A/N - I have been 'squeeing' and totally overwhelmed by your responses and reviews. Thank you so much! I really feel inspired to finish this story so you get to read the whole thing! So this is the penultimate chapter. I kept writing and reading reviews and writing some more.

PSA for thefrick, please stop holding your breath, I really wrote as fast as I can. Don't pass out, just review ;)

My Future In Your Hands

Gone,

Love is never gone.

As we travel on,

Love's what we'll remember.

Kiss today goodbye,

And point me t'ward tomorrow.

We did what we had to do.

Won't forget, can't regret

What I did for

Love

A Chorus Line

She can hear Quinn's anxious voice, calling her name, asking for a chance to explain overlapping with Marcie's more strident tone as she tells Quinn that Rachel does not want to see her, that she never wants to see her again. Rachel had expected to hear from her and Quinn had not disappointed as she texted and called and showed up at her apartment about twenty minutes ago.

It was Marcie who had brought the paper to the hospital that morning, apologizing profusely for the article's slant and informing Rachel that they could threaten to sue. She didn't care all that much about Lisa's interview or the pictures printed. However, the only thing that caught her eye was Quinn's name as well as the fact the she had been quoted in the article. The writer had done some research and had uncovered Quinn's religious background and her singular focus in her work, citing her as one of the youngest ever winners of the Lasker award. She had questioned Marcie mercilessly, and in the end, Marcie had confirmed that Quinn agreed to go on record to deny that they had anything more than a doctor patient relationship. Tina had been there when it happened and Rachel finally understood that Quinn had not been misquoted.

Quinn had kissed her but at the same time; she had proclaimed in print that she had no romantic feelings for Rachel. She felt betrayed and so stupid; realizing the reason that Quinn never overtly admitted her feelings for her was probably due to the fact that she didn't really feel the same way or as strongly. Perhaps she had felt sorry for Rachel and went along with it because she felt pity for her.

Rachel had to admit that Quinn really had changed from the cold-hearted cheerleader persona she had in high school. However, the one thing that perhaps didn't change was the fact that she still could not trust Quinn, at least not with her heart. Quinn may have kissed her in the heat of the moment but in the end, she had admitted that she didn't have the same level of feelings that Rachel obviously had for her. She just wasn't strong enough to survive more heartbreak at the hands of Quinn Fabray.

"She doesn't seem to be going away." Tony doesn't have the whole story, only what his wife had told him and witnessing the subsequent confrontation between Quinn and Marcie that was still ongoing. He sees Rachel retreat to her room, like even hearing Quinn's voice was hurting her. "Are you ok?" He shuts the door behind him, finally shutting out Quinn's voice and can see the relief on her face.

"No, no, I don't think I am." He's seen her at her worse and she's sure she's eclipsed that state by quite a fair bit right now. She feels his arms encircle her and tears prick her eyes but she does not want to cry any more, knowing that it really wouldn't make a difference. "I thought she really had changed, that we were starting over and building something new, something special. I guess the joke's on me because I wanted more and I assumed she did too with the kiss. Except maybe she was just trying to be a good friend and I ..."

Tony had read the article in the Post and really couldn't argue against Rachel's logic except he couldn't explain the kiss either. Quinn Fabray had done everything she could to ensure Rachel got better and she did, he just wished that the doctor could see beyond that. "Maybe…" He's not sure if he should broach the subject but he can't bear to see Rachel blame herself either. "As your doctor, she could get into a lot of trouble if she showed any romantic interest in you. Maybe that's why she said what she said."

It sounded plausible but in the end, she's not sure if she wanted to take another chance with Quinn. She would always be indebted to her for helping her through her cancer but opening her heart to her was something she really couldn't afford to do, not again. She understands what she needs to say as she gets up and goes towards her front door where she can still hear Quinn's pleading voice.

"Quinn." She hears Rachel call her name and breathes a sigh of relief as stares at Rachel, taking her in. She opens her mouth, ready to apologize, ready to explain only she sees Rachel's eyes, the hurt and the tears shimmering in them and hears her voice, cold and devoid of emotion. So unlike Rachel that the words die in her throat.

