Disclaimer: No claim to ownership of the characters or the song, that belongs to Daughtry.
A/N: What if this had happened?
The official story that made the rounds of McKinley was that Quinn Fabray had collapsed at Cheerio practice and was rushed to hospital because of a burst appendix. That's what was being said in the halls, that's what was reported on Jacob ben Israel's blog. Even Sue Sylvester was passing out that story. The football team and the Cheerios knew different. They'd been there when it happened. They'd seen and heard everything. To say they were shocked was an understatement. To say one of them was devastated was, well…..one of them thought his life was over. Quinn knew hers was.
Puck was helping himself to water at the side of the football field. He gulped thirstily then poured some over his head to cool off. He'd just had angry, unsatisfying words with one of the Cheerios. Yet again he'd been shot down. Once again she'd refused to see his point of view, denied him the right to make things public. And for what seemed like the millionth time she'd picked his best friend over him. Granted his best friend was actually the guy she was dating but his best friend wasn't the guy she was sleeping with, the guy who'd done the deed. He was that guy. Puck. And unfortunately Quinn wasn't quite ready yet to admit to her boyfriend that she was cheating on him.
"Puckerman," Finn called from the middle of the field. "Any danger of you joining us?"
"Sure QB," Puck shouted back then jogged back onto the field and into the huddle. Puck placed himself strategically so that even through the circle of guys he could see the Cheerios going through their routine. As always his heart was in his mouth as Quinn stood balanced on top of the human pyramid. Then it happened. Puck saw Quinn sway a little. He set off running towards her before she even fell, heard people calling after him, he ignored them, his focus on Quinn. He watched as she toppled almost in slow motion, landing with a thud on her back. She didn't move.
Puck reached her, calling her name almost before her boyfriend had even reacted. Quinn didn't respond.
"Call 911," Puck shouted, checking over her limbs for any signs of broken bones. He couldn't feel anything. Quinn still hadn't moved or made a sound. Finn arrived at Quinn's side as Puck leaned over, his ear to her mouth listening to see if she was breathing. Thank God she was. "Quinn, can you hear me?" he called. Puck stroked his hand over her cheek. "Quinn, it's me. Quinn?" Puck's voice sounded husky, even to him. "Please, open your eyes, baby. Come on, Quinn. Please?" he begged.
Finn stood looking down at Quinn and his best friend. "Maybe we should help her up," he suggested.
Puck looked up, his arm stretching out protectively over Quinn. "Don't touch her," he shouted. "I mean don't move her. We shouldn't move her, we should wait for the paramedics," Puck advised, his voice shaky.
Quinn heard people talking, some sounded very distant, some sounded nearer, they all sounded muffled. She could feel a warm hand on her stomach, it felt comforting, soothing. Quinn felt the tearing, searing cramp rip through her, through her stomach. She groaned and felt her body tense up.
"Quinn?" Puck said softly as he heard her very quiet groan. "Are you with us? Where do you hurt? Tell me where you hurt," his voice made Quinn open her eyes just a slit. She managed to lift a heavy arm to drop her hand on top of his on her stomach. "Here? You hurt here?" Puck asked. Quinn tried to nod but couldn't, she groaned again.
They all heard the sirens and the voice of the paramedic fighting his way through the crowd. "What do we have here?" the guy said, smiling, all the while making a visual assessment. He knelt at Quinn's side, opposite Puck. "What's your name, honey?" he asked Quinn. Puck replied for her. "Quinn. Ok. And what happened?" he looked up at the crowd for the answers as he placed a cuff around Quinn's arm to take her blood pressure.
"She fell from the top of the pyramid," Puck explained. "It looked like she fainted first then fell," he gave as much detail as he could. Everyone else looked on.
The paramedic was watching the two of them, saw how their hands were, where their hands were. He saw Quinn tense up, crunch up, groan in pain. "And anything else?" he asked.
"She's pregnant," Puck admitted his eyes still on Quinn's face. "Eighteen weeks," he revealed, aware that without exception everyone in the group gathered around them sucked in a shocked breath.
"She's what?" Finn asked, more shocked than anyone else. "No, that can't be. When...how…who...what?" he couldn't manage a full sentence, he couldn't even think. His girlfriend? Pregnant? How?
"Ok," the paramedic nodded as he and his partner lifted Quinn gently onto a lowered stretcher. "We have to get her to the hospital, is there someone who can come with her?"
Quinn heard a number of people claiming they should be the one to go with her.
"I'm her best friend," Santana offered.
"I'm her coach," Sue Sylvester chimed in.
"I'm her boyfriend," Finn told the guy.
