Waiting

(A St. Berry Romantic | Hurt/Comfort Fanfic)

"Rain or Hale, I'll wait for you. I believe that we'll be together again. It's inevitable."

New York, New York (Lyrics Café)

Lyrics Café was a favorite chilling spot of young performers in New York City. It was situated near one of NYC's best performing school, NYADA, and their menu was what teenagers and young adolescent would crave for. The fact that the barista and waitress/waiters were a bunch of eye-candy was a huge plus factor, too. There was also a free performance every day – anyone who wanted to play or sing was allowed.

Rachel Berry, 21, part-time Barista, hopeful Broadway singer (she got a callback!) was one of the crowd favorites. She was always asked for an encore whenever she sings between her shifts on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. She was also one of the best barista – her caramel cappuccino was one of the best sell whenever she was on duty.

She was also the prettiest, nicest miss in town (as stated by a little girl who came in with her mother.)

So, really, she was everyone's favorite person in Lyrics Café.

There was one thing odd about the young barista, though. It was the fact that, just about eight months before, she was involved in that small accident that left her in a coma, and that seven months ago, she woke up with no memory whatsoever. And just about five months ago, she was finally able to return to the life she had before after minor adjustments.

It was hard for her. She would always have blinding headaches. She couldn't walk properly, much less stand. She didn't know who to trust. It was hard. It was so hard. She had stayed in Lima, Ohio for a couple of weeks and people kept on dropping by claiming to be high school mates.

Noah was the first one who visited. He was wearing an Air Force uniform and came barreling in as if he just came from hard grueling fight. He cried when she told him that she can't remember him. He held her tight in his embrace and retold her stories about him. He introduced himself as Noah, but he said that only she calls him that. They were friends – the best kind because they were fellow hot jews.

After him was a pretty blond girl who came barging in wearing a Yale Sweatshirt and asking if she remembered her. Her name was Quinn, the girl reminded her. They weren't exactly the best of friends, but they were close, she said. They were like the lighter version of enemies turned frenemies turned friend. She reminded her of the things they've been through; show choir drama consisting of babygate, love hexagon, sexuality crisis and all those jazz. That was the first time she cried, telling this stranger-friend the pain of not knowing anything. She clung onto her, staining that Yale sweatshirt of hers with tears.

Quinn added her number on her new cell. She added her in the contacts in Queen Barbie, that was what her name in her previous contact, she assured her, laughing a little hysterically before hugging her again.

Then, a guy who introduced himself as her old show choir instructor visited. He came bringing with him tapes from their old performance in high school. He told her what she was like. He told her that back then, she had wished for the same thing any teenage girl wanted: popularity. But she was driven, she knew what she wanted (Broadway) and she was unwilling to give up. She was talented, overconfident, and passionate. When she saw the videos, she couldn't help but cry. That person was her and yet a total stranger.

The night that Will Schuester visited her, she wheeled herself on the room that seemed more like a museum filled with trophies and medals and pictures of her. After that, she practiced voicing and began to sing again.

The next that visited her was a porcelain doll like male and a dapper young man. They introduced themselves as her closest gays. They were Klaine, they said that she named them that and shipped them so hard. There was a niggling in the back of her mind. She heard voices and saw scenes – memories. She saw the three of them, sometimes with others in company while shopping, hanging out in a coffee shop, inside an apartment. They were roommates once upon a time with a Latina. She remembered their name without prompting. Kurt and Blaine.

The three of them cried as they hugged each other. They said that her room in their apartment in NYC was still intact and was waiting for her. They were waiting for her to come home.

Not even an hour after the couple left, a Latina barged in followed by a tall blonde who threw herself at Rachel. The Latina demanded to know what she remembered. She told her that she better remember 'this totally hot body'. The tall blond woman who introduced herself as 'Brittany' cried and told her some random things she couldn't understand but somehow felt familiar.

The Latina, Santana, had reached for her and grabbed her by her collar and told her that she better get well soon. She [Rachel] was to play Fanny, her dream role. She had quit as understudy, told her that it was too much pressure and it wasn't fun without her.

