*Happy Heavenly Birthday Naya, this one is for you*
"Have they found anything out?" Santana groaned, pulling her gaze from the television to Quinn and Puck. "Again for the third time in the last hour, no. Aaron has not texted me" Puck said glaring back at the Latina. "You don't need to be sassy," Santana shot back. "I told you that I would let you know when he texted, nothing changed in the last hour" Puck explained. "Okay, you two, be quiet. We are all at the edge of our seats wanting the phone to ring and all we can do is wait. I don't need to listen to you two bicker the entire time." Quinn said, looking between the two of them. Santana looked at Quinn and then back Puck before she started laughing. Quinn looked at her best friend dumbfoundedly. Puck on the other hand completely agreed with the Latina and also started laughing. "I literally hate both of you, sometimes I wonder how you two never ended up together" Quinn admitted.
Puck and Santana immediately both stopped laughing. Puck looked disgusted while Santana started gagging. "That is so gross" Puck mumbled. "You two always bicker and have the same way of thinking sometimes. I guess I just always thought you two would have hooked up eventually especially back in high school during Santana's whore days." Quinn said. "Me and him?" Santana asked, pointing between herself and Puck. Quinn nodded. "Absolutely not. He is disgusting and I would never let him touch all of this" Santana explained cupping her breast which made Quinn laugh. "Also during that phase, I could sleep with anyone, I didn't want him" she added. "I don't want to get anywhere near any of that" Puck said, motioning to Santana. "She couldn't even get Puck Junior excited," He added. "I don't want to get Junior excited, don't worry," She said, completely grossed out. Quinn couldn't help but laugh at the way her friends were bickering.
"Why the hell would you say that?" Santana asked Quinn. "Because I knew that it would shut the both of you up," Quinn said with a cheeky grin. "Not funny at all" Puck mumbled. "I love making you guys squirm," she admitted. Santana gagged again just thinking about being with Puck. "Don't worry Brett will give you something to gag on when he gets home" Puck said, barely finishing the joke because he started laughing. "How long did it take you to come up with that?" Santana asked. "Ugh and there you guys go, back to being annoying," Quinn said getting up. She reached out and grabbed Santana's hand. "It is time for bed, Nothing is going to be happening tonight," Quinn explained as she pulled Santana along. Quinn pulled her best friend into a hug. "If you need anything just come wake me up okay?" she whispered. Santana nodded and Quinn kissed her gently on the forehead before retreating in her room.
Santana turned to talk to Puck but he cut her off. "You will be the first person I wake up if Aaron calls," he said. Santana breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "Thanks Puck" she said. Santana started walking away, "I will never sleep with you just so you know" San called out. "Ditto Satan" Puck replied as he shut Quinn's door. Santana smiled and shut her own bedroom door.
'Where am I?' Santana thought as she opened her eyes slowly. The room was on the darker side but she could still clearly see. There was some sort of free-standing wall in front of her but other than that, the room was bare. Santana tried to get up but she couldn;t. Her arms were tried to the arm rails of the chair while her ankles were tied to the posts. Santana felt her panic start to grow. She started shaking and pulling her limbs, anything to get out of the restraints. The only thing that did was cause rope burns and bruising to her body. There was no way to escape. Whoever tired her up didn't want her to escape and they were doing a very good job.
"Our guest is awake" A voice that Santana recognized loomed in the room. She turned side to side and saw nothing. When she turned back toward the wall, the man was standing next to it. "What the hell are you going here?" She asked. General Kennedy started laughing hysterically. "Answer me you fucking asshole!" Santana yelled. Kennedy's laughter died down and he wiped the tears that escaped. "Sorry I just think it is so funny that someone tied to a chair thinks they are going to get answers by screaming at me" he said with a cocky grin. "What the hell am I doing here?" Santana asked again.
General Kennedy looked so angry. "You are here because I need some answers" he replied. "Some answers? If anyone needs answers it's me. I know that something is up with everything you are saying so just tell me where Brett is. I promise that I will keep my mouth shut, please" Santana begged. General Kennedy looked at her as if he was in deep thought. She could tell that maybe he was thinking of giving her some answers. The General placed his hand on the lone wall in front of her. "Well fine since you said please," he said. General Kennedy pushed on the wall and flipped around. On the other side, now facing her was the man she was searching for.
Brett was chained to the wall by his wrists, ankles, and a thick band that wrapped around his waist. The only thing he was wearing was boxers. There were burns and cuts across his chest and arms. The scars that were there when he left all those months ago were now replaced with open wounds. Santana gasped. "You said you wanted to know where he was, he is right here. Say hi Brett" Kennedy said, slapping Brett awake. Santana could tell that the slap brought Brett back to consciousness.
