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In his eighteen years of life, Finn Hudson had been called more variations of the terms stupid, clueless and naïve than he could even count. Call it lame-ass, but a big part of the reason Finn felt such an easy connection to Burt Hummel when their families first united was because of the story his stepfather had told him one game night, of how he had put an end to Kurt's strange Mellencamp phase. One had to respect a guy who could so easily say he was dumb but not stupid, because Finn fully agreed there was a huge difference. He almost felt guilty for the fact, but it really felt like the hovering sense of gloom was lifting further away with every step he took towards the hospital parking lot. He was suddenly glad it actually was only possible to get cell phone reception outdoors in this miserable place. Finn Hudson wasn't much of a thinker and it gotten him into all kinds of trouble over the years, but now he had a plan. Oddly enough, the success of what he liked to call Operation Drizzle depended on a little baby who had no idea what a screwed up mess of teen relationships she was the result of. Well, her and his ex-girlfriend's birth mom, god his life was complicated!
Shaking his head at the tragic bizarreness of this whole situation, Finn plopped down on one of the wooden benches framing the lot and hit the speed dial number for Puck on his cell. It rang a few times and he could only imagine whatever obscenely rude song Puck was using as his caller ID these days. Then the usually cocky voice of his ex-best friend came on the line, sounding disturbingly subdued; "Hey man, how's your mom doing?"
"I have a bad feeling she's getting worse dude, please tell me you talked to Miss C already!" Finn replied anxiously. He didn't get brainwaves like this very often and couldn't forget the dull ache in his chest when his mother had finally told him just how serious her illness was. The pain only intensified the day she first caught him crying about it, because Carole Hudson had developed her skill in the fine art of holding his massive figure like no one else could. The way she held him at that moment, doubled over with sobs in her lap was exactly the same as the day she discovered him singing to baby Beth's sonogram what seemed like another lifetime ago. In a way, Finn mused, it kind of was another life. At least because the fading cowboy wallpaper was conspicuously absent from his new bedroom walls, if not purely because of that.
There was silence on Puck's end and Finn fidgeted apprehensively on his bench, what did that mean? He hadn't ever been seriously religious, as the Grilled Cheesus debacle had proved, but the tall jock was seconds away from praying for some kind of answer to all this madness when Puck put him out of his misery, or further into it as the case may be.
Because the Jewish boy's words right now weren't all that reassuring; "Yeah I called her day before yesterday, like I promised dude," he hedged.
"But -," Finn prompted wearily, his nerves really couldn't take this today.
"Well, I explained the whole situation and all about how you did the daddy number for five whole months because I was a fucking coward and Q was so deep in her lies and all, you know? I think she's worried I'm trying to get Beth back or some crazy shit like that. She didn't seem convinced on the phone," Puck sounded sorry, an unusual thing to begin with, but Finn just sighed. He needed this master plan to work so badly it hurt, it could be his mom's only chance to be around a baby she was almost a grandparent to.
Noah Puckerman was a self-proclaimed badass; he didn't do feelings of any kind if he could help it. But at that quiet, dejected little noise, he inadvertently gripped the phone tighter and decided to drop the bombshell of what he had done next on Finn. At this point it could hardly make things any worse after all.
"Listen bro, after I talked to Shelby I called Rachel. Don't be mad, I figured if anyone could convince her to let us take Beth out for the day it would be her daughter, you know? The two of us are just heading over to her place now."
"Whoa man, you're just full of surprises today aren't you?" Finn managed after a long silence. He had learned to expect mile-long lists of excuses from his once best friend and didn't know what to think anymore. Finally he added; "So she's with you now?"
"Yup, should I put her on?" Puck replied, sounding proud of his initiative now that he knew Finn wasn't going to start yelling. "I can start driving then we'll get to Shelby's place sooner. Columbus is almost two hours away."
