Author's Note: As promised, here is the next chapter before my internet goes off tomorrow and the last chapter until my internet is turned on in my new house on Friday *sigh * I am stressed to fuck right now, I'm almost certain my car is gonna crap out on me before I manage to move/get it to the garage next week, and work is just the same shit on a different day. Nothing gets better there and it's depressing as fuck.

But anywho, I'm working very hard on this story for all you lovely people, about half way done with chapter ten already! Thank you so very much to the incredibly awesome folks who have reviewed and shared their thoughts and feelings with me, it means a lot and I appreciate you all!

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except a great deal of student loan debt *sigh *

Content Warning: brief medical talk happening in the last section of this chapter.

Chapter Seven

Santana had not been this exhausted or in this much pain since her first month of Cheerios practices. Well, actually, not since Coach Sylvester discovered she could have the Cheerios airdropped into a jungle to survive for a week and get away with it by telling Figgins it was a field trip. Thankfully she had been partnered with Brittany otherwise she would have gone completely insane and would not have thought twice about tying a teammate to a tree as bait.

The doctor had discharged her Saturday afternoon after spending the day poking and prodding her again. They had given her an armful of pamphlets and so many instructions and dos and don'ts that her head hurt even worse by the end of it and she had to lie down until everything stopped spinning. Fortunately Quinn and Rachel were there to take extensive notes and Doctor Berry translated the medical speak for her. Although her father was a doctor too she had never particularly been allowed within his work life and he cared not if she followed in his footsteps so hadn't made any effort to even speak to her on the subject.

Santana had been instructed to rest for the next week, give her body time to start to heal. She consented for the first few days, too exhausted to even argue. But by Friday, she was bored out of her mind and practically climbing the walls she was so restless. Yes, her body still hurt and the only reason she had slept at all was because of the powerful painkillers the doctors had prescribed that knocked her out. But, to be honest, she missed her girls when they were at school, and her anxiety was through the roof letting them go back there without her. Especially knowing that Finn still probably hadn't gotten the message about staying away from Rachel!

Santana had woken up Friday morning feeling a little better and was determined to go back to school. It had taken a great deal of persuading and bargaining for the three girls to convince Santana to stay at home and rest, at least for the first few days. But here they were, having the same fight once again, only this time Santana was up for the fight and even Brittany's offers of all the sweet lady kisses she wanted wasn't enough to convince her to stay home. Quinn had unleashed Lion Quinn and refused to even hear the Latina's excuses and reasons, but then the blonde played dirty and set Rachel on her.

"If you don't take the time to heal properly then it will take that much longer and there's a chance you could not only end up missing Regionals, but you could land yourself back in hospital too," Rachel perched on the side of her bed as Santana sulked.

Quinn had called the diva when they had run out of options and were about to turn to brute force. Rachel had turned up only minutes later, having already been on her way to school with her fathers, and had immediately calmed the Latina down.

"I fucking know, okay? Believe me! I just…" Santana's frown deepened and her entire body tensed. "I should be there with you. I should be looking out for you, all of you. I know you said he hasn't shown his face at school but we won't be that lucky forever! What if something happens? What if the douchebag tries something today? What if-"

Rachel clamped her hand over Santana's mouth. The Latina's eyes widened and her eyebrows shot up at the boldness of the diva, who was sat there looking at her with a soft smirk.

"I never thought I'd be the one saying this but… you talk too much, Santana."

Quinn choked back a laugh and Brittany giggled at Santana's expression.

"Now, I'm going to take my hand back and then I want you to listen, yes?"

Santana rolled her eyes but gave a small nod. Rachel did as she said she would and took Santana's hand instead.

"I know you're anxious, I know you feel helpless and I know you feel like you are letting the people you care about down by not being there every day. You're used to being the person with all the answers, the protector, but what they need most from you," Rachel glanced over her shoulder at the two blondes stood watching; Brittany fidgeting with her school bag unable to keep still, and Quinn stood to attention, her arms folded, her hazel eyes flitting between the two girls on the bed. "Is for you to look after yourself and heal properly so they don't lose you."

Santana glanced at the blondes and guilt ate at her as she noted their own anxiety and worry. She had been so focused on trying to keep them safe that she hadn't realised she'd been doing even more damage.

Santana sighed. "Fuck. You're right, I know you are." She addressed Quinn and Brittany then. "I'm sorry. I haven't been thinking straight and I haven't been considering you guys the way I should have. Everything just… hurts and I wanna be out of this shitty house already. But I love you and I will never stop worrying or caring about you, or trying to look after you. You're my family."

