Warnings and disclaimer in Chapter 1. Enjoy.


Hours later the shocked group were waiting in the conference room. Russel Fabray was a very powerful and connected man, and when the press found out he was under investigation for child abuse it turned into a feeding frenzy. Nobody really understood what that phrase meant, until there were microphones shoved in their faces and pictures constantly being taken, just because they exited the car with Judy. They followed her lead and ignored them as they calmly walked into the hospital. "It will calm down," Judy assured them. Coming from a prominent family herself, she was used to the media attention, though it had been quite a while since she endured anything this bad.

"Or you could just think of this as a trial run Rachel," Blaine said.

"You're already starting to get noticed out in public," Kurt added. "It's only a matter of time before the press starts stalking you too."

"Thanks for the encouragement," Rachel responded sarcastically, but she knew they were right. Her debut performance was still getting rave reviews, and though it would still run for a few more months, she was already getting inquiries from some of the best producers on Broadway for her next project. Once everyone was inside, they followed Dr. Mathison to the conference room.

"You're her friends?" he asked. They all nodded.

"All of them that are in New York right now," Rachel added helpfully. "Quinn has other friends spread throughout the country who I'm sure would be here now if they knew."

"Let's limit the number of friends for right now," he told them. They nodded, expecting that once Rachel and Santana had told them about their encounter with Quinn. "Now, if you haven't heard, Lucy's situation is being investigated. Which means there will be no unsupervised visitation from anyone. Also, I want to limit the amount of information she is exposed to at one time, so no more than two visitors at a time and for no longer than fifteen minutes. If any of you have a problem with this, the door is right there." Everyone shook their heads, but Rachel started frowning.

"Rach?" Finn asked, rubbing her arm encouragingly.

"I was just wondering if Mr. Fabray is following these same guidelines?" The doctor nodded.

"He is," he assured them. Finally, Rachel nodded.

"Can we see her now?" Santana asked. The doctor shook his head.

"Your friend suffered a horrible crash a few years ago." They all nodded their head. This was nothing new to them. "As a result, she suffered an extreme case of amnesia. She didn't remember anything, including who she was."

"Which was why Russel was able to hide her away so easily," Judy added. "She didn't remember," she paused, fighting back tears, "doesn't remember anything from before the accident. She thought I was dead, because that's what Russel has been telling her. She also doesn't know she has friends, because Russel never told her she had any."

"She got a huge shock last night," Dr. Mathison continued, "when she found out her mother was alive and at her bedside. She's still trying to deal with that shock. It would be best if there were no other huge shocks for her to deal with at the moment."

"What do we do?" Brittany asked, afraid of hurting her friend even more.

"Let her set the tone," he told them. "Don't go in there expecting her to react the way you remember her to because she isn't that girl anymore. Don't be afraid to talk to her, and answer any questions she asks as honestly as possible, but don't bombard her with huge amounts of information." They nodded. He led them to the hallway. They cried as they saw Quinn sitting on the bed through the windows for the first time in over seven years. He motioned for Judy and Fran, who were more composed than any of the others. They stepped up. "One warning though," he said before he opened the door. "If you make her uncomfortable or become disruptive, intentionally or not, you will not be allowed to return. All further visits depend on Lucy's reaction to you, and I have no problem kicking you to the curb if you upset my patient." They all nodded in understanding. He stared at the group for another minute before opening the door. As he led Judy and Fran inside the rest of the group watched silently from the halls.


Lucy looked up at the sound of her door opening. It had been an exhausting morning, mentally and physically, and she craved some peace and quiet. She smiled when she heard the sound of paws.

"Hey Lucy," Nathan greeted, even as Tobey placed his two front paws on the bed and licked her face. "I'm sorry I couldn't bring him by earlier, but I had classes and I just couldn't miss them."

"You still let me say goodnight to him," she said, as Tobey curled up in his usual spot under her bed. Her day suddenly looked brighter. She was amazed that Tobey was still there when she woke up after crying herself to sleep. It was way past visiting hours, and she thought someone would have kicked the dog out. But Dr. Mathison agreed to let Nathan stay until Lucy woke up so she could say goodbye before he had to take him back to his apartment for the night. She was worried what would happen to Tobey if her father got him again, but Nathan promised to look out for him, just like he looked out for her. He also promised to bring him by again after class, but he wasn't sure when that would be. He didn't know which classes he could afford to skip and which he had to attend. "How was your day?"

"Horrible," he told her, taking one of the seats while a nurse discretely checked Lucy's readings, recording them and stepping to the side of the room to watch. "I had to listen to Professor Abbott drone on about tax laws for three hours. By the end of the lecture the entire room was asleep." Lucy laughed. "How was your day?"

