!
Tina was being released today, Rachel learned the next day. She had woken up to find both her fathers and Noah in the room, Dad and Noah watching a football game quietly on the TV in the corner, Daddy doing a crossword puzzle in the newspaper.
She vaguely recalled the events of the previous night, the knowledge that she had not, in fact, killed someone and that the man who had abducted them was in the same hospital. It was still a little overwhelming.
Dad told her Tina had a fractured wrist and had to wear a cast for awhile, but other than that, she was well enough to be released. She had been dehydrated, both girls had, but they had given her fluids and she was being released this afternoon.
Rachel pouted slightly. "I want to go home too," she said.
Daddy smiled at her. "I know, sweetie. But the doctors want you here at least one more day because of your shoulder. Maybe tomorrow."
She sighed tiredly. "I just want to go home and sleep in my own bed and wear my own pajamas. The really warm comfy ones," she said.
Dad patted her hand. "Soon, I promise."
"Are you guys going to stay?" she asked hesitantly. Noah had told her their captor was handcuffed and surrounded by police, but she still didn't feel completely comfortable being in the same building as him.
Daddy nodded. "Yes. We're going to get a hotel room in town, but one of us will always be with you, sweetheart. Is that ok?"
Rachel nodded readily. "Yes." She glanced over at Noah but didn't dare ask. He had already been so great, she couldn't ask him for more.
He seemed to know what she was thinking. "Your dads said I could stay too," he told her. "So between the three of us, one of us will be here. If that's ok."
"I don't want to keep you from anything," she murmured. "I mean, if you have something you need to do or if you need to get home." Her Daddy chuckled but when she looked up he had gone back to his crossword puzzle.
Noah shook his head. "No, I'm good here. Unless you just want your dads…" he trailed off, uncertain of what she wanted and unwilling to force his presence on her.
She opened her mouth to speak but Dad cut her off. "Rachel, Noah would like to stay with you, he was very worried when you were gone. Noah, Rachel would like you to stay here, I'm sure she feels safe with you around."
Rachel blushed and she thought even Noah turned a little pink. "Ok," she said. "That's settled then."
A soft knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Rachel turned to see Tina and her mother standing there. She smiled and invited them in.
Tina's mother came to her immediately. "I'm so glad you're ok," she said, leaning down to embrace Rachel.
Rachel hugged her back. "Thanks." She watched as her dads hugged Tina and her mother and then Noah hesitantly stepped up to hug the Asian girl.
"I'm glad you're ok," he told her sincerely. "Sorry I haven't come to visit you."
Tina smiled at him. "It's ok, you were busy." She turned to the parents. "Can you give Rachel and me a minute?" she asked.
Her dads both kissed her forehead and Noah leaned over to squeeze her hand. "We'll be right outside," he whispered in her ear. She squeezed his hand back before letting go.
When they were alone, Tina sat in the chair Noah had vacated, closest to the bed. "How are you feeling?" she asked.
Rachel gave a small shrug. "Not bad, considering. I was pretty out of it yesterday, because of the medicine and everything, but it's better today. How are you doing?"
"Ok," Tina said. "My wrist doesn't hurt very much and I'm just ready to go home."
Rachel made a face. "They're making me stay another day, at least."
"How's your shoulder?"
Rachel hesitated. "Honestly? It hurts. But I'm not telling my dads or Noah that."
"You should ask for some more pain medication," Tina said. "It would feel better."
"I don't really want to be drugged again," Rachel confessed. "It makes me feel weird and it reminds me of the drugs he gave us." She paused. "Did you know he's downstairs?"
Tina nodded solemnly. "My mom told me."
"I really thought he was dead," Rachel said. "I thought I had killed him. And then Noah said he was downstairs. I don't know which is better."
"I was scared," Tina said slowly. "I made my mom stay with me all night."
"I freaked out," Rachel admitted. "I told Noah I wanted to leave and tried to get up and they had to sedate me."
"They said he's guarded by police officers," Tina said hesitantly. "But…I was still scared."
Rachel nodded. "Noah said he was handcuffed too. But I'm still afraid."
Tina fiddled with the hem of her shirt. "I guess it's normal," she said finally. "After everything, I mean."
