Thank you so much for all the reviews guys. I really appreciate it. Here it is. Chapter 2. Hope you all enjoy and I can't wait to read your reviews.
The paramedics burst through the double doors of Lima General Hospital pushing the gurney that carried the lifeless Rachel Berry. For Shelby Corcoran everything was a blur. The nurses, the doctors and the paramedics all shouted medical information at each other, none of which made sense to her. All she knew was that as she held onto her daughters hand, she felt nothing but coldness and the sticky residue of blood reminding her of the fact that Rachel was literally on death's door, and there was nothing Shelby could do about it. As she walked briskly alongside the gurney all the way down the corridor, suddenly she felt two hands press against her shoulders as they came towards another set of double doors.
"I'm sorry ma'am, you can't go any further", the petite nurse said as she blocked Shelby's path, preventing her from going any further, As she stood there she felt Rachel's hand slip from her grasp as the medics whisked her to the operating theatre and she disappeared from sight. Leaving Shelby clutching her chest, trying to stiffle her tears. "But, sh-she's my daughter. I have to be with her", she said gazing down into the sympathetic eyes of the nurse, who gave her shoulders a comforting squeezed. "I understand that. But the doctors need to operate on her. Please, take a seat in the waiting room. The doctor will come and see you when there's any news", she said, and with that she turned and walked off down the corridor past the double doors.
Shelby felt the sting of hot tears falling down her cheeks as the reality if what had just happened began to sink in. Feeling herself beginning to lose control of her emotions, she burst through the door of the empty waiting room and once she was alone, she allowed herself sink into the feeling of helplessness and despair. Yearning for her daughter. Wanting nothing more than to be close to her. After spending so many years apart, Shelby couldn't bear to even entertain the idea that she may never get the opportunity to be a part of Rachel's life. Only a mere half hour ago, they were basking in the delight of being a part of each other's lives again. Now, Rachel was fighting for her life, while Shelby sat in a heap on the floor of the waiting room. Her whole body saking with fear as she cried for her only child.
A few hours later, Shelby was pulled out of her trance like state by the arrival of Mr. Shuester and Ms. Pillsbury. "Shelby", Will said as he dashed across the room to his former glee club rival and took a seat next to her. Emma walked briskly behind him, scrubbing her hands rigerously with the disinfectant spray she had taken from the dispenser just outside the door. "We just heard what happened. Is Rachel okay?", he asked as he placed a comforting hand on her arm. Shelby gathered together her composure, not wanting to show weakness to the man she used consider an advisary. However she couldn't help but bask in his genuine affection for her daughter. He clearly cared about Rachel and her wellbeing and that made Shelby soften to him.
"I, I don't, I don't know. I...", Shelby stuttered as she glanced down at her blood stained blouse. Her eyes watering over as the image of her daughter lying in her own blood at the bottom of the steps flashed through her mind. Suddenly she remembered something important. "Oh my God. I have to call Rachel's fathers. They need to know what happened", she said as she went to stand up. Emma stepped foward and hesitantly placed her hand on Shelby's shoulder. She may have been in a fragile state now, but Shelby was still Ms. Corcoran, and she intimidated Emma to the point she actually felt nervous around her. "Um, Rachel's fathers are on a business trip out of the country. Maybe you should wait for news first before you call them", she said.
Shelby stared at the short flame haired woman standing over her and although she had registered what Ms. Pillsbury had said, she couldn't help but notice something hidden deep in her eyes. Shelby wasn't sure what it was, but she had a feeling that there was something being kept from her. Something that she should know, but that Emma was reluctant to tell her. Before she could push the matter, a tall doctor with greying hair stepped through the door. "Are you the family of Rachel Berry?", he asked, glancing back and forth between the three people in the room. Shelby leaped out of the chair and walked up to the doctor. Standing so close to him they were toe to toe. "I'm Rachel's mother", she said.
