Destined Encounters
Part Eight
Thirteenth encounter:
Santana slowly walked down the hallway to the elevators. She was in a trance again. She hung her head down so when the elevator dinged and the doors open she was shocked when she heard her grandmother say, "Santana?"
Santana looked up and saw her family standing there. Immediately she fell into their arms and started to ball. Her mother wrapped her arms around her daughter and let her cry. She also began to cry.
"Mami, I'm scared," Santana said while in her mother's arms. Instantly, Santana had flashbacks to when she was a child when she had a bad dream. Her mother would just hold her tightly until she felt better.
Santana's grandmother put her hand on Santana's head and rubbed her hair gently.
After a while, Santana calmed down and they all went to Quinn's room. When they walked in they saw Brittany dancing funny for Quinn who was still in the coma.
"Britt," Santana asked with a small smile.
"Oh, I thought this might get her to open her eyes. Hey, everyone," Brittany said as she hugged the Lopez family.
"Well, I know what'll make Quinn feel better. Look Sweetheart, my family's here…yeah, even my mother. Yeah, we'll have words later. You're the most important thing right now to me," Santana said as she walked up to Quinn and kissed her forehead. "I love you," Santana whispered.
"Hello," Abuelita said as she walked up to them and grabbed Quinn's hand. Santana's grandmother closed her eyes and prayed.
Got it! And I'll try my hardest! Prayers texted me immediately.
"Hello?" a doctor asked as he walked into the room. "Quinn Fabray?"
"I'm her girlfriend," Santana said to the doctor. "Quinn's right here." Santana pointed to Quinn.
"Oh, hello. Are her parents here or…"
"She was a foster child…"
"Excuse me Doctor, I'm Dr. Lopez from Ohio. Can we chat outside?"
"I need the person in charge of Quinn to okay it," the doctor said authoritatively.
"I guess that's me," Santana said, "You can talk with my father."
Doctor Lopez escorted the doctor out of Quinn's room.
"You don't want to hear all the medical jargon," Abuelita said to both Santana and Quinn.
"She's right, Quinn, you and I just need to know when you're going to wake up," Santana said.
"Exactly," Brittany said and nodded her head at Quinn.
"That would be wonderful," Santana's mother chimed in also. Santana tried to believe her, but based on what had happened it was difficult to. She pushed those thoughts out of her mind for right then. She needed to concentrate on Quinn and her recovery.
A few minutes later, Santana's father walked in. He looked perplexed which didn't sit well with Santana.
"Well, Papi, give it to me straight!"
"Well, um, I don't know how to say this…"
Santana took in a deep breath. "What did the specialist say?"
"He said that Quinn could wake right now or…"
"Go on?" her grandmother insisted.
"Or it might take longer," he said.
"How long?"
"There's no telling," her father said defeated.
"Will she ever wake up," Santana asked on the verge of tears.
"I don't know," her father said and got emotional as he saw his daughter lose it.
Santana sunk down to the floor. Brittany plopped down next to her and immediately wrapped her arms around Santana.
"I can't stand this!" I yelled at no one.
Prayers knocked on the door.
"Come in," I said.
"Hey, how you holding up," she asked.
"Not good. Just saw Dr. Lopez tell his daughter it might take some time for Quinn to wake up!"
"Geez, I'm sorry," Prayers said.
"This sucks," I said and wiped a tear away.
Prayers suddenly held up her hand. "Wait! I'm getting something…It's from Quinn…"
"Wow! What is she praying?'
"She said, 'Tell Santana not to give up! Tell her that I love her and as long as she fights for me I'll fight as hard as I can to get back to her!'"
"Wow…they do love each other," I said happily, "I'm going to Dreams' office!"
"I'll text you if anything else comes in," Prayers said and left me to get to work.
I ran to Dreams' office and pounded on her door. She immediately opened the door.
"What's going on, Destiny? Do you need a dream?" Dreams asked as she ushered me into the room. She pointed to a chair and I sat down.
"Thank God, thank you for being able to help me," I said and sighed relieved.
"No worries. What can I do for you?"
"Can you please create a dream tonight?"
Dreams handed me an official form and asked, "What kind? Write down who, what to convey, and if there's anything you think I should illuminate."