"I..I wanted to thank you for everything that you've done for me and I will always be extremely appreciative and indebted for your time and your medical expertise. I guess I should also apologize for mistaking my gratitude for anything more than that and I am truly sorry that you had to witness my unwarranted advances." She sees Quinn about to respond and cuts her off, "No, please, this is difficult enough as it is and I realize that I wasn't really expecting or wanting anything more from you than what you have already given me. You've given me back my life so at least leave me with my dignity. Please just go. Please" her voice breaking on the last word as she looks away, not wanting to look at Quinn any longer because it would hurt too much.

Quinn knows that she's hurt Rachel, this time irreparably and she was now asking for the one thing she doesn't want to do. She knows she could apologize but she can see that it wouldn't make a difference as Rachel was already hurt. She wants to stay, to stand there and plead her case. However the plea in Rachel's voice and the hurt in her eyes is enough to make her acquiesce as she nods and turns away.

#$#$#$#

"Quinn, are you sure you want to do this?" Alex takes a close look at her, noting the bags under her eyes and the way her shoulders slump. That alone is enough to worry him but the article before him creates a whole new level of worry. "If you submit this and it's printed, the board will have no choice but to suspend you pending an investigation. You're putting your future on the line."

Quinn had spent the last week vacillating between just going over to Rachel's and shouting until she listened or taking a different route because Rachel was special and deserved so much more. "It's the truth." She had written the Open Editorial a few days ago, putting everything she felt and thought into a thousand words or so. Explaining how she's managed to bridge the gap between religion and medicine but in the end what keeps her going is her love for her patients. Except, she fell in love with one of them and even though she kept it to herself, it showed because she tried everything and more to ensure that that patient made it. She's not sure if it made her a better doctor but she knows she's a better person for it.

"It's already been submitted and will be in tomorrow's Times." She had to call in a favor from one of her Harvard roommates to have her piece printed but in the end, it was honest and raw and they would have accepted it regardless. "I need to do this; I need to ensure that she knows that it wasn't just her. That I love her but I had to make sure she was ok first. I need to make this right and she deserves to know everything."

Alex has never seen her like this, infused with passion but of a different kind and he realizes that she deserves to be happy, to have more than her job, more than just the hospital and her patients to look forward to. "I'll talk to the Board."

"No, I'll take the suspension. It'll give me time to think. Besides, I've been missing some hours at the free clinic since I've been Rachel's….for the past few months." Her conscience is clear with respect to the ethics of her job but deep down she doesn't care if the Board doesn't agree with her. Rachel needed to come in for her last scan tomorrow and her being suspended also made it easy on the both of them. She wouldn't be tempted to seek Rachel out and the diva would get her wish to not see Quinn.

She knows that she owes it to Rachel. She's just not sure if she deserved another chance though, having squandered the last few. In the end, all she wants is for Rachel to be safe and happy and to know that it was never her intention to hurt her. That if given the chance, she wouldn't do anything different except she would have told Rachel of the interview.

#$#$#$#

Rachel was supposed to be resting, recuperating from her treatments and preparing for her last scan today. She had spent the last week at Tina's apartment, going over songs for her next album and trying not to think of Quinn but failing miserably. She had caught herself typing text messages of a few songs to the doctor only to stop before she pressed send. She justified she was doing the right thing though because the hurt of a fractured heart now was bearable compared to full blown heartache later. She couldn't afford to let Quinn have so much power over her because she would never recover.

"Are you ready to go?" Tina had wished things had turned out differently. She had seen Rachel happy despite her illness and knew it had everything to do with Quinn. The problem was that they had too much of a shared past and she wasn't sure if Quinn could bridge that gap or if Rachel would have let her. "I've confirmed that Dr. Drew will be the only one present and Marcie says Harry Llewellyn needs to discuss something with you so he's going to drop by too."

Rachel nods, relieved that she wasn't going to see Quinn today but still feeling like a part of her was still missing.