"What the…" he groaned looking around. "Don't touch him!" Santana screamed. Her voice made Brett's eyes open up wider. He finally caught her gaze. "What is she doing here? Leave her out of this!" Brett barked. "How can I leave her out of it? You opened your big mouth and told her about the brothers. She knew about the compound" Kennedy disclosed. "That is all she knows I promise. I never told her anything that would threaten national security. Just let her go" Brett begged. "Does she know about the operation?" Kennedy asked. Brett's eyes widened, "Absolutely not, I promise." Brett said. "What operation?" Santana asked. "See!" He pointed out, "she knows nothing," Brett added. "How do I know that you too are not trying to pull one over on me?" General Kennedy asked. "She doesn't know anything about the operation, I would never risk putting her or the United States in jeopardy like that" Brett explained. General Kennedy was listening but it didn't look like he believed him.
General Kennedy walked over to Santana. He placed his hand on her neck, pulling the hair back to expose it. "I understand why you wanted to go home so badly. You found yourself a pretty one" he said, feeling the softness of her skin. "I will fucking kill you" Brett yelled. General Kenndy whipped around to face him, "How! How are you going to do that while you are up there?" he asked. "This is all your fault Brett, She is in this situation because of you," Kennedy said.
He walked around and stood behind Santana with his hands on her shoulder. Santana was terrified but she refused to close her eyes. Instead, she kept her gaze focused on those blue eyes that she loved. "It's not your fault baby," Santana said softly. Kennedy squeezed her shoulders, "yes it is sweetheart" he replied. "How is this my fault?" Brett asked. He needed to know, did he really place Santana into this mess.
"Well, you figured out my little secret. It could have all ended with that helicopter crash but then your little girlfriend here showed up at my office. Saying things about the body not being yours, the brothers, and the compound that you were planning on infiltrating. I knew then that she knew too much. If you didn't tell her all that then I could have ended everything with you" General Kennedy explained. He sighed loudly, "but now I have to kill her to keep everyone off my back. Way to go Brett" he added with a chuckle.
Kennedy was right. Brett shouldn't have told Santana anything but he never thought she would go tell his boss. "I am sorry Tana" Brett whispered. "It isn't your fault. He is saying all this because he wants to pin us against each other. It's my fault for opening my big mouth" Santana said through her tears. "God I missed you Santana" Brett admitted. Santana smiled at him, "I love you baby" she replied.
"OK enough of all that, it's disgusting. Let's move on to the fun part" Kennedy said. Suddenly Santana felt a cold metal object against her neck. Brett's eyes got huge and he began to panic. Santana didn't even need to look, she knew it was a knife against her throat. "Please, don't touch her. I promise she won't tell anyone" Brett begged. "He's right. I won't go to the media as I said. I will forget that all of this happened" Santana added. "It is too late for that. She needs to go and then you are next" Kennedy said to Brett.
Santana felt the sharpness start to cut into her skin. She couldn't help but scream out as the blood started dripping down her neck. "Please stop" Brett begged as he pulled on his chains. "She's pregnant, please" he yelled. Kennedy stopped and started laughing. "You didn't tell him?" he asked Santana. Santana opened her mouth to speak but closed it again, she had no idea what to say. "She isn't pregnant anymore, pretty boy," Kennedy announced. It looked as if Brett had just got punched in the gut. "What?" He asked as his voice quivered. "I was going to tell you," Santana whispered.
"You killed our baby," Brett said. Santana was taken back, "what, no it was a miscarriage. They happen all the time" she argued. "No, that is what they say to make you feel better. You killed our baby, Santana. You had one job while I fought for our country. All you had to do was take care of our baby and you failed" Brett spat at her. "I am sorry B, I tried, I really did" Santana cried. "Kennedy, just get rid of her. I can have kids with someone else who will actually take care of my child" Brett exclaimed to her. "Wow, he gave up on you quickly. This isn't as fun as I thought it was going to be" Kennedy said sadly as the knife was pressed to her throat again. "Brett Please, I love you" Santana begged. Brett stared back at her with no emotion. "You're done sweetheart" Kennedy whispered. The knife made a clean cut across her throat.
