Puck's POV
As soon as I got to my next class, they announced a lockdown on the loudspeaker. I had thought about bringing breakfast for Quinn this morning, but decided against it. She had made it obvious that she didn't want me around. But I hadn't seen her all day, and she was supposed to be in this class with me and she wasn't there. I'm sure my mom would've told me if there was something wrong, right? I texted Finn, who had first period with Quinn, and he said that she was there and acting totally normal, so I stopped worrying about it. Maybe she was tired and left early. Or maybe her morning sickness was acting up again and she just wanted to go home. An ambulance stopped in front of the front door to the school with lights and sirens on. Two paramedics got out with a stretcher. The teacher closed the blinds. A short while later, I heard the sirens fade into the distance and they announced that the lockdown was over. I got up and left class, calling Quinn. No answer. I got my keys out of my locker. I had to find her and know she was okay. I passed the bathroom on my way out to the parking lot and there was caution tape and a 'closed' sign over the door. I texted my mom to see if Quinn had mentioned anything last night or this morning about not feeling well or anything, but I didn't expect to hear back from her right away since she was probably busy at work. When I got out to the parking lot, I saw Quinn's car in her usual spot, so where the hell was she? I started to get a very bad feeling about this so I decided to just head over to Lima Memorial Hospital, hoping she wasn't the one taken away in the ambulance.
As soon as I saw my mom coming out of one of the cubicles in the ER I knew Quinn was in there. There was a flurry activity and I rushed over to check on her. My mom sighed and pulled me away. "Noah, you shouldn't have left school."
"What's wrong with her? Is it the baby?"
Another sigh as she looked behind her, watching doctors and nurses coming in and out from behind the curtain. "You know I can't tell you anything, honey. Everybody is working hard to make sure she's okay. It will take some time before we know what's wrong, so I need you to be patient and take a seat in the waiting room for now." I knew I wasn't getting any more information right now so I headed out to the waiting room and paced in circles, drinking cup after cup of water from the water cooler, even though my hands were shaking so bad I kept spilling a little. My mom came out a little bit later. "I still can't tell you anything buddy but I wanted to check on you. Why don't you sit down?"
"I can't sit down, I can't relax. I have no idea what's going on with her and our baby," My mom sat in a seat close to me and watched me pace back and forth. The door opened and a very put-together blonde woman came in and walked back into the emergency room.
"What the fuck is she doing here?"
"Is that Quinn's mother?" I nodded and she sighed. "I need to go talk to her then. Sit tight buddy."
Quinn's POV
I was starting to wake up but I couldn't move. I couldn't open my eyes. My entire life was nothing but the throbbing in my head and the sensation of spinning. I could feel the bright lights above me and I could tell there were people around but I couldn't hear. Then I remembered my baby. I had to make sure she was okay. It took everything in me to focus on finding out what was going on. "Does she have a history of fainting? And how far along is she?"
"Oh, yes, she's a fainter. She always has been. And the, um, pregnancy… I don't know." This couldn't be right. That was definitely my mom's voice, but why was she here? My parents didn't want me. The confusion started to clear and my memory started to slowly return. I fainted at school, in the boys' bathroom after those idiots threatened me. And I hit my head. I bet the school called my mom since they didn't know I didn't live at home anymore. She was just here out of obligation, to make everything look normal, like she was a loving and compassionate mother here to ensure her baby girl was alright. When I would get hurt when I was little, I wanted my mom. She didn't do much to make me feel better, but I just wanted her there with me. Now, I didn't. I wanted her to leave and to give up the act of caring about me. I wanted Puck. I wanted Natalie. I wanted to go home to their house to rest. I knew they would take care of me, and that they would actually want to. She stroked my hand with hers. It felt hesitant, unsure, unnatural.
My mother was an incomplete person. I don't think she was always that way, but my father had sucked all of her own personality from her. She went along with whatever he said, whatever he wanted. She existed to serve him. But when he would go on business trips, she was a different mother. She would serve me and my sister fun dinners on the living room floor, so we could watch a movie together while we ate. She snuggled us and made us laugh and camped out with us in sleeping bags in the living room. She called us sweetie, and honey, and goofball and lovey. They were my favorite memories from my childhood. The second my father came home, a switch flipped. She was quiet, subservient, and devoted all of her time to making him happy, having no time to spend with me and my sister. The house was spotless, dinners were extravagant and hot when he got home from work in the evenings, and she was miserable. I came to resent my father for taking away my fun, carefree mother who loved us. I came to resent my mother for being cold, and a wife more than a mother. I felt she was weak for letting him control her, and me, and my sister, and for letting him beat her children. I resented both of them for the bruises and pulled hair and scrapes and few broken bones.
Feeling her hand on mine so unnaturally brought all of that resentment rushing back. I pulled my hand back from hers quickly, as though it had been burnt. I finally opened my eyes and we stared at each other. "Honey," she whispered, reaching out to stroke my hair, her gaze landing on the left side of my face.
"Don't," My voice was gravelly and hard. "Go home, Mom. Sign whatever papers they need you to sign before they can discharge me and go. I don't need your help anymore. Go home to Dad and be the perfect little wife he wants. You were always better at that than at being a mother." Her mouth opened and closed a few times while she stared at me. I thought I saw regret flash on her face before I looked away. She quietly stood up, and her heels clicked softly out of the room. My nurse came back in to examine me now that I was awake, with Natalie following her. Relief flooded through me at the sight of her. She kissed the top of my head and I was terrified to see tears in her eyes. "No. Why are you upset? Please tell me she's okay."
"Shh, sweetheart, it's alright. I'm just glad you're okay. Now that you're awake they're going to come do an ultrasound to take a look at baby, okay? Now, feel free to say no, but it is alright if I let Noah know you're awake now? That boy is driving me crazy." She smiled.
"He's here? Is he allowed to come see me?" She promised to send him in after I had been checked over again by the doctor and nurse. The doctor informed me that I had a concussion and that I had a one-inch cut on my left temple that required surgical glue to close. He said he was considering admitting me overnight for observation to make sure my concussion wasn't severe. I begged him to let me go home, telling him that I lived with a nurse that could keep an eye on me and that I wouldn't be alone at all. He seemed responsive to that information and said he would talk to the charge nurse and let me know what his decision was.
Quickly after the doctor left, Puck came rushing in. He stroked my hair and kissed my forehead over and over. "Thank God you're okay," he whispered against my face. "I'm so sorry about this weekend. I'm so sorry. I will never, ever walk out on you again. We'll talk about all that later when you're feeling better, I just really want you to know how sorry I am." Soon, they performed my ultrasound and found that our baby was perfectly healthy and happily floating around in my tummy. Puck was absolutely mesmerized by the sight of his little girl on the screen. He held my hand the whole time. Afterwards, the doctor informed me that my lab work was all good and he felt comfortable sending me home. Natalie came in to tell Puck what he needed to do to care for me until she got home. He was even taking notes. He helped me stand, not taking his hands off of me until I was safely seated in the wheelchair they had brought to take me out to his truck. I dozed off on the way home and Puck insisted on carrying me to bed when we got home. He sat next to me while I napped, waking me up every little bit to check on me as his mom had instructed him to do. He did absolutely everything right, bringing me drinks and light snacks and making it easy for me to rest. I found myself snuggling close to him using his chest as a pillow, so grateful that he was there for me. Noah Puckerman was turning out to be everything I needed.