I hope everyone's New Years celebrations were fantastic, sadly I was working all over mine so never got to go out, but welcome to 2012 everybody! In celebration of a new year and the fact that I only had to work a 6 hr shift instead of a 12, here is a new chapter :D
Thanks again for all the reviews and subscriptions, I love reading them all, they always put a smile on my face 3
3.
Quinn entered the hospital the next morning feeling slightly excited, she had no idea why but she didn't question it, it was the best she had felt in a long time. She entered the ward Rachel was on and approached the bed at the far end. She furrowed her eye brows when she saw that the curtain was drawn, and slowly ducked her head around the separation. Two men sat beside Rachel, who was obviously asleep. The men saw her and got up to greet her outside the curtain as to not disturb their daughter.
"Hello can we help you?" The taller of the two men asked
"err … Hi I'm Quinn I…"
She saw both men smile before the taller man spoke again, "Quinn, hi we've heard about you, Rachel said you visited yesterday. She was talking about you most of the afternoon … I'm David by the way, and this is my husband George"
Quinn shook both men's hands, ducking her head with a shy smile.
"How is she?"
"Not good, she has had a tough night with the Chemo, she has hardly slept … we've all hardly slept" George smiled faintly. Quinn took in their appearances, the sadness in their eyes was evident as she could only imagine it would be when their daughter was that poorly. Quinn imagined that right now their lives must have consisted primarily of work and this hospital, sleep and food being last on their minds.
"Why don't you two head home for a bit? I can stay here with her for a while."
"No we can't do that, I mean its not fair on you." David spoke again, Quinn got the impression he was the more caring of the two. Not that George never exuded a certain warmth but he seemed the more logical and stronger one.
"No seriously I don't mind, You two need to rest, I have some magazines I can read while she is asleep and stuff, seriously I don't mind. You look like you need to sleep."
"We do … If your sure Quinn, I mean I feel bad. Are you sure?"
"Yes I'm positive, get some rest and I will get your number from Rachel when she wakes up and phone you later"
"You are a guardian Angel!" Both men surprised her by wrapping her in the warmest hug she had felt in the longest time. She smiled and they thanked her each about ten more times before both going back to gently kiss Rachel on the forehead before leaving.
Quinn made her way to the chair beside Rachel's bed and looked at the girl, she had dark circles around her eyes and looked exhausted. It pained her to see the diva like this, which surprised her as only just three days ago she was convinced she didn't like the girl. She took note of the time and relaxed back into the chair, rummaging through the magazines she had brought and silently began to read.
~#~
An hour or so had passed before Rachel woke up, she stretched weakly and grimaced, the ache in her muscles still foreign to her. She winced against the harsh hospital lights and gave her eyes a few seconds to adjust. It was only then did she realise the blonde sat in the chair beside her. She smiled when she realised it was Quinn.
"Hey, you came" she croaked, her throat still sore from a night of vomiting and crying.
"I said I would. How are you feeling, your dads said you had a tough night?"
"Horrible. I still feel terrible but you're here so that's something to take my mind off of it."
She watched as Quinn gave a genuine smile.
"So I brought some magazines and some grapes, you know the cliché things you bring somebody whose in hospital. I didn't know what you liked so I brought a selection."
Rachel giggled slightly, "Thanks Quinn. Where are my dads?"
"Well they were exhausted so I sent them home and said I would stay here with you while they rested. I will need their number from you by the way to call them later."
Rachel nodded. It was still strange to her that Quinn was being so nice. She didn't like that she was secretly waiting for something bad to happen, but a part of her told her that nothing was going to happen. Maybe they had entered into a new phase of their 'relationship'. She looked over at Quinn as she went to sit herself upright but the muscles in her arms felt like they were encased in cement, and she slumped back down.
"Are you ok?" The blonde asked and Rachel put on a fake smile.
"I'm fine, its just the side effects from the chemo. It's tough the first couple of days"
Quinn looked at her with concern in her eyes, "I think I should call the nurse, maybe they can do something."
Rachel went to shake her head but a sudden wave of nausea rushed over her and she knew her complexion must have turned impossibly white, because before she knew it Quinn had swiped the bowl off of the cabinet and held it under her chin. She felt Quinn's other hand slide underneath her back and lifting her slightly while she retched. She didn't like this part, she had not been able to eat for the last couple of days due to nausea and mouth sores, so her stomach was empty. All she could do was dry heave, which added to the pain she was already experiencing. Rachel heaved a few more times, each time exhausting her body further then she thought possible, these were the moments she hated. The days that followed Chemo, the days where her hope that she could survive this terrorist in her body was at its lowest. She collapsed back down and felt Quinn remove her hand from her back gently, immediately feeling the lack of warmth it had provided. Quinn placed the hand on her forehead and gently brought it down stroking the tears from her cheek. She put the empty bowl back where she got it from.
"Can you pass me some water" Rachel whispered faintly.
The blonde passed her the cup. She took hold of it but her muscles were completely weak through exhaustion, which made everything an effort and the cup shook violently in her grip. Quinn took the water back and placed a straw in the cup bringing it back to her mouth and holding it for her. She smiled slightly taking sips, it was nice to have somebody other then her dads caring for her. She locked eyes with the blonde briefly and saw the slight panic in her hazel eyes, it must have been scary for her being thrown in the deep end like this. A feeling of guilt settled within her.