Santana shot out of bed and her hand immediately went to her throat. She felt physical pain as the blade went across her neck. But luckily it was just a nightmare. Her throat was fine, but on the inside, she felt like she was going to explode. Santana knew it was a dream but the way he was looking at her. Especially when he found out that she wasn't pregnant anymore. Every time she had a new nightmare it made her feel even more for her soldier. Brett was struggling with this almost every night. Santana could not even imagine having to deal with that. Yet he was still able to wake up and live his life. Santana on the other hand could barely get herself dressed some mornings.
She peered over to her clock and saw that it was still the middle of the night, precisely 2 am. Santana groaned, there was no way she was going to be able to go back to bed. She feared closing her eyes and seeing the disgrace on Brett's face again. During moments like this, she would normally sneak into Quinn's room, but Puck was there. Her best friend was the second-best cuddler behind Brett but Santana would never tell her that. She had to keep her badass reputation.
As the clock struck 3 am, Santana decided she didn't give a shit anymore. If there was any hope in falling asleep, Santana knew that she needed to be with Quinn. Hell prom night she ended up in a king-size bed with Quinn, Puck and Sam so what makes this any different? Santana snuck down the hall and opened up Quinn's door. Luckily Puck was turned toward the window while Quinn was lying on her back with some room between them. Santana walked to the side of the bed and shook her friend. When Quinn didn't even flinch, she shook her harder. Quinn jumped awake, obviously scared by the action.
"Santana….What time is it?" Quinn asked, barely awake. "It's 3 am…I had a nightmare" She whispered back. Quinn sighed and moved closer to Puck. Santana didn't even need to ask her. Quinn just held up the comforter so the Latina could slide in. San wrapped her arm around the blonde's waist and cuddled up to her side. Quinn placed her hand on her best friend's arm and rubbed it slowly. "What was the nightmare?" Quinn asked after a few minutes. Santana clutched her friend harder.
"Kennedy was there and holding Brett hostage. He was going to kill me because I knew too much. Brett was screaming at him to let me go because I was pregnant. But then Kennedy told Brett I wasn't anymore. Then Brett told Kennedy that he could kill me because I couldn't even keep our baby safe, so why should he keep me safe" Santana explained. "Oh, San. You know that would never happen" Quinn exclaimed. Santana sighed, "I know but it felt so real. Brett looked so angry and disappointed in me. I lost our baby" she said. Santana could feel her rubbing her thumb on her arm. When she looked down she could see Quinn making shapes like hearts and stars on her skin.
"I love you so much Santana but sometimes you are so dumb," Quinn said. San was kinda taken back by that, she was not expecting her best friend to reply in that way. "Brett worships you. Nothing you could do could make him hate you. I genuinely think that if you ever cheated on him he would still love you. Is this news going to crush him? Yes, it is. His baby was growing and thriving and then passed away, all before he knew it. But I know that what is going to haunt him, even more, is that he wasn't there to be with you. Knowing that you handled this alone will be the hardest part of everything for him. Everyone knows that the miscarriage had nothing to do with you, I guess it was just not meant to be. But please don't fixate on that, let's just find Brett and bring him home. Then you can tell him in your own time." Quinn explained.
Santana needed to hear that. It's so true. Santana knew deep down that Brett would never be upset at her but it still plagued her mind and obviously her dreams. "Thanks, Q" San whispered. "Anytime S, now get some sleep. Hopefully when we get up then we will have some answers'' Quinn said, pulling her friend closer. "Hopefully" San whispered as she closed her eyes. Quinn basically fell asleep almost immediately while Santana slowly fell asleep.
Puck turned over and wrapped his arm around Quinn. He could feel her waist and then an arm over her stomach. When he moved his hand further, he felt another body. 'What the hell?' he thought, sitting up to see what the hell was going on. First, he spotted Quinn, and then right on the other side was Santana curled up next to her. Puck just shook his head, there is no way these two will ever not be friends. He smiled, he was happy they had each other to lean on. But there was no way he was going to cuddle up next to Quinn when Santana was on the other side. He just turned over and clutched a pillow, they needed each other more.
Puck was awoken from his sleep to banging on the front door. At first, he was thinking that it was going to be someone from the military. It was something that always ran through his mind when he was at the girl's apartment. But then he realized that no one would bang on the door like that. It either had to be a friend or the police. It could also be an angry neighbor but they were not going anything to piss them off so he crossed that one off his list. The banging continued. Puck looked over at the girls and they were still wrapped up and fast asleep. That didn't surprise him, Quinn slept like a rock and Santana was not a morning person. Especially since she came into the room in the middle of the night, she was probably having trouble sleeping. Puck got up and tried to look for a shirt to put on. He realized then how weird it was that he was sleeping in just his boxers with Santana in the bed. To his defense, she wasn't there when he took off his clothes.
