Chapter 20 - Reconnections
The nurse came and got Santana and Quinn and was leading them to Brittany's room. Quinn had an arm around Santana's shoulder. She wasn't sure if Santana would be able to stand straight if she didn't. Santana was shaking. She had calmed down somewhat and wasn't crying anymore. They walked down the long hallway which lead to Brittany's room. When they arrived at the door the nurse stopped and turned to face them. "Now before you go in there I should warn you that she is hooked up to an IV and has an oxygen tube. She has been upgrade from serious to good condition but is still hooked up to a number of machines." Quinn nodded in acknowledgement. The nurse lead them into the room.
The doctor that had operated on Brittany was standing at the foot of the bed. He looked up when he heard the door open. He was there to explain to Brittany what had happened, what he injuries are, and about her surgery. Brittany he asked him to wait to explain everything to her until her friends arrived. "Good evening ladies." He said to Santana and Quinn as they entered the room. Santana looked the doctor up and down and then moved her eyesight to the hospital bed. She made eye contact with Brittany and took in the blonde appearance. Brittany gave Santana and Quinn a weak smile and then looked over at her doctor signaling for him to begin.
Quinn and Santana stood there and listened as the doctor began talking. Quinn was standing slightly behind Santana with a hand on her shoulder for support. Everyone in the room had there attention focused on the doctor. "I'm Ian Thomas. I preformed your surgery." He spoke to Brittany. "I had to do a splenectomy in which I had to remove your entire spleen. The spleen was too badly damaged to save any of. If you don't know you can live a normal life without a spleen. The only issue is that you may be at an increased risk of infections. Now apart from your surgery you have a broken left arm and two of your ribs on your left side are fractured. I am amazed that your fractured ribs didn't collapse your lung. Other than some bad bruises everything looks good. You should make a full recovery." He finished with a smile.
A sense of relief washed over Brittany's face. She was nervous at her prognosis. She knew that she had a broken arm and that her whole left side was killing her. But she didn't know that the damage was. Santana and Quinn were also relieved that Brittany would eventually be just fine.
"I will leave you ladies alone now. I just ask that you take it easy on Brittany. Her body has been through a lot of trauma and she will need her rest. And Brittany don't be afraid to make them leave when you want to rest." He nodded at them as he walked out of the room.
"Thank you." Brittany spoke softly as the doctor reached the door.
Quinn and Santana approached Brittany's bedside. Quinn spoke first. "Brittany I am really glad that you are going to be ok. You had us scared there for a while." Brittany give them a closed mouth smile but doesn't say anything. "The police called me and said that you were in an accident and that you were at the hospital. So I drove here but seeing as I am not related to you they wouldn't gave me any information. So I called Santana and told her what I knew. I thought you would want me to do that."
Brittany nodded looking at Santana who was standing there silently. "Yes thank you Quinn." She said in almost a whisper.
"I think I will go get something to eat and give you two some time only together. I am really glad you're ok Brittany." She smiled at Brittany before turning and leaving the room.
Santana and Brittany just looked at each other for a couple of seconds before Brittany broke the silence with her weak voice. "How did you get here?" She asked Santana. The brunette stayed silent unable to talk. "Santana?" Brittany tried again. Santana broke eye contact and lowered her head as a single tear rolls down her cheek. "Are you crying?" Brittany asks as she sees the tears fall off of Santana's chin.
Santana shakes her head. "Yeah I'm just glad that you're going to be ok. That you're not going to die. That you're not going to leave me." She sighs out trying not to cry.
Brittany lifted her right hand off the bed a couple inches. "Santana." She paused waiting for Santana to look at her. "Santana take my hand." The brunette looked at Brittany and then down at her outstretched hand. She wrapped her hand around the blondes and looked back into those beautiful blue eyes. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here." She tried to reassure her.
"But-" Santana began but was cut off.
"No buts. I'm not going anywhere." She squeezed Santana's hand with what little strength she had. "I'm not going anywhere." She whispered again. All Santana could do was nod her head as a few tears ran down her face. She stood there on shaky legs holding Brittany's hand running her thumb tenderly over the back of her hand.
Even though Brittany was the one in the hospital bed she still noticed the fragile state that Santana was in. Weak and vulnerable. Shaking with what she assumed was anxiety and fear. "Go get that chair and-" She stopped to take in a shallow breath. "bring it over here so you can sit." Brittany finished in almost a whisper.
Santana let go of Brittany's hand and went to the corner of the room and grabbed the arm of the chair and dragged in across the room. She pulled the chair up next to Brittany's bed and took a seat pulling the chair as close to the bed as possible. She leaned her elbows on the edge of the hospital bed and wrapped both of her hands around Brittany's right hand. She looked at their hands and then up to Brittany's face giving her a comforting smile. "That's better." Brittany whispered out and smiled back at Santana. They sat there like that for some time not talking just sitting there with each other.
