Author's Note: Hello all, it's been a very long weekend for me, spent it dissociating and reading fanfiction cos I literally couldn't do anything else. I went back to work yesterday after three or so months off on sick leave so I was anxious as fuck! It didn't go too badly but I've been there three years now and I know not to trust management too much. Looks can be deceiving for sure. But I'm moving on next monday, and I dunno when I'll have internet once I move so I'll try and post the next chapter before then but no promises, I gotta work Saturday afternoon/evening and finish packing/wait in for my washing machine and fridge to be delivered at my new place on Sunday.
Thank you so much to everyone who has left a review, you guys are rocking my world and I appreciate you so much! I hope you're all still enjoying this story, I'm still writing, slowly but surely. And it's gone a little differently than I expected it to but I'll roll with it!
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Content Warning: Medical talk happening in this chapter so if you need to skip or avoid altogether it's in the 3rd section of this chapter, also depictions of parental neglect.
Stay safe =)
Chapter Six
LeRoy strode down the hospital hallways, his eyes darting from person to person as he went, searching for Doctor Lopez. He had already been to check on the man's daughter and got an update on her situation, which was that they were still running tests, but still no one had even seen nor heard a thing from him. When LeRoy had announced he was going to go and find her father, Santana had only sighed and wished him luck. It seemed she had not been expecting Doctor Lopez to make an appearance, and although she did not look upset LeRoy knew that if it had been Rachel in her position, he would want to know immediately.
"Have you seen Doctor Lopez recently?" LeRoy stopped at a Nurse's station in the Emergency room, where he knew the man had been working that morning.
"He's on rounds right now, Doctor Berry. Up on the fourth floor. Do you want me to page him for you?" the young nurse went to reach for the phone on the wall but LeRoy stopped her with a shake of his head.
"Thank you, Nurse Karn, but I don't think he's going to respond to a page. I mean, he hasn't been the last few hours," the last part LeRoy said under his breath as he turned and headed for the nearest elevator.
He scoured the fourth floor, going from ward to ward until he finally found Doctor Lopez sat at a patient's bedside as he talked them through their treatment options. Doctor Lopez spotted LeRoy stood in the doorway and raised one finger at him before going back to the patient. By the time he finally stood, shaking the patient's hand and gathering up his charts to leave, LeRoy was pacing impatiently – he was supposed to report to Rachel ages ago, the girls must be worried sick!
"Good evening, LeRoy, what can I do for you?"
LeRoy fell into step beside the other doctor. "Your daughter is in the hospital, Gabriel. Did you not get any of the pages?"
"Of course I got them and I called the doctor assigned to her to get an update an hour ago." Gabriel dropped his charts off at the nurse's station and made a beeline for the coffee machine.
"If you want to go and spend some time with her I am more than happy to cover the rest of your shift for you!" LeRoy insisted. "I'm off in half an hour, it's no bother!"
"Why would I need to see her? She is not in any imminent danger of death, and she already has a very capable doctor assigned to her case. There's nothing more I can do." Gabriel took a few measured sips of his coffee before picking up another handful of charts and heading back to his rounds.
LeRoy watched him go with a look of despair. He knew Gabriel Lopez had a reputation for being matter-of-fact and by-the-book but this was his daughter they were talking about! Surely he wasn't going to treat her like just another patient… when Gabriel did not look back, LeRoy spun on his heels and marched all the way down to the waiting room where his daughter and her friends were waiting, seething as he went. How could someone be so unfazed about their child being brought into the Emergency room by ambulance? He respected Doctor Lopez but he would never, and could never, understand the man.
He rounded the corner to the waiting room, nodding a greeting at the nurse on duty, and stopped dead as his eyes fell on the scene before him. The two blonde girls were sat at the far end of the room, one cradled in the other's arms, their heads resting on each other, fast asleep with Rachel curled up and tucked securely into their side. LeRoy's hand went to his heart and he couldn't help the soft gasp that fell from his lips. He approached them quietly, took off his white doctor's coat and carefully laid it across the three girls. It was getting late and Santana was still in the process of getting checked out properly so there would be no further news until later. LeRoy had instructed the doctor in charge to come and find him as soon as they knew more.
LeRoy fished his cell phone from his trouser pocket and dialled his husband, wandering out of earshot of the girls as it rang.
Hiram picked up, sounding chipper. "Hi darling, are you on your way home? And have you heard from Rachel yet? I know it's Friday so she probably stayed late after Glee-"
"Hiram, when I tell you what I'm about to tell you I need you to not freak out and let me finish, okay?"