Rachel nodded. "Probably. I can't help it, though, I still want to go home, far away from here."
"The detective I talked to said we'd probably have to testify at his trial," Tina said. "I don't want to but I don't think we have a choice."
Rachel shuddered. "I'm not looking forward to that."
"Me either." They sat in silence for a few minutes before Tina spoke again. "Don't take this the wrong way," she said hesitantly, "but I'm glad you were there with me."
Rachel nodded. "Me too. I'm glad we were together. I was afraid but I would have been more afraid alone."
"I don't know if I would have been brave enough to try to escape without you," Tina confessed.
"Me either. We did good together and I think it was easier to escape because there were two of us. I'm just glad everything turned out ok."
"Me too." Tina paused, glancing at the door. "I should get going, my mom's waiting."
Rachel cringed. "I'm jealous."
Tina smiled down at her. "Don't worry, you'll get to go home soon," she said. "Just take it easy."
"You too. Are you going back to school?"
Tina shook her head. "Probably not for a few days. I'm just gonna go home and crash. I don't want to deal with everyone yet, you know?"
Rachel nodded. "Yeah. My dads are here, and Noah. I don't really need anyone else right now."
Tina grinned. "My mom said Noah was very worried."
"Yes," Rachel said pointedly, "about both of us."
"I don't know," Tina teased. "Mom said he acted like a worried boyfriend."
"Oh, you mean like Artie?" Rachel threw back.
Tina blushed slightly. "Artie and I haven't been secretive about anything," she defended. "But you and Puck…"
"We're study partners," Rachel said firmly. "Trust me, I'm not the kind of girl Noah Puckerman dates."
"He dated you before," Tina pointed out.
"He doesn't think of me that way anymore," Rachel argued. "He just doesn't."
"That's why he spent all that time with your dads while we were gone and why he came down here to stay with you," Tina said. "Makes sense."
Rachel glared at the other girl before sighing tiredly. "I don't want to argue about this," she said. "It's pointless."
Tina nodded, letting it go. "I really have to get going anyway."
"Thanks for stopping by," Rachel said. "Good luck at home."
"Thanks. And don't worry, you'll be out of here before you know it."
Tina left and a few minutes after that her fathers and Noah came back into the room. She noticed again how tired her dads looked.
"Why don't you guys go get some sleep?" she said.
They exchanged glances. "It's ok, sweetheart, we're fine."
She rolled her eyes. "Please. You look like you haven't slept in a week."
"We were worried about you, sweetheart," Daddy said, stroking her hair back.
She smiled softly at him. "I know, but I'm fine now," she told them. "I'm really ok. You guys should go get some rest."
"I thought you didn't want to be alone," Dad said.
Rachel glanced to the corner of the room. "Noah will be here, right?" He nodded. "Well, see, then I won't be alone. I insist, you guys look so tired."
Her dads exchanged another look and, after a long silence, nodded slowly. "Ok," Daddy said, standing up. "Maybe just a few hours wouldn't hurt."
"We both have our cell phones and we'll turn them up full volume, so if you need anything, sweetheart, you just call," Dad said.
She smiled slightly at them. "I'll be fine," she said. "Don't worry about me."
Dad leaned over and kissed her forehead. "We always worry about you, silly. That's our job."
"We'll be back in a few hours," Daddy said, halfway to the door. "Just get some rest, honey, and we'll be back before you know it."
She glanced at Noah after her fathers had left to find he was laughing silently. She tilted her head and watched him. "What?" she asked finally.
He shook his head. "I bet your Daddy's asleep before they even make it to the hotel."
She grinned. "I bet you're right. They both look so exhausted."
He pulled the chair to her bedside again. "I don't think they slept much while you were gone," he confessed. "Your Daddy was a complete wreck. Your Dad tried to be strong, but he broke down at one point too."
Rachel winced. "I feel bad they had to go through that."
"They're just glad you're home safe."
"I know. But still…I hate that they went through that, that anyone went through that." She glanced up to see Noah smiling again. "What?"
"You, Berry. You got kidnapped, drugged, stabbed, and you're worrying about what everyone else went through." He shrugged. "You're crazy," he decided.
