Author's Note: Chris Hemsworth was my inspiration for Dr. Gabriel Jameson. I wanted a man who could make Jesse feel threatened and I was watching 'The Avengers' before the inspiration for this chapter struck me.

It was during the process of writing this chapter that news broke that Cory had sadly passed away. July 13 was a sad day for all of us who love or loved or will come to love Glee. I had no love for Finn as a match for Rachel, but as a character he had his moments and Cory had my respect for being honest about his struggles with addiction. I'm heartbroken that he passed away and I'm keeping his friends, family and Lea in my prayers. RIP, Cory Monteith. You've gone way too soon and you'll be missed.

it's all coming back to me now

chapter seven

Jesse would never know how he managed to hail a cab to take Rachel to the hospital, considering he had his arms full of Noelle, her pink and purple backpack, Rachel and her purse. It went smoothly enough, though: Rachel got to reach someone she called 'Noah' on the phone, and then told the cabbie they'd need to make a quick stop before finally going to the hospital, giving him an address. When they arrived there, Noelle bounded out of the car straight to the waiting arms of the Callbacks' barman, a big grin on her face despite her earlier anxiety for her mother when she turned around and waved gaily at the adults into the car. Even from a distance, Jesse saw the worry and concern in the other man's hazel eyes, and was unsurprised at the wave of possessive jealousy that engulfed him. This man was clearly in love with Rachel. But Rachel was his, and he wouldn't let her go now that he had found her again.

Rachel and Jesse made their way to the hospital in a laden silence. Every now and then, he would put his hand on her forehead, cursing himself for not having thought of bringing the thermometer with him. She was pale now, and… was she shaky? He narrowed his eyes as they focused on her hands, which she kept clasped tightly on her lap. "You're shaking", he pointed out quietly, turning to address the driver. "Can you please rush? We're kind on an emergency here".

The driver nodded while Rachel squared her shoulders. "I'm fine", she shrugged off his concern, though she felt exhausted and about to faint. "You don't… You don't have to come with me", she said quietly, looking out at the cab's glass window. "I can go check myself in and then call one of my friends to keep me company."

Jesse rolled his eyes and scowled at her. "Don't be stupid. I made a promise to Noe that I'd keep an eye on you, and I intend to keep it."

He saw the moment she thought of commenting about the handful of promises he had made to her, all those years ago, and had never kept, but thanked his lucky stars when she wisely chose not to say it. The cab halted to a stop in front of the hospital, and Jesse escorted Rachel to the reception after generously paying the driver. "We need to see a doctor-" he started to say, but a fierce glare from Rachel efficiently shut him up. She turned to the nurse with a tired smile.

"Hi, Denise. Is Dr. Jameson in?"

"Hey, Rachel." The nurse looked curiously at Jesse, but tactfully chose not to say anything. "I think he's on call tonight, yes." A dark frown clouded the nurse's pretty face. "Is there anything wrong with you?"

"I don't know," Rachel replied truthfully. "Maybe."

"She has been feverish since early this morning and it feels it keeps on going up," Jesse offered helpfully.

Denise nodded and picked up a phone. After pressing a few buttons, she spoke quietly, "Dr. Jameson? Hi, I'm sorry to bother you, but Rachel is here and she's not feeling so well." She paused for a moment and then nodded even though the physician couldn't see her. "Alright, doc. I'll tell her that." She hung up and then turned back to Rachel, a small, sympathetic smile on her face. "Dr. Jameson told you to go wait for him on his office. He's just wrapping up an appointment down at the ER and he'll meet you there."

Rachel grinned at the nurse. "Thanks, Denise. You're the best."

The nurse laughed and waved her off with an eye roll, and made her way to her doctor's office, Jesse trailing after her. The fact that she was on first name basis with a nurse at the hospital was surprising, but not shocking. Shocking was the fact that she was in a first name basis with pretty much all the hospital staff, people shouting out her name and greetings, a handful of nurses stopping Rachel to affectionately ask her how she was doing, others asking about 'the little princess', who he guessed was Noelle.

Once they reached the doctor's office, and Rachel tiredly dropped on a chair, Jesse couldn't contain his curiosity anymore. "You seem pretty friendly with every one here."

Rachel chuckled dryly. "You really don't want to know why, trust me, so don't even ask."

Jesse's curiosity only grew as she said that. "You're wrong. I do want to know. Why is that?"

Rachel's eyes flashed in irritation as she glared at him, but whatever it was that she was going to say was lost, for Santana, Sam and Blaine chose that moment to burst in the tiny office, all panting and in several states of dress: the Latina wore cotton shorts with Ugg boots and an obviously masculine jacket over a black wifebeater; the blond was in working out clothes; Rachel's best male friend in an elegant tuxedo. The tiny brunette rolled her eyes as she took their appearance in, but a fond smile curved her lips. "You guys really need to relax," she told them, chuckling. "I'm okay. I take it Noah called."

"Whatsapped is more like it," Santana said as she pushed past Jesse to crouch in front of Rachel, one of her hands checking out Rachel's pulse on her wrist while the other pressed against Rachel's slightly clammy forehead. "Estás ardiendo," the Latina growled anxiously as she slipped her coat off her shoulders and placed it on Rachel's, "and you're shivering. Where's the damn doctor?"

