Silver Lining [6/7.5]
Title: Silver Lining
Pairing: Rachel/Quinn, mentions of past Rachel/Finn
Rating: PG-13 for angst, depression, more angst, and just general unhappiness
Length: ~869/~9,354
Author's Note: See Chapter 1's author's notes & summary for more details.
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5
-Chapter 6-
Rachel’s chemotherapy was slowed. She only went twice a week and the drugs were weakened. Quinn noticed a change almost right away. Rachel’s color started coming back and the sporadic nosebleeds were getting fewer and farther in between. Her blood work was getting better every time they tested it. Regionals was a week away and Quinn and Rachel’s dads talked to the doctors and got the okay to make the two hour trip to Columbus so Rachel could watch. She sat proudly in the front row of the auditorium and started to cry when Quinn introduced the choir.
“Ladies and gentleman,” Quinn said, “this afternoon’s New Directions performance is dedicated to our lead, our gold star, Rachel Berry.” Quinn looked down at her and blew a kiss.
Rachel watched with a smile, hidden by her surgical mask, as the choir sang and danced and spun. For their ballad they had chosen “Seasons of Love” from RENT. Rachel mentally started scolding Mr. Schuester for choosing the song because it wasn’t very vocally challenging but she was cut off when the choir wandered off the stage and knelt next to her. Quinn pressed a kiss to her forehead and whispered “I love you” when they finished and Rachel cried again.
The loss to Vocal Adrenaline was hard. Rachel went back to scolding Mr. Schuester for not choosing something more difficult for the ballad but he simply shrugged and told her it wasn’t his decision and the set list had been selected by majority vote, as was the decision not to use more complicated choreography for the ballad. And Rachel cried again. The silver lining, as Quinn brought up, was that she wouldn’t have to leave for a week when nationals came.
Rachel was exhausted when she and her dads reached Lima. She was asleep by the time Quinn had driven to her house and showered. The blonde still slipped into bed next to her girlfriend and held her. Rachel snuggled into Quinn and sighed contentedly.
When it was warm enough for the glee club to start holding car washes it was collectively agreed that the money would be donated to the American Cancer Society since they didn’t need the money for a trip to nationals. Rachel came to a couple of the car washes and sat by with Quinn, hand in hand, as they watched their friends have water fights and clean the vehicles.
“Can you help me with something?” Rachel asked one of those afternoons.
“Anything.”
“I know I’m not going to graduate but I still want to get my GED. The test is in June and I’ve looked over the sample tests online and I’m going to need your help if I want to pass it.”
“Of course,” Quinn said with a smile.
“Did you get any of your acceptance letters?” Rachel asked that question almost every day now and Quinn always said no or avoided the subject completely. Rachel had her cornered today though.
Quinn was silent for a few seconds. “No. Do you want something to eat?” Quinn reached to start rummaging around in her backpack. Rachel grabbed her arm.
“Why won’t you tell me the truth?”
“I…I…You have to promise you won’t get mad.”
Rachel nodded.
“I didn’t apply.”
“You…you told me you did. You said you applied to NYU and Northwestern and OSU!”
“I know, Rachel. I know I did! But I didn’t…I had the applications ready to send off and then…then…I can’t leave you, Rachel. You’ve still got so much to go through and I’m not leaving you by yourself. I’ll get a job and maybe take some classes at the Lima OSU campus but I am not leaving here.”
“Quinn you can’t…”
“Like hell I can’t. This is my decision, Rachel. I’m staying in Lima until you’re cured. Then you and I are going to go to New York together.”
“But…”
“No buts, Rach. Here’s how I see it. You get the lead in some really big Broadway production and then maybe you’ll have pull with the choreographers and you can get me put on their team since I don't really have the voice for Broadway.”
Rachel smiled and intertwined her fingers with Quinn’s. “You’re good enough to get in on your own, you know? You could make it without me having to talk someone into it.”
“Either way, I’m not going without you.”
“I’m not going to change your mind on this, am I?”
“Nope.”
“Okay then. As soon as I’m cured we’ll do it. Maybe by then they’ll revive Wicked. I’d make an excellent Elphaba.”
“I could think of no one better.”
