Chapter 2
The applause from the crowd roared through the theater like a light brigade. Even after Shelby and her fellow cast members took their final bow, the applause was slow from dying down. The crowd was electric that night and all of the "Whoop Whooping" of praise motived Shelby to get through the night's show.
She was tired both physically and emotionally and was ready for a long bath, a glass of Chardonnay, and a good night's sleep. It's not that Shelby Corcoran was tired of playing the green witch that won her a Tony award just a few months prior, but rather it was the change of the season that was bringing her down. It was mid-November and Thanksgiving was just a couple of weeks away. The holidays were always wonderful, but it is a silent reminder of the hole left in her soul that has been missing for nearly five years.
In four years' time, Shelby Corcoran has become a megastar. She is admired all over the world, not just for her stardom on The Great White Way, but for a few blockbuster movies and even a few small roles on television shows. She had come a long way since she had arrived in New York and quickly landed an agent. After giving her daughter up, she found comfort in throwing herself into her work. It made for a great distraction from her real life, which minus a failed two-year relationship and a couple of flings, her life was simply empty. Acting allowed her to be someone else; anyone other than the young woman who gave her baby away for money.
"Earth to Shelby. Why are you still standing here? I thought you wanted to get home quickly tonight?" Matthew, who plays her love interest, teased her and pokes at her side.
Shaking her head as if she'd shake away her thoughts, Shelby chuckles, "HA! Yea, I kind of blanked out there didn't I?" The two walk backstage to head towards their dressing rooms.
"It's been a long week. You should go out with us tonight. Some of us are having a late night happy hour of sorts." He devilishly smiles.
Shelby smirks at the tall, handsome man. Shelby has known Matthew since her second day in New York. Matthew had literally spilled his coffee all over Shelby when the two collided in their agent's office. He apologized profusely and took her to dinner to make up for his clumsy mistake. The two hit it off immediately and have been close friends ever since.
"I'm exhausted, Matty. Rain check?" Shelby waves him goodbye with a promise she'll go out with her friends soon and heads off towards her dressing room.
Shelby enters her room amazed to not find her personal assistant, Karen. Normally, Karen greets her at the door bustling with a list of things she has to do the following day. Shelby didn't mind, however, the silence was welcomed and she needed to get the green makeup off of her and get ready enough to greet the fans lined up at the stage door before going home. She sighed in exhaustion just thinking about all the steps she had to do before she could reach the warmth of her house.
A quick five-minute shower later and a hasty change into her street clothes, Shelby hears a faint knock at her dressing room door. "Karen? You can come in; I'm dressed."
"Shelby, I'm here and with Tom too." Karen responds from the threshold of the doorway.
Shelby steps out from behind her wardrobe divider surprised her director was in her dressing room. She thought her performance was great, not her best, but nothing to have criticism over. Tom rarely bothers Shelby after a performance and the somber, concerned look on his face made Shelby's stomach plummet to the ground. He had bad news and she was silently praying it wasn't either of her parents or her sister, Emily.
"Tom, what is it?"
"Have a seat, Shelby." He calmly encourages while he walks towards the center of the dressing room and motions Shelby towards a love-seat couch.
"I can't sit. Just tell me what's happened. Please." She begs beginning to get worked up thinking of all the worst case scenarios involving her family whom live a thousand miles away in Ohio.
"Shelby, come sit with me."
"Damn it, Tom! Please, is it my parents? My sister? Was there an accident? I didn't get a chance to check my phone yet…"
Tom grabs a hold of Shelby's arm and gently guides her to sit, "They are all fine, Shelby. I'm sorry. I should have started with that. It's just I've never had to deal with this situation before and I'm not even sure how to say or ask this."
Shelby's heart-rate evened out a bit upon hearing her family was fine, but was much more perplexed at the direction the conversation was headed. Shelby looks up at Karen for some kind of answer, but only gets a few encouraging nods and a sympathetic expression. "What's going on?" Shelby calmly gets out. "Whatever it is, just ask me."
"First off, do you have a lawyer on hand?"
Shelby stares at Tom more confused than ever, but before she can respond Karen chimes in, "I already told you, she does."
"I know I just wanted to make sure and hear it directly from Shelby." He turns back to Shelby waiting for an answer.