"Thank you … Sorry about that"
"Don't apologise." Quinn wiped away another tear, then grabbed her hand and squeezed gently.
Rachel looked down at their hands; "We've skipped the beginning stages of friendship pretty quickly don't you think" She laughed weakly.
Quinn smiled, "Well I think we had no choice. It's just sad its taken something like this for me to get my head from out of my own ass"
"Don't say that, I've always known you were better then all those bullies, I was just waiting for you to prove it, and now you have"
"I'm just sad it's taken this to show me how bad I was toward you, and you didn't deserve it"
"Well I admit there are times I can be annoying, and I do have some diva qualities about me" she smiled, squeezing a little on Quinn's hand.
"Yeah but they don't seem as bad as I made them to be"
Rachel smiled, she felt no more needed to be said between them. She was a firm believer that the past was the past. She looked up at the ceiling and squinted at the hospital lights, which were too strong for her sensitive eyes, "I hate the lights in this place. Why do they have to be so bright?"
She heard Quinn giggle, "Are they hurting your eyes?" She nodded, "well close your eyes for a bit, or take your head scarf off and place it over your eyes it will block it out a little"
Rachel shook her head, she didn't like people looking at her without the bandana on. She still hadn't come to terms with her hair loss. So she closed her eyes, and it wasn't long until she felt sleep overtake her again.
~#~
Quinn squeezed the hand she was still holding and grazed her thumb over the back of it. She could honestly say she had grown to care for the girl in front of her. She didn't know whether that was because Rachel was so vulnerable, or whether it had something to do with the unexplainable feeling she had developed since she had seen Rachel yesterday.
She gently let go of Rachel's hand and walked toward the nurses desk by was ward entrance.
"Hey, I'm just leaving my friend back there, Rachel Berry. She is alone at the moment, if she wakes up before I'm back can you just reassure her that I haven't left."
The nurse smiled up at Quinn, "Sure sweetie, I'm glad a friend has visited her, I was beginning to think the poor girl had no one but her fathers."
Hearing the nurse verify, what Quinn herself had feared was true, hit her harder then anticipated. If she was honest she knew no one else would have visited Rachel, mainly because no one knew where she was, but it still broke her heart to actually hear that Rachel was alone. Much like she had always been, with no real friends apart from her dads. It was right there and then that Quinn vowed to herself that she would never allow Rachel to ever feel like she was not wanted by anyone.
Quinn smiled once more at the nurse before leaving the ward.
~#~
Half an hour later she returned, passing the nurse desk she recognised the same nurse, "Has she woken?"
"No, she is still sleeping, the poor girl is tired" the nurse shrugged sympathetically.
Quinn said a quick thank you and made her way back toward Rachel, no sooner had she sat down the girl woke again.
"Hey sleepyhead, I got something for you. It's a sleeping mask, so the lights wont hurt your eyes anymore" she smiled as she placed the mask over the girls eyes, blinding her.
Rachel giggled, sliding the mask up her forehead and looking at Quinn, "Thank you … You know I've complained about those lights to various people and you're the only one that's offered a sleeping mask as a solution. Very impressive"
Quinn rolled her eyes playfully, "Okay Ms diva, how are you feeling now after your second nap while I've been here. I'm beginning to think I bore you"
Rachel grinned at the playful banter and for the rest of the afternoon they talked about random things, both surprising each other with the amount they actually had in common. At some point Quinn remembered to get Rachel's dad's number from her.
"I'm going to step outside the hospital and give them a call" she said to the girl while getting up. She exited the hospital and dialled Rachel's fathers, "Hey it's Quinn … She is fine, she has been sleeping on and off but that's all … There is no need to thank me … right well I will stay with her until then … no it's no problem, I don't like the thought of her here alone … no seriously its fine … okay see you in an hour, bye"
The hour had passed quickly and before both herself and Rachel knew it, both Rachel's fathers were back.
"Hey sweetheart, how you feeling?" David came in, kissing his daughter on the forehead and taking her hand.
Rachel smiled warmly "Better, a little achy"
George turned to Quinn, who stood back watching Rachel with her dads. "Thank you so much Quinn, seriously I don't know how to thank you"
"Honestly there is no need, she is my friend, I like coming to see her"
"Well, your welcome anytime. Come here give me a hug," Quinn laughed as she locked eyes with Rachel over George's shoulder, the girl was beaming up at her. George leaned back looking at Quinn again, "Do you need me to drive you home?"
Quinn hesitated a little before accepting the offer of the ride home. Secretly she had decided she wanted to know as much about Rachel's type of cancer as she could, if she was to help the girls recovery in anyway. She thought she could use the drive back to her house to ask George for more information.
Before going Quinn walked up beside Rachel's bed and leaned over to kiss her cheek, she noticed Rachel blush slightly, "I'll see you tomorrow?"
Rachel gave a shy smile, "okay."
As she stepped away from the bed and locked eyes with Rachel, she couldn't help but acknowledge that right at that moment she swore her heart skipped a beat.