"What's happened? Are you okay? Is it Rachel? Oh God, LeRoy, answer me!"
LeRoy chuckled quietly. "I am fine and so is Rachel. Okay?"
Hiram let out a shaky laugh. "Oh, thank God. Don't do that to me!"
"I mean, I did tell you not to freak out, love!"
"Yes, and you should know by now that those exact words will always make me freak out! Now are you going to tell me what's going on or did you just call to give me a heart attack?"
LeRoy smiled and turned back to look at the three sleeping girls in the waiting room. "I'm still at the hospital, Rachel's here with me. She came in with three of her friends from Glee Club, one of them was injured in a confrontation at school so she's being assessed at the moment. I'm going to wait with them. Because none of them are her blood relations or spouse, the hospital won't tell them anything so I'm going to be breaking a few rules and I wanted to get your thoughts."
Hiram uh-huh'd, processing quietly. "Rachel isn't hurt?"
"She's in perfect physical condition, I promise."
"Good. So who is the girl who got hurt?"
"Santana Lopez. She's Gabriel Lopez's daughter and although he's here working he doesn't seem particularly interested in being a father to her." LeRoy shook his head, frown lining his face.
"Are you serious?"
"I wish I wasn't, Hiram. But you should see these girls waiting for her. They are so scared and exhausted. I found Rachel throwing up outside and she just sobbed and sobbed, she feels so awful about the whole thing. I know she won't come home until she hears that Santana is going to be okay, and I just… I can't leave them either."
"Then you do whatever you need to, I will support you a hundred percent! Just tell me what I can do," Hiram was clattering about on the other end of the phone. "I know! I'll-I'll whip up some food and grab drinks and I'll be there as soon as I can, okay?"
LeRoy couldn't help the smile that slid onto his face. Hiram might be a tough, no-nonsense lawyer in the courtroom but he had the biggest heart of anyone LeRoy had ever met. "Okay. I'll see you when you get here. Drive safe."
When Rachel managed to finally pull herself free from an awful dream – Santana bleeding to death while she watched on helplessly - the first thing she saw was blonde hair. She blinked groggily and pulled back a little. Brittany sat cross legged beside her, munching happily on what looked like one of her dad's famous vegan croque monsieurs…
"Hi, Sweetheart, how are you feeling?" Someone sat down the other side of her and put an arm around her.
She shuffled until she could see LeRoy sat there, smiling kindly down at her. "Hi, daddy, is-is there any news? Is she okay?"
LeRoy shook his head. "No news yet I'm afraid. Are you hungry? Your dad brought food for everyone."
Rachel followed his eye line to see Hiram sat opposite them, magazine open on his lap, Quinn beside him, her eyes moving as she read an article. They both looked up at her. Hiram immediately stood and pulled Rachel into a hug, peppering her face and hair with kisses.
"Oh, my little girl, I was so worried when your father said you were here! But I'm so glad you're not hurt," He examined her carefully with sharp eyes and probing fingers until he was satisfied that she was, in fact, okay. Not that he didn't believe his husband, he just needed to be sure himself. "Right, I bet you're starving and dehydrated, so here," Hiram took a sealed plastic container and a bottle of water from his bag and handed them to the diva.
"Thank you, dad, but I just want to know how Santana is!"
"I know you do, Rach, we all do, but first you need to take care of yourself," LeRoy nudged the container in her hand until Rachel sighed and gave in.
"Is your dad a chef, Rach?" Brittany whispered, mouth full of food. "Because this is the best sandwich I've ever had and I spent most of seventh grade perfecting the PB&J with my dad!"
Rachel heard her fathers' chuckle.
"No, I am not a trained chef, Brittany, but I do enjoy cooking. And I appreciate the kind words," Hiram smiled, dipping his head a little at the blonde.
Brittany beamed back at him and took another huge bite out of the sandwich and continued chomping away contentedly. Rachel picked at her own food, her eyes fixed on Quinn. They hadn't spoken since Rachel's panic attack in school and although the girl had helped her then, she was certain it was only because Santana had asked her to. So what did that mean for them? Quinn's face, twisted into a snarl, anger burning white hot in her eyes, was imprinted in Rachel's mind. She had seen, what Glee Club had dubbed, Lion Quinn before. It had even been aimed at her once or twice, but never like that.