"Sure, I guess so," Finn murmured cautiously. There was the sound of muffled voices as the phone changed hands and Finn could just make out the revving of Puck's engine before Rachel's painfully chirpy voice came on the line.
"Hey Finn," she greeted much too cheerily for his liking. Even sitting outside in the bright June sunshine, it was hard appreciate anyone sounding quite so happy right now. Not when he knew the freaking Apocalypse theory Kurt was so skeptical of, was as good as true considering how close his whole world was to coming crashing down around him.
"No offense Rach, but could you pull back on the happiness a little please?" he said glumly. "Or are you having such a great time with Puckerman that the world is full of sugar, daisies and rainbows?" Finn hesitated, that didn't sound quite right, even in his head. "Or whatever the hell that stupid nursery rhyme is," he huffed finally.
"Sugar and spice and all things nice you mean?" Rachel suggested timidly, taken aback by his little rant. "I'm really sorry Finn; I know you're having a really hard time right now. But for the record," she added in a bolder voice; "that's why Noah and I are doing this. To help you, not to have any kind of amazing time together I mean. It's a wonderful idea you had and we really want to help make this happen for your mom, okay?"
Finn closed his eyes and just listened as Rachel's previously overly chipper voice softened to a soothing tone. When she finished her sentence he almost wished she could carry on just talking, out loud he apologized quietly. "I know Rachel and thank you guys for that, I'm sorry I snapped at you." He took a deep breath then, it was harder than expected to admit how in over his head he was with everything that was going on, even to the ever-supportive diva. "I guess all of this is just really stressing me out," he supplied simply, almost expressing the fact in a questioning tone. Because really, life sucked right now and not knowing how or when it would all end made it so much harder to bear.
"What's on your mind right now, Finn?" Rachel asked softly, her heart aching at the strangled half-sob to break the extended silence on his end of the line. Finn hesitated, now there was an interesting question. He wasn't used to being the one to come up with big master plans to make people happy. He was so deep in thought about leadership and the last time he had done anything near as important as this, at the Hudson-Hummel wedding two years ago, that Finn barely even noticed what he said next until the words were already out. "Where are you guys now?" he asked. "Have you passed by the hospital already?"
"You want to come with us to see Shelby?" Rachel chimed in knowingly. Not for the first time, Finn felt complete amazement over the fact that Rachel Berry always just knew what his wacky mind was thinking without him needing to say any of those thoughts out loud.
"If it's possible," he admitted sheepishly. "You're kind of amazing, the way you just get inside my head all the time, you know that?"
"The same quality that freaked you out so much the first time you broke up with me, remember?" Rachel pointed out before she could stop herself. She couldn't help the fact that every date on which Finn Hudson had walked away from her was painfully unforgettable. He couldn't even respond to that before the familiar sense of utter selfishness gripped her and Rachel amended. "That wasn't fair, I apologize. Just let me ask Noah if it's possible to swing by the hospital, alright?"
"Thanks Rach," he murmured. There was the murmur of incoherent voices as Rachel presumably asked Puck how far from the hospital they were. The moment felt endless to Finn, increasingly desperate as he was for his rare stroke of possible genius to work out.
It seemed like an impossibly long time until he finally heard Rachel's voice again; "You're in luck Finn Hudson, we'll see you in about ten minutes, alright?"
He could tell just from her tone of voice that the short brunette was smiling brightly and that thought alone made his heart feel lighter instantly. Out loud he said; "Awesome! See you guys soon." Because actually cheering with the relief that something was finally going right might have been just a bit much, he thought. Rachel said something about calling Shelby to announce their plan of action, but even the possibility of the strict ex-Vocal Adrenaline director saying no to them couldn't burst the little bubble of hope the sound of Rachel's voice had returned to him.