"Okay," she shrugged. "I had some visitors in the morning. Then Dr. Mathison held me captive while they ran every single test he could think of on me. I'm perfectly fine. I don't know why they needed to run an MRI of my brain again. It's like they don't trust Morningside put me back together again."

"They're just being cautious Lucy," he told her sympathetically. "Like that time Tobey tore out his nail. The vet said he'd be alright in a few days, but you still freaked every time you heard him limp or whimper."

"I guess you're right," she admitted.

"Never doubt that," he said smugly. She glared at him, then turned pensive again. "So, you had some visitors?"

"Don't," she shook her head. "I'm not ready to deal with that yet."

"Whenever you're ready," he told her sincerely, reaching out to grab her hand and squeeze gently. She returned the gesture. "So, visitors and a doctor huh? Sounds much better than my day."

"Oh it gets better," she said, pulling her hand away. "When Dr. Mathison finally ran out of tests to run, he handed me off to Dr. Caraway. We sat and talked for who knows how long. I'm pretty sure she's a shrink, and I think my next stop might be a padded room."

"The talk didn't go well?" Nathan asked. Lucy shrugged.

"She kept asking me about my feelings. How do I feel about the accident? How do I feel about my father? How do I feel about my mother? How do I feel about my father lying about my mother's death? On and on. I mean, I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about all this. The last thing I need is some shrink asking me how I feel then telling me how I should feel and why."

"I doubt she would do that," he told her sympathetically. Lucy sighed.

"I just need time and it seems like nobody is giving it to me."

"I know it seems like we're smothering you," he told her, moving over to the bed and pulling her into a hug, "but that's just because we care so much." He felt her nod and let the moment drag out for a minute. "Have you seen your father?"

"Not since last night," she admitted. "Part of me is glad, the other part is terrified. He's gonna be so mad when this is over."

"Just remember he can't hurt you anymore."

"He never did," she reminded him. He sighed.

"Lucy, there are a lot of ways to hurt someone. Physically hitting them is one of the easiest. And we both know your father never does things the easy way." She nodded, tears starting to fall as she leaned into his embrace. He held her for a minute before she pulled away.

"I'm kinda tired," she said, laying back in her bed. He nodded.

"I have homework I need to finish anyway," he said, getting to his feet, "and as long as I'm in here the nurse has to stay and she's starting to scare me." They both smiled when the nurse started chuckling lightly. "I'll leave Tobey here. I'll be outside doing my homework if you need me." She nodded and he leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on her forehead. He quietly opened the door, the nurse following him out. He watched her through the windows as she lowered her arm off the bed. Tobey immediately moved so his head was touching. He watched as she spoke to the dog for a few minutes before falling asleep. Again, Tobey moved her arm until it was securely on the bed before curling up beneath her.

"That dog is amazing," the nurse commented as they both watched. He nodded.

"He's very protective of Lucy. He was trained to be her eyes, but he's become her arms and legs too. They're pretty amazing to watch, especially if they're somewhere where they can be themselves."

"I would love to see that," she said, before turning to him. "Let me know if you need anything." He nodded as he took a seat and pulled out his textbook. He opened the book dutifully, though he doubted tax law would keep his interest tonight.


Lucy was idly flipping through TV stations when she received her next visitor. "Daddy," she said nervously.

"Lucy," he responded, glaring at the nurse that entered with him. She was unperturbed though, simply standing off to the side and watching every move he made. He threw her one more look before focusing on his daughter. "How are you feeling sweetie?"

"Fine," she responded automatically. He sighed. She kept her attention focused on the TV, trying her best to avoid him. He knew this would happen as soon as he saw Judy in the hallway.

"I told you there would come a time when God tested this family," he told her. "I was just trying to keep you safe," he took a seat next to her. He reached out and grabbed her hand, but she pulled away from him.

"By lying to me?" she asked.

"You don't know the vile influence your mother is," he told her. "She corrupted our family. I couldn't let her hurt you when you were so fragile."

"By telling me she was dead?" Lucy asked. "How is that less hurtful?"

"You don't remember the trouble she brought. Forgetting is a gift from God and now you're throwing it away."

"By wanting to know my mother?" Lucy demanded.

"You don't understand," he insisted. "She hurt us both so bad. When you came back to me I swore a vow to God to not let her hurt you again."

"How?" Lucy demanded. "How did she hurt me?"

"She took you away from me," he nearly shouted. Lucy flinched and he backed down.

"She told me she loved me," Lucy said quietly.

"I love you," Russel countered. "I've been taking care of you since your accident. Your mother would be disgusted by you."

"No," Lucy said hesitantly. Russel smiled, hearing the doubt in her voice. He didn't want to hurt her, but he needed to create distance between them. It was the only way to keep Lucy safe.

"She might love you, but she won't want to be around you. Can you really blame her? You are a disgrace. You are completely helpless. You can't even get out of bed on your own."

"That's not my fault," Lucy whispered, her eyes tearing up at his words.