The doctor gestured for her to have a seat and as she walked back to where she had been perched before he entered he took a seat next to her. Rubbing his hands along the legs of his surgeons scrubs. "The stab wound that Rachel caused a puncture to her lung, which cause a build up of fluid to accumulate. We've managed to repair the puncture but we've had to insert a tube in her chest to drain out the excess fluid. She sustain a couple of broken ribs and a fracture to her pelvis from the fall. All those breaks will heal in their own time", he said as he explained Rachel's numerous injuries to the woman sitting next to him.
"However the blow she took to the head...", as the doctor tried to figure out a way to explain the problem in the simplest way he could, his train of thought was interrupted by an impatient Shelby. "Just tell me straight up. I don't want you to sugar coat it", she said in that same tone of voice that used to send shivers down the spine of her students in Vocal Adreneline. Noticing the seriousness of the woman's tone, the doctor decided against beating around the bush and came straight with it. "There was some brain damage. We're not sure exactly the extent of the damage. But right now we know for certain that it will greatly effect Rachel's motor skills. Her ability to walk, to write. Even just the simple task of holding something in her hand. Now these things, they're not permanent. However depending on the degree of the damage, it could effect the length of time it will take for Rachel to relearn how to do these things again", he said matter of factly.
As she digested all the information she had just been filled with, she could feel her composure faultering at the thought of her daughter being unable to a simple task such as feeding herself. When Shelby came back to Lima, she was coming back for a daughter who was in the peak of her health. With great poise and posture. for someone her age. Now Rachel had been reduced to a mere shell of her former self. Someone who's life would now be compared to that of a toddler learning how to grasp the simple things in life, such as walking. All those simple things that most people take for granted. Because to most people it was second nature. But for Rachel, it was something she would have to learn to do all over again. A task that left her ambition of becoming a star on Broadway in serious doubt.
This was more than Shelby had bargained for when she returned to Lima. She had originally though that the most difficult part of being a part of Rachel's life would be establishing a relationship. Now that had been flipped on it's head and she had to contend with the fact that, now she had to be there for a daughter who, ultimately, had to learn how to live again. As Shelby turned to face Will and Emma, she could see the uncertainty in their eyes. Uncertainty over whether or not Shelby would stick around now that her idea of the perfect child was gone. Now that things had become much more complicated. Not that Shelby blamed them. She could understand where they were coming from. She had walked out on Rachel before, when things were much easier. It wouldn't surprise them if she up and let again.
But they had nothing to be uncertain about. For Shelby Corcoran was committed to this new role she had taken. The role of Rachel's mother. It would be the greatest role she would ever play, and she was not going to walk away from her daughter for a third time. She couldn't. She wouldn't. "Can I see her?", Shelby asked as she glanced back at the doctor. "The nurses are settling her into the ICU. They'll come get you when they're ready", he said as he watched Shelby nod her head. Just before the doctor went to leave he turned to Shelby remembering something he had forgotten to ask. "Oh by the way, I noticed Rachel had some cuts scars on her back unrelated to the fall. Did she have an accident previous to this?", he asked.
Shelby shook her head. Unaware of such markings on her daughters back. "I-I don't know. I've only just found my daughter recently. I don't know her medical history", she said innocently and the doctor just nodded his head and then excused himself from the room. Twisting around in her chair Shelby turned to face Will and Emma. Will seemed just as confused as her, but Emma, her eyes projected an unpsoken truth. "Ah, Will, could excuse us for a second. There's something I need to discuss with Ms. Corcoran, in private", she said as she held Will's hand in her own. Nodding his head, Will stood up and told them he would go get them some coffees and left the two women to talk alone.
"Why do I get the feeling you're about to telling me something I'm not going to like?", Shelby said. Her breathing became deeper as she tried to alleviate the feeling of dread and worry that was creeping up from the pit of her stomach. Ms. Pillsbury sat in the seat right next to Shelby and placed a hand on top of the other womans knee. "There's something you should know about Rachel. About her home life and her relationship with her fathers", Emma said as she tried to hold back the pangs of gulit she felt about breaking one of her student's confidence in her by revealing something that was private and unknown to the other people outside of her home. Sensing that the conversation was about to become serious, Shelby straightened up and leaned closer to Emma.