"Yes, yes of course. Why? Do I need to call him? Am I in some kind of trouble?" She ponders wondering if her lack of sleep had caused her to commit some unnamed crime she's unaware of due to the zombie-state she finds herself in from time to time.
"No you're not in any trouble," he lightly chuckles, "But, I would call him after we talk. I have known you for almost two years, but I've realized I have never asked you much about your family." He stops waiting to see if Shelby will respond.
But, Shelby stares at him still baffled and wanting to know this information he has for her.
"Shelby, did you ever have a baby?" He finds the courage to bluntly question.
Shelby's mouth drops open dumbfounded by the direction the conversation went in, "I-I um, yes I had a little girl." She chokes out realizing how awful the words feel when spoken out loud.
Karen and Tom lock eyes with one another, relieved to hear her answer. "Shelby, is she four?"
Shelby nods her head composing herself once again, "yes, she would be four," she responds with a faraway look in her eyes. "Why are you asking me all of this?"
"Well, about twenty minutes ago, a woman brought a little girl to our security at the stage door. The lady told David that she found the girl wandering alone and also found a note with her claiming you to be her mother. We, of course, immediately called the police and CPS. The police are already here and CPS is on the way, but I wanted to speak with you to see if this could possibly be your daughter."
Shelby could swear the room was spinning. She tried turning her head from side to side seeing if it would stop, but the more she did that the more she could feel bile rising up through her intestines. Was Tom really telling her that her baby was in the same building as her? If her daughter was here, then Shelby didn't want to waste any more time hiding, feeling nausea, and talking to her boss in her dressing room.
Shelby instantaneously jumps from her seat, "What is her name?" She demands more than questions.
"Uh, they said Rachel, Rachel Berry."
Shelby chokes out a sob while covering her mouth. She moves quickly towards her door, "call my lawyer. Get him here." She orders to Karen.
"It's 10:45, Shelby."
"I don't care what time it is. Please, Karen. Get him here." She begs and Karen nods her head as Shelby heads down the hall towards a small, waiting area room close to the stage door assuming that would be where her daughter would have been temporarily placed.
When she reaches the spot, there are two police officers hovering near the door confirming her intuition. Her body begins to shake as she starts to hear a low conversation coming from the room. She's certain she can hear a faint whimper coming from her daughter. The thought of her daughter crying irks Shelby and the desire to hold her baby drives her body to move more quickly around the corner of the door.
The officers move aside, clearly knowing Shelby is needed in the room. Shelby stops in the arc of the doorway and sees a young, female officer bent down near Rachel blocking a clear view of the girl.
Shelby bites down on her lower lip as the officer slowly moves aside, and Shelby gets a better look at her daughter. A lump forms in her throat and it takes every bit of strength inside of Shelby to not burst into sobs at the sight of her little girl. Shelby feels like she's walking in slow-motion towards her daughter and notices her bloodied knees and hands. Rachel seems to be gripping ahold of a furry arm of what must have been a stuffed animal. Shelby's desire to hold her daughter closes the gap between the two and she finds herself almost face to face with the tot.
Rachel doesn't notice Shelby as she sits atop a side table with her legs dangling over. The girl wipes at her tears with her arm and hiccups a few times wanting to be held. As if by magic, Rachel looks up and sees a woman with tears in her eyes staring deeply at her.
"Ms. Corcoran, I'm Detective Banks. We need to ask you a few questions." The man declares standing behind Shelby.
"In a moment," Shelby responds without looking away from her beautiful, frightened daughter directly in front of her. Shelby bends down closer to Rachel and pushes a few sweaty, stray hairs behind the girl's ear, "Hi, sweetheart."
Rachel pouts her lips, "Hi. Are-are you my mommy?" She whines out hopeful this woman, whom radiates a warmth Rachel hasn't had before, is her mother.
Shelby smiles and picks up her daughter into a hug, "yes baby I am."
Rachel warms into the hug and lays her tired head on her mother's shoulder; she finally made it to her mother. Relieved, Rachel silently sighs out, "Where you been, Mommy?"
Thank you so very much for all of the reviews, favorites and follows. I am overwhelmed! This is my first fanfic, so please bear with me if I make protocol errors. I have an outline of the story for the most part. I don't know how often I'll be able to update, but I'll try to do it as often as I can. Chapter 3 won't come as quickly as chapter 2, but I'll try to get it out as soon as possible. I hope you enjoyed chapter 2 and thank you for reading!