A/N: I am so happy with the way this chapter came out! It wasn't what I was planning originally, but I like it even more! Please review?
Also, I forgot to mention, Rachel, Kurt and Alex are all 21.
I do not own Glee. I own my people and my computer.
Over and above the music pumping in her ears, Rachel could feel the blood pulsing through her body, and knew that she had put in quite the workout. She decided to hop off the treadmill and call it a day. The towel around her neck was drenched with sweat, but she dabbed her forehead off and walked into the warm change room.
When she opened her locker, she saw the message alert flashing on the screen of her phone: someone had been trying to get in contact with her. When she unlocked her phone, she saw three missed calls and four text messages, all from Kurt.
"Rachel, where are you? It's almost dinner!"
"Rachel, this isn't funny. Answer your phone! Come on!"
"Seriously, Rachel. I'm getting tired of this. Pick up your phone!"
"I swear, Rachel, if you don't call in the next 10 minutes, I'm calling the cops!"
Rachel sighed. Kurt was naturally protective over her, but ever since her dads died, she had become more prone to walking off and showing up at odd hours of the day or night, without letting anyone know where she was. It had gotten so bad that even Rachel didn't notice when she walked off at times. She sent him a quick text to let him know that she was alive, and that she was headed back to the house.
"I'm alive, dummy. I was at the gym. Chill. I'm coming back now. -R"
Kurt was relieved. He honestly was scared that his cousin had gotten herself into some kind of trouble. Even Burt was scared when Rachel wandered off, considering he had never heard of that happening to her before.
"Dad, I'm gonna start boiling the water for the pasta, okay?" Burt nodded silently, staring at the front door. Kurt knew that his dad wouldn't stop staring at the door until Rachel walked through safely. Kurt worried as well, but he had a better view on Rachel than Burt did.
30 minutes after Kurt put the pot of water on, Rachel walked through the door. Burt moved to hug her, but before he could, Rachel's eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed to the ground, her body convulsing. Burt dropped to his knees beside Rachel and turned to face Kurt, terror taking over his eyes.
"Call an ambulance!" he shouted, but Kurt was one step ahead of him.
"My cousin is having a seizure! Send an ambulance, please!" His voice was quivering at this point. There was no doubt, everyone in that room was either terrified or on the floor.
"Alright, sir. How old is she, and how long has the seizure been going on for?"
"Well, about 5 minutes now, I think. She's 21, and this has never happened to her before! Please, hurry!"
"Okay, sir. The paramedics will be there shortly. Is she still convulsing?" Kurt didn't hear what the dispatcher was saying at that point. He had dropped to his knees beside his father and Rachel. Burt picked up the phone and began to talk to the woman on the other end of the phone.
Kurt could barely make out what he was saying to her. He was too occupied in what was happening to Rachel. Her shaking appeared to have slowed down, but she was still going.
As if on cue, the paramedics came through the door, stretcher ready to re-enter the ambulance. Burt quickly thanked the person on the phone and hung up. A female paramedic gestured Kurt towards the couch, and Kurt collapsed in tears. A male paramedic began tending to Rachel, pushing a needle into her small hand. Kurt couldn't bear to look at the scene.
The female paramedic turned to Burt. "Are you her father?"
Burt cleared his throat. "Um, no. Her fathers died 3 years ago. I'm her uncle."
"Okay sir, we'll meet you at the hospital." Burt nodded and headed for his pick-up truck. The paramedics began wheeling Rachel's still quivering body into the back of the ambulance. The blonde paramedic began to walk out of the house, when Kurt called out to her.
"Wait. Can I ride with Rachel?" he said in a quiet voice.
She smiled. "You're her cousin?" Kurt nodded. "Of course. Come on, quickly now." Kurt moved quickly and stepped into the back of the sterile truck. He took a seat on the small bench and maintained the most composure he could. The male paramedic was hanging a bag of clear liquid on a pole affixed to the gurney.
"She's going to be okay." Kurt looked up to see that the male paramedic was talking to him. "You're her brother?" he asked.
Kurt cleared his throat. "Cousin. She's an only child." The paramedic smiled. "She's lucky to have you, then."
The rest of the ride to the hospital was silent, except for the pulsating tone coming from the heart monitor. When the ambulance arrived at the hospital, the female paramedic opened the doors from the outside and helped the male lift Rachel's gurney off the ambulance and onto the ground. Kurt stepped out and followed them as far as they would allow him to. When they got to the emergency ward, he saw his dad, and ran to hug him.
Burt pulled him in for a tighter embrace than he ever knew he could give to his son. Burt brought Kurt over to a mundane seating area. Beige, uncomfortable looking couches, and plenty of sad-faced, tired looking people. Kurt noticed two Starbucks coffee cups in a corner, and Burt gestured over towards the corner.
"I thought you might need a pick-me-up, so I got you a tai chi latté. Medium." Kurt smiled. "Do you mean a Grandé Chai Tea latté, Dad?" For the first time that night, Burt and his son shared a laugh. That laugh had meant something: it meant that, no matter what would come out of the doctor's mouth, everything was going to be okay.