A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews on the last chapter, I love them, I really do. Sorry a few days went by without an update. I would like to post a chapter everyday but, that isn't always possible. A lot is explained in this chapter. I know there hasn't been a lot of Faberry but, that will change in the upcoming chapters.
Also, this should be obvious but, the bolded text is the headlines that Quinn is reading and the italicized text is the actual article she's reading. I hope you enjoy! Thanks for reading/reviewing!
"Take your pills, Berry," Santana said as she stood in Rachel and Quinn's kitchen holding a prescription bottle. "I'm not leaving until you take them."
Rachel rolled her eyes. "Well then, I suggest you get comfortable because, you're going to be here for a while."
"Enough fooling around, just take the damn pills." Santana briefly entertained the idea of putting Rachel into a headlock, and shoving the pills down her throat but, she ultimately decided against it.
"Don't you have something better to do other than babysit me? I'm not taking the pills, I don't need them."
Santana took a deep breath and counted to ten in her head. She was doing her best to remain patient. "We both know that's a lie; you need them. I'm not your dads or Brittany, I can't just sit here and pretend like you're fine. You aren't fine. You need help, and these will help you get better."
"Really? I wasn't aware that I was prescribed time traveling pills. Nothing short of that is going to make any of this better." Rachel could feel the tears filling her eyes and she did the best she could to bat them away. She knew if she cried, Santana's concern would only grow, and pill issue would only be pushed further.
"Michael wouldn't want this. Do you think he would want you to live out the rest of your life this way?"
"Don't tell me what he would want. You didn't know him, Santana. Therefore, you don't get to tell me how my husband would want me to live. I'm not taking these damn pills, so stop trying." Rachel smacked the bottle out of Santana's hand, causing the little white pills to scatter all over the kitchen.
Quinn's gasp caused both girls to look up. "I'll come back later," she said as she quickly turned to go back out of the door she had just come from.
"No, I'm going to go." Rachel was humiliated that Quinn had witnessed her little outburst, and she refused to meet the blonde's questioning eyes as she brushed by her to leave the apartment.
Quinn knelt down next to Santana, who was trying to get the scattered pills back into the bottle. "I can clean this up, if you want to go after her."
"Thanks, Q." Santana handed over the pill bottle, and gave Quinn an appreciative smile before she left. She knew exactly where Rachel had run off to.
Rachel shivered in the cold November breeze as she sat on the bench, staring at the stones in front of her. She cursed herself for not grabbing a jacket before storming out. Perhaps storming out hadn't been the best thing to do. She was certain doing so only amplified the impression that she was in fact crazy. Throwing a pill bottle full of crazy pills on the ground, and then running out, doesn't exactly give people the impression that you're sane.
Hoping it would help warm her up, Rachel brought her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. She was no stranger to this particular bench, she'd been coming to it for the last five-hundred and thirty days. Not that she was counting. That number would have been significantly higher if it hadn't been for the hundred and eighty days she spent in the burn unit.
She glanced down at her tattoos. Somehow, a tiny spot on her left wrist had been the only place on her arms where she hadn't been burned. The scars that covered her body were a constant reminder of the worst day of her life, and Rachel wanted, no she needed, something to remind her of her three best days.
"Thought I'd find you here." Santana sat down on the bench next to Rachel and attempted to catch her breath.
"You didn't have to follow me, you know," Rachel said, continuing to stare down at her wrist.
"I know, Berry, I know." Santana noticed Rachel was tracing the first date on her wrist: 4-22-2016. "I'm sorry I didn't come to your wedding. I really wish I could have met him."
"You wrote that you had 'better things to do' on your RSVP card. I wasn't surprised, though. I didn't expect you to come."
Rachel smiled as she thought back to her wedding day. It wasn't the dream wedding she'd had story-boarded in her closet since she was fifteen. For starters, she had been twenty-one when they wed, not twenty-five, and she had yet to star in any Broadway productions, let alone win any Tonys. Barbra Streisand and Patti LuPone were also not present to preform a duet for the first dance like she planned on. But, in Rachel's eyes, the day was still perfect.
Her groom had been far from the male lead she'd always dreamt of. Michael lacked rhythm, and he couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. Rachel didn't care, though. She fell for the NYU law student, who was four years her senior, the moment they'd met at some party her roommate at Juilliard had dragged her to during her freshman year. He was sweet and charming, and he treated her with the respect she'd longed for when she was dating Finn.
Rachel pulled her knees closer when the wind picked up, and made the tears on her cheeks sting. "You were right; I'm completely unbalanced, he'd be so disappointed in me."
"Don't put words in my mouth, Berry. I never said you were unbalanced. I just wish you would accept some help, that's all." Santana noticed Rachel shivering, and she sighed as she removed her jacket and placed around her shoulders. "Come on, let's get you home. You act like a complete diva when you're sick, and I don't have time to deal with that."
