Today was just not my day, it started off with me waking up late, stubbing my toe on my dresser as I stumbled my way into the bathroom to get ready for work. I ended up missing my 8:30 train and walked into work 15 minutes late with my boss hounding me that the sports column for that week needed to be written and on his desk by noon. To blow off some steam from an aggravating day, I decided to go to the gym and play a three on three game of basketball with my buddies.

This how I ended up in the emergency room of New York General Hospital at 7 pm holding an icepack to my ankle that I landed on wrong after doing a layup. I was getting more and more pissed as I sat there waiting to be seen as I was missing the football game that night against the New York Giants and Chicago Bears. Just as I was about to go up to the front triage desk to see what was the hold up, paramedics rushed in with a small brunette on a stretcher. Looking closer I realised that I knew that nose and that hair, I was shocked to see none other than Rachel Berry rolled past me unconscious and looking pretty beat up. My jaw was just picked up off the floor when I heard my name called. I was escorted into the back room to get some x-rays done but all I could think about was what happened to Berry and if she was alright. I haven't spoken to Rachel since we graduated high school seven years ago. She was on her way to becoming a Broadway star and I was still trying to figure out what the hell to do with my life besides bang cougars and clean out their pools.

After I was checked over and it was decided that nothing was broken just a bad sprain, I was given crutches and told to take it easy. As I was making my way out of the ER, I walked past an open curtain and realized that Berry was in there laying on the bed. Not one for manners, I barged my way into the room and loudly said "Berry, what the hell are you doing here?". She looked up frightened, trembling and her eyes darting towards the exit. A look of recognition dawned on her and she opened her mouth saying "Noah, this is unexpected why are you in my room?"

"Answer, my question first Berry."

"Noah, that is not the way to address a classmate that you haven't seen in seven, and to answer your question I fell so I am just getting checked out."

My eyes raked over her taking in all of the injuries. She had the beginning of a black eye, with bruises lining her jaw and her lip was split open, caked blood on the right side of her mouth. "Bullshit Berry, I have been in enough fights in high school to know when a person just had the shit beaten out of them, now what happened."

Her eyes widened and started to water, she whispered "Someone got angry at me, but it's not as bad as it looks, it just some cuts and bruises."

"Looks more than cuts and bruises to me, looks like you probably broke your cheek bone as well. But who did this to you, I will go and beat the crap out of them right now, give them a taste of their own medicine."

"It doesn't matter who has done it, it is very chivalrous of you to want to defend me but they won't do it again. As well it would do you no good to go and get arrested for assault, it could be very detrimental to your life and career."

"I don't care about being arrested, I care about you never being hurt again and to show what ever motherfucker who did this to you that it is never okay to hit a lady"

"Noah please, I am not going to tell you. Now it was very nice of you to show your concern however I am sure you have more productive things to do today and I would really like to take a nap. The pain medication the nurse gave me is starting to make me very sleepy."

I could see that she was getting more and more tired as her eyes were fighting to stay open. "I'll let you take a nap Berry, but don't think that this conversation is over." I watched as she gave up the fight to keep her eyes open and she quickly fell asleep. I stepped outside the curtained off room and gave my roommate a call. He picked up after a few rings, with the sound of the football game I was missing in the background.

"Sam, you'll never believe what I have to tell you"

"Puck, everything alright with the ankle, need me to come pick you up?" Sam my long time roommate and band member said.

"My ankle is just sprained, but that isn't what I was calling about. I just saw Berry rolled in here while I was waiting for the doc, and it looked like she had the shit beaten out of her. I walked in her room to see what is going on, but she won't tell me who did it. I really don't like the look of it, it seems that she is protecting someone."

"What Berry, I haven't seen her since high school and she went off to be a star or something like that. Why would she be protecting someone who hit her?"

"I don't know dude, but I'm going to stick around and see if I can get her to talk. I'll call you when I'm leaving."

"K, dude keep me posted." With that Sam hung up the phone and I turned around looking into the room with Rachel laying there. She looked so small and fragile in such a big bed. Thinking that someone hit, made me clinch my fists against the growing rage inside of me. She was a sweet girl, who would do this to her?

A doctor walked up just then with x-rays and charts in hand. He stopped just outside the room and looked over at me. "Are you here with Rachel Berry?" He asked. Not really sure how to answer I just nodded my head.

"She has been through one hell of a time it looks like this isn't the first time this happened." The doctor stated.

"What do you mean this wasn't the first time?" I asked.

"Well we did a few x-rays and looking at them, there is multiple past injuries all pointing at being beaten. There are defensive injuries on her forearms where she tried to protect herself and broke both wrists. As well 10 ribs of been previously broken at one time or another. There are many scars and burn marks covering her body, with many bruises in varying degrees of healing . If I could garner a guess it looks like someone has been beating Ms. Berry for at least the last year. That isn't including the injuries that she has procured from the latest assault. This time, she has fractured her cheekbone along with the bruising, dislocated her shoulder, and cracked three ribs on the right side. Do you know of anyone who has done this to her?"

My stomach dropped as I listened to the doctor speak, I couldn't believe all that she has had to go through. The rage and shock was so intense it made me want to go and throw up in a trash can and then beat the ever living shit out of whoever had done this. I just shook my head when the doctor asked about who had done this, I haven't seen Rachel in seven years I don't know what she is doing much less who could have beaten her.

