Disclaimers: I do not own Glee or its characters. I do own all OCs unless ownership is otherwise stated/given.
Spoilers: chapters 32–34 of Worth Giving Up?
Rating: T for Santana's mouth (you know how that goes!)
Thank you to those who have reviewed on this story so far! And welcome to my new followers Mbran72 and ZiipyLove09 (favoriter). And to my new favoriters auntdedra, FABERRY GLEE ACHELE (it won't let me do the periods), and Lord Jeremy Silver.
Notes: This is directly after Tessa and Rebecca leave in the Thanksgiving pt. 1 chapter.
I was doing research to see what would need to be done about Rachel's wrist because Rebecca was very harsh while pulling on Rachel's wrist. I believe, the way I see in my mind, that she pulled in a way that caused the sprain to twist and a piece of ligament on the inside to pull away from the bone, thus "upgrading" it to an avulsion fracture.
** This has major protective!Santana (and protective!Lucy). Sort of Pezberry (San/Rach) in the beginning, Brinn (Britt/Q) towards the end, and it closes out with Pezberry. I have been wanting to do that scene with Quinn & Britt forever, and finally found a place for it!
Also, name credit for Isabella, Richie, Della, and Kevin Brown go to Boris Yeltsin. They are mentioned briefly.
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009
*Meanwhile, in the kitchen – about 5:00 p.m.*
The atmosphere goes to an unnerving calmness as soon as Tessa drags her angry fiancée out of the room, and the Berrys' house.
Quinn is immediately spinning around on the spot, eyes connecting with Noah, and then…
She is gone.
She finds them in the kitchen. Santana is bent down in front of Rachel at the table while Finn is pacing around. Noah enters directly behind her, and Finn notices him and Britt right away.
"Santana!"
The girl spins around at her name and she straightens up. Her face says it all – it is not good.
Rachel is still doubled over, even as she is sitting in the chair. Her head is near her knees and she is deathly still. Quinn's gaze snaps to Santana because she cannot get a good read on Rachel's body language.
Her heart sinks as San just shakes her head. And she hurries over, stopping directly in front of her.
"Rae…?"
She gets no reaction whatsoever, and that only worsens the worry and fear. She looks to Santana, but her friend can do nothing but shrug.
"She just said it hurts. I can't get her to answer. Finn got her an icepack, but other than that, she won't say anything."
"Rachel!" Quinn tries again and this time, she gets a hoarse "hey, LuLu" in reply. "Can you tell me where it hurts the most?" Apparently, her mine is rolling with the brave speaking, but still, it does not help when Rachel whispers,
"Mi fa male tutto il braccio del cazzo." Rachel whispers back and Santana sighs irritably as she has no idea what the Diva just said. My whole fucking arm hurts.
Thankfully, though, Brittany was standing nearby, and returns it with, "Fammi vedere." Let me see.
"Hey!" Santana snaps her fingers. "English, please. Or something that all of us understand."
"She said her whole arm hurts. Do you think we should take her to the E.R.?"
This is where Josiah and David actually step in. They did not want to crowd the girls so the two men stayed behind, knowing that teens could handle it for the time being, but now, with the mention of the E.R., it means they should probably step in.
David does it since he is the doctor of the family, while Josiah gathers the kids to the side, getting out the fixings for hot chocolate.
"Hun, let me see," He bends down in front of Rachel, forcing her to raise upwards, and extend her arm towards her father. He examines it but really, an x-ray is needed to see whether any damage was done, or if it was just aggravated in a way that caused severe pain.
"Britt is right," He sighs out as he stands and looks to his husband. "We need to bring her to the E.R. to get it checked out. Just to be sure. Honey, why don't you get her a pain pill to take, we should be able to at least take the edge off the pain." He says this to Josiah who immediately turns to do just that.
"Quinn, sweetheart, why don't you go put some shoes on? I know you are going to want to come with us."
Meanwhile, Santana is helping Rachel stand up. It is slow going, them having to move very gently so the movement does not cause her motion sickness due to the amount of pain she is in.
