A.N. For those of you who had trouble understanding the last chapter. I've edited it slightly. one of my line breaks got eaten up so i understand the confusion there. as far as telling who is talking I'm not sure how to help because normally whoever's talking is accompanied with an action and their name.
Also for those asking for fapezberry, unfortunately this story is not. Pezberry or Quinntana. two more chpaters then the sequel if you want it.
"I've lost heart. The forest's scarred. I hear no birds, just TVs and cars."
It had been seven weeks. She knew because she counted. She counted like she was a prisoner waiting for their release day. She counted like she was a seven year old tallying sheep in their head to help them fall asleep.
She counted seven weeks, two days, 5 hours, 37 minutes, and twelve...thirteen...fourteen seconds since she last spoke to either of them.
Well, face to face she should say.
Quinn spoke to her once a week out of obligation. Only to organize days that Santana hung out with Beth.
Rachel would respond to her texts occasionally. Probably when she felt a bit too bad for not answering her calls.
Somehow, in the middle of all that. Santana had managed to finish her 3rd year of grad. She's not sure how. She'd been working on autopilot.
She was tired. Exhausted even. And she's not even sure why.
Her phone rung. She'd hate to admit that she had hoped it was one of them. Luckily, she doesn't have to as her hopes were admittedly dashed upon looking at her caller id.
It's her father.
"Hey, mija." Santana decided not to overthink the dejection in his voice. He better choose his next words carefully because Santana doesn't think she can take much more of anything really.
"Hey, dad. What's up?"
"You mind coming down to Mount Sinai? It's your mami."
She must have murdered someone really important in a past life. Surely, that is the only explanation for why sue would deserve any of this.
The rest of her afternoon is performed using the ever allusive autopilot feature of her brain.
She stared at her phone for a few minutes after getting dressed. She can't quite remember if she used it. She doesn't feel any worse than she did before so she assmumed she didn't.
Santana navigated the streets of New York and then the hospital quickly. She had been here a couple of times before.
She caught up with her father and younger brother. Her father doesn't look as concerned as he probably could, and that served to make both siblings feel better.
Camilo, Santana's younger brother, looked about the same as when she saw him last. Which was 2 years ago. He was in his third year of undergraduate at Yale, and rarely left campus. Santana wondered when he would have found the time to come back up from Connecticut.
"They just took Maribel back to emergency surgery. There were a lot of big words that I honestly think the doctor made up but what I think he was saying it was her kidney's again." George shrugged helplessly.
Santana just nodded.
"Hey, are you okay? What's going on?"
Santana turned around with a raised eyebrow.
"What are you doing here?"
"You asked me to come."
Can you come meet me at Mount Sinai? It's my mom.
I'm so sorry, San. I'm stuck at work.
Can you come meet me at Mount Sinai? It's my mom.
Omw
"Oh."
Apparently she had used her phone.
"Thank you, Quinn." Santana sniffed.
Beth is clinging to Quinn's neck sleepily.
Santana gestured vaguely to the waiting room a few feet away, "You can go sit in there. I'll be there in a bit."
Quinn looked as though she wanted to say something further, but instead decided against it. She shuffled to the waiting room. Beth beginning to rouse from her apparent sleep deprivation.
Santana is true to her word. Twenty minutes later, she sat heavily in an uncomfortable, slightly outdated chair heavily. Her face immediately found the palms of her hands.
"Thank you for coming."
Quinn shrugged, Beth grumbled at being moved, "It isn't a big deal. You needed someone so I came."
Santana, only half listening, nodded slowly.
They sat in silence. The general hustle and bustle of the hospital fluttering around them.
Quinn still looked as though she wanted to say something.
Santana eventually spoke up. She stared straight ahead into the empty room. "I've been so fucking tired recently. Like for no goddamn reason. And tmi but, I keep going to bathroom like every half hour, and it's not like I've been drinking more than I normally do. I hope I don't have what my mom has."
Quinn's eyebrows knit together. She thought back to something Santana wasn't privy to. She grimaced slightly, "No, I don't think you have what your mom has." Quinn doesn't elaborate further.
"I know you probably don't want to here this, but I'm so sorry. To both of you. I met you guys coincidentally on the same day, and I liked you so much, and it all got out of control so quickly." Santana decided she was all cried out at this point. She shrugged one of her shoulders and shook her head.
"I get it-"
"You do?"
"No, but it's okay. I'm still a bit upset, but I think that's just the alpha being stubborn."
Santana nodded and took a deep breathe.
"Mija?" Santana turned her head in the direction of her father. He gestured for her to come to him.
George Lopez had exactly two emotions. 'Just happy to be here', and 'mildly uncomfortable with what's currently happening'. Those two emotions generally caused his face to do the exact same thing, so he was very hard to read.
"The doc just came back for an update. Your mom is stable and everything is going well. Still going to be in the OR for a couple more hours." It was 'Just happy to be here'.
"Did he say what happened?"
George shrugged, "I'm sure he would if I asked, but I feel better not knowing."
"That's fair."
"Okay, just wanted to let you know. You can go back to your girlfriend now."
"She's not my girlfriend."
"Yeah alright. Anyway, love you, kiddo. I'll come get you when she's ready and awake."
Santana blushed heavily.
"Now you said there were two. Where's the other one?" Santana's mother inquired. She had gotten out of surgery about two hours before. Santana had urged Quinn to go home in the meantime. Mercedes and Sam were on their way, and Quinn definitely needed to get Beth to bed at a decent hour.
"She got caught up at work. No big deal. Would have been wierd if they were both here anyway." Santana shrugged. She felt a bit bad for Rachel. Her mom was most definitely going to judge her for this.
"I beg to differ, but quite frankly I don't have the energy to rant about it."
"Thank god."
Maribel slapped Santana lightly on the hand.
It's then that Santana's phone rings.
"See, she's calling now." Santana exclaimed. Her mother rolled her eyes.
"Hey."
"Hi...I'm sorry I couldn't be there. Some days I really hate my job. But nevermind that, is everything okay?"
"Yeah. Everything is cool now. My mother is just very dramatic and never does anything half assed." Maribel swatted her again.
"Okay, that's great!"
"I'm sorry, Rachel-"
"You don't have to apologize. It's okay. Um, I'll talk to you again...later." Rachel hung up quickly. Santana tried to hide her pained frown from her mother.
She didn't succeed.
Santana turned back to her mother. Her lips pursed. Mercedes, who had been sitting uncharacteristically quietly, raised an eyebrow.
Santana decided to keep quiet.
Unfortunately, it seemed their was only one way to ever get back to somewhere close to where she had been with both Rachel and Quinn.
She had to finally make a decision.
Fuck.