Hola peoples! 'kay, so I know it's been a month since I've updated (exactly, which wasn't intentional, by the way) so I know a lot of you are probably mad at me, but hey, it's almost christmas! So please don't kill me, cuz I enjoy Christmas very much. If you don't celebrate Christmas, still please don't kill me cuz I like Christmas.
I've been sick (and on winter break) for the past week and right now, it feels like I've swallowed a chainsaw. I've been playing video games and stuff. I actually beat Assassin's Creed Revelations and I'm about half way through Modern Warfare 3 and InFamous 2. I'm so proud of myself! lol
So, I rewrote this chapter 2 times because the first time, I didn't really like how it ended and the second time, I didn't like the middle, but then I combined the good middle from the first one and the good ending from the second one to get the third one. wow that was a really long sentence. Anyway, this chapter is focused on Quinn and Puck, but mostly Puck. Hope you guys like it! :D
As Quinn and Puck walked through the white hospital corridors, they could sense the tension flowing throughout the hospital. The majority of the staff had worked with Dr. Lopez at one point in time or another and it came as a shock to all of them that he had become so violent. The even greater shock than that was the fact that he had done this to his daughter, whom he had talked about with admiration and pride in the past. None of them had ever spoken to Santana; when she would occasionally come by the hospital to talk to her father, she mostly kept to herself and left soon afterwards.
The two teenagers walked to the parking lot in silence, neither having anything to say. When they reached Puck's truck, Puck turned to Quinn and asked, "What do we do now?"
Quinn thought a moment before answering, "I don't know. I guess we talk to everyone else," The mohawked boy nodded, unsure. "They do already know, right? I thought you said before that they did,"
"Well, they kinda know. I sort of ran out of the choir room without explaining. I mean, they know that she's here, they just don't know why." Puck explained. Leaning on the driver's side door, Quinn nodded her understanding.
"Do you think that we should tell them?" the blonde asked, confusing Puck. "I just mean that it might not be our place to tell everyone. San might not want everyone to know. She's got this stupid pride thing," she elaborated.
Puck shook his head, "No, I think we should tell them. They're gonna find out one way or another, so we might as well just tell them. I doubt that they would tell anyone else, if that's what you're worried about," Still sensing Quinn's hesitation, he added, "Hey, it's better if we tell them what's going on rather than if they go around and guess wrong."
Finally, Quinn nodded her agreement. "You're right. But I'm just going to text them. I just can't deal with them right now." She pulled out her phone and sent a mass text to the entire glee club.
-santana's in the hospital. it was her dad. cops cant find him. dont come and DONT TELL ANYONE. please. –Q.
Almost immediately, her phone began to vibrate from the texts and calls that she was receiving. She turned it off and shoved it into her pocket, not wanting to deal with everyone right now. Exhausted, she leaned against the side of Puck's truck and closed her eyes, trying to compose herself. Puck stepped towards her, a concerned look on his face. "How are you holding up?"
Taking a deep breath, Quinn opened her eyes to look at Puck. "I'm fine. I mean, I can't really complain about anything right now. Considering…" she trailed off quietly as she averted her eye's from the boy's.
Puck stepped closer to the blonde. "You know, it's not complaining to say that you're not okay."
"But nothing even happened to me. I wasn't even there!" Quinn said, frustrated with herself.
Puck studied her for a moment. "Is that what's getting to you? That you weren't there?"
Letting out a shaky breath, Quinn said, "I'm supposed to be one of her best friends, right? So why wasn't I there? Why didn't I do something in time to save her?" She was yelling now. "What kind of friend am I if I let her suffer alone with this? Why wasn't I there?" She finished as Puck pulled her into a tight, comforting embrace. Instantly, she felt tears begin to drip down her face and onto Puck's shirt.
"Shh. It's okay," he cooed, trying to comfort her. "I've got you. Come on, I'll drive you home." Quinn didn't protest—she knew that there was no way she could drive right now.
The car ride to Quinn's house was spent in a comfortable silence. The only sound was from the hum of the pickup truck's engine. When they reached Quinn's house, she turned to Puck and said, "Thanks for being there. It really did help, I think," she studied him for a minute and then smiled. ""Who would have thought that Noah Puckerman had actually grown up? I'm impressed. You're taking care of everyone: San, Britt, me. Where was this man last year?"
Puck just shrugged. He didn't really know why he suddenly felt like he needed to take responsibility for things. He'd never done so before. Actually, he was starting to do some of his homework, too. In geometry, he had raised his grade from a D+ to a B-. It wasn't that he was dumb, he just didn't care before.
"Well, it's awesome to see. I'm proud of you," Quinn said. Quietly, her watch beeped, signaling nine o'clock. "Hey, don't you have to go babysit you're sister?"
Puck shook his head, "Nah. I could just tell they just needed some time alone," Quinn nodded her understanding. "I'll pick you up tomorrow, 'kay? You know, so you can get your car and stuff."
"Yeah, I wanted to go see San tomorrow and my mom's out of town. Thanks again, Puck. It really does mean a lot to me."
Puck smiled at her. "If you need anything, just call. My phone's always on." He didn't just mean for tonight; he meant always. If she ever needed anyone to talk to, his door would always be open. Understanding what he meant, Quinn smiled.