"She won't care about that," he told her harshly. "Once she knows what a wreck you are she won't want to be within five miles of you."

"That's not true," she said uncertainly. The nurse frowned, moving forward to stop his verbal abuse.

"Then tell her. Tell her why you haven't left the house by yourself in over seven years. Tell her how you can't even dress yourself. Tell her you need help with everything." He frowned when the nurse held her hand up in warning.

"I think you need to leave now, Sir," she said tensely. He glared, but got to his feet. Lucy was crying openly now, his words having the desired effect on her.

"I love you despite all of these things," he said softly, reaching out to grab her hand again. This time she didn't pull away. "If you have so much faith in your mother, tell her your challenges and see if she stays like I will."

"Mr. Fabray," her nurse said again. He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss before heading to the door.

"I'll be back later Lucy," he promised, then went in for the kill. "Tell your mother that you wear a diaper and see how long she sticks around." Lucy sobbed louder and he stepped out of the room. He was confident his latest plan to keep Judy away would work. And while he didn't particularly like hurting his daughter like that, he realized as soon as he saw his wife he would need to tell Lucy something. What better way to handle the situation, than making his wife into the bad guy while breaking Lucy's newly found confidence and defiant behavior at the same time. Lucy would hate her mother and return to him, and together they would prove their worth to God.


"Is she awake?" Judy asked as she approached her daughter's room. She came by earlier only to find her daughter taking advantage of an afternoon nap, her dog curled up under the bed.

"She is," her nurse said solemnly as she approached, "but I should warn you. Mr. Fabray just left a few minutes ago."

"What did he do?" she asked, dreading the answer.

"He said some pretty hurtful things to her." Judy winced and closed her eyes.

"I should report him."

"I already have," the nurse assured her. "I wouldn't talk to my worst enemy the way he talked to his own child. It was reprehensible."

"How did she take it?"

"She's pretty upset," her nurse admitted. "I thought she was going to crawl underneath the bed with the dog again, but he somehow knew she needed him and jumped up on the bed. I haven't had the heart to move him either." Judy glanced through the window. Sure enough, Tobey was stretched out the length of the bed, his head laying on her stomach. Lucy was absently scratching his head, but she was also staring off into space. Judy immediately recognized it as her deep thinking pose. Unwilling to disturb her daughter if she was lost in thought, Judy knocked lightly on the door.

"Come in," Lucy called out. Judy stepped through, the nurse following her. "Hey mom," Lucy greeted.

"How did you know it was me?" Judy asked, stepping to the foot of the bed. Lucy continued to stare straight ahead, but Tobey shifted, watching her intently.

"Your perfume," Lucy answered. "It's very distinctive." Judy instinctively raised her wrist to her nose and sniffed.

"Is it too much?" she asked. Lucy shook her head.

"No. It's just right." They sat in silence for a minute before Judy took a deep breath.

"I heard your father visited you."

"Yeah," Lucy said dejectedly, looking down. Judy could feel the mood shift.

"I don't know what he said," Judy started, but Lucy interrupted her.

"He said you would be disgusted with me." She said it quietly, but Judy heard it loud and clear.

"That's not true," Judy said quickly, heading over to the chair near the bed. She reached her hand out next to Lucy's, leaving the choice of actually grabbing it to her daughter. Lucy stiffened at the contact, but made no move to take her hand. "I love you. I will always love you." She waited for Lucy to say something. She could see her daughter debating with herself. Eventually she turned her head toward her mother.

"Even if I can't do a lot of things by myself?" she asked quietly. She looked down in shame. Judy put a finger underneath Lucy's chin, forcing her head up.

"None of that matters to me. I love you and I'll never let you go again."

"Even if I can't take care of myself?" Lucy asked hesitantly.

"Even then," Judy assured her, moving her hand back to Lucy's. This time Lucy took it, holding on tightly.

"I can't get out of bed on my own," she admitted shamefully. "I can't dress myself. I can barely get around the house in my chair. I can't do anything on my own. I have trouble remembering things and sometimes I just can't understand, even if it's explained to me over and over again."

"I don't care about any of that." Judy reached over with her free hand and tentative ran her fingers through Lucy's brown hair. "I love you and that will never change." Lucy looked down again.

"I have to wear a diaper." She squeezed Judy's hand tightly as she whispered it, afraid that Russel would be right and her mother would be disgusted by this piece of information.

"Quinn," Judy sighed, then frowned. "Sorry. Lucy. It doesn't matter to me. I wouldn't care if you met a sea witch and were turned into a sea slug and had to live in the bottom of the ocean. You're my daughter and I love you no matter what." She was unprepared when Lucy threw herself into her mother's arms and almost overbalanced, but a second later she was gripping her daughter tightly. They both had tears running down their eyes.

