Chapter 10: Set Fire to the Rain

{Part 1}

As Doctors, we are taught not to fear death. To accept it as a part of life- or rather, the end of life.

We are taught to brave the storm, to accept that it is our body's time to go. Our hearts' time to stop beating. Our muscles' time to stop moving, and our brains' time to stop co-ordinating responses in order to keep us alive.

But what if the storm is unanticipated, undesired?

What if we realise our life can't end, because we've barely been living in the first place?

What if it's not our time to die?

What if the choice is not in our hands?

XXX

Suddenly Quinn felt alone, and knew she would be crying if she was above the water. She wanted to scream, wanted to wake up to find this was all a nightmare.

And yet she couldn't. Because her vision was blurring, and her limbs were becoming numb. Her chest hurt, and her throat was raw from all the water. So much water.

The darkness was beginning to settle in.

XXX

3 HOURS EARLIER...

'...Coming up, we have the latest news on the Hurricane that has produced what is thought to be the worst thunderstorms in almost 18 years-'

'Lopez, turn that damn radio off, the only thing we need to be listening to is our pagers and other staff at Harper Grace.'

Santana rolled her eyes at Dr Jones comment as the latter hurried around the room, looking flustered and bad-tempered. The place was chaos, the thunderous rain outside clearly audible, even over the din of both staff and patient's families that were charging around the place. Nurses rushed to rooms with equipment, preparing for the night's events- the calm before the storm.

The hurricane alert in nearby states had come a few days earlier, but the storm warning for theirs had only been given about an hour ago. It was the worst in almost two decades, with half the roads shut off because of the damn thunder and rain, which certainly didn't make the hospital's job any easier.

But not hers, apparently.

'Okay, Dr Hudson you need to head to the ambulances where at least two are due, and take your interns from this morning with you- Dr Anderson, if I could find him is due there too...' Jones murmured through gritted teeth, and Santana noted that she'd hate to be Blaine right now.

As Finn rushed off with Sam and a few other interns, Santana moved towards Mercedes, mustering as much energy as she could despite the protruding baby bump beneath her scrubs. But hell was she ready, this was the kind of disaster emergency she was made for.

'Dr Jones you haven't told me where I'm headed yet.' She questioned breezily, sticking her hands in her lab coat pockets and stopping before the small doctor, who didn't look up from her clipboard.

'That, Lopez, is because you're not headed anywhere tonight.'

'Excuse me?' She rose her eyebrows, her tone heavy with disbelief.

'It is gonna be complete and utter chaos here tonight Lopez-'

'Which is why I should be doing something, I originally came here to be a trauma surgeon you know-'

'And your shift finished half an hour ago at 8:30pm-'

'So did half of the other guys here, and you've still paged basically all the fucking doctors-'

'And to be quite honest I don't think it's very good for a doctor to be thundering around here when she's 5 months pregnant.' Mercedes finished quietly, looking at her sternly as Santana deflated slightly, if that was possible with her ever-growing bump.

'That is totally unfair, my work hasn't changed at all since I got pregnant!'

'Exactly, and maybe it's about time it did, especially on a night like tonight. Listen Lopez, I'm fine for you to work your usual shifts, as long as you take the breaks we give you, and get rests when I tell you to! IE, tonight!'

Santana glared, furious. 'This is practically discrimination-'

'Trust me, I wish you could work too because the commotion around here is only gonna get worse and you're great at handling trauma and the Peds, but you just did a 22 hour shift and frankly you look exhausted and it's not good for the baby. So go home Lopez, I'm not changing my mind about this.' Mercedes ignored Santana's scoffing, making to walk away after giving her one last stern look.

'You know, if Brittany was here she'd let me work!' She called after, in a last futile attempt to persuade her.

'Well luckily she's on vacation to see her parents until tomorrow, so you'll just have to deal with her departure!'