Quinn crouched beside Rachel, her hand finding Santana's too and holding tight so Rachel could not remove her own hand. "Family look after each other, isn't that what you always say? So it's about time you started taking your own words to heart and letting us look after you too, dumbass!"

Santana chuckled but before she could respond, Brittany leapt onto the bed and added her own hand to the pile.

"You do everything for us, San. You take notes for me when I fall asleep in class, you calm Quinn down when she gets mad at everything, you fought a giant for Rachel and you always try and make our world a fun and kind place when we're together. I know you do it because you love us so let us do this because we love you. Okay?" Brittany knew Santana couldn't say no to her, especially when she combined her pout with her big blue eyes.

"Urgh Britt, you know that's not fair! Logic and my own damn words being thrown back at me was one thing, but when you look at me like that too? That's just cruel. But fine!" Santana sat back in her bed and kicked off her boots. "I'll stay in bed and rest, but I want you all to text me when you're at school safely and stay as far away from King Kong as possible if he does show his face today, okay?"

The three girls gave a chorus of 'yes, Santana' as they got to their feet and made to leave.

"No, I mean it, Q." Santana grabbed Quinn's arm and dragged her back. "You stay the fuck away from him. And you keep Rachel far away from him too. Hurting me is one thing, I don't give a fuck about me, but if he so much as lays a finger on any of you I will kill him with my bare hands."

Quinn met the girl's deadly serious gaze with one of own, cupping Santana's face with her hands. "I know, S. And as much as I want to make him hurt for what he's done to you, I need you to stay out of prison and in my life even more." She pressed their foreheads together gently, breathing in Santana and letting out a long shaky breath.

Santana's eyes slid closed as Quinn kissed her; her lips barely a whisper at first and then needy, desperate. Santana's hands wrapped around the back of her neck and held them together, as desperate for the embrace as the blonde was. They poured their pain, their worry, their anger into the kiss until it turned gentle again and they parted with soft smiles and lingering fingers, hands not wanting to let go of each other. Quinn was quite certain that if Santana had not been so badly injured she would have climbed into bed with her and given herself entirely to the girl then and there.

A thought that no longer scared the shit out of her as it had done before. There were always going to be things in this world, in her life that she had no control over. That still terrified her but she knew that she could handle it with her family by her side. The thought of losing Santana had put a great deal into perspective for Quinn and she didn't want to keep her or Brittany at arm's length any more. She was done cowering, and being angry, and screaming into the void - it was time she stepped up to be the person her family needed her to be: herself.

Brittany bounded over to press a kiss to Santana's lips next, smiling into it as she tasted Quinn's chapstick mixed with Santana's familiar taste. "Can I stay home with you, San? My teachers wouldn't mind. I don't want you to be alone and worrying all day again."

"I know, Britt, and I appreciate that. But I need you to do something for me, okay?"

Brittany nodded eagerly, edging closer to Santana.

Santana had a bad feeling about today, she couldn't quite put her finger on it but… she needed the girls to be on their guard today just in case. "I need you to look after Q and Rach today. You gotta keep them outta trouble and be their back-up," She glanced conspiratorially over at the two girl's by the door, which made Brittany glance over too. "You gotta be my eyes and my ears today. You're the only person I can trust with this, so you gotta go to class and focus and eat lunch with them and look after them in Glee. Can you do that?"

Brittany put one hand over her heart and stuck the pinkie of her other hand out for Santana to link her own with. "I swear on Lord and Lady Tubbington that I will not let you down!"

Santana squeezed her girlfriend's pinkie, smiling at how beautiful the girl looked right then with such a serious expression on her face. "I love you, Britt. You make my world better just by being you, you know that?"

"Of course I know that, San. 'Cuz you do the same for me," Brittany cupped Santana's chin and gazed into her eyes. "I love you too." The blonde whispered against her lips.

Brittany somehow always managed to light Santana's whole body and soul on fire with just a few words, with a look, with a touch… She was magical, unpredictable, an unstoppable force and Santana couldn't fathom how she had gotten so lucky to have Brittany in her life. The dancer saw her, all of her, and never stopped reminding her of all the good and love she saw inside Santana. Even when Santana could see nothing but darkness and anger.

"Come on, Britt, if we don't leave now we're gonna be late," Quinn grabbed their bags and tugged Brittany off the bed and out the bedroom door before they really got their mack on. She'd never have been able to drag Brittany away then!

"Rach?"

