"Miss Mitchell, how do you plan to provide for your daughter?" Beca heard the social worker's question, but she was focused on her daughter's little fingers playing with hers and the scent of baby lotion wafting from her hair.
She had managed to make it to the appointment on time. Seeing Lucy in the social worker's arms, her anger dissipated.
"Miss Mitchell? Beca?" The musician took her eyes off her daughter to finally look at Mrs Olivarez and her top-of-the-class airs. The woman was wearing a dark gray slim-fit suit and was taking notes in a notebook. She seemed to have Latin origins, by her name but also by the color of her skin. She was thin with long jet-black hair. She was responsible for assessing whether Beca could take care of Lucy, whether the child got along well with her mother and, above all, whether Beca knew how to remain calm in all circumstances.
Social services needed to make sure that Beca's violent behavior on her record was nothing but a punctual event in the past. Beca was ready to prove that she was never violent.
"Sorry. I was elsewhere. Her hands are so soft." Beca said, focus already evaporating and spilling over to the child in her lap.
"Beca, can you answer the question, please?"
"Yes, I... I will do everything in my power so that she doesn't lack of anything."
"I see. It's nothing precise, Miss Mitchell."
Beca watched the assistant write a sentence in her notebook with pursed was not the time to get took a deep breath.
"Listen, I'm still a student. You know my situation, you read my file. You also know that my parents will vouch for us both while I finish my studies. And I have a job, I work on the university radio after classes."
"The problem is that you are legally an adult and in this state, nothing obliges your parents to support you during your studies after you reach the age of majority. Your parents could very well sign the papers and kick you out the day after signing the judgment."
Beca then understood that she couldn't rely on these arguments but she was ready to do anything to get Lucy back.
"Okay, then I'll quit school and find a full-time job that pays enough to support her." Beca's determination moved Maria Olivarez who smiled kindly at her.
"We're not asking you to change your plans that much, Beca."
"So tell me, what would be enough for me to get my daughter back?"
Little Lucy chose this moment to start crying. It was nap time, after all, and she hadn't planned on missing that in her already busy baby schedule. Beca turned her around and saw Lucy rubbing her eyes with her little fists. She gave her the purple pacifier that had been lying on the table and placed the elephant-shaped stuffed animal between her body and Lucy's cheek. Beca began to rock her, whispering against her forehead a song inaudible to the ears of the social worker who was smiling in front of the scene.
"Do you have her stroller?" Beca whispered after a while, Lucy dozing in her arms. Maria nodded and went to get the stroller which was the only real equipment the child's father had bought.
The assistant thought back to the place where she had picked up little Lucy. She did not understand how the situation could have degenerated to the point of seeing a child placed in the hands of justice. She watched young Beca place her child delicately in the stroller then bring her closer to her chair to continue rocking her once she was seated. The social worker was surprised at how innate it was for Beca to take care of the baby. Most of the time, her job was to remove children from their homes because they were unhappy there.
"You know, Beca, my mission here is to assess whether you are capable of taking care of Lucy, in all possible ways. Financially, but also in terms of space. I know you live in a shared house. I would like to learn more about this house and the people who live there."
"Um, well, they're my teammates. I'm part of a singing group and I live with my team. There are only girls and they are all my friends. There would be room for Lucy. The house is very big. But I don't know if supporting a baby is for everyone so if I have to, I'll move" Beca explained as explicitly as possible, her attention divided between what Maria Olivarez was writing and Lucy who was now sleeping peacefully.
"OK very good. There is no real binding point on this subject since you have stipulated that you can move."
Beca nodded vaguely then got up to move Lucy into the living room, so they wouldn't disturb her. When she returned, she pulled her chair closer to the table and folded her hands.
"You know it, you know your file as well as I do. My mission is therefore also to assess whether you are a danger to Lucy." Maria saw Beca tense at the mention of her violent past.
"I would like you to tell me what happened in that hospital room a year ago."
"For what ? It's already on the file. And I've already been judged for that" Beca noted dryly, not wanting to relive that moment. The assistant saw Beca flinching so she decided to lay her cards on the table.
"I'm on your side, Beca. Most of the time I take children away from their parents because they are terrible. I picked Lucy up from her father, saw what she was living in. And I can swear to you that I have hardly seen better in my career. There are more children being abused than we think. But, you, I know you don't play. You don't pretend with Lucy. You love her, it shows. But I need to be one hundred percent sure. My job is to protect her above all else. So I would love to hear your side of the story."
