Thanks for the reviews on Chapter 17. I got less than usual, but I appreciated the ones I did get! This episode is a great one for Finchel, so it was fun to write this chapter, also because I feel like there was some stuff we didn't see! Plus it has one of my favorite Finn solos :) Hope you enjoy it and review if you want me to keep going!
Chapter 18: Laryngitis
Rachel was so annoyed right now.
She'd been suspicious she did most of the singing, but she had no idea she was the only one singing! She hadn't heard many other voices in the choir room lately, so she'd gotten Lauren Zizes, the AV club president who she had a few classes with, to sneak small microphones into the choir room to see who was singing - and who wasn't. It turned out that most of the glee club members had just been mouthing.
Rachel wasn't feeling well, but she was still singing, and she was going to show how devoted she was to Mr. Schue. Before glee club that day, Rachel got to the classroom early to show Mr. Schue how hard she was working and how hard everyone else wasn't working. She held up the vitamins she was taking for her sore throat.
"Um... Wait, what are these?" Mr. Schue asked.
"My vitamin supplements," Rachel said. "I'm taking them three times a day. I'm exhausted. I even felt a tickle in the back of my throat, and I never get sick."
"Well, I just don't understand why you're so tired all of a sudden," Mr. Schue said.
"Because every song I sing in here is a solo," Rachel said. "As you know, I have perfect pitch, which also means I have a very sensitive ear. None of them were singing. I knew I needed proof, so I had a little talk with Lauren Zizes, president of the AV club. I discovered almost everyone was just lip synching." She handed Mr. Schue the list of people who no sounds had come out of. "Here are the glee club members who are not pulling their weight."
Mr. Schue looked at the list. "This is half the club."
When glee club began later that day, Mr. Schue told the group about Rachel's discovery. "I am very disappointed in you guys."
Finn looked at Rachel. "Can't believe you narced on us."
Rachel did feel bad for upsetting Finn. "Don't get mad at me for exposing your laziness. I'm tired of carrying all of your weight. Regionals is in a month, guys."
"I'm just trying to understand what's going on here. Finn, why did you stop singing?" Mr. Schue asked.
"Cause you started giving all the male leads to Jesse. It kind of shook my confidence, you know?" Finn said. Rachel understood. She missed Finn getting the male leads. Luckily, since Jesse was out of town, maybe there was hope for a song with Finn this week.
"What difference does it make? Everyone knows that my job here is to look hot," Santana said.
"My baby hormones are making me moody," Quinn said.
"There are so many lyrics," Brittany said.
"A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. A glee club is about a myriad of voices coming together as one. All right? This ends now. Which is why your assignment for the week is for each of you to come up with a song that best represents how you see yourself, where you are in your lives right now. Your voice. Then you're going to stand up here and sing your hearts out. All of you," Mr. Schue said.
"Solos? In front of everyone?" Kurt asked.
"The Glee Club has lost its voice. It's time for us to get it back," Mr. Schue said.
x
Finn was glad for a distraction after school today. Burt had gotten a pair of tickets to the Reds game and was taking Finn. Finn had never been to a major league game, so that alone was exciting. His mom had never been interested in taking him to major sports events. Burt had told him Kurt always just talked about the way the athletes were dressed when he watched games, so this was good for him too.
On the car ride to Cincinnati, Finn couldn't stop thinking about Rachel. Yes, she'd hurt him by being with Jesse, making the video and exposing that the glee club wasn't singing, but he still wasn't mad at her. This was a difference. When Quinn had lied to him about the baby's paternity, he wanted nothing to do with her. Granted, the things Rachel did were pretty minor, but...
"Are you okay, Finn?" Burt asked. "You're being pretty quiet."
"Hey, can I talk to you about something?" Finn asked Burt.
"Of course," Burt said.
"There's this girl at school and I really like her," Finn said. "Lots of other people don't like her, but I really like her. She's so nice and so pretty and so talented and I always find myself happy and comfortable when I'm with her. I think she likes me too, but she's with another boy. At least I think she is, they aren't talking right now..." He couldn't believe he'd said all that.
"Who is she?" Burt asked. "Do you think I might have heard about her from Kurt?"
Finn knew Kurt didn't have the best opinion of Rachel. "Her name is Rachel, she's in the glee club with Kurt and me. I know Kurt doesn't like her much because she gets lots of the solos, but she's a really great girl. Lots of people don't just give her a chance."
"I see," Burt said. "Does Rachel know how you feel about her?"
"Yeah," Finn said. "Like I said, I know she feels the same way about me, but her boyfriend's in the way and since he switched schools and everything to be with her, I think she feels obligated to be with him, like how I felt obligated to be with Quinn when I thought she was having my baby."
