Disclaimer: I don't own Glee
A/N: I can't thank you guys enough for enjoying this story, it's what keeps me pumped up in writing each chapter :) This one is actually how I first visualized this story, so now I can finally get the plot rolling and get Finn better! And of course, get to some Kinn action ;) but not before some obstacles (hides behind chair holding up a 'don't kill me!' sign) thanks again! Enjoy!
A/N 2: sorry, I know you guys have been wondering about the person behind the clown, unfortunately the identity won't be too delved into until future chapters, though I have been dropping clues here and there (though not very obvious ones, my bads), I am glad though that he's served his purpose in creeping y'all out XD
…
Chapter Seven
Institutionalized
…
The house had been decorated from top to bottom in greens and reds. Little clumps of mistletoe hanging over doors. Obnoxious red stockings pinned in front of their bedroom doors. There were cute mechanical displays of Santa snoring, snowmen dancing, elves singing, reindeers glowing. There was soft music playing from the living room, Jingle Bell Rock setting the atmosphere of the warm family get together. The dinner table was elaborately decorated in golds and reds, a bottle of champagne chilling in the center of the wide arrangement of delicious food.
But they weren't eating yet. They were in the living room, huddled near a huge pine tree decorated with lights, ornaments, fake snow, and topped with a bright gold star. It was a mixture of both their Christmas decorations. Kurt's first ceramic handprint. Finn's little cowboy ornament. The Hummel silver pineapple. The Hudson china angel.
The tree felt so much more complete with the two family's decorations dotting it.
It felt right.
Finn looked at the massive pile of multi-colored and glittering presents nestled underneath the tree. A toy train was circling it as if protecting the pile from prying hands. Finn couldn't wait to open them. He loved Christmas, it never failed in making him feel like a kid again.
He looked over to his mother leaning against his stepfather in the squashy sofa by the TV. Kurt was talking animatedly with them over something he couldn't fathom, sitting with his legs up on the other sofa and swimming in his extra large candy cane themed pajamas.
His mother looked so happy. This was how it was supposed to be. Finn smiled, glad for agreeing to let Burt marry his mother. He'd never seen her smile so warmly, as if her heart was floating in heaven.
He sat down next to Kurt, barely distracting him from his rant. It was only then that he realized he'd been holding a cup of eggnog. He couldn't remember getting it, he wasn't much of a fan of the stuff, but if it was in his hand, he might as well drink it.
"What'd you get me uncle Finn!"
He looked down and saw a little blond girl in a blue dress. She was sitting on her knees, eyes shining with excitement at the prospect of opening her gifts.
He didn't know this girl.
The television turned on by itself, a reporter standing in front of Dalton Academy on a snowy day delivering her urgent news.
"…Was found in the second floor bathroom attempting suicide with pieces of a broken mirror…"
Before he could see a picture of whoever the reporter was talking about, there were suddenly several televisions in the room, all tuned in to different news reports. Finn twisted around, disoriented from trying to pay attention to all of them. The toy train slowed to a stop and keeled over with a final sigh.
"…She was captain of the school's cheerleading squad…"
"…found dead in her boyfriend's apartment complex…"
"…took a dive from the twenty four story skyscraper…"
"…he had no traces of drugs or alcohol in his system…"
They gradually became louder and less audible, joining together in a mob of sound. Finn shrank in his seat and looked to his family if they noticed. They were still talking pleasantly, as if the noise didn't exist.
Then it all muted out again. Suzy Pepper, grey and chap lipped in rags and dried blood, stood before him with the clown standing right behind her, pinning a knife threateningly against her neck and grinning madly with his makeup cracked and smeared. Finn felt his heart stop. Everything went cold.
Silent tears were rolling down her ashen cheeks; shaky breathes creating little puffs of steam.
"Help us," she begged quietly.
…
He opened his eyes; his pupils getting adjusted to the bright light of his room. It was a tiny space with no personality. Carpeted in gray, with a lone barred window by his bed, and a scrawny desk sitting in front of it, so that when he'd sit in it, he'd be reminded of his prison as he looked at the window pointing to the winter chilled city that felt so far away.
For a second he didn't take all this in and thought he was back in the safety of his home, with its new smell, unpacked boxes and dull sounds of life.