Beca had tears in her eyes after the words of this woman she was talking to for the first time. She had seen her dozens of times, from afar, taking care of Lucy, teaching her to walk in the park, showing her the leaves that fall when autumn arrives. She then understood that Maria Olivarez was the first good person Lucy had known. Her father hadn't known how to deal with her and Beca had fought with the law for a year to manage to have this discussion. A year during which her daughter was held prisoner in the hands of a sociopath.
The brunette sniffed roughly and stood up. She leaned on the table with both hands.
"Do you want a coffee? It's going to be a bit long."
Maria Olivarez agreed with a smile.
She could see that Beca wanted to be a good mother. She just needed the elements justifying it in her file. And Maria was ready to register them if she was convinced with all her being that the child would be safe.
Beca arrived at the hospital all her daughter again, being able to touch her, smell her, talk to this had reestablished joy of life and determination in her was more important now than getting Lucy had had a hard time seeing Lucy leave but Maria Olivarez had assured her that she would take care of her properly and that she would do her best so that Beca could see her more often, at least during the judgment.
When Beca arrived at Chloe's room, her friend's parents were chatting with Aubrey in front of the open door. When she walked to them, they fell silent. Aubrey looked Beca up and down, looking annoyed.
"Did I miss something?" Beca asked, wondering why she deserved so much attention.
"No, nothing new. Chloe's parents are leaving for Chicago tonight" Aubrey informed her. Beca's gaze turned to the couple with their faces still closed. What kind of parent leaves when their child is in the hospital? Plus, she remembered that they lived in Florida. Beca pushed her thoughts aside. At least she could come and go without worrying about what they would think and, anyway, Chloe wouldn't want to see them, apparently.
"Mr. and Mrs. Beale, I wish you a good flight." Beca addressed the couple with a polite bow of her head.
She watched them leave, Aubrey tense at her side. When they were out of sight, she took Aubrey by the arm.
"I need to talk to you" Beca said, dragging her struggling ex-captain into the stairwell.
As in most hospitals, only the nursing staff used the stairs and that was to Beca's advantage as she didn't want an audience for the discussion she wanted to have with Aubrey.
"You're hurting me, Beca!"
"Can I know what happened between your speech last night and this afternoon, when we spoke on the phone?"
Aubrey stared at her with wide eyes.
She obviously didn't expect to be confronted like this. Her silence annoyed Beca who pinched her nose.
"Listen, Chloe is important to me, as she is to all of us. You can't pretend you don't know. But I also have important things to take care of. My life doesn't just revolve around the Bellas." Her last sentence was the straw that broke the camel for Aubrey.
"That's precisely the problem. Last night you gave me a whole speech about how Chloe is the only one interested in you so I tell myself that I screwed up, that I didn't trust you enough as captain and look where that leads us when I trust you! We haven't seen you all day! You were supposed to take a shower and come back. What happened next? A meteorite fell on your turntables?!"
"No, I had an appointment. I had forgotten with everything that happened..."
"Ah, you forgot!You know who probably forgot? Chloe! The doctors don't know the state of her memory or if her language will be the same when she wakes up!" Beca was was was going to get over couldn't be couldn't forget the Bellas and all their memories.
"You lied ! You told me there was nothing new!"
"Because there isn't! She's not waking up, Beca! And you disappeared while we were worried. We even imagined another accident and that it would all start again for you! You forgot how to use your phone too? And then, where were you? What was so important that you were unreachable for an entire afternoon?"
Aubrey was furious. She was tired of beating around the bush and this time, Chloe wasn't there to act as a buffer. On both sides, the limits were exceeded. Beca was ready to break down. She missed her daughter. She missed Chloe. She missed her life from before. She wanted everything to end. Pause. The silence. Let the world stop for a moment or three years so she could take the time to swallow and digest everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours.
"Stop, Aubrey" The brunette warned, her head in her hands.
"No, it's too easy! We worry about you, we wait. And you, you live your little life without realizing that people care about you! So where were you this afternoon?"
"Stop, I'm telling you. It was a meeting."
"A meeting for what, Beca? Which meeting is more important than your friends? What meeting can't be canceled when your best friend is in a coma? Tell me !"
"I can not tell you !"
"Of course you can, Beca! You don't WANT to say it, it's different!"
"Obviously I don't want to tell you because you'll judge me! Because that's what you do all the time! No one is ever good enough for you!"
