Silver Lining [3/7.5]
Title: Silver Lining
Pairing: Rachel/Quinn, mentions of past Rachel/Finn
Rating: PG-13 for angst, depression, more angst, and just general unhappiness
Length: ~995/~9,354
Author's Note: See Chapter 1's author's notes & summary for more details.
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2
-Chapter 3-
“Quinn, today probably isn’t a good day,” Rachel’s Daddy said when he answered the door for Quinn. It had been two weeks and she had showed up either at the doctor’s office or at Rachel’s house every single day, as promised. The visits generally lasted for less than an hour because Rachel would start throwing a tantrum telling Quinn to get out and Quinn would end each day with telling Rachel she’d see her the next day.
“Did she tell you that or did a doctor tell you that?” Quinn asked, annoyed.
“She’s just had a pretty rough day.”
“Can I just try?”
The man sighed and let Quinn into the house. She immediately went to the bathroom and showered and changed her clothes. She didn’t bother knocking on Rachel’s door before going in. Rachel was in bed, as expected. She was on her side facing the door and when Quinn stepped in she growled.
“I told Daddy to make you go away.”
“I told him to let me stay. Guess that means he likes me better,” Quinn said with a playful smile.
“I’m really not in the mood for it today.”
“I brought movies. Ms. Pillsbury -er, Mrs. Schuester - sanitized them for me. Which one do you want to watch? I’ve got Wizard of Oz, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Pirates of the Caribbean. I remember you arguing with Finn one day about pirates versus ninjas and since you took the side of the pirates I thought you probably liked that one.”
“Please just leave, okay?”
“Pirates it is, then.”
“Quinn! I don’t want to watch the fucking movie! I don’t want you to be here! I want you to leave and never come back, okay?!”
Before Quinn could respond, Rachel grabbed onto her face and started groaning. Quinn ran to the bathroom and grabbed a towel when blood started gushing out of Rachel’s nose. She came back to see Rachel sitting up with a pool of blood in her hands. Quinn replaced Rachel’s hands with the towel and tilted her head forward. She kept holding on to the towel and rubbing Rachel's back until the bleeding stopped. Rachel held onto the edge of the bed.
“Dizzy,” she mumbled.
Quinn wrapped an arm around her and held on. Rachel gripped onto Quinn's shoulder. Rachel’s nausea got the best of her and Quinn was about three seconds late in grabbing the trashcan. Quinn called for Rachel’s Daddy to come in and help her get Rachel to the bathroom. Rachel dropped onto the vanity stool in front of the sink and her Daddy left to go clean.
“No, Quinn…no…I can do it. I don’t want you,” Rachel said when Quinn started running bath water. “Daddy can call someone…”
Quinn tested the bath water with her hand and walked over to Rachel and started tugging at the girl’s t-shirt.
“I won’t look if that’s your problem. Even though we did have gym together for two years.”
“You don’t get it do you, Quinn?”
“No, I don’t. That’s why I’d like it if you talked to me every now and then instead of telling me to go away.”
“It’s humiliating,” Rachel mumbled. “It’s embarrassing and humiliating. I can barely give myself a bath. My dads…God, I can’t even look at them anymore. They try to be cool about it, they really do. They insist that it’s okay and they’re just doing what I need. But…it’s just…it’s not supposed to be like this. They’re not supposed to have to be the ones scrubbing my back at three in the morning after I’ve vomited or bled all over everything.”
“Well right now it’s either me or them or you sit here and wait for a nurse to come in. And I might as well be a nurse because I helped my mom do this for my grandma when she was really sick. I’m a bath expert.” Quinn smiled a little knelt down in front of Rachel and touched her fingertips to Rachel’s jaw. “It really is okay, Rachel.”
Rachel’s eyes met Quinn’s and the blonde pulled up on the hem of Rachel’s t-shirt. Rachel let her pull it off and Quinn helped her stand and discard the rest of her clothes and get to the bathtub. Rachel sat with her knees curled up to her chest while Quinn lathered and ran a washcloth over her back and down her sides. The blonde had to blink back tears when her fingers ran over Rachel’s ribs.
While Rachel soaked in the bathtub Quinn went to her room and retrieved clean pajamas. Rachel’s Daddy had pulled the sheets off of the bed and was on his knees using cleaner on the blood stained mattress and floor. He stood and hugged Quinn when the blonde lightly touched his shoulder.
“Thank you,” he whispered. “I know she keeps telling you that she doesn’t want you here but believe me, it does her a world of good.”
“I just want to help her,” Quinn said. “I care about her.”
The man nodded and turned back to the mattress and sighed.
Quinn pulled Rachel up out of the bathtub and wrapped her in a towel. She held on tight as Rachel stepped over the side and sat down on the plastic chair next to the tub. Quinn helped Rachel dry off and put on the clean pajamas. She smiled when Rachel mumbled a “thank you”.
Rachel’s sheets had been changed and the floor scrubbed clean by the time Quinn helped her into bed.
“We’ll have to do the movies on Thursday, I guess,” Quinn said. “I only brought this change of clothes and I should probably get home before the blood really sets in.”
Rachel nodded. Quinn stood and headed for the bedroom door.
“Quinn?”
The blonde turned back and looked at Rachel. “Yeah?”
“I’ll see you tomorrow?”
Quinn smiled and nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Rachel.”