The banging continued so Puck just forgoed the extra clothes and made a beeline to the front door. It was 6 in the morning, he really didn't need Santana and Quinn to wake up now. Puck quickly swung the door open and was met with a very flustered-looking Aaron. "Where are the girls?" He asked, walking right past Puck and looking around. "Woah, calm down. They are still sleeping. It's 6 am, you know?" Puck pointed out. "I know, I know but I need you to wake them up. We need to go" Aaron replied. "Where are we going? I don't want to wake them up if you don't have any good news. It has been bad news after bad news. They are finally both sleeping peacefully and I will not disrupt that for more bad news" Puck explained.
"I think I found Brett," Aaron announced. Puck's eyes widened, he was not expecting that to come out of his mouth. "Are you sure?" he asked. "No but this is the best shot and frankly our only shot," Aaron explained. "Where is he?" Puck asked. He needed to know what Aaron was going to say before waking the girls up. He felt it was necessary to know that way he can support them to the best of his ability. "Tim and I sat up calling a shit ton of hospitals over there. We kept hitting another brick wall after another until I got a hold of a trauma surgeon who I was with at basic training. I told him about our predicament and he told me that they had a John Doe in the ICU that matched the description I gave him" Aaron said.
"Tell him to send us a picture! We can tell if it's Brett" Puck said quickly. "That's what I asked but apparently he is being heavily guarded by military personnel. He can't get his phone on the unit" He replied. "That makes no sense. Why would he be guarded if he is part of the US marines?" Puck asked. Aaron shook his head, "I have no idea but get this. My friend told me that the orders came from none other than General Kennedy" he added with a smirk. Puck was shocked, "That can't be a coincidence. but what are we going to do if he can't sneak a picture?" he asked, not knowing what their options were. Aaron pulled an envelope out of his back pocket, "We have a flight in 3 hours" he said.
Puck looked at him like he was crazy. What if this wasn't Brett? They were going to just fly home? "You are not dragging these girls halfway across the world on a hunch. If it is not Brett, they are going to be crushed" Puck said. "I am telling you, Puck. My hunch is usually right, this is Brett. He has been in a hospital the whole time! It makes sense, he got injured in the crash and was brought there" Aaron explained. "It doesn't make sense Aaron. They wouldn't lie saying he was still missing if he was in the ICU the whole time and what is it with the guards. Will they even let us see him?" Puck asked. Aaron groaned, how did Puck not understand it. "I do not know the details. The only thing I know is if we do not jump on this then they might move him. If they move him then we can kiss any other chances at finding him goodbye" Aaron said sternly. Puck was kinda taken back, he had never heard Aaron talk like this. But one thing for sure is that Aaron seems extremely persistent.
"Aaron, what are you doing here?" Quinn asked, coming out into the living room. Puck looked over at her. He was really hoping to figure this all out before bringing the girls into it. "Wait Aaron is here?" they heard Santana say before racing out of the bedroom to join them into the living room. "Did you find anything out?" Quinn asked. "He had to of why would you come over" Santana added. "I actually did," Aaron said. "I don't think this is a good idea" Puck quickly said. "They deserve to know" Aaron pointed out. "They do but you are not sure. We should wait until your friend gives us solid evidence" Puch fought back. "Let them decide what we should do," Aaron said. The two guys looked over at the girls. "What is it, Aaron?" Santana asked.
"I got through to a hospital in Bucharest, Romania. They have a John Doe who was an American soldier that was injured. He is currently in the intensive care unit under constant guard by soldiers under the order of General Kennedy" Aaron explained. "You think it's Brett?" Santana asked. Aaron nodded, "I served with the surgeon that operated on him. He couldn't get me a picture since there are guards watching him but I did give him a description including a few of the tattoos that I remembered and they all matched. It's Brett I know" Aaron said with a smile. "You are guessing, blonde hair and blue eyes are common. Plus every serviceman has an American flag tattoo, it isn't original." Puck pointed out. Santana's mind was racing. This is the closest they have gotten to finding Brett. How can she just sit back and ignore this?
"So what are we going to do?" Quinn asked. Aaron pulled the envelope back out. "I got us 4 tickets to Romania that leaves in 3 hours. You don't need to come but I am going" He said. Santana turned away and started walking down the hall. "What are you doing" Quinn called out to her. "What does it look like, I am packing. We need to go" she said as she rounded the corner into her room. "Quinn," Puck said. "No Puck, if she is going then so am I. This might be him and if not then I get to see Romania" Quinn said shrugging her shoulders. "Fine, I'm in. I am going to Pack and call Mercedes to see if she can watch Tubbs." Puck said. "Everyone meet back here in 40 minutes, then we can uber tiger" Aaron called out. Everyone said yes and he quickly left to go and pack himself.