"Santana?"
"Yeah Britt." Santana's voiced cracked as she spoke. She tried to shallow away the dryness that was in her mouth and throat but it didn't help.
"I'm really sleepy." She said trying to get Santana to understand that she wanted to get some sleep. Santana understood what Brittany was trying to say.
"It's ok if you sleep Brittany. You should really sleep. Get some rest. I will be here when you wake up." She said with an almost invisible smile.
But Brittany saw it. She always saw any smile Santana would give her no matter how big or how small. Brittany sleepily smiled back. "Thanks." She took a breath. "I'm glad you're here." She said before shutting her eyes.
Santana watched as Brittany drifted off to sleep. "I'm glad that I'm here too." She said under the breath. She let go of Brittany's hand with her right hand. She squeezed the blondes hand with her left. She rested her head on top of her right arm on the hospital bed. Her face pointed towards the head of the bed so she could watch Brittany sleep.
Quinn had been gone an hour before deciding to go back to Brittany hospital room to see how things where going. Even though she took the day off of work to be there for Brittany she had to return home and go back to work the next day. She needed to tell Brittany that before she left. She also wanted to know how long Brittany was going to be in the hospital and how she was going to get home once she was released. She also wanted to know what Santana's plans were. These questions nagged at her mind being who she was- responsible and organized. She walked through the halls of the hospital returning to Brittany's room in search of answers to these questions.
Quinn knocked on the door softly to announce her presence before entering the room. She pushed the door open and stopped somewhat taken aback at the sight in front of her. She stood there not sure what to do. On the bed Brittany was sleeping soundly. Next to the bed slumped over in the chair with her head on her arm on the bed was Santana also asleep still holding on to Brittany's hand. It may have been the sweetest thing Quinn had ever seen. What had surprised her most was Santana's actions and the depth of them throughout everything in the past 24 hours.
Without disturbing the two sleeping girls Quinn quickly exited the room. She went over to the nurses station with every intention of getting her questions answered. A nurse looked up from her computer screen when Quinn approached the station. "Can I help you with something?" The nurse asked politely.
"Yes. I was wondering how long my friend is going to have to stay in the hospital before she can go home? Brittany Pierce." She asked with a smile.
"Ok well let me check." The nurse turned back to look at her computer. "Ok since she had surgery she will be here for a few days. Maybe two or three. And because she was in such a serious car accident and unconscious for a long time we want to make sure everything is working properly." She finished and looked back up to Quinn.
"Ok thank you." She said before turning to go back to Brittany's room. She entered the room quietly knowing that Brittany and Santana worry probably still asleep. She went in and moved to sit in the only other chair in the room. She sat silently in the chair across from Brittany's bed. She watched Brittany sleep her chest rising and falling with each breath. The way Santana is sleeping really looks uncomfortable. I don't think I could sleep like that. She must be exhausted though. Quinn thought as she watched the two sleep.
Quinn wasn't sitting there more than a half an hour when Santana began to stir. She lifted her head off of her arm. She looked around the room remembering where she was. She looked over at Brittany and then to their still linked hands and smiled. She pulled her right arm off the bed and into her lap. She flexed her hand and fingers that had gone stiff and numb from her head laying on her arm. She was looking down at her tingling arm. "Hey." Santana heard from across the room. She would have jumped out of her seat in surprise but didn't not wanting to disturb Brittany. She looked around the room to see where the voice had come from.
She saw Quinn sitting there and threw an eyebrow up in the air in question. She was confused she hadn't seen Quinn when see looked around the room when she woke up. Quinn stood and motioned towards the door with her head silently asking Santana to step outside the room with her. Santana knit her brow together. She didn't want to leave Brittany. Santana told her she would be there when she woke up. "It will only take a minute." Quinn whispered to Santana. Santana reluctantly let go of Brittany's hand and followed Quinn into the hallway.
Quinn spun around to face Santana as soon as she stepped into the hall. Not wasting anymore time she began. "Santana I took the day off but I can't afford to take anymore days off. I need to go back to work tomorrow and will be going home tonight."
"Ok." Santana said waiting for Quinn to continue.
"Brittany's has to stay in the hospital for a few days and I wanted to ask her what her plans were when she gets released. I wanted to find out how she's gonna get home. I need to talk with Brittany but she is sleeping and I don't want to wake her. Heres where you come in." Santana nodded her head understanding what Quinn was saying. "I need to know what your plans are?" Quinn stopped talking waiting for Santana to respond.