Rachel had one foot out the door when Santana had called her back. She hesitated but moved to sit by Santana again. She had been trying to give the family of three a little space the last few days, to look after themselves and heal. But she had missed them something fierce, Santana especially since Brittany and Quinn stuck to her like glue at school so she had no choice but to see them. It wasn't the same though. It felt like an obligation, on Santana's orders or something. They had invited her over a few times, well, Brittany had. Quinn was still a little withdrawn and cautious around her. Not that Rachel blamed the girl. Quinn was doing what she thought was best and protecting not only her family, but herself too. Rachel had declined but made sure to call the Latina every day to check up on her progress and… and just to hear her voice, really.

Now here she was, alone and face to face with the girl she had been thinking about non-stop for weeks… She so badly wanted to reach out and touch her again. Wanted to kiss her, feel Santana move under her, feel her breath on her skin… God, what was she doing?! Rachel mentally shook herself and finally met the Latina's eyes.

"Thank you."

"I… didn't do anything."

"Yes," Santana found her hand and squeezed. "You did. I'm stubborn and I don't always see the things that are right in front of me. Sometimes I need someone to throw logic at me and take the time to lay the harsh truth out there. I think Britt and Q are too scared to even think about it, not that I blame them. I should probably be more scared for myself, but all I care about is them… and you, Rachel. I need you all to be okay. Now more than ever because I can't be there."

Rachel blushed, dipping her head to try and hide it.

"I know we're not… anything, but can you do me a favour, Rach?" Santana chucked the diva under the chin, sharing a smile when their eyes met again. "I'm sure you already have been but… can you look after my family?"

Rachel's mouth fell open and she just about managed to nod.

"I need that determined, stubborn, ruthless diva back, for a little while at least. She might not be who you want to be anymore, but she was pretty badass and could give as good as she got. Which is what we need right now. I know it's selfish of me to ask, Rachel," Santana's brow furrowed. "I know you're struggling to figure your own shit out. I just… I need you."

Rachel's heart skipped a beat. She had never thought she would hear those words from anyone, let alone Santana. The Latina's dark eyes mesmerised her, holding her captive in her power while she waited for an answer. But Rachel could barely thinking of anything other than how badly she wanted to kiss the lips those words had come from. So she did.

Santana's eyebrows shot up as Rachel closed the gap between them and pressed their lips together. She expected the diva to pull away almost immediately but the girl kissed her again, and again, until she felt a tingle run down her spine. It was gentle and slow, Rachel was scared of hurting Santana, yet she could not help herself and pushed herself closer. Santana, lost in the moment, grabbed a fistful of Rachel's shirt and pulled her on top of her until Rachel was sitting in her lap.

"Fuck, I've missed you, Rach," Santana mumbled against the diva's lips, her hands landing on the smaller girl's hips and pulling her as close as she could. It still wasn't close enough for either of them - the Latina groaned softly when she felt Rachel move to straddle her, a knee either side of her, and wrap her arms around Santana's neck.

There was a loud honking from outside then. Rachel whimpered against Santana's lips, tensing up.

"I think you gotta go, Rach." Santana made no move to break the kiss though, burying her fingers in Rachel's hair and swiping her tongue along the diva's bottom lip.

"Yes, I probably should…" Rachel muttered into the Latina's mouth. Her fingers snuck under the collar of Santana's t-shirt to trail up the back of her neck and tangle in her hair. She enjoyed the shiver that went through the girl and the soft moan that slipped from her mouth.

The honking came again. Rachel sighed and broke the kiss to glance out the window. She turned back to Santana, the girl's eyes darker than ever, her lips a little swollen and her chest rising and falling noticeably, catching Rachel's wandering eyes. If there was ever a time she wanted to be a rebel and skip school, it was definitely then. But she saw the bandages on the girl again and remember why she had to go. Rachel untangled herself carefully from Santana and got off the bed.

"I'll look after them. You have my word, Santana." With that, Rachel turned and left, hurrying downstairs and out to her impatient fathers and the two blondes in the car.

Santana was dozing in bed, her TV on low, an episode of Friends playing. It was lunch time and she had worked herself up so much that morning that she barely had the energy to worry anymore. Didn't stop anxiety clammering at her though and keeping her from actual restful sleep. A car door slammed outside her window making her eyelids flicker. There came a knock and murmured conversation then footsteps approached Santana's bedroom.

The soft knock at her door did nothing to rouse her so it came again, louder now. Maribel Lopez stuck her head around the door.

"There's a Doctor Berry here to see you, Santana! Come on, wake up!" She threw the door open, jerking Santana awake.

The girl's eyes went wide and panic gripped her chest. The sudden tension had jarred her shoulder and pain flooded her senses again, telling her she was well overdue her next dose of painkillers. She growled at her mother's usual placidity and lack of concern for her.

