Warnings and disclaimer in Chapter 1. Enjoy.
Quinn woke up slowly. Something wasn't right. She didn't bother opening her eyes, there was no point to that anyway. Instead she tried to figure out what was different. Her arm felt like it was on fire, but that was how it always felt nowadays. She wouldn't complain though. She was secretly worried if she complained they might send her back to her father. She didn't know why that thought terrified her so much. Hadn't she spent over five years with no one but her father? She shrugged as she cast the thought aside. She would worry about that after she figured out what was different.
She smiled when she heard the distinctive breathing pattern of Tobey. She felt his hair tickling her bad arm, even threw all the fire. She loved having him on her bed, something that her father expressly forbade. She went to pet him with her good hand only to freeze completely. Somebody was in bed with her. That's what was different. She was completely unprepared for this situation. "Quinn?" She heard her mother's voice and sighed in relief. Her body completely relaxed as she realized who was with her.
"Mom," she slurred slightly, not completely awake yet. She felt Tobey lift his head and lick her cheek. Her mom moved enough so she could move her hand and pet him. "Why are you in my bed?"
"You had a pretty rough night last night," Judy said, shifting around so she could watch her daughter. "Do you remember?"
"No," Quinn shook her head, eyes scrunched in concentration before giving up.
"It's probably for the best," Judy said, giving Quinn a tight hug. Quinn could tell from the hug how scared Judy had been. It explained why Judy had spent the night in her bed, but not why Quinn got so much comfort from it. While Quinn had gotten used to people climbing in bed with her, and even people in bed with her when she fell asleep, this was the first time she had woken up with someone in bed with her. She went to hug her mom back when something woke her up completely.
"Mom," she said in a shaking voice. "I can't move my arm."
"What?" Judy asked, wide awake now as well. "Tobey. Down." The dog jumped down obediently. "Try again." Quinn nodded, her eyes now open wide. Judy watched as Quinn was able to lift her arm maybe a half an inch before it fell into the pile of pillows.
"Mom?" Quinn asked tearfully. Judy hugged her close.
"I know you don't want to do the MRI," Judy started, but Quinn interrupted.
"I'll do it," she said. "Puck convinced me. I was going to tell you today."
"Thank God," Judy whispered, her eyes closing in relief. "I'll call the doctor."
"And Puck," Quinn added. "He promised he'd be there."
"And Puck," Judy agreed. "I'll be back. You try and get some more sleep." Quinn nodded as Judy pulled away. She padded into the living room, searching for her purse. "Morning Blaine," she greeted as she found her phone.
"Morning," Blaine watched as she made a call. He handed her a cup of coffee when she finished. "You look like you need this."
"Thank you," she said, drinking the beverage greedily. She downed half the cup before she put it down. "Not that I don't love seeing you, but what are you doing here?"
"Rachel called," he explained. "She said Quinn had a rough night and asked if I could come over and just be available." She picked up the cup and finished the cup. Blaine quickly refilled it. "It looked like Quinn wasn't the only one who had a rough night. The entire group looked like zombies."
"Where is everyone?" Judy asked, not used to seeing the apartment empty.
"Work," he told her. "I don't have to be in till later, so I said I could stay."
"That's sweet. Thank you." Blaine smiled at the compliment. "What about Finn? Isn't he working nights?"
"He is officially accepting Yellow Cab's offer to terminate their working relationship," Blaine told her. "He wanted to go in first thing to figure out exactly what that entails. No one's ever been fired like that so no one was exactly sure what would happen." Judy nodded. She had never been fired either, not that she needed to work. "Now, I know I'm nowhere near the cook that Kurt is, but I can manage scrambled eggs and toast."
"That would be wonderful." She smiled at him when her phone suddenly rang. She quickly answered. She listened intently for a few minutes before thanking them and hanging up. "That was Dr. Mathison. They can get Quinn in at 11."
"The MRI?" he asked. "She agreed to it?" Judy nodded. "Thank God," Blaine said, reaching for his own phone and sending a group text. Judy looked to the clock.
"I better get Quinn ready." Blaine nodded as Judy went to the bedrooms. He started pulling out everything he would need for scrambled eggs when he heard the sound of paws on the hardwood floors. He looked behind him. Tobey was waiting at the door, his leash in his mouth, staring at Blaine.
"You need to go out?" Blaine asked knowingly, as he put the eggs he just pulled out back into the refrigerator. Tobey barked and put the leash in Blaine's outstretched hand. Blaine leashed him up, grabbed the bags, and seconds later they were out the door. Luckily for them, this apartment complex was pet friendly and had a small patch of grass where dogs could do their business. They even provided garbage bins for pet waste. Tobey quickly relieved himself and within minutes they were back in the apartment. Blaine washed his hands and set about making breakfast again. He had just finished the eggs and pulled the bacon off the stove when Judy pushed in Quinn. "Hey," he greeted, raising his eyes questioningly when Judy was almost completely soaked. She shook her head.