I neatly wrote down the information and filled out the form.
"Dreams, it has to happen tonight. Not tomorrow! Tonight," I urged.
"You got it! Hey, do you want me to connect you to the dream?"
"Dreams, you're awesome. Yes! Thank you so much," I said.
"No problems. That's why I'm here," she said as she entered the dream into her database. I saw that she had all the necessary information so I got up and quietly left her office to go back to mine.
Throughout the rest of the first day, Santana stayed by Quinn's side. Her family and Brittany got food, but Santana refused to go with them to pick it up. When regular visiting hours were over, they all went to their hotel, but Santana stayed on the oddly comfortable sofa bed.
"Santana, Santana, baby wake up," Quinn yelled.
Startled Santana awoke with fright. Once her eye sight got better, she screamed, "Oh my God, Quinn, you're awake…DOCTOR…NURSE…NURSE…"
"No Santana I'm not awake yet," Quinn said and caressed Santana's cheek with her hand.
"Then how?"
"You're dreaming. It doesn't matter. All that matters that is that you know I'm fighting with everything I have to get back to you and to our life. Please don't give up on me," Quinn said and extended her hand to Santana.
She quickly got up from the sofa and pulled to Quinn. Santana grasped Quinn's body tightly. In the hug Santana said, "I'll never give up on you. You hear me? I love you way too much to do that! As long as you hold on, I will also. I miss you, Sweetheart, so much. Please come back to me!"
Quinn connected her lips to Santana's sweetly.
"I love you, Baby," Quinn said, "Don't give up!"
Quinn wiggled out of the embrace, turned around and walked away.
"Never…never give up…" Santana repeated.
"Santana…Santana…" the nurse said as she tried to wake her up.
"What?" Santana said as she awoke.
"You were dreaming," the nurse yelled quietly.
Santana looked over at Quinn and sadly realized it was just a dream.
The nurse left the room seconds
Santana had an overwhelming sense of despair so she looked down at her necklace.
"Is it glowing?" she asked bewildered.
"Yes!" I yelled from above.
Santana held it in her hands and kissed it.
"I'll never let you go, Quinn!"
A few days later, Quinn still hadn't woken up and Santana started to get depressed.
Her family and Brittany were still staying in the city.
"Go see the sights! I'll be fine with Quinn," Santana said.
"You want anything?" Brittany asked.
"Just for the love of my life to wake up!"
Brittany lowered her head and patted Santana's shoulder.
They all walked out of the room.
Santana sat there in the seat next to Quinn's bed and just looked at her. Her bruising and swelling were beginning to disappear which had to be good.
"Come back to me, sweetheart," Santana pleaded with Quinn. "I love you so very much. Whenever you're ready I'm more than ready to see those gorgeous hazel eyes. I know you're fighting and I know you will win. I love you, Quinn Fabray."
Santana just looked at Quinn almost willing her to wake up. But to no avail.
All of the sudden, a soda cup was placed on her shoulder and Santana jumped.
"Whoa!" she screamed nervously.
"Sorry, mija," Santana's mother said, "You gotta eat. Here…" She hands her a container of salad and a fork.
"Why didn't you go with them?"
"Eh, didn't feel like it, " Santana's mother said and patted Santana's shoulder.
Maria sat down on the sofa bed. She just observed her daughter's penetrating stare on her girlfriend.
"Santana," she said.
"Hmm," Santana replied not really attention to her Mom.
"I'm very sorry," her Mom said.
"What you did hurt me immeasurably," Santana said honestly, "It was as bad as Abuelita disowning me for those years."
"I know. You need to see it from my point of view…"
"No, actually I don't." Santana said plainly.
Maria looked at her daughter. She saw tiredness and nervousness in Santana's demeanor. Then Santana got up from the chair and walked over to Quinn. She grabbed her hand tightly and looked down at it. She caressed it with her thumb.
"If she'll have me, I'm gonna marry her," Santana said without any hesitation in her voice.
"I know," Maria said quietly.