LeRoy stood in the doorway behind Maribel, a look of horror on his face as Santana's mother, seeing her daughter awake now, turned to him with a smile and informed him she was going out and to lock up behind him. He watched the woman go before turning back to find the girl stretching for her meds on her night stand.

"Here." LeRory placed his bag by her bed and handed Santana her medication. He stayed silent as she rummaged through it all for a moment before getting frustrated and upending it in her lap so she could see what she was looking for.

"Fuck's sake…" Santana muttered. Her eyes lit up as she found the correct pills, popped the right dose out and swallowed them with a mouthful of water. "I need to set alarms or some shit. Usually Britt or Q reminds me but, well, they ain't here and I always fucking forget." She sat back against her pillows, dark, tired eyes on LeRoy now. "What's up, Doc?"

LeRoy couldn't help his chuckle. He moved to fetch the chair in the corner of the room piled high with Quinn's clothes – he carefully set the clothes on the floor before bring the chair to Santana's bedside and sitting himself in it. "How are you, Santana? I'm sorry I haven't been able to come by sooner, I had assumed your father would be looking after you…" He trailed off awkwardly.

"Yeah, no. That'd never happen. But I'm y'know, pissed off, anxious, irritable, fucking exhausted… the usual." She shrugged. "I didn't know house calls were in your job description, Doctor Berry." Santana scrutinized him.

LeRoy smiled gently and opened his bag to bring out his stethoscope and a box of sterilized, one-use gloves. "They usually aren't, but I always go where I am needed. So… may I?"

Santana rolled her eyes but sat up so he could reach her easier. "Sure, knock yourself out, Doc."

LeRoy, clad in gloves and stethoscope in place, stood and started his examination. He removed the bandage on her head, checked to see how it was healing before redressing it. He did the same for the wound on her shoulder, pressing firmly but carefully with his fingers along her shoulder blade to ensure nothing was out of place. He listened to her heart and lungs, took her temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, checked her reflexes and finally her eyes – nodding to himself as her pupil dilation and response seemed normal now.

"What's the verdict, Doc? Will I ever play the piano again?" Santana smirked at him as LeRoy put his things away and sat back down.

"There does not appear to be any infection in the wounds, which is excellent! Ensure you keep everything clean and dry, and get the dressing changed every day or so, okay?" LeRoy crossed his legs and folded his hands on his knee. "You seem coherent and bright, any more vomiting or memory loss this week?"

Santana shook her head.

"Nausea? Dizziness? Mood swings? Headaches?"

"No. A little still, when I move too fast. I'm a hormonal teenage girl, what do you think? And fucking duh!" Santana gestured to the bandage on her head.

LeRoy nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, you make a good point. Well if anything does get worse or the headaches don't start lessening after the weekend, please let myself or another doctor know because you may need further scans to check from something more serious, okay?" He took a card from his shirt pocket and placed it on her nightstand. "Just in case." He tapped the card and sat back.

They stared at each other for a few moments. LeRoy scrutinizing Santana, and Santana scrutinizing LeRoy right on back

"Whatever you wanna say, just go for it. I won't lie to you, Doctor Berry. You've been kind and you're still looking out for me. And Quinn told me what you and your husband did for her and Britt that night. I can't thank you enough for that. But I can have an honest conversation with you…" Santana held the man's serious gaze. "If that's what you want?"

LeRoy remained silent for a second more before he nodded and sat up straighter. "Have you thought about what you wish to do about Mr. Hudson yet? He assaulted you. There need to be consequences, so he understands what he did was wrong and dangerous. I know," the man held up a hand, his eyes softening. "You cannot remember much of it and that getting the police involved will be a long, difficult process that will most likely not work out in your favour. You are young, Latina, female and queer. The world will not be kind to you. But I suspect you already know that. So if you do wish to press charges then myself and Hiram will do whatever we can to support you. We have already spoken about it and Hiram has a lot of experience in this field."

Santana's eyebrows shot up. This was not what she had expected when the man had walked into her room. She had expected to get grilled about Rachel…

"However, if that is not something you wish, then we would be more than happy to help you speak to your Principal, the school board, Mr. Hudson and his family, whoever you wish to speak to and however you wish to deal with this. My opinion is that he needs to understand that his actions have consequences." LeRoy lent towards Santana, his hand finding hers and squeezing for just a moment. "But the choice is entirely yours. We will not push and we will not question your decision. We only wish to support you."