Brittany had pecked her cheeks and laid on her chest with her arms wrapped around her waist. She told her that she knew some guys in the field of hypnosis who might be a big help.

That night, she pleaded her dads (and yes, she has two father) to send her back to New York; to get back her life. They agreed on one condition: she wasn't going unsupervised. And so, the next day, her bags were packed and her dads have called Kurt to inform him that she was coming home.

The next day, she sat on the backseat of her Daddy's car. She didn't need much, but her Daddy were contacting the New York, NY General Hospital for some weekly check-up and a rehab there to help her walk [and dance]. Her Dad had bid them a safe journey and told her to be careful before he left, having been called in the office for an emergency. She was re-watching videos of herself – she had downloaded her MySpace videos [all the while trying not to cry regarding the cruel comments (Did no one really like her… at all?)] and all those performance with her old high school show choir and saved them on her new phone.

That was when he suddenly appeared. He knocked on the window, signing for her to open the windows. She was hesitant at first, but then she recognized him from the videos of her old show choir's performance. So, she slowly lowered the window and looked curiously at him. He smiled at her goofily and she felt apprehension dawn upon her. She didn't understand why. Wasn't he a friend? Then, why did she feel the need to be miles and miles apart from him?

"Rache." He called her, holding her by the shoulder and hugging her tightly.

"L-let go of me!" She cried out.

The man seemed to be shocked. Nevertheless, he didn't let go of her. "Rache, it's me, Finn." He looked like a kicked puppy.

She pried his large hands off her smaller shoulders. "No. Who are you?"

"B-but, Rache…" He shook his head and looked pleadingly at her. "It's me, Finn, you're boyfriend – fiancée. We're going to get married, remember?"

"What?" She couldn't help but sputter out. "Are you crazy? I'm 20! Why would I want to be tied down at 20 and without achieving anything?"

Finn frowned, the downtrodden look on his face was now gone. He grabbed her by her shoulders again; looking like he had a long tirade planned out, but she wouldn't let him. She yelled out for her Daddy.

Everything happened fast. Her Daddy ran out of the house and grabbed that Finn guy away. She remained inside the car, shaking from unwanted and unknown feelings. She hurriedly closed the window and locked herself in the car. She didn't know who that Finn guy was but he gave her the creeps.

Her Daddy came back soon after, telling her that he wouldn't bother her ever again. She cried and she didn't know why or who she was crying for.

(.*)

Rachel's eyes opened, her daydreaming broken when the bell's ting-ting-ting sound echoed inside the café. She looked up from the counter and saw the same young man who always came in the café at scheduled time. She peeked at her watch and saw that it was 3:15 pm. As always, the young man came in at the exact time – not a minute too late or too soon.

She smiled at him when he approached the counter. Before he could open his mouth, she repeated his usual order of, "Slice of Butter Caramel Cake and Chai Latte, coming right up." She saw him sit down in his usual spot.

A smile danced across her face as she moved around her kitchenette. She placed a cup under the coffee, pressing the needed buttons with ease. She moved towards the display case and placed a healthy size of Butter Caramel Cake on the plate. She placed that on the tray and hurried back to the machine once the noise of it settled down. She grabbed the cup and sprinkled some choco granules on top of the white foam.

Before her co-worker could call for the order, she laid a hand on his shoulder and told him she'd do it herself. The café was almost empty. It was one of those rare off days and there was only two other customer besides the young man (she privately called him Curly in her mind).

(.*)

Jesse's phone rang and he saw Wendla on the caller ID. "Hey, Beautiful, is something up?" He greeted.

"I got a callback!" The caller squealed out. "I got a callback!"

"I told you, you would." He said, his voice indicating amusement and pride for her.

"Yes. Yes, you did." She squealed again. "Oh! This will be fantastic!"

"So, Beautiful, how about you and I have a celebratory lunch at Lyrics?" His voice had a leer on it. "And a little private practice for your callback?"

