The first thing she's definitely aware of is the severe pain on her left side. Her leg feels weird and she can't move her arm, it's too much of a hassle.
The next thing she's definitely aware of is the headache she has. She'd describe it as blinding if it wasn't for the fact that she still hasn't opened her eyes. 'It feels like a truck…' her thoughts trail off as her eyes snap open as memories and images flash before her eyes.
She kind of wishes she hadn't. She's in a hospital bed, her left leg hanging in a contraption, encased in a cast. Her left arm is in another one, her neck in a brace. She feels sore and is now starting to hyperventilate because this isn't what someone wishes to wake up to.
Quinn isn't aware that all of her moving around and freaking out has caused the heart monitor to start spiking or that her breathing is now erratic.
Santana, the closest to the monitor, wakes up first and she can hardly believe her eyes, "Quinn…" she whispers, her voice is thick with emotion, hoarse and gravely yet so familiar that Quinn can barely contain her absolute joy.
She tries to speak but her throat is constricted, both from her emotions and the fact that they had to put a tube down her throat during the operation.
Santana rushes to the side table and pours a glass of water, "Sip, slowly." Her accent is coming out strong and Quinn is sure she's never seen her shake this bad in her life. She leans up a little but is grateful when Santana places a hand behind her head to help her, and she takes a sip of cool water.
Quinn smiles at her from above the rim of the cup and Santana smiles back and just like that the brunette is once again crying freely, quickly placing the cup on the table again before carefully holding Quinn's cast wrapped arm and placing a kiss on her fingers that are peaking out from it, "You stupid, beautiful, stupid girl. What the hell were you thinking? Were you even thinking at all? Fuckin hell Quinn. I could have lost you. We could have lost you." She sniffs and wipes her tears away and carefully brings Quinn's hand up again to her lips and ghosts her lips across again continuing to whisper, "I know it hurts and I need to call the doctor but I cant seem to get up now. You're such a bitch."
Her tone drastically changes and Quinn sighs happily, she clears her throat, "I love…you too San." Her first words since, what she assumes is, yesterday.
Santana laughs lightly and carefully leans over so she hugs her as best as she can, "I love you puta, so fuckin much it aint even funny. You ever think about pulling a stupid stunt like that again, I will personally ends you. I'd have gone insane without you Q."
Taking a deep breath and breathing in the familiar scent of her best friend she smiles to herself as best as she can, "I know. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
She can feel Santana's tears soak through her clothes and honestly she's sure she's crying too. Santana leans back and then brushes a kiss across her forehead, "Stock up on these lovey dovey moments cuz I'm feelin generous and I might not feel so generous later."
Quinn pouts her lips and chuckles but then stops immediately as soon as she feels just how bad it hurts. Santana winces and sits up, "I'm going to call a doctor, stay put."
The second Santana's up off the bed Quinn sighs and that's when she notices her right hand is a lot warmer than the rest of her. She glances to the right and her heart monitor picks up another spike.
"Rach." Her voice cracks but it's louder than when she was speaking to Santana and she tries to wiggle her fingers to get Rachel to notice and maybe at least wake up.
"..Rachel." She musters all her strength and squeezes Rachel's hand and she's awarded with a breathy whimper and a light, "Quinn…" coming from the brunette.
Quinn blinks back tears as she looks at the brunette, not believing she's really here.
"Q." Her head snaps to the left as best as it can what with the neck brace, "Britt. Honey, hi."
Brittany's right beside her faster than she can blink, her big blue eyes as clear as day, swimming in tears, "Quinn, you're okay! You're okay and oh my gosh you have to promise no more scaring me. San and Rach were crying a lot and I was so sad and I couldn't hold you, San told me I'd hurt you. I don't want to hurt you."
Quinn sniffs back her tears and looks down to an empty spot on the bed and then back up at Brittany, giving her a hint. The blonde looks and her eyes widen but then she shakes her head quickly, "I'll hurt you."
Quinn shakes her head slowly, "You'd…never hurt…me." It hurts to talk because it's really hard to swallow but she manages slowly and Brittany looks about ready to faint, "Get up here."
Brittany agilely climbs into the bed, expertly avoiding all the wires and machinery and cuddles up to her, wrapping an arm lightly across Quinn's waist, knowing that she still had her bandages from when they were setting her ribs.
"I'm really glad you're okay." Brittany whispers into her ear, placing a light kiss to her cheek.