Santana rolled her eyes, slamming the lab-book shut and beginning to move away. 'Fine! Estoy fucking fuera, then.' She muttered under her breath, about to go in the elevator before there was a yell from the other side of the room. Surprisingly, it was Dr Jones again, looking shocked and appalled as she stared into one of the on-call rooms.

Santana moved closer, almost laughing as Kurt rushed out behind Dr Jones, his hair messy with his face crimson. None other than Blaine emerged straight after, equally red but a little more composed, his hair also messy...

'What the hell is the meaning of this?' Dr Jones demanded, and people, including Rachel who had come to stand by Santana, began to watch as Kurt and Blaine looked down, looking ashamed, like two people caught-

'No way!' Santana suddenly exclaimed, letting out a bark of laughter as Dr Jones glared at her and Kurt looked at her dully. 'You guys are getting your mack on? 'Bout time.' She shrugged, and Rachel smirked while the others ignored her.

'Sorry Mer- Dr Jones.' Blaine murmured, fidgeting as Kurt remained mortified, trying to smooth down his hair.

'Listen, I don't know what the hell is going down with half the residents and half the interns in this hospital, but try a little less getting busy in on-call rooms and a little more being- a- doctor!' She shouted the last few words by hitting Blaine on the arm with her clipboard, before she stormed off, barking instructions at staff as she went.

Kurt and Blaine gave sheepish smiles at everyone else, before Santana caught Kurt's eye.

Mazel Tov! She mouthed, and he rolled his eyes before she went off, leaving him to peck Blaine on the cheek and walk away too.

XXX

'Police have warned residents in the following areas not to travel unless they absolutely have to and are accompanied-'

Quinn watched the roads ahead fretfully, barely being able to see through the windows of Puck's warm, and surprisingly cosy truck. He continued to drive, the windscreen wipers going crazy as the rain thundered down outside.

'Puck, maybe we should give up, we've been driving for ages and the roads are just getting worse, we're not gonna be able to make it to the restaurant.' She told him, looking at him sadly as he opened his mouth to disagree, before sighing and nodding.

'I know, you're right. It just sucks that we have such bad luck.' He chuckled slightly, and Quinn nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly.

Ever since she'd agreed to go on a date with him, they'd spent the last couple of months trying and failing to find an appropriate time for both of them, their shifts making it almost impossible to spend time together. Nevertheless, it was going fairly well between the two- while they hadn't done anything spectacularly romantic together, they were on really good terms...it just sucked that they couldn't even go to a restaurant, on a first date.

'I know, but, we can find another time to go, this storm won't last forever.' Quinn reassured him, smiling and putting a hand on his shoulder as he drove into a side road in order to turn around. The traffic was horrible, everybody rushing to get home so as to not get stranded in the middle of the storm. Just as she spoke, there was a rumble of thunder from overhead, and she bit her lip. 'Or maybe it will.'

Puck laughed in response, and glanced at her appreciatively, his eyes lingering on her white dress and gold heels that made her look like a goddess, her hair curled and puck's jacket around her shoulders. He knew she'd look amazing in his clothes, especially considering how big the jacket was for her.

'You know what? We don't have to cancel the date. Finn's working so my apartment's empty. I'm thinking Pizza and a movie? Who needs the big screen?' He raised his eyebrows at her, seeing what she thought of the idea. Her face lit up, her smile widening as she moved slightly closer to him, both hearts fluttering at the contact.

'That sounds perfect.'

It was then that something suddenly vibrated in Puck's pocket, quickly followed by the same sound in Quinn's purse. He cursed under his breath, about to retrieve it as Quinn took her identical pager out of the purse, looking disappointed as she sighed.

'911 from the hospital, they want us both in because of the storm.' She murmured dejectedly, and Puck sighed deeply, looking annoyed.

'So much for that date.'

