It was the following morning and Rachel woke up realising that she was resting on top of her mother. She cringed when she realised that her hand was resting on her mother's breast. She softly moved herself off of her mother and onto the mattress.
Shelby hoped her eyes as she felt the girl move.
"Morning sweetie" Shelby said as she placed her arm around her daughter.
"Is it time to get up?" Rachel asked and Shelby quickly turned around to look at her alarm clock.
"Its 7:30 so I suppose we should get up" Shelby said and Rachel nodded. They quickly stood up and Shelby grabbed a jumper. She only had a flimsy vest top on and didn't fancy going down the stairs in it.
The duo walked into the kitchen and instantly arrived to chaos.
"What's going on in here?" Shelby asked.
"Emily needs to get to school" Sarah said. Shelby had completely forgotten about school, she realised that she would need to call Rachel's school and work out how she was going to get the girl to school.
"What time does Emily's school start?" Shelby asked.
"9:10" Sarah said.
"Can someone drive me to school?" Ellie asked. "I'm going to be late"
"I'll take you" Shelby said.
"But you are in your pyjamas" Ellie complained.
"You can't tell" Shelby said "It's not like I am going to have to get out"
"Rach, do you want to come with me?" Shelby asked and Rachel nodded nervously.
"Come on then" Shelby said as she quickly scrapped her hair into her ponytail.
"Can I get my jumper?" Rachel whispered and Shelby nodded.
"Of course sweetie, be quick" Shelby said and Rachel ran up the stairs.
Shelby and Ellie quickly climbed into the car. Rachel came running down the stairs and panicked when she couldn't find her mom. The tears started and she walked into the kitchen.
"What's wrong Rach?" Elizabeth asked walking over to the girl. Sarah stopped what she was doing and turned to look at her niece.
"I can't find my mom" Rachel cried and Rachel surprised herself and started walking to her aunt. Sarah noticed this and obeyed the girl's commands when she raised her arms up to her.
"She is just in the car, come on let's go and find her" Sarah said as she picked the girl up and placed her on her hip. Sarah walked to the car still carrying the girl. Shelby noticed the girl crying and climbed out the car.
"What's wrong?" Shelby asked as Sarah walked over to her.
"Rachel couldn't find you" Sarah explained and Shelby nodded. Rachel looked up at her mother and put her arms out to her mom. Sarah passed the girl over to Shelby.
"It's okay, I'm here now" Shelby said. "I was just waiting in the car"
Rachel nodded and Shelby rocked the girl until she calmed down a bit before placing her in the back of the car.
"Let's get you to school, El" Shelby said as they drove to Ellie's school. It wasn't too far. Rachel sat in silence the whole time.
"Are you okay, sweetie?" Shelby asked and Rachel nodded but tears were still streaming down her face. They soon arrived at Ellie's school and Ellie got up.
"Thank you Shell" Ellie said before closing the door.
"Hey, sweetie what's the matter" Shelby asked.
"I was just scared" Rachel whispered but Shelby still held her.
"But you found me didn't you?" Shelby said and Rachel nodded.
"But it still scared me" Rachel said.
"Why did it scare you so much?" Shelby asked.
"Because I don't want you to leave me again" Rachel said starting to cry. "I really like living with you"
Shelby's heart broke. She was so relieved when she pulled into her drive and was able to get out and hold her daughter. Shelby pulled the girl into her arms.
"I am never going to leave you baby girl" Shelby said as she carefully stood up making sure that the girl didn't bang her head.
"Let's go inside to my room" Shelby said as she carried her daughter up the stairs. Shelby sat down on the sofa in her bedroom and held the girl close to her. Rachel clung onto her mother, not wanting to let go.
"Are you ready to talk?" Shelby asked and Rachel clung tighter to her mother. Shelby felt her top rise up. At first, she thought to move to fix it but then she felt her daughter's hand against her skin and decided against it.
"Come on, Rach I can't help you unless you speak to me" Shelby explained and Rachel nodded.
"I'm scared that you will leave and I will have to go back to my dad's" Rachel explained.
"Why do you think I will leave you?" Shelby asked.
"Because you will find out what a bad girl I am and leave me" Rachel said.
"I have known you for less than a week but I already know that you are a good girl" Shelby said and Rachel shook her head.
"Why are you a bad girl?" Shelby asked.
"Dad says so" Rachel said "Because I don't clean quickly enough and I'm just naughty"
"You are not naughty Rachel" Shelby said but Rachel just nodded.
"What did Dad do when you were naughty?" Shelby asked and Rachel shrugged.
"Hurt me" She whispered.
"How did he hurt you?" Shelby asked.
"In different ways" She said.
"Can you tell me how?" Shelby asked and Rachel shook her head.
"I'm not allowed" Rachel said.
