A/N: Thank you all so much for the love and support this has gotten! Also don't forget to stop by my page to drop your vote for Rachel's love interest!

Chapter Four

Mercedes was on her way home after an afternoon of shopping with Kurt and Blaine, when she saw Rachel running on the sidewalk. She would have kept on going if she hadn't seen the Diva trip and fall and clutch her ankle. At least that's what it looked like to her. Mercedes pulled over and hopped out of her car. "Rachel, are you ok?" She asked rushing over to her.

Rachel had been on an evening run when her vision went black, for just a moment, and she landed awkwardly on her ankle on her way down and felt something pop. She immediately held onto her ankle and tears of pain began to trickle from her eyes. Something was wrong. She knew that. She just couldn't get up. And now it seemed like Mercedes had come out of nowhere and witnessed her embarrassment. Her face instantly became pink. "Mercedes, nice to see you." She said while forcing a smile on her face and catching her breathe. "Yes, I'm quite alright." She added.

"Rachel, why are you holding your ankle?" Mercedes asked kneeling down in front of Rachel. Even though her and Rachel were always at each other's throats for solos in Glee they were friends. And even though Rachel, more often than not, was an arrogant, obnoxious, self absorbed brat. Mercedes didn't want to see anything bad happen to the girl. And she hadn't been herself for quite awhile. She could see that.

Rachel's every instinct told her to brush Mercedes off and send her on her way so she wouldn't be witness to her limping home but her ankle was really starting to throb. She swallowed her pride and told the truth...sort of. "I-I tripped over some uneven concrete and felt something pop." She said.

"Can you stand?" Mercedes asked pushing herself up off the ground and reaching down to help Rachel. When she pulled Rachel off the ground she noticed how light Rachel was. Because she literally pulled her off the ground.

Once Rachel stood and put weight on her ankle, she hissed and wobbled. "Ouch!" She cried. Pain was radiating up her leg. She just wanted to sit back down.

"Here, put your arm around my shoulder." Mercedes said. "I'm taking you to the ER." She said leading Rachel to her car.

"No! I mean...no, that's ok. If you just take me home, I'll put some ice on it and it will be fine." Rachel said. She was already beating herself up, wondering what that little slip up would cost her.

"No way Rach. You can hardly stand on it. It could only get worse overnight." Mercedes said. She was already driving towards the hospital.

"But it could also get better." Rachel argued. If she went to the hospital and her Doctor examined her, they would find out about her addictions and they were all she had. She wouldn't let them be taken away from her. Logically she knew her Doctor would only be looking at her ankle but the voices in her head were telling her not to be too careful and not to be so stupid.

"Rachel..." Mercedes said in warning.

"Ok...Ok." Rachel said with a huff.

For the rest of the drive Rachel and Mercedes were silent. Each lost in their own thoughts. They didn't speak again until they were in the ER, checking in.

"My friend tripped and hurt her ankle." Mercedes said holding Rachel up.

The nurse took one look at Rachel and the pain written all over her face and began processing her immediately. "Sit in the wheelchair honey and we'll get you back as soon as possible."

"Thank you." Rachel said.

Mercedes lowered her into the wheelchair and pushed her over to a chair so she could sit with her.

"Thank you for bringing me." Rachel said.

"You're welcome." Mercedes said.

A nurse called Rachel back, took her vitals and checked her into a room.

"You don't have to stay with me. I'm sure you have other things that you would rather fill your evening with." Rachel said.

"Rachel?" Mercedes said.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up. I'm not going anywhere." Mercedes said.

"Ok." Rachel said.

The doctor came in and poked and prodded Rachel's ankle before sending her to Radiology. Once the X-Rays came back confirming the Doctor's suspicions of sprain and a fracture at the base of her ankle, Rachel was put into a boot for a minimum of six weeks, given a pair of crutches and written a prescription for pain management.

"Thank you Dr." Rachel said as Mercedes was wheeling her out.

Mercedes pulled into Rachel's driveway and walked around to help her into the house. "Will your Dads be home soon to help you?" She asked. She would stay and help the girl up the stairs if she needed her to.

