Chapter Nine

Brittany pulled the covers over her head and sank further into her pillow. She knew it was getting late, probably near twelve o' clock now but visiting times for Santana weren't until four on a Saturday and, until then, she had no desire to get out of bed. She heard the doorbell ringing but didn't move an inch. Her mom was here; she could answer it.

Brittany could hear the hum of voices downstairs as her mom let whoever it was into the house but she merely turned over, her eyes still shut tight. However, when a soft knock sounded from across the room they shot open and she frowned. Her mom had already been up this morning to check on her. Brittany had made it clear she wasn't moving.

The door opened so she stayed as still as possible hoping whoever it was would assume she was still asleep and leave her alone. Her bed sagged down at the end slightly as the person sat down and Brittany's confusion escalated; who was it?

"Well, I never thought much of pink wallpaper but I'm guessing Lord Tubbington or whatever his name is likes it,"

Brittany couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face at the voice. She slowly prised herself away from the covers surrounding her and sat up against the headboard, her eyes focused solely on the boy sitting across from her. Kurt smiled back at her, his hands clasped together on his legs which were crossed.

"Good morning, princess," He said. "Or should I say good afternoon? Would that be more appropriate?"

"What are you doing here?" Brittany asked him pulling the covers up to her chin.

"I'm taking you out," Kurt said, his eyes lighting up when he spoke. "I know it's mid November but the weather's not too bad and besides you can wrap up,"

"I don't want to go out," Brittany said, prepared to dive under the covers again and sleep the next few hours away.

"Did I say you have a choice? Now come on, get out of bed and get dressed," Kurt said standing up and opening her curtains for her.

Brittany shielded her eyes against the sunlight that suddenly appeared and disappeared under her duvet again. Kurt sighed dramatically and took a part of the duvet in each of his hands. In one swift movement he removed them from her bed and dropped them at his feet. Brittany squealed and grabbed at them but Kurt took hold of her wrists and hoisted her from the bed.

"Kurt," Brittany moaned, pulling an angry face at him.

"You'll thank me later," He said, winking at her and letting her arms drop to her sides. "Now go on, get dressed,"

Brittany pulled her tongue out at him and crossed her arms. Kurt briefly closed his eyes and pretended to shake his head. Without warning he began to tickle her and she immediately began to fight back at him, laughing so hard she could barely speak.

"Okay, okay, I'll come," She said, her face flushed.

Kurt smiled and let go of her. A silence fell between them and Brittany looked down, suddenly feeling incredibly guilty.

"Brittany," Kurt said, waiting for her to look at him. "Laughing and going out and living your life won't make Santana any worse,"

Brittany nodded slightly and left the room, her head down. Kurt sighed and picked the duvet up from the floor. He was prepared to do whatever it took to make Brittany see that he was telling the truth.

X

Kurt linked his arm through Brittany's and interlocked their hands. She'd finally got dressed and agreed to go out with him but it'd taken some doing. It was only after her mom had promised to call if she heard anything and Kurt's promise to take her to the hospital for four that Brittany had finally said okay.

He'd decided to take her to the park by his own home, knowing that she adored ducks and also knowing that it was perfect for a picnic. She squeezed his hand gently, smiling up at him as they walked through the gate. The trees were swaying slightly in the cool breeze which wasn't really much of a breeze, more like someone blowing softly in your ear.

Brittany looked around as they walked, wondering how on earth Kurt knew that this was her favourite park and how he'd even brought bread with him to feed the ducks which she absolutely adored and how he'd packed food for them in a typical hamper for a picnic. She couldn't recall telling him but then she'd had so many conversations in her life that it was easy to forget.

"So, what first? We could walk around for a bit, or feed the ducks or if you're hungry I know the perfect spot to eat," Kurt said.

"Could we feed the ducks first?" Brittany asked him, a smile lighting in her eyes. "I haven't seen them in so long,"

I know, Kurt thought but merely smiled down at her, nodding. The lake in which the ducks were usually found came into view as they turned the corner of the path. Brittany knew it was big but she couldn't remember it being that big. Surrounding the lake were flowers of different colours which still looked beautiful despite the weather causing them to wilt. There were also lots of different shaped leaves lying on the ground which Brittany knew came from the trees around them.

Kurt led her to a bench that was situated just by the side of the lake. She sat down and watched, excitedly, as a single swan approached them, its eyes wary.

"Here," Kurt said, handing her a single slice of bread.