#$#$#$

"Rachel, you're looking good. You remember Dr. Lee? She's going to assist me with your MRI."

She can't help but be reminded of Quinn's words and touches as she is being prepped. Quinn knew she didn't like the silence and confined space so each time she had an MRI done, Quinn had managed to be there, singing softly into the mic as the machine whirred around her. This time, there are only her thoughts to keep her company. But at least the experience is over relatively quickly. She dresses in silence trying to ignore the sense of loss that was seeping into her conciousness.

She sees the smiling faces of the two doctors and realizes that at last, it's good news. "Am I in remission?" the hopefulness laced in her voice is only eclipsed by the smiles on the doctors' faces as she sees Dr. Drew nod.

"There is always a possibility of recurrence and we need to monitor you for the next five years but as of right now, you're in remission. The treatments were a success." He accepts her hug, happy that he's played a part in curing her although he knows that Dr. Fabray deserves a lot more credit and he hopes that her career would not get derailed with her recent published admission. He sees the Chairman of the Board of Trustees waiting by the door and hopes that Rachel Berry realizes that she holds Quinn's future in her hands.

"Ms. Berry, Rachel, it's good to see you smiling. May I have a word?"

Rachel can see Dr. Drew stiffen and wonders what is going on as he softly tells her, "before you decide anything, you should read the Op Ed in the Times today."

"Um, sure. " the answer is meant for both of them as she looks at Harry, wondering what he needed to say and not ever expecting his next words.

"I am glad you're ok and I am sorry to spring this on you but the Hospital Board needs a statement from you regarding Dr. Quinn Fabray. She's currently on suspension and we need to know from you if she ever over-stepped her boundary as your primary care physician when she was treating you?" It's difficult for him to ask the question because he respects Quinn as a doctor and Rachel was like family. The thought that one of them or both could be hurt by this makes it an almost impossible task. However, he has a duty to the hospital and cannot shirk away from it.

"What? I don't understand. Quinn...Dr. Fabray did everything in her power to ensure that I got the treatments and my voice was protected. Why is she on suspension?" Rachel feels the tendrils of fear building up, not fear for herself but for Quinn.

"It would seem that during the course of your treatment, Dr. Fabray developed feelings for you. She admitted as much in the open editorial that was published in the Timesthis morning. If she said anything to you, behaved in anyway untoward, it will be brought up to the Board. "

In all her thirty three years, Rachel had never been rendered speechless. Even after her second Tony win when she was not the odds on favorite. When her name had been announced, she was ready with a speech and managed to convey her appreciation and thanks despite her utter surprise. At this moment though, all she could think of was that Quinn had admitted that she had feelings for her, in the New York Times, no less. She had put her career on the line for her. She sees the newspaper tucked under his arm and asks, "Can I read it?"

The eloquence of the article stuns her, not because she does not expect it of Quinn but because she does not expect Quinn to see her that way. '...she was extraordinary, beautiful within and without and I was a better person for knowing her. In allowing me into her life, trusting me when she didn't have a reason to, she allowed me to be the best possible doctor I could be. She made me want to be better for her and for all my patients...'

"She loves you." Tina's been reading the article over her shoulder and says the words out loud. "She really does love you." Her arm tightens around Rachel as she sees her stagger back.

"She never told me. All the time we spent together, she had been totally focused on trying to get me better. I ... hoped... I wanted her to tell me but she never did." Rachel knows how important Quinn's job is and the fact that she was an immensely talented doctor. She couldn't say anything to jeopardize that.

Harry nods, a relieved expression on his face. "Thank you. I'll tell the Board." he briefly touches her arm, "I'm glad you're ok." before turning to leave. Only to be stopped by Rachel's final words, hoping she would ask the question as he turns towards her again, this time smiling.

"Do you know where she is?"

End Pt 16

The end is nigh :) Thanks so much for reading. Tell me if this chapter constitutes fixing it? Or tell me if you need a bit more. The Last Chapter is entitled Somebody to Love.