Title: To Care for a Teacher
Summary: After another of Sue's stunts, Will is hurt. The kids along with a certain counselor and football coach conspire to take care of him.
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I own nothing of Glee or its characters. I'm merely borrowing them for my own, semi-twisted pleasure.
Author's Note: In my opinion, there is way too little Mr. Schue fics out there so I'm adding this one to up the numbers, lol.. That and there can't be too many Schue-whump fics, lol.
2: Oh! And I've definitely changed some of Schue's history to suit my own needs; just an FYI.
oOo
The world was spinning. That was all he knew – the world was spinning. Okay, so there were also lots of bumps as well seeing as how he was rolling down the stairs, but it was basically the spinning that he noticed most. He landed on the main floor of the school with an extremely loud thud, the ringing in his ears positively having nothing to do with the fact that his head had slammed on the floor as well.
Ow. That was all he could think for a full five minutes. Then after that he opened his eyes only to look up at the overly giddy face of Sue Sylvester.
"Aw, did little Will fall down the stairs," she taunted, leaning over him and not bothering to try to help him up or see if he was okay.
"Sue, he didn't fall down, you pushed him. A quarter of the student body saw you," Figgins declared, sounding as angry as he could.
"You can't prove it," Sue countered, though she didn't sound so sure.
"I don't need proof when one quarter of the kids in this school plus myself saw you. As of this moment you are on a one month suspension until further notice."
"You can't suspend me," Sue declared, coming to her full height in front of Figgins.
"As principle of this school, I can suspend you so long as I have grounds and assaulting a fellow teacher is grounds."
"Fellow teacher, please," Sue scoffed, "Will Schuester is little more than the man who babysits your kids."
"I'm more qualified to teach these kids than you are," Will countered from his spot on the floor. Slowly he tried to sit up, only to stop when the room swam before his eyes.
"I beg to differ," Sue replied. "And when I've had a talk with the school board about this suspension, we'll just see who still has their job and who has to take out an ad on Craigslist to sell their hair to birds wanting a place to nest."
Will looked up at Principle Figgins, checking to make sure that her comment hadn't really made sense to him either and watched as she stormed away.
"Schue, are you alright?" Figgins asked when she left.
"Other than the intense throbbing at the back of my skull, yeah, I'm fine," Will answered, reaching up to grab the hand that Figgins had offered. He grimaced as he stood up and the pounding in his head intensified.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Figgins asked, eying him suspiciously.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Will lied, unwilling to let Figgins send him home when he had Glee practice tonight. The truth was that his head was throbbing so badly it made him want to sit in a dark room in silence, the places where his arms and back had hit the stairs stung, and there was a fairly intense yet familiar throbbing in his knee that was beginning to make itself known.
At that moment the bell rang, cutting off further conversation. Will waited for Figgins to walk off before he gingerly pivoted and went to his own classroom. He was thankful that the school day was at least already half over because he didn't think his aching body could handle a full day. Hm, maybe a couple of aspirin were in order before Spanish.
Luckily he kept a bottle in his bag for the days when those migraines strike.
oOo
As one, they all turned on their heels, spinning in a choreographed circle. They stopped and then spun the other way, copying the hand motions Will was doing as they moved. On the third trip spinning around, Will stopped with as quiet a hiss as he could muster. He froze, placing a supporting hand on the piano as he bent his leg to test his knee.
"Mr. Schue, are you alright?" Rachel asked, sounding only marginally concerned. He was pretty sure her only concern was that they had had to stop, but he wasn't going to tell her that.
"Yeah, I'm fine." He sighed and straightened up, hoping that he looked as fine as he'd pronounced himself to be. "Let's run it again."
This time, he wisely sat this one out, literally. His knee throbbed painfully. The last pivot hadn't done it any favors; in fact, Will was pretty sure that it had made things worse. He doubted that it would hold his full weight now, if it did at all; he honestly wasn't sure that he wanted to find out.
The kids ended in their ending pose and waited for him to say something, going to sit down in their normal respective places. He smiled and got off the stool to pull up a seat closer to them. His first step faltered as his knee gave way under his weight, making him hold on to the stool to make sure he didn't fall.
"Are you sure you're alright, Mr. Schue?" Finn asked, true concern wrinkling his brows. He looked around at the rest of the Glee members and added, "I mean, we heard about Coach Sylvester pushing you down the stairs."