Brittany tore a bit off and placed it in the centre of her palm. Then she held her hand out towards the swan who strutted closer, craning its neck to see what she was offering. Without getting too close the swan lowered its mouth towards Brittany's hand and snatched the bread away from her, stepping backwards and eating it quickly.

Brittany looked at Kurt who had seen the exchange and smiled widely at him. When she turned back to face the lake she was startled. Ducks were swimming towards her but there were loads of them. Some of them were even clamouring over each other to get to her first. Brittany began tearing pieces of bread away and throwing it towards them but after a while she started to panic. What if one of the ducks fell out with her because she hadn't given him any?

She glanced back at Kurt who was also throwing bread at them. Her panic ebbed slightly; Kurt was feeding them too but she was still a bit worried.

"Don't worry," Kurt offered, noticing her distress. "We have a whole loaf here,"

He gestured towards the packet beside him and Brittany took some more bread. She let herself relax a bit as the hour wore on. She hadn't done this for so long and yet it felt like she'd been doing it forever.

When the whole loaf had gone and some of the ducks had disappeared back into the lake Brittany stood up and waited for Kurt to do the same. He briefly opened his mouth but closed it again when Brittany's stomach gave a convincing growl.

"I guess that's my answer," He said, smiling.

"Where's this perfect spot then?" Brittany asked him, linking their arms back together.

"Oh I think you'll know," Kurt said mischievously.

They started walking again, making their way across the lake and beginning the climb up one of the many hills in the park. Brittany clung to Kurt feeling the burning in her legs far more than he did. When they reached the top Brittany was out of breath.

"How can you manage Sue's workouts and not a walk up a hill?" Kurt asked in disbelief, practically dragging her along with him.

Brittany looked up at him like he was stupid. "I'm not walking upwards when I'm working out with Sue,"

Kurt rolled his eyes and decided not to say anything. He knew the moment Brittany worked out where they were going. She slowed down slightly, her breathing more spaced out, her grip on his arm less tight. A huge tree came into view. Hanging from the tree was a tire swing that was swaying in the breeze. From here they could see the entire park, spread out before them.

"Oh, Kurt," Brittany whispered as they neared the tree.

Kurt placed the hamper on the grass and unfolded a blanket from within. Not wanting to ruin his clothes he sat down on the blanket making sure that none of him was touching the ground. Brittany sat down beside him, her head bowed.

"What's wrong?" He asked her, taking the basket and placing it in between the two of them.

"How did you know all this?" She said, gesturing around them.

"Santana," He said, simply opening the basket and handing her a small bottle of lemonade.

Brittany looked up as he spoke. There were questions burning in her eyes and Kurt sighed.

"We were talking once," He said shrugging. "It was a competition type thing. I told her everything I knew about Blaine, she told me everything she knew about you,"

Brittany looked down again at the lemonade she was holding, still filled with a thousand questions she didn't want to ask. Kurt had obviously gone to a lot of trouble today and she didn't want to ruin it.

"She told me something else too," Kurt said, leaning back on his elbows and gazing at the tree above him.

"What?" Brittany asked, seizing on the comment.

"She told me to look after you," He said quietly. "She said... Look after her with everything in you. I think she was scared, Britt, scared of leaving you alone,"

"She won't leave," Brittany said just as quietly. "She'd never leave me alone,"

"I don't think she meant it like that," Kurt said, looking straight at her when he spoke. "She didn't sound... you know, like she was giving up. She just sounded like she needed reassurance, like she needed to know if something was to happen, that you'd be okay,"

Brittany didn't say a word. She couldn't get Kurt's words around her head, yet somehow, she knew he was right. If she'd experienced what Santana had she'd be worried for her welfare and would want to know if anything happened that Santana was okay.

"You know, if anything was to happen to me I'd want Blaine to be okay," Kurt said, smiling slightly at the picture in his mind. "And I know he would be, because he's surrounded by people that love him. Santana... She didn't think anyone loved her but knowing you did was enough, of course she'd want to make sure you'd be okay,"

"How do you know so much about her?" Brittany asked finally.

"I don't," Kurt admitted. "I just understand her in some ways,"

Brittany looked over at him. He was looking at her with a soft expression in his eyes as if he was waiting for her to speak. But she didn't know what to say. Instead she moved closer to him. He placed his arm behind his head and placed his other arm around Brittany's shoulders. She rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes, content, for now, to just lie here and think.

X

Kurt stopped the car outside the hospital and switched the engine off. Brittany hadn't said a word since they'd left the park and she didn't seem ready to speak now either. Kurt turned his body so that he could see her better and smiled gently at her when she looked up at him.