She only laughed. "Sure. Where are you right now?"

"I'm actually about to enter Lyrics now." He told her.

"All right, I'll be there at twenty."

He looked down at his watch: 3:15 it read. "I'll be waiting for you." But before he could hang up, he heard her voice calling his name.

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

And as per usual, a smile rose up his lips and his heart beat accelerated. "Love you too."

(.*)

Rachel looked at Curly again, perusing his physical appearance as she moved to his sit by the window. His skin had a tinge of tan, showing that he'd been under the sun for quite some time. He was ruggedly handsome, she'd admit. Whenever he ordered, she could see from her vantage point in the counter that he was lean. She'd bet anything that he was a dancer. His hair was a mass of dark curls and while it may look ridiculous in others, but it looked quite – what's the word – suited for him.

She hurried her pace and stood in front of his table. She greeted him with a smile, calling his name – Jesse. He looked surprised that she knew his name and she couldn't understand why. Everyone in Lyrics café knew each other, whether it's because they were acquaintances from school or somewhere or because they give their names in the counter for their order to be called out.

She still stood there, unwilling to move. She didn't know why but she felt a strange bout of nostalgia whenever she looked at him. She was about to leave when her steps faltered when she heard his voice ask if there was anything wrong. It was smooth with a lilt. He was a singer, she could tell from his speaking voice.

"Um, no, sir." She bit her lower lip. "I just, uh, wanted to introduce myself. I'm Rachel, the barista here. I thought it's only fair we get a formal introduction since you are a regular here."

"Jesse, but I assume you already know that." He smiled at her.

It was a nice smile. And she could finally see his eyes. They were blue, like the Caribbean sea. But they held something akin to pain and she couldn't help but wonder what happened to put such sorrow on those blue eyes.

She couldn't help but smile back. "Um, sir -"

"Jesse." He cut. "It's Jesse."

"Well, uh, Jesse, I was wondering if we've met before." Her brows furrowed and she watched his facial expression. His eyes widened for a moment, a glimmer of something like hope set there before a very potent show face was stamped.

"What do you mean?" He asked, not really answering her original question.

"You just seem so… familiar." Rachel shook her head before laughing. "Forget it. It's ridiculous. It must be because you're a regular here."

She turned around, missing the broken look in his face.

(.*)

She's late. That was the only thing running inside Jesse's mind. He was worried. He was panicking.

If there was one thing about Rachel Berry, she valued punctuality. So, the fact that she was running an hour behind was truly worrying. He looked at his phone, noticing the time: 4:41 PM. His worry only increased when he saw the lack of message and missed call. He stood up, prepared to leave when his phone rang. Relief surged in his being and he didn't even bother looking at the Caller ID.

"Rach! What happened? Are you okay?"

But every nerve in his body broke when his cousin's voice came out of the other side. "… Where are you?" His voice was harsh.

"I'm at Lyrics. I-I've been waiting for Rachel. I don't know where she is. I…" Before he could voice out more of his concern, he heard his cousin sob and warning bells rang on his head. "Blaine? Blaine! What happened? Is it about Rachel? Goddammit! Tell me what happened!" He was hyperventilating as he left the café. He waved for a cab, still firing question after question at his cousin.

"Yes, it's about Rachel." His heart stopped for a moment. "God, I'm sorry, Jesse." No… Please, no… "She was ran over by a bus. I'm in the hospital with Kurt right now. He received a call from St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Center. She's in the ICU."

"Shit." His hold on the phone loosened and it hit the pavement. He felt an overwhelming pain in his system. When he saw a cab stopping in front of him, everything happened so fast. He got in the cab, said (more like yelled) the destination, and had paid the driver a hundred dollars to speed it up. He reached the hospital at fifteen minutes, ran to the ICU in four and found himself pushing against his cousin and Puckerman trying to reach Rachel.

(.*)

"Rachel." She stopped and turned, looking questioningly at him.

"Yes, sir?"