"Easy, Estrella." Once standing, they stay motionless for several moments. Rachel leans her weight on her friend, taking deep breaths, trying to push down the nausea she is feeling. She has been mistaken when she thought the initial sprain was as much pain as she had ever felt. Having a grade-3 sprain aggravated like this, grabbed and tugged forcefully…
It is so much worse.
"How's your left one, Estrella?"
Rachel has to reach deep inside her mind for the answer because right now, all she can feel is the enormous heartbeat of pain that is lacing through her right palm, wrist, and down her arm.
She concentrates hard, putting her attention on her left wrist, coming up with, "It fucking hurts." And Santana just nods because, yeah, that was kind of a stupid question.
David goes to make a call to the hospital, to make sure they are brought back immediately instead of having to stay in the waiting area for hours, while Josiah starts the car to warm it up.
And once Rachel has taken the medicine, she sits, while Brittany runs to get a pair of shoes and a sweatshirt. This proves to be another task in and of itself. It is excruciatingly slow.
Her left arm in, her right arm in – at a snail's pace – then, her head. Somehow, Brittany makes a sling appear out of nowhere, the kind you would use with a broken arm that is casted, and she helps Rachel put that on, as well, to help immobilize her arm and wrist.
As the dancer goes to get a fresh ice pack while Santana is helping Rachel with her shoes, she says, "Sanny, you need to stay here, alright? I'll go with them to watch over Q, but you should stay here."
"What?! No way! I'm coming, too!"
"San, there is no reason for all of us to go. Because if you go, then Finn and Noah are going to want to come. There is not enough room in Papa 'Siah or Papa David's car, and it would be a hassle for them to have to take two vehicles. Just stay here; one of us does need to go for Q," Britt motions to the side, where Quinn is pacing back and forth. "Other than that, three people is enough."
"Brittany–"
"T, she's right;" Rachel cuts in. "There is no need for us to all go. Just stay here with the boys. Make us some smoothies or something, for when we get back. I'm sure none of us are going to actually want to eat, so try to put in enough protein and calories that we, – that LuLu,–" Here, Rachel also motions to said girl. "– can drink, and still get the– what we need."
She trails off, swaying a bit, and Santana has to grab her steady.
"Woah, alright, let's not do that, yeah?"
Rachel leans forward and Santana adjusts, not knowing what she is going to do until she simply rests her forehead against her shoulder. "I don't feel good, Sanny."
"I know," Santana sighs out, making eye contact with Brittany. "Your dads are going to be back in just a moment, and you– this will be taken care of. Okay?" She keeps one hand around Rachel in a way that she is taking most of the older girl's weight, while she uses her other hand to rub circles on Rachel's back.
"I'm gonna go see where they are," Britt whispers as she slides passed Santana, rubbing her shoulder as she goes. After a moments, there is movement to their right. Quinn is there, a barrage of emotions flashing on her face, concern and anxiety winning out.
"I'm really sorry, Rachel," The blonde breathes out. Rachel is immediately reaching out with her left hand, which Santana has to adjust her hold on Rach for, to where her right arm is still stabilized and not being smashed, and so Rachel can actually reach out for Quinn.
"This is not your fault, LuLu."
"She's my sister, Rachel, and–"
"–And she is my cousin. Familial relation has no part in who was or was not the cause of the events that have led us to this point, Quinn."
Watching this, Santana winces at the name Rachel uses but, as her gaze flicks over said girl, Quinn meets her eye, and she sees a little bit of the old Quinn. The one who would be pissed off about someone hurting Rachel, not worrying about whether she was the reason for whatever happened.
It startles her at first. She straightens up, just barely, reading that look, and coming away with one conclusion…
When this – when Rachel – is taken care of, Rebecca is going to be in for a world of hate.
Santana can see it. That spark. The one that would flash in hazel eyes any time a kid decided to be extra stupid, and call Rachel a derogatory name (because of her fathers), or just did the typical "little kid" type of bullying.
Quinn turns away when there is a sound at the doorway, but Santana keeps watch. Hazel eyes dart away and she can no longer read her, but yeah…
Rebecca is going to wish she never stepped foot inside this house this afternoon.
*Later – 5:30 p.m.*
They have only been gone for about 15 minutes, as they left for, first, the Lopez Household, as Carlos has a handheld X-ray machine, which he will use to check Rachel's wrist, and then they'll go to the hospital, if needed.