"You are allowed, it's only me" Shelby said and Rachel looked at her mom.
"How did you get the marks on your back?" Shelby asked.
"Dad" Rachel whispered.
"How did you get these marks?" Shelby asked.
"I can't say" Rachel cried. Shelby rubbed the girl's back encouragingly.
"With a belt" Rachel whispered and Shelby gasped slightly.
"Was that the worst he did?" Shelby asked and Rachel shook her head.
"What else did he do?" Shelby asked. Rachel shook her head again but this time Shelby could see that she was not going to get anything else out of the girl.
"Okay then, but I want you to know that you can speak to me whenever you are ready too" Shelby said and Rachel nodded before snuggling in towards her mother.
"I'm going to phone your school now" Shelby said playing with the girl's hair.
"Why?" Rachel asked.
"I'm just going to explain to them why you were off school and who I am" Shelby explained.
"Please don't tell them" Rachel whispered.
"Don't tell then what?" Shelby asked confused.
"About my dad hurting me" Rachel said nervously.
"I'll need to tell them some things just to ensure that you are safe in school" Shelby explained and Rachel nodded.
"Go and have some breakfast" Shelby said and then walked into the kitchen.
"Do you want some waffles?" Elizabeth asked.
"I think you should just have toast, I don't want you having an upset stomach again" Shelby said to Rachel how sighed but nodded.
"I'll be back in a minute sweetie" Shelby said as she went to phone the elementary school.
"Hello, my name is Shelby Corcoran and I am calling about my daughter Rachel Berry" Shelby said.
"Oh hello Ms Corcoran I am slightly confused seeing as Rachel lives with her father" Mr Cruise explained.
"She previously did but she now lives with me. I have full custody and am her legal guardian" Shelby explained and Mr Cruise nodded.
"Do you mind me asking what happened?" Mr Cruise asked "I assume the CPS are involved"
"They are" Shelby said. "Well it has become clear that Rachel has been neglected and abused by her father since her other father's death. As far as I am aware, they are still looking for Leroy. I live in Dublin and will be bringing Rachel to school every day. Under no circumstances is she to go with anyone other than myself, my mother Elizabeth Corcoran, my father Thomas Corcoran or my sister, Sarah Cosgrove"
"Of course, I will ensure that all staff are aware of this" Mr Cruise explained. "When will Rachel be back at school?"
"I will bring her tomorrow, if that is okay? We can be there for 8:15" Shelby said and Mr Cruise nodded.
"Perfect, just come into the reception and ask for myself" He said and Shelby nodded before hanging up after saying goodbye.
Shelby then quickly called Karen, the CPS officer that had been assigned to Rachel's case. She called her and explained the situation. Karen understood why Shelby needed to get out the city and said she would find a new officer for them but still stay in touch as Shelby had explained that she would be back in New York after the new year.
"Right, you are going to school tomorrow but you need to go and get dressed just now" Shelby said as she walked into the kitchen. Rachel nodded and ran up the stairs. She quickly got changed before going back down the stairs.
"Do you want to go to the grocery store with me?" Thomas asked Rachel. Rachel looked at her mom before nodding.
"Come on then, Rach" Thomas said and Rachel nodded getting up and followed Thomas to the car. She enjoyed doing the shopping with her Papa. She liked him, at first she had been a little scared of him because she didn't really like men but he was different.
"Shall we go out for lunch?" Thomas asked and Rachel nodded.
"We can get a burger" Thomas said and Rachel nodded.
"There is this amazing diner" Thomas said and they parked outside.
"Come on then" Thomas said. They jumped out the car and went to the diner. They got themselves a burger and fries each. Rachel just had the children's portion but it was massive. They were sat eating when Thomas's phone rang.
"It's your mother, you can answer" Thomas said handing Rachel the phone.
"Hi" Rachel said answering the phone.
"Where are you honey?" Shelby asked over the phone.
"We are at a diner, the food is amazing. I haven't had a burger like this before" Rachel said and Shelby groaned.
"Do you know how unhealthy that is, it's pull of fat and grease" Shelby said and Rachel laughed.
"But it's amazing" Rachel said. They talked for a bit longer before hanging up.
"Mom isn't happy with you" Rachel said. "You're in trouble Papa"
"This was meant to be our secret" Thomas said.
"I don't lie to my mama ever" Rachel said and Thomas nodded.
"That's a good thing to do" Thomas said.
"Let's head home now" Thomas said and Rachel nodded. They got into the car and drop back home.
Once they arrived home, they walked into the kitchen and Shelby was sat eating a salad for her lunch.
"See I'm eating something that isn't 1000 calories" Shelby said looking at Thomas.
"How lovely was lunch though, Rach" Thomas said and Rachel nodded. She looked between her mom and papa. She didn't want to upset anyone.
