Disclaimer: I don't own Glee nor its original characters (if I did it would probably be called The Brittany and Santana Show, and all the other characters would only be there to help advance their plot).
A/N: Thanks again for all the reviews, you guys are highly motivational and kind. This chapter took longer to write, thus to be posted. I'm no update teaser, as soon as I finish writing I post. On the upside is also very, very long, and more light (meaning: less angsty). I do love angst and this story's situation is extremely angsty; so, it won't go away in the blink of an eye. However, you can expect memories and flashbacks sprinkled here and there, that should help balance all the angst until everything gets settled *tries to be vague*. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter :)
Oh, another thing, since Quinn is a big part of this chapter I must let you know that I don't watch Glee, I only watch Brittany/Santana (I refuse to use lame portmanteaus with couple's names); so, if she comes off a little out of character I apologize in advance. I only have other fics to base her and the other characters on.
Another important subject, people are wondering in reviews if this is in fact a Brittany/Santana fic, and all I have to say is: have some faith folks! *laughs* That aside, of course this is a Brittany/Santana fic. Everybody knows they are endgame. If they don't, they should, right? ;)
By the way, this chapter is dedicated to Tutorgirl92; that's right, I'm picking the best review (whether the most amusing, or witty, or longer, or touching...) from each previous chapter to dedicate the next one to. I always love to read what you guys have to say, you're all so entertaining. So, this new feature is for all of you (and me) :)
Mischances, Stances and Stolen Glances
||Chapter Three||
Santana lay on her hospital bed, aimlessly flipping through channels on the television. Apparently, the four years she missed had done nothing to improve the content of the thing. Especially considering the time, it was just around noon. Nothing good ever came out of daytime tv. The Latina had an eventful morning, that's for sure. After Brittany had left, she cried her eyes out, but shortly later ordered herself to 'stop with the blatant self-indulgence, 'cause she had cried enough'. Dr. Carson surfaced moments later and took her for some scans and exams; all fun stuff, she thought at the time. At least they showed there was nothing physically wrong with her, but Santana never had been much of a silver-lining kind of gal. That had always been Brittany. She was all about the cloud.
There was a movement of the door, and the brunette took it as her cue to turn the television off. Suddenly she took in the appearance of the older man in white doctor's coat entering her hospital room.
"Well, well, well," the silver-haired man playfully said, "Look who decided to join us," he smiled, approaching the bed.
"Richard!" Santana replied, matching his smile and being wrapped up in a short hug.
"You have no idea how good it is to see you, darling," the sixty year old said softly, pulling back from the hug.
Santana just wistfully smiled.
"I'm sorry it's taken this long for me to come," the older doctor said, pulling up a chair and taking a seat. "I was in Toledo for a medical conference when I got Carson's call."
"It's okay, you didn't have to drive all the way back just to see me, Richard," the brunette replied honestly.
"Of course I did. I mean, what would your father say if I didn't?" Richard said playfully with a smile on his face. He had been Martin's best friend since the girl was barely three. Santana smiled too, and then, after realization, both smiles fell.
"I'm sorry about everything, dear," he sadly put it, looking down for a second.
"Yeah, me too," the brunette replied gloomily, hoping this conversation wouldn't set her waterworks as well.
After a moment of silence, he said enthusiastically, "So, how are you feeling? I bumped into Carson before coming in here and he said things are looking miraculously good."
"Yes, he's told me once or five times how lucky I am," Santana said sarcastically, counting mentally the many gifts this event brought into her life. Pushing the thought aside, she recovered, "The scans are all clear, reflexes are great; so, I'll be fine."
"Great! Now you only need to brace yourself and get ready for the physiotherapy."
"Oh, I can't wait to start with it already. I'm dying to get the hell out of this hospital bed!" Santana said energetically, and Richard laughed.
"Yeah, well, just remember to pace yourself."
"So, you probably, well, you surely don't know this; but, after your parents passed, I was named your legal guardian," Richard began in a more solemn tone, and Santana's puzzled face kept him going, "Martin put it on his will that if anything were to happen with him and your mom I would be the one to do it. The document was drawn before you even married Brittany," he clarified, "I guess he thought he had more time to update it," the silver-haired doctor finished with a deadpan.
"What does that mean exactly?" Santana asked.