"It's wrong ! Stop being stubborn! Tell me what's wrong! We're all worried! Why do you stay so stubborn like that?"
"You don't worry, you just want to prove that you're right. Because I know I'm a failure! I don't need you to figure that out!"
Aubrey was had never seen Beca like had realized the day before that she actually looked like she thought that way but in no way did she think badly of expected a lot, she knew it and her own stress played on her emotions but she was the older of the had to get Beca back on the line and make her understand that she had just been worried all day about not seeing the brunette come back and that she was tired of seeing her haunted by her secrets.
"Ok, stop" Aubrey said, calmer, her hands in surrender. The blonde stepped back and leaned against the wall then ran her hands over her face while blowing.
"You know, all I want is for you all to be safe and happy. We all see how you suffer, you are devoured by what you hide and even now, I thought I saw you implode. You try as best you can to hide that things aren't okay but it's beyond you, Beca. Let us help you. Let me listen to you. No judgement, I promise."
The brunette looked up at her with misty eyes. She was more than tired of crying for a yes or a no. But Aubrey was right, she was quickly reaching her limit. She was going to explode with everything she had inside of her. Beca stood there, arms hanging and tears streaming. Aubrey watched her without knowing if she could approach or if, on the contrary, she should keep her distance.
"Stress doesn't work for us. Both of us are alike in that. We manage our emotions very poorly. That's why I can tell it's not okay." Aubrey explained, approaching slowly. Beca sniffed without moving. She stared at her shoes.
"Yes, but you have your perfect little life. You judge everyone because you can. There's not even a crease on your blouse even though I'm sure it's the same one as yesterday." Beca pointed out. Aubrey looked down at her blouse and smiled. Indeed, she had slept very little and had put on her outfit from the day before. She wanted to be with Chloe as quickly as possible.
"You have a stain on your shoulder and I'm not judging you. Your life is no worse than mine for that." Aubrey pointed.
Beca held out her t-shirt to see the stain on her was knew it because that was what Lucy had snacked on before chuckled, shaking her was going to have to get used to having her clothes full of stains that wouldn't come she couldn't have dreamed of anything better.A lot of things were going to change and she was going to have to trust at least one person so as not to completely lose control by trying to outdo herself.
"Do you know what that is on my shoulder?" Beca said, suddenly looking serious, staring blankly. She didn't really see Aubrey shrug.
She thought about the social worker's words. She had to trust the people around her because they will be the only ones able to support and understand her.
"It's applesauce."
There was a blank.
Aubrey cleared her throat, a little confused by the direction the discussion was taking.
"All right. And?"
"Would you judge me if I told you it was a baby who left it there?"
Aubrey opened her eyes wide and began to wonder what she was getting herself into.
"So you volunteer in a daycare? Seriously, Beca, was it that important?"
"What ? No. This baby, this little girl, is mine. I saw my eleven-month-old daughter just now."
Aubrey stuck her pinky in her ear. She must have heard wrong.
"Can you say that again?" She asked, leaning in as if that would help.
"I have a daughter, Aubrey. I saw her for the second time today. I hadn't held her in my arms for over a year." The blonde walked over and took Beca's face in her hands.
"You're delirious, I think. Or you lie very well." Beca's eyes analyzed every feature on Aubrey's face. She could see in her eyes how she didn't know what to believe.
"I can show you a photo, if you want" Beca articulated, her mouth caught in Aubrey's grip. The blonde let go and accepted, stepping back, hands on hips.
She had imagined all sorts of things that could hold Beca back. From the best to the worst. From secret boyfriend to serial killer. But she had never imagined Beca, a mother of an almost year-old baby.
"Look at her. Her name is Lucy. It was today" Beca explained, handing Aubrey her phone. The photo showed the little brunette confined in her stroller, dreaming and feeling very warm.
"And there, it's her and me. These are the only photos I have." The second showed mother and daughter, two dark blue gazes towards the camera, cheeks pressed together. Beca had a bright smile and the resemblance to the child couldn't be denied. Aubrey finally smiled. She could see it clearly now.
"Girls, when you're done fighting, the surgeon wants to talk to us." The two young women turned their heads towards the staircase door from which Stacie had burst in. Beca put her phone away and went back to staring at her shoes, like a child caught red-handed.
"We'll be there right away" Aubrey said. Stacie nodded and closed the door without saying anything.
Aubrey turned a kind look towards Beca who didn't dare look at her. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her.