This room was so quiet and stark white it held a steady scream in his ears. Finn curled up in his uncomfortable flat bed and pulled his thin crinkly sheets over him, clutching onto his stiff one size too big patient attire of white pants and shirt. He felt gutted, just as he had in the past week he'd been in this nightmare.
He looked at the clock hanging over his desk. It was almost eleven in the morning. If he remembered correctly, it was a Thursday. He should be one class period away from having lunch right about now. He'd be finishing English Literature.
Finn had never felt so jealous of the kids in McKinley, enjoying the freedom of being bored shitless in their class, and exchanging gossip through the train of notes passed down each desk as the teacher turned to write something on the board. He wanted that again. He'd never skip another day of school if he could have his life back.
He shut his eyes tightly, hoping in vain that when he'd open them, he'd be waking up from a nightmare after dozing off in class.
The room was still there.
The only door opposite the window opened. Finn shut his eyes quickly, knowing that if he cast a glance at the intruder, he'd only see a monster.
"Morning, Mr. Hudson," the sweet voice of the nurse floated in his ear. "How are we doing today?" she pulled away the sheets he'd been so tightly pulling against him with ease.
"I want to go home," he mumbled, knowing it was futile saying so.
"'Fraid you can't," the nurse said with a grin in her voice, "you have to be able to see properly again before we can release you."
"If Kurt were here he'd be able to take them away," he argued grumpily. The nurse laughed lightly. She may have sounded pleasant, but all she was to Finn was obnoxious.
"Defeats the purpose of recovery, silly!" her voice squeaked, as if she were talking to a three year old who was too dumb to understand what she was saying. It only served to irritate Finn further, "you need to get over the hallucinations without your brother's help, got to do it on your own!"
Sighing, Finn sat up, eyes still tightly shut. In the short time he spent at Apate, he couldn't understand the logic behind tossing him in a prison while his only source of salvation was miles away. Even more, he couldn't understand how Carole and Burt so easily let him get taken away. All that representative guy did was throw in a few fancy words and they were sold.
The only one against it aside from him was Kurt. Unfortunately a teenager's protest against his own parents and one sleazy man meant nothing. All Kurt could do was watch in fury as Finn was taken into the car waiting for him at the exit of the hospital.
He may have beaten the crap out of Karofsky and Azimio, but no one was killed, and their parents hadn't taken him to court just yet. He was still under aged. How the hell did he end up here?
How could his own mother throw him here?
"Ready to go to the recreation center – "
"No!" he cut in quickly. The nurse paused in the middle of checking his pulse and temperature. They had been through this argument before, and Finn would always refuse to leave his room. He was in a building full of psychos in the form of monsters without Kurt to save him, like hell he was leaving his room no matter how bad he suffered from the cabin fever.
"Do you really want to stay in this room forever?" the nurse asked seriously, letting go of his arm, shuffling through the tray she brought with her. "It may lengthen your time here, your illness could worsen."
Finn bit the corner of his lip. "How long have the others been here?" he asked quietly.
The nurse shrugged. "This building was made pretty recent so I guess…the longest would be four months so far? She's still here."
"What about holidays?" he asked worriedly, "we're at least let out for that right?"
"Mmm…nope," she said innocently, "can't have the risk of that."
Finn's heart dropped. It was a week before Christmas, how was he going to recover that quickly? This was supposed to be their first Christmas together. They were supposed to enter the new year together!
"That can't…this was gonna be our first…" he clenched his fists, his chest burning in pain, "why can't you guys let me out for one day?"
"Can't be done," the nurse stood up and placed a small cup in his hands, "take that, it'll help with your nerves when you start seeing things."
Shoulders sagging in defeat, Finn brought the cup to his lips and swallowed the two pills jingling inside. He winced as they went down his throat and accepted the cup of water given to him. He wasn't a fan of consuming anything that had no flavor and felt like rocks in his throat. Gratefully finishing the water, he handed the empty cup back.
A pregnant pause.
The nurse cleared her throat pointedly. Finn frowned for a second before remembering what she was waiting for and opened his mouth to prove to her that he took the pills.
"Good," she took her tray, the contents tapping loudly against each other. "John'll be up with lu – "
The door opened suddenly. Both turned expectantly to the intruder as he stepped inside. Finn kept his eyes firmly shut despite curiosity making him want to open them.