Quinn smiles as best as she can, "I would…have missed this…too much."
Brittany smiles at her through the tears and places another kiss to her cheek, "You're tired."
Quinn nods but fights the pull of sleep, "Rachel…"
The taller blonde nods and looks at the still sleeping brunette, "She hasn't left once."
Quinn is confused and it shows, Brittany sighs and nods her head, "You've been asleep a long while Quinn."
Her breathing picks up and her heart starts to beat like crazy, but Brittany calms her down, "Shh it's okay, breathe. Mm it's just…you slept for like three days and and she hasn't slept good at all. Not even me and San b-but Rachel a lot worse. She keeps waking up and crying when she thinks we cant hear or we're asleep and it hurts because she tries to be strong for me but I know she's hurting…she's going to be so happy when you wake up."
She can't remember much else because the minute Brittany finishes speaking the doctor walks in and updates her on her progress and situation. She's barely listening because one, it hurts and two, she's really tired.
"Mija I'll be back in the morning to check up on you. You've got a lot of people worried about you."
Santana smiles at her dad as he pats her head lovingly on his way out and she stands at the foot of the bed for a second just taking in Quinn's form.
"Scaring me…with your smiling." Quinn quips lovingly.
Santana smiles wider and gently rubs her hand across her foot, "Hush you, sleep. I promise you there's no way the three of us wont be here when you wake up."
The blonde squeezes Rachel's hand once more before nodding off to sleep.
Xoxox
Rachel's head feels like it's taken a pounding but she knows it's her fault for once again crying herself to sleep. She takes a breath knowing that when she sits up her neck is going to be screaming at her in protest for sleeping at an odd angle once again. She counts to ten in her head but she stops when she hits three because.
"…and I'm wasting away, away from you…What have I gotten myself into…You had me at hello."
The voice isn't singing along to the song that's playing lowly in the background word for word, but the words she is singing along to grabs her attention because it's a voice she thought she'd never be able to hear again.
Her head snaps up and she's sure she's almost given herself whiplash.
Quinn isn't singing anymore and instead she looks almost like a deer caught in the headlights right now, her eyes wide and shining, and her mouth slightly agape.
"Quinn." Rachel's eyes are wide and brown and bright and Quinn drowns in them again. Her voice is gravely but it's hard to mistaken it for anyone elses.
"Hi Rach."
She's crying, she knows she is but right now she doesn't even care because Quinn is awake and alive and breathing on her own and singing on her own and speaking and she's so thankful, so very thankful.
The blonde carefully lifts their still joined hands up to wipe away Rachel's tears or at least she tries because it's still difficult to move because it hurts so much.
Rachel leans forward to make it easier and instead of letting Quinn wipe her tears away, she redirects her hand and brings it up to her lips where she kisses it, "I'm so, so¸ glad you're awake." Her words barely get choked out because her throat is working so hard against her.
Quinn lets out a quiet whimper, "Not as glad as I am Rach." Again she goes to move her hand to cup Rachel's cheek but the brunette holds tight, and rubs her thumb across the back of her hand.
"I don't want to let go…" Rachel looks at her apologetically by way of explaining why she won't let her hand go. She blushes deeply then and Quinn finds out later from Santana that her heart monitor betrayed her and showed her heart spiking when she heard that.
Quinn smiles lopsidedly at the brunette, "I don't want you to either, but you crying is breaking my heart."
Rachel sighs and lifts both of their hands together to her cheek and leans into Quinn's touch, "I was so afraid I lost you."
The blonde shakes her head as she continues to rub her thumb across her cheek, adamant in getting every tear, "I was so afraid I'd break my promise to you. I didn't make it, did I?"
Rachel chokes back a sob and shakes her head no but then, "But, you did. You're here and that's what's important. God Quinn, I'm so sorry."
The blonde shakes her head, "Don't be. I don't blame you Rachel, I really don't. I'm just thankful I can tell you this in the flesh. You have nothing to be guilty about."
The brunette's lips tremble and Quinn holds her face ensuring her eyes stay focused on hers, "I'm serious Rachel. I don't blame you at all. I'm sorry I didn't wake up faster to stop you from thinking that."
The brunette shakes her head, "Don't apologize, don't you dare apologize. God I'm so glad you're awake."
Quinn smiles, her hazel eyes shimmering, "I missed your eyes."
