A/N: Soooooo sorry that it took so long for me to update. Crazy family issues are going on and I had exams. So this is a little shorty. Chapter 8 should be up soon. -Tayma
"She's stable and she's breathing on her own, but we still need to watch her. The swelling in her brain's gone down and her heart's been going strong since her last episode. Now we wait for her to wake up."
Emma lay on the standard-issue hospital bed, listening to people talking. Her brow furrows slightly, wondering who on earth could be the poor soul they're discussing. She sounds pretty bad off, and Emma's first thought is that she should pray for the young woman. She shifts slightly in her bed and is hit by a wave of soreness. Her back feels completely out of alignment and her neck is killing her. She takes a breath and moves to run a hand over her face, flinching slightly when her hand comes into contact with her head.
"Well, well. Emma? Emma, can you hear me?"
The voice sounds nice and Emma's eyes flutter open. She squints and recoils in the brightness, but takes a breath and opens her eyes more. Breathing hurts. She clears her throat and nods weakly, her throat feeling extremely raw.
Her finger starts moving in front of Emma's face and she starts to follow the distraction, swallowing thickly.
"Good. Alright, can you tell me your name?"
"Em–" She clears her throat again, her voice rusty from so little use, "Emma Pillsbury-Howell."
"And your age?"
"Thirty-two."
"Can you tell me, Mrs. Howell, what year it is?"
"2012."
The doctor nods, writing some notes down and smiles. "Well, Emma, it's nice to see those big eyes I've heard so much about. I'm Doctor Fitz and I've been taking care of you for the past day and a half. You're in Lima Memorial Hospital and you were brought in after a car crash. You had some swelling in the brain, but that's gone down now, and a collapsed lung which is on the mend. You cracked six ribs, broke your leg, and a tiny fracture in your skull. You're pretty bruised up and your face is a bit scratched up, but nothing too terrible. You did go into cardiac arrest yesterday evening and we were almost unable to revive you, but you're quite the fighter. Must have something waiting back here for you."
Emma nods, trying to process all of this. She clears her throat again. "Yeah, you could say that. Is my husband here?"
"I'm afraid not, no. He left yesterday, but he's asked us to contact him when you've woken up."
Emma bites her lip slightly and tears pool in her eyes. He was okay and he left her in the hospital yesterday. She almost died, and he couldn't be bothered to stick around. Emma sighed and nodded slightly, sniffling and blinking her tears away.
"You should probably contact him, then."
The doctor nodded and gave her a reassuring smile, "It's wonderful to see you awake, Emma. If you need anything, just press the call button and a nurse will be in right away," she began to walk to the door and stopped, halfway out of the room and glanced back, "By the way, you have a visitor. He's been here since you were admitted last night. Should I let him know you're okay?"
"Who, uhm, who is it?"
"Your emergency contact. A mister…" she looked through the papers on her clipboard, "Schuester. Mister Will Schuester."
Emma swallowed and nodded slightly, her heart starting to flutter in her chest. The machine reflected it and the doctor smirked, "Alright, I'll let him know."
"Thank you."
Emma took a deep breath and closed her eyes, resting back against her pillows. She was sore and exhausted, which didn't make sense. If she'd been here for as long as they say she's been, you'd think she would be well rested, though she knew better. Bodies took effort to heal and from the sound of things, there was a lot of healing for her to do. Sadly, no amount of bandages and plaster could help heal the emotional damage she'd be causing and experiencing.
She didn't open her eyes again until she felt the side of her bed sinking down and a clearing of the throat. Emma looked up just in time to see hazel eyes meet her own, Will's hand gently holding on to hers.
"Hey, Em."
"Will. Hi."
"How are you feeling?"
His face was so concerned, his forehead creased in contemplation as he examined her, as if her words and promises of being fine that he knew were to come wouldn't suffice.
"I'm fine. Tired. Sore. You? Why are you here?"
"Emergency contact."
"Oh."
Emergency contact. Emma couldn't exactly tell why those two words hurt her so much. Somehow she'd allowed herself to become disillusioned in the five minutes before Will arrived into thinking he was there because he loved her still.
"I'm sorry about the crash. And Carl. I can't believe he just left you, Emma. I couldn't leave you alone, and when they almost couldn't revive you." Will shook his head, his lower lip being pulled between his teeth as his eyes closed. "I just kept thinking, 'She can't die alone. She can't leave me.'"
Emma swallowed and looked down. "I remember the crash. We fought over you."
She was blunt. Why hide the truth from him? He'd find out eventually.
"I know, Carl gave me a nice snide comment about it. Look, Emma. I just, I love you so much and I know I'm probably not who you want right now, but—"
Her hand lifted and Will stopped, taking the gesture as a sign that he needed to stop talking.
"Yeah, I know you do. I love you, too, but I can't. My marriage is falling apart and I'm in the hospital. This isn't a Nicholas Sparks book, Will. I don't wake up from almost dying and run into your arms. This is the real world and I need to speak with my husband."
Emma couldn't look him in the face as she spoke. Her eyes focused on the hospital-issued blanket, avoiding what she knew would be a heartbroken expression. The weight of the bed shifted and Will cleared his throat again. She could tell he was leaving, but he stopped at the door. He didn't face her as he spoke.
"I'm glad you're okay, Em. It literally almost killed me."
With that, he was out of the door, his shoes squeaking on the ground as he left. Emma raised her gaze and stared at the wall across from her, chewing her lip.
"He's quite the looker, Emma," the nurse said as she re-entered.
Emma wiped her tears away and sniffled, "Yeah, he is. Can, uhm, can you call my husband? I need to see him."
"We just did. He said he'll be here in about an hour or so."
Emma nodded as her vitals were checked, then rested her head back against the pillows, wondering what the hell she just did.
