I do not own Glee. Chapter title from "Getting To Know You" from The King and I

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Rachel slowly opened up her eyes and the first thing she saw was Finn's face looking down at her. He gave her a small smile. "Hey. How are you feeling?"

She did a quick assessment of her body before returning her eyes to his and answering him. "Sore and nauseous."

Finn nodded like that was to be expected. "Well we did have to take out your appendix but luckily, we were able to do it laparoscopically, meaning the recovery time will be shorter and there will be a very tiny scar. As for the nausea, that would be a result of the pain medication and there is really nothing we can do about it." He gave her a sad smile telling her he was sorry she wasn't feeling well. "Do you want me to call someone for you? A boyfriend?" Finn turned around and fiddled with some paperwork so he didn't have to look at Rachel as he asked, but he needed to know if she was seeing someone.

Rachel gave a small laugh at Finn's obvious inquiry into her love life. "Finn, I'm not seeing anybody right now. It's just me, but I should probably call Santana and Kurt. I'm sure they've been trying to reach me for a while. Could you hand me my phone?" Rachel looked expectantly up at Finn, and he shuffled to the bedside to fetch her iphone for her, embarrassed.

"Here you go." He began to leave the room to give her some privacy, but she placed her hand on his arm to stop him.

"You don't have to leave. We are not strangers, and I bet they will want to talk to you to ensure that I'm not making light of the situation." She smiled and Finn returned it knowingly because, as dramatic as Rachel could be sometimes, she tended to downplay serious situations like these.

Rachel dialed Santana's number and nervously waited for her to answer. She knew she was in for a long screaming lecture from Santana and Kurt and was not looking forward to it.

"Where the hell are you?!" Santana's angry voice shouted through the phone so even Finn could hear it.

Rachel groaned as she pulled the phone away from her ear. "Um, well I'm kind of in the hospital, but-"

"What?! Shit! Fuck, I'll get a ticket as soon as pos-"

Rachel interrupted Santana's nervous rambling by yelling. "Santana! Please, just slow down and don't book a ticket. I'm fine, okay? I just had a little appendectomy and now I'm as good as new. And guess who my surgeon was?" She smiles at Finn as she says this last part, knowing that Santana is never going to believe her.

Santana takes a deep breath to calm herself down and finally plays into Rachel's little guessing game. "I don't know, who?"

"Finn! He was working in the ER when I came in and he made sure I was taken care of really well. You don't have to worry about me, okay?"

"Wow…That's crazy." Santana said, sounding a little bewildered by the coincidence. "Give the phone to him now." She was back to her authoritative tone and Rachel rolled her eyes but handed the phone to Finn.

He hesitantly takes the phone from Rachel and swallows the big lump in his throat. The last time they talked to each other, he had just said some nasty things to Rachel and Santana rightfully put him in his place.

"Hello?"

"Listen Finn, just tell me what happened and if she's really okay. You know Rachel is not to be trusted in these situations."

Finn is pleasantly surprised, expecting her to go back to the subject of their last phone conversation, but she doesn't. She gets right down to business and he has always liked that about her.

"She came in earlier complaining of stomach pains. It turned out that her appendix was inflamed and was about to burst, so we took her into surgery and removed it before it could do some serious damage. It was successful, and she should be able to go home in a day or two. However, I don't really feel comfortable with her going home to an empty house. She's okay, but that doesn't mean she can go back to her normal life right away, and we all know she will."

Santana was quiet for a second and I could hear her whispering to someone else, most likely Kurt. Finn was actually shocked that he hadn't pulled the phone from her and started freaking out yet. Then again, Santana was probably better at dealing with this type of thing. "When do you get off?"

Finn was brought out of his own thoughts by this sudden question from Santana. "Uh, I actually get off in about 8 hours." He had an idea of where she was going with this, but he didn't want to jump to conclusions considering Santana was not his biggest fan.

"You know I hate this, but Finn, Kurt and I can't come to California right now. We have already given our two weeks notice and we can't leave before it's over. We need you to look after her because she won't take care of herself on her own. Can you just watch her for a couple of days?"

