Author's Note: I thought I uploaded this before I left, but apparently I forgot! My apologies. Anyway, here's Mike and Tina. Please leave a review to let me know what you think!
Chicago, city of dreams. Mike Chang couldn't imagine leaving it, ever. For four years he cherished his time in the place that, frankly, never slept. At least he didn't. Four a.m. bike rides through the park with music blasting and all his friends laughing. Working on term papers all night then going for an espresso run with Johnny and Dimitri before class began. Practicing stunts off church steps as the nuns made their rounds. Kissing Sandra under the street lamp with I love it pouring out of an apartment window. Mike couldn't have asked for anything better.
Four years came and went; by the end, Mike thought he had it all figured out. He had a job lined up with a major dance studio, Kimmy just moved in to his new apartment, and his dad was going to be at his first show. Then he got the call from Sam.
"Tina's in the hospital."
Tina Cohen-Chang. If he could describe a first love, she was it. If he was honest, she was the love. Brittany may have been his first kiss, but to be cliché, he hadn't really been kissed until Tina came into his life.
He wanted to be her everything, but distance wasn't something she wanted to deal with. He respected that. He didn't have a choice but to. Even when he was going through his slew of Chicago girls, he still thought about Tina. They texted constantly and he remembered skyping, once. She was going out dancing with some of the girls from glee club before heading to her new job in LA. Her sequined dress was still imprinted in his memory.
Mike caught the first plane out of Chicago. By the time he arrived at the hospital in LA, most of the glee club was there. He ran over to his old friends who were waiting outside Tina's room.
"What happened?" he asked, but it came out muffled against Puck's shoulder.
"She had an accident," Rachel replied quietly. He glanced at the petite woman and saw how red her eyes were.
"She was arranging the set for the movie she's working on when . . ." Brittany trailed off.
"Someone bumped into one of the artificial trees. It fell on her," finished Mercedes.
Mike's knees started to give out. Sam led him to a chair where he buried his head in her hands. "How bad is it?" he asked, his voice rough.
"We don't know. The doctors are only speaking directly to the family," Artie explained.
"We've been here for two days and haven't heard a thing," Sugar said with a pout.
"Wait, you've all been here for two days?"
The group nodded. "I called her cell and her mom picked up. That's the only reason we found out," Quinn stated.
"We weren't sure if you knew so Sam suggested we send word," said Santana.
Mike ran his hands through her hair. "I told her to be careful," he whispered.
Rachel sat beside the boy and gave him a hug. "I'm sure she'll be okay, Michael. We'll hear something soon."
On cue, the patient room opened and the doctor exited. "Are any of you family?" she asked the group.
Rachel immediately stood up. "Yes, we are."
The doctor raised an eyebrow. "All of you?"
The diva raised her chin. "Yes."
She nodded. "Only four at a time in there. Her parents will be back around supper. You have till then."
Mike wanted to run inside but his legs wouldn't work. He sat in the chair and watched as the first four went inside. His leg kept bouncing up and down and his hands kept tapping against the chair. Brittany sat to his left and Sam to his right. After a minute, both grabbed his hands and held them tightly. Together, they waited. Small talk was not an option, although Mike did notice the engagement ring on Brittany's hand. He remembered the Facebook update and he briefly smiled.
A few minutes later, Rachel, Puck, Quinn, and Mercedes exited the room. "She's asleep," Quinn started.
"But she's fine," Rachel added. "She seems well rested."
Puck rolled his eyes. "Babe, she's been sleeping for two days straight."
"I'm trying to be positive!"
"Could you two quit it for one minute? Do you want to get kicked out of the hospital?" Quinn lectured.
Puck and Rachel pouted but said nothing. Artie, Sugar, Blaine, and Joe went in next. Sam started humming under his breath. Mike wasn't sure what it was, but the other members started making up their own harmonies to go along. Rachel's eyes had shut and Puck tapped his foot on the tile. Soon, the hall filled up with their music. Nurses paused in their work to watch the music unfold. Mike tried to join in but the noise caught in his throat. Sam rubbed his back as they carried on.
When it was finally time for Mike to enter, Sam helped him to his feet. Mike did manage to walk in on his own thankfully.
There Tina was, hooked up to a handful of machines. One breathed for her, another monitored her heart. Mike tried to decipher the rest, but it was too difficult. Instead, he stumbled to her bedside and couldn't stop staring at her.