XXX

'Hospitals have warned that the amount of casualties is rising, and police again remind residents to-'

'Okay people, I know a lot of you are busy but it's all hands on deck tonight, meaning that any spare moment you have, even if it's just one tiny minute, you help with any patients or families that you can. It's gonna be tough, but as long as- oh, Dr Puckerman, Dr Fabray, nice of you to join us!' Dr Jones shouted over the rain, a binder above her head as she attempted to cover herself.

Puck rolled his eyes at the comment, taking Quinn's hand as they both hurried towards the group of doctors waiting at the ambulance bay, quickly giving a thankful Quinn an umbrella as Rachel handed her a coat to pull on over Puck's jacket (that he'd insisted she keep) and her dress.

'What have we got?' Puck asked, Finn raising his eyebrows teasingly and gesturing to Quinn as Puck flipped the bird back at him.

'Hotel roof collapse, at least 20 victims so far, coming in the next few ambulances.'

'Shit.' Sam murmured, and Puck nodded in agreement.

'My thoughts exactly. Do they all need surgery?'

Finn shrugged, looking solemn. 'We don't know yet, but if they do-'

'We're screwed, basically.' Puck finished for him, just as ambulances came rolling around the corner. Everyone rushed out into the run, wheeling patients, most unconscious, out into the rain and attempting to shelter them with large umbrellas.

'22 year old female, trapped on the stairs and bearing multiple bone fractures-'

'A 15 year old boy, his mom's following shortly, she tried to get him out but the roof collapsed just as-'

'Puck, take this one here to the trauma rooms immediately!' Dr Jones yelled, and Puck glanced at Quinn once before hurrying towards the patient and wheeling him out.

'Where's Santana, a kid trauma is her fucking speciality-'

'I sent her home.'

'Yo- You sent her home?'

As Puck and Dr Jones continued to wheel the patient off, arguing as they went, Blaine beckoned Quinn and Kurt forward towards an empty ambulance.

'Okay guys, you're headed to a 16 year old boy who was caught in a car-fire, treat him in the ambulance if his injuries are severe are enough but bring him back here and do most of the work.' He ordered them, and Kurt and Quinn nodded obediently as the ambulance doors shut behind them.

As it began to zoom off, Kurt raised his eyebrows at Quinn as if to say 'This'll be fun..', and she nodded, sighing and leaning back against the ambulance frame.

XXX

'I'll never let go, Jack.'

Santana rolled her eyes, shovelling more chocolate chip cookie ice cream into her mouth and grabbing the remote. It was the only half decent thing on Quinn's TV at the minute, but she was itching to turn the soppy stuff off right now. 'You just did, you miserable bitch.'

She was in such a bad mood, and this time she wasn't even sure it was her baby hormones to blame. She wanted to be in the hospital, amidst the chaos, not stuck at home feeling sorry for herself. However, the house was home to her- possibly even more so than her childhood home, seeing as her parents had been absent half of the time.

How did she get here? She had her friends, of course, and she loved them all to bits- some more than others, but she'd screwed up so bad. Here she was, single and pregnant.

She groaned slightly, putting the ice-cream down as she suddenly felt nauseous. It was then that there was a knock on the door, barely audible over the heavy rain outside.

Getting up, Santana glanced down at her big cashmere sweatshirt and grey sweatpants she was wearing and shrugged, not caring too much what she looked like. She didn't have the energy to. She moved towards the door, squinting at the silhouette outside. She couldn't make out who it was, and she felt her heart speed up slightly. Cautiously grabbing the door knob, she wrenched open the door, figuring that whoever it was, she was fucking ready to face them.

A rush of cold air hit her, along with the horrid roar of the wind and rain as she blinked, taking in the figure before her. Her scowl was replaced by a huge, embarrassingly excited grin, her eyes lighting up significantly.

'Brittany?'

Brittany stood there, her light smile on her face, and her eyes cheery as always. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail on top of her head, and- god, Santana was so fucking happy to see her after 2 weeks of her being away.