Within an hour and a half, the four of them were packed and at the airport. They boarded the eleven-hour flight without knowing what the end results were going to be. The entire flight, Santana couldn't help but think of what she was going to say to Brett. She stared down at the engagement ring on her finger. Since putting it on, Santana did not take it off once. Because taking it off would be giving up and there is no way in hell Santana was ever going to give up looking for Brett. "Ladies and Gentleman, we are on our final descent, please prepare for landing." The woman said over the speaker.
999999
"So I was thinking we could just drop our bags off at the hotel and make our way to the hospital, '' Aaron announced. Everyone agreed, Santana didn't care what they do, as long as they were at the hospital as soon as possible. As they walked into the hospital Aaron pulled out his phone and made a call to his friend. "What did he say?" Puck asked when he got off the phone. "He said to meet him in a family conference room near the floor. He is going to meet us there soon" Aaron said walking down the hall. "What do you mean meet us? We need to see if the John Doe is Brett" Santana quickly replied. "I know but remember that guy is being guarded. There is no way for us to get past them right now. I think we need to just meet with my friend and way our options" Aaron replied. "We are here San but we need to do this right if we are going to see him" Quinn pointed out. Santana knew they were right but she was impatient, anyone would be.
Once they found the room, the four of them took a seat. They waited for about 30 minutes for the door to the room to open up. A man and a woman dressed in scrubs walked into the room and quickly closed the door. "Hey, Aaron," the man said. Aaron got up and hugged him, "Owen, it is great to see you but I wish it was under better circumstances" he replied. "Me too man," Owen said. "Guys this is Major Owen Thompson. He and I served together before I met Brett" Aaron introduced. "This is Santana, Brett's girlfriend. Quinn, his sister, and Puck one of his best friends" he added. "Nice to meet you guys," Major Thompson said, shaking each of their hands.
"I looked at the picture that you sent and I am pretty sure that our John Doe is your guy. Sometimes it's hard to tell because when people are in the hospital they do look different but I think it is him." Owen explained. Santana was so focused on him talking but she couldn't help but feel like someone was staring at her. When she turned, Santana noticed that the woman that walked in was looking at her intently. She kept peering down at something in her hand then back up at her. "Excuse me, why do you keep staring at me?" Santana asked. She was frustrated, Santana wanted to hear what this doctor had to say but this woman was distracting.
"I'm sorry," The woman said, taken back by her attitude. " I should have introduced her, this is Nina. She is the charge nurse of the trauma ICU where our John Doe is being held. She has been taking care of him since he came to us" Major Thompson explained. "It's your friend, John Doe is your friend," Nina said. "Did you see the picture?" Quinn asked. This woman was with him day in and day out, if anyone could recognize him it would be her. "No but I saw this picture," She said, holding up the thing in her hand.
"When John Doe came in he was clutching this in his hand. I tried to get him to let go of it, during our initial assessment but he was holding on for dear life. I could tell he was terrified and this picture was the thing keeping him alive and bringing him comfort. I looked him in the eye and told him that I would not let anything happen to this picture. I held the picture so he could see it while he was getting intubated, it was the last thing he saw before being sedated. Since he has been on the vent, I never moved the picture from his sight. As an ICU nurse, I have seen miracles happen. Patients have woken up and remembered conversations and nurses that were around. Which is why I made sure he could see it, I didn't want to break my promise. I snuck it out of his room when Owen told me that we were meeting with you. I was hoping that you may be able to recognize it. But I already know you will." Nina explained.
"How do you know we will recognize it?" Santana asked. Nina smiled and had tears threatening to spill out. "Because it's a picture of you," she said, turning the photo around so the group could see it. Santana's mouth dropped. It was a picture of her. In fact, it was a picture of her and Brett at her birthday party, she could recognize it anywhere. "San that was one of the pictures that Mercedes had placed in his helmet" Quinn pointed out. "Maybe he pulled it out at the crash site," Puck added. Santana reached out and took the photo. The sides were charred like it was in a fire but Brett must have saved it from being completely consumed. "His helmet was in the crash photos so we know he had it. Plus those charred marks support that" Aaron exclaimed.
