So the internet at camp was lousy this week, which is why I haven't been commenting on your stories. So sorry! The only reason I can update is I write this on my phone and send it to my e-mail. Hope you enjoy - review if I should keep going.

Chapter 7: Searching

Finn, Rachel, Ryan, Emma and Sarah had all had bone marrow drawn to see if they were potential donors for Jack. Finn and Rachel had given all three of the other kids the option of not having their marrow drawn, warned them it would be painful, but all three kids insisted, saying they wanted to help their brother. It was not easy at all. Sarah screamed of pain while her bone marrow sample was being drawn and Ryan stayed home from school for a few days with side effects. Finn and Rachel hated that their three oldest kids were in pain too, but remembered they'd all chosen to do this.
x
"Finn, Rachel, we have bone marrow test results from you and your three older children."
A week after the bone marrow was taken, Finn and Rachel sat in the oncologist's office, waiting to hear who could be Jack's savior.
"Well?" Finn asked.
"Unfortunately, neither of you are a match, nor are any of your other children," the doctor said.
Finn felt as if all life had been sucked out of him. Maybe there was really no hope for Jack. He looked at Rachel, not knowing what to say. Rachel looked from Finn to the doctor. "Could we test our extended family? Or our friends?"
"It's pretty hard to find a donor. He has a rare blood type. Chances are if you were going to find a match it would be a family member."
"Are you saying we should or shouldn't ask our extended family to be tested?" Rachel asked.
"You can have them tested, but there's little hope of finding a match."
Finn nodded. "Little hope or a lot of hope, we want a match for our son and we'll do whatever it takes to get one."
The doctor sighed. "Mr. and Mrs. Hudson, I know it's important to feel like you never gave up, but sooner or later we will reach a point where you'll have to say, 'We did everything we could, but it's time to let him go.'"
Finn struggled to hold in his anger after that comment. "You must not have ever had a child you loved or you wouldn't say things like that."
"I have two children," the doctor said. "I love them as you love Jack. Let me ask you something though: do you want to see your son suffer?"
"We'll find a match," Rachel said with fierce determination. "I don't know who but we'll ask everyone we can."
x
"We don't have very many biological relatives," Rachel said as they left. "I mean, Kurt and Beth aren't biological, I don't know which of my dads is my blood dad..."
Finn laughed. He loved how Rachel liked to say she didn't know which of her dads was her real dad when he thought it was pretty obvious. "Rachel, unless your mom's genes are totally dominant, I think it's pretty clear who your birth dad is."
"You know what? Biological or not, I think we should have anyone tested who's willing to be. No more kids, though. I'm not willing to see any more kids go through what Ryan, Emma and Sarah went through."
"I was thinking the same thing," Finn agreed. "And if anyone doesn't want to do it, we shouldn't make them."
Rachel nodded and kissed Finn's cheek. "I like the way you think, Finn.""I just hope we find someone," Finn said sadly.
"We will," Rachel said tentatively. They looked sadly at each other, both unsure if they'd find someone.
When Finn and Rachel got home, all four kids were sitting on the couch, eating chips and salsa while watching cartoons. Finn sighed. More than likely there wouldn't be too many more moments for all four Hudson kids to spend together.
x
Finn and Rachel called their parents and siblings to see about being tested for a bone marrow transplant for Jack. Burt, Carole, Kurt, Blaine, Hiram, Leroy and Shelby were all more than willing to be tested. Beth wanted to try but Rachel didn't want to see her sister go through the pain her kids went through. Finn also told Kurt and Blaine that there was no way he was going to let them test their sons and told his parents there was no way he'd let them test Ally. Maybe with so many people being tested, someone would be a match.
Sadly, after all the results came in, no one was a match. The doctor told Finn and Rachel that they could try finding an unrelated donor,but it was less likely and more risky. Finn thought Rachel had said it best: "We've got to do it."
"You can try, but there's little hope of finding a donor," the doctor said.
"We're still holding on to hope," Finn said before he and Rachel left. As soon as they were out of the office he turned to Rachel. "I swear, it's as if they don't want us to keep trying."
Rachel took Finn's hand. "I don't know..."
Finn thought for a moment. "Well, I guess we have to be realistic. I mean, it can't hurt to be optimistic but at the same time we can't be in total denial."
Rachel gave Finn a kiss. "We can do this. After all, we are Finchel."
Finn smiled at his wife. After all these years, she still never failed to amaze him. Then he heard his phone beep, alerting him he had a new text message. He opened the text, which was from Puck. Are you guys coming to Lima for New Directions' invitational this weekend? Finn had totally forgotten about the invitational. Normally they went to it every year to see the new high school kids and catch up with their Glee friends. Since Jack got sick, they barely had spoken to anyone from Glee except Kurt and Blaine, and Sam and Quinn.
"Who was that?" Rachel asked.
"Puck," Finn replied. "He's wondering if we're going to the New Directions invitational this weekend."
Rachel smiled. "Well, of course we are! It'll be great to see our friends, and I bet Ryan, Emma and Sarah would like to hang out with the kids."
"Rachel..." Finn was thinking out loud. "Do you think maybe someone from Glee might be a match for Jack?"
"We could ask them, it's definitely worth a shot," Rachel said.
x
That weekend, Finn, Rachel, Ryan, Emma and Sarah were in the car to Lima to spend the night and go to the invitational. Some of their friends in Cleveland agreed to watch Jack for the weekend. The doctors didn't think Jack was well enough to travel.
As soon as they pulled into the parking lot and began walking toward the school, Finn heard a familiar voice. "Finn! Rachel!"Finn turned to see Mr. Schuester, who was still the director of New Directions after all these years, his wife, their former guidance counselor Ms. Pillsbury (now Mrs. Schuester), and their three children walking towards them.
"Hey, Mr. Schue," Rachel said with a big smile.
"Rachel, I've been saying this since you graduated, I'm not your teacher anymore. Call me Will," Mr. Schue said. "I wasn't expecting you guys. How've you been holding up?"
Finn shrugged. "We're hanging in there." He tilted his head toward Ryan, Emma and Sarah, who were already laughing with the Schuester kids. "I'm most worried about those three."
"Of course you are," Mrs. Schuester said as they walked in.
"I'm glad you guys came tonight," Mr. Schuester said. "Seeing your old friends and hearing the music will be good for you."
Finn smiled as they walked inside. "That's why we came."
As they entered the auditorium, Finn noticed that the entire New Directions Class of 2012 was there.
Santana came over to Rachel and hugged her, something Finn never would have believed possible in high school. Santana and Rachel weren't even civil to each other until senior year. "How are you guys doing?" Santana asked.
"Yeah, we're really sorry," Brittany said, coming over.
"Thanks," Finn said, forcing a smile. "We're doing as well as we can be."
"Just let us know if there's anything we can do," Mercedes said.
Rachel smiled. "You're all still so amazing."
"How are the other kids?" Puck asked Finn quietly.
Finn sighed and whispered to avoid the other young kids around hearing. "They say they're fine but I don't think they are. They're quiet and moody. The only thing that brings smiles to their faces is being in settings with no reminders of Jack's illness."
Puck patted Finn's back. "I don't know how you're doing it."
"At times, neither do I," Finn said.
The show began soon after they shut down. The current member of New Directions were amazing and the male and female lead singers, Nick and Grace, were both very talented. At the end of the New Directions performance, Mr. Schue took the center of the stage to speak. "The 2024-2025 members of New Directions would like to dedicate our final song tonight to our first ever New Directions captains, Finn Hudson and Rachel Berry Hudson. Finn, Rachel and their four young children are currently going through a very hard time. During their time in New Directions, Finn and Rachel always supported everyone and were there for everyone else. We want to let them know that although they graduated years ago, they are still part of our family and we are all thinking of them in this hard time."

