Sam sat beside Rachel in silence as they watched over Quinn, listening to for any sign of struggle or any irregularity in her monitors. The blonde's complexion had turned a pasty white over the last nine months and the doctors had cut her open time and time again. The blonde had just returned from surgery where there had been some minor complications but had apparently been a success and Dr. Torres would be back to check on her later. Rachel stared at the space between her ballet flats while Sam played with the silver watch on his wrist that was one link too loose and spun freely around his wrist when pushed.
The boy turned his attention to Rachel who had remained incredibly stoic throughout the entire ordeal. Even though it wasn't particularly her burden to bear the brunette had deferred her second year at NYADA to come and help the two blonde's. Quinn had gone to Yale as planned and Sam had been scouted for their football team and chosen to do a degree in Political sciences with intentions to follow a career as a senator.
Everything changed on the 17th of March when Quinn had come home to her eclectic apartment she shared with Sam with bloodshot eyes and hands full of tissues. That was the day the doctor had delivered her diagnosis. Rachel had left her lecture and arrived in Connecticut in less than three and a half hours which meant that the squeaky clean Berry had broken several speeding laws. Quinn was her person though and she was there for her. So the brunette had deferred and left Kurt with Mercedes in New York.
The journey to the present had been painful for everyone. Quinn had slowly slipped into a depressed mindset as she began to lose weight and hair. It wasn't until her third surgery that the blonde girl had broken down. The memory was constantly on Rachel's mind after every surgery, the sickening screams which had erupted from Quinn's mouth and how hard what was left of the blonde had shaken as she sobbed with her gaunt face buried into Rachel's collarbone.
Sam was just a shell of the man he used to be; he was exhausted from constantly being at the hospital with the two girls and didn't eat very much anymore. The quarterback had accepted his role in this as the supportive brother figure. Sure he and Quinn were dating but he knew it wasn't him she was in love with; it wasn't him she called out for in the middle of the night when she had nightmares. Despite all of this the boy stayed because if he couldn't be with Quinn he still wanted to be there for her.
"When this is over I'm leaving," the man stated flatly. He'd lost all sense of tactful behaviour months ago. Rachel simply nodded before fiddling nervously with her fingers and looking up at him, into his bright blue eyes. "Quinn's amazing but she's not in love with me. She's in love with you".
The brunette nodded again with a sigh as she looked at the sleeping girl, knowing he was right. Quinn's left eye twitched slightly which was followed by some slight mouth movement. Slowly her beautiful hazel eyes opened, fluttering in an attempt to adjust to the fluorescent lighting.
"Rachel," her voice husked. The brunette grabbed her hand and squeezed it reassuringly.
"I'm here Quinn. It's okay," the tanned girl responded. Quinn's eyes met Rachel's.
"I love you," the blonde whispered.
It happened so quickly. Her hand went limp in Rachel's and her vital signs flat lined within a matter of seconds. Rachel and Sam both screamed for help, the man quickly starting CPR as Rachel cried hysterically in shock and fear for the outcome. She wouldn't remember it later but the brunette screamed for help and even when it arrived she didn't stop. The doctor's expelled the pair from the room. They called for charges and needles and worked for a while before shutting the blinds.
After a few hours the doctor emerged, her scrubs coated in blood, Quinn's blood.
Rachel knew before she even spoke, crashing to the ground on her knees and sobbing hysterically. The doctors voice became muffled and the entire world went blurry as words like 'complications' and 'I'm sorry for your loss' wormed their way into Rachel's head. Sam tried to pick her up but there was no moving Rachel who had become dead weight on the floor. There was nothing left for him to do but watch over her, the same way he'd watched over Quinn these last few months.
Little did he know then that he wouldn't have to watch much longer.