In the depths of the hospital behind Finn however, the mood wasn't quite so optimistic. Somewhere in the maze of the oncology ward, Burt Hummel stood gripping his son's shoulders and trying to determine if he was being honest when he said he'd be fine on his own with Carole. Hummel Tires and Lube had kept Burt distracted through some of his darkest days a decade ago but he wasn't happy with the fact that his co-workers chose now to need him at the garage. "Are you sure you don't wanna come down to the garage with me, kiddo? I'm pretty sure Carole's resting right now anyway," he asked for what felt like the twentieth time at least, possibly more than that if Kurt's exasperated expression was anything to go by.
"Yes Dad I'm sure, for the last time! I'll be fine here," Kurt rolled his eyes for good measure to try and make the hoax more believable. In truth, the mere thought of parking himself indefinitely in one of those hard plastic waiting room chairs terrified him. Being alone would no doubt magnify all the torturous memories which had plagued him even with his dad around. But unfortunately one of Kurt's most vivid recollections of his mother's endless days in hospital was of one day she told him how much she hated being stuck there. Whether she was conscious to appreciate his presence or not, the countertenor couldn't bear to subject Carole to that depressing loneliness. Drawing strength from that thought, Kurt gave his father a fierce hug before nudging him none too subtly towards the building's exit. "Go on!" he urged, sensing the anxious man about to grasp at any possible reason to stay. The question of Finn's whereabouts died on Burt's lips and he reluctantly walked out then, thinking of how the things Kurt could persuade him to do never ceased to leave him amazed.
If not for his hesitance to leave Kurt alone at the hospital, Burt Hummel would in fact have discovered Finn's mysterious whereabouts on his own. While father and son argued two floors above the scheming quarterback, Puck's weather-beaten truck pulled into the lot outside where he was waiting for the Jewish duo to pick him up. Rachel leapt out of the passenger seat as soon as the vehicle pulled to a halt and hugged Finn tightly. From the driver's seat, Puck simply offered him a knowing smirk and drawled; "Okay, here's how it's gonna go from here on out. I'm driving and Finchel have my permission to get disgustingly cozy in the backseat. No offense Hudson, but you look like hell, man."
"Thanks a lot," Finn muttered, but realized at once that he actually was too exhausted for the attempted scorn to have any effect. So much for the hope that Kurt's mastery in the art of sarcasm had rubbed off on him through living together for almost two years.
Rachel took the opportunity to prove the advantages of having her with them. Narrowing her eyes at the mohawked boy, she snapped irritably; "Shut up Puckerman, that's extremely insensitive of you!"
"Just tellin' it like it is Berry," he retorted, raising his hands in mock-defeat, while Rachel clambered into the back of the truck and shifted purposefully to make Finn plenty of room beside her.
Once they were settled and the truck in motion, Rachel used her close proximity to him to scrutinize Finn. She didn't like the dark circles around his red-rimmed eyes one bit and gently entwined her fingers with his before saying as much. "You know Finn, I would have found a politer way of saying it than Noah, but I do think he has a point. You look like a dead man walking right now."
Finn groaned wearily; "How exactly is that politer than saying I look like hell?" he complained. "Besides, how can dead men walk anyway? Unless-," he shivered inadvertently. "Oh God Rachel, are you saying I'm like a zombie or something? Zombies give me the creeps."
"Not a zombie then," she said reassuringly, forced to suppress a smile at his crazy mind workings. "But seriously Finn, when was the last time you slept properly?"
Another tired shrug only serves to worry her further. "I dunno," he mumbled. "Mom had another round of chemo three days back and it didn't work as well as before. I haven't left the hospital much since then and it's not all that easy to sleep in those plastic visitors chairs, you know?"
"Alright that's it," she announced decidedly. Finn frowned as Rachel suddenly shifted, sliding as far away from him as the length of the back seat would allow. When she was pressed closely up against the opposite door, the petite diva took his hand and locked a freakishly expectant gaze on him.
"Oi," Puck interrupted the proceedings with an untimely glance in the rearview mirror. "I said cozy Berry, that's not an invitation to a fucking make-out session, not on my watch!" he protested.