"You have a visitor," it was a gruff no nonsense voice riddled with years of strife. It was an unpleasant voice, "it's your brother, Kirk? Dirk? That pansy ass boy."
"Kurt?" Finn sat up quickly, too happy to notice the insult. "He's here?"
"Yeah, he's waiting for you in the visitor's lounge, I'll take you there."
Finn's smile dropped a fraction, "c-can't he come here? He's been allowed in my room before."
"No," the man said flatly, "there's nothing out here that's gonna eat ya, just follow me, it's not far."
The nurse huffed grumpily, "why's he here again? He should be at school, and seeing him is only going to worsen Mr. Hudson's recovery."
Knowing she would probably convince the man to send Kurt away, Finn scrambled out of bed, spending a few minutes to find his shoes, and blindly reached for the door, crashing into a large body.
Grunting in surprise, the man steadied Finn and held his shoulder, pulling him out of his room. "Ridiculous," he muttered under his breath, "can't you at least wear sunglasses or something?"
"But I'll still see – OW!" Finn stumbled around a corner under the man's tightened grip.
"Might as well give you a walking stick," Finn had an inkling that he was shaking his head, "here's what I don't get, you see monsters right?"
"Yeah," Finn managed to squeak out as they turned another rough corner. He was pretty sure there would be bruises on his shoulder.
"Even if you know they're not real, and the people you think are monsters won't hurt you, why do you still fight them? It's only going to get you in trouble."
"But they have hurt me," Finn protested, squirming under the steely grip, "one even chased me out of my house – can you loosen up! My arm's gonna fall off!"
"What?" the man said dumbly, "what are you talking about, I'm not even squeezing your shoulder," sighing, he moving his hand to Finn's back, "weak little…"
They stopped for a second as a door creaked open. Finn stumbled forward when the man, who he was now pretty sure was a security guard, pushed him in. A chair scraped against the floor from far off, followed by the crisp claps of expensive shoes rushing toward him.
"Finn!" Kurt's wonderfully familiar voice exclaimed. Before Finn could head toward the voice, arms wrapped around him tightly. He could feel the rough fabric of a jean jacket hugging those arms. It had only been a week, but it made him realize how badly he missed the small body against him. He hugged him back just as tightly.
Another chair moved. It was so sudden that the unfortunate chair clattered to the floor. Finn hesitantly opened his eyes, momentarily blinded from the bright light reflecting nastily against the tan walls and metal table. He blinked several times to get bearings, at first seeing the neatly combed brown hair of his stepbrother, and then seeing another familiar face standing in the background by a rather unfriendly looking table.
"Rachel," he said softly, talking in her slim figure standing perfectly straight in her black sweater and tight fitting jeans, her perfectly brushed hair resting lightly on her shoulder, plump lips parted uncertainly. After a week away from her, she seemed so much more beautiful than before. Then the guilt of what he'd done to her settled in again, and he too found himself uncertain of her presence.
He felt Kurt stiffen against him and quickly pull away. Finn tried not to look too confused. A part of him wanted to keep Kurt as close as possible, but another knew it would look strange to Rachel.
Despite his attention focused on his stepbrother and girlfriend, Finn noted with disappointment that Carole or even Burt weren't present. They hadn't visited him once since he was institutionalized.
Rachel looked between him and Kurt, quietly assessing the strange situation before hesitantly approaching him and giving him a hug. Finn held her gently, taking a moment to breathe in her flowery perfume, her soft wavy hair against his cheek, and warm and curvy body against his. It felt like years since he held Rachel like this. Breaking the embrace was just as painful as it was with Kurt.
"Why aren't you guys at school?" he asked as they each took a seat by the table, unable to stop the smile of happiness from they're visit.
"Yesterday there was another atta…" Rachel drifted off nervously. Finn quickly understood though, and his smile fell, "it was two this time…it happened in different parts of the school, so far the police are saying they're unrelated. Figgins decided to shut down the school on early holiday."
Two attacks? Finn frowned. After what happened with him, this was all starting to feel like a horror movie, only made worse since it was real. Whatever was happening, he could only describe it as some sick form of apocalypse.
