'HURRY!'
'WHERE ARE YOU?'
"Rachel, come on, we've got one minute. We aren't waiting for Quinn any longer, it's now or never."
Santana raises an eyebrow as she takes hold of Brittany's hand and laces their fingers together waiting for Rachel to respond to her fiancé but instead the tiny brunette just shakes her head and sighs, "We're waiting for Quinn. She said she'll be here."
'ON MY WAY.'
"See?" Rachel turns the phone to show all the nonbelievers, "She's coming."
Finn sighs in frustration, "Coming isn't here though and we're gonna give up our spot if we don't do this right now!"
"Finn, I'm not going to get married without Quinn. We can always get another slot."
At that nearly everyone in the room calms and Leroy pats Hiram on the arm and whispers, "At ease soldier, we won't need your epileptic seizure after all."
"I knew there was a reason I always liked Quinn more than Finn."
However the excitement at finally having heard from Quinn dies quite quickly as Santana gets a call from a number that she always associates with her father even though it isn't exactly his.
"Santana Lopez?"
She furrows her brow and Brittany squeezes her hand when she notices, "This is she."
The voice over the phone clears and then, "There's been an accident and you're listed as the emergency contact. I'm going to need you to come down to the Lima General as soon as…"
Santana stands up abruptly and cuts her off, "Who…"
"Fabray…Quinn Fabray. Please, I'm going to need you to fill out some things and."
Santana hangs up immediately not even waiting for her to finish speaking. She turns and grabs a coat off the back of the couch, not even bothered to check if it's actually hers or Kurt's or someone else's and she stops in her tracks as she notices everyone staring at her, having apparently been bombarding her with questions.
Her throat seizes and she has to swallow back tears as she chokes out, "There's been an accident…"
Rachel's heart stops beating, and she breathlessly lets out, "Quinn."
The taller brunette nods and takes in a shuddering breath, "She's been taken to Lima Gen. I'm heading there now, I don't know how bad it is but…I'm going and I don't care what you have to say Be-"
She's cut off by Rachel flinging her veil at her, "I'm coming with you and there's nothing you can say to stop be Santana so don't even think about it. You're driving. Let's go."
The adults in the room all scramble to try and calm the remaining kids. Leroy takes a hold of Finn when he takes a step towards Rachel in an attempt to stop her from leaving, "If you don't want to completely wreck any chance you have with her, you're going to let her go right now and see her best friend."
Finn wants to say something about priorities and how he should have top priority seeing as he's her soon to be husband but decides that perhaps he should have that conversation with Rachel rather than her father.
Hiram rushes out of the building towards his car right behind the girls, "I'll be right behind you girls."
Rachel climbs into the back seat and to her surprise rather than sit up front beside her girlfriend, Brittany climbs into the seat beside her and wraps her arms around her and holds her close, "It's okay."
Rachel acknowledges that Brittany doesn't sound convinced either but she also acknowledges that it's perhaps said for her own benefit as well as to comfort Rachel so she nods her head and holds the blonde's hands.
Santana's hands are shaking uncontrollably as she takes the car through its paces, trying so hard to keep her mind from wandering to worst case scenarios like it usually has a tendency of doing. Her breathing is erratic and her heart is beating wildly in her chest. She tells herself to calm down before she has an all out panic attack and she has to bite her tongue to stop from crying because it's Quinn who usually is able to stop impending panic attacks, despite Brittany being the one who usually calms her.
"You're gonna be okay. Please be okay." Santana isn't aware that she's even saying this aloud; repeating herself constantly, but the girls in the back seat allow her this one private moment. Regardless of how much they don't want to admit it, they all know that once they're at the hospital there won't be any private moments between them. They'll be clinging on to each other for some semblance of hope.
Santana pulls the car into the first parking lot she finds and scrambles out of the car forgetting to turn off the ignition, leaving behind the keys, her purse, her belongings and had Hiram not been right behind them he wouldn't have known to turn off the car, or pick up the belongings.
