Get ready for chapter 7! Thanks for all of the reviews guys! You make my day that much better. Seriously. You rock.

Disclaimer: I'm getting tired of doing this. Glee will never be mine. Never. Not now. Or now. Or now.

Chapter 7

Finn had made his way to the hospital…for the second time within an hour. He was nearly out of breath by the time he had dashed to the front desk.

"Excuse me," he asked the receptionist between gasps for air, "Do you—have any—news on—Rachel Berry?"

"Are you family?" she questioned back, furrowing her brow.

"Uh…not really, I've just been with her ever since she got admitted. Can I see her?"

"I'm sorry. We're only allowed to disclose information regarding our patients to family first." She saw Finn's face fall, leaving her feeling guilty for some odd reason she did not know.

She felt bad for the poor boy and revealed the information that she knew she was supposed to keep secret, "All it says under her name is that she's still in surgery. I bet the doctor will be right out. If you could just wait in the waiting room…" she pointed to the room across the hall. Finn glanced in that direction: everyone looked forlorn or concerned, some twiddling their thumbs in anticipation, others with their heads held low.

"Okay, thanks." Finn trudged over to the chair situated closest to the hallway where the doctors would stroll by. Medical physicians would walk in and out of the waiting rooms, delivering news both good and bad to the visitors. Every time a doctor would walk by, Finn would move to get up, thinking it was Rachel's doctor. But then the doctor would walk past him and Finn would sink back down into his chair, as miserable as ever.

Finn kept his eye on the clock, watching its hands creep slowly around, minute by minute. It was already around midnight; he could see the pitch black night sky from out of the window. Only one star twinkled in the distance. Maybe, just maybe…

Finn sighed. No, he hadn't done that since he was four. But...maybe he ought to give it a shot. For old time's sake. He placed his elbows on his knees so that his head rested on top of his interlocked fingers. Staring intently at the lone star in the sky, Finn began to wish upon his star (silently and to himself of course; he didn't want anyone else to know he was wishing on a star).

Okay, so hey there star, he thought, well it's official. I'm losing my mind. Talking to a dumb star. He backtracked for a moment before sighing and scolding himself, Great job Finn. You just insulted the star you were about to wish on. Nice going. Anyway, star, if you're listening, can you grant me just one wish? One teeny tiny one? My friend Rachel's in the ER. She doesn't deserve any of it though. Seriously, she's one of the nicest people I've ever met. I know she can be a little crazy sometimes...okay, well most of the time...but she's special. I wish I could've realized that sooner. Well what I'm trying to say is that… if you could just work your little voodoo magic on her and make sure she'll be alright, I'd be forever grateful. That's all. Ermm…amen?

Finn raised his head and looked back at the star which was still shining as bright as ever. I hope that worked, he thought to himself. He sunk farther down into his chair and yawned, weary and fatigued. He had never stayed up this late before; sleep was like his best friend. Closing his eyes, Finn soon drifted off to sleep.

Half-asleep, Finn heard voices muttering nearby. He wished that they would just go away. Couldn't they see he was trying to sleep here?

"Is that him?" a male voice asked.

"Looks like it," another one said.

Finn felt someone jab him in the shoulder and awoke from his deep slumber with a startle. "Wh-what's happenin'?" he managed to mumble, rubbing his eyes.

He slowly opened his eyes and found two papa Berrys looming over him. Quickly sitting up straight in his chair, Finn mentally chastised himself for falling asleep.

"Oh sorry Mr. Berry and Mr. Berry," he said, acknowledging the two men, "When did you get here?"

"Just a few minutes ago. We saw you dozing off. Listen, Finn, have the doctors said anything—anything at all—about Rachel?"

"No." Finn shook his head sadly. "I've been here the whole time."

He saw the grief and sorrow in the Berrys' eyes. Then, right on cue, a general surgeon, donning what looked like a shower cap to Finn and a surgeon mask, came walking towards them.

"Are you the family of Rachel Berry?"

Rachel's fathers turned towards the surgeon as Finn jumped out of his chair.

Hiram Berry spoke first, "Yes, we're her fathers. How is she?"