"Well, it means that I've been taking care of the things your parents left you, and your own stuff. You know, administrating your estate while you were in a coma," the blue-eyed man stated matter-of-factly.
The Latina was confused. "What about Brittany?" she asked, wrapping her mind around all the information.
"Well, at the time, she didn't contest it," he replied honestly, "She said she was terrible with finances anyways, and that you trusted me, and so did she. So, I took on the financial decisions and helped her as much as I could with the medical ones."
"Then, after the divorce," Richard began, wincing at the last word. "Sorry about that, too," he added softly.
"I'm fine," Santana quipped firmly, putting her walls way up in a familiar self-defense move.
Richard nodded sympathetically, she sure was her father's daughter, he thought. "Well, after it, which I handled on your end, I just kept on doing what I already was doing."
"Thanks for looking out for me," the brunette said in earnest.
"Always, kid," he said, flashing Santana a wide grin.
"How everything turned out?"
"Well, your father had offered Brittany financial support after your incident, which I only found out after I made the same offer during the divorce, and received the same answer as your dad. She declined it," Richard said with amusement.
"That sounds like Britt," Santana replied with adoration in her voice. And right then she got the real first glimpse of how hard it would be to actually move on.
"But she had agreed to let your father open an account in Zoey's name, where he made monthly deposits, and which she could access later to use it for college or whatever she wanted when she reached majority. Brittany also agreed that I kept up with the deposits," he continued.
"As for your joint account, it was split 50/50," Richard informed her, readjusting his body on the chair.
"Only fair," she said, running a hand through her hair.
"Yeah, well, Brittany only agreed to it after much discussion," the blue-eyed man stated, receiving a puzzled look from the brunette. "We sat at her parents' kitchen for about 3 hours as she attempted to remember how much of it was actually hers. In her own words 'She didn't want to rip you off in any way'. Only after she accepted she couldn't remember the exact figure, she agreed to the 50/50 split… with a pout" he said, still amused.
Santana laughed this time, "Like I said, that's Brittany."
"Regarding your parents' estate, they left you everything, aside from some money your mom left for a couple of her charity causes. Their house here in Lima, the lake house and the Tortola beach property are all already in your name. So are the vehicles. Your dad's car was… totaled," Richard once again winced at the last word, so did Santana, "But your mom's and your old one are working fine. I've been taking both yearly to the dealership for inspection, they should be fine if you want to sell or use them. Hmm, what else?" the doctor said, trying to think.
"Wow, that sounds like a lot of work you did there, Richard," Santana stated thoughtfully.
"Yeah, well, I did it with pleasure," Richard replied honestly, and after remembering something he said, "Oh, your father also had some other investments, stocks and such, but I won't bore you with details now. You must be tired of me already! I'll just put everything together and we'll talk later, ok? You should rest, dear," he finished, getting up and smiling brightly.
Santana matched his smile, and leant forward to give him a hug and kiss on the cheek.
"Thank you, Richard. Really," the Latina began to say sincerely, uttering adoringly the man's name – which once upon a time came after the word 'Uncle', but was later dropped when she reached the age where it had become uncool to say so. "My dad was once again right, you're a good friend, and a good man," Santana added with unusual sweetness.
Richard's smile got even brighter if possible, and he squeezed the young woman's hand to convey his own affection. "They would be so over the moon to have you back… It's a shame."
On that bittersweet note they said their goodbyes, and he promised to visit her again later with Diane, his wife.
Another thing that remained the same after all these years: hospital crappy food; Santana registered a couple of hours later, stuffing her face with the only good thing that came in her lunch tray: chocolate pudding. She had suffered with the same issue when she was in intern, 'cause turned out cafeteria food wasn't that better than the one served to the patients. Sometimes it was even the same, or worse. And, at the time, she hardly had time to breathe, let alone leave the hospital to get actual, proper, decent food. However, she remembered, there was a certain blue-eyed blonde who made sure to drop by every once in a while to save her from eternal misery. Without time to fight Santana was assaulted by the memory.
Santana erased from the board the procedure she had just finished in exam room 4 when she felt a presence behind her. She didn't even have to turn to know who it was. Somehow, she always could tell when the woman's eyes were trained on her.
Without turning around the brunette said with a smile that always seemed to take over her features when talking to her girlfriend, "Hey, you."
