CHAPTER 12
A/N: Thanks to Berrylucky5, Olivia, May1217, kelenhermitha, DarkSouls3777 for the reviews, you guys rock! And it means a lot to see the enthusiasm around this story!
LATER - AT THE HOSPITAL
I finally arrive at the hospital, completely panicked. I check once more the last text that Brittany sent me.
FROM "WIFEY": 7th floor, room 32.
I run to the elevators and push the buttons repetitively, why is that thing so damn slow?!
"Come on, come on, come on…" I mumble. It feels like forever until one of the fucking elevators finally opens and even longer until I reach the 7th floor. I'm barely out the elevator that I stop a Doctor.
"I'm sorry, Room 32?" I ask him.
"Turn right and it's at the end of the hall." He says.
I run through the hall and enter Room 32...
As soon as I see my baby laying on the table, crying louder than ever, I feel completely heartbroken. Brittany is desperately trying to calm her down while the Doctor is auscultating her.
I rush closer to the table, next to Britt. "What's wrong with her?" I ask, meeting my wife's worried eyes, before looking back and forth between Britt, Sofia and the Doctor.
"We don't know yet… The Doctor just arrived…" Brittany replies.
I caress Sofia's head softly and can feel that she's completely burning up. "Hey baby girl…" I whisper. "You're going to feel better soon… Mama and mommy are here with you, it's gonna be OK."
I feel Brittany grabbing my other hand and this time I hold it tight.
"I'm sorry…" the Doctor says. "You can stay in the room but I need you to clear out some space."
Brittany and I step back to sit on the chairs in Sofia's room. We look at each other and have one of our silent telepathic conversations that Quinn always finds so freaky. In this moment, I know exactly what my wife is thinking about and what she needs, she is just as scared as me. I put my arm around her shoulders and pull her closer to me to comfort her. Britt lays her head on my shoulder as we wait for the Doctor to finish examining our little Sofia.
LATER – AT HOME
I'm holding Sofia in my arms as Brittany opens up our front door. I'm so relieved that we could bring our little girl home. She still has a bit of fever but the Doctor managed to make it go down. He said that as long as the fever is under control, Sofia should feel much better in a couple of days.
"We should take her to our bedroom for the night, I would be more reassured if she's with us." I say.
Brittany nods.
"So… does that mean that you'll sleep in our bed… ?" She asks timidly.
"Our daughter is sick so… yes, I'm sleeping here." I reply.
Great answer, Santana! Now she's going to think that you're only sleeping here because of Sofia.
"OK…" Britt says but I can tell that I just made her even more sad than before.
A LITTLE WHILE LATER - HOME
While Brittany is in the bathroom getting ready for bed, I'm watching Sofia sleep. "I hope you're having sweet dreams, mija. You will feel better real soon, you will see. And I promise you that I'm going to fix things with mommy, don't you worry about anything, baby girl." I place a soft kiss on her forehead and check her temperature one more time.
"Is her temperature OK?" Brittany whispers as she enters the bedroom.
"She still has a little bit of a fever but it's OK." I reply. "It looks stable."
"Good…" she comments, relieved.
It's really late now so we both get into bed, under the sheets, and it feels weird to lay next to her after everything that happened between us. Given tonight's events, we didn't get a chance to talk about our fight. I grab my phone and check my messages to distract myself from the tension in the room.
FROM "NAYA RIVERA": You left really suddenly, is everything OK?
TO "NAYA RIVERA": Brittany had to take Sofia to the ER for a high fever, but she's OK now, we're all home. Thanks for checking on me and also for our talk. Did you have fun with Heather?
Barely a minute later, I receive another message.
FROM "NAYA RIVERA": OK, really glad to hear that your baby is fine now! Yep, had lots of fun with Hemo, as always! Remember: TALK TO YOUR WIFE!
I smirk, that girl is something.
"San…" Brittany suddenly says, pulling me out of my thoughts.