Rachel had never been so scared for her own life before. The look in Quinn's eyes had sent a shiver through her entire body and near enough froze her to the spot. She was yet to figure out if Quinn was capable of murder or not but, if it hadn't been for Brittany drawing the girl's attention back to Santana, she was almost certain she wouldn't have gotten out of that encounter with all her body parts intact. Quinn glanced over at her then as if she had heard Rachel's thoughts. Their eyes met, Quinn cocked an eyebrow at her, then stood mumbling something about taking a walk before heading for the exit. When she got to the end of the waiting room Quinn paused and glanced back at Rachel before disappearing. Rachel waited a few moments before excusing herself to the bathroom and followed Quinn on shaking legs.
It was late now and the sky had grown rather darker since their arrival at the hospital. Rachel wrapped her arms around herself as she spotted Quinn waiting for her on a stone bench opposite. She approached slowly, cautiously, stopping a few feet out of the blonde's reach.
Quinn laughed humourlessly. "I'm not going to hurt you, Rachel. You can sit down if you want."
Rachel hesitated, deciding for a moment, before finally sitting down a foot from the other girl. Silence stretched between them; their breath was just visible in the cool night air, the constant drone of activity in the hospital surrounding them like a comfort blanket.
Eventually Quinn sighed and turned to look at Rachel. "I was scared, Rachel. I'm still fucking terrified. And I'm angry. And I just want Santana to be okay. But none of that is an excuse for the way I treated you."
Rachel's mouth dropped open.
"I shouldn't have screamed at you like that and I definitely shouldn't have grabbed you." The sincerity in Quinn's voice was clear. "I'm sorry if I hurt you. Or if I caused your panic attack."
"You-You didn't cause it," Rachel managed to choke out once she had gotten over her shock of Quinn Fabray apologising to her.
Quinn nodded. "I'm glad." She watched Rachel with an even stare. "I appreciate you calling the ambulance, and I will be eternally grateful that you stayed calm enough to tell us what to do back at school. I also appreciate your fathers being here and doing what they can to help. I knew Santana's dad wouldn't."
Rachel frowned and went to ask her to explain the statement but Quinn wasn't finished.
"But if Santana isn't okay," Quinn's voice was low and dangerous, her eyes suddenly burning with that white hot rage again. "Or if you ever put her in harm's way again, I will make sure you finish high school with so many psychological scars no amount of therapy will ever fix you. Are we clear?"
Rachel swallowed, nodding quickly.
"That goes for Brittany too. You hurt any of my family again, unintentionally or not, and I will make you regret it."
The diva shuffled towards the blonde in spite of her instincts yelling at her to run. She met Quinn's eyes. "I don't know how to even begin to ask for your forgiveness, or explain how sorry I am that I hurt you, all of you. I… I care about you. And my feelings that night at Breadstix, when I realised I felt so strongly, they scared me. I thought if I just kept out of your way and tried to figure things out on my own then you wouldn't get hurt." Rachel shook her head angrily at herself, a frown marring her face as her eyes fell. "I was selfish. And now Santana's… all because of me."
"No."
The diva felt warm hands on her face. Quinn was looking at her with such conflict in her eyes, only a hint of anger remained now.
"Finn did this, not you. And even if you hadn't kissed Santana, she still would have done what she did, she still would have tried to help you. And not just because Britt asked her to either." Quinn smiled sadly. "Santana would rather die than watch someone she cares about be unhappy or get hurt. That's just one of the reasons I fell so hard for her."
Rachel covered Quinn's hands with her own. "She's going to be okay, Quinn. It's Santana. Of course she's going to be okay!" She wasn't quite sure who she was trying to reassure: Quinn or herself.
The blonde sat back then, her eyes falling to her lap and her shoulders slumping. "You don't know that. They're my world, Rachel. I-I can't do this without either one of them." Her sob ripped through the night air.
Before she knew what she was doing, Rachel had Quinn in her arms and held the girl as she cried. The blonde's fingers clawed at her, gripping her sweater so tight as she screamed a silent scream of pain. It was all Rachel could do not to break down herself; she felt Quinn's sobs wrack her entire body and heard the girl gasping the words 'please don't leave me' over and over again.
"I won't," Rachel mumbled into her hair, but she knew the girl wasn't talking to her.
"Doctor Berry?" An older lady in a white doctor's coat appeared through the door marked 'hospital staff only' and looked expectantly at LeRoy. She held a patient file in her hands.
"Yes, hi, sorry, I was dozing off," LeRoy stretched as he got to his feet, offering the woman his hand.
