"TELL ME ABOUT FAMILY ONE MORE TIME I SWEAR TO GOD! WHERE IS SHE?!"

Brittany woke with a start thinking it was her being yelled at. She opened her mouth to begin apologising to her girlfriend when she realised two things. The first was that Santana was not screaming at her. She had not been talking to Santana. She had said nothing about family. This made her relax a bit. The second thing took a while to register before panic overtook her. Try as she might, Brittany could not open her mouth, or eyes, or move anything for that matter. She felt her heart rate pick up. Where was she? What was wrong with her? She tried to remember something…anything, but her mind was blank. She wanted to scream. She had a headache. She felt tears fall from her eyes. Then, as though reading her mind, she heard Santana's voice again. She was no longer screaming, but she was being crystal clear.

"Listen to me clearly. My name is Santana Lopez, I'm her girlfriend. I've been her girlfriend for four years. You need to tell me which room she is in because she needs me. She's scared and she's alone. I have to be with her because I am always there for her. Always. I don't know how many ways to tell you that she doesn't have any family here. It's just us. So I'll ask you one more time before things get really ugly…where in this damned hospital is Brittany Susan Pierce?"

Were she not so scared Brittany may have laughed. She loved when Santana intimidated people, mostly because she was just so small and Brittany couldn't understand how people got so scared. Sure, she herself hated being on the receiving end of an angry Santana, but that wasn't because she was scared, it was because she hated seeing her girl upset. Plus, Santana could withhold sexy times and sweet lady kisses. Were she capable, Brittany would shudder at the thought.

Suddenly, she heard Santana again, now much closer to her. "God B, what happened?"

Brittany wanted nothing more than to answer her. She put everything she had into waking up. She heard monitors blaring, voices coming from all around her and then she felt Santana's fingers brush her cheeks.

Another voice, a male voice spoke loudly, "she's trying to wake up! She hasn't shown any brain activity for the three days she's been here. I think she can hear you. Talk-"

Whatever he was going to say was cut short by Santana speaking quickly. She was right by Brittany's ear now. Both hands cupping her face.

"B I'm here now. I'm here. Wake up baby. Please wake up and let me see your beautiful eyes."

Brittany could feel Santana's breath on her ear as she spoke. She wanted so much to turn her head and kiss her. She wanted to laugh and say 'maybe I should have stayed in bed today.' Then the man's words, she assumed he was a doctor, hit Brittany like a truck. 3 days. She had been like this for 3 days and Santana was just now finding her? She must have been so worried. Brittany wanted to kick herself for putting Santana through that. If she knew anything about Santana, she knew she had not slept. God and she had already been so tired that day. She shook her head.

"Brittany?! BRITT that's it baby wake up. Baby please come back to me"

Wait, she had shaken her head. She had thought it, and she had done it. She tried again.

Santana was crying now. Brittany could hear the quiet sobs as she whispered in her ear that she loved her and it was time to wake up. Brittany thought to herself that this was a lot like their morning routine, minus the crying. She would whisper to Santana that it was time to wake up, and Santana would say …

"Five more minutes"

There was a yell and a clap. Brittany wanted tell them to shut up.

"Shut the fuck up! What kind of doctors are you? She's trying to wake up in peace!"

Brittany seriously wondered if Santana could read her mind.

"No B, you can't sleep five more minutes. It's time to wake up now"

Wait…could Santana read her mind? How did she know she had thought that? She decided to test it. Usually after Brittany said this to Santana, she would reply with "do you really have to go to work today?" but it didn't seem to apply in this situation. So she moved to the next line, thinking on it as hard as she could. "Don't you want to spend the day in bed with me?" Santana would say.

She heard Santana laugh, then press a kiss just under her ear. "Of course I want to spend the day in bed with you, but you don't really want me to because you love how awesome I am and you're really proud of me."

"Woaah" she thought. There was nothing else to it. Santana was reading her mind. When did that happen?

Santana kissed below her ear again and then let out a breathy laugh, burying her face in Brittany's neck. "No Britt I'm not reading your mind. You're awake."

Brittany continued to lie there, feeling Santana breathe against her skin. She wasn't sure for how long. It felt like days of her slipping in and out of consciousness, but she was still so, so tired. At some point Santana moved off her. She was still holding her hand, then there was a sudden weight on her arm. The hairs tickling her skin told her Santana was resting her head on her.

More than being tired, she was sorry. She had worried Santana for THREE days. She wasn't sure what had happened yet, but she would not forgive herself for whatever it was.