After the incident she'd witnessed in the kitchen, and listening to Rachel cry herself to sleep every night for an entire week, Quinn couldn't take it anymore. She needed to know what was going on. She'd tried to talk to her about it many times but, Rachel always avoided her questions and ended up changing the subject.
So now, Quinn found herself sitting at her desk with her laptop opened to Google. In order to make herself feel better about prying into Rachel's past, she told herself she was only doing this because if she knew what the problem was, she'd be better prepared to help.
Taking a deep breath she typed Rachel Berry into the search engine. Her eyes quickly scanned the results, hoping she would find something useful. Unfortunately for her, most of the headlines seemed to be from Rachel's college days:
Sophomore Rachel Berry to Star in Juilliard Production of Grease
Juilliard Senior Rachel Berry Lands Off Broadway Role
But, the third headline down seemed promising so, Quinn clicked on the link that lead her to the Lima News webpage.
Hiram and Leroy Berry Announce the Engagement of Their Daughter
Hiram and Leroy Berry of Lima are proud to announce the engagement of their daughter, Rachel Barbra Berry to Michael Robert Drake. Ms. Berry will soon be graduating from The Juilliard School, and Mr. Drake is a recent graduate of NYU School of Law. The couple, who currently reside in New York City, are planning a spring wedding.
Quinn stared at the picture to the left of the announcement. Rachel was standing with her arms wrapped around a handsome light haired man, that Quinn assumed was Michael. Seeing Rachel so happy, made Quinn realize just how far the former star had fallen.
She clicked the back button, erased Berry, and quickly replaced it with Drake, hoping that doing so would give her more current results. A large number of hits came up, and Quinn did her best to read through them all.
Actress Rachel Drake Not Present to Accept Oscar Award
Ten Months After Devastating Fire, Rachel Drake Receives First Oscar Nomination
Wicked Star Rachel Drake a No Show at Movie Premiere
The next headline definitely peaked Quinn's interest, it certainly explained the scars that covered Rachel's body.
After Six Months, Actress Rachel Drake is Released From Hospital
Exclusive! Pictures of Rachel Drake Leaving Hospital, Against Her Doctors Orders
As tempting as it was to open that link, and look at pictures of Rachel, Quinn completely disagreed with the way the paparazzi and celebrity news outlets seemed to be exploiting whatever tragedy Rachel had gone through in order to make a profit, so she ignored them, and scrolled down to view the next link.
Quinn's breath caught in her throat, and she re-read the link about a dozen times. Her heart pounded, and her stomach twisted into knots as she waited for the page to load. The thought of Rachel going through such a severe loss was devastating, and she couldn't help but hope that Rachel had accidently been tagged in an article that was completely unrelated to her.
Actress' Son Taken Off Life Support Two Weeks Following Thanksgiving Day Fire
A spokesperson from The William Randolph Hearst Burn Center at New York-Presbyterian Hospital has announced that Bradley Drake, the five year old son of actress Rachel Drake, passed away after being taken off life support early this morning. Bradley was severely burned when a fire broke out in the family's high rise apartment on the morning of November 24th. Rachel Drake, who authorities have told us was not home at the time of the blaze, was also severely injured when she pushed passed police and fire personnel to run into the burning building. Her husband, attorney Michael Drake, 30, and their daughter Camillia, 5 months, were also among the thirteen people that lost their lives that morning. Funeral arrangements have not been made, and Rachel's manager has released this statement: "Mrs. Drake appreciates the overwhelming number of cards and well-wishes she has received from her fans. But, we do ask that her privacy is respected during this difficult time."
Quinn wasn't sure how long she had been staring at the picture that went along with article. In it, Rachel was holding a baby girl, who shared her big brown eyes, and the man who she presumed to be Michael, had a little boy in his arms, who clearly inherited his bright smile from his mother. Unable to handle their smiling faces any longer, she slammed her laptop shut.
She had prepared herself to read about horrific stories of abuse, or even that Rachel's husband had somehow died. But, to find out that Rachel had lost everything, was a complete shock. Quinn hadn't even raised Beth, and she only knew her from a few pictures Shelby had sent over the years, and she couldn't imagine how painful it would be if something happened to her.
Knowing that Rachel and Santana could come back at any moment, Quinn did her best to compose herself. She wasn't sure how to handle the new information when it came to interacting with Rachel. For the moment, she'd decided to just act as if nothing was different. Judging from the pill bottle incident, Rachel was not having a good day, and she didn't want make it any worse. She now knew what the girl had meant when she said everyone looked at her like she was about to shatter, and Quinn couldn't blame them. She could only hope she'd be able to keep the horror and sympathy she felt to herself, for Rachel's sake.