"Something smells good," she said as she wheeled Quinn over to the table.
"It's just eggs," Blaine told them reservedly as he dished up a plate for Quinn, "but I did manage to find some bacon in the back of the refrigerator." Quinn's eyes lit up at the word bacon, which is what Blaine was hoping for. He put three strips on her plate and placed it in front of her.
"Thanks Blaine," she said as she felt around for her fork. Blaine frowned when he realized she was only using her right hand, her left lying limply on her lap. He looked up at Judy, who again shook her head.
"No problem sweetie," he told her as she found her fork and started attacking the bacon. "It's nice to cook every once in a while. And you know Kurt doesn't let anyone near his kitchen. Do you want juice or milk?"
"Juice please," Quinn said as she struggled to cut the bacon with just one hand. Eventually she just gave up, grabbing the meat between her fingers and nibbling on it until it was gone. Blaine filled a cup with orange juice and placed it on the table.
"Are you okay for a minute if I go freshen up?" Judy asked her daughter, standing behind the wheelchair and putting her hands on her shoulders. Quinn nodded. Judy leaned down, kissing the top of Quinn's hair before standing up straight. "Call if you need anything." Quinn nodded, but she was already focusing on the second strip of bacon. Blaine watched her for a second before following Judy out of the room.
"What happened?" he asked as soon as they were out of earshot. Judy sighed.
"She couldn't move her arm at all this morning," she told him wearily. "She could barely lift it and couldn't move any of her fingers. That's when she agreed to the MRI. I didn't think too much about it until it was time to get her ready. She couldn't even get out of bed on her own. It was like the last month had never even happened. She was completely helpless. She couldn't even hold herself up in the shower. Which is why I ended up taking one too, except I was still in my jammies."
"That explains the wet clothes," Blaine tried to joke with her. But Judy was crying now.
"All that time she never complained. I know she was in pain, she took some aspirin without any fuss, but she never complained. I realized that must have been how she behaved with Russel. Never complaining. Always accepting what little he gave her. And it broke my heart."
"Hey," he said, pulling her into a hug, even though it meant getting wet. "It's okay. She's okay." He held her as she cried, only pulling away when her cries subsided. "She survived. She's here with us now. And we will never let him get his hands on her again."
"But it's too late. He already broke her."
"Then we'll put her back together again. All of us." Judy looked unconvinced. "You said she took the medicine without prompting?" She nodded. "That's progress. She would have never done that with him."
"You're right," she smiled at him. "I'm just being silly."
"There's nothing silly about seeing your child in pain," he told her. "Now you better get going. We have to leave soon if we want to be at the hospital by 11."
"Right," Judy turned to go into her room before she turned back to Blaine. "Can you do something for me?" He nodded. "Can you call Puck and tell him about the hospital? Quinn really wants him there."
"Sure," he said, pulling out his phone as he walked back toward the kitchen. He finished the call quickly and watched Quinn finish the last piece of bacon. "There's eggs too," he said, causing Quinn to jump a little. "Sorry. I thought you heard me."
"I guess I'm just a bit unfocused right now," she said, taking a few bites of the eggs before pushing the plate away.
"Done already?" he asked, sitting next to her.
"I'm sorry," she said. "It tastes great, but I'm not really hungry."
"Ah," he said, getting to his feet. "There's more bacon, but if you're not hungry I guess I can eat it."
"No," she reached out blindly toward him. "I am hungry. See." To prove her point she grabbed her fork and ate some more of the eggs. "Just put the bacon down."
"Okay," he said, laughing at her antics. "But I get a piece and we really should save some for your mother."
"She doesn't like bacon," Quinn said before rolling her eyes. "Fine. She can have one piece."
"One piece of what?" Judy asked, joining the group. She was showered, dressed, and ready to go. "Never mind," she said as she saw Blaine dangling a piece of bacon in front of Quinn. "You can have my piece as long as you promise to finish all of your eggs. There's not that many left."
"Deal," she said, grinning like a madman. She tried lifting her plate up, but couldn't find the right balance with just one hand and nearly tipped it before Blaine snatched it up. He grumbled loudly as he laid all the bacon on the plate, including his own. Judy knew it was just for show. They would gladly give her all the bacon she could eat. She was still way to thin. He placed the full plate in front of her and they watched as she attacked the bacon again, this time stopping between slices to eat some eggs. Judy nodded approvingly before dishing up her own plate. Blaine found Tobey's dog bowl and quickly found where they put the food. He poured some food into the bowl and placed it on the ground. Tobey quickly moved over and started eating. Blaine watched him for a minute before he started to tidy up the kitchen. He wouldn't have time to do the dishes, but he could at least get them soaking and clean up the counters. He had just finished putting everything away when all three of them finished at the same time.