Santana's heart clenched so painfully as the man sat back, his kind smile reaching all the way to his eyes. She was lost for words. Santana trusted very few people in her life, five people in fact. And only two of those were adults: Brittany's mom and dad. Not even Mr. Schue made her list, the man had a bad habit of letting them down and treating them like children, being dismissive of the Glee kids whenever it suited him not to listen to them. So to have this man, the father of a girl she still barely knew, turn up at her bedside twice now and go out of his way to look after her and treat her like a human being instead of just a whiney child with a boo-boo was… it blew her mind.

"My apologies, Santana, I know that was a lot to ask of you and a great deal of information when you are still recovering!" LeRoy started to get to his feet, reaching for his bag. "I will take my leave and give you time to-"

"Wait!" Santana moved to stop him, her hand catching his bag before he could grab it and leave. "I mean… thank you. For all that… touchy-feely crap." She cleared her throat awkwardly, trying to shift the lump that had settled there.

"Well you are very welcome for all the… crap," LeRoy's eyes twinkled as he sat back down. "But to tell you the truth, Santana, this isn't purely out of the kindness of my heart."

There it is. Santana sighed, scowling, and sat back in her bed, arms crossed defensively, protectively. It's never fucking simple or easy. Everyone wants something.

"I know you got hurt trying to keep my little girl safe. Rachel told me Finn hadn't been taking 'no' for an answer and you tried to step in." LeRoy glanced down at his hands, a deep frown lining his face. "I cannot bear to think what could have happened if…" The man shook the black and terrible thoughts from his head and looked back at Santana with certainty in his eyes. "I- we want to help you because you were there for Rachel when Hiram and I couldn't be."

Santana could barely comprehend what she was hearing. LeRoy Berry had proved her assumptions wrong and kept on proving her wrong. He was genuine and generous and kind. Much like his daughter, so she really should have seen this coming. Then again she hoped she was nothing like her parents so she decided to see the Berry family as three anomalies that had found each other, fated to be together because of their innate ability to love. She smiled. The similarity between her family and Rachel's started to dawn on her and it made her heart happy. The diva had love and protection and support at home. The Unholy Trinity could handle the rest if only Rachel would let them in…

The girl cleared her throat a little awkwardly, trying not to sound as choked up as she was. "Rachel's pretty badass, she coulda handled it, Doctor Berry. We were just there as back up."

LeRoy beamed. "She really rather is, isn't she? Even so," he held Santana's gaze. "I am glad she has you and Brittany and Quinn on her side. You are all very strong, very loving people. So if any of you ever need anything, you have my number. Use it." The man stood, put the chair back where it came from, placed the pile of clothes carefully back too, and grabbed his bag. "If it is acceptable to you, I will return tomorrow about the same time?"

Santana shrugged. "You don't gotta, Doc, but I appreciate it. If Q knows I've got my very own Doctor on-call she might finally take that stick out of her ass and stop worrying so much!"

LeRoy laughed. "In that case, let her know that I will be back every day until you are at 100% again!"

"Sure thing, Doc. Uh…" Santana hesitated. She wasn't used to anyone but her girls giving a damn about her. And she especially wasn't used to having a parental type person care! Never mind that the Doctor was going out of his way for her when he surely had better things to be doing, she knew how busy the hospital kept her own father so this was… Doctor Berry was…

"Santana?" LeRoy moved to sit on the edge of her bed, concern colouring his voice when he saw the girl's eyes glaze over with tears.

The girl dashed the wetness away and affixed a smile to her face. "I just wanted to say thank you. And that you don't have to do any of this. Rachel's our friend. We look after our friends so I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

LeRoy nodded slowly, his eyes taking in the girl and, not for the first time, wondering how Santana was even related to Gabriel because the pair were nothing alike. They had the same nose and same dark, intense eyes but where Gabriel was hardened and all business, unwavering in his matter-of-fact attitude towards everything (which made him a phenomenal doctor but left much to be desired socially and parentally), his daughter was full of so much love and she was so willing to share it but the world had already hurt her and made her wary so she hid it. She hid herself and threw herself at danger recklessly to protect other people. Even people she barely knew, like his own daughter.

"You are a hell of a person, Santana Lopez. I shall see you tomorrow." With that, LeRoy stood and strode out of the room, leaving a bemused Santana sat listening to the front door shut and the man's car start before she caught sight of it out of her window disappearing down the road.

Santana's cell phone chimed with an incoming text. She stretched carefully to grab it and opened the message. It was from Quinn and contained only four words but that was more than enough to stop her heart.

I fucked up, S.

AN: Sorry for the cliffhanger DX I promise to post next weekend once my internet is on, you have my word! I hope you are still enjoying the story, please feel free to let me know what you thought =)