It wasn't at all that he wasn't terrified for Quinn. But he simply refused to break down now; he has to be strong for them now. None of them know anything for certain other than Quinn was in the hospital and he wasn't about to add worry before they know anything.
Worrying his lip as he walks in, he sees both Santana and Rachel yelling at the receptionist, one in rather face paced cutting Spanish and the other in just as fast and cutting English.
Brittany walks up to him and he takes a hold of her hand and squeezes before squaring his shoulders and looking the receptionist dead in the eyes, "You'll most probably definitely want to tell us what we want to know…"
She nods, "Dr. Berry…She's in surgery. We didn't even get any information down yet, we rushed her in and straight into the OR, the only thing we knew is her name which is how we were able to get her emergency contact information."
Santana nearly growls, "What happened?"
"There was an accident at a cross-section. The truck driver and your friend were picked up and brought here as soon as possible…I can't tell you any more than that, that's all I know."
Hiram places a comforting hand on the receptionists and gently hands over all the things he was carrying, "Please do me a favor Penny. I need you to please direct my girls towards a waiting room."
Penny nods her head and quickly moves from behind the desk and looks at the girls, for the first time noticing the various states of dress they were in, "Uhm I could get them some scrubs to change into as well I think."
Hiram smiles at her kindly and nods as he turns on his heels and quickly walks down the corridor in the opposite direction that Penny was leading the girls.
"Dad?" Rachel blinks back tears as she calls out to her father but he's too far away and her voice is too low to be heard. A first of many.
Brittany sniffs as she takes Rachel's hand in hers and then Santana's as they get led down the corridor.
Santana's voice breaks through the silence "Is my father on call?"
Penny nods, "He's actually the one who identified her on arrival…he's with her now."
Rachel's head snaps towards the taller brunette but she remains silent as they are ushered into the locker room where they are given three stacks of scrubs.
"As lovely as your dresses are, I think you'd be more comfortable in these…"
None of the girls say anything as they slip out of their dresses. Rachel's breath hitches as she finally notices the white of her dress and thoughts once again bombard her mind. She hunches over and tries to control herself but a chocked sob manages to escape and she's suddenly wrapped up in a strong hug.
Surprisingly it isn't Brittany that's holding her, and that seems to register in her mind and impacts her all the more.
They don't say anything but they don't need to. They're drawing on each other for support and God do they need it now.
Rachel bites her tongue and pulls back slightly to continue taking her dress off and once she does she lays it across a chair and doesn't even take a second look at it as she takes off her shoes and puts on some rubber crocs. Shoes she's told herself she'd never wear under any circumstance.
Santana helps Brittany unzip her dress and it goes to show just how serious the situation is when neither of them even hint at doing something other than get dressed.
They slip out of the locker room and Penny offers a small futile smile as she guides them back down the corridor and into a waiting room. "I know it seems like we're trying to keep things from you, but believe me you'll be first to know if anything changes."
All three girls fall onto the couch together, huddled close and worried mutually for their friend.
Santana's leg continuously bounces up and down as she alternates between biting her thumb nail and biting her pinky. Brittany curls up into what would be a fetal position had she had place, and she wraps an arm around the brunette and holds her close desperately listening for her heartbeat.
Rachel sits there almost catatonic. Her mind bounces franticly from one memory to another, snapshots of moments between herself and the blonde. She berates herself when she notices what she's doing and she tells herself to stop acting so ridiculous. This is Quinn Fabray. There is absolutely no way she wont be okay. She's determined and she's finally got her life turned around.
"Oh God." Rachel can barely breathe all of a sudden and she feels as if her world is crashing down around her, her vision is blurred with tears and she can hardly feel Brittany holding her close and pulling towards her and rocking her gently trying to stop the sobs.
