Hey guys, another update for you!
Enjoy!
Puck sat quietly on the edge of the bed, watching Beth's chest rise and fall in unison with her mothers. They'd been in the strange room with all it's beeping machines for a while now and when Beth had grown tired again, he'd asked the kindly looking nurse if it was okay for his daughter to sleep next to her mom.
Of course, upon seeing the desperation and hidden pain in the young father's warm eyes, the nurse had agreed. After all, who was she to deny that little girl time with her mother, especially since their remaining time together would most probably be painfully short.
Puck had thanked the nurse and scooted Beth off of his knees and onto the white sheets. Once again he'd found himself blinking back hot tears as Beth had taken one look at Quinn's sleeping form and immediately curled herself up against her, clenching a fistful of blue hospital gown in her tiny fingers.
He'd stroked her hair and hummed soft lullaby's until her sleepy hazel eyes had fallen shut and her breath became soft and even.
Only then did he allow himself to cry.
Not hysterically, no sobbing or sound. Just a few silent tears that escaped the walls he'd already begun to build around himself. He moved on to the chair next to the bed and rested his head in his hands, feeling the droplets of moisture soak into his warm palms.
A thousand scenarios ran through his overactive mind, images of him and Beth alone and confused with no one but each other to turn to plagued his thoughts and before he knew what he was doing, he found himself sending up silent prayers to anyone who might be listening.
Don't take her. Let her be okay. Don't leave us here alone.
He didn't know what good they'd do, and he didn't care. He just needed to do something. Sitting in this room, knowing what was coming and not being able to do anything about it was making him feel so helpless he almost couldn't stand it.
Because he did know. A feeling deep inside his chest knew exactly what lay ahead for him and the little girl who lay dreaming just a short distance away, it was like his heart was already preparing him.
A louder beep from a machine made him lift his head and he glanced around nervously, checking for any signs that Quinn wasn't okay but everything seemed normal as the sound became a hushed background noise once more.
Sighing, he wiped the moisture from his face, knowing that his tears were not helping anybody. Quinn least of all.
This time they were spending with her was important, perhaps the most important time they would ever spend together. He knew he should make the most of it.
He stood up, arching his back in a half-hearted stretch before circling the bed and standing beside Quinn, taking the hand that Beth hadn't already claimed. He laced their fingers together and brought them gently to his lips, placing soft kisses on every one of her perfect fingers, each decorated with an undamaged coat of pale pink polish.
"I like this colour on you." He smiled, stroking one of the smooth nails with his thumb. His words caused Beth to stir a little and he reached over to touch one of her hands too.
"Don't worry Bee, it looks super cute on you too." He murmured with a slight smirk because, of course, Beth's petite nails were decorated with the same shade. Beth loved Quinn to paint her nails, it was their 'girl thing' as Quinn called it.
"My girls." Puck whispered, giving Quinn's hand a squeeze.
He waited for a moment, willing her to squeeze back. He knew she wouldn't but that didn't mean he couldn't try.
Beth stirred again then, her eyes fluttering open to reveal the familiar shade of her hazel irises. She smiled sleepily at Puck who took her hand and helped her to sit up.
"Come here, baby girl." He said, leaning over and lifting Beth into his arms, holding her close to his chest and breathing in her sweet smell of vanilla and milk and innocence. The little girl wrapped her arms around his neck and they held each other, comforting one another.
She knows, Puck thought as Beth lifted her head and stared up at him with big, sad eyes before turning to look at Quinn. That hurt him more than anything, the fact that Beth, despite her young age, was more aware of what was happening than he would like her to be. He wanted to protect her from it, keep her heart safe and keep her from hurting but the sad little sigh she gave let him know that that was impossible.
Knowing that this would hurt Beth? Well that just about killed Puck himself.
"We'll be okay, Bee." He whispered into her hair. "I promise."
He was speaking like she'd already gone, he knew that and he knew it was wrong but he couldn't help it. Everything just seemed so helpless. He'd heard the nurses talking outside the room, their hushed tones not quite hushed enough. He'd picked up the odd word and it didn't sound good.
Liver failure, internal bleeding, matter of time.
He wasn't stupid. He knew how bad this was, the doctors would be surprised if she made it through the night.