"Rachel was shot in the upper right abdomen. She went into what we call stage two hypovolemic shock. She lost a rather large amount of blood but we were able to give her a transfusion. The bullet pierced her liver; however, we were able to cut that portion out and remove the bullet safely. Luckily, the bullet didn't hit any other major organ or artery."

Finn, along with Rachel's dads, breathed a sigh of relief.

"So she's okay?" Finn asked tentatively.

"Yes, she should be sleeping right now though." The surgeon turned towards Rachel's fathers. "I have some paperwork for you to fill out…if you could just follow me?" Pointing down the hallway, the surgeon beckoned for the Berrys' to follow him.

Finn reached out towards the surgeon and interrupted him, "Wait, please. Is it possible for me to see Rachel, just to visit her? Even if it's only for a minute?" He looked at Rachel's dads. "I mean, if that's okay with you."

The surgeon nodded, as did the Berrys.

"Just remember," the surgeon noted, "She'll be sleeping. She won't regain consciousness until later."

Finn indicated that he understood what the surgeon said.

"She's in room 254."

"Thank you."

Finn ran off towards the elevators to find the room Rachel was in while the Berrys left to sign some documents. After pressing the button to go to the second floor and watching the elevator doors close, Finn felt anxious. The doctor said Rachel was fine. What did he have to worry about? He was about to see Rachel, to see for himself if she was truly okay. Finn rushed out of the elevator the moment the doors opened. Trying his best not to be confused by the room numbers (from past experiences, he was known for getting lost…often), Finn managed to find his way to the door with the number 254 engraved in a small plaque right next to it. The door was unlocked and creaked softly as Finn carefully turned the knob and let himself in. Because all of the lights were turned off, the room was mainly dark, illuminated only by the glowing rays of the moon. Finn tiptoed into the room, being extra careful not to disturb Rachel.

But nothing could have prepared him for what he saw.

It was Rachel. But if it weren't for her brown hair, he wouldn't have recognized her. There were IVs attached to her arm and a clear plastic tube taped under her nose, supplying her with oxygen. Finn heard a continuous beeping sound and realized that Rachel was also connected to a heart monitor that stood by her bedside. Rachel herself was dressed in a light blue hospital gown and tucked tightly under blankets, fast asleep. She looked so serene and calm, so different from what he had remembered.

After finding a chair in the room, Finn lifted it over by Rachel's right side. He sat down and reached for one of Rachel's hands. Holding her fragile hand in his, he stroked her knuckles with his thumb. She was safe. Finally.

Tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear with his free hand, Finn told Rachel once more, "You're going to be alright." He tried to give her a smile but it all became too much to handle. Letting out a big sigh, Finn put his head down on the side of her bed.

Raising his head slowly, he muttered, "God, Rach, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. None of this would've happened if I had just stood up to Jacob…instead I acted like a coward. I could've wrangled that gun from his hands...I could've stopped this all from happening...I could've—"

Finn paused as he felt a wave of emotion flood over him. Maybe it was just seeing Rachel in the hospital that triggered it. Finn felt tears blurring his vision; he tried desperately to keep them from flowing out. But it was no use. They came anyway, freely pouring down his face.

"I'm so sorry, Rach," he whispered, quietly sobbing into the covers of her bed.

After finishing an endless amount of paperwork and getting everything signed, Rachel's fathers made their way to their daughter's room to check up on her. They cautiously knocked on the door out of respect for Finn's privacy. When no one answered, the two men pushed open the door and found a sleeping Finn next to their unconscious daughter.

Finn was sitting in the chair but the upper half of his body was on the bed, his head resting on his arms. He looked absolutely exhausted; after all, he had been through a lot in a short period of time. His hand was still clutching Rachel's despite being fast asleep.

"Should we wake him up?" Leroy Berry asked his partner.

"No, just let him sleep. I'll go call his mother and let her know that everything's alright." Hiram walked up to the other side of Rachel's bed and bent down, planting a kiss on her forehead before exiting the room.