His lips were pursed. "Your rendition of Adele's Chasing Pavements yesterday was flawed. It lacked the emotions Adele felt when she sang the song. But you're talented, I'll give you that."

Rachel felt her cheeks flame in embarrassment. She wanted to say some rude things to him, tell him who he was that he could say such things to her. But, at the same time, there was a part of her that stirred, trying to wake up with those words.

"You sing?" Was all she said.

"Yeah."

"Broadway?"

"I just got casted as Jack in an Into the Woods revival." His voice wasn't laced with arrogance. In fact, it seemed as if he was only saying that the sky was blue.

Rachel didn't say anything for a moment. Jesse seemed to get back on sipping his coffee. And then, she blurted out. "Would you sing a duet with me?" Her cheeks coloured in embarrassment at what she just said.

"What?" He looked up at her, his expression perplexed.

"I was just, uh, asking if you want to sing a duet with me." She tried to sound nonchalant about it, but her nerves danced chachacha inside her. "I'm sure my manager won't mind if I take a little trip to the stage."

He raised a delicate eyebrow at her. "And what song would you like to sing?"

She ran a finger through her locks, a nervous habit. "It's, uh, the first song I remember and sang after my – uh, accident." She knew that many regulars in the café knew of her accident. They had been supportive of her, telling her they missed her during the times she was gone. He didn't seem any different. "Do you know Hello by Lionel Richie?"

(.*)

"Let me through!" Jesse raged on, trying to push Puckerman and Blaine aside. And just as he'd been almost successful, Hummel and Lopez had held him back too. "Get off me! I need to see her!"

"No, you need to calm down!" Blaine told him.

"Dammit, Blaine, let me through!" He cried out.

"Uh, sirs, ma'am, are you Rachel Berry's family?" They all turned to see a doctor, his front covered in blood.

Jesse was the first to reach him. He grabbed him by the shoulder, not minding the blood at all. He didn't even notice nor care about the others. "How is she? Is she all right? She is all right, right Doc? She's alive, yeah?" He was hysterical and yet he didn't care. He felt Blaine's hand on his shoulder but his eyes was on the doctor's.

"She's stabilizing." Jesse breathed a sigh of relief. "But…"

"But what?" It was Lopez, her voice hoarse but holding the same warning tone.

"She hit her head quite badly when she was hit by the bus. She had Traumatic Brain Injury, but we managed to fix it. She's currently resting."

Jesse felt lightheaded. His hold on the doctor's shoulder loosened. He slid down the floor, relief surging inside him. The air that was knocked out of him finally returned. It was only his cousin's hold that made sure he wasn't sprawled on the floor. The news of Rachel's stable condition was good news, but it still wasn't enough. Not until he saw again, anyway.

"I need to see her." He said. He stood up with a lot of help from his cousin.

"I'm sorry, sir, but that's something we can't allow yet. Miss Berry's condition may be stable, but we have to observe her more until we're sure the TBI wouldn't cause any more damage." The doctor said.

Jesse was about to pounce on him, demand that he see Rachel at that instant when he felt himself being pushed back. He looked up to see Puckerman and Blaine pushing him to sit on the bench. Vaguely, he saw Hummel and Lopez barraging the doctor with questions.

"Man, you need calm down." He heard Puckerman say. "Rachel will be fine. But she would worry more about you if you don't calm down."

He tried to breath. He could see his Star doing that. Yes, he tried to calm down. He didn't want to cause her anymore stress. He felt his nerves starting to calm down when there was an alarm of Code Blue in Rachel's room. Everything inside him blew up. He was up again and running, not noticing something slipping out of his jacket pocket.

"Rachel! Rachel!" He cried out. "Let me go, Puckerman! Rachel!" He didn't care that he was a sobbing mess right then. He didn't care for anything but Rachel.

"Shit! You have to trust the doctors." Blaine's voice was hoarse and clogged as he spoke to him in that faux calm voice. "You have to trust Rachel."