Finn could hear the reluctance in her voice, but knew he was her only option. "Of course, but I think we should ask Rachel before we decide this for her." He said this as he looked at an expectant Rachel. She was trying to follow along with the conversation but couldn't, and now that Finn was looking at her, she was really interested in what they were saying. Clearly, she was the subject.

"What?" She finally asked a nervous Finn.

He ran his hands through his overlong hair, trying to think of how exactly to put this without her freaking out. "Santana and Kurt don't want you to go home alone, and neither do I…" he was hoping she would get what he was saying without actually saying it, but she still looked at him with a questioning look. "Rach, we think I should come home with you for a while until you are back on your feet." He put up his hands to silence her disagreement and continued. "You'll need to rest for 1-2 weeks, so someone will have to help with food, cleaning, and anything else you might need. I'm a doctor, so you'll be able to leave here and go home sooner if I'm there to watch out for complications or infection, plus, I'm the only person you know in LA." He finally finished his logical defense and gave Rachel a look to make her understand it was the best solution.

She signed loudly and let her head fall back to her pillow in frustration. "Fine. Just get me out of here soon." She had her eyes closed and she looked tired so she couldn't see Finn's small smile appear on his face.

He returned to the phone, almost forgetting that Santana was waiting on the other line. "Okay. She agreed. I'll keep you two updated with her progress, and make sure she behaves."

Santana snorted. "You better keep your man parts to yourself, Frankenteen, or I'll have your balls when I get to LA."

Although Finn knew she was only partly joking, he thought it best to reassure her. "I promise."

Finn was about to say something else, but Dr. Isaacs came strolling in to check on Rachel and he quickly said goodbye.

"Good afternoon Miss Berry. I am Dr. Isaacs, and I am the attending doctor on your case. I'm sure Dr. Hudson filled you in on your surgery, so I thought I would come and see if you have any questions and check on your incision site." He gently lifted up Rachel's hospital gown and examined her abdomen while Rachel racked her brain for questions.

"I don't think I have any questions other than when is the soonest that I can go home?" She visibly winced when the doctor got closer to her incision, but tried to remain as emotionless as possible.

Dr. Isaacs was still concentrating on her stomach when he answered. "We usually have our appy patients stay in the hospital for 2 days, and then ask that they do not return to work for 1-2 weeks. You may feel like you are perfectly fine after a week, but your body is still recovering." He paused his movements on her belly over a scar on her lower abdomen and looked up at her. "Hmm I didn't notice this scar when we were in surgery. Have you had surgery on your abdomen before?" She was staring straight at his hands on her faded scar, and he didn't even notice a change in her demeanor.

Finn swiftly moved to her other side and nonchalantly touched her hand, which was shaking slightly. "Uh…Dr. Isaacs, I was planning on watching her when she goes home. I'm off for the next 4 days until Monday. Do you think there is any way to get her discharged sooner? Tomorrow morning maybe?"

Dr. Isaacs looked a bit confused by the change of subject, but didn't question it. "Let's see how Rachel is doing in the morning and we will reassess in then." He gave them each a smile and nod and left the room writing something on her chart.

Finn peaked at Rachel and saw that she had closed her eyes, but she was still holding his hand firmly. He didn't speak; he simply let her hold his hand for as long as she needed to. A couple of minutes later, she finally released his hand and opened her eyes.

"Thanks. You'd think I would be used to answering that question, but it still sucks." She gave him a weak smile that he knew was insincere, but he let her lighten up the mood and returned it.

"No problem. We'll get you out of here as soon as possible. I'm sure you will recover much better at home."

After only one night at the hospital, Rachel was discharged, promising Dr. Isaacs that she would listen to Finn and take it easy. Finn had rolled his eyes at the part where she promised to listen to him because he knew it was impossible. Rachel was incapable of listening to anyone—let alone Finn—and Finn had a weakness for giving into Rachel's every demand. He had to keep reminding himself that he needed to do what was best for Rachel, even if she didn't agree. Plus, he didn't want Santana to castrate him.

"Wow, Rach, this place is amazing." Finn said as he walked through her door and let his eyes wander around the rooms. The house was modern, but Rachel had still managed to make it homey and comfortable. The back wall was all windows so the ocean and beach looked like they were right in her living room, and all Finn could think was that this really would be the perfect place for her to recover.