I turn to her and our eyes meet for a brief moment but she quickly looks away. I can see that she's nervous and struggling to speak.
She inhales deeply and finally whispers out of nowhere: "Don't leave me…"
I'm taken aback by what she just said, did I actually make her think that I would leave her? It takes me a few seconds before I can reply.
"Brittany… look at me…" I say.
She hesitates then raises her worried eyes to find mine.
"I'm not going to lie to you…" I say. "We are going through a rough patch right now and we definitely need to discuss some serious shit tomorrow… but I'm not going to leave you, honey."
"You won't…?" She asks timidly.
"No… Britt… I really want to fix this."
"I want that too…" She replies, this time staring intensely into my eyes.
I lean to kiss her lips, for the first time since we fought. The kiss is pretty quick and it's timid on both sides but… it's a step in the right direction. We both adjust our position to face each other and I am lost into her blue eyes. We still have to solve our problems but… at least, I'm back in my wife's bed.
ON THE NEXT MORNING – HOME
I wake up by myself and see that Brittany is no longer in bed. I get up as well and even though I'm sure that Britt already checked on Sofia, I grab the thermometer. Our girl cried a few times during the night but the fever is still under control. I get out of the room silently not to wake her up.
As I enter our living room, I see Brittany quietly sitting on the couch, drinking her tea.
"Hi…" I say.
"Hi…" She replies, looking at me.
I'm really nervous all of a sudden. I know that I can't postpone our discussion any further. So I decide not to be a coward - as Naya called it - and I go sit next to her on the couch. I inhale deeply before saying: "Britt… maybe we should talk now…"
She looks at me and nods. I watch her putting her mug on the coffee table and adjusting her position to face me on the couch, like she always does when we have a serious conversation.
"Ok… so…" I sigh. "It's really hard for me to talk about all this, I have so many different feelings right now and… I'm sure that you do too, Britt… But… just bear with me, OK?" I say.
She nods in silence, waiting patiently for me to be ready to speak.
"Look… First, I'm really sorry that I was so distant in the last couple of days and… that I even disappeared on you without saying where I was. I… it's completely unacceptable… I never meant to put you through that, Britt." I say, shaking my head in shame.
"When I stormed off after our fight, I needed to cool off for a while so I went to the pub. I thought that after a few drinks I would be OK to go home and talk to you but… I had some kind of meltdown over there… To be honest, I think it had been building up for a while but… when Fabray made me talk, all these feelings came out and… I found myself so overwhelmed, it was too much! I couldn't face you and discuss all that… I just didn't have the strength for it…so I ran away from it… I'm really, really sorry." I say.
"San…" She replies, placing her hand on mine. "It's OK to be overwhelmed and even taking some time for yourself if that's what you need but… you have at least to tell me so! I got so worried when I came home yesterday and you were not there… I didn't know where you were, if you were safe or… if you would even come back! I called our friends and nobody had heard from you since the previous night! I'm your wife, you can't shut me out like this! And it's not just about me anymore, we have a child now! Look what happened yesterday… What if Sofia was seriously sick or injured? I have to be able to reach you!"
"I know…" I whisper, looking down at my hands… "You're absolutely right... I feel terrible, Brittany… It was already not fair to you to leave you all alone to take care of Sofia… And… I'm really sorry that I was not there last night when she got sick but I left for the hospital as soon as I got your message. I would never abandon my girls! Never!"
She looks at me and says in a serious tone: "You have to promise me that you won't ignore me like this anymore…"
I take her hands in mine and look straight into her eyes: "I promise, Britt. I swear…"
She nods and whispers: "Besides, maybe I could have helped you! If something is wrong, I'm here, San! You just have to tell me..."
"I know..." I say timidly.
"And… about our fight…" I add. "Brittany, you and I… we are very different people. And that's exactly why I fell in love with you in the first place. You're a sunshine, you radiate light and kindness wherever you go, and you only see the good in people! I know that you think that James is your friend but honey… he's not… What kind of friend would try to get between you and your wife?"