Santana knows, she knows more than anything how Rachel is feelings right now but she can barely move let alone try and comfort her right now. She wants to, but she cant because if she moves she's going to break down as well and she cant not now, not this second. She'll have plenty of time later but as of right now she has to keep it to herself. She has to be strong, for Quinn, just like Quinn would be strong if it was her in there.
A nurse walks in and valiantly tries not to stare at the two girls crying in the corner of the room as she makes her way towards Santana, "I need you to fill these out. I know it's probably the last thing you-"
Wordlessly Santana takes the clipboard and pen and shoots her a look that says she'd better leave or else there'll be another emergency case.
Biting her lip Santana looks towards the clipboard and she has to stop her hands from shaking as she uncaps the pen and starts to write.
Her vision is blurry and she knows that her words will be barely discernible but she continues to write, her tears splashing onto the page periodically, smudging the words further.
She chokes back a sob as she completes the form but before she attempts to stand up to return it to the nurse, Will gently takes it from her and walks away.
It's then that she notices the entire glee club sitting in the waiting room now. She wonders how long they've been there, she wonders if the two other girls who were with her noticed yet, but she doubts it.
She looks around and realizes that Finn isn't with them. She briefly wonders what could possibly be more important before she turns and wraps an arm effectively around both the girls sitting beside her. Rachel was now in the blonde's lap, her head buried in her shoulder her arms wrapped tight around the blonde's waist.
Brittany's eyes find hers and it breaks her heart to see her so scared. She blinks her own tears away and gently leans up and kisses her softly, "I'm right here B. I promise."
It's been hours. Hours and she's absolutely sick of it.
Rachel decides she absolutely despises hospitals even more now than she's ever despised them before. She feels as if this is the place that time forgot. The seconds and minutes tick by so slowly, as if trying to compete with the speed at which a year passes. She tries desperately not to scream, knowing it will not be helpful and yet needing to at the same time.
She's since moved from Brittany's lap and has instead taken up residence standing in front of the clock that's nailed to the wall, almost daring it to go any slower.
"You need to rest Rachel."
The brunette barely registers the sound of her fiancé…boyfriend? She doesn't even attempt to look at him. She doesn't even know when it is he decided to finally show up.
He sighs and walks up to her and puts his hand on her shoulder, "It's been three hours Rachel…"
She shrugs his hand off and shakes her head and continues to stare at the clock, willing time to go faster, willing the doctors not to give up.
Finn furrows his brow and growls out, nearly yelling, "Will you look at me already?"
It's the loudest sound anyone has uttered since walking into the room and it's so disturbing and out of place that it takes a second for everyone to register that it actually happened.
Rachel's eyes harden and she fixes Finn with a withering look, "No one is stopping you Finn. Leave if you want, in fact I'm telling you to." Her voice is hardly any louder than a whisper but it's what everyone in the room has come accustomed to during the hours of being in the room.
The boy shakes his head, "I just don't get why you want to be here that's all. She isn't even out of surgery and no one knows anything other than that! What difference would it make if you were to get the news here or at home?"
Kurt steps forward and pushes Finn back and effectively away from Rachel, "I think you should go home Finn."
The taller boy fixes his stepbrother with a look before shrugging him off, "Screw this. You know what Rachel? Stay here then. It's just one more person putting someone else before me."
Santana growls but it's Rachel that launches into speech, still hardly louder than a whisper but it seems like such an effort as it is that no one comments on it.
"Quinn is in the OR right now, fighting for her life. She was hit by a truck Finn. Do you know what that feels like? She was hit by a truck because she was hurrying to get to me, to come to my wedding, a wedding she was against but was coming to because she wants me happy and she wants to support my happiness. Quinn was hit by a truck because I wouldn't stop nagging and telling her to hurry because I was not going to have this wedding without her. She's somewhere in this godforsaken hospital fighting for her life because despite knowing she shouldn't text while driving, she did so to reassure me that she was coming, that she was on her way. I am not moving from this hospital until I know that she is okay, and even then I probably wont leave. So if this is something you have an issue with I suggest you leave and don't ever think of speaking to me ever again because I don't want to associate with someone who could so easily brush off the fact that someone they once thought they loved is in the hospital and could quite possibly die."