She glared at him briefly. "I am not. I love my dads, I don't want them suffering."
"And I'm sure they feel the same about what you went through."
"How do you know?"
He looked into her eyes and all traces of humor were gone from his face. "Because that's how I feel," he said quietly. "I hate that you went through any of that. I wish I could have protected you from it."
She smiled fondly at him, not breaking the eye contact. "Noah," she said softly, "there was nothing you could have done."
He broke their eye contact and she noticed the tightening of his jaw. "Yes, there is," he said. "I could have made you keep our plans or stayed and watched you guys practice. Then I could have given you a ride home when Tina's car wouldn't start. There were a million things I could have done."
Rachel digested this information as she reached over and took his hand in hers. "Noah, there's a million things anyone could have done differently that night. Tina could have gone straight home, I could have said no. But I'm glad things happened the way they did. Tina and I survived because we were together and because we were stronger together than we would have been alone. And I wouldn't change that."
He sighed and squeezed her hand. "I know," he said quietly. "I just hate seeing you hurt."
"I'm ok," she repeated. "Everyone's ok."
He leaned closer and brushed his hand through her hair, down the side of her face, knuckles dragging softly over her jaw. Her skin tingled like it was on fire. "I was worried," he said.
"About what?" she asked breathlessly.
"That I wouldn't get the chance to tell you…that you didn't know…"
"Noah? That I didn't know what?"
He smiled down at her and she went breathless again at the emotion in his hazel eyes. "That I wouldn't get to tell you how I feel," he whispered.
"How do you feel?"
He grinned down at her. "Rachel Berry, I think I'm in love with you."
She was pretty sure she could feel her insides melt at his revelation. A thought struck her and she started giggling. He looked confused.
"Rach? Are you ok?"
She giggled some more, trying to regain control of her emotions. "I guess you were right," she said. "We do have chemistry!"
He grinned down at her and rolled his eyes. "We're going to cut down on your pain meds," he joked.
She stopped laughing and framed his face between her hands. "Noah," she said seriously, "I feel the same way. I…I mean…I…"
He chuckled and dropped a gentle kiss on her forehead. "It's ok, Rach," he told her. "You don't have to say it yet. I should probably take you on a date first."
She grinned. "Probably."
"As soon as you feel up to it," he promised.
She smiled playfully at him. "So now then?"
He chuckled and smoothed her hair back. "Smartass," he mumbled.
She grinned cheekily at him. "You said when I was up for it." He rolled his eyes but he was smiling. "Seriously, Noah, turn on the TV, let's watch a movie."
He mock saluted her. "Yes, ma'am." He turned on the TV and flipped through the channels until he found a movie. He took one look at it and kept flipping but it was apparently the only movie on TV. "We could just watch regular TV," he said, eyeing the movie critically.
She shook her head stubbornly. "Nope. First dates are usually dinner and a movie. And it's almost time for them to bring my dinner, so you have to find a movie."
He shook his head, still eyeing the TV. "Rach, this isn't really a date type of movie."
She giggled. "Well, Noah, this isn't really a date, so it's ok. What is it?"
He turned to look at her, amusement playing on his features. "Deep Blue Sea."
She shook her head slightly. "I've never heard of it."
"Trust me, not a date movie."
"Well, it's a movie I've never seen before so it will have to do," she decided. "Let's watch it."
He grinned at her and reclaimed his chair. "Suit yourself," he said.
After a few suspenseful minutes he glanced over at her. She was wide-eyed and staring at the TV. Her hand was clutching his arm and he could feel her fingernails digging in. "Still want to watch this?" he teased.
Her eyes grew wider as yet another cast member was eaten unexpectedly, but nodded stubbornly. "Yes. Though…if you want, you could join me up here," she said.
He glanced at the small hospital bed. "Don't think we'd both fit."
"Nonsense," she scoffed. She scooted gingerly to one side and he winced when pain flashed briefly across her features. "There," she said, gesturing to the space she'd created. It was minimal and he was pretty sure he would not fit there.
"It's ok, I'm ok here," he said. "There's really not much room."
She glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest, saying nothing. A few seconds later, her lower lip came out and he chuckled. He was a sucker for the Berry pout. "Ok, babe, I'll try. But if I hurt you, I'm going back to the chair, no arguments."