"I'm proud of you" She whispered in her ear.
"You'll tell me everything in detail later but it will work out, okay? I'm here for you." Aubrey had finished her sentence with Beca's cheeks in her hands again.
"Yes thanks. Can you let me go please?" The brunette said, a little embarrassed. They separated without saying anything more to leave the stairwell and go to Chloe's room.
"Ladies, I can now assure you that your friend is physically out of danger and stable. She is breathing on her own and shows no signs of complications that could have been related to the procedure. Her renal system is regaining strength thanks to the treatment she is receiving. We are confident."
"When will she wake up, Doc?" Amy asked for once sheepish and affected. The doctor sighed, folding down the pages of his notebook. He took off his glasses to fold them and put them in the front pocket of his blouse.
"This is the only negative point. We don't know yet. At this point, we assume her body needs time to recover from the shock of the accident and the various surgeries Miss Beale underwent. According to the x-rays, her head trauma obviously did not have any major physical repercussions but we cannot say with certainty whether the brain will function as it should when she'll wake up."
"But she'll wake up, right?" Stacie worried. Doctor Vitto looked at Chloe thoughtfully before locking his desolate eyes with Stacie's.
"Only she can decide that now. It's sad to say, but we've come part of the way with her injuries. It's up to her to do the other half."
With that, the doctor left the room to visit other patients.A lead cover deposited itself on the 's ears were saw her friends took Aubrey in her and Jessica were hugging Amy and was sad but didn't know where to felt someone take her was Cynthia who had come to lean against the windowsill beside her, to show her smiled at her and the sound picked up in the room as if someone had turned up the volume felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.
"Quinn is downstairs with Rachel. I'll go get them" Beca said, putting her jacket back on. "Anyone want to come with me?" The girls looked at each other, surprised. Beca liked being alone and never offered to accompany her anywhere. At their indecision, Beca rolled her eyes and turned to Aubrey.
"You haven't met them yet, I think. It's time. If you want."
A breath of astonishment was heard. Beca turned around, surprised. The Bellas' reaction was unanimous. That Beca would ask them to go with her was already incredible, but on top of that, the fact she would choose Aubrey was astonishing to say the least. A smirk appeared on the blonde's lips before she followed Beca down the hall. Perhaps things were finally starting to change.
Quinn and Rachel were waiting in the hospital lobby with a bouquet of flowers and a large tote Beca and Aubrey got out of the elevator, Rachel dropped the bag and ran over to hug opened her eyes wide at Quinn, who was looking at her and barely holding back laughter.
"You look good. I'm happy to see that." Rachel said. "Um, yeah, I wasn't in the accident" Beca replied awkwardly. Rachel nodded thoughtfully. "Of course, we had to worry about Chloe from now on."
"Aubrey Posen, nice to meet you" Aubrey said, extending her hand towards Rachel. She stayed next to Beca, surprised but hilarious to see her being manhandled by another little brunette who was much more optimistic than her.
"Rachel Barbra Berry, likewise." The two women shook hands.
Beca looked at them curiously. Quinn came to put her hand on her shoulder while the other two were talking.
"They look alike, don't they?" Quinn whispered. "Yes, it's scary" Beca choked. They watched the two women chat for a few minutes.
Beca was inspecting Quinn. She looked healthy and completely recovered from the accident. She elbowed her.
"Hey, glad you have nothing" She said with a small smile. "Thanks me too. I'm sorry about Chloe. I hope she'll recover quickly" Quinn said half-heartedly, one hand still on Beca's shoulder.
The brunette said a thank you and looked sometimes forgot how worried she could be about Chloe. Reality always caught up with her.
"Can we go up now?" The blonde with the bouquet of flowers said. "Yes, yes. I was getting acquainted" Rachel said, taking her bag in one hand and Quinn's arm in the other. The four of them headed towards the elevator. Aubrey pressed the button and they waited in line, silently, for the elevator to arrive.
"You know you have a stain on your shoulder," Quinn called to Beca, leaning down to talk to her. "Yes I know. It's Lucy. I gave her applesauce earlier" Beca said, smiling innocently.
"It's not the hardest thing to wash out" Quinn reassured with a wink. "No, the worst is grape juice or even ink" Rachel inquired.
"Once Beth colored her clothes with permanent markers, we had to throw away her entire outfit." The elevator opened to reveal an elderly couple walking out slowly. The four young women entered the elevator in turn. "Do you have children?" Aubrey asked out of simple curiosity.