"Thanks. I wanted something totally new and different from my ancient loft in the city. The views aren't bad either." She smirked at Finn and headed off down a hallway. "I'm going to take a shower because I probably look and smell like crap."

Finn watched her go and almost revealed to her that he thought she looked amazing, but stopped himself. That would not be appropriate, so instead, he shouted for her to be careful. "Okay, but make sure you move slowly and keep the incision dry. Once your done, I can re-bandage it for you and we can have dinner."

"Fine, I'll be careful. Can you order Chinese food? There is a menu on the counter." She said from the other side of her bedroom door.

He went over to the counter and browsed through the menu for something that they would like. "Hey Rach, I don't see any vegan options." He had looked through it front and back three times, but figured he missed it because why else would she have asked for him to order from this particular place if she couldn't eat anything.

Rachel stuck her head out from the doorway with a small towel wrapped around her body. "I know. I'm not vegan anymore. I'll take the vegetable lo main and a spring roll please." Her face disappeared from view again, and Finn stood in the kitchen staring at her door. He was shocked that she was no longer vegan because she had been so adamant about it when they were together, but he realized that it has been seven years and they have both changed. He was anxious yet nervous to find out what else had change about her. What if they were too different to be friends again, let alone what he secretly hoped for—lovers.

It has been two days since Rachel came home from the hospital, and to say the house was awkward and tense was an understatement. Rachel always tried to do things instead of resting, and Finn had to be the bad guy and make her go back to her room and lay down. Now, she basically stayed in her room all day—with the door open so he could monitor her activity—and only came out for meals. Finn would try to start up a conversation, but Rachel usually answered with a short, annoyed response and returned to her room.

"Hey!" Finn finally shouted, frustrated at Rachel when she came out of her room for lunch. "Can we just cut the crap and actually talk? I'm getting sick of you ignoring me." It was extremely rare for him to have a day off, let alone 4 whole days, and he hated that he was wasting it doing nothing. Not to mention, he was feet from Rachel Berry, the love of his life, and they were barely talking or spending time together. This was not how he imagined this going when he agreed to help watch her.

Rachel turned around and looked at him with an angry look on her face. "I'm just doing what you told me to do, which is absolutely nothing!" She sneered at him and went back to looking through the fridge for something to eat.

Finn walked to the kitchen counter and stared at the back of her head. "I know you are mad that I'm making you follow the doctors orders, but you need to rest. I'm seriously just trying to help you heal! Now you are throwing that in my face and taking it to the extreme by lying in your bed all day. You're being a tad dramatic here, Rachel, even for you." Finn ran his hands through his hair, a habit he often did when he was frustrated, but didn't want to over react.

"Dramatic! Finn, you wont even let me go outside and sit on the deck! Keeping me locked up and in bed for weeks will not get me better, it will only make me depressed and hate you more!" Rachel was close to tears now, and Finn saw it clearly on her face.

"Hate me more?" Finn asked quietly, hurt as well. He thought that she had forgiven him for the past, but now he saw that she hadn't, and probably never could.

Rachel saw Finn's reaction and immediately felt bad for what she said. "I didn't mean it like that…I'm really frustrated right now and I just want to go outside and feel the breeze on my face and watch the waves." She looked down at the strawberries she picked from the refrigerator so she didn't have to look into his sad eyes.

"I'm sorry." He wasn't sure if he was apologizing for how he was acting now or in the past, but he figured he could never say those two words enough. He looked down at his lap and realized he was treating Rachel even more fragile than he would a normal patient, but that was only because she was Rachel. He needed to start making this better, and trying to establish a better relationship between them. "Why don't you eat lunch, take a nap, and then we can have dinner on the beach. That way, the sun will be setting and the heat won't be as strong. It's not good to be in the afternoon sunlight when you're healing because it could dehydrate you. Deal?" He looked nervously up at her, and she lightly nodded her head before finishing gathering her lunch.

Hours later, Finn had a picnic basket packed with dinner, and was leading Rachel out of the house carefully.