"A while ago, Rachel came to me to talk. She was really upset and stressed out. She looked like she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders", Emma rambled on as she flashed back to that time. Remembering the lonely looking teenager who had walked through her door all those months ago. "Go on", Shelby said as tried not to let her impatience get the better of her. "Rachel told me, well she told me that, that her father's would sometimes punish her if she did something wrong or she didn't meet their high expectations of her", she tried to explain as she looked into the eyes of the confused woman before her. Emma continued. "I got the impression that Rachel's fathers had been abusing her".
"Wait what!", Shelby said a lot louder than she sould have. "You suspected that Rachel was being abused and you did NOTHING!", she bellowed as she glared at the slightly frightened woman across from her. "Rachel never openly admitted that her fathers had layed a finger on her. Unless she confided in me there was nothing I could do. It would have been purely speculatory on my part", Emma tried to defend her actions. It wasn't that she blatently ignored a student. But without proof or verbal confirmation there was nothing she could have done. "Shelby Corcoran", came a voice from the doorway.
Turning towards the voice, an out of breath Shelby noticed a nurse in scrubs standing staring at her. "You can see your daughter now", the nurse said as she waited for the woman to follow her to the ICU. Standing up, Shelby walked towards the door. Stopping momentarily, she spoke over her shoulder at Emma. "Leave. Now", Shelby said. Reminding Emma of the cold closed off woman that people were accustomed to. With those parting words, Shelby followed the nurse to the ICU. Stopping at the door, the nurse turned to Shelby and explained to her about the various tubes and machines that Rachel was hooked up to, so not to alarm the woman when she entered the room. Taking a deep breath, Shelby pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Laying in the bed in front of her, Rachel was motionless. The only sign of life was the gentle rise and fall of her chest and the sound of the heart montior beeping next to the bed. Walking closer to the bed, Shelby glanced over he daughter. Wires and tubes laced around Rachel's body. Her head was heavily bandaged, a breating tube being kept in place by a strap wrapped around her head. Shelby let out a sob ad quickly brought her hand up to her mouth. No. She couldn't cry. Not now. Not when Rachel needed her to be strong. Pulling the seat next to the bed closer, Shelby sat down and grabbed a hold of her daughters hand. Placing a gentle kiss to it, she glanced back up at Rachel. "Come on sweetie. Wake up. Let me see those beautiful brown eyes again", Shelby said. But there was no movement.
Shelby felt helpless. She wanted so desperately to do something. To feel like she could help Rachel in some small way. She wanted to feel useful. But there was nothing she could do. The doctors were taking care of her medical needs and it was up to Rachel to as to when she would come around. But there was one thing Shelby Corcoran could. Something she could do extremely well. Ever since the day her daughter had been born, Shelby had always wanted to be able to sit by her daughers bed at night and sing to her. Although these were not the circumstances she would have liked, it was as agood an opportunity as any to let Rachel know that she was there. And that she wasn't going anywhere. Gazing up at her daughter Shelby Corcoran began to sing.
In my daughter's eyes I am a hero In my daughter's eyes everyone is equal And when she wraps her hand It's hangin' on when your heart In my daughter's eyes I can see the future
I am strong and wise and I know no fear
But the truth is plain to see
She was sent to rescue me
I see who I wanna be
In my daughter's eyes
Darkness turns to light and the
world is at peace
This miracle God gave to me gives me
strength when I am weak
I find reason to believe
In my daughter's eyes
around my finger
Oh it puts a smile in my heart
Everything becomes a little clearer
I realize what life is all about
has had enough
It's giving more when you feel like giving up
I've seen the light
It's in my daughter's eyes
A reflection of who I am and what will be
Though she'll grow and someday leave
Maybe raise a family
When I'm gone I hope you see how happy
she made me
For I'll be there
In my daughter's eyes