Second Chances

Chapter 18

Rachel knocked on the door to Quinn's apartment for the third time. She was sure she had the right apartment, Quinn had reminded her of her address at least once a day.
She pulled out her phone and texted her.
Hey Q, I'm outside your apartment. I thought we had a date today?
Quinn replied almost immediately.
Sorry I'm at the hospital. Beth's getting blood test.
Rachel was shocked. She idea why Beth was getting a blood test or why she was so worried, but if Quinn had forgotten to tell her then it was bad. She'd been under the impression Beth was getting better. She'd seemed fine last Sunday.
Why? Is she okay? She replied.
Quinn took a while before she responded.
Hopefully. It's to see if she's eligible for a kidney transplant. 
A kidney transplant? Only last week Beth had felt fine. Not fine, but almost fine. Better than she normally felt.
Where are you guys now?
Quinn replied almost instantly. Yale Cancer Center.
Rachel called a cab then raced downstairs and arrived at the hospital in under twenty minutes. When she got to the hospital she ran upstairs to the waiting room.
She saw Quinn, sitting in a chair in her pajamas.
"Quinn?" She said gently.
Quinn stood up quickly and threw herself into Rachels arms. Rachel didn't move, she just held her. Part of her was confused as to why Quinn was wearing her pajamas in public during the afternoon. But the bigger part of her just hoped that she and Beth were okay.
"Quinn what's going on?" She asked and pulled away a little bit.
"Beth-- she-- last night, I don't know what happened but, something was wrong, like really wrong. So I took her took her to the hospital, and they said that they needed to do a surgery. And she needs to have a-- a radical nephrectomy. But then she's only going to have one kidney, so she could get a transplant but that's so hard to do. And it would take a long time but it's better than her only having one kidney. And so they need to do a bunch of tests before they can even waitlist her,"  Quinn rambled. Her voice was raspy and hoarse. Rachel could tell she was struggling to get the words out.
Rachel just nodded in support. "When can we see her?"
Quinn shrugged and looked around anxiously. "I think when the test is over."

After half an hour, Rachel and Quinn were allowed to see Beth. Quinn was shocked, she'd never seen her daughter look so vulnerable and weak. She had an IV in her arm and she was wearing a white hospital gown with little tigers on it. Her forehead was sweaty and her hair was sticking to her face. She was curled up into a little bawl and practically shaking because she was so cold. But only half of her body was covered with the blanket so she wouldn't complain about being to hot. She was even wearing an oxygen mask, because she had passed out after her blood test.
"Rachel?" She managed to croak.
Rachel smiled down at her. "Yeah, I'm here, don't worry. How do you feel?"
Beth fidgeted with the tube that came down from her mask and shrugged. Quinn noticed how pale she was.
"Mommy did you know how much blood is in a person?" Beth asked weakly but with the same wide eyes she always had.
Quinn laughed and shook her head. "How much?"
"I'm not really sure. But a lot. Because the doctor took a bunch of mine, and I told him that he can't take it because I'm gonna need it to keep me alive. But he said I'd be okay because I have a lot more. And I was fine! Except I head a headache. But I'm alive, so that means I'm fine," Beth explained with a smile.
Quinn smiled and nodded.
Before Quinn could say anything, one of the doctors came and asked to speak to her outside. Rachel held Beth's hand and stayed with her.
"Did you know the doctors are going to cut my tummy open?" Beth asked.
"They are?" Rachel replied, shocked Beth knew about the surgery so soon.
Beth nodded. "Not yet, in a long time. But then I'm going to have a big scar on my tummy," she said excitedly.
"Beth why are you so excited? I mean at least you aren't scared, I mean not that there is anything to be scared of. Because you're going to be okay, but why are you so happy about it?" Rachel asked.
Beth shrugged. "Because mommy has a big scar on her tummy, and now I'm gonna have one too."
Rachel nodded. She knew the scar Beth was talking about. Senior year of high school, Quinn had gotten into a car accident. She was okay, but she had been in a wheelchair for a few months and was left with a large scar across her stomach. Quinn had been insecure about the scar ever since she got it, she refused to wear a bikini in the summer and used to cover it with makeup in school, just in case anyone saw it. However, it had faded and was hardly noticeable now. But Rachel knew Quinn was going to teach Beth to wear her scar with pride even though she hadn't been able to herself. Because that's the type for person Quinn was.
Rachel looked over at Beth, who seemed to be lost in thought.
"Do you love my mommy?" She asked with a small smile.
Rachel nodded. "Of course I do, and I love you too."
Beth smiled wider. "How long have you loved her for?" she asked.
Rachel knew Beth probably had no idea how much depth these questions held. Maybe deep down she did. Maybe she was an old soul trapped in a child's body, similar to Quinn who was very much so wise beyond her years.
"I'm not really sure, a very long time though," Rachel replied.
However only part of this was true. She remembered the first time she knew she had a crush on Quinn. It was their junior year of high school, Quinn's life had been spiralling out of control. And before their glee clubs sectionals, Rachel had come to talk to her. Often times when Rachel spoke, people told her to shut up, they ignored her or just didn't listen. But this time, even though Rachel and Quinn weren't even good friends, Quinn listened to every word she'd had to say. She'd took them to heart and cared about what she was saying. This was when Rachel knew she was falling for her. But knowing she was in love wasn't until many years later. It was when she saw Quinn in the park for the first time in so long. Because she'd realized how much she'd truly missed her. And how much Quinn really meant to her. And she knew how much better her life was with Quinn in it.
"Are you gonna love her forever and ever?" Beth asked.
Rachel nodded. Honestly, she knew she would.
"Then... can you be my mama?" Beth asked quietly.
Rachel was dumbfounded by what Beth asked. But now all of her previous questions made since. She wanted two parents, parents who loved each other and called her her own.
"I'd love that," Rachel said truthfully.
She turned around at the sound of the door opening and saw Quinn with a somber look on her face.
"Rach, can we talk?"
Rachel nodded and followed her into the hall. Quinn was silent, she was waiting for the right moment to speak.
"Before you say anything, I just thought you should know, Beth asked me if she could call me her mama. I said yes, because I love her so much but I get it if you don't want me to be called that. After all she is your daughter." Rachel said and played with her hands nervously.
Quinn nodded and pursed her lips. "I'm fine with that. She just wants to have two parents." She said stiffly.
"What did you need to tell me?" Rachel asked.
"Beth's blood type is AB, which is like super rare. They don't have any AB kidney donors at the moment, so we either have to wait or we could try taking her somewhere else." Quinn explained.
Rachel nodded silently. She wasn't often silent, but now she was thinking about something. Something that could either go terribly wrong or work out perfectly.