Chapter 1

Noah looked down at the tiny brunette in the hospital bed in front of him. Her face was mared with bruises and cuts. Her one of her wrist was in a brace and her leg almost from the hip down was in a cast. She had stiches in her forhead and in her other leg and she had been in a coma for two days. He hadn't been able to leave her side since bringing her to the hospital. He was stillwearing the clothes he found her in that were covered in her blood. She had been losing so much of it when he pulled open her car door. So here he had sat not wanting to leave her, wanting to be the first one she saw when she finally opened those big brown eyes. He heard her stirring and sat up quickly. Her eyes opened slowly and he could see her trying to look around and her breathing incress and he knew she was freaking out.

"Hey calm down B, you're safe."

"Noah." She rasped out. He nodded his head and touched the top of her head pushing her hair back from her face.

"Welcome back to the world of the living." He said with a sad smile. She looked at his face and saw that his eyes were blood shot and that he looked tired. "I'm gonna go get the doctor they have been waiting for you to wake up." He said kissing the top of her head. Rachel watched as he went and looked around the room some more as she got her bearings. There was no light coming in through the window so she gathered it was night outside. There wasn't a lot of noise in the hall outside of her room so she knew that she wasn't in the E.R. either. Soon Puck walked back in with a doctor who introduced himself before flipping through her chart.

"So Ms Berry , can you tell me the last thing you remember?" He asked setting down her chart and taking out a small light and checking her eyes.

"I was driving home after dance class and I was passing through an intersection when I saw a light heading towards me and then I woke up here." She said gaining her voice back a little.

"Well from what we have gathered a truck ran a red light and hit you on your passenger side door. You have a broken leg, a sprained wrist, a few stitches in your head and leg and some bruising and scratches but nothing to serious. You have however been unconscious for two days. So we are going to keep you for a few more to observe you and make sure there is no permanent brain damage. You're lucky your friend here found you. Your femoral artery had been opened and you would have bled out if it wasn't for this young mans quick thinking." The doctor said patting him on the back.

"Yeah I guess I should thank you for making me watch that stupid twilight movie. Something from it came in handy." Puck said shoving his hands in his pockets and rocking on his feet. Rachel smiled sweetly at him and mouthed a thank you.

"Well I am going to go call your father's and let them know you are awake and make them aware of your progress." The doctor said writing some notes in her chart before leaving the room.

"So there are a few people who are wanting to see you, but if you aren't up for it I can tell them to shove off." Puck said.

"Who is here?" Rachel asked.

"Well…" Puck began but was interrupted when Kurt poked his head in the room.

"Rachel thank god you are awake." Kurt said. "Everyone she is awake." Kurt called out into the hall. "We were so worried about you; don't ever scare us like that again." Kurt said. Rachel watched as all of the glee club and Mr Schue came into the room to see her. They all told her how worried they were and left flowers and stuffed animals for her before Puck kicked them all out saying she needed to rest. After saying good bye to all of them Rachel sighed and let her head fall against her pillow. Puck went to take his seat back in the chair but Rachel patted the bed next to her. Puck sat on the bed and leaned back against the raised head board. Rachel rested her head on his chest and he draped an arm around her.

"Thank you Noah." Rachel whispered.

"For what?" he asked running his hand absently up and down her arm.

"For saving my life, if it wasn't for you I would be dead right now." Rachel said looking up at him with her big brown eyes.

"It was nothing Berry; just don't go making a habit of it okay." He said kissing her forehead again. Rachel nodded and closed her eyes falling asleep quickly. "I couldn't stand to lose you." He whispered into the air pulling Rachel closer to him.


Puck had never been so scared in his life as when he saw that truck hit Rachel's car. He had been sitting on the other side of the red light and noticed Rachel's car as it was passing through the intersection and then everything seemed to move in slow motion as he watched the truck barrel into her small car and pushing it across the intersection and then kept going. He leapt from his truck and ran to the car and saw her head resting against the shattered glass of her driver side door. Her head was bleeding and she wasn't responding to him calling her name. He opened her door and pulled out his phone dialing 911. He looked over her and saw that a piece of glass had sliced one of her legs open and the other was trapped under a crushed part of her dashboard. He saw the blood seeping out of her leg and knew that she was losing to much blood. He quickly pulled his belt off and made a tourniquet on her leg stopping the blood flow as he told the operator where they were and that she was not responding and losing a lot of blood. The team responded with in two minutes and Puck stepped back and watched as they took Rachel out of the car putting a brace on her next and checking her over as he stood back and watched the whole thing. He didn't even notice he was covered in her blood until Sam pointed it out to him in the E.R. waiting room. Puck didn't care; all he could think about was Rachel in the paramedic's arms looking like a broken doll limp and unmoving. He cried then looking down at himself and seeing her blood on his skin and shirt and remembering how she looked being pulled from the car. He didn't care if was supposed to be a badass, all he could think about was the crushing pain at the thought of losing Rachel. Puck knew in that moment that he loved her. That he had loved her for a long time but had never been able to admit it to himself or to her and he would do anything he could now to protect her. That's what Puck thought about as Rachel slept in his arms that night.


