A/N: I do not own Glee or any of its characters. Thank you for the reviews/favs/follows!
Chaos. That is the best description for what is happening around me. Brittany's heart rate plummeted not even a moment before getting to the entrance of the hospital doors, spiking worry and fear into the EMTs and nurses helping her. They rambled about the damage caused from the hypothermia and how it put a strain on her heart, rushing her away. I stood aimlessly outside in the waiting room, pacing back and forth, listening to the bustling noise of phones ringing and people chatting.
I don't know why I am so worked up over this person. It's not like I haven't saved people before. I have a brief moment of triumph knowing I saved a life and stopping a tragedy from happening but then move on to continue my job. But she has me hooked in and on edge, anxious for her health and recovery. Why does she matter so much? What about her makes her stand out? Taking a seat and thinking so much i began to fade in and out of sleep.
Being shaken awake is not my favorite, especially by a cranky Quinn. I groggily opened my eyes and looked up to see her and Kurt looking at me as if I was crazy. I straightened my neck out after having it kinked to the side for so long, allowing the muscles to stretch and bones to pop.
"First off have you been here the whole time?" Quinn asked amazed.
"Yes. What time is it anyway?" I asked looking around for a clock.
"It's a quarter 'till six. You've been here for five hours Santana. Have you even had anything to eat since breakfast?" I scrunched my eyebrows together confused, had it really been five hours? It felt longer.
"Sue is also pissed you never checked in with her, but we covered for you and said you contacted us and told us where you were at." Kurt mentioned handing me a granola bar to nibble on.
I grumbled a thanks for the bar before slowly opening it and taking small bites out of the bar, grinding the bits and pieces until there was nothing left, taking my time. My body felt exhausted and heavy. I looked around the waiting room and saw only a few people here that were here earlier as well.
"Thanks for covering for me, I appreciate it." I said genuinely.
"Why have you been waiting here San?" I stood up and looked at Quinn as if she had three heads.
"To make sure Brittany is okay." I said firmly walking towards the garbage to throw away the wrapper.
"Who's Brittany?" Quinn asked turning to Kurt.
"The girl we found on the beach and EMTs took away. Santana found her and helped resuscitate her." Kurt replied nonchalantly.
"So then why did you stay here? You know she is in good hands here with trained personnel and doctors on call." I stood there speechless because I really didn't have a good answer for her besides the fact I needed to be sure she was okay and safe.
"Just being a responsible life guard and following through on saving people." I said looking away from her questioning gaze. Just then a doctor who had helped wheel Brittany away emerged from two massive white doors scribbling down some things on a clipboard.
"Anyway, be right back." I say making my way towards him, leaving Quinn and Kurt to follow me.
"Excuse me sir?" I tap his shoulder from behind in order to gain his attention. He spins around with a small smile on his face.
"Yes?" he asks politely.
"Did you happen to help a young woman earlier today? She has blonde hair, blue eyes?"
"Yes I did. Are you friends of hers?"
"Sort of… We are lifeguards from coastal patrol and found her on the beach." I explain to him.
"Oh, well what may I help you with?"
"I was hoping you could tell me how she is doing?" I asked quietly.
"I am afraid I cannot divulge that information to you, unless you are family or relatives." He shrugged his shoulders, looking sympathetic.
"Actually sir, my friend and I checked with local police for any missing persons and found no cases that fit this girl's description. We had police run her name and couldn't find her nor any family members. I do not believe she has anyone." Quinn stepped up speaking confidently.
The doctor eyed her for a moment, judging whether Quinn was telling the truth or not. He must have believed her because he waved his hand at us to follow him. The halls were bleached white, the only streak of color was the solid blue stripe lining the wall. It was depressing to say the least but I kept my sight forward focusing on where he was taking us. We arrived shortly in front of a room where I could see the young woman I saved earlier, Brittany.
I immediately walked straight into the room without a hesitation, but the doctor pulled on my elbow before I made it past the door frame.
"Miss, I would encourage you not to wake her. I must explain a few things to you before you enter he room." He said to me with soft eyes. I stood next to Quinn and Kurt with my arms folded across my chest, listening intently to what he had to say.
"This young woman, Brittany Pierce, she has been through a traumatic event and is confused with what has happened to her and how she got here. I cannot stress to you that she is weak and needs her rest as well as someone to look after her. As I understand, you said that she had no family correct?" Directing his question to Quinn, to which she nodded.
"This may be inconsiderate of me to ask of you, but is there any way you can take this woman into your care? I know that this proposition sounds incredibly strange, but I am genuinely concerned for her health if she is released and has no one to look after her during her recovery, causing herself more damage than good. It would not have to be for long, but just long enough for her to get healthy and back on her feet, so to speak."
"Uh, I really don't know what to say." Kurt sputtered out surprised.
"May we have a moment to discuss this amongst ourselves doctor?" Quinn asked raising an eye brow.