"Tina," he whispered as he collapsed onto the chair nearest to her bed. From the corner of his eye he noticed Santana pick up her charts and flip through them.
"What are you doing?" asked Sam.
"My uncle is a doctor. I used to come with him on his rounds." Santana flipped another page. "It didn't hit her spine, but she's got a nice goose egg on her head. Concussion." She put the sheets back. "She should wake up soon."
"What if she doesn't?" Mike asked.
Santana said nothing. Brittany sat on the bed beside Tina with her ballerina skirt puffed out. "She will Mike, it's Tina. She's magic."
Mike swallowed the salt water in his throat and buried his head against the scratchy hospital sheets.
"Maybe we should leave them . . ." Sam's words trailed off. He heard the door shut and silence follow. The beeping of the machines took over.
"Tina," he started. "Tina I need you. I'm selfish and I'm stupid and I need you," he whispered. "I should have done better for you this past year. I wanted to be there but I was afraid because . . . you're the only person that ever wriggled their way into my heart and when we broke up, my heart shattered. I just—this can't be the end of us. That's not how it's supposed to be. Love stories don't end like this." He wiped his eyes. "At least none of the ones we watched together. Do you remember that? We complained about how there aren't many Asian romances done in English. You said," he chuckled, "you said we would have to be content with ours. God Tee—I was so happy." He looked over at her, still seeing the girl he used to date hiding underneath all the tubes. "I want us again." Mike took her hand in his and leaned back against the chair. He shut his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Hours later, the door opened and Tina's parents walked in. Her mother's eyes watered. She opened her arms. "Michael," she whispered.
Mike went over and hugged the woman he considered to be a second mother. "How are you dear? Chicago looks good on you."
Mr. Cohen-Chang embraced the boy before he could answer. "It's good to see you again, Michael. We've missed you."
"I uh, I'm doing well, all things considered. I have a job lined up and well, yeah." He ran a hand through his hair. "How is-"
"Tina? Oh she's—we're hoping for a miracle," Mrs. Cohen-Chang replied, taking a deep breath. "The doctors say she should wake up any time now. We just have to be patient."
"We were planning on spending the night in prayer. Would you—like to stay with us?" her father asked.
Mike wasn't much for praying, but he didn't have the energy to drag himself from Tina's side. He nodded and the three went to Tina's bed. Her mother produced a rosary and Mr. Cohen-Chang produced a prayer book and bible.
The group spent the whole night in prayer, ignoring the nurses who came to check on her. It took thousands of prayers and about a full day in total, but Tina did wake up. The first person she saw was Mike. He would swear on that old bible she smiled at him.
It was another week before there was talk of sending Tina anywhere. Lima was an idea, but Tina was adamant about not going home.
"I refuse to get stuck there and become a Lima Loser," she stated, arms crossed over her gown as Mike tried to feed her peaches.
Mrs. Cohen-Chang sighed. "Honey, you can't stay in LA. You need to rest."
"How can I rest when I have a movie to make?"
As they argued, Mike thought of his apartment. It was big enough for three, especially one of Tina's size. His job would pay well. That started soon though. He'd have to be home in time for that.
"Why don't you come stay with me in Chicago? You can work on stationary stuff at my place while I'm at my job. That way you can rest and not feel boxed in creatively. There's a ton of stuff we can do once your strength is back."
Tina's brown eyes widened as a smile appeared on her face. "You mean it?"
Mike shrugged, trying to hide his blush. "Yeah I mean, I'd do anything for you Tina."
She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Thanks Mike."
"Are you sure Michael?" her mother started. "It's an awful lot of responsibility, especially with physiotherapy and-"
"Mama! I'm not a little girl anymore."
"I live a block away from a hospital Mrs. Cohen-Chang. I'll make sure she gets to all her appointments," Mike promised.
The doctor was called in and as paperwork was being filled out Mike slipped out of the room and called Kimmy.
"Hey, so there's been a change of plans. We're going to have a house guest for a little while. Yeah, I know, short notice, but it's important. I'll explain later at the airport. I'll see you then, bye." He hung up then glanced down the hall. He felt like someone was watching him. Mike took a deep breath. This was certainly going to be an interesting couple of months.