"Yeah, I'm okay. I messed up an old injury when I fell, but I'm fine."
"You don't look fine, Mr. Schue," Rachel said.
"That's a matter of opinion," Brittany argued, making them all slightly uncomfortable.
"No, what I mean is, you look like you're in pain."
"Oh, that, no, I've had a headache all day, that's all." Will didn't honestly know why he was trying to deny that he was hurt. He just didn't like all the attention on him and that's where this conversation was going.
"A headache wouldn't explain the fact that you can't seem to put weight on your right leg," Rachel reasoned.
"Yeah, fess up Mr. Schue," Finn gently urged with a smile on his face. He looked at the rest of the Glee members and they all nodded their agreement with him.
Will thought about trying to change the subject so that the focus wasn't on himself, but he didn't feel right doing it. Every day, he burrowed into these kids' lives; he butted in where most teachers wouldn't have. How was it right of him to not allow the kids to do the same?
Giving in with a smile-turned-grimace as he heavily limped in front of the stool, Will sat down and explained.
"It's nothing, guys, really," he placated, though he doubted they were truly concerned. "About ten years ago, I was in a bad car accident. I wasn't the one driving, a friend of mine was. My knee got messed up pretty badly, but at least I was alive. My friend wasn't so lucky."
He paused for a moment to calm the sadness that he felt in remembering the past. The guy that had died had been more than a friend to him; he had been his brother and it hurt just as much to remember that he was dead now as it did to learn it then. One lone tear spilled down his cheek, as though it had been the only one brave enough to do it. Will bowed his head in hopes of hiding the pain from the kids, but he doubted that he had.
The room was numbingly silent as the kids listened to his tale. Though none of them spoke, he could tell that they were at a loss for words and didn't know what to do with this new revelation and so they did what they thought they should do – nothing.
When the silence became too much for him to stand, Will cleared his throat and continued, "Anyways. The damage that had been done to my knee was enough that the doctors told me that I'd never fully heal. I've done pretty well with taking good care of myself to where that wasn't a problem, but it's kinda hard to guard against being pushed down the stairs, know what I mean?" He smiled and added, "Especially by a girl."
That got the kids to chuckle a little bit. A few of the girls had tears in their eyes, obviously sympathizing with him for the los of a friend, but the rest appeared to be trying to remain impassive.
"I'm not sure Coach Sylvester qualifies as a girl, Mr. Schue," Quinn said with a warm smile on her face.
"You're probably right, Quinn, thanks," Will said, returning her smile. He clapped to wake them up a bit and to move the conversation forward. "So, is there anything you guys feel we need to work on today?"
"Well, I know I could use some help on the dancing, but I'm not sure you're up for it," Finn answered, sounding somewhat embarrassed.
Will chuckled a little, as did the rest of the group. "Well, you're right on that one, Finn, but I'm sure some of your friends wouldn't mind helping you out."
"We wouldn't mind at all," Rachel answered for the group. "But I think we'll need more space so I think you should come sit over here, Mr. Schue, so that we can move the piano and stool a bit."
Although he doubted that was the true reason why Rachel wanted him to move, Will did as he was asked. When his first attempt at getting up the risers almost landed him on the floor, however, he was ready to tell Rachel that he was fine where he was and that they had enough room. But the kids seemed determined and so Puck and Finn helped him to find a seat about midway up.
As the kids danced, Will closed his eyes and rested. He knew he should have been watching them, but he trusted the rest of the group to help Finn out so he didn't feel the pressing need to. As discreetly as he could, he stretched his leg out onto a spare chair and sank into the one he was sitting it, stopping only when he felt the back of the chair bump against his head.
The world spun as his eyes remained closed, giving him the feeling that he was falling. Instead of trying to stop himself from falling, however, Will just let himself go; he doubted that he would do further damage anyways. A fresh wave of pain emanated from his knee, making him grimace and give a little hiss which he hoped no one heard. Out of reflex, his hand went down to his thigh and tried to massage the pain away. When that didn't seem to be helping, the hand moved to his head instead since it was still steadily pounding.
It wasn't until he finally realized that the choir room was silent that he opened his eyes. At first, he wasn't sure if he'd fallen asleep or if he'd simply managed to block everything out, but if he had to judge by the blanket that had been draped over him he'd say that he had fallen asleep. When he noticed that none of the kids were around, he actually debated falling back asleep; he was still sleepy and relatively pain free.