"Oh, I see," Burt said. "Look, you're a really great guy, Finn. I'd spend as much time with Rachel as possible. Be a friend to her. Hopefully then she'll realize that you like her."
With Jesse gone, this week was the perfect opportunity to spend more time with Rachel. "The boy she's dating is a real ass," Finn said. "He's really rude to everyone in the glee club and thinks he's better than all of us."
"Is it the one who transferred from that really famous glee club?" Burt asked.
"Yup," Finn said. "He's always using these bizarre words and trying to make a show out of himself. Rachel deserves better."
"Don't give up on her," Burt said.
"I won't," Finn said. Then he thought out loud. "Thanks for talking to me about this. Sometimes it can be tough not having a dad, you know?" As much as he loved his mom, he couldn't talk to her about girl issues.
"It can be hard for Kurt not having a mom, too," Burt said.
x
Rachel was feeling even worse the next day, so she figured she might as well perform her song today to get it done. When she arrived at Glee, Mr. Schue said, "All right, guys. Let's get things started."
"As I was first on the sign-up sheet, I'll kick things off," Rachel said. Her throat was hurting more and more.
"Okay," Mr. Schue agreed.
"I have chosen Miley Cyrus' The Climb, because it's about overcoming obstacles and beating the odds. In my case, the obstacle is you, my lackluster teammates who refuse to carry their own weight," Rachel said. As she began to sing, she noticed how bad she sounded. It was getting harder and harder for her to sing and her throat was feeling worse and worse.
Rachel: I can almost see it
That dream I'm dreaming
But there's a voice inside my head saying
"You'll never reach it"
Every step I'm taking
Every move I make feels lost with no direction
My faith is shaking
But I gotta keep trying
Gotta keep my head held high...
Before she even got to the chorus, Rachel couldn't do it anymore. Mr. Schue came over to her. "Rachel, I think you've lost your voice."
Losing her voice? That couldn't happen! The only reason people were sometimes not mean to her was because of her voice. Without her voice, she'd have no safe place, nothing to fall back on.
x
Finn followed Rachel out of the choir room that day. "Rachel, are you okay?"
Rachel looked at Finn. "My throat's been sore lately."
"Do you think you have an infection?" Finn asked.
"Maybe," Rachel said. "I'll go to the doctor after school." She was croaking more and more. "My dads are out of town on business... could you come with me? I don't want to go alone."
"Of course," Finn said. This was an opportunity to spend more time with her. And Jesse wasn't being here for her right now.
Rachel didn't talk much on the way to the doctor's office, but Finn didn't mind. She probably wanted to rest her throat. When they checked in at the doctor, Finn told the doctor that he was Rachel's brother so they'd let him into the room with her. The doctor took a few tests and then left the room, leaving Finn and Rachel there. When the doctor was gone, Rachel turned to Finn. "What if he says I'll never sing again? I mean, who am I without my voice? I'm just this spoiled, annoying only child..."
Finn hated it when Rachel put herself down. "Don't say that. There's, like, so many awesome things about you."
"Like?" Rachel asked.
"Look, he's not gonna say you'll never sing again," Finn said. Then he realized that was a mistake. He should have named some things. Now Rachel probably thought there really was nothing great about her besides her voice. Before Finn could say anything, the doctor came in. "Bad news, Rachel, you'll probably never sing again."
Rachel looked panicked. "I'm kidding," the doctor said. "You have severe tonsillitis, which has resulted in an inner ear infection. From the looks of things, it's not the first time. You should have had them out years ago."
"Why should I let you butcher my throat, when just resting my voice for a week and chugging down herbal tea will do the same job?" Rachel said, looking nervous.
"This is a very serious infection," the doctor said.
Finn tried to help. "I think she's worried about the surgery affecting her singing voice."
The doctor started writing a prescription. "At least start by taking these antibiotics. Unless you think they're going to adversely affect your dance moves."
When the doctor left, Rachel turned to Finn. "What do you think I should do?"
"Maybe you should ask your boyfriend," Finn retorted. "Oh, wait, you can't. He's not here."
"He's in San Diego on spring break with his friends from Vocal Adrenaline," Rachel said.
Of course Finn knew that. "When are you gonna realize that he's not into you like I am? You think he's gonna stick around if you can't sing? If you're a vocal cripple?"
Rachel looked like she knew what Finn knew - Jesse wouldn't stick around. "Look, I know that you've always been jealous of Jesse. And even though he and I haven't spoken since the Run Joey Run debacle, you just have to accept the fact that I still care about him deeply. And I know he still feels the same way about me."