"Weird," he mumbled under his breath. Judy looked up curiously before noticing the time.
"We have to get going in a few minutes. Quinn? Do you need help brushing your teeth?" Quinn nodded silently and Judy pushed her toward the bathroom they shared. "Blaine, do you think you can get Tobey ready to go out? His vest is on the coat rack."
"He gets to come with us?" Quinn asked excitedly.
"I see no reason to keep him home," she told her honestly. "Unless you don't want him to come."
"I do, I do," Quinn said happily. Judy smiled at her.
"I don't think he'll be able to go into the scanner with you, and that would probably freak him out, but I think he can wait with you just fine."
"And Puck?" Quinn asked nervously.
"He said he'll meet us there," Blaine said, "but he might be a few minutes late. He was looking up subway stops when he hung up, but he doesn't know that area all that well. He promised he'll be there though."
"He'll be there," Quinn reassured herself, as Judy pushed her into the bathroom. She fixed her toothbrush and handed it to her before brushing her own teeth. Soon they were ready to leave. Blaine moved Quinn from her chair to the backseat of Judy's car, Tobey climbing in after her. Judy rolled her eyes at their antics as she popped the trunk and put the chair in.
"Are you sure you don't mind coming with us?" Judy asked as she and Blaine got into the front.
"It's fine," he told her again. "I don't have to be at rehearsals until 3, and I'm much closer at the hospital than I am at home so I don't have to leave so early. I don't mind waiting with you."
"If you're sure," Judy said, starting the car. Blaine nodded once again and she carefully pulled out into traffic. The traffic was horrible, as it always was in New York, and they made it to the hospital with very little time to spare. Blaine once again transferred Quinn before picking up Tobey's leash and following behind them. The receptionist looked up when they entered, her eyes widening in recognition.
"Dr. Mathison is running slightly behind schedule," she said as she took in Quinn's form, then Judy. "We have a room available for you to use if you don't want to wait here."
"We'll take the room," Judy told her, as several more people turned to stare at them when they realized who was there. Other people were pulling out their cell phones, trying to take a picture.
"Of course," the young receptionist responded. She called over her shoulder at one of the nurses, who immediately recognized what was going on. "Nurse Bennett will take you back."
"Thank you," Judy replied gracefully as they started following the kindly older nurse. She led them past the double doors, where security staff was standing guard to keep everyone out who didn't need to be there.
"What about Puck?" Quinn asked. "He won't know where to find us."
"I'll go get him when he comes," Blaine said, sharing a look with the nurse. She nodded her head. "I'll just tell him to text me when he gets to the lobby." Quinn nodded and was silent as the nurse led them to an empty room.
"Feel free to use the bed if you want, I know the chairs aren't that comfortable," she told them. "You'll have to eventually change into a gown for the MRI, but like Susan told you, Dr. Mathison is running a bit behind schedule. I know he wanted to examine your arm a bit closer now that you've agreed to the procedure." They nodded and the nurse left them to wait in peace.
"Do you want to get on the bed?" Judy asked. "You still look a bit tired."
"No," Quinn said, holding out her good hand. Tobey moved to put his nose in it. Quinn petted him slowly. Judy sighed and started digging through her purse.
"Here," Judy handed her the rope toy she pulled out. Quinn took the toy, confusion showing on her face. "Just not to rough. We are in a hospital." Quinn smiled and held the toy to Tobey. He quickly grabbed the toy and started the game of tug of war. Quinn laughed as he started pulling her around the room in her chair, she had forgotten to set the brakes, but Blaine and her mom kept her from running into anything. Whenever she lost her grip, Tobey held the toy up for her until she grabbed it and they started again.
Quinn was so lost in the game she didn't notice Blaine slip away or return with Puck. Tobey did though. He dropped the toy to come sniff the newcomer, making sure he wasn't going to hurt Quinn. "That looks like fun. Can I try?" Puck said, announcing his presence to the blonde.
"Sure," Quinn said, holding out the toy. He took the rope toy and held it out to Tobey. Tobey stared at Puck for a few minutes before going over and biting the piece of rope. He looked at Puck once more before giving the toy a giant tug.
"Whoa," Puck said, letting go of the toy as he nearly hit the floor. Tobey stared at him before heading back over to Quinn. He handed her the other end before they started their game once more. "I swear he wasn't that gentle with me," he complained as Quinn lost her grip. They watched as the dog once again gave the rope back to Quinn.
