A/N starting a new multi-chapter Marley fic because I needed an outlet for my feels after the sectionals ep! It will be Ryley pairing with a few friendships thrown in. I hope you enjoy it and if you could send me feedback through a review that would be really handy as I'm always wanting to improve and grow as a writer. Thanks!

Marley's eyes slowly opened, peering around the room she was in. It had white painted walls and she could hear a steady beeping noise. She looked over and saw Ryder asleep in a chair next to the bed she was lying on with his hand holding hers. It looked like he'd been there a while, a glance over at the window told her that it was early in the morning so he must have been there overnight. Marley struggled to try and make sense of what was happening and where exactly she was. Just then, a nurse made eye contact with her through the door and smiled breifly before walking to get someone. It was then that Marley realised where she was. She was in hospital.

A man in a long white coat with a stethescope around his neck walked into the room, along with the nurse that Marley saw earlier. He swiftly removed the ventilator from her mouth which made her feel more comfortable and encouraged her to breathe normally.

"Ah, Miss Rose, nice to see you awake" he said to her "I'm just going to run a couple of simple tests, to check some things okay?"

Marley simply nodded, her hands twitched as her body became more awake which in turn woke up Ryder. He gave her a bright, sincere smile and squeezed her hand comfortingly.

"Hey Marls...I'm so happy to see you awake" he said softly, pressing a kiss to her hand. He let the doctor check Marley over, letting the nurse take him to one side to explain a few things. Marley frowned at the loss of contact but he signalled that he would be back over in a minute and blew her a kiss which made a small smile appear on her face. Marley stayed still as the doctor examined her, he checked her heart with the stethoscope before checking her breathing. He motioned Ryder to come back over, watching as he sat down on the chair again before looking at them both.

"Everything seems to be in order Miss Rose, which is good. You're a lucky girl, there's little lasting damage considering what happened. I'm sure your male companion here can fill you in on the details. The nurse will look after you from now until you are fit to go home"

Marley looked over to Ryder, who was holding in a laugh at 'male companion'. She offered him a small smile, waiting until the doctor had gone before smiling with him.

"You're amazing, my female companion" he told her, giving her a kiss on the cheek before taking her hand again. He face fell more serious as Marley's did, he knew what question she was going to ask.

"R..Ryder...what happened?" She asked softly, her voice was crackly and sore which made him feel sad.

"You...you fainted because you had been starving yourself. You fell into a coma over a week ago Marls" Ryder said softly, keeping hold of her hand he did his best to keep his emotions in check "You've always had either me or your mom by your side. She took her holiday week from work, and I've here all the time that I haven't been at school"

"You scared everyone, even Kitty believe it or not. She came clean about her part in making you starve yourself. She got kicked out of the Cheerios and out of Glee, she just wanders around school looking depressed now but it's nothing compared to what you're going through" Ryder told Marley, studying the girl's face for a reaction.

Marley took a few moments to process everything, tears beginning to fall from her eyes. Ryder carefully got up onto the bed, minding any wires connected to the girl before just holding her in his arms. He rubbed her back gently and kissed her cheek again, feeling her calm down and relax in his arms he turned to face her.

"I love you, Marley Rose. You're going to get through this, and I'll do all I can to help you okay?" He told her.

"I love you...thank you.." She replied, kissing his lips when he smiled her eyes began to falter "I feel tired..."

"Don't worry, it's just because you're feeling weak. Get some rest babe" Ryder told her, smiling at her and giving her one last kiss before she peacefully fell asleep in his arms.