They hadn't spoken? This was even better! Finn watched Rachel change through the curtains and told her to rest her voice on the ride home. He had the perfect song in mind for their Glee assignment - and he was going to perform it tomorrow.
x
Finn decided to perform his song as soon as Glee practice started the next day. He played the drums for part of it and looked at Rachel the whole time - and she looked pretty turned on.
Finn: Jessie is a friend
Yeah, I know he's been a good friend of mine
But lately something's changed that ain't hard to define
Jessie's got himself a girl and I want to make her mine
And she's watching him with those eyes
And she's loving him with that body I just know it
And he's holding her in his arms late at night
You know, I wish that I had Jessie's girl
Wish that I had Jessie's girl
Where can I find a woman like that
I play along with the charade
There doesn't seem to be a reason to change
You know, I feel so dirty when they start talking cute
I wanna tell her that I love her
But the point is probably moot
Cause she's watching him with those eyes,
And she's loving him with that body I just know it,
And he's holding her in his arms late at night
You know, I wish that I had Jessie's girl
I wish that I had Jessie's girl
Where can I find a woman like that
Like Jessie's girl
I wish that I had Jessie's girl
Where can I find a woman
Where can I find a woman like that
And I'm looking in the mirror all the time
Wondering what she don't see in me
I've been funny, I've been cool with the lines
Ain't that the way love supposed to be
Tell me, where can I find a woman like that!
You know, I wish that I had Jessie's girl
I wish that I had Jessie's girl
I want Jessie's girl
Where can I find a woman like that
Like Jessie's girl,
I wish that I had Jessie's girl,
I want I want Jessie's girl
At the end of Finn's song, Mr. Schue came up to him and patted his back. "Nice work! Now that is the kind of soul-exposing song I was talking about. We should all be inspired by Finn's bravery. Good job, buddy."
Finn smirked at Rachel, and she gave him a small smile back. Finn went and sat near Rachel as Puck came down to perform his song.
x
Rachel wasn't feeling any better. Sometimes she could talk, but she told Finn that it was pretty painful to talk. Today she looked terrible. Her hair was a mess, and she was having a bowl of cereal in the hall. Finn went up to her. "Are you, like, sleepwalking?"
"You have to be able to sleep to sleepwalk. I am on my third day of antibiotics, and I am not getting any better, which means, I'm going to have to have that surgery, which means, my life is over," Rachel croaked.
Finn wished Rachel would realize she was so much more than her voice. "Don't you think you're being a little dramatic, I mean, even for you? God, I'm so sick of you feeling sorry for yourself."
"Why don't you get it? I am my voice. I am like Tinkerbell, Finn. I need applause to live," Rachel croaked.
An idea came to Finn's mind. He was visiting his friend Sean after school today, and Sean could probably help Rachel put things in perspective. "I got a friend I want you to meet."
"Another doctor?" Rachel asked. "I've seen six already."
"No. No. He's an old friend of mine," Finn said.
x
After school, Finn and Rachel drove to Sean's house. Again, Rachel was being quiet, but Finn understood. She wanted to save her voice. They got out of the car and knocked on the door and Sean's mom came to the door. "Hi Mrs. Fretthold. This is Rachel," Finn said.
Sean's mom looked at Rachel. "Pretty. Uh, I'll tell Sean you're here. I'm sorry it's such a mess. I've been on the phone to the insurance company all day."
Finn lead Rachel into the house. "Oh, no, that's fine."
Rachel noticed a photo of Sean from before his accident. "Is this him?"
Finn decided to wait until they got to Sean's room for Rachel to find out that it was how Sean USED to be. "Yeah. We met at football camp a couple years ago."
Sean's mom came to see Finn and Rachel. "He's ready for you."
Finn lead Rachel into Sean's room. Sean perked up when he saw Finn. "Fab-five-Finnster!"
Finn helped Sean with a fist bump. "Fretter!"
Sean looked at Rachel. "This the hottie you were telling me about?"
Finn was slightly embarrassed. Yes, he'd told Sean about Rachel, but he didn't expect Sean to say that. "Yeah. Sean Fretthold, Rachel Berry. Rachel, Sean."
"Got a boyfriend, Rachel?" Sean asked.
Rachel looked uncomfortable. "Um... Sort of."
"Sort of?" Sean asked. "Sounds like I got a shot."
"I don't understand; this isn't funny," Rachel said.
"Sorry," Sean said. "They make me see a shrink. He says I compensate with humor. Third game of the season, right after I met the Finnster, this Yeti of a fullback breaks through the line. I hear a crack, next thing I know, I'm lying on the ground saying to myself, "Get up, get up," but nothing was working, you know?"