As soon as that door was shut, and the boys and Santana watched as Josiah backed out of the driveway, and down the road until they are unnoticeable…
She spins around, making eye-contact with, first, Finn, then Noah. And she breathes out once, long and deep, as the worry and concern and fear bleeds out of her, as it leaves her body until the only thing she can feel is… anger.
Red-hot rage.
She switches then. From San, – Britt and Q and Rach and Noah's best friend, – to the Santana Lopez. The one that spits fire and has hardened eyes; the one who does not anyone's shit.
And the one that is going to give Rebecca an ass-whooping.
"I'm going to pay Rebecca a visit. Would either of you boys care to join me?"
It would probably turn out to be a not-so-good idea, leaving these three alone.
Finn calls his brother, Jordan, while Noah calls to his house, and gets the Brown Family's address from Adeline. She is friends with Tessa's little brother, Richie, who is in the fourth grade. They play together at recess, and Adeline and Lila-June have both went over their house to also play with him, and 4-year-old Isabella.
Once he has the address, and by the time Jordan shows up, the three are dressed and ready to go, and their anger has only simmered until they are all very nearly seething.
Jordan takes one look at them and… just does not ask. Noah recites the address to him, and Jordan drives there, wondering if he should say something, at least to ask what the fuck they are about to do, and what happened to make all three teenagers look so pissed off.
They arrive at the Brown's residence in less than 15 minutes. They exit the vehicle, and he follows. In the end, Jordan ends up taking 4-year-old Izzy home with him so she can play with Alex.
"Just don't do anything illegal, alright?" Jordan warns as he watches his little sister and her best friend skip out of the door, down the sidewalk, and to his truck, where Isabella's dad, Kevin, is installing his daughter's carseat.
Jordan bids the three teenagers goodbye, and then…
Kevin and his wife, Della, "have something important to tend to" which means they lead the teens to the family/living room, where Rebecca and Tessa are, and then they take the younger kids, and disappear into a different part of the house.
Obviously, they know at least part of what happened and why Santana, Noah, and Finn are at their house.
As soon as they enter the family room, Tessa and Rebecca look up from the whisper-fight they were having.
"What?" Rebecca snarks, obviously still pissy about what went on earlier, just a couple of hours ago, really. "Come here to finish the job?"
It pisses Santana off even more. Her blood is already boiling and she is worried about Rachel, about how much damage was done to her wrist, and how long she will be in pain for this time, and Rebecca's attitude just adds to that anger.
"Yeah, you know what?" She steps closer to the two older girls. "We did come here to "finish the job". We also came here to ask you, what the fuck is wrong with you?! You slapped your sister in the face, Rebecca! Slapped her. Do you understand that? Do you have any idea how far back this will set her in the progress we have made with Quinn?"
Rebecca opens her mouth but Santana is on a role and she silences the older girl with a hand motion.
"No! You don't get to speak right now. Since you so graciously gave us your opinion on everything, now you get to shut the fuck up, and listen very closely. You got that?"
"You are not the boss of me, Santana!" Rebecca fumes. "You don't have any say in how I do or do not handle things with my little sister."
And oh, does that just aggravate the absolute shit out of her.
It is so very obvious, and Finn is immediately jumping forward, catching her just mere milliseconds before Santana can lunge at Rebecca.
"You are a complete ass!" She yells. "My God, do you even hear yourself when you speak?! This attitude, this anger? Your baby sister has went through something that no one should ever have to go through. She was beaten, Rebecca, physically beaten with goddamn fucking belt! For talking to Rachel! Your father is so fucking screwed up, so fucked up in the head that he beat his goddamn daughter for speaking to her best friend. Think about that for a goddamn second!"
By the end of it, Santana is panting, and Finn has stepped back. All three teens, and Tessa, watch Rebecca for her reaction.
"Well, if that happened," Tessa sighs as this is not the response she hoped Rebecca would have. "then why the fuck didn't you fucking tell someone before that happened? Huh, Santana? You wanna play the victim, you and Brittany want to play the oh, but he made me do it card, and you know what?! You're right! My baby sister was the one he beat with a fucking belt! Not you! Not Brittany! Quinn, no one else, Santana! So, tell me. Why the fuck didn't you fucking tell someone?!"