"It's Brett" Santana whispered looking back up from the photo. The tears were spilling from her eyes. It was him, he was here; they found him. "How is he?" Santana asked. "Can I tell them? I was ordered not to say anything to anyone" Nina asked Owen. "What do you mean? We are his family" Santana said, kinda yelling. "General Kennedy gave us orders that we were not to talk to anyone about John Doe" Major Thompson explained. "Brett, his name is Brett. He is not a John Doe anymore" Quinn announced. They could tell that Owen felt awful. "What did Kennedy say?" Aaron asked. He wanted to know more about this, something was going on.
"I am not sure the details. All I know is that Kennedy came here personally and said that the patient was wanted for war crimes and that we were to not disclose anything to anybody. I asked him if he knew who the patient was. General Kennedy said he knew but for security reasons, he was going to keep it a secret" Thompson explained. "War crimes!?" San yelled. "Brett didn't do anything" Puck added. "Something is wrong. There is no way Brett is guilty of war crimes. All he has ever done was give his life for this country" Aaron explained. "This is all too much," Quinn groaned.
"Listen. We have been trying to find him for weeks. General Kennedy told us that he was dead and clearly, he isn't. Trust me Owen, Brett is not guilty of war crimes. Something else is going on here, you need to listen to us. We came all this way for answers" Aaron pleaded. He did not bring them all here just for the staff not to tell us anything. The group could tell that Owen and Nina were in an internal battle. Do they listen to a Marine Corp General or listen to their gut. "Please" Santana whispered, getting both of their attention. "I was pregnant. I lost our baby and I can't just walk away from this. Brett is my person, the love of my life. Please just help us, help him" She begged.
"Screw this, I don't work for General Kennedy. I do what I do for my patients and that picture is all the evidence I need to prove that Brett would want them to know about his status. I have to listen to that" Nina expressed. "I won't say anything," Major Thompson said with a smirk, knowing that what was said in this room must stay here. "Let's sit, I'll answer any questions that I can," Nina said, motioning to the table. They all took their seats around the table.
"I don't even know where to start," Nina said. "When did he come into you guys?" Quinn asked. Nina thought back trying to remember when Brett rolled off the helicopter. She looked over at Owen, "Like 6 weeks ago?" she asked. Owen nodded, "yeah about 6 weeks, it was right after I came home from vacation." He added. "What? That can't be" Santana said looking at Puck and Quinn. "I am 100% sure, it was 6 weeks ago" Nina pointed out. "If that is true then Brett went missing only a week after he left for his mission" Quinn announced. "So as I was standing around pregnant and waiting for Brett to call. He was in the Intensive care unit alone." Santana said, coming to the realization. Quinn reached over and grabbed her hand. "I can't believe this, I could have been here. With him by his side but this fucking General kept everything a secret" Santana said through her teeth.
"Santana, right now you can't think about that. We found him, that is what is important" Aaron pointed out. Santana just shook her head. He was right, there was no reason to go backward. "How is he?" She asked as the shudder in her voice is very pronounced. "He had some very extensive injuries," Nina said.
"Brett has burns across his right arm and chest. Most likely caused by the helicopter accident. We were not told a lot about what Brett went through but if I had to guess he was somewhere without food or water for at least a week. Brett was severely dehydrated and malnourished" Owen explained. Santana quickly wiped her tears from her eyes. "If I had to guess, after the helicopter crash, Brett most likely was out in the desert for about a week before being med flighted out of there" Major Thompson announced. "Omg," Quinn whispered, squeezing Santana's hand. "Along with that Brett also had a few broken ribs and a fractured knee. We performed surgery on the knee but since he was walking on it broken it was a pretty tough fix." Owen explained.
"He was in respiratory distress when he came in. We did an MRI and saw some swelling in his brain. I along with the neurosurgeon made the decision to place Brett in a medically induced coma and burr holes to release the pressure. That way his brain had time to let the swelling come down " Owen explained. "What are burr holes?" Puck asked. "The surgeon drills holes through the skull to allow more space for the brain to swell" Nina explained. Santana felt like she was going to be sick. They placed drill holes through Brett's head. "So he has a brain injury?" Santana asked. Owen sadly nodded, "We believe at some point during that week he was hit in the head or hit his head. This caused a traumatic brain injury and resulted in cerebral edema." He explained. "Is he going to wake up?" Quinn asked.
"I am very hopeful of that. We have been doing spontaneous breathing trials. This means we lessen the sedation to see if the patient begins to breathe on their own, luckily Brett has passed all of those trials. As of right now what we are really concerned about is the brain activity" Major Thompson explained. "I thought you just said he was passing the trials?" Puck asked not understanding. "He is passing the trails. What I mean is that we have EEG monitors on Brett. They are electrodes that are placed on a patient's head and they measure and monitor brain activity. Currently, Brett is showing brain activity but it's very minimal" Owen explained. "So what does that mean?" Quinn asked. Santana closed her eyes, she was scared of the answer.