"Language Noah!" she returned waspishly. "And don't be such a pervert, this is me defining cozy so take a chill pill!"
Finn did that adorable half-smile only he could at this exchange, even though he still actually had no idea what Rachel was up to. He didn't have to wait long to find out though, as soon as Puck fell silent, save for some exasperated muttering to himself, the short brunette took his hand affectionately and simply said; "Now that's settled, you c'mere."
"What are you doing, Rach?" he said, more confused than ever.
"Offering the service of my lap as a pillow, you need to sleep!" she insisted. "Have you looked in the mirror lately?"
"That's Kurt's job," Finn muttered, but his pushy ex-girlfriend was obviously determined not to accept no for an answer.
It wasn't fair, she still knew exactly how to make him cave, all with a simple pleading gaze; "It's a long drive and it will do you good," she pointed out and he couldn't realistically argue with that.
With a muted sigh Finn leaned over so that his head ended up propped on Rachel's lap. She in turn stroked the top of his head tenderly, humming softly until he was out like a light, which admittedly didn't take very long. "Success," Rachel murmured under her breath, resisting the urge to kiss him then and there. Their bond as friends had grown stronger than ever throughout the duration of senior year but both Finn and Rachel had agreed to slow down the re-building of bridges burned by the likes of Santana, Quinn and Puck as far as dating again went. Rachel Barbra Berry had no intention of being the one to screw their mutual contentment up, especially not now when Finn needed a good friend more than anything else.
"Did it work?" Puck asked suddenly from the front, startling Rachel out of her longing thoughts.
"Yes," she replied softly, smiling as Finn's hand tightened unconsciously around hers. "Sleeping like baby," she added, unable to keep the pride out of her voice. "I told you that was all he needed Noah, admit it."
"You're insufferable sometimes Berry, did you know that? Even if you are the only reason I know the word insufferable at all," he complained, matching her hushed tone. There was silence in the back seat at that, a rare occurrence where Rachel Berry was involved. "You know I'm messing with you, right diva?" he threw in a little anxiously.
"I'm sorry Noah, it's not that. I was just thinking about something," she said hastily, to his relief.
"Really, about what?" he asked casually, expertly masking his intrigue at her mysterious tone.
Rachel hesitated; "This may be a strange question," she warned. "I was actually wondering if you informed Quinn of this little trip."
Puck's hands clenched unconsciously tighter around the steering wheel at those words. "Hell no," he growled. "You saw what she was like in junior year before prom, Berry. Getting back to the top is all she ever cared about. Getting Beth for a day now is all for Finn and Mrs. H," he paused and took a breath to hide the fact that he was struggling for composure. "Did you know that Finn's mom is one of the only older women in town I've never had a fling with, or ever wanted to?"
He must have shuddered involuntarily because suddenly a delicate hand was clamped comfortingly to his shoulder. Before Rachel could say anything though, Puck forced the rest of his thoughts into words, because Noah Puckerman didn't do feelings and shit but he was on an unstoppable roll now. "After my dad left there were so many days my Ma would be so wasted she didn't recognize Sarah or me, Mrs. H was always the one making sure we had food on the table or somewhere to escape to if it got too rough. I was a fucking coward when Babygate happened for going along with Q's lie to Finn for so long. Then just as things were going back to normal for us I screwed him over again with you."
"Noah that was just-," Rachel started, but Puck cut her off firmly.
"No Rachel, let me finish damn it!" he snapped. "I know Finn probably doesn't even trust me anymore but that's the honest reason I'm doing this. It's not just a twisted way of seeing Beth again; I'm doing this because I fucking owe Finn and his mom so much! He's still my boy and if I can't get him to believe that again, I don't know what I'll do."
A / N So here's chapter 2! Sorry if the geography's a little screwed up. I'm an Indian living in Switzerland and I've only ever been to America once. I tried to figure out if it's mentioned where Shelby actually lives but went with Columbus for the sake of a road trip when I didn't find anything. Enjoy and please review!