Chapter 3 Presents and dreams
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the songs used
(Songs are in italics and dreams are in bold)
Group after group came in to overwhelm Quinn with gifts and declarations of love and support. All the while Rachel never left her side. She felt the incredible urge to stand by her through this. She was lucky enough that the blonde wanted her by her side, she would honor her wishes at best she could. During the many visits, she kept a watchful eye on the young woman lying next to her. She filled her drink when she thought she needed to. She encouraged the visitors to leave the patient so that the next group could enter at what she felt was the right time. She could tell the toll it was taking on Quinn, everybody so happy and cheerful. All beaming with joy due to the fact that she was still breathing. But you can only keep a smile on your face for so long. As she pushed the second to last group out the door, she told them to wait a couple of minutes before sending the last ones in.
"There's only one group left, I promise." She told the cheerleader, holding her hand tight. She knew Quinn was getting tired, she was getting quiet tired herself.
"Good, 'cause I honestly don't know how many 'I'm so glad you're okay I can hear anymore'." She said and let out a loud sigh.
"I know. But we're all just really glad that you're okay. None of us ever want to get this close to losing you again." Quinn just nodded in acknowledgement. She knew the small diva was right, she'd probably be doing the exact same thing if it had been any of the others. But she needed a bit of peace, she may have been unconscious the last five days, but she was tired as hell at the moment. "Besides, there's only Kurt, Blaine and Finn left. I thought I'd leave the best for last." She winks at Quinn who quirks up her eyebrows at her statement. Why she thought leaving those three for last was a good idea, was beyond her. But since her husband to be was one of them, she assumed that had been her reasoning. She felt a sense of envy course through her as she thought the happy couple. She really wanted to ask Rachel more about what their plans were now that the wedding had been postponed. But those questions were gonna have to wait for tomorrow.
Just then there was a knock on the door. "Hey sweetie," Kurt squealed in his high pitched voice as he opened the door. The three men entered the room, but unlike their friends they had come empty handed.
"I know you're probably tired of everyone bringing you flowers, so Finn, Blaine and I thought we'd give you something else."
Quinn looked at them questioningly, not really understanding at first what he could mean. Rachel on the other hand knew exactly what he meant and scowled at Kurt for not explaining things right. Kurt saw the look the drama queen was giving him and quickly corrected himself.
"Actually, Rachel texted me, saying she wanted us to do something differently, to end the day on a good note, so to speak."
Quinn's gaze moved to Rachel's who was now smiling with pride.
"I just thought to myself, what I thought would be the best way to cheer someone up, and it suddenly dawned on me that we've all grown so accustomed to showing our emotions through song. So I thought it'd be a great idea to do the same this time and sing you a song."
Before Quinn could protest or respond in any way, Blaine started singing the first lines to the song.
Some things in life are bad, they can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse
Quinn chuckled immediately, completely in awe of how well Blaine was imitating the scene from Monty Python. They all gathered around her and smiled at each other as he continued with the next few lines.
When you're chewing on life's gristle, don't grumble give a whistle
This will help things turn out for the best
They all were smiling brightly as the chorus began. They knew the words so they happily sang together.
Always look on the bright side of life
Always look on the right side of life
As Kurt sang the next part, he expressed the words by mimicking this with his face. This made everyone smile even more.
If life seems jolly rotten, there's something you've forgotten
And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing
When you're feeling in the dumps, don't be silly, chumps
Just purse your lips and whistle
That's the thing
Again they sang the chorus together. They were now holding hands, each as grateful as the other for being able to share this moment with each other.
And always look on the bright side of life
Always look on the right side of life
Rachel started singing the next bit. She had hesitated for using this part, because it hit a bit too close to home for them right now. But it was humoristic and it was always better to laugh than to cry, right?
For life is quite absurd and death's the final word
you must always face the curtain with a bow
Forget about your sin - give the audience a grin
enjoy it, it's your last chance anyhow
Even though the song didn't need the most adequate singing voice, Rachel sang it beautifully. You almost didn't realize the bit of darkness that came along with the words. She kept her eyes locked on Quinn's the entire time and the blonde just happily wiggled along with the tune.
So, always look on the bright side of death
Just before you draw your terminal breath
Rachel continued staring into hazel eyes and they stared right back into brown. It felt like they were singing the song to each other. Like they were the only ones in the room.
