A/N: I do believe that this is my fastest update on this story so far. I'm not sure why, but I really enjoyed writing this chapter.
Sun Gone Lost
It had been a good week for Puck, all things considered – namely that he was medicated and in a mental hospital. But his episodes had been growing less frequent, and so he wasn't quite so heavily drugged all the time. Which meant he was free to move about the ward on his own. The nurses still kept one eye on him at all times, just in case of a sudden attack, but at least he wasn't restricted to sitting on the couch, practically drooling as he slipped in and out of consciousness, barely able to feel anything below the neck. He was also able to remember his name a lot more easily than before, along with the names of most of the nursing staff, without needing to glance at his piece of paper (though he still kept it in his pocket just in case).
Unfortunately for him, it had also been a good week for Tyler.
Tyler Rooney was one of the ward's resident manic-depressives and was also Puck's roommate. A good week for Tyler meant that Puck was constantly hammered with a barrage of questions and nonsensical ramblings that were hard to ignore. Tyler was currently perched on the other end of the couch Puck was sitting on, watching one of the nurses. Puck, on the other hand, was half-curled against the couch arm, absorbed in a notebook propped against his knee.
"She's kinda hot, isn't she? Wendy, I mean."
Puck sent an irritated glare in Tyler's direction, but Tyler didn't pick up on it because he was still watching the nurse.
"Isn't she?" Tyler repeated, seeking confirmation.
Puck sighed and focused on his doodles. He'd tried to make it clear that he didn't like interacting with people, but Tyler was persistent, and with the roommate factor Puck had had no opportunity to pretend that he was mute or deaf or anything of the like. Tyler was a lanky guy, a little older than Puck, with spindly limbs at all angles and shaggy dark hair that constantly covered his eyes and made him look like the kind of kid who'd bring a gun to school. The kind of kid Puck would've been merciless to in a normal environment.
"Come on, man, she's gotta be at least a D-cup—"
"You might get off on the naughty nurse thing, but I don't," Puck snapped, not looking up from his notebook.
"What are you drawing, anyways?" Tyler asked, unfazed, craning his neck to peer curiously over the top of Puck's notebook.
Puck sent him a withering look and slapped the notebook against his chest so that whatever he'd been doing wasn't visible. "Get the hell outta my airspace, man."
Tyler smiled and sat back. Puck huffed and absorbed himself in his doodles again.
"So if the naughty nurse isn't your type, what is?"
"I've said it before and I'll say it again. Just 'cause you and me sleep in the same room, it doesn't mean I wanna talk to you."
"Ouch. Cuts me deep, Noah." Tyler dug some wax out of his ear, his leg jiggling. "So what are they saying today?"
"Who?"
"You know." Tyler looked pointedly at Puck and tapped his temple.
Puck's eyes narrowed. "That's none of your fucking business," he said in a low tone.
"Aw, come on, man," Tyler said, his mouth curving in a lopsided smile. "You don't think it's amazing that the human brain can create sounds that don't actually exist? You don't think that's cool?"
Puck stared at Tyler for a good thirty seconds, trying to decide what the best way to punch him in the nose would be. But he was painfully aware that the orderlies always had syringes of Haldol prepared for when patients got a little violent. He wasn't sure how long he could put up with Tyler's badgering, though, and miserably estimated that he'd end up with a needle in his leg by the end of the day.
Tyler was off on a bit of a tangent now, talking rapidly with jerking hand gestures emphasizing nearly every other word. "Did you know that there's more cells in the human brain than there are stars in our galaxy? That's some fucked-up shit, man. I mean, the human body is so fucking complex, you know? It's like, we evolved from monkeys and animals, and we still have all this shit in our bodies left over from them, and we don't even get what half of them do – I mean, look at the appendix, man. Or-or-or arm hair. What fucking purpose do they serve any more? None. They're useless. Wisdom teeth, too. And teeth are like the ultimate natural weapon, you know – combined with the power of a snapping jaw they can take down an animal the size of a fucking elephant."
Tyler was so deep into his ramble that he didn't notice Puck drop the crayon he'd been using and place his hands over his ears. With a slight chuckle, he said, "Man, if they really wanted to get rid of all the sharp shit in our possession and stop us from killing ourselves, they'd have yanked our teeth out at the fucking door."
Puck pinched his nose. "Fucking hell, Rooney, I do not need that kinda imagery."
"Good morning, boys," crooned Nurse Regina as she approached with a tray of pill cups. Puck managed to take the cup, swallow its contents, and give it back without making eye contact with her. Even when he could remember her name, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up when she was within arm's reach.
Tyler managed to stay quiet for only two seconds after Regina had left to finish her rounds. "What was that, man? Aren't you like Johnny Rebel? Since when do you suddenly take your meds without a fuss?"
"Since they don't make me drool," Puck answered dryly. "Go away."
Tyler crossed his legs and sat on the couch so that he was fully facing Puck, leaning forward eagerly. "What is it with you and her, anyway?"
"Who?"
"Reggie."
"Reggie?"
Tyler shrugged. "Easier to say than 'Nurse Regina'. Though 'Nurse Regina' does have a porn-star quality to it that I like…"
Puck sighed, tugging at his ear and flipping to a new page in annoyance.
"So?" Tyler prompted. "How come you go all mute and stiff whenever she's around?"
"She's shoved the fucking pills down my throat more times than I can count, and she's stuck me with a needle at least twice. I'm not about to thank her. Now, will you please for fuck's sake take a hint and leave."
Tyler held up his hands in a half-joking peace gesture. "All right, all right. I know when I'm not wanted."
Puck glared at him as he watched the lanky boy stride off. Not fucking likely, he thought.
"Santana, can I talk to you for a minute?"
The Latina stopped in her tracks, thrown off guard as she'd been heading for the door with the rest of the Gleeks. Mr. Schue never asked to talk to her in private. That was for kids who either were falling behind the rest or had emotional issues. "Um, I guess," was her lame reply.
"Have a seat," he said once the rest of the club was gone, gesturing to the piano bench.
She sat. "Am I in trouble?"
"No, no. I'm just…concerned." He drew up a chair and straddled it backwards, regarding her with a disconcerting fatherly worry that she didn't appreciate.
"About what?" she snapped, maintaining her stony composure.
"You haven't volunteered to see Puck yet."
"…Not everybody did."
"Well, those people who didn't volunteer weren't that close to him."
Santana frowned, her gaze snapping up to meet his. "Were?" she echoed. "Puck's whacko, he's not dead."
"You see, Santana? That's exactly what I mean," Mr. Schue said, peering at her closely. "I know you've had…relations…with Puck in the past. And even if you want to convince yourself that you didn't care about him, that still gives you a major connection with him, regardless of where he is now."
Santana shifted. She didn't like personal conversations. Especially with teachers. Especially with anybody. "Whatever," was all she could think to say.
"Santana, everyone can tell that you miss him."
She sighed, rubbing her forehead with one hand and glancing at the ceiling. "Everyone?"
Mr. Schue smiled. "Yeah. Everyone. Even Brittany."
Santana let out an empty chuckle. "Brittany's smart about things that matter," she said under her breath.
Mr. Schue nodded. "This matters."
A/N: Please leave a review! In other news, there's been one more Expect the Unexpected installment hoisted - for dear Mike and Matt. It's titled On the Rise, go read it!