Brittany smiled, "How did you know it was me?" she asked amused, looking Santana in the eye after the brunette turned around.
"I always know," the Latina simply replied, receiving a kiss on the cheek.
"I missed you in bed last night. It takes forever for me to fall asleep when you're not beside me," the blonde almost whispered.
"I know, babe, I have the same problem," the brunette said in the same tone. "But I didn't even get the chance to properly sleep tonight. I would barely doze off sitting down and they would call with something else to do."
"I'm sorry, San. But here," Brittany said with a soft smile, lifting a big paper bag, "I brought you breakfast. Coffee and croissants from Mona's, they're still warm. I know how you hate the food here, and you probably have nothing on your stomach since yesterday," she added, handing the Latina the bag.
Santana awarded her with the sweet smile reserved just for the blonde. "What would I be without you, huh?" she whispered this time – after all she had a bitch reputation to uphold at the hospital – and placed a chaste kiss on her girlfriend's lips.
"Not much, I guess," Brittany joked lightheartedly, pulling back.
"How was the performance last night?" Santana asked with interest. Brittany was part of a modern dance company.
Before Brittany could respond a guy in scrubs called from afar, "Lopez, they need you at exam 6!"
"You should go, babe," the blue-eyed woman stated. "Looks like you'll be eating them cold," she added, looking at the bag on Santana's hand.
"Even if I have to work with one hand only, I'll be eating these now, thank you very much," the Latina protested, smiling.
"Bye, S," the dancer kissed her again quickly on the lips, and turned around to leave.
Santana looked around searching, and quickly entered a patient's room, stealing something from his bedside.
Leaving the room she saw Brittany approaching the hospital's front door. Slightly jogging towards the blonde, the Latina called out, "Hey, Britt!"
Brittany turned around and found herself face to face with a flushed Santana.
"Here," the brunette said with a foolish grin, handing the blonde a single white rose while still holding the paper bag underneath her other arm. And then she leaned closer and whispered something in the dancer's ear.
Brittany smiled with adoration before saying, "I love when you say it like that." Both women held the other's intense gaze.
"Lopez, today would be good!" the same guy called out, causing Santana to roll her eyes.
"I'm coming!" she yelled back with annoyance. Then her tone was back to sweet, and she told her girlfriend, "I'll see you back home, ok?"
"I can't wait."
Just then her door opened again. Seriously, her room had more people coming in and out than a whore-house at war times, Santana mused. The movement brought her back to her new, twisted reality. Anyhow, that had been yet another sign for Santana that she would have a serious hard time moving on with her life. It seemed like every memory she had was somehow attached to Brittany. At that particular juncture she wished she hadn't known the blonde for practically her whole life.
The Latina was met with a pair of very familiar faces, with very uncertain looks in their matching hazel eyes as they made an awkward and slow entrance.
Quinn and James looked at her expectantly, almost fearfully, and at that moment she couldn't help herself.
"Who… who are you?" Santana asked in a low, fragile voice, shifting her look from Quinn to James, doing her best to look as puzzled as possible.
Her two friends exchanged this sheer look of panic, but then they saw the corners of Santana's mouth turning mischievously up into a smug grin.
"Jesus, you're still such a bitch!" Quinn admonished, placing her hand over her heart. "You almost gave me a heart attack, Santana!"
Santana laughed. "And you're still such a drama queen! I told you Man-hands would rub off on you," the brunette teased, stuffing her spoon into the pudding.
Quinn shook her head, wearing a sweet smile on her face, "Aww, I missed this. I missed you so much, San," the blonde said, taking a seat on the edge of the Latina's bed and hugging her.
Santana matched her smile and looked at James, who was still a bit stunned by her earlier prank. "Aww, did I scare little Jimmy?" the brunette teased.
Recovering his wit, Jimmy looked down at his crotch and said, "Nah, he's quite alright. Thank you very much," and then he flashed Santana a megawatt smile, kissed her forehead, and sat on the chair by her bed.
Santana and Quinn shared a disgusted look, which only made his smile get wider.
"We came right after Britt called," Quinn said.
"Yeah, as soon as we found an open flight," Jimmy added.
