Only The Good Die Young

Chapter 5

"Rachel! Come in! I've missed you!" welcomes Quinn with Beth running up behind her.

"Hi Quinn, I've missed you too, hey Bethy, you've grown so big!"

"Auntie Rachel! I'm nearly 10! Will you come and play with me!?" says Beth in her ever playful voice

"She will in a minute Beth, go and play on your own for a bit while I talk to auntie Rachel, okay honey?"

I'm thankful to Quinn, as much as I love Beth, I need to talk to Quinn alone. She asks if I want a coffee, knowing that my answer will be yes and we go into the large kitchen ready for a catch up.

"So how have you been Quinn? Beth looks good!" I start, trying to sound well and normal.

"I've been amazing Rach, since Noah and I got married my life just seems to be perfect. Beth gets more beautiful everyday, she's clever but mischievous like Noah. And I have some news... I'm pregnant!"

"Oh Quinn, that's amazing, I'm so happy for you! Noah must be so excited!" I reply, I'm so happy for Quinn, she's an amazing mother, since she had Beth she grew up so much and became so caring and giving, her new baby will be very lucky!

"Thank you! I'm so excited! Noah started crying when I told him, we hope it's a boy so that Beth has a brother to protects her but we'll be happy with a girl too, we're just so happy! I'm nearly two months so you have a little longer to wait!"

I cringe slightly when Quinn says this because I know that the chances are, I won't be here to see the new baby for long.

"How about you Rach, how have you been?"

I muster up the courage to lie: "I'm great Quinn, missing Finn but the musical is going well and I can't wait to get married!"

Quinn is smiling and seems to have bought it but then her smile drops "Tell me the truth Rach, Finn called me and said that you left him a message crying and haven't picked up his calls for four days! You can tell me."

"Quinn, I I'm fine! I just had a bad day, I didn't purposely miss Finn's calls, my phone has been dead and I lost my charger!"

"Rachel, you've answered my calls! What's wrong!? I thought we told each other everything, if you don't want to marry Finn then tell me!" Quinn has started getting angry now, I just don't want to tell her.

"Of course I want to marry Finn! I love him I just..." At that moment, as if on cue, I got an excruciating pain in my stomach and doubled over in pain.

"Oh my god Rachel, are you okay?"

"I'm fine Quinn, just a bad breakfast, I'll be fine in a minute" I manage to choke out through the waves of pain coursing through my insides. Tears started streaming down my face. Quinn's surely going to know something is wrong now.

"Rachel, please just tell me whats wrong and I can help you through it, sure you sure it's not anything to do with Finn?"

The pain has began to subside, I have to tell her. I'll go straight to the point:

"I have stomach cancer, I'm dying and Finn doesn't know, and my dad's don't know, nobody knows"

Quinn's face dropped as she stepped back a few steps and began to cry.

"I'm so sorry Rach, you're going to be okay though right? I mean, your Rachel Barbra Berry, you are always okay!?... right?"

"Not this time Quinn, I've started chemotherapy but they said that it will only slow everything down, I've got about 10 months. Please don't tell anyone, especially not Finn, he can't find out."

"Oh Rachel, you have to tell him, there must be something you can do, anything, you can't leave me."

We sat in silence for a while both crying, we could hear Beth talking to her dolls in the room next door completely unaware of what was happening in the kitchen.

Quinn stands up and puts her arms round me, it feels so nice to be able to cry and have someone with me, I feel like I've been alone for so long. "When did you find out?"

"About 2 weeks ago."

"You've been alone for all this time and you didn't tell anyone!? You shouldn't be alone Rachel, please stay here."

"No Quinn, I'm fine, you, Noah and Beth need your space, I'm honestly fine, I'll call you if I need you."

"Rach, we don't need this whole house, you are staying here, Noah can pick you some stuff up on his way home from work. You're my best friend, you can stay with me until Finn gets back."

"Thanks Quinn, you're the best best friend ever!"