"Baby"

Were they still re-enacting their morning routine? Why? She was already awake. Whatever, if that's what Santana wanted she would oblige.

"I know what you're doing"

She heard Santana laugh again. She loved that laugh so much.

"Wanna save me the trouble?"

That wasn't in the routine? That was not what she was supposed to say! She opened her eyes to glare at Santana.

"Santana that's not-" she was cut short by frantic lips on hers.

"Don't ever scare me like that again BSP! I thought you were dead in an ally somewhere. I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU IN FOUR DAYS B! These idiots finally decided to charge your phone and I was the last called number so they called me. What the hell happened Britt? Who did this to you? I'm going to go all Lima heights. Just tell me a name and I swear!"

"Santana…." She broke off, clearing her throat and swallowing as much as she could to get rid of the dryness is her mouth. "I'm really sorry. I can't…" she coughed, "…even begin to u...understand what you were going through…. Fuck… I'm so sorry baby."

"Sorry to interrupt miss but we should really examine her. This is the first time she's been up since she was brought in. We didn't think she was going to wake up. This is…I mean this...uh…it's.."

"OH! Is that your professional diagnosis?"

Brittany wanted to laugh. God how she loved this woman. She was smiling as best she could, which was not much. She had very little energy, and moving parts of her body felt weird and slow, like she was too heavy for herself.

"Santana be nice"

Santana turned to her. "Sorry B. But I don't trust these people. Maybe the reason you didn't wake up is because they're completely incompetent. I mean did you hear that eloquent assessment he just made?" she turned back towards the doctors' shocked faces.

"Are you an attending?" she asked with fake politeness causing Brittany to smile. When the doctor didn't respond, Santana nearly growled, taking a step forward. Brittany held her arm tighter before facing the doctors.

"You might want…" A cough, "to answer her"

"Yes. Yes we are all attendings" one of the other doctors hastily supplied.

"Are any of you the heads of your department?" Santana asked sweetly again.

Brittany wanted to burst out laughing at the comical look on each doctor's face. They were grown men, yet here they stood, cowering in front of a 5'5 barely 21, very petite girl. They were completely laughable. She didn't laugh though. She kept a sombre expression. Years of watching Santana do this had taught her not to ruin her groove. So she sat back and watched in amusement. Had she mentioned that she loved this woman?

"I'm going to take that as a no, so let me tell you how this is going to be, if I may. You're all going to leave here, and preferably not return, though I can't stop you if you do. You're going to get the heads of whatever departments you're from, and if that doesn't include neuro, then you're going to get the head of neuro"

One of the doctors, a tall dark haired man of slight build seemed to be offended by this. Momentarily forgetting his fear he protested.

"Ma'am we are perfectly capable of taking care of miss Pierce. I assure you that she is-"

"You're assurance means shit to me" Santana cut him off quickly, clearly becoming agitated. She looked back at Brittany and muttered a quiet "sorry baby" before turning back to the doctors. "Look no offense, I'm sure you're good doctors and all that but I know that I can choose which doctor I want and I've chosen the heads of you departments and head of neuro."

The same doctor spoke up. "Actually, that's up to the patient to decide". He pointed towards Brittany with a smug look on his face that caused Santana to clench her fingers into a fist. Before Santana had even finished tuning to Brittany, she was speaking, looking directly to Dr talks a lot.

"You're a really arrogant man, I can already tell. I…bet you are really smart. But, it's the person…. in charge of the patient's medical care that has control over the attending physician." She paused to swallow. Her throat felt like sandpaper. For me that person so happens to be the woman you've pissed off. But if you need me to say it, here… you go. I don't want any of you, especially you" she pointed to the now red in the face doctor who had spoken, "to touch me. I am requesting the heads-" she was interrupted by a coughing fit. "Of your departments, and the head of Neuro specifically."

The two other doctors seemed to accept this, while the one still seemed highly affronted. He looked as though he was about to argue, before looking at Santana, shaking his head, and walking out. The other two doctors apologised, said they would send in the requested doctors right away and left.

Brittany watched Santana visibly relax, taking a step back towards Brittany before turning around with a cheeky grin. Brittany burst out laughing. God, she loved this woman.

"I love you so much Santana. Do you know that?"

Santana's grin morphed into a warm smile.

"I know Britt. I love you more"

Brittany continued to stare at the woman before her. Cocking an eyebrow, Santana's smile changed yet again. It was now a shy hesitant one. "What?" she questioned.

Waiting for Santana's eyes to lock with her own, Brittany finally answered.

"Marry me."