A/N: thank you so much for your reviews :)
At somepoint during the ambulance ride, Emma had found a tight grip on Will's hand. Will was using all his strength to control himself from shaking uncontrollably with fear. Emma was drifting in and out of consciousness beside him, as the EMTs were putting a temporary brace on her left wrist. They tried to keep her awake, asking her questions about the day, time, her name - simple enough questions. But the only thing that made sense, that was coming from her mouth, was the question she kept repeating to Will:
"Is Quinn alright?"
For some reason, this simple question helped Will fight to not completely burst into tears and cry with worry for the woman lying next to him. Knowing that she was still herself - still worrying over her students despite her own situation - gave him that bit of normalcy he needed. It gave him hope that Emma would be okay.
Will was only able to answer her when they wrenched her hand from his, and they pulled her out of the ambulance. As he called to her down the hall, that Quinn was alright, he could see her drowsily swat the EMTs and doctor's hands away from her. Her voice carried over, calling his name. Will watched until the doors closed, and then slowly made his way to the waiting room.
It wasn't long before he was joined by all of New Directions. Quinn was still shaking, gripping to Puck who wasn't entirely sure what he should do with her. The rest of the members looked shaken up, and just as unsure as Puck was. As soon as she saw Will, sitting on the bench, she dashed to him, taking a seat beside him. Will looked up from resting his head in his hands, and jumped back into action when he saw her.
"Quinn, are you alright?" He rested his hand on top of hers, which were resting on top of her tight pressed together knees.
She looked up from his comforting hand with watery eyes. "Is Miss Pilsbury okay?"
Will felt the stare of all the Glee club members staring down at him, but he wasn't sure what to say. He took a deep breath. "I'm sure Miss Pilsbury will be fine," it was far from what he felt, but he didn't want to worry his students. For the first time, Will noticed Quinn was anxiously rubbing her elbow. "Quinn, you should have a doctor look you over."
Quinn shook her head, "No Mr. Shue. I'm fine."
Will pulled Quinn's hands off her knees, and brought her elbow closer to him. He rolled up her sleeve to take a look at her elbow. The beginning of an angry bruise greeted him, and he quickly pulled it down. "Okay," he began, turning to the rest of the club. "I want everyone to go home - except for Quinn."
"But Mr. Shue-"
"No buts Rachel," Will put on his best teacher face. "Miss Pilsbury will be fine, but everyone needs to go home before your parents come looking for you."
The members reluctantly began to leave, Rachel and Mercedes being the last to leave. Will kept his eyes on the group, until the last member left the hosptial, when he turned to look at Quinn. "Now," he said, happy to have something to keep his mind off worrying about Emma, "I'll find some ice for your elbow, and then you can tell me what happened."
Quinn nodded reluctantly, and soon Will returned from the nurse's desk with an ice pack. She smiled gratefully, and placed it on her elbow. It didn't take long for her to relay what happened, but as she continued, the feeling in Will's stomach churned and churned. When she was done, Will wanted to take her into his arms and hold her. Unsure of how she would react to this, he held back, but the decision was Quinn's to make, and she dove into his arms, sobbing.
"Mr. Shue, it's all my fault. All my fault." She spoke with her face buried into Will's chest.
Will stroked her hair, and felt a fatherly tug at his heart. "No Quinn, this is not your fault. I promise."
"Excuse me?"
Will and Quinn looked up, Quinn wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. A police officer stood there awkwardly, his hands gripping the belt of his uniform. "Uh, were you the person accompanying Emma Pilsbury here?" Will nodded awkwardly, and the officer continued. "What's your name, sir?"
"Will Shuester." He answered, straightening his back.
"I'm going to need you to come with me sir."
Will looked at Quinn, unsure as to if he should leave her alone. The clearing of a throat gave him a way out. Stepping into view, Puck appeared from behind the officer. "Uh, I can stay with her Mr. Shue. If... if that's alright." Puck nervously scratched his head.
Will turned to Quinn, and after a moment's pause, she nodded her agreement. Will stood, and patted Puck on the back, "Thanks for not listening to me when I told you to go home," he said genuinely.
Puck flashed Will his mischievous smile, before sitting down and gathering Quinn in his arms, awkwardly at first. Will waited for Quinn to relax in Puck's arms, turning her head into Puck's chest to continue to cry. Following the officer down the hallway, and through the doors towards the rooms where Emma was, Will could hear someone screaming. The farther down the hall Will went, the louder the screaming got, and soon he was able to reconize the voice as Emma's. Will gave a concerned look to the officer, who nervously looked back at him.
"The sedatives the EMTs gave her have worn off... she's been screaming for you since they did. No one can calm her down," he answered.
Will sped up his pace, hoping the officer would keep up and help point out the room. When the officer made a sharp right into the room, Will darted past, and into the room. Emma was cornered, now wearing a hospital gown, her make-up running down her cheeks with her tears. He could see the beginnings of purple and blue bruises along her arms, her neck, and even on her legs, poking out from the hem of her hospital gown. Her hair had fallen flat, and her arms were stretched in front of her, to keep away the nurses and the lone doctor trying to calm her down.
"Emma!" Will called to her, and her head snapped to where he was.
"Will..." She said softly, no longer screaming.
He made his way over to her, catching her just as her knees gave out. She buried her face in his neck, taking solace in his scent. He gripped her tightly, not wanting to let her go, but one look from the doctor, and he knew he had to get to her back to the hospital bed. "Em," he whispered into her hair. He ran a hand over her hair, smoothing it down. "Em, you have to let the doctor take a look at you."
She shook her head into his neck, mumbling, "No. I'm not clean - the hospital's not clean." She leaned away from him just far enough to make eye contact with him, shying away as soon as they did. "Will," she said softly. "I need to go home. Please, just let me go home."
The look in her eye, as she darted them away from his own, and focused them on floor, made his heart break in two. "Emma, you need to let them take a look at you. As soon as they're done, I'll take you home."
She hesitated, but eventually let Will lead her over to the bed, and help her lie down. The doctor knew his cue, and quickly ran though the check-up. Will felt Emma's hand tighten around his as the doctor gently pressed against her ribcage. Both he and Will heard her quick intake of breath. "Miss Pilsbury," the doctor leaned on the bedguard, and looked down at her. She didn't make eye contact, but stared at her hand that was gripping Will's tightly. "As the EMTs suspected, your wrist is sprained, one of the nurses will be back shortly with a brace for it. I believe a couple ribs are only bruised, but they will be sore for the next few days. You also have an concussion. Do you live alone?"
Emma nodded silently, but Will spoke up. "I'll be staying with her Doctor."
He nodded, taking her chart from a nurse behind him. "Okay, she'll need to be woken up every three hours or so, just for a few minutes. I'm prescriping some light painkillers, and other than that, you'll be free to leave in about two hours." The doctor gave Emma a sympathetic smile, and a nod to Will, before he left the room.
"Thanks Will," Emma whispered.
He barely heard her. He squeezed her hand in response.