"Thank you for today, Kurt," She said quietly.

"Anytime," Kurt said happily. "Can I come in with you?"

Brittany nodded and reached across the seat to wrap her arms around Kurt's neck. He complied and wound his arms around her waist. They stayed like this for mere seconds before Brittany pulled away and opened the car door, stepping out and letting a slice of cold air slip into her now vacant seat.

Kurt climbed out of the car too and locked it before taking Brittany's hand in his own and walking with her up to the hospital. The nurses smiled when they saw them, now understanding that they were just friends rather than lovers which is what they first thought, and motioned for them to go ahead.

Brittany smiled when she saw Santana again and immediately grabbed her hand as if she hadn't seen her for weeks, rather than a day. Kurt smiled too and took her other hand, kissing her knuckles softly. They both sat down, unsure of what to say, but the silence wasn't an uncomfortable one.

"We've been out today," Brittany said, using her free hand to caress Santana's face. "Kurt took me to the park and we fed the ducks and had a picnic and I even let a swan eat from my hand,"

"Yes, you were very brave," Kurt said fighting back the urge to roll his eyes.

"I know I was," Brittany said proudly. "I thought, at first, that it'd want my hand, but he went for the bread instead,"

Kurt looked down at Santana's hand and marvelled at how small it was compared to his own. He hadn't really noticed it before but now it was incredibly obvious. Had she always been so small? When the door opened behind them they both turned around. Mrs Pierce was standing in the doorway, her cell phone in her hand.

"I just tried to call you," She said, closing the door and walking further in.

"Why? What's happened?" Brittany asked, not sure why she felt so worried when Santana was right in front of her.

"The police called,"

"What did they say?" This time it was Kurt to ask.

"Her parents are on trial next week, it's a bail hearing," Mrs Pierce said, watching her daughter carefully.

"What's a bail hearing?" Brittany asked, frowning in confusion.

"It basically means that a judge will decide if Santana's parents have to stay in jail until the trial or can be freed on certain terms," Mrs Pierce said.

"They can't let them go!" Brittany exclaimed. "They nearly killed her,"

"I know, sweetheart, but it's not up to us to decide. We'll see what happens next week and go from there, okay? Whatever happens though I'm sure they won't let either of her parents anywhere near her,"

Brittany looked back at Santana, still incredibly worried, and subconsciously rubbed small circles on her wrist. The police had taken an incredibly long time to schedule a bail hearing, which she still wasn't sure she understood, but what did she know about hearings and trials and things? If Santana's parents were released then there was every chance that they'd come here, and Brittany couldn't let that happen.

"I'll see you at home, Britt, okay? Don't worry too much, let the judge sort it out," Mrs Pierce said, kissing the top of Brittany's head before leaving the room.

"What do you think, Kurt?" Brittany asked quietly.

"I think that there's no way this judge will let them out. I don't know much but it could be considered attempted murder and that's not a light charge. If it wasn't attempted murder they've still caused this to her and that's not light either. Do we know if both her parents were involved?" Kurt said.

"No," Brittany murmured.

"Don't worry too much, Britt," Kurt said comfortingly. "Let the legal system do its work, I agree with your mom, they won't let them near her,"

Just as Brittany was about to reply the monitor beside Kurt started beeping. He looked up at it and then at Brittany who looked back at him, equally worried.

"Did you touch something?" She asked him.

"No, I didn't touch a thing," Kurt said holding his hands up and glancing at his feet which were practically tucked under the bed.

"San?" Brittany said worriedly.

She squeezed Santana's hand. Kurt stood up and jogged from the room, telling her he'd fetch a nurse and see what was going on. Just as the door shut behind him Brittany felt a twitch in Santana's hand. She looked down, her heart pounding, and felt a jump inside her as Santana's fingers curled around her hand and squeezed back, just as gently.

"Santana?" Brittany said again. "Can you hear me?"

At these words Santana's hand squeezed hers again and Brittany smiled widely, already shouting for Kurt and the nurses to come and join her elation.

Hey! I've wanted to write this chapter for a while and it didn't come out as I wanted it to but it's finally happened! I hope it wasn't too bad a way to bring Santana back. Please let me know what you think! I'm incredibly worried about the reviews I might get for this! I hope it was okay!

Broken-timemachine – The next chapter will be the last one from Santana's point of view and the ones after it will all be in the present. The next chapter we'll find out what happened to San to put her in hospital! So I hope that answers your question!

Thank you to everyone who has stuck with this story and I hope this chapter hasn't failed you! Enjoy!