The words chill everyone to the core because up until then no one uttered the 'd' word. No one dared for fear of what may happen to them if they did.
The word however was now out in the open and the effects are instantaneous.
Santana's face pales as someone else finally spoke the words she's been stopping herself from even thinking, her grip on Brittany tighten as the blue eyed blonde hiccups as tears make their way down her face once again, following the path of others before.
Tina and Mike bow their heads in prayer, hands clasped in each others. Puck bites down on his fist to stop a howl of despair from ripping through his throat as Sugar attempts to comfort both Artie and Rory both of whom are shell shocked still.
Sam and Blaine, who were pacing the length of the room have stopped and instead are now just looking on helpless as the people they have grown to know as family are in pain and they have no idea how to help.
Burt and Carole look lost as they try to think of a course of action to take. Emotions are high right now and neither one of them wants to cause more hurt but knowing something has to be done.
"Finn, go home." Carole says quietly, not wanting to disrupt the sudden quiet that engulfs the room, no matter how suffocating it is.
He turns to look at his mother and he looks enraged when he looks back at Rachel, "So you've picked being here with Quinn, rather than with me."
It isn't a question and if it was Rachel's answer would have been yes. Finn's hands curl into fists, "It was her fault for texting and driving you know. She shouldn't have been. And you shouldn't have been texting her when you knew she was driving either. She brought this onto herself."
He doesn't realize the uproar he's left behind as he walks away from the waiting room. He doesn't realize how much he affected her by what he said and she doubts he even cares.
Santana quickly walks up to Rachel and takes a firm hold of her forearms, "Listen to me Rachel. It was an accident, these things happen. The hell was the truck driver doing barreling down the street anyway when she had the right of way?"
Rachel sucks in a breath and shakes her head wildly, "I should have stopped texting her, I should've just been patient."
Santana gently shakes her, "Rachel, you've got to stop thinkin that way. She's gonna come outta surgery and then kick your ass for thinking that."
Brittany walks up to them and wraps her arms around both of them seeing as both brunettes have started crying. She rocks them slowly in her arms, not shushing them because she knows more than anything that they need to cry, they need an outlet.
An undetermined amount of time later has all three girls in a huddle on the couch once more, Brittany and Rachel having succumbed to sleep. Puck, Kurt and Blaine stand watching over them as Emma comforts Will.
The doctor walks in, his brow sweaty, his eyes tired, and his voice hoarse, "Mija…"
Santana's head snaps towards him and she quickly extricates herself from the hold the other two girls had on her, "Papi, qué pasó? Será bien?" She asks quickly almost making it seem as if it were one word.
He holds up his hand and accepts the hug she throws his way, wrapping his arms tightly around her, "Si mija she's okay…for now. She's stable. We're moving her to one of the private rooms now."
Santana's body gives way, exhaustion making itself known, tears of relief flow down her face as she buries her face into his chest. The boys whoop and Emma laughs in relief, wrapping her arms around Will.
Rachel's head snaps up and she takes in the various sounds and commotion happening around her. She sits up and runs up to Santana and her father, "Is-is she okay? Is she out okay?"
Dr. Lopez nods his head, "She's out of the OR…she's not exactly out of the woods just yet but she's made it to a clearing."
Santana pulls back and looks up at her father as if the sun, moon and stars rise in his eyes, waiting for him to elaborate.
He takes a deep breath, "She's lost a lot of blood. Her left tibia was broken, we had to reset it and put it in a cast. Her left arm is in a cast, we had to set it and drill it back together. She's broken three ribs and one of her lungs was punctured but we've been able to restore it. She's had a lot of internal bleeding but thankfully as of right now we've been able to stop it. She sustained a rather bad gash to her head, which we've sewn up and we won't even know the extent of the rest of the damage until she wakes up."