Finn sang the last verse, joy emanating his every being while he gave Quinn a squeeze in her shoulder and winked to his better half.
Life's a piece of shit and when you look at it
Life's a laugh and death's the joke, it's true
You see, it's all a show, keep them laughing as you go
Just remember that the last laugh is on you
Always look on the bright side of life
And always look on the right side of life
Always look on the bright side of life
And always look on the right side of life
As they sang and whistled for the last time, Quinn could feel her eyelids close more and more. She had a smile on her face and a peaceful serenity coming off her, which made her friends very happy. Rachel was now convinced that she'd made the perfect choice in suggesting to sing to her. "That was beautiful guys, thank you so much." As she got the words out, she just managed to stifle a yawn in the others laughed at her tiredness.
"I guess we better go, seems like all this excitement has finally tired you out." Blaine tells the room, while gathering the jacket he had put aside during the song. Finn and Kurt join him in gathering their things. Finn looks up questioningly at Rachel.
"Are you coming?" He asks, longing to be alone with Rachel at last. These last few days had all been about Quinn, but now that she was awake and well, there was no more need to worry about her constantly and he could finally tell her what's been on his mind. Quinn had closed her eyes and her breathing had slowed down. Her hand was still in Rachel's making the brunette hesitate in letting it go.
"Actually, I think I'm gonna stay." She tells him. She uses her free hand to move the chair back to its position, before they had started singing and made herself comfortable. "Quinn asked me to stay by her side, I owe her enough to at least be true to my word."
Finn starts to disagree, but he changes his mind and just nods instead. He's disappointed at still not getting his fiancé back, but he knows she's feeling bad and needs to be sure that their friend is okay. He couldn't help but wonder whether or not Quinn would be doing the same for her, had the roles been reversed. He walked over to Rachel, gave her a peck on the lips and told her goodnight. Together with Kurt they headed home. Finn and Rachel, together with her dads, had decided they'd live with them from now on, that way they could at least settle into the prospect of living together. But at the moment, he didn't really feel comfortable sleeping in her bed, without her by his side.
Quinn was completely exhausted after the day's had. It didn't take her long to drift away to sleep, with several very lively dreams.
Quinn was standing in a church. She was facing the crowd and singing a beautiful love song together with the other kids in Glee. All except two. Rachel en Finn weren't singing with them, they were standing at the altar, holding hands and smiling at each other. Quinn felt tears come into her eyes. She was happy for them, really. For both of them. She could tell they really loved each other. She could only hope she could find someone that would love her the way that they loved each other.
Just as they were about to say their I Do's, the scene fades away. Now Quinn is sitting in the crowd for a Broadway show. Tina and Mike were sitting beside her and Brittany and Santana were there as well. She looks up to the stage and on walks Rachel Berry. She's dazzling the crowd with her amazing performance. Quinn looks to the side and can see someone standing between the curtains. She catches a brief glance at his face and posture. It's Finn Hudson, smiling and supporting her wife while she's making it big time.
While Quinn was dreaming of the life Rachel just might have and the envy she'll continue to feel, Rachel is also far away in dreamland. Her dreams however are far from the glamour that Quinn pictures Rachel's life to become.
She's sitting in the back of her dads' car. Her stomach is aching, she can tell something's wrong. All she can think about is Quinn. They've only recently embraced the fact that they should be friends. Never before had she considered it to be possible, she had tried numerous times but had been turned down each town. As she looked back over the last three years she couldn't help but think that Quinn had been there for her biggest moments and she had been there for hers. It was inevitable for them to become close friends, she knew that in her heart.
The car came to a halt and she heard her daddy exclaim a soft 'oh my god'. Rachel immediately opened her door, but froze when she saw what had stopped her father in his tracks. There were two cars on top of each other. There was a large truck, smoke was coming out of it and there was a giant dunk in the hood. It was hanging half way over the other car, which was in a much worse state. It had clearly been rammed in the side, right where the driver would sit. It was only then that she realized that it was Quinn's car. She started to run towards the wrecks. Her fathers yelled after her, telling her to come back. But she didn't hear them. All that her mind was taking in was the catastrophe before her and the fact that she could make out something where the driver's seat was.