"Thank you," Lucy kept repeating over and over. Judy murmured nonsense words as they both let their feelings out. Finally, Lucy pulled away, wiping her eyes awkwardly and reaching out to scratch behind Tobey's eyes. "Can I ask you something?" she started uncertainly.

"Of course," Judy told her. "You can ask me anything."

"Why do you sometimes call me Quinn? The others do that too and I can't figure out why."

"Do you remember anything from before the accident?" Judy asked. Lucy shook her head. "Did your father tell you anything about your life from before the accident?" Lucy scrunched her eyes up in thought before shaking her head.

"He said the accident was God's way of punishing him. He said he started veering away from the church so God punished him by taking me away. He said I didn't remember anything because that was God's way of granting me a fresh start when he was finally forgiven." Judy closed her eyes in anger.

"That is not true," she said. "It was a horrible accident, but it wasn't God punishing you. I want you to understand that." Lucy nodded, but Judy knew she really didn't believe her and was just humoring her. You can't unlearn everything you know in just a few days. "And I want you to understand something else. I know your father loves you, and he was trying to protect you in his own way, but he never should have lied to you. He should have been honest and upfront about everything. I promise I will always be honest, even if it's something painful and I wish I could spare you the pain. There are some things in your past I might think you're not ready for, and I'll tell you if I think that, but I will never lie to you. I promise."

"Thank you," Lucy said, grateful beyond words that she wasn't being coddled like a child. "Now about my name?" Judy chuckled.

"Your full name is Lucy Quinn Fabray," she explained. "Your father got a promotion at work, but we had to move to a little town in Ohio called Lima. It was the summer before freshman year in high school. When we moved, you changed a lot of things about yourself. You dyed your hair blonde, joined the cheerleading squad, and asked to go by your middle name. Quinn. You said you wanted to be a new person for a new place."

"I must have been horrible before." Judy laughed.

"You were a teenager. I think that says it all." Lucy chuckled. "I don't think you were unhappy, you just wanted to try something new. And it worked so well for you it just stuck."

"Quinn," she said, trying it out. "All my friends call me that."

"They never knew you as Lucy," she explained, "so it might take them a bit more time. But we can call you whatever makes you comfortable."

"Maybe you can try both and I can see which one feels more like me?" Lucy suggested.

"I think that's a marvelous idea," Judy agreed. They both fell into comfortable silence, but Judy could see Lucy thinking again.

"You said you would never leave me again?" Lucy asked suddenly.

"I did."

"What do you mean again?" Judy sighed.

"A few years before your accident you made a mistake. Your father kicked you out of the house, and I stood by and did nothing."

"Why?"

"I'm ashamed to admit it, but I have a problem. I'm an alcoholic. Do you know what that means?" Lucy nodded. "I realized I had a problem when your father kicked you out. I got help and eventually kicked him out. You came back home and it was better. Not great, but we were both trying. I would still have an occasional drink, and you still would ignore me some days, but we were slowly getting our relationship back on track."

"Do you still drink?" Lucy asked. Russel rarely over indulged any more, but whenever he did, it always scared Lucy immensely. Judy shook her head.

"I haven't had a drink since the night you disappeared," she said proudly. "You saved me, even when you weren't there." Lucy smiled brightly, which turned into a yawn. "I brought you something," Judy said suddenly, pawing through her bag until she found the shopping bags. She handed them to Lucy.

"Clothes?" she asked uncertainly.

"Sweats and T-shirts," Judy told her. "Nothing too fancy, and I had to guess at the sizes. You've lost so much weight. But I know you don't like hospital gowns and I got the okay from Dr. Mathison." Lucy looked close to tears. "I'm sorry," Judy said, reaching out to take them back. "You don't have to wear them. I just thought you might be more comfortable."

"No," Lucy said, holding onto the clothes tightly. "I want them. I just never thought anyone would be so kind to me." She looked uncertain. "Can you help me change?"

"Of course, sweetheart," Judy said. The nurse nodded, moving over to close the blinds and stand by the door, but she didn't interfere as Judy helped her daughter out of her hospital gown and into some bed clothes. Judy could feel the tears start as she got her first look at her daughter's bare skin and the many scars that now adorned it, but she forced herself to remain cheerful for Lucy's sake. Lucy could tell that her mother was upset though, and after she had changed she deliberately laid back down on the bed.

"I'm kinda tired," she said, faking a yawn.

"Of course," Judy said. "I'm kinda tired too. Besides visiting hours are almost over. But I'd like to come and see you again tomorrow if that's okay?"

"Yes," Lucy immediately answered, only for a real yawn to break through. "Sorry. Guess I'm more than a little tired."

"That's okay sweetie," Judy said, leaning over to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," Lucy said reverently. "Bye mom." Judy forced her smile to stay on until she heard the door click behind her. Only then did she let her tears fall.