She rewarded him with a dazzling smile. "Ok," she said happily.
He climbed gingerly into the bed beside her and put his arm around her. She curled into him instantly and he was surprised to find there was room for both of them after all. It was a little crunched and she was practically laying half on top of him but it wasn't altogether uncomfortable. He shifted a little, settling in, and pulled her closer to him.
"Am I hurting you?" he asked. "Is your shoulder ok?"
He felt her nod and she snuggled closer. "It's perfect," she said happily.
He smiled and dropped a kiss to the top of her head. "It'll get better," he promised. "Just wait til our real date."
She tilted her head back to look up at him and she smiled. "I can't wait," she said.
He brushed a loose piece of hair out of her eyes. "Me either," he said softly. They drifted closer until their foreheads were touching and all he could think was God, I want to kiss her. But he didn't. He wanted their first kiss, well, this next first kiss, to be memorable, and he didn't want it to be in a hospital bed.
"I'm not going to kiss you now," he murmured to her.
She pouted slightly. "Why not?"
"Because you deserve better than this," he said. "We're going to have a real first date and a real first kiss. We're going to do it right this time," he promised.
She beamed up at him. "Ok."
He chuckled, pulling back. "Good. Now watch the movie," he said.
!
To say that Puck had been shocked when Rachel declared that she actually liked Deep Blue Sea would be an understatement. But she had snuggled her head just under his chin, curled her hand against his chest and declared that it was a pleasant viewing experience and she would have to invest in the DVD to add to their large collection. He was pretty sure she was full of crap, or maybe morphine, but he wasn't about to say so and start a fight.
They brought her food in shortly after and he had reluctantly climbed back into his chair so she could eat. She had slept so much since her arrival that she hadn't really eaten anything substantial and he had heard the nurses say that if she missed one more meal they were going to start feeding her through a tube.
Looking at her, he didn't think that was necessary. She was devouring some kind of meat with a vigor he had only seen when she performed. The mashed potatoes went quickly too, and by the time she got to the jello desert, she hadn't slowed down her pace at all.
Looking up and catching him staring, she blushed. "I feel like I haven't eaten in weeks," she confessed.
He just smiled at her. "Want me to have them bring you more?"
"No, but thank you. This is sufficient. I'm hoping I won't have to be here much longer."
He nodded, watching as she finished the rest of her milk. "Yeah, I bet you want to get home soon."
She moaned dramatically, leaning her head back against her pillows. "Oh, I can't wait. I'm so jealous Tina got to leave already. I just want to sleep in my own bed, in my own pajamas."
He leered playfully at her hospital gown. "I don't know, these are kinda turning me on."
"Noah!" she said, scandalized.
He winked at her. "Of course, it could always be the hottie wearing them."
She snorted. "Have you been hijacking my meds?"
He grinned at her. "Nah, wouldn't do that to you. Speaking of, isn't it time for you to get some more? They haven't really given you any all day."
"Uh, I don't think so."
He eyed her suspiciously. "Are you sure? They told your dads your shoulder would be painful for awhile."
She shook her head unconvincingly. "Nope, doesn't hurt at all."
But he had noticed the pinched look around her eyes at times during the evening, had felt her shift and her breath catch at the sudden pain. He knew she was lying when she said it didn't hurt. He just didn't know why. "Well, you've got some food in you now, it would probably be a good time if you wanted some meds."
She shook her head again, firmly this time. "Nope. I don't want any. I'm fine."
He shrugged. "Ok, well, if you want to be stubborn about it, that's your call."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"
He shrugged again. "Rach, it's obvious it still hurts you. You're clearly in pain, but you won't take anything for it. You're just being stubborn."
"I'm not," she said, picking at some lint on her blanket.
"Then what do you call it?"
"I don't like the way it makes me feel," she burst out. Taking a deep breath, she said, "It makes me feel really weird, really out of it. I don't want to feel that way. It makes me feel like when that man drugged us. I didn't like it then and I don't like it now."
His gaze softened and he moved to perch himself on her bed, taking a hand in his. "Maybe they can adjust the dose," he said softly. "Or maybe it won't hit you as hard now that you've got some solid food in you. I just hate that you're in pain."
