I do not own Glee or "Wasn't Expecting That", the latter belongs to Jamie Lawson and is actually a lovely song! Now with the disclaimers out of the way... Thanks a million for reviews as well, more are heartily welcomed :) Also, next chapter will be longer! I have it done. I've decided to never update unless I have another chapter done afterwards, so the next chapter is in fact finished and I hope to get it out tomorrow. Thanks, and enjoy! (Well, enjoy.. maybe not :L)

Chapter Three: Took My Heart By Surprise

"Then you closed your eyes,
took my heart by surprise,
I wasn't expecting that."

It was another two hours before she reached the hospital, a still sleeping Brooke in her arms. She had woken up while being transported, but quickly fell back into her sleep once Quinn rocked her for a few minutes. It was sitting in the waiting room, eyes glazed over as she stared at the white walls plastered with health warning posters, that Quinn realised where she was.

She was in the hospital. For Finn and Rachel.

She hadn't been able to listen to the details, she had been too distraught already to want to hear anything else. Quinn didn't want to hear about how it happened or what their chances of survivals were; she just wanted her best friends. They were her best friends now that she thought about it. How was she supposed to do anything without them? Quinn couldn't make a single decision anymore without Rachel's input - and she always had an input for her.

She looked over at Brooke asleep in the chair, and hung her head in her hands. A wailing Mrs. Hummel could be heard still, even though she had left the waiting room as she had become hysterical. Rachel's parents were huddled in the corner, both clutching each other so tightly that their knuckles had turned white long ago, and were now turning a purple and red colour.

Burt Hummel and left to comfort his wife; but Quinn didn't know if it would be useful to give anyone vain hope. False hope was one of the worst things to instil in a person, she thought. She didn't believe in keeping hope no matter the situation - sometimes, one had to be realistic, not hopeful. That said, she didn't know how realistic or unrealistic it was to say they'd be okay.

But despite all of her talk, she hoped against hope that they would be fine. How could they not be? They were Rachel and Finn, in the prime of their lives; madly in love with a beautiful child and flourishing careers. They were kind-hearted and gentle; they were encouraging and friendly. They were loving, even when she didn't deserve it.

"Rachel and Finn Hudson, where are they?" A panicked voice demanded at reception, and she glanced up. She would recognise that fair mop of hair anywhere, and at that moment, she just wanted to run into his arms. She needed someone now, and he would understand what was going on.

Her voice spoke before she could stop it, "Sam," She called out softly, and he spun around quickly.

"Quinn, what's going on? What happened? I just got a call from.. Brooke? Why did you bring her here?" He asked, eyes narrowing on her.

She felt her heart drop; now was not the time for she and Sam to throw the kitchen sink at each other. She brought Brooke because her grandparents wanted her there, and she told him so in the coldest tone she could muster. Yes, she could still command her HBIC tone when she needed to.

He faltered a little, and a silence lapsed between them. He collapsed into the chair beside her, leaning forward so that his face was hid from her view. Sam was breathing raggedly and heavily, and she could hear his chest hitch every few minutes. Her tears had dried up.

"I'm sorry. I-I'm just.. You heard how bad it is?" He raised his head briefly, and she was struck by how red his eyes were.

She had to remain strong, Quinn resolved, because no one else was, and Brooke was bound to wake at some point.

A young doctor entered the room, hands clasped before her and a serious expression upon her face. Quinn knew what was coming before it came, and shook her head by reflex. This was all a dream - a nightmare. She'd had it enough times to know it wasn't real.. It couldn't be real.

"Can I speak to the Berry's?" Rachel's fathers followed her quietly out of the room, their posture weak and frail and their composure just barely hanging on. It was a minute later that Quinn realised she wasn't breathing, and released a long exhale. She felt a deep burning in her throat, chest and eyes. It stung and by god, did it hurt. Her chest tightened and her ears rang.

Rachel's fathers didn't come back, but the doctor did. A simple shake of the head was all it took for Quinn's whole world to come crashing to the ground.

It hadn't taken much longer for Finn to join Rachel. They both left without so much as a word, and she still couldn't believe it. At first, she had simply been shocked speechless. She even refused to believe it - she vaguely remembered running into the room, shaking, prodding, pleading. It wasn't any use, but she still continued until someone pulled her away. The rest of the night and day was much of a blur.

Her best friend. They had shared clothes, secrets, men … As they got older, there was nothing Rachel Berry didn't know about Quinn Fabray. And now? She was gone. That picture of perfection was shattered and all she was left with were the broken pieces. Could she even fix those broken pieces? Probably not. She certainly didn't feel like she could right now. For the most part, Quinn pushed it from her mind. She went to work and didn't tell them what happened; she came home and went to bed. She showered every now and again, but that was all on auto-pilot, and only out of the necessity of not raising suspicion at work. Harry had noticed something was wrong of course, but Quinn couldn't respond.

She couldn't respond correctly or properly to anything.

Part of her wanted to lie in bed all day. Part of her wanted to go to sleep and never wake up. And then another part of her, a large part, wanted to leave America and never look back. She couldn't do any of those things though.

Quinn looked into the mirror for the first time in days, and found that her reflexion was more pristine that it had been since it happened. Her make-up was flawless and hid all signs of insomnia and tears. Her outfit was impeccably suitable and black. And her expression… that was satisfactorily void of any emotion. She had to be strong.

Quinn felt herself shaking as she closed her door behind, the keys to her car nearly falling out of her hand in the process. She tried opening the car door, but missed it twice, leaving light scratches. Her shaking grew progressively worse until finally, Quinn simply leant on the car, sliding down it until she hit the ground ungracefully. Sobs began to wrack her small and frail looking frame, and pain struck every bone in her body. She didn't know why people said death hit your heart; her whole body was in pain.

She began to realise how public her display was and tried to regain control - but it had been so long since she cried properly. She had blocked it all out for the past few days, and now, dressed in black and attempting to drive to a funeral, Quinn suddenly knew what was going on.

Her best friend was dead.

With that thought, she threw her keys with all her might across towards the wall. She heard them hit it, but paid no heed, and instead began to kick her car in her heels. The scraping and banging did little to deter her.

Rachel was gone - she had gone and left her! She hadn't even said goodbye on Sunday night before she left. Quinn's couldn't even remember the details of their last conversation. With that, she became angry at herself.

It was then that she felt someone pull her away from her car, and they began whispering soothing comments in her ear. Quinn shook her head, even if she wasn't sure why. "It-it's never going to be okay." She told them blankly, and then whispered, "never" hoarsely.

"Quinn, you're late… I'll drive you, okay?" She glanced up and realised it was Sam. How he had gotten to her house and why eluded her in that moment, but she did know that she had never been so relieved to see him in her life. Quinn nodded feebly and allowed him to lead her to his car. Once safely deposited in the car, she glanced at Sam in the mirror and was struck by how old he seemed. Last she saw him, he didn't look like this. Quinn glanced down at her hands; she supposed everyone took the news in different ways. The whole ride, she worked on blocking out every emotion and thought until by the time they got there, she had a confidently blank expression and an able mind.

(It wasn't until much later that she discovered they had been waiting for her for fifteen minutes because she had been too busy bashing her car doors in.)

So no worries, next chapter will be Sam guys… Finchel will feature in the story in the name of flashbacks and memories. Some others will also feature in the next chapter.

Reviews are loved please!… not easy writing the immediate stages of death. You may notice no mention of Brooke - that's because to me, she wouldn't be the frontal thoughts here as she is safely with her grandparents.

xCNx