As she approached she saw blonde hair and her heart was beating in her throat. It couldn't be … She didn't want to believe it. She was standing by the car and as she knelt down, something beside her caught her eye. It was a cell phone, miraculously still intact. It said: 'On my way'. The most horrific sense of dread came over her. Quinn had been rushing to make it in time for HER WEDDING. It was because of her that Quinn had gotten in a car crash. She was responsible. There was a hand on her shoulder, someone was moving her to the side, away from the car. "No," She said. "My friend, I have to help her." She looked around and saw a medical team around the vehicles. "It's okay honey, the paramedics are with her, they'll help her." Rachel glanced up to the person at her side. It was her dad. She turned into him and started sobbing. "Please tell me that she'll be okay." She let out while the tears kept falling. Her dad looked over to the paramedics.
They were working on the girl and it seemed like they were trying to get her heart beating again. He saw one of them shook their head at another and he started crying as well. Rachel noticed the tears falling on her face, tears that weren't hers. She looked up and saw her father crying. "Daddy … ?" She needed him to tell her she was alright. She needed to hear that she was still breathing and they would be able to fix her up, good as new. But she saw the sadness and despair in his eyes. "Honey …" He tried, but he couldn't finish the sentence. She turned around, stepping out of the embrace and her heart broke. There, near the wrecks of the car crash was something covered by a black plastic, all but the person's feet. Rachel ran over, praying to every god she had knowledge of, that it wasn't Quinn Fabray. Just as she reached over to pull away the plastic to reveal the victim's face, everything around her went dark.
"Quinn!" Rachel yelled out, as she woke from her dream. She was curled up in the chair beside the blonde cheerleader. The moment she realized it was a dream, she leaped out of the chair and walked over to the girl. She stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. "I almost lost you." She whispers softly. Tears started falling from her eyes, remnants from the terrible dream she'd just had. She crawls onto the bed, needing to feel her beside her. Quinn was still vast asleep. She seemed to be dreaming. Her smile had faded though, which made Rachel wonder what she could be dreaming about.
This time she's in someone's home. There's food on the table and music in the background. She can't really make out which song is playing though, because there's too much noise. She hears screaming from where she thinks the kitchen might be. "I was on my way to becoming a star. I had all my dreams right in front of me. I was so close to reaching my potential, but then you happened. Now I'm a mother of two, I work a boring office job and when I come home at night I have two children that demand my attention and a giant of a husband that can't even make his own sandwiches."
Quinn could hear the anger in her voice. She felt so sad for Rachel for not reaching her dreams. "You do this every time our friends visit and talk about their experiences on stage. You can't blame me for holding you back. I've done everything that I can to make you happy. I've been supportive of you through everything. It's not like you never get to sing anymore. You sing every night before you put the kids to sleep."
There's pots and pans being thrown around. "You so don't get it! All my life the only thing I'd ever wanted was to perform on Broadway, to be a star. I should've listened to my friends back then when they told me I wasn't meant to stay in Lima and waited to marry you. Now I'm stuck in a miserable marriage and a dead end job, all because you wanted to tie me down. I hate you Finn Hudson!" A door gets slammed hard and she can hear someone stomping up the stairs.
Just then, she wakes up with a shock. Bits and pieces of the dreams she had were still on her mind and she's wondering what they could have meant. Were they a glimpse into the future? Was it God or whoever's up there's way to encourage her to convince Rachel to reconsider marrying Finn? She was left pondering all of this until she suddenly felt something stir beside her. She looks to her left where the small diva was curled up beside her and couldn't help but smile.
For a second she didn't know where she was or why she was waking up with Rachel at her side. When she feels the pain coming from her right arm however, everything falls back into place. She puts a strand of the diva's hair behind her ear and repositions herself a bit, careful so as not to hurt herself or wake the cute brunette at her side. She closes her eyes and drifts back to sleep, hoping that it will be of the dreamless kind but determined to talk to Rachel tomorrow about the questions that her previous dream had brought up
So here's another chapter. I wanted to upload this before the new episode aired and make sure I did it without the influence the next episode might have.
I'd really like your feedback on this! I have a few thoughts on where I want the story to go but I'm not feeling as motivated as I'd like to be so some reviews could definitely help :-).
Suggestions are always welcome, but I'd really just love to know that there's people interested in seeing where this story goes ...
Until next time :D
Lucy
