It was two days later that Puck first realised he had real feelings for Rachel Berry, he had spent the whole night before, tossing and turning, unable to sleep as his concern for the small, brunette overrode his need for sleep.
"Morning," Puck mumbled, grabbing a piece of toast.
Puck's mother looked up from the nursing journal she was reading. "Morning."
"Do you still attend the same Temple as Rachel Berry?" Puck asked, as he sat down opposite her, talking through his mouthful.
"Yeah, in fact I went to a dinner party with her father's just last week, she's such a well mannered young lady," Diana smiled, as she remembered back to her brief conversation with the young High School student.
Puck nodded, swallowing down his mouthful. "Do you have their number?"
"Is everything alright?" Diana questioned, wondering what her son might want with the Berry's phone number. "You're not in trouble are you? Because if you need a lawyer-"
"A lawyer?" Puck interrupted.
Diana took a sip of coffee. "Eli Berry's is only one of the State's most well respected attorneys."
"Rachel's father is a lawyer?" Puck asked, suddenly aware how little he knew about her.
"Eli is yes, his partner, her other father is a doctor, quite a well respected surgeon if I remember rightly," Diana informed her son as she handed him a piece of paper with a phone number written on it.
Puck took the piece of paper from her. "I'm not in trouble, I just need to speak to Rachel about a science project, so I was hoping I could catch her during free period."
"Right," Diana smiled, a small smile tugging at the edge of her mouth, knowing that it would make her extremely proud if her son brought home a girl like Rachel Berry.
Making his way up to his bedroom, Puck grabbed the phone off the cradle on his way, dialling the number on the paper it took at least fifteen rings before anyone answered.
"Hello," a flustered voice greeted.
"Is Rachel home?" Puck asked.
Puck heard something being moved around and what sounded like a tap being run. "Who is this?"
"It's Pu … Noah. I er … I go to school with Berry, er Rachel I was just ringing to check that she was alright, I mean she didn't look that great the other day when Mr. Schue-"
"Noah yes, Rachel mentioned you, she was so mortified about what she called the vomit incident. I'm sure she would love to see you, I mean of you have the time to pop by the hosp-"
Puck felt his heart jump into his mouth. "Hospital? They kept her in?"
"Yes. Just to run a few tests, I'm sure it's nothing but Rachel's father, Richard, he insisted, it's true what they say about doctor's making the worst patients," Eli joked, trying not to let his own fear take control. Rachel was everything to him and Richard that the idea of something being wrong with her was not a truth he was willing to contemplate.
Already on his feet and looking for his truck keys Puck was halfway down the stairs. "Yes. Right. Listen I have to go. Tell Be … Tell Rachel I'll see her soon."
Hanging up the phone Puck was out of the door and into his truck, getting to school in under ten minutes. He even managed to make it through two hours of lessons before deciding to ditch the day.
He hadn't planned on going to the hospital, hadn't even realised that was the way he was going until he found himself in the familiar parking lot.
Entering the sterile halls of Lima General Hospital Puck felt strangely comfortable, after all he had pretty much grown up within these walls, waiting for his mother, hanging out in the staff-room, terrorising the nurses by hiding false fingers in the fridge and generally just causing chaos.
"Puckerman," a young, attractive, blonde receptionist smiled as he approached her.
"Lisa, hey," Puck smiled, flashing her his trademark Puckerman-smile.
Lisa returned the smile, her cheeks flushing slightly. "I didn't think your mother was on until tonight."
"She's not, I was wondering if you could help me, I'm looking for a friends from School, Rachel Berry, she was admitted yesterday," Puck explained, as he leaned on the desk.
"A friend?" Lisa asked her face dropping.
Puck shook his head, winking reassuringly at her. "Not that sort of friend, she's in the choir and is helping me with my extra credits. What sort of friend would I be if I didn't check on a friend in need eh?"
"She's on the seventh floor, room nine," Lisa informed him as she looked up the name on the computer.
"Thanks Doll," Puck grinned, heading towards the lift, frowning as he realised that the seventh floor was the neurological ward. Rachel might have been a crazy, singing chick but there was nothing wrong with her brain.
Reaching room number nine, Puck waited as Rachel's father exited followed closely by a doctor and a nurse, he waited until they were halfway down the corridor before slipping into the room.
"I told you all to leave," Rachel mumbled into the pillow, the IV pulling at her hand as she wrapped her arms around herself.
Puck could see her body shaking with silent tears beneath the thick hospital blanket. "Berry?"
"Go away," Rachel sniffed, not wanting anyone to see her cry.
"I just wanted to make sure you were alright after the other day," Puck admitted, his voice taking on a concerned tone that barely made it sound like his own. He was badass Noah Puckerman, he didn't do hearts and flowers.
Sitting up Rachel wiped at her eyes. "I'm fine."
"That's what you said then, right before you vomited all over me so excuse me if I don't believe you," Puck insisted.
"Why are you even here?" Rachel asked, not wanting any company.
Puck pulled a chair across the room and straddled it. "A girl tossing her cookies on me is like a first date for me. What sort of guy would I be if I didn't follow it up with a second date?"
Despite herself Rachel couldn't help but smile at his attempt at humour. "Sorry about that, I wasn't feeling myself."
"I noticed," Puck shrugged, looking down at the floor. "Is everything alright now?" he asked, taking one of the strawberries from her side and putting the whole thing in his mouth.
Rachel wasn't sure what it was about him but something made her feel compelled to tell the truth, there was just something about him that she trusted, it was like he made her feel safe. "They found something," she admitted in a small voice.
"What sort of something?" Puck asked, dropping the second strawberry to the floor.
"On the scan they er … they found a mass in my brain, it's probably can … a brain tumour but they won't know for sure until the biopsy but apparently it's in a difficult position and-"
Puck didn't know what to say, he wasn't prepared for situations like this. "It could be nothing."
"It's not nothing, that much they know, they just don't know how treatable it is yet," Rachel cried, burying her face into her hands.
"I'm sorry," Puck apologized, he hadn't meant to make her cry.
Closing her eyes Rachel allowed him to comfort her. "So am I."
"What does it feel like? I mean can you feel it?" Puck asked, suddenly forgetting his tact.
Pleased that someone wasn't tiptoeing around her Rachel smiled. "No. Mainly my head just feels heavy, and sometimes I can't do stuff, I mean I think my hand is in the right place but it isn't."
"Like with the cup yesterday?" Puck asked.
"Yeah, like that," Rachel breathed.
Instinctively without even thinking about it Puck stood up from the chair and sat on the bed next to her. "So basically it feels like you're drunk all of the time?"
"I wouldn't know, I've never been drunk," Rachel chuckled, something about being with him felt comfortable. "And perhaps now I never will. And what if I never get to Broadway or get nominated for a Ton-"
It was like it happened in slow motion as Puck wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "You can't think like that."
"But it's true," Rachel stuttered, her voice barely holding out.
"Sorry it's not going to happen," Puck insisted, as if just saying it made it true. "I mean we don't stand a chance of winning Nationals without you so it would be a bit selfish of you to just give up don't you think?"
Taking a deep breath Rachel was grateful for his presence, at a time when everyone else was tiptoeing around her for fear of upsetting her, he was exactly what she needed, as she faced the difficult road that lie ahead.
As she closed her eyes and allowed herself to relax in his arms Rachel realised that even though her future was uncertain something about being here in his arms felt right.