"Sean was a C4," Finn told Rachel.
"Paralyzed from the upper chest down," Sean added.
"I'm so sorry," Rachel said softly.
"Finn says your voice is messed up. Is it going to come back?" Sean asked.
"I don't, I don't, I don't know," Rachel stuttered.
"Pissed off about what you lost? I was. Like, real... rage. I used to just lie in bed and scream," Sean said.
Finn could tell Rachel was embarrassed for being so upset about her voice. "Finn shouldn't have brought me here. I'm so sorry."
Finn tried to make Rachel more comfortable. "Wait, wait, wait. Just... Tell her about what happened when they gave you the chair."
"They were all excited because I could drive it myself by blowing in that tube. The second they left me alone... I drove it into the swimming pool," Sean said.
"His mom pulled him out when she heard the splash," Finn added.
"I don't understand. Are you trying to tell me that you're happier now?" Rachel asked.
"Hell, no. I'm miserable," Sean said. "I miss my body. I miss my life. I miss my friends. I miss girls. But I've realized, over time, that I've got other stuff going on. I'm more than just one thing. You know I'm good at math? Seriously. I flew through Calc I in like two months. And I can sing."
"He's actually pretty good," Finn said.
"I used to sing in the shower, in the car... I didn't have the balls to try out for my school's club like Finn did. That pissed me off more than anything. What the hell was I afraid of?" Sean asked.
Sean's mom came in. "Sorry, guys, time for physical therapy."
"Later, dude," Finn told his friend. "I'll come by in a few weeks."
"I'll be here," Sean said.
Rachel looked at Sean. "Thanks."
"For what?" Sean asked.
"Just, um... thanks," Rachel said softly. Finn led Rachel out of the room and back to the car.
"So, it can get a lot worse than losing your voice, can't it?" Finn asked.
"Yeah," Rachel whispered. "I am feeling a little better... but he can't."
"He was a really great player," Finn said. "He's a year above us, so he would be looking at football scholarships now, but he can't."
"It's not right," Rachel said.
"It isn't," Finn agreed. "And Rachel - the other day at the doctor's office, I made a mistake."
"What?" Rachel asked. "I really appreciated you being there."
Finn felt relieved. What had upset him hadn't bothered her? "When you asked me what were some of the awesome things about you besides your voice, I didn't answer right away. You're so much fun to be around and I can talk to you about anything. Whenever I'm with you, I feel so comfortable and so happy. You never fail to make me smile and you're a really good friend. And you're just gorgeous."
"Thanks," Rachel said. "I really liked your song the other day."
"I mean every word of it," Finn said. "Does Jesse even know about your voice?"
"I've tried texting and calling him, but he won't call or text me back," Rachel said.
Finn couldn't believe what a jerk Jesse was being. He wanted to tell Rachel that she should just dump Jesse for him, but he knew that wasn't his place.
x
A few days later, Rachel's voice had come back thanks to antibiotics, drinks and resting her voice, but she had someone to thank. Finn had given her Sean's address, so she decided to go over to help him with something that he'd seemed interested in. Sean's mom was surprised to see her, but happy. She led him up to Sean's room, and Rachel went in.
"Finn with you?" Sean asked.
"No, I came by myself. Is that okay?" Rachel asked.
"Yeah," Sean said.
"I just wanted to say thank you," Rachel said. "For showing me that just because I'm not good at anything other than singing doesn't mean I'm not any good if I can't sing. That sounded like a really bad greeting card.:
"No. It was cool," Sean said.
"Well, anyways, I... I just thought I could maybe return the favor. I thought I could give you singing lessons. It sort of seemed like an area of interest for you. I'll come by, like, once a week or something, and we could just see how it goes? I've-I've helped almost everyone in our glee club, some by brute force, but..." Rachel said.
"So, your voice came back," Sean said.
"Turns out that a heroic dose of antibiotics and a mysterious blend of herbal remedies and a vow of silence is all it takes to cure tonsillitis, so... I'll probably have to have my tonsils taken out eventually, but I'm not scared anymore," Rachel said.
"Uh, so... do you want to give it a spin now?" Sean asked.
"Sing with you? Yeah. Yeah, I'd be honored," Rachel said.
Sean looked next to his bed. "Come here. Take my hand?"
Rachel sat next to the bed and took Sean's hand. "Can you feel that?"
"No. But it's weird. I remember what it feels like, and I can see it, so... It's like I can," Sean said.
Rachel smiled. Sean and Finn had helped her realize she was more than just her voice, so she wanted to help them how she could.
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