Rachel's eyes went wide. She hadn't even thought about that minor detail. She opened her mouth with a lie on the tip of her tongue but Mercedes quickly cut her off.

"They're gone again, aren't they?" Mercedes asked.

"Yes, but I'm fine Mercedes. Really." Rachel said.

"You can't stay here by yourself Rachel. And definitely not like this." Mercedes said. She shoved her hand into Rachel's pocket, grabbed her phone out and scrolled through the numbers. When she found the one she was looking for, she selected it and waited for the person to answer.

"Mercedes!" Rachel objected. "Wha- who are you calling?!"

Mercedes held her hand up to silence Rachel. "Ms. Corcoran? This is Mercedes Jones...I'm a friend of Rachel's...She's fine, sort of...No, nothing like that Ms. Corcoran she fractured her ankle and I didn't want to leave her home alone...No ma'am her Fathers are out of town...Yes, I'll stay with her until you get here...Bye."

Rachel was in utter disbelief. Her Mother was going to think she was such a pitiful loser because of this. She was afraid to ask but she just had to know, "What did she say?" She asked swallowing the lump in her throat.

"She asked me if something happened to you and if I could stay with you until she got here." Mercedes said.

In Rachel's head all she heard was that her Mother wouldn't be berating her in front of Mercedes and she sighed in relief. She allowed Mercedes to help her inside and onto the couch and she popped in her headphones and ignored her completely. She was itching for her fix and she couldn't get it because she couldn't get up and make a mad dash for the kitchen. She was irritable. She just wanted to be left alone with her journal and her addictions.

Shelby arrived twenty minutes later and walked right into the house. She rushed over to Rachel, "Oh baby..." She cooed. She kissed Rachel's forehead. She thanked Mercedes for staying with her and sent her on her way.

"Thanks for coming..." Rachel mumbled.

"Of course." Shelby said. "Honey, where are your Fathers?" She asked.

"They're not here..." Rachel said looking at the carpet.

"I know that." Shelby said. "Yet, that doesn't tell me where they are. Where are they?"

"Gone ok?! I don't know!" Rachel snapped. "They're always gone." Rachel whispered.

If Shelby hadn't been looking right at her, she never would have caught it. "Rachel, how long have you been home alone?" She asked.

"I don't know...a month?" Rachel said. The truth was, her malnourished brain was affecting her memory and concentration and she lost track of time. So, she really didn't know.

"WHAT?!" Shelby shouted shooting up off the couch. To say she was pissed was an understatement. They left her fourteen year old daughter alone. She had words for the Berry men. And judging by the pained look in her daughter's eyes she could tell that the girl that had approached her the first time they met was a façade. "You're not staying here by yourself." She said.

"But..." Rachel was about to argue her case but her Mother cut her off.

"No, no Rachel. You need someone to take care of you. I'm your Mother, who better than me?" Shelby said. Her mind was already made. She would keep Rachel with her until her ankle was healed and her Fathers returned home. Hell, she'd keep her forever.

Rachel conceded. But on the inside she was panicking. With a bum ankle she wouldn't be able to go for her runs and with her Mother taking her away she wouldn't be able to swim. And she had to be able to do that. She needed to stick to her routines. They were in place for a reason. She couldn't be the perfect daughter if she let herself get fat. She had to think of something. "Would it be too much trouble if you came and stayed here?" She asked. "It's just my Dads have a heated pool in the basement and I feel that I could benefit from the water therapy."

"I have an indoor heated pool as well and I'd really like it if you came to my house. I'd like you to see your room." Shelby said hopefully.

"My...? I have a room at your house?" Rachel asked. Shocked.

"I've always gotten a house big enough for the two of us. I've always wanted you with me." Shelby admitted.

Rachel couldn't believe it. Her Mother really wanted her. She had to find a way to step it up. Bum ankle be damned! She wouldn't let her Mother down. She had to make Shelby proud. "I'd like that." She finally said at the end of her inner monologue. She would find a way to stick to her routines. She wouldn't be a disappointment to Shelby the way she had been to everyone else. She wouldn't allow it.

A/N #2: Mercedes is just her friend. Rachel is really going to need the help of a good friend, a loving partner and her Mother in later chapters.