AN: Just a little plot-bunny that wouldn't leave me alone. This scene was perfect in the episode and I just went a little in-depth with it. Enjoy.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.
When Shannon Beiste took on the job at McKinley High, she wasn't completely sure what to expect. All she knew about the school previous to getting there was that their football team had won one game in the last three years, and their cheerleading team was the best in the country. She figured that getting the football team whipped into shape would be a challenge, but she figured that would be the most difficult thing she would have to accomplish while there. She hadn't counted on the diverse and rather colorful staff and students that were at the school.
She found herself in situations that she would have never have imagined being in before. The different people created these moments, and despite how weird and strange they were, she grew to actually like some of them, and even create some bonds. The teaching staff was ridiculous as far as she could tell. There were people like Sue, who was ruthless, cruel, and capable of completely unbelievable things. Then there were people like Will, who despite his flaws was actually a really nice person, and someone she found herself becoming great friends with.
Then there were the students. She worked mostly with the football players, and while they seemed to have a combined IQ of about 75 at times, some of them stuck out to her. The guys who were in Glee were generally nice enough to her. The "urges" incident had been embarrassing, but unlike most people, they actually apologized, and she had to admit that they were pretty talented. The rest of the players seemed to be built of the same mold though; big, threatening, and not that bright. She had seen the bullying, and while she tried to stop it when she had the chance, it sometimes seemed like she was the only one.
At her old school, she honestly couldn't tell if there was a Glee club or not. She had been solely focused on the football team, and didn't pay a lot of attention to other clubs and organizations within the school. However, her friendship with Will and having boys on both teams, she found herself knowing more about show choir than she ever thought she would. The kids in the club were quite a diverse group, and she honestly didn't see how they worked together, but somehow they managed to work out.
When she had started off the year, the football team had been pretty much set as much as far as players were concerned. There was the new kid who had transferred, but he seemed to fit in just fine. Then the quarterback had come in out of nowhere and tried to get her to put his friend on the team; his friend who was in a wheelchair. With Will and Sue constantly trying to make her feel terrible that week, she figured that this was just another thing that they had concocted. She truly felt bad for the kid though; it seemed like he honestly wanted to play, but she didn't see how it could possibly work out. She blamed all the stress that had been put on her that week for lashing out at Finn, and felt pretty bad about it later on. However, she couldn't just put a boy in a wheelchair out in the middle of a football field.
Later that week, she happened to see Finn being confronted by two of the boys on the team. She was shocked at the cruelness of the two boys, and was surprised that no one else was saying anything about it. Then Artie had appeared, and managed to break up what would have been an ugly fight. She couldn't help but take notice of what they said to him, and it got her thinking.
She had to admire his determination if nothing else. Even if she had been quite harsh with him last time, Artie came back again and asked to be put on the team. Finn seemed quite reluctant to help this time, but she had thought about it for awhile, and made up her mind. When the large smile broke across Artie's face, she couldn't help but think that she had made a good decision. When they tried him out in practice, and she saw how reluctant everyone was to even go near him, she figured that it might not be the most conscientious decision she had ever made, but they actually had a chance at winning now.
It had worked out much better than she ever thought it would. The other teams were completely reluctant to try and tackle the boy in the wheelchair and they won most of their games. She didn't know much about their old coach, but the rest of the players who had been on the team before were completely lazy and shocked her at when she learned how low their expectations of themselves were. She knew she had to present a tough and unrelentless demeanor if they would ever take her seriously.
Over time, she grew to learn something about all the boys on her team; she got to know them as people, not just numbers. She couldn't help but feel a certain fondness toward Artie though. She saw how the other kids treated him because of his disability. Even though he had proved himself as a valuable member of the team, the other players – both on opposing teams and his own – called him names, insulted him, and picked on him. He took it in stride though, keeping his head held high and ignoring the insults flung at him.
He had always been nice and polite to her, which is more than she could say about most of the other guys. He hadn't partaken in the "urges" incident yet still joined in with the apologies and song. She was surprised at how he didn't seem to care about not being able to walk; he was more concerned with his girlfriend not learning the truth about Santa. She had to admire his determination, and that was the main reason why she had agreed to play along with their plan.
Brittany is a sweet girl, albeit a bit dim. Beiste was surprised at how much she cared about Artie; only asking for one thing and for another person at that is a rather rare occurrence. She felt terrible as she watched the younger girl's face fall as she realized that Santa couldn't do anything. Beiste wished she could do something, but she could hardly give Artie the power to walk again.
She was pondering the situation later that night, unable to get the image of Brittany's brokenhearted face out of her mind. She was by no means an expert on the subject of paraplegia, but she knew enough that there weren't any surgeries or anything out there yet that would actually reverse the damage done to the spinal cord. The only thing she could think of was a machine that she had heard about from her cousin.
She was pretty close to her cousin Jim, who worked in the medical field, helping create new technologies for patients with various physical disabilities. She remembered him talking about a machine that would help people who were paralyzed be able to walk again; at least in some way. On a whim, she picked up her phone and dialed her number. Even if the machine wasn't what she thought it was, he might know something else that would help.
When she watches from outside the choir room as Artie takes his first steps in nine years, she can't help but think that she definitely made the right choice. Her cousin was able to get her the machine, and at a discounted price as well. It cost a great deal of money even after that, but she had quite a hefty savings account. She didn't buy much for herself and over the years, she had saved up quite a lot of money. Her bank account was pretty light right now, but as she watched the giant, unabashed grin light across Artie's face, she figured that it was worth it.
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