"Did they see things like me?" he asked darkly. Rachel shrugged, just as upset herself, "who were they?" Both Rachel and Kurt exchanged uncomfortable glances. Finn looked from his girlfriend to his stepbrother demandingly. "Who were they?" he asked again.
"We don't know if they have the same illness," Rachel started, fiddling her fingers over the table, "but this was really bad, a lot of people got hurt, and someone was killed – none of our friends," she added, seeing the look of horror on Finn's face, "it's been all over the news, haven't you been watching it here?"
Finn shook his head numbly. His room carried no TV, but he was pretty sure the rec room did, he was just too afraid to go there.
"But who were they? Are they coming here?" he asked fearfully. Being under the same roof with a murderer wasn't a pleasant thought.
"We don't know," Rachel shook her head, a look of pain crossed her face, "the one who killed a kid was Jacob, and the other one…" she bit her lip, her expressions telling Finn she still couldn't believe it, "was Sam."
His eyes widened in shock. Rachel looked down at her hands, a look of helplessness upon her. Kurt looked just as grim faced, staring past the table.
"What's going on?" Rachel asked no one, but looking up at her boyfriend, "this is a nightmare; the whole world's gone nuts, how could three attacks happen to our school back to back like that?"
Finn couldn't give her an answer. He too looked at the table as if it could give them a solution, his guilt rising up again knowing he was one of people responsible for the attacks. What made it so frightening was that he had no control over his actions, and if he knew Sam, and even Jacob well enough, he was sure they weren't in control either. "Has anything happened at Dalton?" he asked.
Kurt shook his head. "No…not yet, at least. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if something like this happened."
"Wait," he looked up, brows knitted, "aren't you skipping classes being here?"
Kurt shrugged. "I'm skipping today for other more pressing issues." Finn's frown deepened. His stepbrother leaned closer so that only he and Rachel could hear. It wasn't until now that Finn realized they weren't alone in the room. Aside from the several other empty tables, there was a guard by each exit, another reminder of how much of a prison Abate was. Kurt continued in a low whisper, "I don't like this place, after what they did to you I can't trust it. I'm taking it to court; I'm not letting them keep you away from us."
"What?" Finn felt a smile of relief tug at his lips, "how?"
"That's part of the reason we came to see you," Rachel whispered, "we need you to get proof of how they're treating you." Finn blinked and sat back in disbelief.
"How?" he repeated dumbly, "I'm too scared to even leave my room, the only reason I left was because of you," he nodded toward Kurt who blushed lightly. Rachel sat up indignantly. Finn bit his tongue, realizing he worded himself wrong, "be-because he can erase the hallucinations!" It didn't seem to work, Rachel still looked upset, but she didn't argue.
"Finn you have to try," Kurt urged, quietly jittery with happiness that Finn would brave himself against his fears to see him, "the sooner you do it, the sooner you'll get out of here," he was whispering again, "dad and Carole wouldn't have let them take you so easily, there's something really wrong with this place, it's like they've hypnotized everyone."
Finn couldn't help it; he gave Kurt and odd look.
The shorter teen shook his head, "Think about it, would your mom let this place take you from her?"
He felt the pang of betrayal hit his chest once more as it had the day Carole agreed to have him institutionalized. It was true; it was totally out of character for her. She was the same woman who opened her arms to a pregnant and devastated Quinn the night she was kicked out of her own home. She wouldn't have done this to her own son. He was pretty sure Burt wouldn't either the way he was protective of Kurt and the family.
But how could they?
"No, she wouldn't," he replied softly, prickles of bitter tears lining his eyes. Rachel held his hand comfortingly. "Why…why did she do it?"
Rachel and Kurt exchanged the same uncomfortable look from before. Finn didn't notice, staring at the table.
"How is she?" he asked, "I haven't seen her in forever." When there was no answer, he looked up questioningly.
"Finn, there's something else," Kurt said quietly, voice laced in sadness and confusion. "She…" he looked to Rachel, "I don't know if I should…."
"What?" he hated it when people left their sentences unfinished; it always made him feel stupid and in the dark. "What's wrong with mom?"
Kurt bit his lip, regretting for letting it slip, "This isn't her fault, I'm convinced this place is behind it, it happened after they put you here…" he let out a frustrated breath, "I thought it was from the shock at first, but the same thing's happened to dad…they don't…" he scrunched his brow, "they don't remember you."