"Just take it slow. Short, choppy steps."

Rachel rolled her eyes, but did as he said because the incision site was actually a little sore today. Not that she would be informing Dr. Hudson about that little tidbit of information.

They didn't go far, but found a nice, cool patch of sand where Finn laid out a huge blanket for them to sit down on. He opened up the containers and revealed a light pasta dish with vegetables tossed in.

"I hope this is fine. I thought something light would be best since you are just getting back to eating solid foods. Also, I'm not really sure what you like anymore. It's been a while…" He shrugged sheepishly at the meal in front of them, but when Rachel picked up a fork and began to eat the pasta with a smile on her face, he was relieved.

"It's perfect, Finn…And it had been a while. I think we've both changed a lot since we last saw each other because I didn't know you liked vegetables." She poked his arm jokingly and he laughed.

"You're right. I actually like some vegetables now, though I still like them best when they are drowning in sauce." He paused to take a bite, and the quiet got awkward once again. It never used to be like this. They used to have such great conversations, and if there was ever silence, it wasn't awkward; it was nice and thoughtful.

Rachel paused her eating and turned towards Finn. "Finn, I'm sorry. For what I said earlier. I don't hate you; not at all, not ever." Rachel looked deeply into Finn's eyes and tried to convey that she was sorry for saying that to him.

He put down his food and looked into her eyes as well. "Thank you. You have no idea how much I needed to hear that, but I think we should talk about that night. I know it's going to suck, but once it's out in the open, we can finally get past this awkwardness and hopefully be friends again." He was pleading with his eyes, and he could see she was reluctant. However, she placed her fork down as well and took a deep, calming breath.

"You're right. This sucks right now, and I don't want to feel this way every time we see each other." Finn nodded and motioned for her to go first. "I don't really know where to start, but I just want to make clear that I don't hate you for what you said. Maybe at first, I really tried and wanted to hate you, but I couldn't, which pissed me off even more."

She let out a little laugh when she said this as she looked to be far off and visiting her past. "But, I understood why you said it. The shooting was still so recent and you had no one to talk to. That was your fault since you ran away, but still, you needed help to get you through all the hurt and guilt. I was so sad that you chose to sleep around to help numb the pain, but I didn't hate you. I wasn't exactly dealing in the healthiest way either. I was more hurt and pissed that you actually stayed away and gave up on me—on us. I waited two weeks for you to call or show up on my doorstep telling me how sorry you were and how much you loved me, but you never did."

Rachel saw Finn flinch at this revelation, but continued on talking because this needed to be said if they were ever going to get over it.

"I was so depressed after that, and Kurt and Santana had to physically drag me out of the apartment. I decided to fake it until I made it, and it worked. But then, you wrote that first letter and I didn't have to fake it anymore. I felt hopeful and happy because I knew you were there even if I could see you. You were my best friend and without your friendship, I didn't feel like myself. Slowly but surely, those letters allowed me to get back to being myself, and we were finally just Finn and Rachel again. So, yes, I was pissed and sad for a long time after that phone call, but I could never hate you, Finn. I just want us to be the people we used to be, but lost that day in the school."

Rachel had tears brimming her eye, but she was showing surprising restraint. Finn was overwhelmed with what he just heard and needed a moment to process it all.

"I-I uh…Rach, I want that so badly too. I want to feel like me again and be happy. You help me be the Finn I want to be." Finn reached for Rachel's hand and squeezed it gently. "I'm so unbelievably sorry, and I know I said that in at least three of my letters, but it seems so much more meaningful to say it in person, out loud. Even though you don't hate me for saying that to you, I hate myself. You're right; I was not dealing with the whole situation well, and I missed you and Kurt and even Santana. I desperately tried to feel some connection to Puck and I went around it all the wrong way, but that night was a wake up call. I wasn't living up to Puck's memory, or any of our friends' memory for that matter, I was being self-destructive. I won't say I'm happy that we ended the way we did, but I think it allowed us both to grow up and do what we needed on our own. Now, I need your friendship just as much as you need it, and I never want to become disconnected from your life again. You are my absolute best friend, Rach, and I want us to be able to talk to each other like we used to—like we could in our letters."

