CHAPTER 21

Bella arrived at the hospital in record time, completely ignoring the fact that she drove nearly twenty miles over the speed limit the whole way there. She sprinted into the building and over to the front desk receptionist, her heart pounding like a bass drum.

"Excuse me!" She screamed at the bewildered receptionist. "I'm looking for the Hummel's. Their house caught fire and..." She then realized that she didn't really have any more information to give. "Do you know where they might be?" she asked.

She was not going to blow her composure. Finn, Kurt, Carole, and Burt were going to be traumatized enough, so she vowed to herself that she would be strong for them through this tragedy. If there was one thing she could do, it was act. And she knew she'd be able to at least act strong for the people she cared about.

Once the nurse pointed her in the right direction, she hurled herself down the corridor like a whirlwind. Once she reached the end of the hallway, she pushed open the double doors, and looked around without trying to seem too frantic.

Kurt immediately spotted her and jumped up out of his chair, running toward her with an expression that she couldn't quite read. His hair was a mess, and his face had traces of black on it. She guessed it was from the ashes. If it were any other time and he looked in a mirror, he'd scream bloody murder. Bella hugged him tightly, and looked over his shoulder at the rest of the room.

Where is he?

She spotted Carole, who didn't move from her position on a waiting room chair; one hand wiping away tears and the other, clutching Burt's hand tightly. Bella could see her fingernails digging into Burt's skin.

No. Bella whipped her head around the room furiously, trying to wrap her mind around everything. What was that supposed to mean? Where was Finn? Maybe he was just in the bathroom. He was definitely going to walk out any second, and she would hug him and tell him she was there for him and that everything would be okay. That was going to happen, right? Right?

She pushed Kurt back and looked into his eyes with a questioning expression. Kurt was her best friend. She didn't even need to ask him the question for him to know where her mind was.

"He." Kurt paused. "He got hurt in the fire," He finally managed to choke out.

Bella closed her eyes and felt the blood drain from her face.

"So he got a burn? A bad burn? Because my mom got a considerably bad burn once while making..."

Her voice trailed off and she held her breath when she saw Kurt put his head down. She glanced back at Carole.

It wasn't just a burn. Or a cut that can be healed by Neosporin and a steadfast bandage changing routine.

She heard Kurt saying something about a fallen piece of wood from a shelf and Finn being unconscious, but she tuned him out soon after and walked over to Carole, taking the seat next to her.

They didn't exchange a single word. Bella brought the sleeve of Finn's sweatshirt up to her nose, breathing in the smell. Carole reached down and grabbed Bella's small hand, giving it the slightest hint of a squeeze. Bella closed her eyes and begged for composure once again. She was the one that needed to stay strong. That's what Finn would want, right?

Two hours went by, and she simply couldn't sit any longer. Bella was never one for sitting still, and all the adrenaline stunts her and Finn did together proved just that. The doctor had come out earlier to update them, and they all breathed sigh of relief when they found out Finn only suffered a concussion, and a second degree burn on his arm. He would wake up for sure, but it was just a matter of when he would wake up. It could take anywhere from hours to days. Burt asked if they could go in the room and see him, and the doctor informed them that it would just take about another hour for him to be transported into a private room, and then he would be allowed visitors.

It took all of Bella's willpower not to scream at the doctor. An hour? That was absolutely preposterous. What kind of hospital was this? There were so many things she could yell right now, but she has to be the one to keep calm.

Sitting and waiting didn't cut it for her though, so she decided to take charge and make some phone calls. She called her mom and dad and told them the family would need somewhere to stay, at least for tonight. They agreed because in the past few months Elliot and Anna had become pretty fond of Burt and Carole. She called Puck, asking if he had any spare large t-shirts that would fit Finn. She called Mike, who was more Kurt-sized, and asked the same question; though she knew Kurt would cringe at the idea of wearing unfashionable boy clothing. She gave Mr. Schue a call so he was informed. She called Tina who told her that everyone on their street was cooking for the family. She called everyone. She called Mercedes who spent half an hour calming Bella down and convincing her that everything would be okay.

