Artie hated the idea of getting in that ambulance. After all, after his last ambulance ride, he found out he would never walk again, but at this point he was in so much pain that he hardly thought about his last trip to the hospital. Puck had insisted on riding in the ambulance with him, and if his chest didn't feel like it would explode if he breathed too deeply, he would have been touched by the gesture. Mr. Schue drove with Finn behind.

Just like the last time, they rushed him into the emergency room on the stretcher. Artie could hear the ER nurses talking to the paramedics and managed to make out the phrase "broken ribs."

The next few hours were a blur. There was probably an x-ray, and some waiting for doctors. He was fairly certain that Mr. Schue, Puck, and Finn had been with him for a little while, telling him that his parents would be there soon, but as little as he remembered, it very well could have been a pain-killer induced dream.

At some point, Artie must have fallen asleep, although he didn't remember it, but when he woke up, he found himself in a hospital bed surrounded by blurry figures. "Here, sweetie," he heard his mother's voice say. He felt his glasses sliding onto his face and when he managed to grasp what he was seeing, he realized that he was surrounded by the entire glee club.

There was a round of 'how are you's' and 'how do you feel's,' though he wasn't sure who said what exactly. His brain didn't seem to want to work quite right, and it took him a while to process what he was seeing and hearing. "I'm alright," he said, answering the group's question. "Kind of groggy."

"That'd be the painkillers," his dad said, putting a hand on his arm. Artie smiled back at his father. No one said anything for awhile; they all seemed to be waiting for Artie to get his bearings, which he was grateful for. As he glanced around the room, he felt the sudden urge to cry, though he managed to hold it in. Everyone was there. Puck stood next to his bed looking nervously at the side table that held all kinds of medical doo-dads that appeared to be monitoring Artie. Finn stood next to him, looking preoccupied. Sam and Quinn stood further away from the bed, and near them, in the corner, Brittany was crying quietly as Santana half-heartedly patted her on the back. Rachel, Mercedes, and Tina stood at the foot of the bed, and Mike stood behind his girlfriend, his hands on her shoulders. Even Lauren was there, snacking on what Artie assumed was supposed to be his jell-o. The only one missing was Kurt, and Artie absently wondered if anyone had told him.

"What's the prognosis?" he asked timidly. His parents didn't seem too heartbroken, but Brittany's tears made him nervous.

"A few broken ribs," his dad answered. "That's why you're on painkillers. The broken bones make it painful to breathe too deeply, but according to the doctors, once the bones begin to heal, it'll hurt a lot less, and you'll be able to come home."

"Wait, I have to stay here over night?" After his accident, he had stayed in the hospital for a week, waiting for the doctors to give a definitive answer about whether he would ever walk again.

"Only for a few days, Sweetie," his mom said comfortingly, knowing exactly what was going through his head. "And you'll be much more comfortable here than you would be at home."

"And we'll come and visit you after school some days," Puck chimed in. "Right, guys?" The rest of the group nodded their heads or verbalized their agreement. Artie was confused at Puck's sudden kindness towards him, but it was too hard to think to try to figure it out.

"What about Karofsky?"

"He took off when we found you," Finn explained.

"We would have gone after him, but-"

"I'm glad you stayed with me," Artie assured Puck. "But what's going to happen to him?"

"Artie's right," Rachel chimed in. "David Karofsky has been allowed to run wild in this school for too long."

"Yeah, he can't get away with it this time," Mercedes added.

"They're right. This wasn't just a threat like last time," Finn put in. "Karofsky could have killed Artie if we didn't find him."

"I called Figgins when we got to the hospital," Mr. Schue said. "We'll have a meeting with Figgins and Karofsky and Karofsky's parents. I might need you guys there," he added, nodding to Finn and Puck. "You guys are the only witnesses other than Artie, and I don't want to put him through that right now."

"I can do it," Artie said. "I want to." But he realized as he spoke that his voice was even weaker than he had realized, and his insistence wouldn't work.

"I know you want to, Artie, but I think it would be best if Finn and Puck go."

"Don't worry, Buddy," Puck said. "We'll tell 'em everything."

Artie wanted to say so much more. He wanted to ask Puck why he was being so nice to him, tell everyone how thankful he was for their visit, ask Lauren why exactly she was eating his jell-o, but he just couldn't seem to get the words out.

"I think it's time that we all leave," Mr. Schue said as he watched Artie struggle for words. "We've all had a long day, and I think we could all use the rest. Let's give the room to Artie and his family." As they left the room, each Glee member said their own goodbye to him, most of them wishing him a speedy recovery. Mercedes told him that Kurt had been told and had promised to come and visit later. Puck and Tina both (separately) promised to visit again. Brittany gave him a tearful hug, but said nothing, and Artie couldn't help but notice Santana's eye roll as she led his girlfriend out of the room.

Left with only his parents, Artie felt his tongue unwind and was able to talk quietly with them for the rest of the evening until he finally insisted that they go home and get some sleep, assuring them that he would be fine in the hospital for one night.

After many hugs, his parents finally left the room, and Artie was left to himself. Surprisingly, sleep did not come as soon as he had expected. Instead, his mind raced with thoughts and questions about the day. Why had Karofsky attacked him so violently? Why had he been there so late after practice anyway? Why had Brittany been so upset? His questions went unanswered, however, as he slowly drifted off to sleep.