She opened the car door and stepped out. Puck watched her as she walked up her front step and unlocked the door. He waited until she was safely inside to put his truck in gear again.
As he drove home, he turned up the radio in his truck, trying to rid his mind of the events that happened earlier. But no matter how loud he played the music, the image of a broken and beaten Santana just would not get out of his head. She was like his sister in a weird way. They knew each other front to back, which actually kind of scared him.
When Puck reached a stop light, he slammed his hand down on the steering wheel. He wasn't sure if the frustration was caused by the stop light or everything else that had happened today. Probably a combination of both. He watched as some drunken idiot staggered his way across the intersection and into the park. Why the hell was he going into a park? Whatever.
As Puck drove away, something was nagging at him in the back of his mind. Why did that guy look so familiar? Maybe he'd seen him at a bar somewhere before—he frequented enough to recognize the regulars. Then it hit him. That drunken idiot was Santana's father. Puck jerked his wheel to the left, making a U-turn. He was lucky that the street was mostly empty or else he probably would have gotten himself killed.
He pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911. When the operator answered, Puck told him that he had seen Santana's father and where he was. Hanging up, Puck pulled up to the curb and jumped out. Mr. Lopez was sitting on a park bench looking at the playground about fifty yards away. Puck recognized this park. When they were younger, Santana would occasionally play with him here. But mostly, she spent her time here with Brittany and Quinn (but mostly Brittany).
Furious, Puck walked over to the bench. "Hey, asshole!" he yelled, causing Mr. Lopez to shoot him a dangerous glare. "Your daughter's in the hospital. Because of you!" Mr. Lopez stood from his spot on the bench, suddenly seeming much more sober than he really was. "How does it feel, beating someone that you know is weaker than you? Someone younger and smaller than you? What about beating your daughter?"
"The whore deserved it! She's the reason I'm alone now! That dyke made my wife leave me. She deserved it!" Mr. Lopez yelled.
Finally, Puck snapped. He charged at Mr. Lopez, tackling him. Punching him in the nose, Puck spat, "No she didn't, you bastard!" He punched Mr. Lopez several times before the older man violently shoved Puck off of him. Taking advantage of this, he moved and punched Puck in the eye. He stood up quickly and delivered a kick to Puck's stomach. Two more kicks were delivered before Puck grabbed Mr. Lopez's foot, causing the man to lose his balance and fall. Puck took his opening and began punching Mr. Lopez anywhere he could reach. As he punched, he said, "What? You only fight dirty? Can't say that I'm surprised, really."
Suddenly, two strong arms pulled him away from the now bloody man next to him. He looked back to see the same man from the hospital, Officer Lawson. "Hey, come on. Calm down. We've got him from here." When he was sure Puck wasn't going to try and continue, he released him and went to join the four other officers, one of whom was now placing Mr. Lopez in handcuffs.
Puck sat in the grass, breathing heavily. The orange glow from the street lamps that illuminated the playground mixed eerily with the red and blue lights that shone from the two police cars parked near Puck's truck. As two of the officers pushed Mr. Lopez into one of the cop cars, Officer Lawson walked over to Puck, who had leveled out his breathing. His stomach hurt a little bit and he could feel his eye beginning to form a bruise, but the pain wasn't that bad. Lawson held out a small bag of ice, which Puck waved off.
The officer sat down next to Puck, arms stretched out over his bent knees. For a few minutes, the two sat in silence. "So, what happened here?" Lawson asked softly, breaking the silence.
Puck took a deep breath and said, "I was on my way home and I saw him. He was drunk. It looked like he'd just come out of a bar. I didn't realize it was him at first. When I did, I followed him here. Started sayin' some stuff that pissed him off."
"What kind of stuff?" Officer Lawson asked as he jotted something down in his notebook.
"Stuff about Santana. I asked how he could do that to her. She's his daughter and she's so much smaller than him. It's just not right. He just…he said that she deserved it. Called her a bunch of horrible stuff. I don't know, I guess I just snapped."
Lawson nodded in understanding. Honestly, if he had been in Puck's position, he would have done the exact same thing. "Santana's lucky to have a friend like you. You did the right thing," He stood up and offered Puck a hand. As Puck stood, he brushed the dirt off of himself and straightened his shirt. "You need a ride somewhere?" Lawson asked.
Puck shook his head. "No, thanks. I've got my truck." He shook the older man's hand and walked towards his pickup. After he got in, he grabbed his phone from where it still sat in his center console and dialed a familiar number. On the third ring, Quinn answered.
"Hello?" She answered, her voice groggy. She'd obviously been sleeping.
"They got him," Puck said simply.
"What?" Quinn asked, obviously more awake. "Do you mean…?"
"Yeah. It's over."
What did you guys think? So, I think next chapter is definitely gonna have Brittany and Santana in it, probably some Mrs. Pierce, but nothing is set in stone yet. Santana's definitely gonna find out that her dad's been arrested, though.
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If you celebrate christmas, Merry Christmas! If you celebrate hanukkha, Happy Hanukkha! If you celebrate anything else, Happy Holidays and a very awesome New Year! :D 3