A/N: Thanks for being patient guys. I haven't really read through this so please ignore the errors. I just wanted to get out, it's been sitting in recents for so long.

Chapter 9

"Oxygen"

Day 1.

Quinn had been in a coma for twenty-four hours. Sam had been to eat once and had four servings of coffee. He'd had three hours sleep on the cot Santana set up for him in Quinn's hospital room.

Day 2.

Sam showered in the attending's lounge. He cried. Slept for five hours.

Day 3.

Frannie left for Ohio. Sam learnt the real age of his baby. He called and cancelled his trip to Cambodia telling them he wasn't interested. Quinn had no brain function.

Day 4.

They pulled Quinn out of the medical coma, hoping that she would wake on her own. She didn't respond. Sam couldn't sleep.

Day 5.

Quinn died.

There's a moment that Sam thinks about frequently. The moment he saw her by the OR board. Where he was so lost, so confused and as soon as his eyes hit hers he felt nothing but love engulf him. It was an addiction, a need for him and as time went on he was so afraid of it he tried to run from it. To run from the system and not take control of his feelings. Sam wanted to be free. To be able to live his life as if his heart wasn't full of hurt and suffering. Something he saw frequently.

Sam had been for his second shower in five days. He'd barely eaten and he couldn't sleep. Sam was too afraid he'd wake up and she'd be gone. So, when he came back to her room to see Santana applying CPR, he was definitely not okay. Something snapped inside of him. Sam ran forward, instructing Santana to start charging the paddles as he took over. He didn't know where the energy was coming from. How he managed to think so quickly and as he pressed the pads to her chest and shocked her, he felt like he was being shocked too.

Quinn was flat lined for exactly one minute. That was enough time without oxygen to do more brain damage that she might already have. The cause of her flat line, no one knows. She had been put immediately back into surgery, Sam helpless, but as he watched his friends, his gifted colleagues tend to her he knew she would be safe.

The only person he knew waiting for her was Santana and even though he had avoided her for most of Quinn's hospital stay, he was still a teacher. He sat down beside her, their forearms touching on the small semi comfortable chairs in the hospital waiting room. Santana had been working non-stop today, being Quinn's number one intern and also she worked to keep Sam moderately clean and alive.

"You did well." Sam murmured, speaking for the second time in the past five days. His voice was dry and his lips were breaking from lack of care. Sam could feel her eyes on her then, assessing him.

"You look like shit." Santana said and he just nodded, a small smile creeping over him. It was nice for someone to speak the truth for once. Everyone had been tiptoeing around him for the fast few days it made him want to avoid them all.

"Now I know why Quinn likes you so much." Santana just frowned, her lips pursed as Sam looked at her in the corner of his eye.

"And why's that, Evans?" Even though she was an intern and he was an attending, he felt like they were friends. He gave her that one.

"Quinn really likes to fight sometimes, I can see her bouncing it off you with zero effect." Santana laughed then before she sighed, her black curls delicately falling on her shoulders.

"Right you are."

Sam almost forgot where they were for a moment, his eyes kind of blurring but it wasn't until his friend Finn Hudson, the amazingly gifted neurosurgeon, appeared he knew he was in for a ride. It had only been two hours, which in some cases could be both good and bad. He could have got it under control… or something could have happened.

"I can see what you're doing, you're shit at hiding your emotions. Sit down and let me talk." Finn said before Sam could even say anything. Finn was that guy that lived very to the line. He liked to fish, enjoy summers with his family in Michigan and he was a very keen family man even though he wasn't married.

He was handsome, no doubt about it. His brown hair and his lanky appearance made him seem like he was more suited to be a basketball player or a Quarterback, but his brains got the better of him.

"After the accident, there was a lot of bleeding. I wasn't able to find the exact cause of it earlier, but from what I saw I had stopped the bleeding. Which I did. Now we put her in ICU and we found out, unfortunately, that she had a hematoma. The swelling from that, pushed and there was no space to escape." Sam froze. Every part of him froze. Her brain was swelling and to get rid of the swelling… that's difficult. He's had to do it to so many kids but they've never been able to survive it. "This put strain on her blood flow and therefore it eventually stopped." Sam knew what he was talking about. Of course he did. He'd been a doctor for years. Hematomas put pressure on brain tissue, they reduce vital blood flow and it kills brain cells.

"Do you think brain damage?" Santana asked and Sam swallowed. It had been sitting on the top of his tongue he didn't know how to even let it out.