"I'm the father of her baby," Puck said quietly, standing with her, still holding her hand on her stomach as the stretcher's legs were extended to waist height.
"You're the guy then," the paramedic told Puck, aware that all might not be right with the pregnancy at this moment. "Come on."
The group still stood open mouthed as Quinn and Puck disappeared into the back of the ambulance.
Three days later Finn caught up with Puck. "How's Quinn?" he asked, not willing to meet Puck's gaze. He didn't even want to talk to this guy, but he had to find out about his girlfriend somehow, her parents weren't talking when he called the house and the hospital wouldn't tell him anything either.
"She lost the baby," Puck replied, his voice thick as though he hadn't spoken in days. "I'm sorry, you know?" he tried to tell his friend. "We didn't mean this to happen, it just happened," he looked at his friend. "I can't eat, I can't sleep, I can't believe this happened."
"I'm asking about Quinn, that's all," Finn told Puck through gritted teeth. "I don't care how you feel about anything. Why her? You've had just about every other girl in this school. Why couldn't you just leave Quinn alone? Why her?"
"What about you and that Berry chick?" Puck threw back at Finn. "Don't you think Quinn noticed all the time you've spent with her? Cancelled dates to be with her? Do you think it didn't hurt?" he asked. "Well it did. She was devastated. And I just happened to be there. So if you want to blame someone, look in a mirror," Puck advised. Puck didn't ask how Finn hadn't noticed the changing shape of his girlfriend. Surely, if he was that into her he would've noticed something, should have noticed something.
Quinn returned to school a few weeks later amid speculation. Not about the 'appendix' drama but speculation about why her boyfriend was now her ex and with another girl, why she was alone and why Puck no longer seemed to be the school sex shark. No one was talking. Thank God.
Quinn was determined to carry on singing in Glee club. She enjoyed it, not that she'd admit that to too many people. Really she'd only joined to keep her eye on Finn and the Berry girl, now that didn't matter. Puck realised the only way to spend time with Quinn would be to join Glee club too. If he was honest about it he'd admit that he really loved singing. He wasn't too thrilled about performing dance routines but he loved the singing.
Things rolled on for a while, no one got up in anyone's grill. They all maintained a semblance of friendship, albeit an uneasy alliance. No one ever mentioned the 'appendix' drama, everyone thought it was forgotten, especially by the two it affected most. A few people in Glee had worked it out but no one actually mentioned it, said anything to either of them about it or commented on the longing looks that passed both ways when they thought no one was looking. Until the day that several of the Glee girls, including Quinn, heard someone singing as they passed the auditorium. It was a beautiful, soulful song. They all entered silently and stood in the dark near the door. Puck sat on a stool on stage, guitar on his knee, playing, singing, unaware that he had an audience.
"Today could've been the day
That you blow out your candles
Make a wish as you close your eyes
Today could've been the day
Everybody was laughin'
Instead I just sit here and cry
Who would you be?
What would you look like
When you looked at me for the very first time
Today could've been the next day of the rest of your life
Not a day goes by that I don't think of you
I'm always asking why this crazy world had to lose
Such a ray of light we never knew
Gone too soon, yeah
Would you have been president?
Or a painter, an author or sing like your mother
One thing is evident
Would've given all I had
Would've loved you like no other
Who would you be?
What would you look like
Would you have my smile and her eyes?
Today could've been the next day of the rest of your life
Not a day goes by that I don't think of you
I'm always asking why this crazy world had to lose
Such a ray of light we never knew
Gone too soon, yeah
Not a day goes by, oh
I'm always asking why, oh
Not a day goes by that I don't think of you
I'm always asking why this crazy world had to lose
Such a beautiful life we never knew
Gone too soon
You were gone too soon, yeah
And not a day goes by
That I don't think of you"
Quinn felt her shoulder squeezed and patted by her friends as they left. She stood alone in the dark, listening to a heart breaking on stage and felt her own break too. Slowly she made her way down the aisle towards the stage. Puck saw the movement, he thought about making his escape.
"I think about her too," Quinn told Puck quickly, seeing him ready to run away. "Every day I think about her. I fall asleep every night with her face in my head. I wake up every morning and she's the first thing I think about. I didn't think I'd even be able to get out of bed today."
"I talk to her," Puck admitted with a husky voice. "All the time. In my head I talk to her. Today's her due date and I just….." he trailed off with a shrug, blinking hard.
"I know," Quinn said trying to stifle a sob.
Puck put his guitar down and walked to the edge of the stage. He dropped down and walked to Quinn. He dragged her into his arms, her face buried in his chest, his face in her hair. "We won't ever forget her," Puck promised. "She was part of us, the best of both of us."
"Just gone too soon," whispered Quinn through her tears