What if Brett isn't the same man that left her at the airport. The same guy who declared his love for her in front of everyone. The guys who fathered their heavenly baby. Part of her feels that it would be worse than him dying. Because seeing the man she loves in front of her without all the memories would kill her. She opened her eyes and looked down at the ring that was on her finger. Would he even remember that he wanted to propose?
"It means that Brett could have a permanent brain injury. It could also mean that his brain is resting. We have no idea what is going to happen until he actually wakes up" Owen explained. "When are you going to wake him up?" Aaron asked. "We are actually in the process of waking him up," Nina announced. "Currently we are decreasing the amount of sedation slowly to allow his brain to be triggered to breathe. We are hoping that he will be fully awake by tomorrow and hopefully come off the vent." Major Thompson explained.
"I need to see him," Santana said. Nina sighed, "I don't know if that is possible. Brett is under constant watch but guards" she explained. "He needs us, he needs his family," Santana said, slamming her hands on the table and rising to her feet. "San" Puck said sadly. "No Puck, he is here in a hospital bed and they are saying we can't see him" Santana cried. "I think I know a way they can see him" Owen exclaimed. They all looked over at him at the same time. "At 11 pm the guards switch. This usually leaves about a 20-30 minute window where Brett is alone" Owen said. "You're right, that is when we usually wash him up so he has privacy," Nina said with a smile.
"11 pm? That's hours away" Puck said. "Listen I know all you want to do is see him but to be able to properly see him I need you to wait. You can wait here or go to the hotel for a little bit but come back around 10:45 and meet here. I will sneak you in to see Brett" Owen said. Santana wanted to say no and demand that they bring her to see him now but with those guards, there is no way she would be able to get close to him. She had to wait. She waited weeks, what is a few hours. "Okay" Santana whispered. "We need to go back and check on him. We will see you later" Nina said, getting up.
Santana walked around the table and pulled her into a tight hug. "Thank you, thank you so much" she whispered into her ear. Nina pulled back to look at Santana. "Nurses usually have a good hunch and I really think that Brett is going to pull through" she said. This made Santana smile, "Really?" she asked. "I think so, he is strong I can tell" Nina replied. Santana took one more look at the picture that was still in her hands. She held it out to Nina, "Can you tape this back up. Brett needs it." she said. Nina nodded and took the picture, "I'll put it right back in his line of sight so when he opens his eyes it's the first thing he sees" Nina explained. Santana smiled. The doctor and nurse left moments later. It took everything in Santana and Quinn not to follow them.
The group hung out at the hotel. Showering and resting until it was time to leave. Santana pulled on her favorite leggings and Brett's New York sweatshirt that he demanded on buying. Santana incested that it made him look like a tourist but Brett didn't care, he liked it. She was going to wear one of his marine sweatshirts because they were her favorites but she didn't want to make herself noticeable. They made their way back to the conference room making sure to get there early. They waited until Major Thompson walked through the door. "Where's Nina?" Santana asked. "She is with Brett. We didn't want to throw off the guards so we kept with his normal routine" Owen explained. They all nodded, it made sense.
"Now I need to warn you what you are about to walk into. Brett has the electrodes still stuck to his head with a monitor showing his brain activity. He is attached to monitors constantly taking his heart rate, oxygen, and blood pressure. There are a lot of medications attached to a central line going into his neck. Brett is not in any pain. We are giving him pain medication and he still has some sedation. You might see his eyes flutter or his hand twitch, which happens when the patient is being weaned off. There is still a tube down his throat attached to a vent to help him breathe. His leg is wrapped up and has a brace on it to keep it from moving. The burns on his upper body are wrapped loosely with gauze, please try not to touch them. Burns are very painful, his nerves are completely exposed. Do you have any questions?" Owen asked.
Santana was completely overwhelmed, was she ready to see him? Like that? Quinn grabbed her hand, "together?" she asked. Santana squeezed her hand and smiled, "yeah, thanks Q" she whispered back.
The four of them and Owen walked through the halls of the hospital until they came to the unit. Walking down the unit halls, Santana saw all the sick patients through the door. How did they get here? She thought to herself. "Here we are," Owen said, opening the sliding door. Santana took a deep breath and walked in with Quinn. Puck and Aaron were behind them.