Rachel was released from the hospital a few days later. She was going to have to use a wheel chair and couldn't do steps and once the cast was off she was going to need extensive physical therapy but there would be no long term damage and she was thankful for that. She would probably have to quite ballet but she could still dance Broadway and that was okay by her but most of all she was thankful to be alive.

"Okay Berry where are we setting you up?" Puck asked carrying her into the house as he dad's brought in her things from the hospital including her wheelchair. Her father's had come home as soon as they could after hearing about the accident but a storm in Chicago had caused a lay over for them for two days. Since being home they had been at Rachel's bedside almost as much as Puck was only going home to rearrange things in the house to make it easier for Rachel to get around.

"On the couch please Noah and you didn't have to carry me in. The doctor did give me crutches to use for short distances." Rachel said as Puck sat her down and shrugged,

"It's not like you weight a ton or anything." He said.

"Thank you Noah, you should go home and get some sleep and a shower." He father said sitting down her things.

"Sure thing and then I will be back over to help take care of her. I can stay with her while you two work and make sure she doesn't hurt herself again." Puck said ruffling Rachel's Hair causing her to scowl at him but it just made him chuckle. He said goodbye before driving home.

"Noah is that you?" His mother called as he stepped into the doors of his house.

"Yeah Ma it's me just grabbing a shower and some clothes before heading back over to the Berry's house." He called walking into the kitchen where he had heard his mother's voice come from.

"How is Rachel?" His mom asked.

"Better she is gonna be in the cast for a few more weeks though and then P.T. for at least eight weeks but she's alive and I think that's all that matters." He said grabbing the orange juice out of the fridge and taking a drink of it.

"What have I told you about drinking from the bottle and I am glad she is okay. So I take it you will be spending a few nights there for a while then to help her father's with her?" His mother asked,

"Yeah they both have to work and Rachel needs someone to stay with her while they aren't there." He said placing the orange juice back in the fridge.

"Well I want you to call me every night and give me an update and don't do anything stupid Noah Puckerman or so help you and talk with your teacher's to get all of your assigments. I am sure Rachel will make sure all the work gets done." His mother said. Puck just rolled his eyes agreed and kissed her cheek before running upstairs to grab a shower and pack something's up before heading back over to the Berry's house.

When he got back to the Berry's house Rachel had been set up in the downstairs guest bedroom. She sat on top of the covers in sweats and a tank top. Puck had never seen her so casual before and he thought it was the sexiest look she had ever sported well minus the big white cast on her leg but she somehow seemed to make it work for her. Her braided hair draped over her shoulder as she was bent over slightly reading something. He knocked gently on the door as he leaned in the door way and she looked up at him and smiled.

"Whatcha you reading?" He asked pushing off the door frame and sitting on the bed next to her.

"Just reading over the doctor's notes to make sure I didn't miss anything important." She said setting the papers aside. "You really don't have to stay and help out Noah you really have done enough." Rachel said looking over at him.

"S'okay, I don't mind." Puck said kicking his feet up onto the bed and leaning back folding his hands behind his head. Rachel shook her head and leaned back to.

"Noah?" Rachel asked softly.

"Yeah Berry?"

"Were you scared when it happened?" Rachel asked softly looking at the boy sitting next to her. He sat up and took her hands in his as best he could with a brace on her wrist.

"Yes I was." He stated simply.

"I'm sorry Noah." Rachel said.

"You have nothing to be sorry for Rach, I am glad that I was there to help but thinking that you may have been gone for good I could hardly take it. I have honestly never been so scared in my life and you know what?" He asked looking at her with a smile.

"What?" Rachel asked.

"Made me realize you really do cause alot of drama." He said joking with her. Rachel scoffed at him pulling her hands away from him and crossing her arms over her chest. He just laughed and pulled her into his arms as best he could. He knew she was still sore and he didn't want to open the stiches in her leg. "So i am guessing Funny girl and vegan ice cream then?" He asked.

"How did you know?" Rachel asked looking up at him.

"Please Berry you are so easy to read. Plus we have known each other almost our whole lives you know." he said getting out of the bed and walking to the kitchen. He returned with the movie and ice cream and watched it with her as she fell asleep again. The meds the doctor had put her on put her out alot but only for short amounts of time so he knew that in an hour or two she would be awake again adn want to talk his ear off so he took the time to text a few of the glee clubbers to have them come over and keep her company too. He may love the girl but she talks to much sometimes.

AN: So I was listening to my music and a song came on that made me think about Noah being Rachel's rock through something and this came out. Let me know what you think in a review.