"I'm Doctor Carter. I took over Miss. Lopez's case when Doctor Taki finished his shift. He instructed me to come and find you here once we had news?" She shook the offered hand, peering at him uncertainly.
"Yes, yes. So what's the verdict?"
Doctor Carter hesitated. "This is highly irregular, Doctor Berry. You are not the girl's father, correct?"
LeRoy sighed and exchanged a glance with Hiram. "No. I am not. But her father isn't here. And it was my daughter and her friends who brought Santana- Miss. Lopez in. They have been waiting here all night to find out if she's okay. Please, you don't even have to hand me the file, you can just drop it and walk away!"
"I will do no such thing, Doctor Berry!" She humphed indignantly, tightening her grip on the file.
Brittany wandered up to the women and tugged gently on her sleeve, her big blue eyes gazing at her pleadingly. "Can you just tell me that San's okay? She's my girlfriend. I just need to know that she's alive." The blonde sniffed quietly, swiping at a tear that wound its way down her cheek. "They took her through those doors and I haven't seen her since. She's my family, please-"
"And we're her family! We should be with her!" Quinn reappeared and shot over to Brittany, Rachel at her heels.
They all started clamouring at her then and Doctor Carter could not stand the noise. She held up her hands for silence.
"Fine. Fine! I will pass on the information to my colleague, Doctor Berry, then he can do what so ever he sees fit with it. Is that satisfactory to you all?" She looked from the three girls to the two men stood behind them.
Everyone nodded frantically. The doctor pursed her lips and beckoned LeRoy with her until they stood just out of earshot. They spoke for a number of minutes while the others waited with baited breath, ears straining to try and hear what was being said. When the doctors finally parted, Carter vanishing back through the door she had come through without a word, LeRoy returned to them looking serious.
"Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck…" Quinn's fingers dug into Brittany's forearm making the dancer wince and link their fingers together instead.
"Okay," LeRoy held his hands up to silence them. "The good news is that Santana is in no immediate danger, she should recover fully from the physical injuries she sustained and you'll be able to see her soon."
The three girls gave a collective exhale.
"Now, the bad news…" LeRoy saw the fear return in a flash, bodies tense again. "Santana has a rather bad cut on her right shoulder blade, it's been cleaned and stitched up but it's badly bruised too so she will require lots of rest to ensure it heals. She has bruising on her back and arms so she's going to be very sore. And the cut on her head wasn't too bad or all that deep. I know you said it bled a lot but that's unfortunately what head wounds do, no matter how bad they are. However," His eyes flickered uncertainly to his husband who nodded, knowing the bad news tone in LeRoy's voice all too well. "They are concerned about a concussion due to the force and speed of the impact, and the fact that Santana couldn't remember how it had happened and has thrown up a few times since being admitted. Now, before we all freak out," LeRoy looked pointedly at his daughter. "The doctors have done a CT scan of her head and found no bleeding in or swelling of the brain so have concluded that it is not serious and there is no need for surgery. So that is more good news."
LeRoy fell silent and observed the girls. Brittany frowned, a look of deep concentration on her pale face. Quinn had her eyes closed, trying to keep her breathing under control as she gripped Brittany's hand tight, murmuring under her breath. Rachel seemed to suddenly deflate and staggered to sit down, her face hidden in her hands.
"If you have any questions, or need anything don't hesitate to ask LeRoy or myself, okay?" Hiram sat by his daughter, rubbing her back.
"Can we see her now? Please?" Quinn turned to LeRoy.
"Of course. Follow me."
Santana was exhausted, in a lot of pain and irritable. She been poked and prodded and x-rayed and asked questions for hours, by various different people, and it had worn thin. She just wanted to see her girls and to go home with them. She didn't have much love for hospitals and avoided them whenever possible – especially the one she knew her father was currently working at.
The two of them did not have the greatest of relationships – he was a very stern and serious man, who did not have time for anything other than his work and saw Santana as an inconvenience more often than not. Santana was used to it by now, they had their little unspoken arrangement of staying out of each other's way and just getting on with their lives. Even so, it didn't stop her from feeling disappointed when he didn't even come down to check on her…
Santana sat back in her bed and crossed her legs, wincing when she shifted too quickly and jostled her shoulder. She had her right arm in a sling temporarily to give her some support, her head bandaged loosely and all sorts of wires and things sticking in and on her. They wouldn't give her too many drugs for the pain because of the concussion they said she had, so she was having to just deal. Last year's Santana would have torn a strip off every single nurse and doctor in the place and probably punched a wall by now, but current Santana didn't want to hurt anyone, or make things worse, so she was trying to find another way. She was not having any luck so far though.