-*-*-*-*-*-
Quinn blamed herself when she got the call that Rachel was in the hospital again. She was at home studying for her finals, at Rachel’s insistence, when she got the call.
“I shouldn’t have taken her out that much,” she sobbed into Finn’s chest when he showed up at her house to take her to the hospital since Quinn couldn’t compose herself enough to drive.
“No, Q. You made her happy. She was really happy when you brought her to the car washes,” Finn said. He helped her into his truck and dropped her at the front door of the hospital. Quinn quickly made her way up to the fifth floor and put on the clothes the nurse gave to her.
Rachel was watching the door from her bed when Quinn stepped into the room. She smiled brightly at the blonde.
“Hey,” Rachel chirped. “Why the long face?”
“I…This is my fault.” Quinn sat down on the edge of the bed and took Rachel’s hand. “I shouldn’t have taken you out.”
“Oh baby, no it’s not.” Rachel reached up and settled her hand on Quinn's neck. “I've had so much fun. This is just a stupid precaution because I couldn't get the nosebleed to stop and I coughed up a little blood. It's completely ridiculous. I’m going to be fine.”
The days slipped by. Quinn was at the hospital every chance she got. Rachel was growing tired and weak again and from everything Quinn had read it meant only one thing. Their worst nightmare was confirmed on day five.
“Rachel,” Dr. Ali started. She took a seat next to Rachel’s bed. Quinn and Rachel’s dads were on the other side, Quinn on the bed holding Rachel’s hand. “Rachel, your blood work isn’t good. The chemotherapy isn’t working like it should.”
“So you change the drugs,” Quinn said. “Start her on a new regimen.”
“We are going to try that,” the doctor said. “But the problem is that the cancer has attacked the healthy bone marrow cells we put in which means it’s getting stronger.”
“Relapse,” Rachel muttered.
The doctor nodded. “We will try a new course of chemotherapy but you’ll have to go back to intensive therapy like before the transplant.”
“What about another transplant? I’ll go in right now and have them take more.”
“If the new drugs work then we might attempt it again. Only time will tell, Quinn.”
Original Chapter 7
Alternate Chapter 7
Pairing: Rachel/Quinn, mentions of past Rachel/Finn
Rating: PG-13 for angst, depression, more angst, and just general unhappiness
Length: ~869/~9,354
Author's Note: See Chapter 1's author's notes & summary for more details.
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5
-Chapter 6-
Rachel’s chemotherapy was slowed. She only went twice a week and the drugs were weakened. Quinn noticed a change almost right away. Rachel’s color started coming back and the sporadic nosebleeds were getting fewer and farther in between. Her blood work was getting better every time they tested it. Regionals was a week away and Quinn and Rachel’s dads talked to the doctors and got the okay to make the two hour trip to Columbus so Rachel could watch. She sat proudly in the front row of the auditorium and started to cry when Quinn introduced the choir.
“Ladies and gentleman,” Quinn said, “this afternoon’s New Directions performance is dedicated to our lead, our gold star, Rachel Berry.” Quinn looked down at her and blew a kiss.
Rachel watched with a smile, hidden by her surgical mask, as the choir sang and danced and spun. For their ballad they had chosen “Seasons of Love” from RENT. Rachel mentally started scolding Mr. Schuester for choosing the song because it wasn’t very vocally challenging but she was cut off when the choir wandered off the stage and knelt next to her. Quinn pressed a kiss to her forehead and whispered “I love you” when they finished and Rachel cried again.
The loss to Vocal Adrenaline was hard. Rachel went back to scolding Mr. Schuester for not choosing something more difficult for the ballad but he simply shrugged and told her it wasn’t his decision and the set list had been selected by majority vote, as was the decision not to use more complicated choreography for the ballad. And Rachel cried again. The silver lining, as Quinn brought up, was that she wouldn’t have to leave for a week when nationals came.
Rachel was exhausted when she and her dads reached Lima. She was asleep by the time Quinn had driven to her house and showered. The blonde still slipped into bed next to her girlfriend and held her. Rachel snuggled into Quinn and sighed contentedly.
