A/N – Wow! Thank you so much for all of the reviews and the alert notices. You guys really are great. I appreciate your support and feedback so much. I'm glad that so many people seem to like the way I've framed this particular story and I hope I can keep meeting your expectations. Thank you.
Just a note on where I got the name Wounded Heart from. That's the name I gave to the show Shelby is currently starring in. There's a song called Wounded Heart by a singer named Jude Johnstone. The song has nothing to do with what I said the plot of the musical was about, but I adore the song and thought the title would work well. Check Jude Johnstone out. She's wonderful.
Disclaimer – I don't own Glee.
Shelby's breath caught in her throat and she moved back some so she could look at the girl properly. Tears formed in her green eyes as she looked at the dark ones of the little baby she'd had years ago. She wanted to touch her. Shelby wanted to pull the girl to her and hold her, but they were stuck in this staring match with a metal barrier between them and a hundred more people waiting for an autograph. Shelby could hear people start to whisper the longer she stood there. The camera flashes that had been so incessant were slowing and Shelby could tell that everyone was staring at them. She had to do something or she was going to lose it. Because right now she wanted nothing more than to scoop that child up, but she did not want a crowd of people watching at the same time.
Shelby looked down and saw that one of Rachel's hands was clutching the barrier and she reached out, tentatively at first, and placed her own hand on top. It was an electric feeling.
"Can you wait right here?" Shelby asked. She was still leaning down so she was at eye level with the girl. "Please?"
Rachel nodded. She was so focused on Shelby's thumb which was rubbing a soothing pattern on her hand that she almost didn't hear the question.
"Ok," Shelby smiled in relief. "Don't move."
Shelby finally straightened and stepped away from the girl. Rachel watched as Shelby put her camera ready smile back in place and started going down the line again. The top of her hand was cold because it had lost the contact with her mother's.
Shelby's heart was racing as she worked her way down the line of people. It seemed like there were so many more than usual, but she knew that was just because she was trying to rush. The intensity of Rachel's words rang in her ear and Shelby tried to keep her feelings in check. She was over the moon in that moment.
But a sudden voice of reason and logic flashed in her mind. What if the girl was lying? What if she was trying to get something out of her? Shelby turned and looked back the girl who was a younger version of herself and offered an encouraging smile. No one knew about the surrogacy except Hiram and LeRoy. The doctors and nurses probably didn't even remember or care, and even if they did there were patient confidentiality laws. The adoption paperwork and legal files were sealed. There's no way some random kid could know. Still, Shelby vowed to not get too far ahead of herself until she was sure.
Rachel watched Shelby's every move as her mother worked the crowd. She still had one hand clutching the railing and one hand holding the now-signed playbill. Rachel took a second to think like a fan and realize how cool that was, even if she hadn't seen the show.
Rachel stood up a little bit straighter when she saw how poised and together Shelby was. She had wanted to emulate this woman for years and she wanted her mother to think highly of her. That was actually a real and deep worry for Rachel. She wasn't well-liked at school and never had been. She was never pretty enough to tall enough or popular enough or anything enough. Most kids even liked to make fun of her talent. The kids in her glee club liked her well enough when it suited them. She fawned all over Finn, but he always just seemed confused.
Rachel suddenly felt self-conscious as she watched Shelby work. Her mom was dressed in jeans and boots with a long coat and a hat because of the cold. Rachel had argued with her dads that she wasn't too cold for one of her traditional skirts because of the knee socks she wore. Plus she would have a sweater on and a jacket and hat. What if Shelby thought her animal sweaters were ugly or silly or childish like everyone else did? They made Rachel smile and she usually tried to brush off what everyone else thought, though she wasn't always successful. She shivered against the cold that she was really starting to feel after having been standing there so long and hoped her mother wouldn't care what she was wearing.
Shelby got to the end of the line and finally declared that she had to go when people kept trying to hand her just one more thing to sign. She smiled for a couple more pictures and thanked everyone again and started to walk back towards the stage door. She knew she had to leave because as long as she stayed there, people would linger around. She figured it would probably start a conversation when people saw that she was inviting Rachel backstage, but she didn't care at this point. She couldn't stay away from the girl any longer.