Wait a minute. Why was he pain free? How was he pain free?
Will sat up, wincing when his back gave a small groan of protest, and threw the blanket off him. The leg that he had stretched onto a chair was now supported by a pillow for cushioning support and there was an ice pack on top of the knee. He tried to remember when that had happened, because surely he had noticed, but he couldn't recall anything.
"You looked like you were in quite a bit of pain, so the kids tried to help," Emma's voice explained from the doorway.
Will turned, gently lowering his leg so that his entire body could pivot to face the woman of his dreams. Today she wore her standard, impeccable blouse with a matching skirt and strapped, close-toed heels and Will thought she looked as beautiful as ever.
"I'll have to thank them for that," he answered somewhat groggily, still trying to get his brain and his voice to wake up. "Where are they?"
Emma stepped further into the room, coming to stand beside the piano. "They went to the auditorium so that they could practice without disturbing you." She smiled a little, saying, "They're sweet kids and they care about you."
"They really are," Will granted, not knowing what to say to the last bit. He sighed and then slowly got to his feet. While holding onto one chair for support, he tested the strength of his knee. It held his weight but it was quite painful. "I guess I'd better go and see how they're doing," he said as he slowly and heavily limped towards the piano.
"Should you be doing that?" she asked as her brows furrowed in worry. "I mean, shouldn't you wait for someone to help you?"
"I think I'll be able to manage," Will answered, giving her a wink.
"As long as you have something to lean on, you mean," Emma returned when he started leaning against the piano for support.
"Yeah," he answered again. He hissed when the piano moved because he'd put too much weight on it, causing him to put his bad leg down for support.
"Here," Emma offered, albeit hesitantly. "Um, let me help."
"Are you sure you can hold me up?" he teased as she slipped under his right arm and wrapped her arm around his waist.
She smiled at him, answering, "I think I'll manage."
Will laughed a little at her answer. He was quickly cut off when they began walking towards the auditorium. The pain from his knee was growing the more he put weight on it, thus distracting him from much else. Every other step was not only a chore but very painful since he was trying not to lean too much on Emma, which in turn made him use his injured leg more.
"Will, I'm stronger than I look," she said, obviously noticing what he was doing.
"I know you are," he said, having no doubt whatsoever about how strong she was.
"Then lean on me and stop trying to force so much weight onto your leg," she lectured sounding a mixture of annoyed and exasperated.
"I'm good," he denied, relief flooding through him when they entered through the stage doors. They took a minute to pause and let their eyes adjust to the darkness then they continued to the stage.
"Mr. Schue," Rachel greeted, having been in the best position to notice him. At her voice, however, the rest of the group stopped their practicing and turned to greet him as well.
"Hey guys, how's the dancing going?" Will asked, sitting on a chair that Mike Chang had grabbed from backstage.
"After an hour I think he's finally got it," Kurt answered, smiling over at Finn.
"How are you doing?" Finn asked, obviously more concerned with how Will was than his dancing skills – or lack thereof as it were.
"Better," Will easily lied. "Thanks for the pillow, the blanket and the ice pack, by the way. You guys didn't have to do that."
"Anytime," Rachel granted, once again speaking for the group as a whole. "You looked like you needed the rest."
"Apparently I did," Will conceded, though he was slightly embarrassed by the whole thing.
"Now that Finn has the choreography, can we go home?" Santana complained and asked in one.
"You didn't have to stay," Quinn answered, easily returning Santana's tone of voice.
Taking that as her answer, the Latina cheerleader walked out, barely offering a smile to any of the other members as she left.
"All of you guys didn't have to stay to help Finn out, you know that right?" Will asked, concerned that that was the reason why most of them were still around.
"We don't mind," Rachel spoke up.
"Besides, we wanted to see how you were feeling," Mercedes added with a warm smile.
"Well, I'm doing better thanks to you guys," Will said, actually being honest. Thanks to the small nap he'd taken, his headache had quieted to where it was now a dull ache.
"But you still couldn't get in here on your own," Rachel observed.
"No, but that's nothing that could be fixed in an afternoon," Will answered, sounding unconcerned and reassuring in one.
"Well, speaking of going home, I think that's where I'll be going now," Kurt interjected, swiftly changing the subject much to Will's relief.