Rachel glanced sideways at Quinn who smiled subject was a big debate for the wanted children once Rachel agreed to marry her and only when she finished art Rachel didn't want to go back to New York without Quinn to continue her studies and, anyway, she would be a bad could it be otherwise since she hadn't had a mother herself?The debate always stopped on this precise hugged her and told her they still had time to think about it.
"Not together, no. I have a four-year-old daughter but the situation is complicated, she doesn't live with us." Quinn explained as briefly as possible because she didn't like to talk about the subject with people she barely knew.
"I see." Aubrey said without adding anything. Beca was afraid, at the moment, that her friend would add a scathing remark full of judgment but it was nothing of the sort.
Instead, she heard the ding of the elevator and saw the doors open into the hallway she was beginning to know well, much to her regret.
For a room that brought together an entire a cappella team, Chloe's room was rather quiet, as if all joy was asleep, like the redhead in her hospital bed. Aubrey entered first then Quinn and Rachel followed. The brunette flinched at the sight of the person on the bed. Beca almost pushed her. Rachel remained frozen by the memories that suddenly came flooding back to her. Quinn immediately saw her companion's discomfort and took her against her, discreetly so as not to arouse the fear of the other women in the room.
"I am here. I'm doing well. I am alive. And she will live too. Rachel, it's okay." Quinn whispered continuously in Rachel's ear. Beca noticed the scene but said nothing and crossed the room to take Chloe's hand in hers.
She was still connected to catheters that administered various medications and fed her.
Her skin was soft but a little cold so Beca pulled the sheet up slightly over her friend's chest, not taking her eyes off her. Everyone watched her do it. It was Rachel who broke the silence with a clearing of her throat.
"Who is hungry ? We brought sandwiches. We kept it as classic as possible so that there was something for everyone" She explained as she unwrapped the sandwiches from the shopping bag.
"Oh, thank you, you're my new God!" Amy exclaimed, biting into her sandwich with enamored eyes
"Thank you both very much. Really." Aubrey said with a tender look. "No problem. How are you all doing?" Quinn asked.
"It's not easy, but we have hope" Ashley admitted. "We already miss Chloe. She's so present all the time." Jessica smiled.
They all nodded in watched them one by truly formed a close-knit team. Beca and Chloe would be well taken care of for the future, she said to herself with a girls ate in silence, even Beca who had insisted that she wasn't had shoved a sandwich into her mouth and told her she had no , who already knew Chloe a little, was worried to see her condition worse than Quinn's when she had her accident.
"How is she?" The little singer asked without being able to hold back any longer. The Bellas sized each other up.
None wanted to speak. Hearing Chloe's state was one thing, repeating it was another. The silence continued and Rachel no longer even expected a response.
"She discovered the box I hid under my bed." Beca said, her back turned to the whole room, her gaze fixed on Chloe's cut face. Quinn and Rachel didn't understand.
This wasn't what Rachel had asked for.
"She's here because we had an argument. I told her not to search into my things again, that I couldn't trust her" Beca finished under her breath. "It was an accident, Beca," Stacie tried. "No!" The brunette protested angrily. "She would be just fine if not for that stupid accident. She should have been to practice with us! She had nothing to do on the road! She needs to wake up."
No one dared to contest. Chloe was everyone's friend. A real ray of sunshine, a breath of fresh air for anyone, even the most pessimistic like Beca. The Bellas were helpless in the face of Beca's distress. They all felt the same emotion. Frustration. They had to be patient. Waiting. Without knowing. How hard it was to wait for someone like Chloe, who held the group together with the strength of her arms, to wake up. To wait for her to wake up to find out if they will find the Chloe from before the accident.
Rachel was moved. The emotion was palpable in the room and she could only share their feeling. She had waited three days at Quinn's bedside waiting for her to wake up after her first accident. Even today, she wouldn't wish that on anyone, not even her worst enemy.
"What would Chloe do in your place?" Quinn suddenly asked, noticing the prostrate faces and the discomfited expressions. A calm greeted her question then smiles appeared.
"She would sing" Beca said, still sitting on Chloe's bed holding her hand. The girls nodded.
No matter the circumstances, Chloe had a song for everything. The victories, the defeats, the broken hearts and the romantic encounters. She was the one who comforted everyone all the time. Rachel began to hum the tune of Keep Holding On by Avril Lavigne. Quinn smiled at the memories they both shared on this song. She kept tha habit of singing it when she needed it. Today, Beca and her friends needed it. Chloe needed it. So she began the first verse, supported by Rachel.