"You weren't the one he wanted to play with," Blaine said knowingly. Puck nodded as they watched the two of them play. He looked up when the door opened. Dr. Mathison arrived with Nurse Bennett right on his heels. Judy stood up, ready to stop the play session, but Dr. Mathison held up his hand. He watched Quinn critically as she played with Tobey.
"Hello Quinn," he said after watching them for about five minutes. Quinn looked up, the smile falling off her face at the familiar voice.
"Hello Dr. Mathison," Quinn returned the greeting, letting the toy slip from her fingers. Tobey tried to give it back, but she wouldn't take it.
"Tobey," Judy called. Tobey glanced between her and Quinn before trotting over calmly. She held out her hand for the toy and he willingly gave it to her. Judy made a face at the slobber, but put the toy back in her purse. Tobey laid down at her feet, watching Quinn intently.
"Let's take a look at your arm, shall we?" Dr. Mathison said, trying to stay as cheerful as possible. Quinn nodded, trying to raise her arm and eventually lifting her left arm with her right hand. She winced when she did this. "May we," he asked, reaching for her arm even before she nodded. Nurse Bennett manipulated the arm following Dr. Mathison's instructions while he made notes in her file. Quinn never cried out, but they could see her wince several times and she had tears running down her face before they were through. Finally, he was done with his exam. Nurse Bennett carefully laid Quinn's arm back in her lap. "Can you move your fingers at all?" Quinn shook her head. "How about your wrist?" Quinn nodded and slowly moved her wrist a fraction of an inch. "That's good," he told her, making the last notations in her file before closing it. "Now, I know you hate wearing the fashionably challenged hospital gown, but it is company policy." Quinn giggled at him, all the pain forgotten. "Do you need help changing?"
"Yes," she admitted shamefully. "Mom? Can you?"
"Of course, sweetheart," Judy said. She took the gown from the nurse.
"Just hit the call button when you're ready," Dr. Mathison told her. "Nurse Bennett will come take you to the scanner."
"Doc?" Puck spoke up before he had a chance to leave. "Is it alright if I go with her? I promised I would be with her every step of the way." He gazed at the young man critically. He had met all her friends when she was at the hospital, but he was a stranger. He looked to Judy, who nodded before pushing Quinn over to the attached bathroom.
"Fine," he agreed, "but you must promise to do exactly as we say. And of course, you will not be permitted to be inside the room when the scanner is active. Nobody is allowed at that time."
"That's okay," Puck readily agreed to the terms. "I just promised to be there every step of the way that I could. I don't want to break a promise to a lady, you know." The doctor nodded. A few minutes later Quinn was changed. "You ready?"
"As I'll ever be," Quinn said. Blaine stepped up to her.
"I have to stay here with Tobey, but I'm thinking about you," he told her, giving her a quick hug. She returned it.
"Thanks," she said, reaching over to scratch Tobey behind the ears. "I'm ready." Dr. Mathison nodded and led everybody else out of the room. Blaine sat down and pulled out a magazine, Tobey laying forlornly at his feet. Two hours later the group came back into the room. Quinn was smiling brightly with a slightly dazed look in her eyes.
"Are you high?" Blaine asked. Puck grinned.
"As a kite," he said, "but it's medicine, not drugs."
"Dr. Mathison gave her something to help her relax," Judy said, pushing Quinn to the bathroom. She helped Quinn change back into her regular clothes. It took significantly longer because Quinn had no interest in helping. By the time they came back out Judy was irritated. "Puck, why don't you take Quinn out on that date you promised her?"
"What?" Puck looked slightly panicked, but Quinn looked excited.
"Yeah," she slurred, "we can walk down Central Park. You can show me where the pigeons come from then we can go canoeing in the lake. Then you can buy me dinner."
"Maybe not the canoe," Puck said, grinning slightly, "but everything else is possible." He turned to Judy. "What time do you want her home?"
"The drugs will start to wear off around 6, so no later than 7," Judy said, "but she'll probably crash before then."
"Got it," Puck said. Quinn giggled.
"Do you mind if I tag along?" Blaine asked. "My rehearsal is closer to Central Park then here. It will get me one step further."
"Sure," Quinn giggled. "Puck can give you some tips for our date." Blaine's eyes widened.
"That would be great," he told her, handing over Tobey's leash to Judy, "but I think it might be the other way around. Get ready to be schooled Puckerman."
"You're on," Puck said. They started arguing about the best place in Central Park as they left. Dr. Mathison raised his eyebrows.
"Will they be okay?" he asked as he watched them go. Judy nodded. "Then we should go to my office. The results should be there and I think we have a lot to discuss."