Fortunately a knock at the door focused her attention elsewhere for a few precious moments. Doctor Berry stuck his head round the door and gave her a kind smile when their eyes met. She had never met the man before today; he had turned up at her bedside not long after she'd arrived in the hospital, and already he had shown her more affection and kindness than her own father ever had. A thought that made her lip curl.
"I have some visitors here for you, if you're up for it?"
Santana's face lit up. "Fuck yeah, I am!"
The man smiled and opened the door wide to reveal three very anxious girls stood beside him. Santana's heart soared at the sight of them. Quinn and Brittany shot in, Quinn restraining the taller blonde who had been about to throw herself at her injured girlfriend. The Latina didn't care, she wrapped her good arm around Brittany, her hand finding and gripping Quinn's shoulder and held them both tight against her. Finally Santana felt like she could breathe again and tears started to spill down her cheeks. She could feel the blondes shaking with their own sobs so she held them even tighter, murmuring soft reassurances to them that she was okay and they were together again now.
Rachel still stood in the doorway by her father, her eyes glued to Santana taking in the girl's injuries. Her heart near enough broke when she heard the three girls crying, talking so quietly to each other. She turned to leave.
"Hey, where d'ya think you're going?"
She turned back to find Santana's dark eyes on her. Rachel could only shake her head at the girl.
"Come here? Please?" Santana's voice was strained and tired but there was a tinge of desperation to it that made Rachel's feet carry her over to the girl's bedside.
Quinn and Brittany stepped out of the way, Brittany going round to sit on the other side of Santana and Quinn perching on the bed by her feet. Rachel stood, anxiously fidgeting with the hem of her sweater, her eyes on her feet.
"Rach?"
A gentle hand stilled her nervous fingers and pulled her nearer until she had no choice but to look at the girl. She found no malice or anger in Santana's eyes – only warmth and, understandably, pain.
"I'm really glad you're here, Rachel."
"You-You are?"
"Of course I am," Santana squeezed the diva's hand reassuringly. Her face darkened then. "You're okay, right?"
Rachel frowned.
"Finn- He didn't hurt you, did he?"
"N-No, he didn't touch me. I promise." Rachel shuffled closer, wrapping her other hand around Santana's.
Santana let out a breath and nodded. "Good. I-I can't really remember much but I just had a horrible feeling that he'd hurt you."
Rachel felt the tears pricking at her eyes. She lifted Santana's hand to her mouth and pressed a kiss to it. "He did… when he hurt you."
"Rach-"
"I'm so sorry, Santana! This is all my fault…" Rachel's voice cracked and she turned, running from the room.
"No, Rachel, please don't-" Santana tried to follow, half way out of bed before the dizziness and nausea hit her and she fell forward into Quinn's waiting arms.
Doctor Carter had deemed it necessary for Santana to stay in hospital for the night for observation. She had tried to declare visiting hours were over and that everyone else had to go home, but that did not happen. LeRoy managed to convince the woman to at least let the girls stay, stating that they would remain in Santana's room and would be no bother at all. Doctor Carter had been skeptical but had given in almost instantly when they had all started talking at her again.
Quinn and Brittany had passed out almost immediately; the taller blonde tucked into Santana's bed beside her while the shorter blonde curled up between her feet, one hand on the brunette's leg at all times. Santana had resisted sleep in hopes that Rachel would come back but it had been over an hour and her pain meds were kicking it, so sleep was imminent.
The door to the room opened just as Santana was starting to slip into unconsciousness. She managed to blink the exhaustion back and focus in on the blurry figure that had slipped in and closed the door silently behind them.
"Rach?"
The figure froze.
"Come sit, please?" Santana reached out to tap the large comfy chair beside her bed.
After a moment of thought and an expectant silence, Rachel sighed and went to sit by Santana. "Look, I only came to drop Quinn and Brittany's bags off, they left them in the waiting room."
"You're not staying?"
"I-I don't think that's a good idea, Santana." The diva could not bear to look at the Latina – every time she saw the bandages, the sling, the pain in the girls face she wanted to cry and her self-loathing doubled.
"Why not?"
Rachel frowned and met Santana's eyes finally. She found only curiosity in them. "Because… Because I'm the reason you're in hospital right now."