"Plans?" She asked.
"Yeah plans. Like what are you going to do? Are you going to go home tonight? Are you going to stay at the hospital? What about work? And how are you going to get home when you do decide to go? You don't have a car. I am leaving tonight. You can ride with me if you want. So plans. What are yours?" She said cocking her head to the side.
"I- I don't- I don't know. I haven't thought about any of that. I have been only thinking about now. Living minute to minute I guess."
"Well you better think about it." Quinn suggested. "Now if you are going to stay here- which I assume you are- I need you to talk to Brittany for me. I need you to tell her that I left when she wakes up. I need you to tell her that I would stay longer if I could but I have to get back to work. I also need you to tell her that I am willing to come and pick her up and bring her home when she gets released. Now I know this is an emotional time but do you think you can handle that?"
Santana scowled at Quinn. "Yes I can handle it. I'm not a child."
"Good now have you made a decision about what you are going to do?" She asked the brunette.
"Yes I promised I would be here when Brittany woke up so that's what I'm going to do. As far as the next few days I don't know. I will probably just stay here. You will be gone and I don't know if I can get Puck to make another couple of trips to bring me home and back. He told me not to worry about work so I don't have to go back. I want to stay with Brittany."
"Ok then. I am going to go now. Tell Brittany to call me if she needs anything. And you to. You can call me. You have my number now. Right?"
"Yeah Quinn. I tell her." Santana paused for a beat. "And Quinn thank you." She said forming a tight line with her lips.
"Your welcome." Quinn replied with a smile. She turned to leave and Santana turned around to enter Brittany's room. Quinn spun around quickly. "Santana?" She wanted to catch her before she entered the room.
Santana stopped with her hand on the door knob and turned her head in Quinn direction. "Yeah?" She asked Quinn curious as to what the blonde was going to say.
"Brittany is very lucky to have you. I know she will be in good hands. Now I can see why she loves you. Take good care of her will you." Quinn said.
"Always." Santana said with a smile and turned the knob and entered Brittany's room. Quinn watched as Santana disappeared into the room. She couldn't see it before but just from observing Santana in the last 24 hours she knew why Brittany loved her and also saw that Santana loved Brittany. Even in the face of an accident such as this Quinn thought she should feel bummed out and sad that her friend was lying in a hospital bed and she was leaving to go home. But Quinn didn't feel that way. She was glad almost joyed that Santana was there and that she would take care of Brittany. She saw the love between the two of them and that made her happy. With a smile on her face she walked out of the hospital.
Santana slipped into the room turning to shut the door trying to not make any noise. With the door closed she turned her head to look over her shoulder to look at Brittany hoping she didn't wake her. Brittany stirred but didn't wake up. She moved across the room to take her position in the chair once more. She sat down and reached out her left hand to take Brittany's in hers again. She gently wrapped her hand around Brittany's. The blonde stirred again this time waking up slowly. She blinked her eyes open and looked around the room. Her eyes growing wide in alarm as to where she was.
Santana watched Brittany as she slowly woke and tried to figure out where she was. She squeezed the blondes hand. Brittany instantly brought her eyes over to Santana. Santana smiled at her. The blondes eyes relaxed to their normal sized again once she saw Santana. "It's ok Britt I'm here. You're in the hospital remember." Brittany smiled at Santana at realizing where she was and what had happened.
"How long was I asleep?" Brittany asked in a raspy dry voice.
"Umm- not sure. Like two hours maybe. I fell asleep too." Santana said with a little smirk thinking about how she had fallen asleep. "Here let me get you some water." Santana said stand up and going to the table at the end of the bed that had a pitcher on it. She poured a cup and then brought it back to Brittany. "You got this?" She asked Brittany handed her the cup. Brittany nodded and brought the drink to her lips taking a long drink.
Santana continued to talk while Brittany drank her water. "So I'm not sure whats going to happen in the next few days but I found out that you have to stay in the hospital probably two or three days. Well actually Quinn found out. She told me. Speaking of Quinn-" Santana continued. She told Brittany everything Quinn had asked her to and that Quinn had left. Brittany finished her watered and handed the glass back to Santana. "Do you want more?"
"No. I'm good for now." Brittany said her voice sounding a little better. Santana put the glass back on the table and sat down. "So what about you?" Brittany asked.
Santana furrowed her brow she didn't understand Brittany's question. "What do you mean?"
"What are you going to do? When are you going to go home?" The blonde asked wincing slightly at the end of her questioning. Talking to much or in long sentence was a little painful because of her broken ribs. They had her on some good painkillers but there was still that dull pain in her chest.