"Santana," Blaine said as he put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly, "relax. She's going to be fine. You knew this was bound to happen."

Rachel nodded. "I haven't gone through my bone marrow transplant yet, San, so this doesn't mean it's not working."

Santana shot her a look but chose to stay quiet, for Dr. Jameson chose that moment to walk in the cramped office. He took a moment to absorb the scene, and then chuckled quietly, shaking his head negatively as he made his way to his desk. "Rachel, Rachel, Rachel. Will I ever see you one on one and not with a handful of friends hot on your heels?" He asked teasingly, and Rachel laughed.

"Hopefully next time, Dr. Jameson," she told him, and Jesse blinked as he recognized the flirty tone in her voice.

Dr. Jameson wasn't at all what Jesse had been expecting Rachel's doctor to be. Instead of the old, fatherly physician who treated Rachel like a dear granddaughter, he was face to face with a man that, honestly, could have made a successful career out of being an Abercrombie model. Dr. Jameson was tall, blonde, with bright blue eyes and enough stubble to be charming but not gross. He was well-built, and his voice was thick, throaty, with the soft lilt of an Australian accent. As he settled against his desk in front of Rachel, he gave her a crooked smile. "No more of this Dr. Jameson crap. I've been telling you for years now, you can call me Gabriel."

Rachel flushed slightly and shot Gabriel Jameson a small, apologetic smile. "I don't feel right calling you that when I'm seeing you as your patient," she explained, and Jesse had to clench his jaw to try and keep his jealousy in check. Unknowingly to him, busy as he was watching the interaction between Rachel and her (adequately looking) doctor, Santana, Sam and Blaine were all smirking at him.

"Well, how about this: I'll go to Callbacks some day this week to watch you sing and then we can catch up. How's that?" Gabriel shot her a small smile, and busied himself with the thermometer. "Lift your arm for me, please?" He asked, and Jesse rolled his eyes at how obediently Rachel followed his directions.

"I'd like that," Rachel grinned at him.

"How's the little princess?" Gabriel asked as they waited for the thermometer chime, Jesse glowering at him.

Rachel brightened up considerably. "She's amazing. She's growing up so quick." She shook her head slightly. "She'll be upset knowing she wasn't here to see you."

"Take her to Callbacks when I go over so she and I can catch up too. She can keep me company while you're busy singing your heart out onstage." Gabriel looked over at where Rachel's companions were clustered together, and he frowned slightly. "Quinn hasn't come with you? She stayed home with Noelle?"

"No, Noelle is with Noah at his place. Quinn and I broke up," Rachel replied simply, and Jesse gaped at this new revelation (Santana had to bite down on her lip so hard to keep herself from laughing she feared it would draw blood.) "I decided I wanted to include Noelle's father in her life and Quinn couldn't accept that."

"Understandable. You guys were almost engaged, after all." Dr. Jameson said, and Jesse's shock grew (Santana pressed her nails down against her palm, and Blaine covered a chuckle with a cough.)

"I know. But considering my new circumstances, my daughter needs her father's presence in her life. And I'm sure it was a good decision. Jesse fell for her charms the moment he first laid eyes on her."

"I would have to be blind in order to resist her, Rach," Jesse spoke up, and Rachel startled, having obviously forgotten he was there. Dr. Jameson looked up discretely and looked Jesse up and down appraisingly; Santana squeaked out a giggle that made Sam chuckle.

"She looks like you," the physician told Jesse as the thermometer chimed and he checked Rachel's temperature. Frowning in concern, he pressed a button on the intercom and waited a few minutes. "Denise, it's Dr. Jameson. Listen, I need to have Rachel admitted. Do we have the room?" He waited in silence for a while and then nodded. "That's awesome. I'll send Sam over to fill her paperwork. Can you ask Jimmy to come take her to the room? Thanks." He hung up and, when he turned back to look at his patient, his dark blue eyes were serious. "I really hate this, Rachel, because I know you wanted to stay as far from here as you could, but unfortunately I need to have you admitted. Your fever is far too high for us to just ignore it. Do you have any questions?"

Pale, but far more composed than Jesse expected her to be, Rachel nodded. "Does this mean the chemo isn't working? How will it affect the progress of my treatment?"

"No, it doesn't mean the chemo isn't working. It means you're no superhuman and your body is reacting to the strength of the medication we applied on you. And yes, it may affect the progress of your treatment. We need to fight the fever off before applying the next dose, so it's possible we have to postpone it until your body has recovered from this."

The tiny brunette looked away while nodding, and every person in the room knew what that meant. Strong as she was, Rachel's hold on her emotions was precarious at the moment and she needed a little break to get them back on track. No one said anything, and silence fell over the slightly crowded room like a thick blanket.

In that moment, Jesse finally understood why exactly she had gone after him to tell him about their daughter. With her in the hospital, he would have to step up and take over caring for Noelle, and while Rachel had friends that clearly adored their baby girl, neither one of them could offer them the comfort and the reassurance that Jesse, as her father, could. He knew if he spoke that out loud he would cause one hell of a stir, so he kept it quiet. Silently approaching Rachel, he put his hand on her slim shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly, with a comforting smile when she looked up.

And when she smiled back, even if shakily, he couldn't help but hope he still had a chance with her.