Shelby looked at Rachel and saw that the girl hadn't budged an inch from her spot and that she was watching her with wide, attentive eyes. Shelby waved her over to go around the barrier and to the stage door. Rachel smiled and moved quickly and Shelby whispered that it was ok to the security guard who was looking at her questioningly. Shelby waited at the door and let the girl go in before her.
"Wow," Rachel whispered when she entered the building and looked around. She was backstage and a real live Broadway theater! She stopped in the doorway and tried to take it all in and only started to move again when Shelby put a hand on her back to guide her forward.
"Hey, I didn't think you were hanging around between shows today," Marcus, a dresser, said as they passed.
"I've got to get something from my dressing room," Shelby said as they continued their walk.
"Who's your friend?" he asked.
"A friend," Shelby answered kindly. "Aren't you going to be late?" She knew he had plans for the afternoon.
"Yeah, but that's nothing new," Marcus said. "See you later."
"Bye," Shelby called out as she opened her dressing room door and let Rachel in. She made sure to lock it behind her. She stood back for a second and watched Rachel look around.
Rachel could not keep the smile off her face at being back in this room. She wanted to see every picture and look at every note that was taped to walls. But she finally settled on turning to look at her mother. Shelby was removing her hat and coat and gestured that Rachel could do the same if she wanted. The girl did so and let Shelby hang them up.
They stared at each other for a few moments as both tried to form the right words to say. Rachel looked nervous and though Shelby just had the shock of her life, she took the lead on this.
"Rachel," Shelby said. "Um, how do you- when did you?" Some lead, Shelby.
"I found out last weekend," Rachel said.
"Oh," Shelby nodded. "How?" Her voice caught in her throat and tears formed in her eyes. It was really starting to hit her and she was just figuring out how to deal with it, unlike Rachel who'd been sorting out her emotions all week. "Did they tell you?"
"No," Rachel said. "I've always wanted to know who my mom was; I've just never been able to ask. I don't want you to think I'm some crazy kid. My dads are Hiram and LeRoy Berry and I'm Rachel Barbra Berry and-"
"That was my idea," Shelby cut in. "Barbra," she clarified when Rachel looked at her quizzically. "Barbra Streisand is my idol and I used to sing her songs to you and when they told me they wanted to name you Rachel and I joked and said your middle name should be Barbra. I was so shocked when they did it."
"She's my idol too," Rachel said. "And you," she added shyly.
"Oh," Shelby's put a hand to her head and smiled around her tears. "You like Broadway?"
"Broadway is everything," Rachel said confidently. "And you're the best. I hope I can be half as good one day."
"I, uhh," Shelby nodded. "You sing?"
Rachel nodded and smiled. "Like you."
Shelby had to sit down and try and gather herself. She wiped at some of her tears and grabbed for a tissue to wipe her nose. "I'm sorry," she said after a moment. "You're so beautiful."
Rachel's own eyes filled with tears as she sat down in a chair opposite the couch her mother was sitting on. She pulled it closer and set her messenger bag on her lap.
"If you didn't ask your dads, how did you find out?" Shelby finally asked.
"My dads were out and I found a small lock box with all of the information in it," Rachel continued. "I wasn't snooping or anything, but there it was. I found these." Rachel pulled out the five pictures and handed them to Shelby.
"I have these pictures," Shelby said with glistening eyes as she looked at Rachel. "They're all framed in the bedroom in my apartment."
"Really?" Rachel asked meekly. "After I saw the contract I was worried that you might not want to meet me. I couldn't even tell my dads where I was going yet."
"I have always wanted to know you, Rachel," Shelby said. "I have always wanted to be your mom."
"Then why?" Rachel was crying. "Why?"
"I'm not sure," Shelby said honestly. "In the beginning of the pregnancy it was to protect your dads. They wanted you so much. Then it was just how it was."
"Were they mean to you?" Rachel asked.
"Oh no, Rachel. No," Shelby said. "I adored your fathers. They were the two kindest men I'd ever met. And they loved me."
"Then why didn't anyone change it?" Rachel asked. "Why didn't anyone fight it?"