Chapter 4
Pairing: Rachel/Quinn, mentions of past Rachel/Finn
Rating: PG-13 for angst, depression, more angst, and just general unhappiness
Length: ~995/~9,354
Author's Note: See Chapter 1's author's notes & summary for more details.
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2
-Chapter 3-
“Quinn, today probably isn’t a good day,” Rachel’s Daddy said when he answered the door for Quinn. It had been two weeks and she had showed up either at the doctor’s office or at Rachel’s house every single day, as promised. The visits generally lasted for less than an hour because Rachel would start throwing a tantrum telling Quinn to get out and Quinn would end each day with telling Rachel she’d see her the next day.
“Did she tell you that or did a doctor tell you that?” Quinn asked, annoyed.
“She’s just had a pretty rough day.”
“Can I just try?”
The man sighed and let Quinn into the house. She immediately went to the bathroom and showered and changed her clothes. She didn’t bother knocking on Rachel’s door before going in. Rachel was in bed, as expected. She was on her side facing the door and when Quinn stepped in she growled.
“I told Daddy to make you go away.”
“I told him to let me stay. Guess that means he likes me better,” Quinn said with a playful smile.
“I’m really not in the mood for it today.”
“I brought movies. Ms. Pillsbury -er, Mrs. Schuester - sanitized them for me. Which one do you want to watch? I’ve got Wizard of Oz, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Pirates of the Caribbean. I remember you arguing with Finn one day about pirates versus ninjas and since you took the side of the pirates I thought you probably liked that one.”
“Please just leave, okay?”
“Pirates it is, then.”
“Quinn! I don’t want to watch the fucking movie! I don’t want you to be here! I want you to leave and never come back, okay?!”
Before Quinn could respond, Rachel grabbed onto her face and started groaning. Quinn ran to the bathroom and grabbed a towel when blood started gushing out of Rachel’s nose. She came back to see Rachel sitting up with a pool of blood in her hands. Quinn replaced Rachel’s hands with the towel and tilted her head forward. She kept holding on to the towel and rubbing Rachel's back until the bleeding stopped. Rachel held onto the edge of the bed.
“Dizzy,” she mumbled.
Quinn wrapped an arm around her and held on. Rachel gripped onto Quinn's shoulder. Rachel’s nausea got the best of her and Quinn was about three seconds late in grabbing the trashcan. Quinn called for Rachel’s Daddy to come in and help her get Rachel to the bathroom. Rachel dropped onto the vanity stool in front of the sink and her Daddy left to go clean.
“No, Quinn…no…I can do it. I don’t want you,” Rachel said when Quinn started running bath water. “Daddy can call someone…”
Quinn tested the bath water with her hand and walked over to Rachel and started tugging at the girl’s t-shirt.
“I won’t look if that’s your problem. Even though we did have gym together for two years.”
“You don’t get it do you, Quinn?”
“No, I don’t. That’s why I’d like it if you talked to me every now and then instead of telling me to go away.”
“It’s humiliating,” Rachel mumbled. “It’s embarrassing and humiliating. I can barely give myself a bath. My dads…God, I can’t even look at them anymore. They try to be cool about it, they really do. They insist that it’s okay and they’re just doing what I need. But…it’s just…it’s not supposed to be like this. They’re not supposed to have to be the ones scrubbing my back at three in the morning after I’ve vomited or bled all over everything.”
“Well right now it’s either me or them or you sit here and wait for a nurse to come in. And I might as well be a nurse because I helped my mom do this for my grandma when she was really sick. I’m a bath expert.” Quinn smiled a little knelt down in front of Rachel and touched her fingertips to Rachel’s jaw. “It really is okay, Rachel.”
Rachel’s eyes met Quinn’s and the blonde pulled up on the hem of Rachel’s t-shirt. Rachel let her pull it off and Quinn helped her stand and discard the rest of her clothes and get to the bathtub. Rachel sat with her knees curled up to her chest while Quinn lathered and ran a washcloth over her back and down her sides. The blonde had to blink back tears when her fingers ran over Rachel’s ribs.
While Rachel soaked in the bathtub Quinn went to her room and retrieved clean pajamas. Rachel’s Daddy had pulled the sheets off of the bed and was on his knees using cleaner on the blood stained mattress and floor. He stood and hugged Quinn when the blonde lightly touched his shoulder.
“Thank you,” he whispered. “I know she keeps telling you that she doesn’t want you here but believe me, it does her a world of good.”
“I just want to help her,” Quinn said. “I care about her.”
The man nodded and turned back to the mattress and sighed.
Quinn pulled Rachel up out of the bathtub and wrapped her in a towel. She held on tight as Rachel stepped over the side and sat down on the plastic chair next to the tub. Quinn helped Rachel dry off and put on the clean pajamas. She smiled when Rachel mumbled a “thank you”.
Rachel’s sheets had been changed and the floor scrubbed clean by the time Quinn helped her into bed.
“We’ll have to do the movies on Thursday, I guess,” Quinn said. “I only brought this change of clothes and I should probably get home before the blood really sets in.”
Rachel nodded. Quinn stood and headed for the bedroom door.
“Quinn?”
The blonde turned back and looked at Rachel. “Yeah?”
“I’ll see you tomorrow?”
Quinn smiled and nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Rachel.”
Chapter 4