This time, Noah holds Finn back. Telling him silently to leave Santana alone. To let her advance, to let her get all her anger out towards Rebecca in any which way she wants or needs.
"You know what!" Santana goes forward but then stops. She falls silent, and they wait, even Rebecca. Santana turns way for about 10 seconds, and then…
Then she is turning back towards them. An eerie calm has passed over her facial features and through her body language. Her shoulders droop, and…
"I am so sick and tired of everyone asking that fucking question."
Her words, the tone of her voice, really, more than her words, themselves, send shivers down Noah's and Finn's spines. Because when the Santana Lopez is so angry that she is speaks calmly and quietly?
Fuck, your time to run for cover is gone, and all you need to be worried about is hoping that Santana values her freedom more than she wants to fucking murder you at that moment.
"I am so sick of it," She repeats. "We were fucking kids. And I don't give a damn if you care about our age, not one fucking ounce of caring. We were little kids, and we were threatened. Quinn would come to school with bruises littering her arms, or with the night before's lingering effects, and you know what she would say, Rebecca?"
Santana steps forward. Once, twice… Her body language is still that calm that is almost too calm.
Rebecca has no answer for that part. For once, she is being smart and not responding.
So, Santana continues.
"She would say, Daddy said this is because you and Britt didn't listen. He said it would happen again, if you did not listen." She pauses, letting that wash over the two girls sitting on the couch. And then, she continues once more. "He did this because, that happened because, Daddy said this, Daddy said that…"
As she paces, she persists with this… retelling of events.
"If you tell anyone, I will make sure you never see my daughter again. No one is going to believe a bunch of little brats. No one is going to believe the things you say. I am keeping my daughter away from people who will have a terrible influence on her, and that is my right as her father. If you say one word to anyone, I will make your lives a living hell. If you do not do as I say, this shit will look like fucking nothing, compared to the things I am capable of."
She makes eye-contact with them at the end of that little… monologue, which makes this moment so much worse.
"So, tell me, Rebecca," Santana steps forward, to where she is just a mere foot from the couch. "Tell me again how we should have just told someone, when we were terrified little kids, absolutely petrified 11-year-old little babies."
Silence…
Tessa's face says it all: This is so much more than anything she has ever been told.
When Rebecca does not respond, or rather, is still reaching for something to answer with, Santana speaks once more…
"I do not want to see you around Rachel or Quinn, or myself, Brittany, or the boys, ever again. You have completely obliterated any chance you had at repairing or reconciling your relationship with Q. You called her a slut, you slapped her, you slapped Rachel, and you fucking disrespected the hell out of two of the most amazing young men I know."
A deep breath, long on the inhale, and…
"You gave her proof that you are not supportive in the things she has going on. Telling her that her anxiety is all in her head? That was the worst thing you could do. She is already riddled with anxiety and fears that she is nothing but a burden on Rachel, and her fathers. That she honestly does need to just suck it up. You are her big sister, Rebecca. Her only blood family she has at the moment, not counting Rach and their dads. Just stop and think about that for a moment. Think about the message those words sent her."
She sighs here, taking a moment.
"You destroyed your chance at being in her life, Becca. You hurt Rachel. You hurt your own cousin. Beside the fact that… that is the one thing you do not do, especially around Quinn, not even focusing on that part, Rebecca, you hurt her so much that Rachel has to go to the hospital to get an x-ray, to make sure you did not do any actual damage."
This has the effect she wanted. Rebecca seems as if that revelation is suddenly dawning on her – as if she is now, finally, understanding that her earlier actions have severe consequences.
"This will, most likely, set Quinn back in her progress – in the progress we – not you – have worked so damn hard to get to. I swear to God, if she ends up having a panic or an anxiety attack, or if Rachel is seriously injured, you better believe I will do so much more than just cussing and yelling at you. You should be ashamed, Rebecca. Do not try to contact Q unless she is the one to reach out first. Do not try to contact Rachel, and it would probably be in your best interest not to contact any of us."