"I don't know," Shelby said. "But I have always loved you so much."
"Really?" Rachel asked.
Shelby nodded again because renewed tears were making it harder for her to talk. But she couldn't stop herself from finally doing what she hadn't been able to do in fifteen years; hold her child. Shelby set the pictures to the side and got to her feet and stood Rachel up. Rachel melted into Shelby's hug and they both started to cry even harder, but it was what they both needed in this moment. The whys and the demand for answers and the emotions that would come with this discovery could all wait until after this first hug between mother and daughter.
They stayed that way for a minute or more before Rachel's previous words finally hit her. She pulled back and looked down at Rachel who was doing her best to wipe her tears away.
"You didn't tell your dads where you were going?" Shelby asked and Rachel shook her head. "Oh my god, Rachel, did you come to New York by yourself? Do they know you're gone? Are they looking for you? Where's your phone? You need to call them."
"I didn't come to New York alone," Rachel said. "They're here. I just didn't tell them that I was coming to find you. We came to New York for the weekend."
"For your birthday?" Shelby asked. "Happy birthday!" she added when Rachel nodded.
"Thank you," Rachel replied with a wide smile.
"Have you been to New York before?" Shelby asked. "Do you still live in Lima?"
"Yes, we still live in Lima and yes I've been here before," Rachel answered. "But we always come during the summer. This trip was a surprise. My dad said he tried to get tickets to your show but that it was sold out. I'm dying to see it."
"Well don't worry about that," Shelby said. "I'll get you tickets."
"Really?" Rachel asked brightly. "Can you do that?"
"Yeah," Shelby chuckled. "I'm pretty sure I can work something out."
Shelby watched as Rachel brightened even more and she didn't realize it could feel this wonderful to be able to that kind of smile on your child's face. But she knew the moment couldn't last. Reality was going to come back to them any second now because they needed to call Hiram and LeRoy. Shelby was worried because she had no idea how it would go. She didn't know if they would be angry or hurt or what?
"Rachel," Shelby said as she picked up the girl's pictures and handed them back. "We need to call your dads."
"I know," Rachel said. Rachel too had thought about how to have this conversation. She couldn't just show back up at the hotel with her newly discovered mother in tow, but she wasn't sure how to make that phone call either. This was the subject the three of them had danced around her entire life, but they couldn't do that anymore.
Rachel sat back down in the chair and pulled out her cell phone and unlocked it. Shelby sat down opposite her and smiled encouragingly. She was kind of anxious to see the men who had meant so much to her during the pregnancy. She often wondered how they were doing.
"Hi, Daddy," Rachel said when LeRoy answered the phone. "Did you have a nice lunch? Yeah, I've had a good day too," she said after a pause.
"What are you up to now?" LeRoy asked. He thought maybe he and Hiram could go and meet her wherever she was. They should have known their daughter wouldn't drag herself away from Broadway early to come back to the hotel.
"Daddy, I need to tell you something," Rachel said seriously.
"Oh," LeRoy recognized her change in tone. "What's going on, sweetheart?" He looked over at Hiram who was now focused on the conversation.
"I um- I. I…"
"Rachel?" LeRoy stood up and looked worried. "Is something the matter? Are you in trouble?"
"Maybe," Rachel answered meekly; she wasn't quite sure how much trouble she might be in after this.
"Talk to me," LeRoy ordered. "What's going on?" He was starting to pace.
"Daddy, I… Um." Shelby reached out and gently took the phone from Rachel and put it to her ear in time to hear LeRoy ask what was wrong again.
"LeRoy," Shelby said.
LeRoy's eyes widened in shock and he stopped pacing and had to sit in the closest chair to him. Hiram was at his side in an instant. "LeRoy, tell me what's wrong." Not getting an answer, Hiram took the phone and asked, "Rachel?"
"Hi, Hiram," Shelby said.
"Shelby?"
"Yeah," Shelby said. "We need to talk."
Hiram nodded and sank into a nearby chair. He put the phone on speaker so both he and LeRoy could hear it.
"Is she there with you?" Hiram asked. "Is she ok?"
"Yeah," Shelby said with a glance over at Rachel. "She was waiting at the stage door after my show."