"Rach wanted to come too, but she's finally starring in a buzzed off-Broadway play, and she could have come – ok, I won't get into that argument again – but you know her, she'll die before she let her understudy perform one night. She's been convinced the woman is out to get her, I just…" Quinn babbled, talking profusely with her hands.
"It's fine, Q. I know Solo-hogger," Santana quipped playfully, nodding her head for emphasis. "Besides, I know she wanted to be here," the Latina plainly added, receiving a warm smile from a satisfied Quinn.
"Can you believe I'm 30?" Santana said, trying to lighten up the mood. "We're 30, actually," she corrected herself, getting back to eat her pudding.
"I know, right? Crazy!" Quinn almost shrieked.
"Actually, I'm 31 now, ladies," Jimmy interjected animatedly, leaning a bit forward on his chair.
"That's right… Now pipe down, grandpa," Santana teased, and she and Quinn – Jimmy too – laughed.
"We still look 25, 'though," the blonde said with a smug.
"Damn right!" the brunette reinforced. "We barely changed, except for Jimmy's hair. What happened to the shaggy mane, Graham? It already took like, half an hour, for you to style that thing before we could go anywhere. Now with this spiky new 'do we'll be lucky if you arrive in time for dessert!"
Jimmy muffled an exaggerated sarcastic laugh. "Very funny, Lopez! Is that thing even on?" the brown-haired man quipped, and stated after a beat, "You are looking paler, 'though."
"Yeah, well, 4 years in a hospital bed will do that to you, Sherlock."
"But you look thinner, too," Quinn gave her two cents, looking at her friend from head to toe.
"At least one good thing came out of all of this, then," the Latina said with a smirk.
"And how are you, San?" James asked; concern all over his voice.
"How am I?" the brown-eyed woman repeated morosely, "I'm peachy," she concluded sarcastically.
Her cardiologist friend was about to press further, but backed down after receiving one of Santana's best engineered glares.
"Physically, then? I'll settle for knowing how you are physically," James asked, finding courage enough to amend his previous query. "For now," he added, pushing his luck.
The Latina breathed out heavily. "I've had CTs and physicals; everything seems to be running smoothly. No permanent damage whatsoever. I'll just have to work my ass off in physiotherapy. My leg muscles are very stiff," Santana replied honestly, and mildly annoyed.
"That's awesome, S," Quinn said, running her hand up and down her friend's arm.
"Yeah, yeah, but enough about me," the Latina stated; uncomfortable with being the center of attention, well, at least in that way. She never minded a spotlight. "What interesting things happened with you guys in the last, hmm, four years?" she asked, sadly finishing her chocolate pudding.
"Hmm, let me see, oh, the dance studio got a mention on New York Magazine last month," Quinn beamed.
"Quite impressive. Congrats!" Santana said, smiling at her long-time friend. "What else? Give me more, people," she added, making the worldly recognized 'give me more' hand gesture.
"My turn; I broke my leg in two places while skiing earlier this year," Jimmy stated confidently, almost proud.
"Yeah, and that would be completely fascinating… if you hadn't broken a limb at Big Bear every year since I met you," Santana quipped, shaking her head with pursed lips in place.
Santana turned her expectant gaze at Quinn, the blonde felt a wave of nervousness before chancing, "Rach and I bought a beautiful ficus for our living room?" it came out more like a question than a statement.
"God, my friends are lame. You're killing me here, people," the Latina whined exaggeratedly.
"Oh, oh," Jimmy began excitedly, "I ran into Marianne Stanton last year in a medical congress and she's - wait for it - totally fat! And orange!" the tall man finished, grinning from ear to ear.
Santana couldn't contain a chuckle. "Now we're getting somewhere good here," she said playfully. "That bitch was so smug back in college, thinking she was all that shit… Good for humanity, I say."
"What about girlfriends, Jimmy? Finally dating anyone special? Or maybe you even got married already. I mean, it seems to be all the rage now," Santana playfully said, but failed to keep the bite and bitterness from seeping through her tone of voice.
All three friends exchanged slightly awkward looks before Jimmy could say, "Not really. You know me: the eternal bachelor," the hazel-eyed British tried to lighten the mood, smiling awkwardly 'though.
There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, everyone knowing what the other was thinking about, but too afraid or feeling too awkward to say anything.
"Ok, then…" Santana began, "I'll address the elephant in the room. What does she look like?" the brunette asked with her best poker face in place.