"Don't worry about it, as long as it's just a treat" Shelby said putting her arm around Rachel.
After lunch, Shelby and Rachel went for a walk. Shelby was showing the girl places that matter to her when she was growing up. They walked passed parks and Shelby's old school. Rachel just enjoyed being out and about. She listened to everything that her mom said.
On the walk back to their house, Rachel had quietened down and Shelby could tell something was wrong.
"What's wrong sweetie?" Shelby asked and Rachel looked at her mom worriedly.
"I feel sick" Rachel said tears welling up in her eyes.
"Let's get you home sweetie" Shelby said as she quickened her pace.
"Go to the toilet and see if it makes you feel any better" Shelby said and Rachel nodded. She disappeared to the toilet and when she was away for a while Shelby knocked on the door.
"Are you okay?" Shelby asked.
"Yeah, I'll be out in a minute" Rachel said and Shelby nodded before going to sit down.
A couple of minutes later Rachel walked out, Shelby opened her arms for the girl to climb into.
"I have a sore stomach" Rachel mumbled to her mom.
"Oh sweetie, it's probably the beef burger because you haven't really eaten any red meat" Shelby explained holding the girl.
"Do you feel sick?" Shelby asked and Rachel shook her head.
"It hurts my bum" Rachel whispered embarrassed.
"I know sweetie, I'll get you some medicine" Shelby said rocking the girl close to her. She waited until the girl calmed down before getting up to raid her mother's medicine cabinet.
"What are you looking for?" Elizabeth asked.
"Rachel has a sore stomach" Shelby said looking through the medicine.
"What type of sore stomach?" Elizabeth asked.
"Diarrhoea" Shelby said and Elizabeth nodded.
"I think it is because Dad let her have beef" Shelby said and Elizabeth nodded.
"Did she not have a good diet with her dad" Elizabeth asked.
"She literally had bread and some chicken but that is it" Shelby said.
Elizabeth nodded and Shelby grabbed the medicine that her mother held in front of her. She quickly read the information and worked out how much to give the girl.
"Have some of this sweetie" Shelby said giving the girl the syringe. Rachel did what her mother asked.
It wasn't long before Sarah and Emily returned.
"Rachel can we go and play?" Emily asked and Rachel looked at her mom.
"Go on then sweetie" Shelby said and the two of them ran to the playroom.
"Why don't you call Auntie Shelby mom?" Emily asked and Rachel shrugged her shoulder.
"But she is your mum isn't she?" Emily asked and Rachel nodded. Emily was very confused.
They played for a bit longer before going to the dining room as they smelt food.
Rachel instantly sat down next to her mother.
"Where is Ellie?" Sarah asked.
"She is at maths revision but I would have thought that she would have been home now" Elizabeth explained. She didn't have the best relationship with her youngest daughter at the moment. She found that she got on a lot better with the older girls once they moved out.
"That girl just does her own thing" Thomas complained.
Once they finished, Rachel and Emily jumped down to go and play. They ran into the play room and Shelby giggled at the girls.
All the adults walked to the living room and sat down to chat.
"Can someone send Ellie a text please?" Elizabeth asked and Shelby nodded grabbing her phone. She quickly texted her sister but just as she sent it, the door slammed open and they saw a glimpse of Ellie.
"Nice of you to say hello Ellie" Thomas shouted behind her.
"I'll go and check on her" Shelby said walking up the stairs. She knocked on her sister's door.
"Go away" Ellie shouted. Shelby ignored her sister and opened the door anyway. She was slightly surprised to see her sister sitting in a green and black cheerleading uniform with tears streaming down her face.
"Hey, what's up?" Shelby asked sitting on the bed. Ellie didn't say anything.
"I didn't know you were a cheerleader" Shelby said.
"Don't tell Mom or Dad" Ellie said.
"Why don't they know?" Shelby asked.
"I didn't know how they would react. You know what they are like, they just want me to be involved in something academic and I don't like that. I know that they didn't support you as they could have with your music and I didn't want the same thing to happen to me" Ellie said and Shelby nodded.
"I understand, but things have changed since then. I'm sure they wouldn't mind" Shelby explained and Ellie sighed.
"It's easy to just keep it hidden" Ellie explained.
"I think you should speak to mom and dad about this" Shelby said and Ellie shrugged.
"I'll do it later" Ellie said.
"Okay, now why the tears?" Shelby asked as she sat back on the bed with Ellie.
"It doesn't matter" Ellie said brushing the tears away.
"Oh, if it's enough to make you cry it does matter" Shelby explained. Having her sister there just made Ellie burst. She started crying and then she couldn't stop.
"Oh sweetie" Shelby said pulling her sister into her arms. She had done this a lot. She loved the girl a lot and Ellie could always talk to Shelby about anything and she did.