Leroy nodded in agreement as Hiram left the room. After he heard the door close shut, he strolled towards his one and only daughter. Gently stroking her cheek with his fingers, Leroy let out a big sigh. His little bundle of joy, his little baby girl…in the hospital. Why did this have to happen to her? Leroy mentally scolded himself for leaving her alone at home…all vulnerable and defenseless. It was a good thing that Finn had been there; what would have happened to his daughter if he hadn't? He didn't even want to imagine the possibilities. After sitting with Rachel for a couple of minutes, talking to her and soothing her in her sleep, Leroy decided to look for Hiram because he knew that if he stayed there any longer by himself, he would most definitely burst into tears.

Rachel was extremely fatigued. She gingerly opened her eyes and was met with a burst of light. It was morning. She was just about to reach her hand up to rub her eyes but stopped when she saw that her hand was restrained by all sorts of tubes and medical equipment. Rachel then tried to lift her other hand but was surprised to see another hand grasping it. She turned to her side and saw Finn sleeping right next to her. His hand felt warm to the touch, which was a great comfort to Rachel, and she remembered Finn's awkward little story about never being cold. She let out a small smile, knowing that he had probably stayed with her all night.

Finn blinked his eyes a couple times, having been woken up by Rachel's tossing and turning. He gazed lovingly into her eyes and smiled back.

"Hey," he said.

"Hi," Rachel croaked out, her hand suddenly touching her throat in surprise. Finn realized she must have been thirsty and headed towards the water cooler in the room. Grabbing her a cup, Finn ran back towards her side, careful not to spill any water on the ground, and tipped the cup into Rachel's open mouth. She gulped down the water immediately, glad to be relieved of her sudden thirst.

"Thanks," she whispered.

"How do you feel?" Finn asked in a concerned tone, setting the empty cup on the coffee table in the room.

"Like I've been shot," Rachel murmured back as a joke. Finn didn't find it as funny as she did, but smiled nevertheless. He was just happy that she was awake.

"You gave us all quite the scare."

Rachel sighed, blushing slightly, a tiny bit of her excited that others actually cared about her. She thought she was a nobody but here was Finn Hudson, saying that he cared.

He continued, "I guess we should get a nurse in here and tell her you're awake."

"No, wait Finn," Rachel spoke softly, reaching out her arm to prevent Finn from leaving, "I want to be alone with you. Can you stay...for now?"

Finn turned around and took Rachel's hand in his again. "Don't worry Rach. I promise I'll never leave you." He sat back in the chair by her bed, determined to make Rachel feel safe and loved. While sitting next to Rachel, Finn, overjoyed at the fact that she was well, thanked the star he had wished on the night before. Guess stars can make wishes come true after all, huh? he thought, smiling to himself.

Soon after, Finn had called Rachel's doctors and her fathers to tell them that she was awake. Her fathers came running into the room, kissing her and embracing her, both so grateful that she was alive and in good health. Rachel felt like the air was being squeezed out of her as her dads poured out all of their love and affection by means of hugs.

The doctors checked up on Rachel in order to make sure she was responsive and healthy. Rachel sat up so that her back was leaning against the headboard of the bed; this proved far more difficult than Rachel had thought and she winced, putting a hand to her stomach, as the movement tugged at her stitches. Finn reached out a hand to help her, arranging her pillows in a way that she would be comfortable.

After the doctors left Rachel to be with her family and friends, the room went silent; however, the silence didn't last for long. Just as the doctors left, a knocking was heard at the door.

"Umm come in?" Finn invited, uncertain who could be at the door. After all, the only people who knew about the accident, as far as he knew, were the Berrys and himself. Unless another doctor was at the door?

But once the two adults stepped inside Rachel's room, Finn knew that they weren't doctors. They looked like normal people. One woman and one man.

"Can I help you?" Hiram Berry offered. He seemed just as confused as anyone else in the room; no one recognized who these people were. What could they possibly want?

"Hi," the woman said uncertainly. She pointed to the man who was her husband and continued, "We're Jacob's parents."

Holy moly! This chapter is by far the longest one I've ever written. :) I hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it! Jacob's parents are here…bring on the DRAMAAA. xD

I'm sooo overwhelmed by the support this story has gotten. I would have never imagined people actually liking my story haha. Thanks for all of the kind words :D

I know I sound really annoying when I ask for reviews but I really enjoy hearing your input. :)