Santana backs away now, stating, "You will be lucky if Rach can convince Quinn to really think for herself when choosing whether she wants to speak to you again, instead of her trying to please you, because your first conversation in five years consisted of nothing but you saying how disappointed you are in her."
And then… turning to leave, Santana has one last message:
"Tessa, I am sorry that this is how you were introduced to the majority of us. And I am sorry that you had to be witness to my behavior today, I promise this is not how I am, usually. I hope that, someday, we are able to have a relationship with you, if you would like. I know that Quinn really does like you."
She smiles sadly.
"She sees you as a big sister, and you have always treated her as such. So, thank you."
The three teens leave at that moment. They loop back through the dining room, down the hallway, and to the front door.
Finn and Noah don't say one word. They just follow dutifully.
Finn calls his brother. Jordan shows up 15 minutes later, and the three get into the truck. He says Izzy and Alex are at home, and they ask to go to Rachel's house.
Not a one of them says a word the entire drive back to the Berry household.
*Meanwhile, at the hospital (this happened WHILE Santana, Finn, & Noah were at the Browns' residence)*
It was the worst news possible.
Because of all things, they really needed that.
An avulsion fracture.
Carlos checked it with his handheld portable x-ray machine at his house, before saying they needed to get a better look, and following the Berrys, Quinn, and Brittany to the hospital.
Now, here they are – Lima General Hospital at 5:27 in the afternoon, just three days before Thanksgiving. One of the busiest weeks of the year, when people decide to get drunk and do even more stupid, idiotic things than usual.
Mostly including turkeys and fires and drunken people thinking it's something that should be shown off.
But back to the subject at hand.
When Rebecca twisted Rachel's wrist, her bone moved in one direction while her actual hand moved in a different direction. Now, being that this was grade-3 sprain, – the worst you can have before an avulsion fracture, or an actual broken wrist, – it was not something that needed to be tugged and jerked and handled in this manner.
Consequently, Carlos walks into the Hospital room, and his expression is grim and not one that neither Josiah nor David wanted to see.
They all know it before he even puts the freshly-taken X-ray up on the little light board. This is why Quinn is out of the room the moment he walks in and clears the doorway. Brittany is cussing under her breath and running after the blonde, while Rachel just curses everyone who had something to do with the events leading up to this moment.
"Q!"
God, she had forgotten how fast her friend was.
"Quinn!" Said girl disappears around a corner with Brittany still about eight feet behind her, and she mutters a few choice words under her breath before picking up her own pace, turning the corner…
And nearly running straight into Quinn, who had stopped just around that same corner.
"Dammit, Q!" She lets out before censoring herself. "God… What is going on? Are you all right?"
It takes one look into her hazel eyes for Brittany to know the answer to that. She honestly was not expecting this, at least, not upfront in her mind. Her thoughts were mostly occupied by Rachel, if her wrist was seriously hurt, and being worried about what Santana would do when left alone with the boys.
But not this.
Not Quinn because damnit, she can only focus on so many things at one time.
"Quinnie, what's going on?"
There are so many answers to this question, but first and foremost, Brittany takes a good look at the girl who has been her best friend since the fourth grade. The one she grew up with. Like Santana, she cannot really… read… her. Not like Rachel, but she is Brittany, and if there is one thing that she has always been, it is "people-smart".
Quinn makes, and keeps, eye-contact with her. Which is a rarity in and of itself. The anxiety mostly keeps her from being able to do so, and when she has done it, it was to get her point across. But no one makes her do it, mostly because she is the Quinn Fabray, and no one forces Quinn Fabray to do something she does not want to.
Unless you are Rachel, but that is neither here nor there.
"Oh, Q," She sighs out. "Come on." She leads the blonde to a room just down the hall. It is a Doctor's "Lounge", sort of a break room for the doctors on this floor.
They go in and it is empty. Brittany shuts the door, locking it, going across the room to turn a lamp on, then shutting off the main light.
"Alright, come'ere."
Laying out her jacket, she motions for Quinn once she is sitting on it, on the ground, in front of the little couch. Quinn moves towards her, almost on autopilot, and for at least the fifth time in the last several hours, Brittany silently curses Rebecca Fabray.
"Come sit, Amore."