"O Dios Mio," They all turned to Lopez. She had picked up what Jesse dropped and they were all wearing the same crushed expression as she.

Puckerman jumped off him and started pacing, speaking a prayer in Yiddish – much like Rachel would when she was worried. Hummel had slipped down the floor and was crying without a sound, his hand covering his trembling mouth. Blaine's hold on him loosened and he kept repeating a mantra of 'Rachel's going to be fine' to him. He didn't try to move. He felt everything inside of him die as he looked at what Lopez was showing on her palm.

It was the Diamond Ring he was planning on using to propose to her at Lyrics.

(.*)

Rachel was unsure if it was her imagination or not, but she saw Jesse flinched. She bit her lower lip, an uneasy feeling dwelling in her stomach. She was about to say something when Jesse stood up. She watched in fascination as he climbed up the stage and whispered something to Mikaela, her co-worker. Then, he sat down on the grand piano on the side of the stage. She hurried to follow him up there.

His fingers descended on the keys and the opening for Hello was smoothly played. She watched him, transfixed for a moment. She could feel all eyes on them, but it felt so natural for her to take the seat right next to him. When he opened his mouth to start the first verse, she couldn't help but close her eyes and let his voice wash over her. It simply felt right.

When she opened her mouth and allowed her voice to mesh with his, everything seemed to fade into the background. There was only her, him, and the grand piano. She felt that same nostalgia from earlier swim around her being. She didn't understand why, but she felt like this wasn't the first time they had done this. Because she had sung duets before, but it never arose the same feelings in her like this.

"But let me start by saying," The two of them sang, looking at each other in the eyes. "I love you."

Truthfully, Rachel didn't understand why. She didn't understand how. All she knew was that she had said hello to her soul mate.

(.*)

"Hey, Beautiful, isn't it about time for you to wake up."

It had been a week since Rachel's accident. There hadn't been any Code Blue since then. Jesse hadn't left her bedside too. Blaine had brought him spare clothes, but he had told him that he should go home. He had a life. What he didn't understand was that there was no life without Rachel. Not for Jesse, anyway.

He brushed her knuckle on his lips, pressing a chaste kiss there. "The nurses here are nice. But they keep on worrying over me when they should worry over you." He shook his head. "The doctors briefed your dads. They said that there was a chance you won't remember anything. But I know you will. One way or another. And if you don't, well, I'll wait until you do."

He ran a hand through his curls, his eyes red as he focused his attention on her unmoving face. "Rain or Hale, I'll wait for you. I believe that we'll be together again. It's inevitable."

He let out a soft chuckle, pressing another kiss on her knuckle. "Now, how about I sing Hello to you. It's sort of a practice when you wake up and remember me. We'll sing our Hello again."

Code Blue (emergency code), a hospital code used to indicate a patient requiring immediate resuscitation.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is another word for concussion. (note: I talked this with my cousin – who is taking med course, and she said that a person can have amnesia. It depends on the 'level' of TBI he/she received. But it is better not to force a person to remember. It will all happen in due course. There may be head pains and nausea whenever they are forced to remember.) çThis is why Jesse never approached her. He was warned by the doctor's not to do so, not until she remembers it by herself. Her brain is still recovering – yes, even after all those months. My cousin said that if someone with TBI – and had gone into coma/amnesia (because this was somesort of high level thing) was forced to recover their memories, their brain would have a meltdown.

Okay… so, this may not be my best work. But I actually felt for them. I could hear Jesse crying, sobbing, and reaching out for Rachel when she's not there. I could see him inside my head, waking up in the morning, looking at the empty side of his bed, looking around his/their apartment (Rachel moved in with him) and remembering those memories that Rachel had forgotten. I could see his pain as he watch her sing during her shifts. I could actually hear his heartbreaking words if ever he asks his cousin about Rachel. He would ask, "Does she remember anything about… me?"

Okay, I'm going to bury myself in a pile of blankets and cry myself to sleep.

Started at April 13, 2014 (10:43 PM) and Finished at April 15, 2014 (2:12 AM)