"Not as soon as she wakes up of course, but as soon as I can afford a ring that she deserves, I will propose and hopefully marry her. For us, you and me, to have any type of relationship going forward, I not only need you to realize this, but to accept it 110%. No half assed acceptance. I want to be able to bring her home and not have to worry about what you'll try to do to make her leave me. Cuz she's not going anywhere…and neither am I," Santana said proudly.
"You know when your father told me about Quinn's accident, I thought you'd bolt. Get the hell of there and not look back," Santana's mother said honestly.
Santana started to say something, but her mother raised her hand. "When we got to the hospital finally and you saw us, that's when I knew she belonged to you. I guess this is forever and permanent. I'd be stupid not to accept it," her mother said.
Santana looked up at her Mom. "Really?"
"Yes, Santana, of course," her Mom replied.
She dropped Quinn's hand and ran to her mother. They embraced warmly. Once the hug was over, Mrs. Lopez walked up to Quinn's bed and said, "Quinn, I know you can hear me. I just, I just want to apologize for my behavior during the last time we met. I am utterly ashamed for what I tried to do. I hope you can find it in your heart to one day forgive me and my stupidity. I know now that you and my daughter love each other very much. I will not stand in the way of that." she gently raised Quinn's hand and kissed it. After she gently put it down on the mattress beside her.
"Mami…I just want her to wake up!" Santana cried out.
"I know, I know. And she will…" Santana's mother made Santana look her in the eyes. "You listen to me. Quinn is going to wake up. Okay. There's no getting 'round that. It just might take longer than you hoped it would. She'll wake up, you'll propose, and you two will live happily ever after…the end!"
Santana nodded her head in agreement and then looked down at Quinn. "Did you hear that, Sweetheart? My mother knows what's what!"
"When you wake up, Quinn, I honestly and truly would like to get to know you. I wanna get to know the woman who makes my daughter so happy! If you're open to it…"
They both watched Quinn, but she didn't open her eyes or anything.
Fourteenth encounter:
I'll remember this day for the rest of my life. It was a soggy, New York Saturday afternoon and Santana had been exactly where she has been for the last month, right by Quinn's side. Night and day. Her family also stayed around.
"We're here until she wakes up," her father said and her Mom, grandma, and Brittany all nodded their heads.
"Britt, what about school?"
"Took a leave of absence. They understood," Brittany said.
"We also took care of both of your schools, dear," Abuelita said to Santana. "They send their well wishes."
"Oh, thank you," Santana said and brought her attention back to Quinn. "Should we tell them, Sweetheart?"
"Tell us what?"
'Before the accident, Quinn asked me to move in together."
Brittany clapped her hands and yelled, "Yay!"
"That's wonderful," Santana's Mom said happily.
Over the last couple of weeks, her Mom had turned over a new leaf and finally understood their relationship and their love.
"Hand me the comb," Santana said and Brittany handed it to her.
"We were going to start looking this summer for something that's equal distance between our two school…but now…" Santana said as she began to comb Quinn's hair.
"You can still do that," her father encouraged.
"Yeah, and when you do, it's on us," her Mom said which earned her a smile from her husband.
"You know…" Brittany started.
"NOO!" both of Santana's parents said at the same time.
"Eh, it was worth a shot." Brittany said and shrugged her shoulders.
"Nice try, B!"
"I'm thirsty, Santana take a walk with me," her grandmother said with a warm smile.
"Well," Santana started and sounded apprehensive.
"Mija, we are all here," her father said with a smile, "It's alright."
"Okay," Santana said, got out of her chair, and stretched her arms over her head. "I'll be back soon, Sweetheart!" She leaned forward and pecked Quinn's lips.
They walked out of the room, but Santana's eyes never left Quinn until she was out of sight.
Her grandmother immediately looped her arm on Santana's.
"I want to say that I am very proud of you, Santana. I know this must be hard."
"Do you wanna know the hardest part?"
"Only if you want to tell me," her grandma encouraged.
"It happened when I had to fill out Quinn's paperwork. They had the 'Do Not Resuscitate' form and I just…" Santana said and got emotional.
Her grandma stopped walking and hugged her granddaughter tightly.
"I didn't know, I didn't know," Santana cried.
"I know, shh, I know. It must have been difficult."
"It was the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life. And I've been through a lot!"