'What are you doing here?' She questioned in disbelief, quickly pulling the blonde inside. Brittany said nothing, just smiled and quickly pulled the Latina in for a hug, which Santana responded to automatically. She inhaled deeply, relieved by the familiar scent of Brittany, and the way the blonde's arms were securely wrapped around her. Noticing these thoughts, and others that were in her mind, Santana suddenly let go, overcome by a rush of emotions that weren't familiar at all.

'Look at you, you've gotten so big.' Brittany told her, but instead of being insulted, Santana just smiled- the blonde's eyes were filled with awe as she placed a hand on the bump, not uncertainty or judgement. She held her hands there as if it was the most normal thing in the world, and she ignored the way her heart fluttered slightly. 'I got back from my parents a few hours ago, and Puck told me that you were sent home, so I came here to keep you company.' She shrugged, and Santana grinned again.

'But won't you get in trouble? For not going to the hospital?'

Brittany shrugged again, not looking too worried. 'Puck says they should be fine, and he won't tell anyone- as far as the others know, I'm still in Indiana.'

She took Santana's hand lightly, again acting as if it was a habit and leading her gently to the couch.

'I did promise him, however, that I'd make sure that you'd get rest while you're here. I'm not allowed to take you clubbing or anything.' She added seriously, and Santana chuckled and rolled her eyes.

'What would be the point, I look like a whale so it's not like I'd be a hit at bars anyway..'

'Shut up, you're still completely hot.' Brittany told her, not looking at her and rather looking at the TV. Bizarrely, Santana felt her face heat up, and her skin prickled slightly as she cleared her throat.

Brittany wrinkled her nose, still watching the TV, where old-Rose was now recounting her experience to the others. 'Ergh, why are you watching this? It's sad, I always cry.'

Santana shrugged, still caught off guard by the comment. 'There was nothing else on.'

Brittany turned to her then, giving a small smile before pulling something out of her bag. She held up the DVD, causing Santana to raise an eyebrow at her choice.

'Good thing I brought Harry Potter then.'

XXX

It had taken a long time to get to the house fire, but once they were there it was pretty simple, even with the rain. The fire fighters had managed to get the boy, the only one injured, out and the fire under control, and Quinn, Kurt, and the ambulance driver Mick had gotten him into the ambulance.

It was then that it had gotten trickier, the boy, Zack, having dislocated his knee and begun yelling at the top of his voice, never ceasing. He was unaccompanied, his parents on a weekend trip and meeting them at the hospital, which made it even harder to control. Mick had suggested they sedate him, and luckily they'd managed to, though they kept a constant eye on the monitor to look out for any respiratory problems. Now they just had to sit as Mick attempted to battle through the rain.

'It's getting heavier out there.' Kurt remarked, glancing out of the front windscreen that they just about had a view of warily. 'No wonder you were called in. I just thought the date was going terrible so you had to call it a night.'

Quinn rolled her eyes at his smirk, hugging her knees to her chest, her coat still on over the jacket and dress- the heels she'd taken off at the hospital. 'We didn't even get to the restaurant.'

'Oh. Oh.' Kurt added, looking half impressed and half uncomfortable.

'No, not like tha- Mick? Are you okay?' Quinn suddenly caught off, having glanced at the man who was visibly shaking, his face pale.

'Wha- yeah, I'm fine, I just- think I'm coming down with a cold or something.' He sat up a bit straighter than, clearing his throat, and Quinn and Kurt turned back to eachother, Kurt looking slightly perplexed but shrugging it off.

It was silent for a few moments, before the increased beeping on the monitor caused the two doctors to sit up, suddenly alert as they watched Zack's heart rate increase incredibly, closely followed by the boy stirring, his eyelids gradually opening. Quinn froze, watching him as he blearily took in the ambulance ceiling, before groaning.

'He's awake..'

'You think?'

