there was a crash and that stupid car horn. And Rachel didn't move. She looked like she was crooked in the seat and there was so much glass and she had blood all over her. Her bone in her arm was showing."

Neither Leroy nor Hiram could keep their own tears in check as Shelby described the condition of their daughter.

"She looked so little," Shelby continued. "I felt for a pulse and she never stopped breathing. I wanted to badly to hold her, but I was too afraid to really touch her. I didn't want to move her. Her neck or her spine; oh god, anything could be wrong. What if she doesn't make-"

"Stop it," Hiram said. "Just stop it. Do not say that. You will not say that. I am prepared to deal with anything that may be wrong with her, but she will be fine. She is fine." He put his head in his hands and wept.

Out of instinct, Shelby reached for her purse and reached into to find them all some tissues. She'd started carrying tissues in her purse at all times when Rachel was a baby and it was a habit she never let go. What she pulled out wasn't tissues, but Rachel's iPod instead and the men looked at her questioningly to see why she would have it. It was normally glued to Rachel's hand.

"I took it from her," Shelby explained. "She tried to listen to her music when she got in the car, but I took it from her. She should have been listening to her music. The last thing she heard…"

Shelby replayed the scene and she shook her head at the memory of it. "The last thing I said to her was, 'I am so disappointed in you, Rachel.' Oh no," Shelby cried. "Oh no."

Leroy took the iPod and her purse and put them off to the side and pulled Shelby so that she was leaning into him. He rocked her gently while Hiram held her hand. They all now understood what hell on earth felt like.

An agonizing hour and three minutes passed before the same doctor who had removed Shelby from the room earlier appeared in front of them. Shelby made hasty introduction and the doctor didn't dwell on the sight of two fathers.

"I'm Dr. Reynolds. If you would, come with me please."

He led them away from the general waiting area and into a private family waiting room and turned to face the three worried and weary faces before him.

"Please, have a seat…"

A/N – Review please! I promise they'll be a second part soon.