A/N: Answers to a lot of your questions. I hope you like it.

BIG THANKS to Kerry (bottomblainers) for the idea and for being my beta.

Chapter Seven

After opening the letter, Rachel wanted to throw up.

It was a statement, a medical bill, from a cancer institute.

"And one more thing, you know I love you more than anything and I would do anythingandeverything to protect you, right?"

Rachel went over it again and again in her head. Protect her? Protect her from what? Her sick boyfriend, who she loves?

Dammit Finn.

Rachel was crumpling the paper in her hands, tears flowing down her face. She hated him, she hated him for leaving her. But she loved him, and she wanted him and she wanted to be there for him. She dropped the statement and ran into the bedroom, opening the bottom drawer of his dresser, taking out another shirt of his. One that somehow still smelled like him.

She needed him on her, around her. She needed to go see him, but knew in her heart she needed to calm down first.

She called Dan, leaving a cryptic message about needing a personal day. Rachel felt like… screaming, like running to him. But she needed to calm down, how could she calm down.

Before she knew it, she was hyperventilating, crying and she needed a bag. She needed to breathe into a bag, or something.

That's what people did on movies, on FRIENDS.

Rachel was on her knees, crying into her hands.

Finn, her Finn. He was sick. He had left her to protect her, telling her not to come for him. Spending one last night with her. He didn't leave her because he didn't love her. He left her because he did.

But, he was still an idiot.

Rachel fell asleep on the floor that night, clutching his shirt to her nose.

When she woke up in the morning she was disoriented and sore, she took a long hot bath to calm herself down, but nothing seemed to work. She tried yoga and singing to calm her nerves but she knew the only thing that would is seeing him. She had to find him, and now she could. She got ready as quickly as she could at the point, making sure to take time to find her best maternity outfit and actually do her hair, which she hadn't done in months. She also applied blush, which she also hadn't worn in months.

Rachel took a breath, a deep breathy sigh and looked at herself in the mirror.

Her boyfriend, her ex boyfriend, her … her Finn was sick. That was the only explanation. She had to see if for herself.

She made her trek to St. Marks having to take two subways and a cab to get there. Not to mention one guy on the subway tried hitting on her, must be some weird fetish.

Rachel finally made it to where she wanted to go, "Hello, I was looking for a…" Her pregnancy brain was kicking in and she couldn't think of the doctors name that was on the statement, she pulled out the bill quickly to look at it again, "A Dr. Jackson."

The nurse grinned at her, "He's with a patient, miss. You could wait in his office for him."

"Well, I just had a question about a patient of his actually."

"He can't give out information like that, Miss…"

"Berry. Rachel Berry."

The nurse gasped and looked as though she recognized her suddenly, Rachel was more than irritated. This isn't the time to talk about Broadway, "You're here?" She whispered and looked down at her folders, flipping through them, "For Finn Hudson?" She asked holding up what Rachel could only assume was his file.

Rachel's jaw dropped, "You know him?" She paused for a moment, "You know me?"

"He's here today getting a phase of his treatment, I can take you to him." The nurse was grinning from ear to ear. "So he finally called, huh?"

Rachel shook her head, "I'm sorry, I'm really confused. He didn't call me, I found this bill and…" She held up the bill to the nurse and the nurse grabbed it out of her hands, putting her hand to her chest.

"It's fate." She murmured under her breath. "Page Dr. Jackson." She told another nurse, "Tell him to meet us outside Mr. Hudson's room." She smiled at Rachel with tears in her eyes, "I think we have some talking to do, Rachel." She held out her hand, "I'm Carolynn. Finn's nurse."

"That is crazy, his Mom's name is Carole." Rachel told her and she nodded like she was well aware of that fact. This was all so surreal. "How did you know who I was?" Rachel asked as she followed the woman down the floor.

"Finn doesn't ever stop talking about you." Carolynn told Rachel with a gleam in her eye, "The boy has been through a lot, we've asked and pleaded that he call you, call anyone, but he wouldn't. He just wouldn't." Carolynn put up her hands in frustration, "Stubborn, that one." She pointed through a window to his room.

Finn was lying in the bed, hooked up to plenty of wires and plugs and Rachel felt hot tears make their way out of her eyes. She squeezed her eyes closed and prayed that he wasn't in pain. Finn's eyes were closed and he looked peaceful enough.

"The treatments take a lot out of him, he's sleeping right now." She told Rachel. "Come, sit."

Rachel didn't want to sit down with this woman. She wanted to run into the room and be with Finn, touch Finn, kiss Finn. Then probably hit Finn. A couple of times. But, Rachel followed her.

"What's wrong with him exactly?" She said as she attempted to sit down and Carolynn helped her a but, "Sorry, I don't move around like I used to."

"I can see that, I have a kind of personal question for you, though." Carolynn whispers, obviously looking at Rachel's stomach.

"Yes, it's his. No, he didn't know about it." Rachel told the woman as she read her mind.

Carolynn grinned, "Well, I'm glad you found him." Rachel was getting impatient now and the nurse could tell, so she began from the beginning, because is there a better place to start?

"Finn has been in and out of the hospital for about seven months. He has a brain tumor."

Rachel whimpers and wiped at her tears, "It's malignant, which means cancerous. It's in a difficult place to operate, so he opted out of the operation. We've been treating it with other forms, things like Chemo."

Rachel looked confused, "But, he still has his hair."

The nurse laughed, "Yes, he has lost a little, it the back, but he was one of the lucky ones. There is a small percentage of people who don't actually lose their hair during that treatment. He had been in remission for a while and I know he thought about contacting you a lot. He had me call you to make sure you were okay. And then hang up."

"That was you?"

"Yeah, he said if he'd call himself he would have broke down after hearing your voice." The woman told Rachel and Rachel wanted to just fall down into this strangers arms and weep.

