This is not the dream I dreamed - Rachel faces up to the fact that her Broadway career could be over before it had chance to begin.
Rating - T
Character -Rachel (Also features her fathers, Finn, Will, Shelby, Beth and others)
A/N - Reviews/concrit are loved, and if there's anything you'd like to see happen the let me know and I'll try my best to work it in somehow.I'm from the UK, so if anything American is not quite right, please let me know and I'll fix it.
"Urgh" Shelby groaned as she woke, she rubbed her eyes as she tried to work out where she was before realising that she'd fallen asleep in Beth's bed, and her mobile was ringing in her pocket. She quickly flipped it open without looking at the display before Beth could be woken. "Hello" she mumbled sleepily.
"I'm sorry" Rachel mumbled, "I'm so sorry"
"Rachel?" Shelby stood from the bed, tucking Beth in and walking into her own room, "are you okay?"
"I'm sorry" Rachel repeated.
Shelby sighed, "I told you darling you've got nothing to be sorry for, if anything I should be the one apologising, I promised I'd ring you but I fell asleep with Beth"
"I'm, I didn't, I, I'm sorry" Rachel sounded confused and disorientated and Shelby became increasingly concerned about her daughter.
"Rachel, is everything okay?" she asked again.
"I'm sorry."
"Rachel, I'm coming over, promise me you won't do anything stupid" Shelby didn't care about the time, Rachel's behaviour was scaring her and she needed to see her, to reassure her she had nothing to apologise for, and she quickly threw a hoodie on over the jeans and t shirt she'd fallen asleep in and slipped her feet into her shoes.
"I'm sorry"
"I love you Rachel, I'll see you soon." Shelby hung up the phone, dialing Rachel's home number as she lifted Beth from her bed and ran out to the car.
"Berry residence" came the sleepy reply,
"Leroy, it's Shelby."
"Shelby?" Leroy noticed Hiram quickly sit up beside him, "is everything okay?" He knew Rachel was trying to build a relationship with the woman, but couldn't understand why she'd be ringing at almost 3am.
"I, Rachel, I said I'd ring her, but I fell asleep. I need you to make sure she's okay Leroy, I'm on my way over, but I think she's done something."
"What!" Leroy flew out of bed, down the hallway as Shelby explained.
"I promised I'd ring Rachel but Beth, she was being clingy, I laid down with her to try and settle her, I must have fallen just rang me, she kept saying she was sorry over and over, I'm worried about her, she thinks this is all her fault, I've told her I don't blame her, I don't Leroy, I don't blame her for anything." She heard him call Rachel's name, she heard him tell her he was coming in if she didn't reply but there was no response.
Leroy had never known Shelby be anything but calm and collected, she must be incredibly worried, "her door's locked" He heard Shelby sob before throwing himself at the door, it took three attempts before the wood splintered and the door crashed out of the frame. "Rachel" Shelby heard Rachel's familiar sobs and heaved a small sigh of relief, however Leroy's next comment almost killed her, "how many of these have you taken Rachel?"
"I'm sorry" Rachel repeated over and over again.
"It's okay sunshine, it's okay" Leroy allowed Rachel to sob into his chest, still holding the phone in his left hand,"Hiram" he called, "I need you to get me an ambulance and then open the door for Shelby, she's on her way over"
"Mommy?" The single word almost broke Shelby's heart
"She's right here Rachel" Leroy passed the phone to his daughter, "She's coming over."
"Rachel" Shelby was frantic with worry, "Rachel talk to me, tell me you're okay, I love you Rachel."
"I'm sorry mommy."
"Rachel, you've got nothing to be sorry for okay, I don't hate you, I love you, I love you Rachel, it took me almost 20 years to get you to be a part of my life, I'm not loosing you now, you need to stay strong until the paramedics arrive, can you do that for me?"
"Sing."
"You want me to sing to you?"
"She's nodding." Leroy told Shelby.
Shelby drummed her fingers on the steering wheel for a moment trying to think of an appropriate song, as she cursed the traffic lights, the streets were empty but every light was on red. It was as she sped away from one set of lights that she thought of a song. "This is a crazy world, these can be lonely times, it's hard to know who's on your side, most of the time. Who can you really trust, who do you really know, is there anybody out there, who can make you feel less alone, sometimes you just can't make it on your own. If you need a place where you can run, if you need a shoulder to cry on, I'll always be your friend. When you need some shelter from the rain, when you need a healer for your pain, I will be there time and time again. When you need someone to love you, here I am." Shelby raced through the deserted streets, she didn't care about getting a ticket, she just needed to get to her daughter.
"She's being sick" Leroy told her, "I'm going to put you on speakerphone, will you keep singing to her, it seems to have calmed her down."
"If you have broken dreams, just lay them all on me, I'll be the one who understands. So take my hand" Shelby said nothing, focusing on the lyrics to her song and the road ahead as she heard Leroy comfort Rachel, "If you reach emptiness, you know I'll do my best, to fill you up with all the love, that I can show someone. I promise you you'll never walk alone." She sighed with relief as she eventually pulled onto the Berry's drive, surprised that the paramedics weren't already there.
She continued with her song as she moved to lift Beth from the car, jumping slightly when the door to the house flew open, "Leave her" Hiram said softly, "I'll take her inside, you go to Rachel"
Shelby nodded, passing him her car keys as she flew through the house and up the stairs "Well if you need a place where you can run, if you need a shoulder to cry on, I'll always be your friend." She only ended the call as she dropped to the floor beside Rachel, allowing the pale girl to fall drowsily against her "when you need some shelter from the rain, when you need a healer for your pain, I will be there time and time again, when you need someone to love you, here I am." She rocked Rachel, dropping soft kisses to her head as she finished the song. "I'm here Rachel, I'm here." She sobbed, her tears falling freely onto her daughter.
Shelby was surprised when she felt Leroy lay a comforting arm on her back, "come on" he pulled her to her feet, smiling sadly as the paramedics entered the room, "let them do what they need to do."