"I know…I love you, Santana!" her grandma said.
A little while later, visiting hours were over.
"We're gonna go," her father said as he stretched his arms over his head.
"Yeah, I have to call my parents," Brittany said, "They're pulling for Quinn."
"Good night everyone. Again thank you for the support. It means the world to us."
After hugs were exchanged, they all left. Suddenly the room fell silent.
Santana walked over to the bed. She said, "Move over. You're hogging the bed."
She got in and was able to get her arms around Quinn. They had removed the tubes and wires because she didn't need them any more.
"Well, Sweetheart, it's just us again," Santana said. She looked down at the delicate woman lying besides her.
"Quinn, I love you. I bet you're getting sick of hearing me say that, huh?" Santana said as she brushed Quinn's bangs which had begun to grow. "Geez, someone needs a haircut!"
Santana carefully pulled her closer and kissed her cheek. "I love you," she said.
"I love you, too!" someone said hoarsely. It was almost a whisper.
"Who said that," Santana said and jerked her head to the left and the right.
"I did!" the voice said again.
Santana dared to look down at Quinn. When she did, the most beautiful eyes were staring up at her.
"Holy shit, Quinn…is this a dream," Santana said excitedly.
"No, Baby, I'm back!" Quinn said and immediately her face was peppered with kisses from an elated Santana. When Santana's lips found Quinn's they kissed sweetly. They stayed like this for a few seconds. Once the kiss was broken, Santana said, "Let me get the nurse!"
She bolted up and ran screaming, "NURSE…NURSE…SHE'S AWAKE!"
The nurse ran into the room and said, "Hello, Miss Fabray. It's nice to see you awake."
"Yeah, uh, I have questions…"
"I'll answer anything you want," Santana said lovingly to her. She pulled out her cell phone and texted, "She's awake!"
"Well, you look great…I'll leave you two to chat. I'll come to check on you and the doctor will be in shortly."
After the nurse left, Santana sat on the edge of the bed.
"Ok, Sweetheart, shoot!"
"Ok, first, how long have I been out?"
"Little more than a month," Santana said honestly. "The longest month of my entire life."
"How did it happen?"
"You were crossing the street and were hit by a driver who was speeding. From the report that I got you flew into the air and landed on your face. When you look in a mirror, you'll see black and blues and some swelling, but trust me it got a lot better."
"Is that why my leg is in a cast," she asked as she looked down.
"Yeah, it is."
Quinn took a deep breath and Santana grabbed her hand.
"Quinn, it's alright," she said and smiled, "You're awake. That's all we've been wishing for."
"We?"
On cue, Santana's family rushed into the room.
"QUINN!" Brittany yelled and lunged for her.
"Umph, hi Britt…" Quinn said as Brittany collided with her.
"Easy there, Britt!" Santana said with a laugh.
"Oh, sorry. I'm just excited…"
""Welcome back," Santana's grandmother said with a smile.
"Thank you," Quinn said apprehensively.
She looked at Santana's mother and extended her hand to her. "Thank you for coming Mrs. Lopez."
Maria rushed up to Quinn, leaned over and hugged a shocked Quinn.
"Okay," Quinn said surprised.
"We talked…I'll fill you in later," Santana said and smiled.
Then the doctor walked in. "Well, hello, Miss Fabray!"
"Hello, Doctor," Quinn said unsure.
"He's okay. Let me stay here since you got to the floor. All the time," Santana said, "They all put up with my hysterics…"
"Oh," Quinn said knowingly.
The doctor examined Quinn and he did some tests. "Well, you're looking good. I'd like you to stay for two days for observation, but you are going to be fine."
"Yay!" Brittany yelled.
"That's great," Santana said and the tears began to slide down her cheeks.
"Baby, it's alright. I'm going to be fine," Quinn said and looked at Santana.
"I know, I'm sorry," she said and wiped the tears away. "Thank you, Doctor, for everything."
"You're welcome, Santana. You know Quinn, she has not left you side since it happened. I'd hold onto her if I were you!"
"That's what I plan on doing," Quinn said with a smile.
The doctor left the room and immediately Santana's lips were on Quinn's.
Before they got carried away, Brittany coughed.