"I think you should get her parents here." Finn answered which basically meant she has a fifty/fifty chance of making it. They would have had to relieve the pressure and to do that… you had to open up her skull.

"Is she out?"

"Rachel is taking her to her room now."

Day 13.

There had been no sign of anything from Quinn. Sam went over the moment where she was awake before she was unconscious again on the road. She was talking. She was awake. How could she have gone from that to… nothing?

Quinn's family had signed contracts, signed so many things and Sam stood unshaven from the corner as he watched her parents not even look at her. They barely touched her, worried about her. It's like they accepted it. Sam waited till they left to sit with her. Talk to her. He traced his fingers over her stomach. Sam started to imagine his child and he couldn't help but cry.

"Sam." He imagined her now, carrying a birthday cake as Sam stood in the backyard with their son. Quinn called his name, her smile making Sam smile.

"Sam." He frowned, her lips weren't moving. She wasn't calling. Then who was? Sam sat up, his body previously hunched over the side of her bed and looked. Quinn was crying, her eyes tired as Sam felt the tiniest of squeezes.

"Q?" Sam whispered, moving to put his hand on her cheek. She was talking. She remembered who he was.

"Water…" Sam nodded, leaning back to get the small cup of ice cubes. Sam gave her a small piece and looked outside. Santana was standing, her always-composed face showing the smallest hint of relief and Rachel was grinning ear to ear.

"A beard…?" Quinn whispered and Sam looked back. She looked like hell, but yet she was still so beautiful. Sam just laughed, leaning over to kiss her softly. Her lips were chapped and even though her head was completely wrapped up in a huge bandage, he didn't even care.

"You're gonna be okay, Quinn."

Day 28.

Quinn's swelling had gone down. It was like it hadn't even existed. It was an actual miracle. Some doctors even thought that she had died just so they could bring her back to life. It truly amazed them. She had no brain damage but she had very shaky legs, so she was put into physical therapy. Sam had taken as much time off as he could to be there with her, ignoring her protests that he should get back to work.

It was ridiculous, Quinn thought, almost every doctor in the hospital knew about her. She was an intern who got run over. Really… really funny and now she was being wheeled around by her attending… boyfriend… she didn't even know. For some reason though, he seemed to be very careful. She could see it in his eyes. How he watched her, how his eyebrows creased when he thought really hard before saying something. Sam was tiptoeing. She grabbed the wheels and hit the brake, stopping them both.

"Q?" Sam asked her and she just crossed her arms. Quinn waited for him to walk in front of her, realizing they were only meters away from the physical therapy room.

"You're being weird." Quinn stated and Sam frowned, looking away. His blue eyes being very deceptive.

"No I'm not."

"Sam, you've barely said anything to me over the past few days." Quinn just watched as he kept his eyes in the opposite direction. He couldn't even keep eye contact with her and it was frustrating Quinn.

"Wilsons waiting." Wilson, Sam's buddy and Quinn's Therapist was probably waiting in the room, sitting on the beanbag he kept in the corner.

"I'm waiting." Quinn watched as he paced in front of her before leaning down, putting his hands on the wheels as he kept his eyes on hers.

"You died. We almost had a child and you've not mentioned that once." Quinn's face fell. His face was so close and so sad. She swallowed hard and put her hands on Sam's cheeks. He closed his eyes at her touch. "I've lost so much and I just want to be so careful." Her thumb traced over his cheek, the prickliness from his stubble made her sigh. Quinn put him through a lot. Not just the fact she was pregnant, but the fact she almost well she did die.

"I'm in a hospital, full of doctors, I'm going to be okay." Quinn murmured quietly, letting out a sigh. Sam let out a breath and opened his eyes to look at her, a frown creasing his forehead.

"What if it were me, what if the roles were reversed?" Quinn licked her lips, looking away for a moment before looking back at him. His eyes were focused on her now, his teeth biting down on his bottom lip.

"Sam, I had to climb onto your bed, be wheeled around while I tried to stop the bleeding that was coming out of your shoulder. That image haunts me every time I go to bed. So don't tell me how it feels, because I went through that. I'm not ready to talk about before. When I am, I will let you know." Quinn whispered, feeling her throat go dry as she felt the tears come to the surface. Sam's frown disappeared and he sighed, leaning in to kiss her forehead.

"I love you so much." Quinn nodded, her eyes closing before opening them when he moved to push her inside, but before they went in she saw a mohawk disappear in the corner of her eye.