"But how does she know?" LeRoy asked.
"Do you think we should maybe meet somewhere?" Shelby asked. "And not do this over the phone?"
"Of- of course," Hiram said.
"Just come here to the hotel," LeRoy said. They didn't need to be sitting at some restaurant during this.
"Ok," Shelby said. "We'll be there in a little bit."
"Were they mad?" Rachel asked after Shelby hung up the phone and handed it back to her.
"They're shocked," Shelby said.
"So was I," Rachel said as she got her hat and jacket on.
"Me too," Shelby agreed.
The cab ride to the hotel only took a few minutes, but it was easier than walking back. And warmer. Rachel led her to the elevators and Shelby could tell the girl was getting more and more apprehensive the closer they got to the room. Shelby didn't really know what to say because she didn't know what type of reactions they were about to face either, but still, she wished she knew some way to help Rachel calm down.
When they reached the room, Rachel slipped the key card into the handle and then pushed the door open slightly and peeked her head in. "Dad? Daddy?"
"Rach?" Hiram said as he started walking towards the door. "Come on in, sweetheart."
Rachel opened the door fully and stepped past Hiram and into the room. Shelby stopped at the entryway and looked at Hiram. He looked older, but just as handsome. She remembered how he usually had a sly comment or a glint in his eye, but right now he was looking her over with a serious expression.
"Shelby," he greeted.
"Hello, Hiram," Shelby said.
"Come in," he stepped back so she could get past him.
"Thanks. Hello, LeRoy," she said when she got into the sitting room part of the suite and smiled at the man who was hugging his daughter. He'd always been the more serious one and so it stood to reason that his look was darker than Hiram's had been.
"Hi, Shelby," LeRoy said. "It's been a long time."
"Yes," Shelby agreed.
"Don't be mad at her," Rachel said as she stepped back so she could see everyone. "She didn't know I was going to show up and tell her who I was. She was just as shocked as you two are."
The men shared a glance and knew Rachel was right. They had no business directing any sort of self-righteous anger at Shelby as if she had somehow dropped this on them on purpose.
"We're not mad," Hiram said. "Just shocked."
"And concerned," LeRoy added. "Are you ok?" He and Hiram sat on the couch and Shelby and Rachel pulled out chairs from the table to sit in.
"Yeah," Rachel said. "I think."
"How did you even find out?" Hiram asked.
"That box on the top shelf in the basement," Rachel said.
"It's locked," LeRoy said.
"Not when it falls," Rachel shrugged. "It popped open."
"What were you even doing down there?" LeRoy asked.
"Getting my suitcases," Rachel answered. "You put them so high up and I had to climb to reach them."
"They're that high for a reason," LeRoy gave her a pointed look.
"And one of them was stuck," Rachel ignored the silent reprimand. "So I had to pull on it and then I fell when it came loose. I grabbed onto that box to try and hold on but it fell too. I kept these," Rachel said as she pulled out the pictures.
Hiram smiled at the pictures when Rachel passed them to him. "I haven't seen these in years. We never did find what happened to that baby blanket, did we LeRoy?"
"I have it," Shelby cut in. "I kept it. A nurse took her back to the nursery and left the blanket and I, I couldn't leave it."
Tears had formed in Rachel's eyes again and LeRoy and Hiram looked at Shelby with soft expressions.
"I'm glad you still have it," LeRoy said. Hiram nodded.
Shelby nodded as well, but only because she couldn't say anything else at the moment. Her tears had returned and she was doing her best to keep them at bay, but it wasn't working. LeRoy got to his feet and enveloped Shelby in a hug. They really had loved her. The contract became one of those things they never really talked about after it was signed so early on. They were getting the baby and Shelby was leaving town. That's how it was always going to be. If she was staying in town, they probably would have changed it by the end. But no one wanted to rock the boat.
Rachel got up and joined them and she wrapped an arm around Shelby while LeRoy wrapped his own around her. Hiram joined them too and kissed Shelby lightly on the head. Those two men had been more of a family to her in the year they'd known each other before and during the pregnancy than her own parents ever had. And as successful as she was, Shelby had never really found that connection with anyone else. Yeah, she had plenty of friends and romances here and there, but part of her heart had remained right there in Lima, Ohio with the Berrys.