"Of course. I'll be back to check on her vitals in a bit. Take all the time you need." He said walking down the hall.
We all stood there speechless over the unpredictable proposition. Yes, I wanted to take her in without a second guess, but I had to be logical about this. We know nothing about this girl besides we found her on the beach nearly dead. For all we know she can be a trouble-maker, a murderer, a thief? But I doubt any of those things, why though? Maybe it was the way she looked at me, her eyes filled with innocence.
"Well, this has turned into an eventful day." Quinn said sarcastically.
"Did you manage to get the kid back to his parents?" Kurt asked trying to redirect things to a lighter note. Quinn simply walked over to the wall and leaned against it.
"Yeah, his parents had no idea what had happened, but once they calmed down everything was fine." She said rubbing her forehead.
"That's good." I manage to say. "But don't you think we need to address this issue?" I say pointing to Brittany's room.
"Well what are we supposed to do? Adopt some stranger for a few weeks? Do you know how crazy that sounds!" Quinn said incredulously.
"I know but what if you were in her shoes?"
"Quinn, she doesn't have anyone." Kurt reminded quietly.
"So what we just assume we can trust her and be fine with that? What do we do when she is all better and has nowhere to go, then what?" Quinn asked irritated. I knew she wasn't mad at us, but the situation at hand was causing her to be anxious, which turns into anger.
"We will think about that when it arises, but I think we should help her Quinn." Kurt said confidently, calming her doubts and fears. She eyed him skeptically before softening her facial features and giving in.
We all approach Brittany's room quietly before taking a seat in the chairs near her bed. I take my chair and scoot it closer so I'm right at the edge of her bed. I don't feel like it would be proper of me to grab her hand though, not with Quinn and Kurt right there. That would be difficult to explain, hell I can't even explain it.
The machines she is hooked up to make a steady, rhythmic beep. In an eerie way, it's soothing, knowing she is alive and on the mend. Her skin has become more pink and lively, a massive improvement from when I first saw her lying in the tide pools.
"Hello again." The doctor announced himself knocking on the door, pulling our attention away from Brittany's sleeping body.
"Have we reached a decision?" He asked happily. If I didn't know better I would assume he just wants to pawn her off.
"Yes, we have sir. We will gladly welcome her into our home temporarily." Quinn replied gracefully.
"Wonderful if you follow me we can go over some paperwork." He gestured to both Quinn and Kurt.
"Are you okay to stay here?" Quinn turned to ask me.
"Yeah of course. You know me and paperwork, we don't get along. Too much reading." I said giving her a devilish smile and a wink. She knows that I never read anything more than a paragraph, hence she had to do all the apartment paperwork.
"You are such a bother sometimes." Quin chuckled leaving the room. I couldn't help but shake my head and laugh myself.
"Father.." I glanced up and saw Brittany starting to stir, gently mumbling. I quickly slide my chair back away from her bed, afraid that I may startle her if she sees me so close. I wander why she would call for her father if she supposedly doesn't have family? Maybe she is religious?
She tiredly opens her eyes and looks up at the ceiling, scanning each tile and squinting to examine the boring pattern. She looks down at her bed and notices the tubes and machines she's hooked up to and quickly gets antsy. She begins to panic and pulls out the IV from her hand and yelps in pain.
I jump up quickly and stop her from ripping anything else out. I hold onto her hands and she struggles to relax. She is overwhelmed with her environment and she doesn't know what to do. I have a gentle, but firm grip on her hands to prevent her from getting antsy again, even though I can hear her starting to whine.
"Brittany." I say her name trying to soothe her, staring directly at her eyes until she can only focus on me. Her breathing has picked up because of her fear but once she locks eyes with me I have her full attention.
"You're okay, there is no need to be scared or worried. The IVs you're hooked up to are to help you feel better." I reassure her, releasing her hands and sitting back down slowly in my seat.
She watches as I sit back down and then looks at the room we are in again. She glances down to the gown she is wearing and gingerly brings her fingers to the collar before rubbing the material between her fingers. She notices the wristband that's tightly wrapped around her small arm and begins to mess with it, I'm guessing to rip it off. She gives up after several minutes.
I feel bad that I haven't asked her how she is doing yet. But there is no telling she even remembers me, which may be even stranger if I don't explain why I am here…
"Brittany, do you remember me?" I ask her softly. She finally has relaxed and laid back in the bed enjoying the soft pillows behind her, releasing a heavy sigh.
"Yes, you were on the beach talking with me." She replied with a smile. "What is your name?"
"Santana Lopez." I reply.
"Thank you Santana Lopez for saving my life." She says genuinely, smiling brightly at me. I can feel my face flush by the way she is looking at me. I cough awkwardly before speaking.
"It wasn't a problem, just doing my job." I said to her, returning the smile. Just then Quinn and Kurt walked in laughing.
"Hey look Sleeping Beauty has awaken!" Kurt exclaimed happily.