Quinn couldn't help but think about Puck throughout her physical therapy session. She had barely seen him over the few weeks and he definitely would have an opinion on the whole baby situation. Definitely. Physical therapy was exhausting. Quinn's legs were just very unresponsive from the lack of use and the swelling in her brain definitely did some damage, but Quinn stared at them and all they seemed to do were to move just slightly.

"This is frustrating." Quinn stated, two days later as she stood in the corner on crutches as Sam laid on the bed half asleep with a book in his hands.

"Mm…" She heard him murmur and Quinn rolled his eyes.

"You're such a big help." Quinn muttered and she heard his throaty chuckle. She turned to look at him to see his hand behind his head, his hand resting on his stomach. Quinn made her way over, letting the crutches fall to floor as she moved to lie down beside him. She tucked her head into his chest, her eyes closing as she gripped his hand.

"You okay?" Sam whispered and she could feel his hand stroking her hair. Quinn just nodded, not really sure what to say.

"I died." Quinn whispered after a few moments of silence. She felt Sam shift and from his silence she knew he was trying to figure out what to say.

"Did you want to keep it?" Sam asked and Quinn stiffened. Quinn had thought about when they'd have this talk and at the moment, Quinn didn't know if she was ready for it.

"I think so." She replied. She sat up then so she could look up at him and he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I wouldn't have left. If you told me." Sam murmured, his eyebrows creased with worry.

"Are you sure?" Quinn asked, running her hand over his cheek.

"Absolutely. I would have been given a chance at happiness again." Quinn frowned and Sam leant forward to kiss her head. "When I decided that leaving you for Cambodia was the best decision, I knew my chance of being happy again would be difficult and that-" Before Sam could even continue Quinn was sitting up, her eyes narrowed.

"Are you saying that the only reason you can think of for staying is that we could have had a baby? Not for me?"

"Quinn, come on you know I didn't mean it like that." Quinn let out a huff.

"I think you made it out to be exactly as it meant."

"Trouble in paradise already?" It was the deep, rough voice Quinn hadn't heard in weeks. She was already half sitting up when Puck came into the room, a small smirk on his face as he moved to grab her chart.

"Seriously?" Quinn muttered and he rolled his eyes at her.

"Ease up blondie, Santana's sick and I've been given the keys to your majesty's chamber."

"What the hell does that even mean?" Sam murmured, moving off the bed when Quinn shoved at him.

"It means that I'm blondie's right hand man." Puck murmured, crossing his arms over his chest. Quinn rolled her eyes and looked away.

"Well, I'm not sure if you've noticed-" Quinn watched as Sam looked closer, peering at the name on Puck's coat. "but I'm God." Quinn had to give Sam that one. "And you're a kid, so I think I've got it covered."

"Well, sir." Puck said, a smirk still on his face. "Your mother happens to be coming right here and you better start your engines." Puck murmured and Quinn looked up at Sam. He had gone white, his eyes narrowing at him. Sam moved to kiss Quinn's forehead but she moved away, her eyes still focused on Puck. She heard him sigh and he left, Quinn not even glancing at him.

"Seriously?" Quinn asked again and Puck moved to her machine beside her bed, checking them.

"Santana needed a day off. She's been running herself sick."

"And since when do you care about anyone besides yourself?"

"Since when did you become stupid enough to get yourself knocked up?"

Quinn stared at him, her jaw dropping. Puck was always honest with her and truly, he always spoke her mind. Sometimes she admired it, but right now, it disgusted her.

"Are you actually going to go there?" Quinn murmured sternly, sitting up in her bed as she grabbed her crutches. Puck didn't even give her one glance.

"Yeah, and I think that your pussy footing boyfriend won't say it, but I will." Quinn looked up at as he glanced down at her. His hazel bore into hers and she gripped her crutches for her life. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Quinn gasped, her mouth agape.

"How dare you!"

"You fuck some guy, get pregnant and then get run over. Really? Is that how you saw this year going?" Puck continued, still standing by her machine as he watched her take some steps on her crutches. Quinn couldn't even believe what she was hearing.

"And what about you? Hanging around me like some sick puppy." Quinn countered, standing in the corner of her room on shaky feet. Puck moved to her, putting his hand on her cheeks.

"I love you." He whispered. Then there was silence and then of course, it had to be the right moment.

"Well this just got awkward." Quinn and Puck both turned, Santana standing at the door with Sam behind her. Santana had an amused smile on her face while Sam had his eyes on Puck.

"No don't!" Quinn shouted just as Sam crossed the room, his fist connecting with Puck's jaw.

"Ten bucks on Puck."

Reviews are always welcome!