"Oopps, sorry," Santana said after she broke the kiss.
"Well, we'll leave you and come back tomorrow for one more time," Santana's father said. They started to leave, but then Quinn spoke up. "Uh, Mrs. Lopez?"
She turned around and said, "Yes, Quinn."
"Could we speak?"
"Yes, of course!" Maria walked back to Quinn's bed.
"Come on," Santana said to the rest of the group.
When the group was out of the room, Quinn started to sit up more.
"Be careful," Mrs. Lopez said as she assisted Quinn.
"Thank you," Quinn said.
"You're welcome," Mrs. Lopez said.
"I wanted to thank you for coming out here and being with Santana while I was…ya know?"
"You don't need to thank me. I wanted to, truly. I apologized to my daughter, but I never got to you. Quinn, I am so very sorry for my actions and behavior the last time I saw you. Having the experience of seeing just how much my daughter loves and wants to protect you makes what I tried to do so stupid on my part," Mrs. Lopez said.
"I appreciate your kind words. I need you to understand that I'm going to be in Santana's life for as long as she allows me that privilege. I love her with everything I have. Especially after this. She has stuck by me throughout it all. It's going to be her and me forever, I hope," Quinn said humbly.
"Then call me Maria…and welcome to the family," Mrs. Lopez said and hugged Quinn.
Santana walked in at that moment and said, "That's encouraging."
Mrs. Lopez got up and left the room. She dragged her daughter out into the hallway.
"So I talked with Quinn and we are good," she said.
"Thank you, Mami! That's great."
When they got to the elevator, Mrs. Lopez said, "When Quinn gets released you both go to our hotel and take care of her there. This way you don't have to separate!"
"Thank you," Santana said humbly.
"See you tomorrow. I'm so glad she's okay," her father said as the elevator door began to close.
As soon as it closed, Santana turned around and bolted back to Quinn's room. When she got to the door, she stood there. Quinn's eyes were shut. Santana walked up to her and took one of her hands.
Quinn relaxed and opened her eyes.
"Hey," she whispered.
"Hey," Santana answered back. She got into Quinn's bed and wrapped her arms around her.
"I was so scared. Especially when I got a phone call from someone telling me that you were hurt…"
"I'm sorry I worried you," Quinn said sadly.
"Sweetheart, you couldn't control what happened. I ran from my school to the hospital. I just wanted to get to you," Santana said.
Quinn rested her head against Santana's shoulder.
"I'm going to be okay now," she said and sighed, "I do want to get up and walk around."
"Let's buzz the nurses' station," Santana said as she looked for the call button. Once she found it she pressed it and within five minutes the nurse walked into the room.
"Hello. How can I help you," the nurse asked.
"I'd love to be able to stand up and maybe take a little walk," Quinn hoped.
"Oh, I think we can do that," the nurse said as she walked over to the bed.
Santana, very carefully, helped Quinn sit up and swing her legs to the side of the bed so her legs could dangle in the air.
"You okay, Sweetheart?"
"Just a tad dizzy," Quinn said hesitantly.
"That's totally understandable," the nurse said calmingly, "You tell us when you're ready?"
"Ok, few minutes," Quinn said. She pulled Santana's shirt and their lips smashed together. The nurse lowered her head to give them a little privacy.
In a few minutes, Santana broke the kiss and shyly said, "Wanna try standing?"
"Yes," Quinn said and began to push herself up from the bed. With the nurse and Santana's help, Quinn found herself on her feet.
"Wow!"
"Hey you," Santana said with a contagious smile.
"Hey yourself," Quinn said and smiled at her.
"Want to take a few steps. It might be difficult with the cast, but let's try?" the nurse suggested.
"Ok," Quinn said. Immediately, Santana's grip around her waist tightened.
"Lean on me, sweetheart," she said and Quinn did.
They got to the door and turned around.
"Can I sit in a chair," Quinn asked.
"Sure," the nurse replied.
Once they got over to the chair they helped Quinn to sit down. When she was safely in the chair, Santana asked, "When does the cast come off?"
Quinn looked at her and chuckled.
"Quinn, I'm so sorry. I've just…"
"Baby, it's alright. I wanna know that too. You can ask anything you want. You were here for me all the time."