"Calm down baby" Shelby said and Ellie held onto her sister.
"Please, Ellie you are starting to scare me now" Shelby said as she tried to move her sister's brown hair from her face.
"I was stupid, Shell" Ellie said crying even more.
"What happened?" Shelby asked. "El, please"
"I had sex with Jackson" Ellie cried and Shelby sighed.
"Oh baby" Shelby said as she moved down to be more comfortable. She just held the girl until she had calmed down and they could speak.
"Now, are you ready to speak?" Shelby asked and Ellie shrugged.
"Els, it's up to you. You can either be grown up about this and speak to me or you will have to speak to Mom" Shelby explained and Ellie sighed before sitting up slightly.
"Good girl, so have you just come back from his?" Shelby asked and Ellie nodded.
"What made you do it?" Shelby asked.
"For different reasons" Ellie said and Shelby just looked at her hinting for more.
"I, just well I wanted to prove to you that I wasn't a baby. Everyone treats me like a baby. It's like they expect me to play with Emily, I am 16 years old now. I just feel so left out, I thought that if I did this then it might I could be involved in more conversations that you and Sarah have" Ellie explained.
"I'm so sorry, you felt that way" Shelby said and Ellie wiped her off.
"Then at school, they made me Co-caption for sophomores and they were putting pressure on me. They just assumed I wasn't a virgin. I wanted to do it, prove to them" Ellie said.
"Oh you silly girl" Shelby said pulling the girl into her arms.
"Els, I know that sex is made out to be nothing in high school but it is something. It's so important, I understand now that you are upset and I hope that you consider who you are feeling just now in the future" Shelby explained and Ellie nodded.
"I'm never having sex again, it hurt so much" Ellie said cringing. Shelby too felt slightly uncomfortable but didn't say anything at least Ellie felt she could speak to her.
"Oh baby you will, once you find someone you really love and want to spend the rest of your life with you will have sex again. And it will feel completely different and be amazing" Shelby said and Ellie nodded.
"It might hurt a bit but you will be overcome with love that you won't notice" Shelby said and Ellie nodded. They sat in silence for a minute before Ellie spoke.
"Is it normal, you know to bleed?" Ellie asked nervously and Shelby nodded.
"It can be, I would suggest you wear a pad though instead of a tampon because you will be feeling quite sensitive down there" Shelby said and Ellie nodded before allowing her sister to old her more.
"I love you baby and thank you for talking to me. I promise it is better having this conversation with me than mom" Shelby explained and Ellie nodded.
"Right, come to my living room and we can have a girly night" Shelby said and Ellie nodded. They walked out the room and Shelby disappeared to get a drink and sweets while Ellie went to Shelby's room.
"Is Ellie okay?" Elizabeth asked and Shelby nodded.
"She is going to be fine" Shelby said. "Sarah, do you want to come up to my room to watch a film?"
Sarah nodded confused at first but went to help her sister.
"What's going on with Els?" Sarah asked.
"Come with me" Shelby said and Sarah nodded. They got drinks and sweets before heading up to the room. They went into the room and Ellie had the duvet ready for them.
"Someone care to explain to me what is going on?" Sarah asked sitting down next to Ellie. Shelby got in the duvet at the other side.
"Someone has been feeling a little left out and I was thinking that we should show her that we understand she isn't a baby" Shelby said. "We don't want you getting upset again and making a silly mistake, do we?"
Ellie shook her head.
"What did you do?" Sarah asked. Ellie looked at Shelby.
"You can tell her if you want" Shelby said and Ellie looked down.
"Els" Sarah said.
"I had sex with Jackson" Ellie said.
"What, Ellie? I thought that was just some silly little fling" Sarah said.
"I'm sorry okay" Ellie said.
"It's okay, we spoke about it" Shelby said and both girls nodded.
They watched a film before realising the time.
"God, I better get Rachel ready for bed." Shelby said.
"I better head home" Sarah said. They all disappeared to their different destinations.
"Come on, Rach bed time" Shelby said and Rachel nodded. Rachel was tired now, she got into Shelby's room and quickly changed before jumping into bed.
"I'm away to go and see Nana and Papa for a bit before going to bed" Shelby explained and Rachel nodded.
Shelby went down the stairs and sat with her parents for a while. Her parents asked about Ellie but Shelby just explained that everything was sorted now. She was not going to tell her parents what had happened she knew that Ellie would be mortified.
"Right I'm going to bed" Shelby said an hour later. She went up the stairs and as expected Rachel was sleeping. Shelby snuggled up with her daughter and drifted into a calm sleep.
Please review! I can see that people are reading it and I would really appreciate if I could get some reviews. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Next chapter we will find out more about how Rachel was treated by her father.