She went downstairs to the hospital cafeteria with Kurt to eat a blueberry muffin, and they brought up food for Carole, though she refused.

And then there was nothing left for her to do.

After about ten more minutes, the doctor came into the waiting and said that they could see Finn, and the four of them jumped up and followed the doctor towards the elevator, and up to room 400B.

The sight of Finn laying in a hospital bed caused Bella to freeze in the doorway, but Carole and Kurt rushed to Finn's side. Carole kissed his cheek and ran her hand over his shoulder, tears spilling over her eyelids. Burt sympathetically patted his hand on Bella's shoulder, then passed her to enter the room and took his place next to Carole.

Bella focused on Finn for a moment. He was dressed in a hospital gown, and there were blankets placed over his legs and stomach. His eyes were shut and his head was almost completely wrapped up with a white bandage. He had a pretty large stitched up gash on the left side of his cheek, and his right arm was wrapped up as well. She assumed that was where he got burned.

The sight was too much for Bella to take in, so she mumbled that she'd be right back, and hurried out of the room back toward the cafeteria. She had spent the past few hours keeping her confident Bella Dawson level-headedness - trying to distract herself from the fact that Finn was hurt. Sure, she knew that the doctor said he would wake up, but it didn't hurt her any less to see him lying there, unconscious. He was so hurt, and there was nothing that she could do about it. No amount of phone calls or spare shirts, or bandaids, or Neosporin, or insane cleanliness would help right now.

If there's one thing she despised most in this world, it was feeling helpless. And Finn, lying there… She needed him to wake up. She needed to see his eyes, his smile, his laugh. So much for staying strong, she thought to herself as she wiped her tears with his sweatshirt. She felt so out of character right now.

Time escaped her as she stared into space, but after a while Burt came down and told Bella that he was going to run a few errands, and that Carole and Kurt were going back to the Dawson residence to clean up and rest.

"You should go home too, get some rest" He suggested. "The doctor said that he'd call us as soon as Finn wakes up."

She couldn't leave though. She knew that Kurt needed her too, and that her parents would worry, but she definitely couldn't leave.

"I think I am going to stay a while longer," she replied softly. "But my parents are expecting you guys, so I'm positive that they have prepared a meal for you three, and they'll show you to the guest rooms. Tell Carole and Kurt I will meet them there."

Burt thanked Bella for her help, gave her a hug, and walked away. Bella sat in her seat for another minute before she got up. She looked around, taking in the sight of people who were in the same position as her: scared, afraid, and anxiously awaiting news or a positive change. Finn was going to wake up. He was. The doctor said it. She was thankful that she at least had that much good news - that he was going to be okay soon enough.

She took in another deep breath, and walked back up to room 400B where Finn was. She hesitated in the doorway momentarily, her breath catching in her throat, but this time she shook it off and walked right up to his bedside.

Looking down at him, her hand grazed across his cheek, down his neck, and stopped on his chest. She watched, relieved, as her hand moved up and down with his breathing. She grabbed his hand, the one that wasn't burned, and brought it up to her mouth, kissing it gently. She touched her cheek with it, and closed her eyes to try to fight back tears. His hand was so warm, so familiar, like always. Her eyes were burning and she succumbed to her emotions and let her tears fall.

"Finn, I'm here," Bella choked out. "I'm here and… and you're going to be just fine. Just wake up soon because… we have so much to do. We have to fill out all our college applications, we have to win Cheerios, Football and Glee Nationals, we're going to stay together through college, we're going to get married, have kids, grow old together. Just wake up soon okay? I demand it." She laughed a little, and sobbed at the same time.

Not sure if she could manage to say anything else, she began to hum the tune of an incredibly random song: "Shallow" from A Star is Born. She forced Finn to watch that movie just last week.

She placed a kiss on his cheek, and swore she could feel him breathe in a little deeper at the contact. Pulling up a chair, she took his hands and again, rested her head on the bed so the top of her head was touching his chest.

She breathed with him.

He was going to wake up soon, she thought, as she shut her eyes, and continued to hum…