I don't own Glee.

Walking With A Ghost

Puck walked into the hospital room, his eyes trained on Quinn who was staring straight ahead. This wasn't the girl he had fallen in love with. This wasn't the proud cheerleader, the queen ice bitch of the Cheerios. This wasn't the girl who sang happily in glee with a smile that could light up the room. No, this was a broken shell of a girl; a girl that Puck didn't know anymore.

Quinn had an eating disorder. As far as anyone could tell, it had started before she had gotten pregnant and being pregnant had done nothing to stop it. Quinn's too small frame wasn't strong enough to support Beth anymore, and the doctors had removed the premature baby early as the brittle frame of Quinn began to break down.

Beth had been living in the NICU for over two months. When she was born she weighed barely over a pound and her lungs weren't fully developed. She was being kept in an incubator, a machine working to keep her breathing. The doctor always told Puck he was allowed to touch her through the holes on the side, but he was terrified that his big hands would break her.

As for Quinn, she had snapped. She was taken in for a c-section, hoping that removing Beth would remove the stress on her body. But when the doctor was working to get the small baby out, it took only slight pressure for Quinn's brittle bones to break. Her pelvis had shattered and she'd gone through several serious surgeries to have it fixed. She'd never dance like she did before, nor be able to do all the cheerleading moves that she was famous for. Shortly after that, she closed off and began ignoring everyone.

At first, members of the New Directions had come to visit. The spoke kind words to Quinn, telling her they couldn't wait until she could come back to school and that they couldn't wait to meet Beth. She never once answered. They kept coming for a while, but soon only a few would show up. Now if anyone came, it was Finn, and Puck was sure he hadn't been there in over two weeks.

Coach Sylvester had showed up, screaming in her former head cheerleader's face. Quinn had merely blinked.

Quinn's mother had started visiting a week after Beth was born. She'd spend hours sitting on the edge of her daughter's bed, clutching the broken blonde girl to her chest and crying.

"Oh Quinnie," She'd whisper through her sobs. "I love you so much, my baby. Mommy's so sorry, so very sorry for what Daddy did, for what he said. Just come back to me now, baby. We'll be a perfect family. You'll see. You, me, and baby Beth; we'll be so happy." Quinn never answered her. She'd simply stare off into space, blinking ever so slightly.

Puck felt alone. Although he no longer had to take care of Quinn since her mother was back in the picture, he felt like no one could understand how horrible this was. He loved Quinn with all his heart. He felt like a horrible boyfriend, a horrible friend for never noticing how small she had gotten. How many nights had he held her in his arms and been able to count her ribs just by feel alone? How had he not realized she was lying when she'd tell him that she had eaten before he got home?

Not only was he angry at himself, but a part of him was angry at Quinn, too. She had not only put herself at risk, but their unborn child, too. She was barely eating enough to support herself and little Beth had suffered because of it. Puck hated how selfish Quinn had been; realizing that he very easily could have lost both his girls.

That day Puck wasn't there to visit. He was there to say goodbye. Beth's doctor had finally declared that the small baby was big enough to go home. Her lungs had developed while she was kept in the incubator and the doctor's had been slowly feeding her so she could get bigger. She was still so tiny, just at 5 pounds, but they insisted that that was enough.

Quinn was gaining weight too, but not that she'd noticed. She was still lost somewhere in her head, not realizing that she was being force fed through a feeding tube. The blonde cheerleader was no longer Puck's responsibility. Mrs. Fabray had told him to simply worry about Beth and that she would take care of Quinn. The girl would soon be moved to a long time care facility where someone could hopefully break through the wall that was keeping everyone out.

With a sigh, Puck crossed the room and sat down on the edge of the bed. A metal frame was still surrounding the small girl's body, keeping her hips and pelvis still as the broken bones healed. He reached up, running a hand gently down her arm; his heart breaking when she didn't even flinch. Puck kissed her forehead, gently pulling her into his arms.

"I love you, Q," he whispered, his lips at her ears. "I love you so much. And so does Beth. And we'll be waiting for you." He pulled back slightly, searching Quinn's face for some kind of reaction. Puck choked back a sob when all she did was blink, her eyes never moving from the wall in front of her. "I love you baby, but I can't stay here and watch you like this anymore. I'm taking Beth home, and I swear I'll take care of her the best I can. And when you get better, when you're ready to come back to us, we'll be waiting for you. I promise you that Q."

Puck squeezed her hand before standing up. He sighed as she blinked at him, and he leant down placing a gentle kiss at her temple. "Don't you leave me," he whispered. With that, he stood and went to find his daughter, never once looking back at the broken girl on the bed.

AN: I hope you liked it. For some reason one I'm procrastinating I get these ideas for depressing Puck/Quinn stories. Please review.