Much of the group echoed his statement with "me too". They all gave Will a pat on the shoulder before they left, saying that they'd see him in the morning. Finn remained behind, as did Puck who looked distinctly uncomfortable.
"Do you need some help getting to your car, Mr. Schue?" Finn asked, stating the reason why he'd stayed.
"Yeah, actually, I think I will," Will answered with a small smile. Though he doubted he'd be able to drive with his knee hurting like it was, he didn't want to ask for a ride and nor did he want to have Emma feel like she needed to help him get there.
"I'll take you home," Emma said as Puck and Finn moved to help Will up. When the three men looked at her, she stammered for a few seconds, eventually managing to get out, "You shouldn't be trying to drive."
"How are you going to get up to your apartment?" Finn asked as they started to slowly leave the auditorium.
"That's a good question, Finn," Will conceded, grimacing when he stepped on his right side. "I don't suppose Coach Beiste has a pair of crutches in the locker room that I could borrow, does she?"
The two football players stopped, forcing Will to stop with them.
"Actually, I think she might," Puck answered, shifting his weight so that Finn was fully supporting their Glee teacher. He jogged to the locker room and returned in five minutes with a pair of gray crutches in his hand. "She keeps them on hand in case one of the players gets hurt in the game and can't walk off the field of his own accord."
He'd just handed the crutches over when a loud voice echoed down the hall, "Puckerman! What do you think you're doing stealing the emergency crutches?"
"You didn't ask for them?" Will asked the kid, not entirely sure why he was surprised.
Puck merely shrugged and then moved to the side so that the Coach and Will could face off.
"Will?" Coach Beiste asked, her voice conveying her surprise. "You sent Puckerman for the crutches?"
"Sorry, Coach, I didn't think he'd steal them." Everyone gave him a look of "it's Puck!" but they didn't say anything. Seeing no reason for Finn and Puck to stick around, Will gingerly pivoted to address the two boys. "You guys don't need to stick around. I think I can handle it from here. Thanks for the help though."
"Anytime Mr. Schue," Finn answered, echoing Rachel's statement from earlier.
When they'd left, Will turned back to Coach Beiste. "Again, I apologize for Puck."
"Don't worry about it," Shannon dismissed, "I was just busting his chops. I figured there was a need for them, but I didn't know they'd be for you. Are you okay?"
By the time that Coach had started talking, the small group had started walking with each woman flanking Will. They silently led him to the teacher's lounge where they proceeded to sit down at the nearest table. Will did his best to offer a smile, but after seeing their skeptical looks he knew he hadn't succeeded.
"Yeah, I'm okay," he replied, though he practically sunk into the chair out of exhaustion. He'd forgotten how taxing being injured was and he'd be happy to go back to being ignorant. "I messed up an old injury earlier, that's all."
"I heard about that. A one month suspension is a bit light if you ask me."
"I thought it was rather generous given how lax Figgins usually is with Sue," Will said. He sighed and closed his eyes once again.
"I should let you get home," Shannon said, noticing how tired he was. She stood up, signaling that the other two could and should do the same and then waited for them to lead the way to the car. Once Will was safely sitting in the passenger side, she leaned through the window and demanded, "Call me if you need anything."
"Thanks Shannon," Will gratefully replied. He knew that a lot of people at the school liked him, but there were few people whom he actually considered a friend and he was truly glad that Shannon Beiste was one of them.
"You won't be coming in tomorrow, right?" Shannon asked as the thought occurred to her.
"Probably not, but we'll see how I feel in the morning." Will already knew that he didn't plan on seeing a doctor, but that didn't mean that Emma wouldn't make him go. "Is it okay if I borrow the crutches for a bit longer?"
"Yeah, football's on a break right now anyways. Just make sure to return them when you either get a pair of your own or you don't need them."
"I will, thanks."
"Take care of yourself, Will," Shannon bid as Emma started the car and put it into gear.
"You too, Shannon," Will returned, giving her hand a squeeze of gratitude and friendship.
Shannon stepped away from the car and watched as it pulled out of the now-empty parking lot. As she watched it drive away, she sent a wish out into the universe. It was a wish to be able to give Sue a taste of her own medicine. Maybe one day she'd be able to, but for now she'd settle for taking care of her friends – all two of them.