Quinn sits in front of her, with her back against Brittany's front, and Britt holds her hands out, on either side of them, palms side up. Quinn places her own hands on top of Britt's, so their fingers are laced. That is about all she is clear-headed enough to do.
Thoughts – bad thoughts – and her fears and that stupid voice are swirling around her head and she can hardly focus on anything else.
"Quinnie?"
She blinks, focusing on her best friend. The way her fingers feel looped through Brittany's, and how the dancer is rubbing her thumbs over the backs of her hands.
And her voice…
"Q?"
She responds by leaning her head backwards, against Brittany's shoulder, which signals to the dancer that she can start.
"We are going to do the breathing, okay? Breathe in with me, 1… 2… 3… 4…, now hold it. 1… 2… 3… 4… 5… 6… 7… and breathe out, 1… 2… 3… 4… 5… 6… 7… 8…"
It takes a couple of tries. Brittany has to help her center herself first, and then Quinn is able to actually do the breathing exercise. Once she is focused, they do this three times, until Britt can tell the sharpness of her caution of what is happening has settled down a bit.
"Good, now we are going to try with our senses, okay?"
A pause, for if Quinn wants to reply or something in response, and then…
"Look around…" She breathes. "It is quiet and calm. Just breathe… Pick out five things you can see, don't move, just… open your eyes, and glance around, slowly, and find five different things you can see…"
"I see a coffee maker." She says next, just whispering, slowly, calmly, and quietly. "A poster on the wall, a refrigerator, my shoes. And I see the table across the room." She waits patiently. Quinn has never actually spoken during this, but Britt does know about how long it takes for the blonde to pick out 5 things she can see.
Once that timeframe is up, Brittany continues, "Now, pick out four different things you can touch…" She breathes out slowly through her nose, letting her eyes fall shut.
"I can touch your hands… and my jacket. I can touch this couch,… and I can do this…" She threads the fingers of her right hand though Quinn's curly hair, which was let out of its French braid earlier.
They continue doing this, using their other senses – 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste.
It helps, as always. It grounds Quinn, setting a specific path of thoughts in her mind, ones that will calm her, ease her anxiety. It makes to where, if only for a little bit, Quinn's mind is situated around good things, and she is able to function as needed.
And, knowing that this was, most definitely, over their 15-minute limit, Brittany says, "Let's head back, ok? I'm sure they are finished up by now." The two stand up, Brittany picks up her jacket and shakes it out, before putting it back on. She turns the main light on, the lamp off, and unlocks the door.
:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/
By the time they arrive back in Rachel's hospital room, Quinn's anxiety has lessened quite a bit, but, boy, does that mean her anger and protectiveness are amped up.
She has the HBIC attitude firmly in place as she practically stalks down the hallway back to Rachel's room, and Brittany just keeps about 5 paces behind her, trying to not get too much enjoyment out of seeing her best friend like this.
"Hey, LuLu," Rachel greets as they step into the room. "Hi, Love."
Quinn zeros in on the yellow casting on Rachel's right wrist. She narrows her eyes, silently cursing her big sister in her mind. She is vaguely aware of Brittany sliding past her, going straight for the bed. Josiah and David, and Carlos, are not in the room, as Rachel had asked that they give the three girls a moment alone.
Brittany sighs, whispering, "Questo la farà arretrare, vero?" This will set her back, won't it?
And Rachel just looks at her, her silence the answer she was hoping she wouldn't get. They were doing well, in particular with Rachel and people touching her. Britt and Santana were getting by with touching without Rachel initiating, and Noah was almost there.
But now?
Now, this little stunt will set them back, and the protective, green-eyed monster will rear its ugly head, and now…
Now there is nothing they can do about it.
"Lucy…" Rachel makes a 'come here' gesture with her left hand. "You can come over, ya'know." When the blonde is still hesitant, she changes tactics. "Quinn, come over here, please."
It is slow going, but Quinn does eventually move to the bed. She climbs in and Rachel raise her left arm up and around her, as Britt takes a marker from the bedside table, and starts decorating her cast.
"We are going to be okay," She whispers, threading her fingers through Quinn's curls. "Everything will be ok. Even if it does not feel like it."