When the moment had passed they each took their seats again, but it was like the ice had been broken. The familiarity between the adults was allowed to seep back in and it all helped to put Rachel at ease.
"Do you have any questions, sweetheart?" Hiram asked Rachel.
"I have a lot of questions," Rachel said and each adult seemed to braces themselves. "But, I don't know that I'm ready to ask any yet. This whole week has been weighted down in what ifs and now that I know that Shelby didn't turn me away and you guys aren't angry, I can think a little bit better. Can you give me a couple days?"
"Of course," LeRoy answered and the other two nodded.
"Well wait, I do have one question," Rachel said. "What happens now?"
"That's something we're all going to have to talk about," Hiram said. "But obviously we won't keep that contract. We'll have it legally terminated."
"We can work out whatever type of relationship you want," Shelby said.
"We'll make it work for what's best for you," LeRoy said. "We'll explain everything to you and there won't be anymore secrets, ok?"
Rachel nodded, satisfied with that. She was a smart girl; she knew that nothing would be solved right now. But she had gotten what she wanted. She'd met her mom and the woman wanted her. And her dads were ok.
"Maybe we can all do dinner tonight," Hiram suggested. "On Shelby, of course." He sent a mischievous smirk her way.
"I'd love to, but I have a show," Shelby said.
"Oh!" Rachel exclaimed and stood up from her chair. "Shelby said she could get us tickets to see Wounded Heart. Can we go and see that tonight?"
"If that's ok with Shelby, I guess," LeRoy said.
"Absolutely," Shelby said. "I've just got to make a call."
Shelby stood up to leave the room so she could use her phone, but Rachel stopped her before she could get to the door.
"You're coming back, right?" Rachel asked.
"Yeah, I'll be right back in," Shelby assured her. Rachel smiled, relieved.
When Shelby was out in the hall and the door was shut, Rachel turned back and looked at her dads and hung her head a bit. "Are you mad?"
They both let out a long sigh, but Hiram stepped forward and pulled her close. "No," he told her. "But we're shocked."
"We wish you would have come to us and told us what you found out," LeRoy said.
"I didn't want to hurt your feelings," Rachel said. "I've never wanted to hurt your feelings. You're my parents and I love you both so much. I didn't want you to think that I wanted a mom over you. But I have always wanted to know."
"We know," Hiram said. "And we probably should have told you sooner."
"Like when you realized that she was my idol?" Rachel asked.
"But we didn't want to lose you either," Hiram said. "Your mom is a big Broadway star and you love Broadway more than anything. We can't compete with that."
"I don't love Broadway more than I love you," Rachel said. "But I do want to know her. Please don't take her away now."
"We won't do that, we promise," LeRoy said. "Shelby has always been a piece of our family and as long as you want here there, she can be in your life."
"How? Can she be my mom?"
A knock at the door interrupted them. "How about we all sit down and talk about that later, ok?" Hiram said as LeRoy went to answer it.
"You've all got tickets for the show this evening," Shelby said when she stepped back into the room.
"Thank you so much!" Rachel enthused. "What time do you have to be at the theater? Can I go with you?"
"Yeah, if-"
"Can I see your apartment too?" Rachel plowed on ahead. "We have to leave Monday. Oh no, we have to leave Monday. But what happens then?"
"Slow down, Rach," LeRoy said. "If it's ok with Shelby, you can go to the theater before the show."
"That's fine," Shelby smiled at Rachel.
"But you have to listen to her and not be in the way," LeRoy instructed. "People are working there."
"I won't bother anyone," Rachel promised.
"And of course you can see my apartment," Shelby said. "You can even stay the night one night while you're here." She couldn't help but throw out the invitation. Rachel's mouth fell open and Shelby chanced a look at LeRoy and Hiram who were sending her mock glares. They knew that Shelby knew what she was doing; there was no way they could say no to the look on Rachel's face.
"Sure," LeRoy said. "How about you stay tonight after the show and we can meet up tomorrow and start to work out some details?"
