A/N Thanks for all the reviews! They really mean a lot to me. I know it's been a while since I last updated, I'm so sorry. I really wanted to update earlier but I've been really busy. Hope you enjoy!
Rachel awoke slowly to the sound of yelling outside her room door, groaning at the growing pain in her head, not being helped by the racket. Furrowing her brows, she recognised the voice. It was her dad. Closing her eyes to ease the headache, she listened as intently as possible to her father's rising voice.
"What exactly are you suggesting, sir?" She heard him say with an edge. He was angry.
"How dare you accuse me of such a heinous act! I would never hurt my little girl! Ever!" He screamed, his words increasing in volume as he became more and more agitated.
"I will not calm down! This is absurd! Let go off me!" Hiram's voice became softer and she guessed that he was being taken somewhere further away but he could still be easily heard from within the room. Rolling over with a heavy sigh, Rachel nestled into the hard hospital pillow, barely registering the door of her room being opened.
When the soft click of the door closing resounded in the room, Rachel tried pretending to be asleep, not wanting to have to talk with anyone but was betrayed by the immediate tensing of her body.
"Rachel? Can I talk to you?" A lady asked her gently, pulling up a chair beside her bed as she awaited a response from the small girl. Rachel opened her eyes at the foreign voice and sat up slightly, folding her arms protectively across her chest.
"Who are you?" She questioned. The woman sitting beside her had short, blonde hair, piercing blue eyes and a small smile gracing her lips. She was dressed in a black coloured shirt with cargo pants and held a notebook in her left hand, a blue pen gripped loosely in the other as she sat, leaned back in the white chair.
"I'm Samantha Jackson. I'm from social services and I really need to talk to you, are you feeling up for a little chat?" Samantha asked nicely, trying not to appear as a threat as she noticed the defensive posture of the brunette. Receiving a nod, she continued, "I wanted to ask you if you know how you got that nasty concussion?"
Rachel inwardly groaned at the question and shook her head lightly, causing her head to throb painfully at the simple action and she attempted to hide her wince. "I see, can you tell me how you got those bruises on your wrist and cheeks?" Rachel shrugged and looked away from Samantha. She knew where this was going and she was in a dilemma. What should she say?
"Rachel, has your dad ever touched you in a way that made you feel uncomfortable? Has he ever hit you?" Samantha asked, trying to make eye contact with the small teen, concern painted on her pale face. However, Rachel refused to look at her as she struggled to come to a decision.
"Hey Rach! You were amazing on stage!" Hiram exclaimed happily as he picked up his eight year old daughter, still dressed in her baby blue dress and tights and twirled her around in a tight hug. Rachel squealed with laughter as she waved the trophy in her hand and enjoyed the warm, loving embrace.
"You mean the world to me, baby girl, I'm so proud of you." He whispered lovingly as he kissed her on the cheek before placing her back on the ground. He smiled proudly at her and patted her on the head affectionately, kissing her soft, brown hair. Kneeling down before her, Hiram looked into her lively brown eyes and cupped her small cheeks as he spoke, "I don't know what I'd ever do without you."
Seeing the tears in her father's eyes, Rachel frowned slightly and flung her short arms around his neck. "Don't cry, daddy, I'm not going anywhere, I promise." She spoke softly into his ear and she felt him vibrate as he chuckled lightly.
"Neither am I, princess."
"Rachel? Are you okay?"
Snapping out of the memory, Rachel brought her hand up to her face, suprised to find her cheeks were wet. Hastily wiping the tears away, she silently reprimanded herself for getting lost in the past and quickly resumed an emotionless face. The past was the past, that's all it would ever be. The past.
"Sorry. No. He's never laid a hand on me." She replied flatly, without an ounce of emotion. She didn't know why she was protecting the liar. Was she really protecting him? Or was she just a coward?
"Are you sure? Rachel, you don't need to be afraid, if he has ever hurt you, you can tell me. I can help." Samantha said, reaching out to take Rachel's hand, only to have her retract the hand suddenly.
"I-I'm sure." The brunette replied, glaring at the lady beside her but not meeting her eyes. "Okay, thank you for talking with me, Rachel." Samantha sighed, rising from her chair and making her way towards the door but stopped before she opened it and turned around to face Rachel once more.
"Rachel, if he ever does anything, please, don't hesitate to seek help. Please remember that." She spoke softly as she eyed the tiny teenager.
"Where's my dad?"
"We're going to need to speak with him too. I promise you that he'll be here when you're discharged, we just need to ensure there is no basis to the doctor's concerns. Goodbye, Rachel. Hope you feel better soon." The blonde said, sincerely as she left the room, leaving the brunette in the peaceful silence.
However, it was broken five minutes later as a firm knock was placed on the wooden door. Groaning, Rachel clutched her throbbing head and sighed frustratedly, knowing that she would have to deal with yet another visitor. She was much too tired and in too much pain to do this.
"Hey Rachel, how are you feeling?" Looking up at the sound of the quiet voice, Rachel was greeted with the sight of a different blonde.
"Better. Don't mind me being blunt, but what are you doing here, Quinn?" The diva's voice was tired and she looked positively exhausted. Her eyes had dark bags below them and her skin looked an unhealthy shade, her dark brown eyes were dull and hard.
"I came to check on you." The blonde watched as the girl in front of her shook her head before looking back up at her.
"I'm not in the mood for lies. Please leave." Rachel snapped. Slightly taken aback by the bunette's outburst, she took a second to recover her train of thought.
"I wanted to apologize too. I'm sorry, Rachel, for everything." Quinn said, trying to sound sincere. Apologizing was something she didn't have to do often and it certainly wasn't easy.
"Stop Quinn. You can keep saying you're sorry but two meaningless words aren't going to make up for the years of endless torment and humiliation you put me through. I'm afraid actions speak much louder than words and yours haven't told me very much about how much you regret torturing me." Rachel couldn't take it, all the lies that she was being told, people pretending to be care about her. She felt like her head was going to explode and she could feel anger building in her chest but they were suddenly eased slightly as she felt a soft hand encase hers.
"They're not meaningless words, Rachel. I really am sorry. I know you can't forgive me instantly, but please just give me a chance. I know something's going on with you, with your dad, and I just don't want to see you go through it alone." Like me, Quinn thought.
A heavy silence settled between the two as neither made a move. Quinn's hand was still resting on Rachel's but she had yet to respond. The sudden opening of the door caused the two girls to quickly detach their hands as the glanced at the nurse in the doorway.
"I'm sorry, Miss, but visiting hours are now over. I'm afraid you have to leave now but you're welcome to come again tomorrow." She said kindly. Quinn turned to Rachel and looked her straight in the eyes before replying, "It's alright, I was just leaving. I swear I'll do anything I can to make things right. Bye, Rachel."
As she closed the door, she heard a soft "bye" come from within the room and smiled softly. Maybe she was actually getting somewhere.
A/N Once again, sorry this took so long! Please review and tell me what you think! I rushed this a bit so if there are tons of mistakes, do forgive me. Also, I have no idea what social services do so I apologize if that is totally inaccurate. Thanks!