You're not alone, together we stand
I'll be by your side, you know, I'll take your hand
When it gets cold and it feels like the end
There's no place to go, you know, I won't give in
No, I won't give in
The two women shared a smile as the Bellas joined them for the chorus. The girls instinctively crowded around the bed.
Keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through
We'll make it through
Just stay strong
'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you
There's nothing you can say, nothing you can do
There's no other way when it comes to the truth
So keep holdin' on
'Cause you know we'll make it through
We'll make it through
Beca thanked the heavens or whoever was up there that she had such sensitive and wacky friends because she recognized that she really needed anything could wake Chloe up, it was hoped with all her heart that it would work, that Chloe would open her eyes, suddenly, like in the movies, and that everything would go back to the way it Beca remembered why she didn't really like never reflected reality.
At the end of the song, they all almost expected to see Chloe jump up but nothing happened.
The machines continued their incessant beeping. The tubes continued to feed the bedridden young woman. The craze was fading like a hair in the soup. Fed up with the situation, Aubrey decided it was time to go home.
"Girls, the end of visits is coming. We should go back home." They all agreed and gathered their things. They said goodbye to Rachel and Quinn then left the room one after the other. Stacie stayed behind.
"Are you coming Aubrey?"
"I'll meet you at home. I need to talk to Beca." Stacie nodded and walked out, giving one last look at the brunette in question who still hadn't left Chloe's bed.
"If you want to talk about Lucy, Quinn and Rachel can stay. They already know." Beca announced vaguely. Aubrey looked at the two young women who affirmed. She then moved forward to place a hand on Beca's shoulder.
"All right. So, I would like you to explain everything to me from the beginning, if you are ready to do so.I just want to help you, Beca." The brunette reluctantly pulled away from Chloe and turned and Quinn and Rachel could finally see her tear-streaked face.
"Yes I know. I'll need help anyway. I can't get her back alone." Beca never admitted that she needed help. Aubrey understood that the situation was significant. A pause allowed them to form a silent pact. Aubrey, Quinn and Rachel were ready to help Beca, no matter what. The last two had only known her for two days, but their stories were already linked. So they listened to what Beca had experienced, from her high school years until now, where the hope of finding her daughter had never been so present. They heard the betrayal of bullying at school, the pain of separation from her daughter, the fear of losing Chloe when she discovered the ultrasound image. Above all, they heard Beca's need to be surrounded and supported.
"I know someone who will surely be able to advise you on how to prepare for your hearing with the judge." Quinn said after hearing the latest advances in the expertise for Lucy's custody.
"Are you thinking about Santana?" Rachel asked. Quinn nodded.
Her best friend, Santana Lopez was studying law and had just chosen her specialty in family rights.
"She's not practicing yet and she's in Los Angeles so she couldn't have represented you but you should be able to find someone who will" Quinn continued.
"It should be negotiable" Aubrey smiled. The blonde had just become a lawyer at the end of the previous year. She was majoring in labor rights but she was already thinking of one of her colleagues who could help Beca.
"You'll see, we'll do everything for you to get your daughter back." Beca nodded absentmindedly.
She glanced at Chloe. The situation was completely improbable.
"I still need to explain all of it to the girls." She announced reluctantly. After a while, Aubrey promptly got up.
"Well, all we have to do is go back and do just that. Explain it to the girls over hot chocolate." Beca buried her head in her hands. She knew she was running out of options, but that didn't stop the fear from turning her stomach upside down. The four girls left Chloe, not without saying goodbye, and left the hospital.
Beca stopped as Aubrey walked to her car and watched Quinn and Rachel walk away.
An idea struck her and she started running to catch up with them. Aubrey watched her from afar.
"Wait!" Once she reached them, Beca put her hands on her knees, out of breath.
She cursed these damn cardio exercises which she obviously really needed. "You can come with us" She said between breaths. The couple passed the question to each other with a look and it was Quinn who answered.
"Another time, Beca. That's nice but you need to be with your friends." The brunette nodded, hands on hips and red cheeks. "And honestly I was quite shaken up there. We need to be together in our little bubble." Rachel finished, looking at her partner. "I understand. Thanks for coming. See you." Beca smiled and let them go before joining Aubrey by her car.
"Let's go find the girls."