Tears well in nearly everyone's eyes as they take in the information, unable to comprehend just how bad it is.
"When…when will that be doctor?"
He sighs and runs his hand through his hair, "It could be a while. She was under heavy sedatives so I wouldn't expect her to wake up any time tonight."
The boys nods and seem to take that to mean 'you can go home now' and started to walk out the door, Emma and Will not far behind them. The girls however don't move, Brittany because she's still asleep, Rachel and Santana because they refuse to leave.
"You should go home mija, get into your clothes, and sleep in your bed." Dr. Lopez says it even though he knows there's probably absolute no way that she'll leave.
Santana shakes her head no, "Absolutely not dad. I'm not. I can't. If she wakes up in the middle of the night or something…I can't let her go through that on her own."
Glancing at Rachel her notices that she wasn't about to leave either.
He nods his head, "I had a feeling you were going to say that. Let's go get you situated."
Rachel takes in a shuddering breath and turns to help Santana wake Brittany up so they can walk to Quinn's room.
Mumbling almost incoherently, "Mm is Quinn up?"
Santana's throat constricts, "She's sleeping right now amor."
Rachel swallows as they make their way closer to her room. Her mind racing and she's sure she's hallucinating and quite possibly seeing things.
"Britts and I are gonna take the couch and you can have the arm chair."
Rachel blinks, surprised that they're already in front of the room. Santana's almost all the way in the room before she realizes Rachel stopped walking.
"You okay?"
Rachel blinks and shakes her head no. Santana nods knowingly, and continues into the room, her heart breaking when she takes in the state in which her friend is currently in.
There are monitors surrounding her bed, wires all up and down her arms, her leg up in a cast, her arm in another. Her face looks battered and bruised, her lip is busted, and her neck is purple from where the seat-belt held her steady.
Her tears flow freely, not caring at all if someone were to see her now. The only good thing right now about all the contraptions is the steady rhythm of the heart monitor letting her know that she's still there, she's still alive.
Rachel leans up against the wall opposite Quinn's room and she just breathes. She can hear Santana's erratic breathing and the sniffling and she knows she's crying. She knows because she's doing the same thing. She's so relieved and so thankful that Quinn was given the best care possible, that Quinn was at least wearing a seatbelt, that at least she now has a chance to stop playing these games and tell Quinn just exactly what she means to her.
Taking in a deep breath she pushes open the door when she hears Santana finally stop crying. Her eyes fly towards the figure in the bed and her heart breaks. She wasn't prepared for this, not even a little bit.
Her hand flies to her mouth to stifle a sob and had Santana not been quick enough to take hold of her, Rachel would have been in a heap on the floor.
"Shh, I've got you Rachel. Come on, she's okay, I've got you."
She wraps her arms tightly around Santana and nods her head, "I just…I love her so much, and I can't even…I'm never going to be this stupid."
If Santana was surprised at all she didn't show it, if anything it seems as if she already knew. She continues holding the brunette until she's cried herself hoarse and then she gently helps lift her up and settles her into the chair beside Quinn's bed, having already maneuvered the couch to be on the other side of the hospital bed.
"Get some sleep Rachel. Or at least try. I know me and I know you, and neither one of us is leaving before Q does."
Santana gently runs a hand through Rachel's hair; momentarily soothing her headache she didn't even notice she had, "We'll be here."
She then makes her way to the couch and gently runs a hand over Quinn's right leg before wrapping her arms around her girlfriend.
Hesitantly, Rachel gently reaches for Quinn's hand and is surprised yet incredibly grateful that it's warm to the touch. "I need you to wake up soon Quinn because I feel like I'm losing my mind thinking about not being able to see your eyes again. I'm…I'm going to be right here so whenever you're ready."
Her eyes close on their own accord and her head falls down onto the mattress, her hand still holding Quinn's.
Xoxoxoxox
A/N This one I *know* I'll be adding another chapter, so just hang in there? *hides behind covers*