When it was warm enough for the glee club to start holding car washes it was collectively agreed that the money would be donated to the American Cancer Society since they didn’t need the money for a trip to nationals. Rachel came to a couple of the car washes and sat by with Quinn, hand in hand, as they watched their friends have water fights and clean the vehicles.
“Can you help me with something?” Rachel asked one of those afternoons.
“Anything.”
“I know I’m not going to graduate but I still want to get my GED. The test is in June and I’ve looked over the sample tests online and I’m going to need your help if I want to pass it.”
“Of course,” Quinn said with a smile.
“Did you get any of your acceptance letters?” Rachel asked that question almost every day now and Quinn always said no or avoided the subject completely. Rachel had her cornered today though.
Quinn was silent for a few seconds. “No. Do you want something to eat?” Quinn reached to start rummaging around in her backpack. Rachel grabbed her arm.
“Why won’t you tell me the truth?”
“I…I…You have to promise you won’t get mad.”
Rachel nodded.
“I didn’t apply.”
“You…you told me you did. You said you applied to NYU and Northwestern and OSU!”
“I know, Rachel. I know I did! But I didn’t…I had the applications ready to send off and then…then…I can’t leave you, Rachel. You’ve still got so much to go through and I’m not leaving you by yourself. I’ll get a job and maybe take some classes at the Lima OSU campus but I am not leaving here.”
“Quinn you can’t…”
“Like hell I can’t. This is my decision, Rachel. I’m staying in Lima until you’re cured. Then you and I are going to go to New York together.”
“But…”
“No buts, Rach. Here’s how I see it. You get the lead in some really big Broadway production and then maybe you’ll have pull with the choreographers and you can get me put on their team since I don't really have the voice for Broadway.”
Rachel smiled and intertwined her fingers with Quinn’s. “You’re good enough to get in on your own, you know? You could make it without me having to talk someone into it.”
“Either way, I’m not going without you.”
“I’m not going to change your mind on this, am I?”
“Nope.”
“Okay then. As soon as I’m cured we’ll do it. Maybe by then they’ll revive Wicked. I’d make an excellent Elphaba.”
“I could think of no one better.”
-*-*-*-*-*-
Quinn blamed herself when she got the call that Rachel was in the hospital again. She was at home studying for her finals, at Rachel’s insistence, when she got the call.
“I shouldn’t have taken her out that much,” she sobbed into Finn’s chest when he showed up at her house to take her to the hospital since Quinn couldn’t compose herself enough to drive.
“No, Q. You made her happy. She was really happy when you brought her to the car washes,” Finn said. He helped her into his truck and dropped her at the front door of the hospital. Quinn quickly made her way up to the fifth floor and put on the clothes the nurse gave to her.
Rachel was watching the door from her bed when Quinn stepped into the room. She smiled brightly at the blonde.
“Hey,” Rachel chirped. “Why the long face?”
“I…This is my fault.” Quinn sat down on the edge of the bed and took Rachel’s hand. “I shouldn’t have taken you out.”
“Oh baby, no it’s not.” Rachel reached up and settled her hand on Quinn's neck. “I've had so much fun. This is just a stupid precaution because I couldn't get the nosebleed to stop and I coughed up a little blood. It's completely ridiculous. I’m going to be fine.”
The days slipped by. Quinn was at the hospital every chance she got. Rachel was growing tired and weak again and from everything Quinn had read it meant only one thing. Their worst nightmare was confirmed on day five.
“Rachel,” Dr. Ali started. She took a seat next to Rachel’s bed. Quinn and Rachel’s dads were on the other side, Quinn on the bed holding Rachel’s hand. “Rachel, your blood work isn’t good. The chemotherapy isn’t working like it should.”
“So you change the drugs,” Quinn said. “Start her on a new regimen.”
“We are going to try that,” the doctor said. “But the problem is that the cancer has attacked the healthy bone marrow cells we put in which means it’s getting stronger.”
“Relapse,” Rachel muttered.
The doctor nodded. “We will try a new course of chemotherapy but you’ll have to go back to intensive therapy like before the transplant.”
“What about another transplant? I’ll go in right now and have them take more.”
“If the new drugs work then we might attempt it again. Only time will tell, Quinn.”
Original Chapter 7
Alternate Chapter 7