"Excuse my dear friend, he is obsessed with Disney princesses." Quinn said joyfully.
"That's because he wants to be one." I say jokingly, sending a playful wink.
"Yeah whatever you probably just want to play the evil villains, it would fit your personality so well." He laughed heartily. Brittany just looked on at our lively banter and smiled, giggling at our jokes.
"How rude of us, we should introduce ourselves." Quinn stated. "I'm Quinn Fabray, this is Kurt Hummel, and this is-"
"Santana Lopez." She said finishing Quinn's sentence for her. Quinn looked to me with a surprised look, as did Kurt, waiting for me to give an explanation. I opened my mouth, but before I could get a word Brittany continued.
"She saved my life today." She said sweetly. I turned my gaze down to the floor embarrassed for some reason.
"That she did." Kurt said slowly. "Well, I have some great news to tell you Miss Pierce." Kurt continued from the awkward pause in the conversation.
"Brittany. You can call me Brittany Kurt." She said charmingly.
"Well Brittany, we have a surprise for you." He said excitedly, pausing to build anticipation.
"Out with it Kurt." I spat at him, getting impatient.
"We are going to temporarily adopt you!" He announced. Brittany scrunched her eyebrows looking thoroughly confused, so he continued. "Well not really, not legally, we are going to take care of you until you are better and on your feet. How does that sound?" He asked enthusiastically.
She looked down at the foot of her bed and stared incredulously at her toes, watching them wiggle back and forth. She sat there and looked deep in thought, contemplating something. She then looked between the three of us and bit her lower lip.
"That sounds wonderful!" She said brightly.
"Great, then we can get you out of here before you know it." Quinn said before leaving the room to finalize some release papers.
"Welcome to the family." Kurt greeted her with a hug and she returned it happily.
"So down this hallway is your room and it's not much right now but you can holler if you need anything from Santana, who is across the hall, or me, just next to the bathroom, little bit further." Quinn explained to Brittany as we wheeled her through our apartment. She had been too weak to walk yet, so we managed to snag an old wheelchair.
"Are you hungry at all? Maybe thirsty?" Quinn asked politely.
"No, thank you Quinn. I'm just feeling run down is all." She managed to say through a yawn.
"I could only imagine. Um, I think Santana might have some extra clothes you can borrow, if not I do."
"Thanks Quinn, you're incredibly kind." Brittany replied sending Quinn a thankful smile.
"I hope you enjoy your time here. Please don't feel bashful about anything, our home is now your home. Sweet dreams Brittany." Quinn said walking to her room.
"So you ready to hit the hay?" I ask cheerfully.
"The what?" She asked confused. It was adorable hearing the confusion in her voice.
"For bed I mean." I chuckled wheeling her into the spare room. There isn't any furniture in the room, just a queen bed with some bedding and a single vanity mirror.
"I am going to grab you some clothes really quick. Help yourself to jumping on the bed." I joked hoping I could get her to smile.
"Unlikely to happen." She laughed as I left the room to grab her some clothes. I couldn't fight the smile forming on my lips.
I quickly grabbed the comfiest and warmest clothes I could find, knowing that a hospital gown is the worst thing to sleep in. I could only imagine what she is going through right now. Having complete strangers taking you in and not having any family or friends to depend on or ask for help. It breaks my heart, maybe we can become friends and then she'll have someone to lean on.
I return back to the room to find she hasn't moved and she is staring intently down at her feet, moving her toes back and forth, smiling as each one moves. I can't help but giggle since it seems like such an odd thing to find amusing.
"You haven't moved silly." I say tossing the clothes to the bed.
"I know." She says sheepishly.
"Are you still feeling weak?" I asked concerned kneeling down in front of her. She gives a small nod before briefly looking up at me.
"Alrighty well nothing to be ashamed about. Put your arms around my neck." I instruct her as I come to the side of the wheelchair. She does this and waits for further instructions.
'You ready?" I ask smiling.
"For what?" She says curiously. I slide my arms around her legs and back and lift her from the chair with swooshing sounds, gliding her over to the bed and gently place her down until she lands against the pillows in laughter.
"Thank you, you didn't have to do that you know." She says through giggles.
"That's what friends do though!" I respond enthusiastically.
"Do you want to be friends?" She asks shyly, twiddling her thumbs.
"Sure." I answer and kept help feeling nostalgic. She beamed me a wide smile before crawling under the covers, completely ignoring the clothes on the bed.
"Um, so if you need anything to hesitate to holler for me. I will leave my door open just in case okay?"
"Okay." She replied contently, snuggling deeper into the comforter and pillows. I began to close to door before she called out one last time.
"Santana?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you again." She said sleepily. I simply smiled at her before leaving her room quietly, tiptoeing back to my room.
I fell asleep that night looking forward to our new roommate and possibly a new friendship.
Tada! Slow buildup I know, but more Brittana interaction to come!