She looked down at their joined hands for a long moment. "It does hurt a little," she said quietly. "Maybe they can give me some aspirin or something…"
He quickly reached for the call button to page the nurse on duty. "Let's see what they say," he urged. "Then you can decide."
The nurse came in and he listened as Rachel detailed her concerns about the pain medication, about the fuzziness it made her feel. The nurse told Rachel she could decrease the amount of morphine she was given or she could give her a drug that wasn't as strong. In the end Rachel chose a high dose of ibuprofen and, though Puck knew it wouldn't take the pain away like morphine would, he was glad she had chosen something over nothing at all.
After she had taken her meds, Rachel scooted over and patted the bed beside her again. He chuckled and kicked off his shoes. She unfolded her blanket so he could be under it with her and snuggled up to him again. They had just finished watching a rerun of Friends on TV when he looked down and noticed her sleeping. He flipped a control to turn her light off and pulled her closer to him, kissing her on the forehead before closing his eyes as well.
Footsteps shook him from his light sleep some time later and he opened his eyes, curling protectively around Rachel. The door opened and her fathers came in, followed by a police detective.
"Is she awake?" her Dad asked. "The police want to get a statement from her now."
Rachel shifted in his arms and Puck could tell she was waking up. "I'm surprised you waited this long to talk to her," he said.
Her Dad looked sheepish. "Well, that was our doing," he confessed. "I told them I'd sue if they didn't give her time to recover from her injuries and the trauma." Puck laughed, remembering how Rachel so readily threatened everyone at school with the American Civil Liberties Union. She definitely took after her Dad.
Rachel stirred and her eyelids fluttered. "Noah? What's going on?"
Her Daddy stepped closer to the bed. "It's ok, sweetheart, Dad and I are back now. And this detective would like to ask you some questions, if you feel up to it."
She opened her eyes and they waited several minutes until she was fully awake. "About what?"
The detective stepped forward. "Miss Berry, I just need to get a statement from you about what happened."
Rachel turned to her fathers, confused. "Didn't Tina already tell them what happened?"
Her Dad nodded, coming forward to rest his hand on her shoulder. "Yes, but they need to get a statement from each victim, each witness, just to get the whole picture. It's ok, sweetheart, just tell him what happened."
Puck listened as Rachel recounted her story, starting with the car trouble and the discovery that Tina's phone was dead. When she got to their initial meeting with the man, he had tensed up. When she said he was military, the detective had stopped her.
"He told you he was in the military?"
Rachel nodded. "Well, kind of. He said he was doing a training exercise for the military, so I guess we just assumed that meant he was military. Why?"
The detective shook his head wordlessly and motioned for her to continue. When she got to the part about being stabbed Puck had looked away from her, clenching his jaw hard to avoid losing his temper. He noticed her Dad do the same.
When she finished her story, the detective nodded, closing his notebook. "Thank you."
Rachel looked hesitantly at her Dad, who stepped forward. "Has he said anything?"
The detective nodded. "He was questioned when he regained consciousness. He is, in fact, in the military and is stationed at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton. He wouldn't say what he was doing in Lima."
"Did he say why he took us?" Rachel asked. "What did he want with us?"
"He wouldn't say. But we do know that he did show up for work Wednesday morning and Thursday, but he did not come in to work Friday. He called and said he was sick."
Rachel smiled slightly. "We attacked him Thursday evening," she said. "We scratched his face pretty badly."
The detective nodded. "That's probably why he didn't go in, to avoid unnecessary attention."
"Wait," Puck said suddenly. "If the girls were taken Tuesday night, and they weren't taken to the shack until Wednesday night, how did he go to work Wednesday?"
Rachel turned to the detective in confusion. "Yeah, where did he put us? We just assumed he had driven all night and we were really far from home."
The detective shifted on his feet. "He won't say anything about that but we believe he took you girls to the base with him. We're trying to get surveillance tapes from the base of Wednesday morning to see what vehicle he drove, but we think he was still driving the van. We think he had you girls with him on base that first day."
"That's why he drugged us," Rachel realized. "He wanted us to stay quiet and not cause a scene."