After another ten minutes, the dads check on them. Rachel is loaded up with a sling, more pain medicine, and a warning to not shower with her arm in a cast, instead, she needs to do baths. And Carlos also warns her to be extra careful. No more unnecessary strenuous activities.
:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/
Getting home is another ordeal.
Rachel knows something is off the moment they walk into the house, Brittany in front of her, Quinn beside her, and their dads behind them.
Apparently, Brittany recognizes it, too, because the dancer is slowing her pace until the other two are beside her, and…
"Santana Maria Lopez!"
It is unnerving hearing Brittany be the one to call out her full name. And when she does not get a response, the three continue on to the kitchen, They can see the garage door that is in the laundry room. It is open, with Finn sitting in the doorway, watching something… or someone.
Rachel approaches him. He is listening to his MP3 player while Noah and Santana are over at the heavy bag that is hanging in the corner of the garage.
Rachel calls out, "Finn!" and then touches him on the shoulder. Obviously, the music was too loud because it scares the shit out of him. He squeals, jumping up and dropping the MP3 player, and then cursing as he rushes to pick it up and examine for any cracks or chips.
Meanwhile, Brittany is laughing her ass off, walking back through the laundry room into the kitchen, and Santana and Noah have stopped doing their exercises to figure out what the hell is going on.
Once things are calmed down, Finn gives a slight wave to the girls, trying to pretend like he didn't just scream like a prepubescent girl.
"Hey."
"Hi."
Rachel returns, smirking, and gesturing to his MP3 player.
"Is it ok?"
She uses her right arm to do the gesturing which catches his attention…
"Yeah, it's–Wait a second…" That yellow cast was most definitely not there two hours ago. Which means… "Rachel…" He trails off and it prompts Noah and Santana to come closer.
Rachel sighs because now, there is no ignoring it or putting it off. Noah and Santana come closer and see what it is that caught Finn's attention. Immediately the two are filled with anger, every bit of the fiery rage that was let go while hitting the heavy bag comes back full-force.
The five of them head inside, stopping in the kitchen where Brittany is. The dancer has the fridge open, a can of… icing? … in one hand, and a spoon with said icing in the other hand, held halfway to her mouth.
She freezes when they enter the room, looking like a kid who just got caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
"Hey." She tries to go for nonchalance and, thankfully, the rest of them has their attention on Rachel so she goes semi-unnoticed.
"Are you staying here?" Rachel asks trying to put it off for as long as possible. Her wrist hurts, her head hurts, she is exhausted, and hungry, and just wishes today was over with.
"No." Brittany returns the icing to the fridge, and rinses her spoon off. "This week is going to be crazy, so I am going to spend some time with Mama and Daddy, and the little ones."
They wait until she is gone before anyone says anything. Santana and Noah stay behind, though Gabriel is going to pick Santana up later while Noah's mom – Diane – told him he can stay the night.
They eat first before doing anything else. A quick meal of grilled cheese (vegan style), French fries, sweet tea, and corn. After eating, they head up to Rachel and Quinn's bedroom while Josiah and David go to the living room to watch a movie.
Rachel was hoping they would just magically forget about it, and would just go to bed, but…
"Alright, spill," Santana demands the moment the bedroom door is shut.
"What would you like to know?"
Rachel stalls as she wanders around the room, gathering up random things, while Quinn scoops up Zeke and Nala, falling back onto the bed. Noah goes straight to the beanbag, letting Tigger climb into his lap.
"Quit stalling, Rachel! Why the fuck do you have your arm in a cast?!"
Now, you see, anyone else would think – assume – that Santana is being disrespectful.
It takes someone to really know her to understand this is her fears and worry getting the best of her. Her snarkiness is the equivalent of Quinn taping her leg – her anxiety is too high for her to ignore or suppress.
Giving in, Rachel sets down the items she gather up – a brush, a game controller, and a notebook – and she goes to the bed, motioning for Santana to take a seat.
It really is simple as she explains it – yes, it is Becca's fault her wrist is now in a cast. Yes, her jerking Rachel's wrists caused severe pain, as well as a more serious injury.
Santana is irate and, with Brittany not here, it takes longer for her to, well… not really calm down, but… just to settle just enough. She is absolutely pissed. This is what she was worried about – what she warned Rebecca about earlier.