Grace:
You're not alone
Together we stand
I'll be by your side, you know
I'll take your hand
Nick:
When it gets cold
And it feels like the end
There's no place to go
You know I won't give in
Grace and Nick:
No I won't give in
New Directions:
Keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through,
We'll make it through
Just stay strong
'Cause you know I'm here for you,
I'm here for you
There's nothing you could say
Nothing you could do
There's no other way when it comes to the truth
So keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through
Nick:
So far away I wish you were here
Before it's too late, this could all disappear
Nick and Grace:
Before the doors close
And it comes to an end
With you by my side
I will fight and defend
I'll fight and defend
Yeah, yeah
New Directions:
Keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through
Just stay strong
'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you
There's nothing you could say
Nothing you could do
There's no other way when it comes to the truth
So keep holding on 'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through.
Grace and Nick:
Hear me when I say, when I say I believe
Nothing's gonna change, nothing's gonna change destiny
Whatever's meant to be will work out perfectly
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
La da da da
La da da da
La da da da da da da da da...
New Directions:
Keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through,
We'll make it through
Just stay strong
'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you
There's nothing you could say
Nothing you could do
There's no other way when it comes to the truth
So keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through
Keep holding on
Keep holding on
There's nothing you could say
Nothing you could do
There's no other way when it comes to the truth
So keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through,
We'll make it through.

Rachel was leaning against Finn crying as Mr. Schue ended his speech. Finn didn't start crying until the current members of New Directions started singing "Keep Holding On," led by Nick and Grace, and their former teammates turned to them and started singing along, directing it at Ryan, Emma and Sarah. Even Emma was crying at the end of the song. "Thank you," Finn said tearfully as the performance ended.
New Directions was still winning, and the invitational was no exception. After the show, the Class of 2012 went to Sam and Quinn's house for sandwiches and wine. The children played in the basement while the adults talked in the living room. The subject of the cancer was mostly being avoided, but Kurt suddenly blurted out that no one in the Berry-Corcoran and Hudson-Hummel families had been a match for Jack and he needed a bone marrow transplant.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Sam asked Finn.
"I just didn't want to worry you guys," Finn said.
"We didn't want you to feel pressured to be tested for a match," Rachel added.
"Of course we're going to be tested," Quinn said. "We still love you two and your kids. We'll do what it takes to help Jack get better."
The rest of the group expressed their agreement.
Finn and Rachel looked at each other and sighed. "Thank you," Rachel said.
x
Two weeks later, all the New Directions members had been tested to see if anyone was a match for Jack. Finn was so nervous as he and Rachel sat in the waiting room. This may be the last chance.
"Well, we have the test results, and you'll be happy to know one person was a match," the doctor said.
"Someone was a match?" Finn asked, smiling wide. Now there was a possibility Jack could get better.
"Who?" Rachel asked with a big smile.