"But wouldn't someone have noticed?" Daddy asked. "Wouldn't someone have seen them in the van?"
Rachel shook her head. "There were no windows where he kept us," she told them. "No one could see in or out. It was completely dark and sealed off from the rest of the van."
Dad shook his head. "This is unacceptable," he seethed. "They were right there, the whole time, and no one knew it."
"There's more," the detective said quietly. They all turned to him. "The man, William H. Ford, has a history of violent crime towards women. He was involved in several domestic dispute cases, though none were ever prosecuted, and he was charged with aggravated assault five years ago, though it never went to court."
"Isn't there some kind of background check in the military?" Rachel's Daddy wanted to know. "Aren't they supposed to catch these things?"
"They search for felonies," the detective said. "Apparently the background checks do not cover misdemeanors, even in the case of violent crimes."
Puck shook his head angrily. "That's not right," he said. "He could have killed them."
Rachel shuddered in his arms and everyone noticed. "We're keeping Ford under lock and key," the detective assured her. "He is handcuffed and guarded in the jail ward by at least one officer at all times until he can be transported to jail. He's been charged with abduction of two minors, aggravated assault, attempted murder, kidnapping, anything we think will stick. The DA will handle things on that end. He will stand trial for what he's done, I promise you that."
Rachel nodded, burrowing closer to Puck. He rubbed her back gently. "How badly was he hurt?" she asked quietly.
"The knife went into his side, missing all major organs," the detective reported. "He had surgery to repair the muscle and tissue damage but he will be more than able to attend his trial, probably in a few months. They think he'll be ready to be moved to the prison in about a week."
Rachel nodded. "I wish they'd send me home," she said. "I hate being here."
"Actually, sweetheart, we spoke with your doctors a little bit ago and they said they're willing to release you tomorrow if you promise to rest and take it easy for a few days."
Rachel beamed up at them. "Really?"
Daddy nodded. "Yes. It seems you impressed them when you took yourself off the morphine for your shoulder." The adults laughed when Rachel blushed.
"I didn't like how it made me feel," she said. "The other stuff they gave me wasn't as strong, but at least it didn't make me all loopy and out of it."
"They said it will be awhile before you heal completely, but if you're ready to be off the strong medication and can deal with the pain right now, then there's no reason to keep you here," Dad said.
Rachel nodded. "It still hurts," she admitted. "But it's manageable."
"Well, then we can get you checked out of here first thing in the morning," Daddy said. "Get you back home in your own bed."
The detective interjected. "We'll be in touch more when you go home, Miss Berry, especially when we get a date for the trial. The DA will be in touch with both you and Miss Chang in regards to your testimony at the trial. As far as cases go, this one is pretty standard, pretty cut and dry."
Rachel hesitated. "Will I get in trouble for stabbing him? I won't go to jail, will I?"
The detective smiled briefly at her. "No. All evidence indicates your actions were in self defense, and Miss Chang's statement corroborates that. That, and the fact that he injured you before, indicates that it was either you or him. You won't be charged with anything, I assure you. You were acting in defense of both yourself and Miss Chang."
Rachel sighed, relieved. "When do they think the trial will be?"
"Not for about a month, maybe. It's hard to say. There's not much evidence gathering to be done on this case, as I said, it's pretty cut and dry. But the DA will set a date and I'm sure you'll be well prepared in the event you have to go to court."
"If he gets convicted," Rachel started, "how long will he be in jail?"
"The attempted murder and the charges involving minors are serious," the detective said. "They're not light charges."
"He'd be in jail for a very long time, sweetheart, if he is convicted of everything and gets the maximum penalty," Dad said. "It depends on his judge about sentencing, and there is always the possibility of parole, but I think it's safe to say that no one in this room will let that happen without a fight."
Puck felt himself nodding and had a flash of himself, ten years down the road, standing next to Rachel in a courtroom, urging a judge not to let the monster out. He squeezed her hand tightly. He would do it, too, for her. He was coming to realize he would do just about anything for her.
Rachel squeezed his hand back and bounced a little on the bed. "I can't wait to go home," she said, grinning. "I feel like I haven't been there in forever."
"First thing in the morning," her Dad promised. "First thing."