For a while Finn didn't speak. He looked at the two blankly, trying to let the words sink in. Burt and his own mother didn't remember him? He slowly shook his head, "that's impossible; I've only been gone for a week…it has to be shock…"
"I'm sorry," Kurt said brokenly, "I don't get it either, but you saw how that representative talked to them. Something happened that night, it wasn't normal."
Finn was only half listening. In a way it made sense, he hadn't gotten one visit from his mother, and he'd already gotten three from Kurt, though he hadn't mentioned any of the issues surrounding their parents until now. He set his jaw. Was it really possible that they were being controlled somehow? How the hell were they going to explain that in court?
Maybe Kurt was going crazy too.
"That can't…" he ran a frustrated hand through his hair, "my mom…" He tried to picture her face. The smile she'd always give him even when times were rough. Her glittering eyes that held a certain loneliness, but was shadowed in happiness.
It was all foggy to him. He could barely remember her laughter. Her hugs…anything…
And she forgot him in an instant.
He felt abandoned. The empty hole in his chest grew painfully wider. If there was anyone in the world he wanted to see the most, it was his mother. He didn't care if she looked like a goose or a frog, he needed her. She promised him that whatever happens; she would be there for him. How could she leave him like this?
What about the first Hummel/Hudson Christmas they were supposed to have?
Finn roughly wiped his eyes, desperate to not break down in front of his two visitors who were watching him anxiously. He couldn't deal with this right now, he needed a distraction.
"Are teenagers allowed to sue hospitals?" he asked, wanting to change the subject lest he really did start bawling his eyes out.
"Mr. Schue's helping us out," Rachel answered quickly, also wanting a change of subject, "we're trying to do the best we can."
"And once you're out, we can help our parents," Kurt nodded encouragingly, "we need your help though, without you there's no proof."
"Okay…" he nodded uncertainly, then jumped when a large and heavy hand was placed over his shoulder.
"Time's up," he said in his gruff tone. Finn looked up at him for the first time. He was a heavy set man with a cleanly shaved square jaw, beady eyes with permanently frowning brows, and muscles that were barely contained in his blue security guard uniform. He looked incredibly intimidating from the angle Finn was looking at.
Kurt and Rachel reluctantly stood up and each gave him a hug, the latter giving him a short but dearly missed kiss. He tried not to look too much like a baby and cry. They were his only family now if Kurt's words were true enough. Seeing them go out to freedom while he was stuck in an overbearingly white prison was a hard thing to do.
He hugged Kurt just as tightly as when he greeted him, unwilling to let his only cure leave him for who knows how long.
"Promise you'll help us out?" Kurt mumbled in his shirt, his slender arms wrapped comfortably around him. He didn't need to ask, Finn nodded, feeling the weight of abandonment on his shoulders again.
"I'll do anything, just get me out of here," he whispered vulnerably in Kurt's ear. The smaller boy bit his lip and nodded, tightening his hold around Finn.
"I'll see you soon." He let him go, but Finn pulled him back again, startling him.
With great reluctance, Finn relented in letting him go, and watched as he and Rachel left the room in silence. Finn hoped Kurt would stay true to his word and come back again by at least tomorrow.
The gruff security guard grabbed his arm, gently this time, and steered him back down the hall he'd walked blindly through.
"Where's the rec center?" Finn asked as they turned the corner.
The guard raised an eyebrow at him, but otherwise kept his gaze ahead, "I'll take you there." They walked in an uncomfortable silence as they twisted and turned the identical halls, all dressed in white and glistening in cleanliness. There were few occasions when they'd bump into other guards or nurses, but other than that not one patient could be found. At first Finn figured there probably wasn't much to start with until they walked past the double doors of a gigantic room that was occupied to the brim.
Finn's jaw slackened in shock.
In every nook and cranny of the room there were kids his age sitting or walking around aimlessly, talking quietly amongst themselves, and all wearing the same matching patients attire of pants and t-shirt. Some looked up curiously at the new guest before going back to whatever they were doing. There was no sign of happiness on their faces.
Numbly, Finn's eyes swept the room in shock.
These kids, all of them, had the same problem he had. How many more were there?
How many more would there be?