"Who?" Jimmy feigned confusion. Badly, by the way. He had always been a terrible liar.
"You know who!" Santana scoffed, and then played along with exasperation, "Gemma."
"Jenna," Quinn corrected absentmindedly.
"Whatever," the Latina said dismissively with a wave of hand.
"Well, she's about your height, maybe an inch or two taller. Blonde hair about this long," the petite blonde said, putting her hand just above her shoulder. Santana was feeding off the information like a famished child feeding from a bottle. It was like she wanted to know everything and nothing at the same time. "What else, hmm, green eyes, small frame…" Quinn added.
"Nice ass," Jimmy added to Quinn's description, earning an intense glare from Santana.
"Yours is much nicer, 'though. Seriously," the cardiologist amended in earnest. Santana wasn't buying much, 'though. "And your rack? 100 times hotter," he finished, slipping back into the Latina's good grace.
"How old is she?"
"Mid thirties, I think," Quinn said pensively.
Santana snorted. "And what does Brittany's old half do?"
"I don't know exactly, something to do with management at Wal-Mart," the blonde replied.
"Really? Please tell me there's a vest involved," the brunette joked, already mentally coming up with 100 vest jokes.
Quinn just rolled her eyes. "I don't think so."
"How long have they been married?"
"Hmm, I came to their wedding, uh, one year, one year and a half ago, I think," Quinn said, trying hard to remember.
Santana looked a bit hurt, not very noticeably 'though. "You came to their wedding?" she asked softly.
Before Quinn could answer, James beat her to the punch by saying proudly, "I totally did not come," he stood up briefly and put his arm up for Santana to high-five him, which she did with an amused smile and a slight eye-roll.
"Yeah, instead you came up with the worst excuse ever. I mean, irritable bowel syndrome? She totally knew you were lying," Quinn reproached with a baffled look on her face.
"What? Everyone knows I'm a terrible liar!" Jimmy tried to defend himself. "Besides, I was watching 'Along Came Polly' when I called her, which fed me the idea," he finished awkwardly.
"More like re-watching it! Still with the bad taste for rom-coms, huh, Graham? You're such a chick!" Santana teased. Jimmy just averted his gaze with slight shame.
"I had to come, San," Quinn said softly, and almost apologetically. "Along with you, she's one of my oldest friends, and – let's face it – one of my few real ones at that, too," she added, looking straight into brown eyes.
"I understand it, Q. I really do," Santana said in the same soft tone, and after a beat she added genuinely, "I'm glad you were there for her." They exchanged a brief knowing look.
"How was it when she came to see you?" Jimmy asked.
"How do you think?" Santana snapped, not angrily just very Santana-like. "It was tense, and awkward, and downright uncomfortable," the brunette said. "But it was nice, too. Seeing and talking to her…I have a daughter, you guys," the Latina finished wistfully, with a tender smile gracing her features.
"We know," Quinn gushed. "Our goddaughter," she added, beaming, and Jimmy was doing the same.
Santana's eyes lit up. "She asked the three of you?" the Latina asked emotionally, she was clearly touched. "We had planned to do it once the kid was born… I didn't know she followed through with it."
"She did," Jimmy answered, also visibly emotional. "Through many sobs, but she did. You know, as the bro part in this chick-bromance of ours, I feel is my duty to let you know how devastated your lady was after what happened to you. I've never seen anyone that sad, it even broke my cold English heart. So, before you go getting any crazy ideas, I thought you should know that," the British man put softly, and at that moment Santana couldn't remember ever loving him more.
"He is absolutely right, you know?" Quinn reinforced softly, giving her girl friend's hand a reassuring squeeze.
Santana didn't say anything, and she didn't have to after looking at James and Quinn with such adoration. And after offering them a rare sweet smile, which was matched precisely by her friends. The Latina didn't have many friends, but the ones she got…
After a quiet, comfortable moment of silence, Santana asked enthused, "So, tell me about Zoey," she couldn't help but smile wide at the mention of her favourite new name.
"Oh my God, San! My goddaughter is amazing. Smart, funny, adorable…" Quinn gushed, smiling broadly. "It's even hard to believe she's your offspring," the hazel-eyed woman joked, and Santana playfully smacked her arm. "Didn't B bring her to see you?"