He shook his head, still not quite believing that this was happening to them. He wished with all his heart that it wasn't but what could he do? There was no point in giving himself false hope, no point in telling himself that everything would be okay. It wouldn't, anyone could see that.
He knew that the others felt the same. What with Santana and all her crying and yelling, Rachel already stepping in to help out in the absence of Beth's mother figure. They were all preparing themselves for what they were almost certain was coming their way.
A sudden, frantic beeping started up then, making both Puck and Beth jump a little. Beth tore her gaze away from her mother to look at Puck, her eyes huge and round and full of the kind a fear a child so small shouldn't even be capable of feeling. Puck stared back, unable to move, because it was happening. This was it.
A team of nurses burst through the door, talking quickly to one another from behind their masks and within a matter of seconds, they'd swarmed the bed where Quinn lay and proceeded to poke and prod her, sticking things in her arms and fiddling with buttons on numerous machines.
By this time, Puck and Beth had been pushed up against the wall furthest from the bed and in her panic, Beth had begun to scream, hot tears spilling down her flushed cheeks as she reached desperately towards where her mother lay but her cries barely registered with Puck. All he could do was watch.
He ran a hand through his mohawk, trying desperately to figure out what to do. He couldn't help Quinn, no matter how much he wanted to, and all though it broke his heart to think it, Beth was his main priority right now.
Anything he could do now to prevent her from hurting later was essential. With this in mind, he regained focus of the wriggling, screaming child in his arms and restrained her arms as gently as he could to stop them from flailing madly.
She squealed and kicked her legs, trying desperately to free herself from her father's grip but Puck held on to her, finally managing to turn her around so that she was crying into his shoulder. He didn't want her to see this.
He kept a hand on the back of her head as she sobbed and he looked on, watching as the doctor, looking stressed and perhaps a little flushed as he demanded that everyone 'stand clear.'
Puck knew what that meant and before he could stop himself he flung his body, and Beth, towards the bed, shouting obscenities as he did.
"QUINN!" He yelled, losing all sense of the self-control he'd had a few minutes ago. "You have to help her!" he was crying now, despite how hard he tried not to, the tears rushed down his cheeks in his mad fury.
"Someone take them out!" A voice demanded, but the masks made it hard for Puck to work out exactly where it came from.
"No!" He yelled over a screaming Beth who had once again managed to turn herself around and was kicking furiously and pointing towards Quinn.
Suddenly there was a hand on his arm, and at first he thought it was a nurse coming to remove him but he turned to see Santana, eyes filled with tears but lips set in a hard line.
"Stand clear!" The doctor said again and as Puck lurched forward and shouted some other plea, Santana managed to pry Beth from his arms despite the kicking and screaming, and she cradled the little girl close to her chest just before Finn, who'd followed Santana as she'd leapt up from her seat upon hearing Beth's cries from the waiting room, put his hands on Puck's shoulders and managed to drag him from the room just as a loud, high pitched beep fill their ears and they heard the doctor shout 'one more time!' at the flurry of nurses who were trying so desperately to keep Quinn Fabray's feeble heart beating.
Out in the hallway, the noise silenced by the closed door, Puck sank to ground with his head in his hands and quiet sobs racking his body.
He couldn't think straight, his blood pounding too loudly in his ears to do anything but cry.
He was vaguely aware of his daughter's wails in the background as Santana rocked her gently, trying to calm her hysterical tears and he knew Finn was close by, on the floor next to him maybe.
His thoughts were confirmed when he felt a pair of oversized arms engulf him and pull him close, and with all inhibitions forgotten he let himself be held.
They stayed like that for a good ten minutes, no one saying a word. Beth's sobs had turned to soft whimpers as Santana stroked her hair gently and occasionally murmured sweetly into the child's ear, comforting her further.
The door to Quinn's room opened slowly and Puck raised his head, looking with expectant eyes towards the doctor who stepped out into the hallway, removing his mask as he did.
Puck held his breath, Santana and Finn too and Beth silenced immediately, her eyes wide.
The doctor cleared his throat.
"I'm very sorry," He said quietly. "There was nothing more we could do."
There you go, a sad one this time so sorry about that!
Review and let me know what you thought!
And thank you for your continued support in reading this story and thank you so much for the sweet reviews! They're my inspiration to keep writing :')
Stay tuned to see how Puck, Beth and the Glee club deal with their loss!
Much love x