"Wonderful," Shelby said.
"Thank you!" Rachel hugged LeRoy tightly.
"Will you wait for me?" Rachel asked Shelby. "I've got to get ready."
"Sure," Shelby said. Rachel was off like a flash into her room to get showered and changed.
"It's good to see you again, Shelby," LeRoy said sincerely when the three of them were alone. "And we're sorry about the way all of this happened."
"Don't worry about it," Shelby said. "And it's great to see you guys too. I think about you a lot and always hope that you're all doing ok."
"And we've been keeping up with you," Hiram said. "Tony Award Winner, staring in a Pulitzer Prize winning musical. Our little Shelby." She shook her head and laughed at him. "Seriously though, we've always been proud."
"Thank you," Shelby said.
They caught up for a few minutes as Hiram made some coffee and then they sat down at the table together.
"Listen," LeRoy started. "There's bound to be a lot that gets brought up when Rachel gets over the high of you being you and starts to ask her questions. We were just trying to do what's right with the contract."
"I know that," Shelby said. "I've wanted to know her since the moment I left the hospital, but I never once thought you guys were trying to hurt me. Even in that year that we met and I got pregnant, things changed in ways none of us could have foreseen."
"Yeah."
"And I was going to seek her out when she turned 18," Shelby said. "I was always confident that you guys would be supportive of that."
"We would have been," Hiram said. "And you probably wouldn't have had to look far. She's going to be right here in New York City when she turns 18. She's known Broadway is her goal since she was about two-years-old."
Shelby couldn't help but smile. That sounded so familiar. "How is she?"
"She's phenomenal," LeRoy said. "And I'm not just saying that as a father. Get her to sing to you later. You'll be blown away."
"I look forward to it," Shelby said.
"There is one thing you need to keep in mind about this evening," Hiram said.
"What's that?" Shelby asked.
"You've got to understand the way Rachel operates," he answered. "Yeah, she's dealing with you being her mom and she's extremely excited about that, but I guarantee you, she's your biggest fan. She already met her mom and now she's about to get to go spend time backstage with the Shelby Corcoran and see her musical which she's been dying to see for months and then go see her apartment. She's beside herself. I can tell that she's trying, but I don't think she's really had the chance to separate the two of you in her mind yet."
"But I'm still just plain old Shelby. We were able to talk a bit earlier and we were backstage," the woman told them. "That went ok. She'll probably get bored with me by the end of the night."
"Don't count on it," LeRoy said. "She stole my credit card one time to pay for an autographed poster of you she won on eBay. It's framed on the wall on her room."
Shelby couldn't stop her laugh. "How much was it? And are you sure it was real?"
"Three hundred dollars!" LeRoy exclaimed and Shelby laughed harder. "It better have been real!"
"I'm touched," Shelby joked with them.
"You're expensive," LeRoy said.
"She took her grounding like Joan of Arc," Hiram said. "She kept her head held high like she was a martyr being led to the gallows when we sent her to her room. Like we were punishing her for trying to feed the masses. Her only defense was that you were worth it."
"I'll write you a check," Shelby said, still laughing.
"Just don't be afraid to rein her in a little bit tonight if you have to," LeRoy said. "She will promise to sit there quietly and not bother anyone, but she just simply doesn't have it in her. Don't let her get in the way."
"She'll be fine," Shelby said. "The fan stuff will probably wear off pretty quickly the longer she's around me."
Just then the door the Rachel's room swung open and the girl came out in sweats with wet hair fresh from the shower. She was holding her playbill from that afternoon. She smiled at Shelby, but when straight for her dads.
"I forgot to show you, look! Shelby and Allison Young signed it!" Rachel said. "I need to get it framed." She looked over at Shelby and smiled and the woman returned it with an adoring one of her own.
"That's very cool," LeRoy said to Rachel who was back to looking at the playbill in her hand.
Both men looked over at Shelby and smirked as Rachel disappeared back into her room.
"I'm just saying," Hiram said, "make sure you know where both your Tonys are in the morning."
Shelby's smile never faded. At this point she'd probably give them both to the girl if she wanted.
A/N – Thanks for reading everyone. Please leave me a review.