"I'm staying here. With you. I hope that's ok with you? I promised I would be here when you woke up and-"
"It's ok. But the whole time?" Brittany said.
"Yeah I whole time. I can't exactly leave anyway. Puck drove me here but he had to go back to open the bar. Quinn offered a ride back but I told her I was going to stay. I promised to be here when you woke up. I wasn't going to break that promise." She said a big smile lighting up her face thinking about the promise and what Quinn had said just before she left. "Puck told me not to worry about work. So here I am" She said extending both her arms out to her sides.
"Ok but where are you going to sleep?" Brittany asked seriously.
Santana shrugged. "In this chair. I did it once already. I can do it again."
"Santana you can't sleep in a chair."
"Yes I can. And I will. I don't have any other options now do I?" She said raising her eyebrows at Brittany. Brittany just stared back at Santana not sure what to say. If the brunette wanted to sleep in the chair there wasn't anything she could do about it.
"Wait." Brittany exclaimed as she started fidgeting about in the bed.
"Britt what are you doing? Be careful. Don't hurt yourself." Santana stood alarmed at Brittany's movements.
"I have an idea." Brittany winced as she said it. She scooted as far over to the left side of the bed as possible. She took her right arm the one that had her IV in it and reached it out over the bed until her wrist was resting over the bed railing. "Come here." She said looking into Santana's eyes. "You can sleep with me."
Santana eyes grew wide at Brittany's offer. "Brittany I can't. I don't want to hurt you. Or cause you any discomfort. You need to get as much rest as possible. I don't want to disturb that." She said shaking her head.
"You won't if you sleep on my right side. Most of the damage is on the left side of my body. My broken arm, my broken ribs, the incision from my surgery. All on the left side." She paused to take a breath. "Plus I'll sleep better with you next to me." Winking at Santana while a smirk played on her face. "Come on. Trust me."
Santana bite her bottom lip in between her teeth contemplate on whether or not she should or could sleep in the hospital bed with Brittany. Brittany made a good argument that most of her injuries were on the left side of her body. But the brunette was wary.
"Please." Brittany begged. "Pretty please with a cherry on top. It will make me feel better." She pouted.
That was all Brittany had to say to convince Santana. She kicked off her sneakers and carefully crawled into bed with Brittany. The blonde wrapped her right arm around Santana pulling her into her side. "See I feel better already." Brittany said smiling cutely at Santana.
"Good." Santana stated firmly. She gently placed her right hand and arm on Brittany's stomach.
Brittany kissed Santana's temple in response. "I know what happened is bad but if I have to be in the hospital I am glad that you are going to be here with me. It means the world to me that you would drop everything and stay at the hospital with me. I love you." She glanced over at Santana sideways. What the blonde had just said had Santana tear up again. She wished she could just keep her emotions in check but that wasn't a possibility. "Are you crying again?" Brittany asked in a sweet voice as a tear ran down Santana's cheek.
Santana shook her head against Brittany's shoulder. "No." She whimpered out.
"Well what's wrong." Brittany questioned.
"I- it's nothing now. Really. Nothings wrong. It's just- I'm glad that you're going to be ok. That you weren't injured worse than you are. I was scared. You scared me Britt. I didn't know what was going to happen. I didn't know if you were going to be ok. I didn't know anything. They wouldn't tell us anything. I thought it was too late. That the world was playing some sort of cruel trick on me. That I finally had someone who loved me and that they were being taken away from me. That you would leave just like everyone else in my life. I didn't know if you were going to live. I didn't know if I was ever going to see you again. To talk to you again. To tell you that I love you. Damn it I love you and I didn't know if I would get the chance to tell you or not. I love you Britt. If there is one thing I have realized in the last week it's that I love more than anything else." Santana explained through her sniffles.
Brittany turned her head so she was face to face with Santana. She gently leaned in and kissed Santana quickly. "Shhh it's gonna be ok. I'm here. And Santana I love you too." Brittany kissed her again. Brittany squeezed Santana tighter into herself. "Now just hold me." Santana nuzzled her head on Brittany's chest and gripped around the blondes waist with her right hand. Brittany winched at the pain from Santana applying pressure to the huge bruise that ran the length of her left side but smiled.
"Sorry." Santana said loosening her grip on Brittany's side.
"It's ok. Lets sleep now. Ok." Brittany said kissing Santana on the forehead.
It wasn't more than a couple of minute before the two had fallen asleep snuggled together in Brittany's hospital bed. They were both exhausted. Santana fell asleep first. She had been awake since late Sunday morning and it was now Monday night. Brittany fell asleep shortly after that. Getting hit by a car and having surgery and multiply injuries takes a lot out of a person even someone as energetic and lively as Brittany.