"It should come off today or tomorrow. In fact, I'll see if I can get another nurse and take it off now," the nurse said with a smile.
"It's not too soon," Quinn asked.
"It's been like a month," the nurse replied. She smiled again and walked away.
Santana crouched down to look Quinn in her eyes. "You okay in the chair," she asked.
"Yes, I am," Quinn said.
"My parents have saved their hotel suite for us. We'll go there when we get you out of here in a couple of days. This way I can get you better," Santana said with a smile.
"What about school," Quinn asked nervously.
"My parents took care of it for us. We are on a break of sorts. The school wishes you a speedy recovery."
Before Quinn could ask another question, the nurse returned with another nurse. She carried the largest pair of scissors I've ever seen.
"Ready Quinn," one of them said.
"Uh, yup," Quinn said hesitantly.
They helped her back to bed and pretty soon they were cutting the cast off of her leg. Santana and Quinn were holding hands and looking at what was happening.
"Almost there," the other nurse said.
They were at the foot of cast. The nurse put the scissors down and they both tore away the cast. They each had a smile on their faces.
"Do you want to keep it," one of the nurses asked.
"That's okay," Quinn said. She looked down and noticed a rather big scar on her leg. "Is that, um, going away," Quinn asked.
"No, unfortunately, it's not," the nurse said solemnly.
"Oh," Quinn whispered. Santana saw the emotional expression on Quinn's face. She leaned over and placed a chaste kiss onto the scar. And then another. And then another.
"Santana," Quinn said.
"No, Quinn, I love every part of you. And that includes the scar."
The nurses gathered up the garbage and the scissors and quietly left the room.
"This isn't a deal breaker," Quinn said on the verge of tears.
"God, no, Quinn. It's only a scar," Santana said and caressed Quinn's face. "Ok?"
Quinn hesitated. "Okay, I love you!"
"I love you too," Santana said and hugged Quinn tightly.
The next morning, everyone came back. They carried two duffel bags and two backpacks.
"We took the liberty of packing some clothes and necessities for the hotel," Santana's father said. They threw everything on the couch in the corner.
"You're looking well, Quinn," Santana's grandmother said happily.
"Yes, ma'am. Actually feel a lot better now that I've walked and had the cast removed," Quinn said happily.
"That's wonderful," Mrs. Lopez said.
"Hey, Quinnie," Brittany spoke up.
"Yeah, Britt," Quinn answered.
"I'm so happy that you're better and will be gettin' better with every new day," Brittany said and hugged Quinn tightly.
"Aww. Well thank you for coming to take care of her," Quinn said and looked at Santana.
"Thank you everyone. I, uh, never truly had a family so I know now what it truly feels like."
They all looked at Quinn and smiled brightly.
"That'll never change," Santana's mother said confidently.
"That's right, Quinn," her father said, "You're a Lopez now no matter what happens!"
Quinn got emotional. "Sweetheart, it's alright," Santana said and she rubbed her back with her hand.
"I just…thank you," Quinn said and wiped a falling tear away. Mrs. Lopez walked closer to Quinn to envelope her in a warm hug. She even kissed the top of Quinn's head. She whispered, "Call me, Maria!" She felt Quinn tense, but then relax in her embrace.
After a while, her mother said, "Santana, come walk with us to the elevator. We have to catch the plane."
Quinn waved as they all left. Brittany blew her a kiss, which Quinn caught and smacked against her cheek. Brittany laughed.
When they were outside the elevator, Santana said, "I just want to say thank you for everything you did for me and for her. She's truly the love of my life."
They gathered around Santana and hugged her. Her father then hit the button and within a few seconds the doors opened. They started to walk onto the elevator.
"Santana," her grandma said.
As Santana looked at her, her grandma threw a tiny, red box at her.
"Whoa!" Santana said as she caught it.
Before she could say anything else, the elevator doors closed.
She nervously opened the box and exclaimed, "Holy fuck!"
Author's Note:
Hi, I'm sorry this took so long. I hope you enjoy it. I don't know a lot about people who have been in comas. My only source of information was the Internet. I hope that you enjoy this chapter despite my lack of knowledge. Please let me know what you think!