The doctor sighed, looking defeated and placed his hand on my shoulder. "It is best if we can know who did this, I have to report it to the police and to would be helpful in the investigation if we had a name."

I looked up and could see that the doctor really wanted to help. "I will try to talk to her, see if she will tell me anything."

"Good, now it would be best if she did not go back to her place alone tonight, it seems she has hit her head and it would be good if someone was around to monitor her for signs of a concussion."

I nodded, saying "Don't worry, I be with her and I'll take her to my place and watch out for any symptoms. I decided there that I would be the one to help Rachel out and see what happened in the seven years since high school. It hurt to think that no one was around to protect her from all of this bad shit.

The doctor nodded and walked into the room. Rachel woke up when she realized that she was not alone in the room anymore. "Hi Rachel, I'm Dr. Stevens and I am the one treating you today. Now it seems that along with the bruising on your face you have broken a cheek bone, dislocated your shoulder and cracked three ribs. I can't do much for the breaks beside to tell you to take it easy, but I will need to set your shoulder. Before I do that it seems that this has happened in the past, can you tell me who did this to you."

Rachel looking scared just shook her head and looked down at the blanket covering her lap. The doctor sighed and continued on with "Since you have hit your head I don't feel comfortable with sending you home, so your friend here has said he will look after you for tonight." Rachel looked up at me startled by what the doctor had said. I looked at her and tried to give the most reassuring smile I could. After that the doctor left the room in search of nurse to help him set Rachel's shoulder back in place.

Rachel looked over at me when I sat down in the chair next to the bed and said "Noah, you didn't have to do that for me I'm sure I can find someone else to stay with me tonight."

"Rachel, I want to help you I haven't been around the last few years to protect you but I am here now and no one will ever hurt you again."

Rachel looked at me, her eyes starting to tear up at the protectiveness in my voice. Quietly she whispered "Thanks" and looked back down at the blanket.

Deciding to see if Rachel would tell me anything else I said "Rach, the doctor said that this has happened before, who did this to you. Was it a boyfriend?"

Tears started to slide down her face as fiddled with a loose thread on the blanket. "I can't tell you, he will find me and kill me"

I scooted over the chair next to the bed and reached up and thumbed off the tears that were falling down her face. She startled at first when I touched her, then she leaned more into my hand that was resting on her cheek. "I will not let him near you Rach, but we need to know so the police can arrest him, he cannot get away with this."

Whispering very quietly I almost didn't catch what she said next. " Brady, Brady Weston." With that I gathered Rachel into my arms being mindful of her injuries and let her lean her head on my shoulder.

The doctor walked in with the nurse then, saying that they need to set her dislocated shoulder and bandage up her ribs. I left her in the care of the doctor and I stepped out of the room for the second time that night to call Sam.

"Hey Sam, it's not good it seems that the motherfucker of a boyfriend, has been doing this for a while. She has a lot of injuries and it just kills me to see her like this. Also I told the doctor that I would look after her tonight so she is coming over to our place."

"What, oh my god, I can't believe this has happened to Berry. Who is this boyfriend?"

"Brady Weston, I am going to tell the police and then they will probably go arrest him. But Sam I need you to come here and pick us up and stop me from going after the son of a bitch and beating the hell out of him like he did to Rach."

"Yeah sure, I'll be there in 20 minutes. But stay with Rachel she needs you with her right now, not going off on a manhunt to kill her boyfriend." With that Sam hung up the phone. I dragged my hand across my face feeling the exhaustion of the day catching up to me.

I walked back into the room, to see that the doctor had finished and the nurse helping Rachel into her clothes. Her back was turned to me but I could see the bruises that littered the back of her, the rage inside of me flaring up to see what that bastard had done to her. She turned around shocked to see me standing there and then looked down at the ground embarrassed that I saw her half dressed. I rushed over to her and pulled her into a hug and said "Hey it's all right, I won't let this happen to you ever again this is nothing to be ashamed of."

She leaned into my embrace tears wetting my t-shirt where she rested her head on my shoulder. I kissed the top of her head and said "Sam, is coming to pick us up and take us back to our place. It's going to be alright."

She sighed and leaned back, stepping out of the hug. "Thank you Noah, I needed that. I didn't know that you lived with Sam, I don't want to intrude on both of your lives."

"It's fine Rachel, Sam wants you at our place just as much as I do. And yes I have been living with Sam since college, we are even in the same band together."

"Well thank you again, it is a big thing to open up your home for an old high school classmate."

"I think we are more than classmates, I thought we were at least friends and friends help friends even ones they haven't seen in seven years."

Sam walked in just as I finished saying that, and said "Yeah Rachel, you're my friend too and I want to help you as well."

Rachel teared up at that confession and just nodded her head.

"Now what do you say about blowing this joint, I have been here long enough and I say it is time to head home." I looked down at Rachel waiting for a response. She just nodded her head. I stood up on my crutches and looked at Sam to help me out. He understood what I wanted and pulled Rachel to his side saying "I'm parked outside, let's get you and cripple boy over there out of here." Rachel smiled allowing Sam to lead her outside and I followed behind hobbling on my crutches. I stopped at the front desk to get the discharge papers and to make sure that they had called the police to go and arrest Brody. Once everything was settled I headed out to the awaiting car and headed home with Rachel and Sam.