Rachel's heart melts and she's glad she's not the one with the heart monitor attached to herself, "I missed yours. I missed your voice."
The blonde chuckles but stops because no, bad idea, "I'd have been really mad had I not made it to finally get to hear you perform on Broadway in the flesh, front row."
"In all honesty, I probably wouldn't have been able to go on to Broadway had you not woken up right now."
Quinn shakes her head, "I'd have come back as a ghost an haunted you until you finally did."
Rachel sniffles but giggles and shakes her head, "I'm really stubborn."
Quinn grins, "I'm a Fabray, and stubborn is our middle name."
"I thought Quinn was your middle name."
Quinn laughs and goes to sit up straighter but ends up needing Rachel to help her, "Smart ass. What have I missed the past three days?"
Rachel however doesn't answer right away because she's just looking at her. Her brown eyes skimming across every expanse of skin she can see, not able to stay put afraid that perhaps she'd miss something.
Quinn lets her because she's doing the very same thing, "So much. Santana and Brittany have hardly left your side. Miss Sylvester has been here constantly with your mother, they come back after work. There's been a constant stream of visitors."
Quinn gently squeezes Rachel's hand, "You've been here."
Rachel's cheeks redden and she shrugs slightly, "Yes."
Quinn's heart starts beating faster, and she curses the machine beside her that mirrors it, "You're not wearing his ring."
The brunette shakes her head, "I was an idiot. I was an idiot that was waiting for you to stop my wedding when I should have realized that that's what you were doing all along by telling me I deserve better. I was and am an idiot because I almost lost you because of my need for the overly dramatic."
Knowing that perhaps this was too soon, Quinn still chuckles, "I think perhaps this turn of events was quite the bit more dramatic than even you can appreciate."
Rachel's heart stops and she looks at Quinn slightly shocked to hear this from her, "Too soon."
The blonde squeezes the brunette's hand for the umpteenth time, "I'm in love with you."
Everything stops. Time suspends. Not a single thing moves. And then like a wave crashing everything gets set back in motion. Rachel blinks and the world continues.
"I've been in love with you for as long as I can remember. I want to apologize for not having this great romantic speech laid out for you but…I mean a three day hibernation period kind of does that to a person."
Rachel blinks and she's tearing up again and Quinn smiles at her heartbreakingly, "I don't expect anything Rachel, but going through this…I can't keep hiding from the truth. I can't keep hiding the truth. You know I love you, you've become one of my best friends, but I'm so in love with you too. I just want you to be happy."
Rachel smiles at her and she leans forward and kisses her cheek, right at the edge of her lips, "You were never just a friend Quinn, I just never thought I had a chance with you…Would it be okay?"
Quinn furrows her brow slightly at the question Rachel asks and she asks her with her eyes. Rachel bites her lip and continues, "Would it be okay if I took your breath away?"
The blonde smiles at her brightly and she threads her fingers through Rachel's, "You had me at hello."
Xoxox
"Will you look at that? So. Freakin. Charming."
Brittany giggles from beside the brunette and hugs her even closer to her side, "I love you San. And they look so happy now."
The brunette laughs, "Maybe they can finally stop skirting around their feelings. It's been exhausting seeing them be so in love with each other separately."
Judy hums, "Quinnie's been known to be rather stubborn once she has a certain mindset. She didn't want to cause her any hurt and she thought she was happy with the…Finn boy…then she kept slipping up by being completely honest with her."
Santana nods, "I'm just really glad she's okay."
Judy's eyes water, "She's going to need a lot of support these coming months though."
Sue nods her head, "Q's a fighter. Not even a wheelchair will stop her from doing what she wants."
Santana and Brittany's heads snap towards their coach, "You're gonna let her stay on the Cheerios right?"
The cheerleading coach nods her head once, "If anything she's going to be even more determined now and she's going to need a lot of physical therapy after she's allowed out of the wheelchair and if I know Q, I know she's going to be outta that contraption a lot sooner than anyone will even comprehend. She's a fighter. She's not going to let anyone take what's hers."
The onlookers look back into the room in time to see Quinn usher Rachel into the bed with her, wrapping her arm around her, hugging her close and dropping a kiss to her forehead.
"I see babies in their future. Playing with our babies." Brittany giggles as she stage whispers to Santana.
A/N: Song mentioned 'You Had Me At Hello' by A Day to Remember.