Summary: A tragic loss brings two misfits together despite their complicated past.
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee, any of its character or the plot of the show. Glee belongs to Ryan Murphy and Fox.
I do not own the song by Bon Jovi; I am just using it for a title.
I do own this plot line.
Dr. Wayridge hated this part of his job. Watching a family fall apart when they heard the news was the hardest thing he has ever had to witness. Normally he didn't let the loss of a patient affect him, and he steeled himself for the reaction that the family would have. There was something different about the Berry's. Something that struck a chord with the doctor.
The doctor found himself looking at the thick gold band on his left hand and understood exactly why he felt this way. Dr. Allen Wayridge knew what it was like to lose the most important person in your life. He had lost Rod, his partner of eleven years, to cancer nearly six months ago.
Alexander took in a strangled breath and sunk to the tile floor. Rachel followed him but landed on her knees. Alexander leaned into his daughter and shook as he cried. Rachel hugged her dad with all the strength she could muster.
"Dad." Rachel tried to keep her voice calm in order to calm her dad, but she knew that she was failing miserably. The tears were swimming in her eyes and she was losing her edge of calm control.
"Paulie." Alexander breathed the nickname over and over.
"Mr. Berry, let's go to my office. It is more comfortable there." Dr. Wayridge spoke softly.
After taking a moment to collect themselves, Rachel and Alexander followed the doctor into his office. The oak door was emblazoned with Dr. Allen Wayridge Ph.D.
Dr. Wayridge guided Alexander and Rachel to the chairs in front of his desk. Rachel sat down and had to pull her dad into the empty chair that sat next to her.
"I know that the news is still fresh, but I need you to sign a few papers." Dr. Wayridge let his 'professional' voice take control. He knew that his normal voice would tremble.
"Mr. Berry?" Dr. Wayridge questioned the grieving man that was in front of him.
"Dad, the doctor needs you to sign some things."
"Huh?" Alexander snapped out of a trace and looked confused.
"I need you to sign a few documents." The doctor prompted. He slid some papers and a pen toward Alexander.
"Oh, of course." Alexander grabbed the pen. His hand was shaking violently making his signature very hard to read.
After everything was signed he set the pen back on the desk.
"Can we see Paul?" Alexander asked, his voice was nearly too soft to hear.
"Let me check." Dr. Wayridge left his office only to return not a minute later with Monica.
"Monica will take you to where he is."
Monica took Alexander's hand and led him to the elevator. Rachel followed with her eyes trained on the floor. When they stepped next to the doors, Monica pressed the down button.
The elevator arrived and the three climbed inside. Monica pressed a button labeled 'B'. Rachel felt a sick sense of dread after she comprehended that they were on their way to the hospitals morgue.
The elevator opened its doors once more, showing a dull gray wall. Monica led them to an unmarked door.
"This is the viewing and identification room." Monica paused to allow the other two to gather their bearings and opened the door.
Inside the room was a metal table with a mass of lifelessness upon it. Paul Berry lay there with his eyes closed, looking almost peaceful. There was a bluish white sheet covering his body. Alexander rushed to him and hugged the only man he had ever loved. He hugged Paul with everything he had, and it didn't seem like nearly enough.
"Paul, I love you so much. I'll miss you more than you can imagine." Alexander sobbed. Rachel felt her heart break at the amount of pain she heard in the voice of her dad held.
"I love you daddy." Rachel whispered while she took a hand from each of the men she called her fathers. More tears were shed as Rachel and Alexander held on to Paul.
"Where are the rings?" Alexander demanded. Monica jumped at the yell. She wordlessly retrieved an envelope from a shelf next to the door, she silently handed it to him.
It was just a simple manila envelope but Alexander held it tenderly. He opened it and turned it upside down above his palm. Two rings clanged into his hand. He closed the hand with affection, acting as though he was protecting the rings from something.
Alexander and Rachel just stood in the room. Both felt the loss deep in their hearts. Neither of them spoke, they were both too numb.
"Do you want the rest of Paul's belongings?" Monica spoke shyly, clearly afraid of another outburst reaction. Instead she got nothing from Mr. Berry.
"Yes. That would be good." Rachel responded with a voice that was stiff and robotic, no feeling in it other than tragic loss.
Monica didn't say anything as she collected the white bag that held a wallet, clothes, and shoes that had once been on Paul's person. She motioned to Rachel, trying to get the girls attention. Rachel made no effort to move.
Monica looked at them with sadness. They were too young to experience a trauma of this magnitude. She laid the bag at Rachel's feet and left the room, closing the door quietly behind her.
The Berry's stayed in the room with Paul for a while after Monica left. They said their goodbyes to a man that they both loved more than words could express.
They didn't speak on the way to the car. They didn't speak when they got into the car. They didn't speak on the drive home.
Everything was just silence.
This chapter is kind of short just like the first, but Chapter 4 makes up for that.