Rachel finally let a tear fall from her damp eyes, but quickly wiped her cheek clean. "I accept your apology, but I think it's time for you to stop punishing yourself for that night. It's not healthy, and that was not you. None of us were in the right mind set at that time, so we need to move on from that sad time in our past and remember the good times. I never want you to apologize for that night again. I'm sure I'll be hearing enough apologies in the future." She smirked and Finn let out a chuckle. "It's nice to see you laugh, Finn. I think you've gone super serious on me since becoming a doctor."

Finn knew she was only teasing, but there was definitely some truth to that. "Sadly, I think your right. I never really made friends out here so there wasn't anyone to have fun with, especially after I finished my undergrad and went to med school."

Rachel gave Finn a wicked smile. "Well that's all about to change because Kurt, Santana and I definitely know how to have some fun."

Finn gave her a curious smile and picked up his food again. "Alright, now that all the serious shit is out and sorted, let's have some fun and get to know each other again. I really want to know what adult Rachel Berry does for fun, because teenage Rachel Berry thought watching kitten videos on youtube was the ideal Saturday night."

Rachel looked horrified that Finn said that and playfully hit him. "Hey! You said you loved that!"

Finn just laughed loudly. "Rach, I only said that to have sex with you. I needed to keep you happy—Ow!" Finn shouted and put his hand to his side where Rachel had elbowed him. When did she get so feisty and violent.

"Finn! You're not supposed to admit to that! Just lie and say you loved it so I can keep believing that I actually found a guy who loved kittens as much as me." She was mock pouting and had her arms crossed across her chest, waiting for him to comply.

"Okay, okay. I loved spending every single Saturday night of my senior year watching kittens on youtube. I couldn't think of anything I would have liked more." He said it in a monotone, robotic voice, but it still appeased Rachel.

"Perfect!" Rachel clapped her hands together happily. "Now that we have this settled, I think we should play a game. I ask you a question, you answer, and then you get to ask me one."

"Alright." Finn agreed. "I'll go first. Favorite color."

"Ohh that's a hard one. I love lots of colors, but I think I would say coral."

Finn placed a hand to his chest and faked his shock. "What?! Not bubble gum pick anymore?"

"No! I have grown up and seen the faults of my past. Now it just gives me a headache." She laughed a little as she said it, thinking of when Kurt used to say that to her about her room. She had been so offended then, but now she couldn't help but think she was crazy back then and holding on to her childhood with her love of bubblegum pink. "Okay, my turn. What's your favorite food?"

"That's easy. Yellow cake with chocolate icing."

"That's not food, Finn! That is desert!"

"I don't care. If I could have one thing everyday for the rest of my life-"

"You would be dead if you aye that everyday!" Rachel interrupted with a giggle. "However, I'll let that slide, because you eat vegetables now." She gave him a huge smile and he returned it.

Finn continued with the questions. "Favorite season?"

"Summer. The last movie you saw in theaters?"

"Wow, it's been a while. I guess it was the second X-Men movie."

Rachel couldn't hide her shock. "You're kidding right? That was nearly 5 years ago!"

He just shrugged and smiled sheepishly. "School has been my whole life for the past 8 years. I never had time to go out, let alone spend money on a movie. Thankfully, I'm done with my residency and can finally work normal hours and make money."

"Well luckily you for you, I love movies and spending money! I'll teach you the ways." Finn smiled at her excitement and couldn't wait for her to do so because that meant he would get to spend more time with her. He watched Rachel yawn and her eyes droop a little, and knew it was time to call it a night.

"As much fun as this is, we should probably head inside and go to bed." Rachel pouted, making Finn chuckle. "We can pick up this interrogation later. I don't want to overwhelm you with all my crazy revelations."

Rachel cracked a smile at Finn and nodded her head. "Fine. Let's go." She gave Finn her hand and he immediately knew what she was asking for. He gently pulled her up and into a great big hug. Rachel smiled against Finn's chest happily. "Mmm, I've missed your hugs, Finn."

He inhaled her beautiful scent and reveled in the feel of her in his arms. No one fit like her tiny body did. "I've missed it too. I've missed you."