'Whereami..' Zack murmured blearily, his stirring becoming more alarming as he began to struggle. 'Where am I?'

'Zack, you're in an ambulance, you were caught in a fire but we're taking you to get help okay-'

Suddenly the ambulance lurched, veering left and causing Quinn to gasp and fall sideways, Kurt gripping onto the stretcher to keep the now panicking boy steady.

'Mick?' Quinn called out, and watched in horror, almost slow motion as the driver's hand fell of the steering wheel, his face paler than before as he slumped back in his seat, going still with the ambulance still moving at a terrifyingly unsteady pace.

It happened in barely 10 seconds. It was almost slow motion.

Kurt was trying to calm Zack, hurrying to sedate him again as he continuously glanced at Quinn, whose eyes were fixed on the driver in horror. Mick remained still, obviously passed out.

It felt like silence, the way her heart was thudding in her ears, blocking the rain out- blocking Kurt's questioning, and Zack's gradually quietening wailing.

But once the silence was over, Quinn was forced to go into action amidst the thunder- the storm outside.

'Mick!' She yelled, crawling forward as fast as she could towards the front seat, scrambling past all of the equipment that normally wouldn't have been such a problem. But now she was throwing it out of the way, tearing forwards towards the wheel as Kurt shouted behind her, still unaware of what exactly was happening, still trapped by Zack's side.

'Quinn! What are you-'

She could see a tree ahead- they weren't too far from it, all she needed to do was crawl a bit further and turn the wheel-

Quinn was a mere few feet away, and she lunged, grabbing the wheel and wildly turning it to the left in order to get to the road and avoid the tree. Her heart jumped into her throat as she watched the ambulance turn harshly, the brake lights burning into her eyes, before there was a massive creak and the wheel went wild, throwing her arms off it as she clutched the passenger seat behind her, tightly shutting her eyes and letting out a cry of shock at the force in which she was knocked back.

The ambulance was skidding, the terrible sound of the tyres against concrete mixing with her screams and Kurt's shrieks of horror. Zack had fallen silent amidst the chaos, sedated, and Mick still remained lifeless, out cold.

As she tried to block out the roaring in her ears while the ambulance continued to skid, Quinn slowly opened one eyelid, staring into the darkness illuminated by the lights from the vehicle.

Rain. Water. So much water. A small, weak looking barrier.

The barrier that was supposed to separate the road from the water.

Almost as soon as Quinn had realised what was going to happen, there was a deafening crash, and the sound of the ambulance skidding across the road was gone.

They were falling, equipment in the ambulance falling everywhere as Kurt yelled from behind her, and she was thrown to the side, her head hitting the side window with a sickening impact.

After what seemed like a lifetime, Quinn felt the ambulance crash into the river with a thunderous force, and as well as the whoosh of water that now flooded into the vehicle, her screams were unheard over the din of it.

As doctors, we are taught not to fear death. We are taught to brave the storm.

But what if the storm is unanticipated?

Because sometimes, our decision to live or to die, is not always in our hands.

TO BE CONTINUED

So, that's the end of Part 1. The ambulance's fate, for now, is unknown.

Okay, so anybody that's read my story Vengeance may know that I love writing deathly disasters, as twisted as that is. So I've planned out these two chapters from the start. It was originally going to be just one, but seeing as the next one turned out to be around 7,000 words, I thought I'd be one of those evil writers that leaves a cliffhanger.

No, I just needed more time to write the other half xD. I was super nervous and excited about writing this plotline, so I really, really hope you guys all enjoyed it and are kept in suspense. There's a lot more development in the next chapter, this was more like the calm before the storm (pun fully intended). It's a lot of angst and darkness, I warn you, but of course my dear friends Quick, Brittana and slightly Klaine have a lot of development. I just hope I don't disappoint.

Thanks so much for those that stick with this story, and leave reviews! Please please let me know what you think of this chapter, I'm really nervous/excited to see what you think! xo