Santana immediately gasped as the tears started to well up in her eyes. It was Brett. I know they already knew that but seeing him made it so real. Her strong shoulder looked so defeated, so weak. "Omg," Quinn whispered. "You can come over here if you want. Hold his hand" Nina said standing next to him. Santana didn't move. She was too scared. What if she touched him and hurt him more?
It was like Nina knew what the Latina was thinking. "You are not going to hurt him. His hands are not burned. It is okay to hold his hand" Nina explained. Quinn dropped Santana's hand and walked over to Brett's side. She grasped her brother's hand and broke down crying. Puck walked closer, he rubbed Santana's back as he passed her to go to the girlfriend. Puck held Quinn in his arms as she dropped her head onto Brett's bed, still holding his hand. Santana still didn't move from her spot.
Nina walked over to her, "come on, I'll bring you over" she whispered. Santana nodded and followed the nurse's lead. Once they were at his side, Santana saw just how injured he was. All the wires and lines connected to him scared her to death. "So this was where he was burned, we are doing daily dressing changes to help the skin regrow. He will probably have scars but I like to say that scares are survival stories" Nina explained. "Brett will love that," Aaron laughed. Nina grasped Santana's hand and placed it on Brett's hand.
Santana couldn't believe how soft his hands still were. She finally allowed herself to grasp his hand and it felt really good. Santana reached out with her left hand and caressed his face. His facial hair was growing back. The last time she saw him, he was cleanly shaved. She liked that he had his facial hair back, it felt like Brett to her. "I saw in the picture that he had facial hair so we kept it on him, figuring he liked it" Nina explained.
Santana leaned forward closer to his face. "Brett baby, it's me" she whispered. The tears from her eyes fell and landed on his chest. "I am sorry, it took us so long to find you….God Brett, I missed you so much" She said. The entire room couldn't help but watch the exchange, it was just beautifully heartbreaking. "You need to wake up. You promised me that you were going to come home. I need you, Brett, please" Santana cried.
"What the hell is going on here?" A loud voice echoed in the room. Everyone including Santana whipped their head toward the voice. 2 large men dressed in United States uniforms stood at the doorway. "This man is being held by the United States Government, you need to leave immediately" one of them announced. "We are his family. We are not leaving" Aaron said standing in front of them. Santana didn't even care what was going on, she turned back toward the love of her life. "Brett please it is me. It is Tana please baby" Santana begged. She didn't even know what she was asking him to do but she continued to beg.
An alarm in the room started to sound. Santana looked around trying to figure out where it was going from. "What's going on?" Santana asked in a panic. Major Thompson pushed himself to the front. "It is his brain activity!" he announced, looking at one of the screens. "What's wrong?" Quinn asked. "His activity is increasing, Santana, keep talking to him," Nina said. "I love you so much, Brett. I need you to wake up. You need to wake up so we can straighten everything out and go home. You're my everything too B, I can't do this without you" Santana said. The alarms continued to go off.
During that time, more security officers arrived at the door. One of the men was on the phone. "Yes sir, I heard them say the name Santana," the officer said through the phone. "Yes, sir she is Latina...of course, sir. Bye," the man said before hanging up. "Get them all out now, the General said," The officer said.
One man grabbed Aaron first since he was standing closest to them. "Let me go, I am a brother Marine. Don't do this" He said. The officer pulled him from the room, "sorry man but I have the orders" he said back. Another officer grabbed Puck and Quinn. "This is my brother, you cannot just drag us out" she yelled. "Don't touch her" Puck threatened but none of the men seemed to care.
"This isn't right. The patient needs his family around" Nina tried to argue for them. The officers obviously didn't care and pushed past her. He grabbed Santana around the waist. "I am a lawyer and I am going to sew your ass. PUT ME DOWN" Santana yelled. The alarms sounded louder. Santana could see large waves run across the screen. Brett's hand that she was still holding started twitching. "Brett!" Santana yelled as the man pulled her from his reach, tearing their hands apart. Just as she was being pulled out the door. Santana took one final look at him and saw those gorgeous blue eyes staring back.
Brett opened his eyes. She could see the life behind them but she could also see the panic. "B" she yelled one final time as all the alarms in the room started sounding at once. Owen and Nina started tending to Brett. Nina shined a light in his eyes but he didn't look at her. His eyes were focused on Santana's. Those gorgeous blues were the last thing she saw before the officer slammed the door closed.
*They found him! On Naya's birthday, I found it quite fitting. I hope you guys liked it! Please leave your comments, I love reading them! And don't worry we will be getting some answers soon!*