She wants to interject but I'm faster: "He is trying to get between you and me, Brittany. I really need you to see that!"
"San… I wish I could see it but… honestly, I still don't!" She says. "But I do believe that you could be right nevertheless, because you have street smarts as you always say and I… don't. So just tell me what you see…"
I sigh and say: "Ok… well… Do you remember the day I met James for the first time, after your rehearsal in New York? I saw the way he looked at you, I saw him scanning your body like… a fucking predator! And he was staring at your ass like it was a piece of meat. He wanted you, Britt, and he wanted you bad! Even though he already knew that you were dating me but he didn't care! I thought at the very beginning that it was only sexual attraction but I know that he actually likes you. And I'm not going to blame him for that, he's an asshole but I have to admit that he has good taste… And everything he initiated afterwards… it's because... he wants to be with you!" I sigh. "You mentioned Dani during our fight, what would you think if she had invited me at her place to rehearse or hugged me at every occasion? Or if she had chased me all the way to L.A. to invite me to a one-to-one dinner and even applied for a job just to be around me? Wouldn't you find this fucked up? And I did confront James in New York! I know that you're upset that I went to your workplace but I didn't make a scene… I waited for everyone to clear out the room and only then I accused him of flirting with you and said that I wouldn't let him. He didn't deny it, Britt! He even laughed at me for threatening him and said that he was not scared of me!"
She doesn't reply but I know that this one hit. "And now he calls you on the phone… why?" I say, raising my hands. "Again, what would you think if Dani was calling me? And if I was hiding it from you?"
"I… I would be jealous and really hurt…" She whispers.
"Yeah… well I did get jealous and hurt. I hate that he calls you but you hiding it from me, that's what hurt the most." I add.
"I'm really sorry, San…" She says. "I didn't mean to hurt you or hide anything from you... For me, those calls were just to catch up as friends. I didn't know what he said to you in New York, why you never told me that? And I didn't think that he would apply for the position at the school! But when he did and ended up being the only good CV, I just didn't know what to do! You were already so stressed because of the pilot, I didn't want to make you more upset by mentioning him. I would have told you eventually you know, I was just… trying to buy some time and find someone else so that I wouldn't have to hire him. And at some point, I felt completely stuck because I just couldn't find anyone else! It was either hiring James but then you would get upset, or… not work for you on Glee and then you would get even more stressed than you already were…" She says.
I inhale deeply and say: "Honestly Britt… it was selfish of me to make you to give up on classes. I asked you because I was afraid but it was not fair to you. But… you and me we have always told each other everything! So no matter how upsetting it is, you cannot hide stuff from me, Brittany! I need you to be honest, always."
She looks at me and nods. "I'm sorry... I won't hide things from you again…"
I give her a timid smile before adding: "The good news is that I might have a solution for all this, thanks to Naya…"
She looks at me, perplexed.
"I'm going to hire a choreographer for Glee" I say. "You belong in your dance school, honey… You and Mike are doing so well over there, I don't want to mess that up. And that way… you don't have to hire James or any other teacher. These kids deserve the best there is, they deserve you!" I say with a smile.
"Are you sure…?" She asks.
"Yes, I'm sure… I will be fine. Last night, Heather joined Naya and me at the pub and she recommended a choreographer… His name is Zach. She gave me his number and I already talked to him, he's actually interested…Maybe the only favor I will ask you is to be there when I interview him? You can judge dancing skills better than I can…"
"Of course, San. I'd be happy to..."
"Thank you…" I whisper, engulfing her in a hug.
She hugs me back but suddenly, she says: "San… There is also one thing we really need to discuss though... Obviously you were right about James but why do you constantly act like you would lose me if he was making a move on me? Do you… actually believe that I would cheat on you…?"
"I know that you wouldn't cheat on me, Britt. But I'm scared that we could drift apart because of him…"
"How so…?" She asks with a sad tone.