"If it isn't Rachel freaking Berry?" Rachel turned to see a tall handsome blue eyed man in a doctors coat and she stood suddenly. "You, my dear, is all our boy talks about."

Rachel smiled, "You seemed to have taken a liking to him."

"Liking?" Dr. Jackson laughed, "We love him. He's like our kid. Seven months and going strong with such a progressive tumor. Not to mention he's as stubborn as rocks and won't let me cut into him for the life of him." The doctor looked down at Rachel and surveyed her stomach. "What are you? Seven Months? Eight? It's gotta be our boys, huh?"

Rachel nodded softly, "Well, maybe seeing you, both of you." The doctor touched her belly softly and she didn't feel violated, she felt like he knew her. Mostly because it seemed that he did, "Maybe we can convince Huddy to get the surgery after all."

The nurse stepped up and smiled at Rachel, "You see, it's said that he has about three months left, according to our time tables."

Rachel felt like she had been shot through the heart, she grabbed the doctors arm to steady herself and grabbed her chest is pure agony, "three months?" She whispered, tears falling once again.

The nurse started again,"Yes, I know that's short. And a lot to hear, but-"

"But, I'm a damn fine surgeon, and I think I can get in there and give him more time at the very least. I might be able to straight up give him all the time in the world." Dr. Jackson grabbed her hand, "Maybe seeing you is just the push he needs."

Rachel nodded softly, "Okay." Is all she could get out. "What are the risks? There has to be a reason he's not doing it already."

"He's waking up." Carolynn whispered and Rachel's eyes shot to his room where he was stirring. The nurse smiled at Rachel, "Why don't you bring this in for him." She gave her a glass of water with a straw, "He'll appreciate it."

Rachel nodded and took the glass and took a breath before walking into the room, where Finn was yawning, his eyes slowly starting to flutter open.

Rachel couldn't believe she was seeing him again. She also couldn't believe how she was seeing him. She walked as close as she could to the bed that her stomach would allow and handed him the water, his eyes drifted towards her and his hands found the water and he leaned up to take a sip before gasping.

"R-R-Ra" Finn couldn't form words, nothing was coming out. This wasn't the tumor was it? Rachel's eyebrows knitted together, "Rachel?" He finally said before sitting up abruptly, "I'm dreaming." He shouted and began pinching himself, "I'm dreaming." He said again looking at his surroundings trying to get a grasp on what was going on.

Rachel set the water down and took on of Finn's flailing hands, "Finn? Calm down." She instructed as coolly as she could, her voice still breaking. "It's me. Rachel. Finn?" His eyes met hers, "You. Are. Not. Dreaming."

"Then… how?"

"I work for Dan now, remember Dan?"

Finn nodded awkwardly, "Yes."

"One of your statements got mailed to Dan's P.O. Box. I found it. I found you." Rachel was full on crying now.

"Bu-but-"

"Finn Hudson." Rachel cried, dropping her hands, "How could you leave me?"

She backed away and Finn's eyes widened and landed on the elephant in the room, her stomach, he looked up to her eyes and back down to her stomach, "You met someone?" He asked with a cry in his voice.

Rachel gritted her teeth and smacked his arm as hard as he could, "OF COURSE NOT." She pointed to her stomach, "He's yours."

"He?" Finn's eyes were still wide, and a tear was making it's way over his eye lid.

"Yes he. William. You left me, Finn. You left me to 'protect' me. Didn't you?" Rachel mocked him a little as she yelled.

"Yes." Finn's eyes dropped and his voice was raspy.

"How could you?" She cried.

"I left because I didn't want to die on you. I thought if you thought I left you because I just wanted out, you would think of me as an asshole and you could move on, fallen in love again. Get married. Have kids. That way, I would have just been the asshole who left you, not the husband who died on you."

"Don't you see Finn, I would never have just moved on. You aren't the asshole you left me. You are my everything. You have always been my everything. MY Finn." Rachel breathed out, still angry, "Husband?" She asked suddenly.

Finn nodded softly, "Before I found out, I-I was going to ask you to marry me."

Rachel's tears were flowing more rapidly and she had to start to pace to keep control of herself, "Rachel?"

Rachel's head shot to meet his gaze, "I'm so sorry."

Rachel walked across the room, her hands on his either side of his face and her lips meeting his immediately. Rachel kissed him harshly, roughly and Finn kissed back, his hands going into her hair, pulling her as close as he could.

After a moment, Rachel came up for some much needed air and looked him in the eyes, "You don't get to choose this. We're in this together, you hear me?"

Finn nodded softly, "Okay."

"I would never leave you. We're doing this together." Rachel repeated.

"I don't want you to have to wait on me hand and foot, I'm not your Finn anymore." Finn frowned, "I'm weak. I can't do anything. I sleep 16 hours a day."

Rachel shook her head, "I don't care. You're mine." Rachel growled, "After you're done with your treatment, you are coming home with me. You understand."

Finn couldn't help but smile, even through the tears, "I am so sorry, Rach. I do love you. So so much."

Rachel nodded, "I know, you're just an idiot. An ignorant stupid guy who doesn't realize that he can't protect me from everything." Rachel raised an eyebrow at him and Finn nodded.

"I've missed you. You have no idea how much." Finn finally said after a moment of silence. He scooted over in the bed, beckoning for her to join him and she let a light, sad smile cross her face.

She got in the bed awkwardly and he helped her maneuver her way around him until he was on his side, laying his head on her chest and she was running her hands through his surprisingly now very thin hair, "I missed you too, Finn."

Rachel didn't know how to feel, but in this moment, she finally felt like she could breath.

*sings* Reunited and it... hurts ALL OVER. There are a lot of emotions in this chapter. Please let us know what you think. .Love.