"So? I mean," Santana shrugged. "Technically Finn and his gorilla strength is. And to be honest, I'm more to blame in all this than you are."
"What?"
"Quinn warned me what would happen if I pissed Finn of, and I know how petty he can be. But I didn't listen. I couldn't stand to see him treating you like you were his property or something. Always assuming you'd just come running back to him 'cuz he thinks he's hot shit and you're nothing," Santana leant towards Rachel, fire in her eyes. "You deserve so much more, Rachel. You deserve someone who gives a damn about you, who sees how fucking talented and beautiful you are, who doesn't want to just own you and expects you to just be waiting around until he has time for you again."
Rachel dashed away her tears. "And you deserve someone who isn't going to get you hurt by her jealous ex-boyfriend. You deserve someone who isn't going to kiss you then run away and hide, someone who can make your life brighter and better and happier… and right now, Santana? I'm not that someone."
Santana laughed, but quickly stopped, wincing as a shard of pain ricocheted through her body. "You think I give a fuck about any of that, Rachel? Do you think I would have gone after Finn if I wasn't willing to take a few hits? Do you think I wasn't terrified the first time Brittany and I kissed? I actually fell out of her bedroom window I was trying to get out of there so fast!"
Rachel smiled weakly.
"Do you think I don't struggle every fucking day, and fuck up, and hurt the people I love sometimes? Did you see me last year? I was a fucking mess and so angry all the time! All I did was hurt people and be a bitch because it was easier than facing the truth, it was easier than actually trying to understand why." Santana sighed. She sat back in bed, her body aching and feeling completely exhausted all of a sudden.
"Santana?" Worry coloured the diva's voice.
The Latina was quieter now, slumped in bed, her eyes barely open. "I'm not saying it's gonna be simple or quick. 'Cuz it's not. But it is a little easier when you have people in your corner, when you have people who get what you're going through." Santana fought to stay awake. "You don't ever have to do anythin' you don't want, an' I swear we will always look out for you. But I think we have somethin', Rach, an' I think you feel it too…" Santana trailed off, unconsciousness taking her finally after resisting it for so long.
Rachel watched Santana sleep; taking note of the girl's even breathing and the disappearance of the pain that had been etched on her face. The girl's words had been like a punch to her gut and a wake up slap to the face at the same time. Rachel had been so focused on not being who she had become last year, so focused on looking behind her that she had just been stumbling around blindly and hadn't seen any of this coming. That's why her feelings had taken her by surprise, that's why she had been so set on doing everything on her own…
The diva stood and tucked the covers around Santana and Brittany. She found the spare blankets a nurse had brought earlier and draped one carefully across Quinn's sleeping form. Rachel stood by the bed for a long while, debating. She longed to go home and hide and never leave her house again. But that was her fear and her selfishness talking. What she really wanted, what she was still kind of afraid to admit to herself, was to be curled up on that bed with them - in between Brittany's feet, Quinn warm at her side, her hand on Santana's leg too. She wanted that so much it hurt.
Rachel shook her head angrily. She felt like a fool. Instead of actually trying to figure out who she was, the diva had just been running away from who she didn't want to be… running blindly and aimlessly, and now she had tripped someone else up too. Someone who had worked so damn hard to come as far as she had… someone who cared and had been trying to look out for Rachel, even when Rachel hadn't felt worthy of kindness and love… Her insecurities ate at her insides, twisting the good into bad and making her afraid to go for the things she wanted most. She hadn't been afraid last year. She had been a bull in a china shop and gone about it all wrong.
Brittany mumbled Santana's name in her sleep then. It made Rachel's heart ache. What was she so afraid of? Or was it that she just didn't understand yet? If that was the case the only way for her to get past it was to actually spend time with these girls, get to know them and let herself be open with them in return! She wouldn't figure anything out on the run. With that thought in mind, Rachel dragged the chair she had been sat in as close to the bed as she could. She grabbed the other blanket and, getting as comfortable as possible in the chair, she threw it over herself, tucking it in tight. She hesitated a moment but pushed through her doubt and slipped her hand in Santana's good one.
Sleep came swiftly. So by the time LeRoy and Hiram came looking, wondering where their desperate-to-get-home daughter had vanished to, Rachel was dead to the world and the men did not have the heart to wake her. Especially when she looked so peaceful and so happy there with the girls, hand in hand with Santana.
AN: Let me know what you guys thought, I always love to hear from you =)