"I am going to fucking kill her!"
She gets whopped in the head with a pillow, and glares at the Diva for it. Meanwhile, Noah is silently fuming, already planning Rebecca's demise, and wondering if he can get away with just involving Finn, and whether the two can make it look like an accident.
"You are not going to do anything of the sorts, Santana Maria." Rachel grits out, giving her a look that leaves no room for discussion.
From then on, they get ready for bed. Noah is sleeping in the guest room while Santana takes the air mattress at the end of Quinn and Rachel's bed (after calling and asking, and really, neither Carmen nor Carlos have the heart to force her to come home after the day she has had).
:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/
They – the three of them – wait, on edge, for the moment that it crashes down on Quinn.
Surprisingly, it does not happen tonight. Rachel knows that this simply means it will happen but… at the time it does, it will seem like the most randomness of occurrences.
Noah goes to the guest room, and Rachel is given her medicine for the night, and Quinn is laying beside her. The TV is turned on because it is a distraction that the three of them desperately need.
Around 11, when San checks on them by raising up and peering over the edge of the bed, she is surprised to see that Rachel is still awake. And, sensing her presence, Rachel glances down at the dark eyes watching her.
"Hey, T."
She is sitting up, leaning against the headboard. She has a pillow in her lap to prop her right arm up, while her left is gently resting on Quinn's back, from where the younger girl is curled up against her side, on her stomach, in a not-so-deep-or-peaceful sleep.
Feeling suddenly like she is going to regret this, Santana shifts so she is sitting up, asking, "Why are you awake?"
Rachel just looks at her. It unnerves Santana. But, she stays quiet, and eventually gets an answer.
"Because I don't sleep." It is an odd statement, but the Latina can only pinpoint the feeling of dread that is growing, gnawing at her insides, and it chills her, literally chills her, and then, Rachel continues with,
"I don't sleep. I stay awake, and I categorize every breath she takes. I watch her, Santana, the entire night because I am so terrified that if I blink for too long, this will have been all a fucking dream. I am so scared that I will wake up and you three will still be under his control… I am scared that if I fall asleep, I will wake up alone; that I will go to school, and you will not be speaking to me. That she will still be… there, and…"
Rachel trails off when her voice breaks and she risks waking Quinn up. She does not need to say anymore, regardless. Santana hears it all clearly – every fear, every detail of the nightmare that Rachel is living while she watches her best friends go through this.
And, she realizes, Rachel has not had her breakdown yet.
Noah did it over the weekend – a lot of holes were made in his bedroom walls as the boy's anger finally reached its boiling point.
Santana had hers last week, as well as Brittany sort of breaking down at school though, most likely, a bigger "breakdown" is coming for her. As for Quinn, well, the younger girl has had several of her own.
But not Rachel.
Rachel has held it together – comforted them, walked Quinn through her panic or anxiety attacks, been there for them as they argue over pointless shit because their minds and brains and emotions are so fucking screwed up right now that the tiniest detail pisses them off…
"I don't sleep." Rachel whispers one last time. "I can't sleep. Not when the nightmares are bad enough when I am simply awake."
I finally(!) have this finished! It has been over a month since I've updated this story (oops). This turned out to be about 5x longer than what I had planned. Originally, I was just going to have the beginning, Rachel at the hospital, and her getting a cast, but then it turned into this, so…
I am going to update Worth Giving Up tonight, as well. And from now on, the updates should come more regularly. I just really needed to get this posted before I did anything else. Also, that ending there ^^ is sort of a lead-up to chapter 34 of Worth Giving Up? It mentions Rachel not yet having her "breakdown", which is what happens in that chapter.
Anyway, please review and let me know what you thought! And if you have an requests for this story, let me know. I have written all that has been requested so far, and there are several that I am actually really excited to get done. :)
P.S. I PROMISE Rebecca is not all bitchiness. She will, eventually, apologize, though not anytime soon. Second, I kind of forgot about their Foster Kitties, which is why they randomly showed up at the end. And third, it will come crashing down on Luce. She will try to bury the anxiety this entire event gave her, but that will only work for so long… :'(