"He's the reason we got into this fight, isn't he? And if he was teaching in your school, I would not have any peace of mind, I just know it! Even if nothing happens, I would be constantly worried about him trying. I would get jealous and upset because… this is just how I react, I can't help it! And we would end up fighting just like we did this time! But if we fight all the time, what would happen to us? Would you still feel the same about me? Would you even still want to be in this marriage? That's why I'm so upset about him, Britt, I don't want us to get to that point of no return."
She inhales deeply before pointing to her wedding ring. "I know that maybe that ring means nothing to James, but it means everything to me. I chose you to be my life partner. And you're not just my wife, Santana. You're the mother of my child and also my best friend! I will not let us get to that point of no return either!" She says before cupping my cheek and pulling me into a loving kiss.
God it feels so good to kiss her and feel her, I really missed this…
ONE WEEK LATER – HOME
While Britt is teaching at school, I'm home, playing with Sofia.
"PEEK-A-BOO!" I say, opening my hands and revealing my face for the 150th time. For some reason, that makes her laugh hysterically every single time and I can't help but laugh as well, she has the cutest little laugh ever!
"If you tell anyone that I have been playing peek-a-boo with you for… an hour…" I say, looking at the clock. "I will have to murder you in your sleep, you know that right?" I ask my baby.
She laughs again, even louder. Great, she's not even afraid of me!
I hear the front door open. "Hear that? Mommy is home!" I tell Sofia, with a smile.
"Hi my babies!" Brittany says as she enters the room, kissing my lips before placing a kiss on Sofia's head.
"Hey!" I reply. "How was your day, honey?" I ask.
"Huh… eventful…" She replies. "Actually, could we talk?"
"Sure!" I reply. "Anyway, it's time for the little missy to take a nap, right baby?"
After putting Sofia to bed, I join Brittany in the kitchen. She looks nervous.
"Is something wrong?" I ask.
"Huh… just… Don't get mad, please…" She replies.
I look at her, confused. "Don't get mad? Why? Oh my God, did you crash the car?" I ask.
"No, no! Nothing like that!"
"Well, Brittany, what is it?!" I ask, nervous.
She inhales deeply and says: "James dropped by the dance school today, unannounced…"
"WHAT? What the fuck, what is he even doing in L.A? He's not moving here, right? Please tell me that this fucker is NOT moving here!" I reply, angry.
"He's not, don't worry… He is just visiting his family here and he passed by to say hello, I had no idea that he was even around."
"OK…" I say. "When is he leaving? Because that's what I'm looking forward to!"
"I don't know, I think he just arrived so he will probably stay a few days I guess… There's more though, San…" She adds.
I don't like where this is going but I stay quiet so that she can tell me more.
"I took down the job advertisement from our website but we haven't yet informed the applicants that the job was no longer available. So when James showed up, he didn't know. And… I thought that at least the polite thing to do was informing him, which I did…"
"And… ?" I ask.
"Well, he was disappointed so he asked me if there was any other job opening at the school - which there isn't and anyway after all you told me, I wouldn't hire him if there was… But huh…when I told him that we had no vacancy, I don't know if it's because he suddenly had no other options but… huh… he actually tried to kiss me."
"HE WHAT?" I say, outraged. "Ok that's it! I'm going to castrate him this time! Why he still doesn't get that you're MY wife, for fuck's sake! It's not because he can't get one of his own that he can steal mine!"
"Don't get mad, babe… I told him that he had no chance with me, and never would… And that he shouldn't have kissed me when he knows that I'm a married woman. So… I told him to stay away from me… and not contact me, not even over the phone." She adds.
"Really?" I ask.
"Yes, honey… James is gone… for good."
I sigh in relief and cup both of her cheeks to pull her into a kiss, before hugging her tight. That asshole is finally out of our lives.
A/N: Grateful as always for your reviews, comments, suggestions. Thanks for reading!