"Tomorrow after school," Santana said matter-of-factly. "I'm already starting to feel a little nervous, I mean, I've never been that crazy kid person. What if she doesn't like me?" the brunette added honestly, always the insecure one.
"Impossible," James stated curtly, sounding extra British. "We've told the little monster so many stories about you and your badassness… You'd be surprised at how much the kid worships you," he finished with a smile.
Santana still seemed doubtful.
"It's serious, San. Between me, Jimmy, Rach, Brittany, Ally and all those videos you made that she's constantly watching, you've got the girl in the bag," Quinn added reassuringly, making Santana beam with excitement for their actual first meet.
"What's with the bags?" the Latina asked, noticing the discarded items by the bottom of her bed. "Hopefully presents. You two own me like, four belated birthday gifts," she joked.
"As a matter of fact, I brought you an ipod with new music. You've got a lot to catch up," Jimmy said, handing her his bag.
"Aww, so sweet of you, James Edward Graham. Have I told you I love you?" the brunette said playfully, taking the bag.
"Only during sex, love," Jimmy quipped with a smirk on his face. Santana and Quinn smiled, shaking their heads collectively.
"And I brought you a couple of books to keep you entertained, and a bunch of trashy magazines. I know how you love to pretend you don't love them," Quinn said, smiling and handing her the other bag.
"Thanks, Q," Santana said with an appreciative smile on her face.
"What? No declarations of love for me?" the hazel-eyed woman joked, feigning to be deeply hurt.
"So, besides rubbing off her drama queen ways, Dwarf is also rubbing off her neediness on you too, Fabray?" Santana teased, and it was Quinn's turn to playfully smack the Latina.
"You know, that's not the only thing Rach rubs on me, Santana," Quinn winked at her suggestively.
"Oh my, God!" Santana practically shouted. "You totally scarred me for life. I hope you're happy with yourself!"
"Thanks for the mental gift, Quinnie!" Jimmy put both of his thumbs up, and winked back at Quinn, who rolled her eyes. Santana grinned.
They were interrupted by a built Asian guy, who entered Santana's room pushing a wheelchair.
"Santana Lopez?" he asked the brunette woman in bed.
"Whatever it was, it wasn't me," Santana joked midst an easy smile, still caught up in their previous teasing momentum.
He didn't know how to respond to that, so he simply ignored it, furrowing his brows. "I'm Danes, your physiotherapist. Dr. Richard Hannover sent me; he said you wanted to start your treatment immediately. So, are you ready for me?"
"More than ready! The sooner I can get out of this hospital bed the better."
"That's the spirit I like to see in my patients! Now, let's get you on this wheelchair so we can go to the treatment center," the congenial man said, smiling while pushing the wheelchair closer to the bed.
"I'll help you out, mate," Jimmy said, standing up while Quinn did the same.
The guys placed Santana onto the wheelchair with remarkable ease.
"Come on, you two," the Latina said to James and Quinn. "I'll need all the cheering I can get. I hope you brought your old uniform, Q. And, don't worry, Jimmy. I can lend you mine," she added, teasing.
"Well, the thing is, your butt is too big. I don't think it will fit me properly," Jimmy quipped, as he and Quinn followed Danes, who pushed a wheelchair-bound Santana towards the center.
"Just… shut up, Jimmy!" the brunette snapped while her friends and Danes laughed.
Santana worked her ass off. Between curses, growls, scowls, glares, and all sorts of general abuse, she and Danes developed a love/hate kind of dynamic. Quinn and James did their best to lighten up the mood to get her mind off of the extreme exercise regime. Santana wanted to get out of that hospital so bad that she didn't mind working a bit harder. Besides, she was accustomed with strain. The brunette had worked under Sue's boot camp training after all.
Near the end of the day Santana's friends said their goodbyes. They still had a drive to Dayton's airport ahead of them – in a ridiculously tiny rental car, as Jimmy had put it – and a date with a red eye flight back to New York. James had surgery the next day, Quinn had work… life went on, despite of any desires to stop time and just be. But they would go home with their friend's parting words still lingering in their minds, "Thanks for coming, you two. I really needed this." And those words made any journey seem worthwhile to them.
"Can we go now, mommy?" Zoey asked for the second time in the last 3 minutes, looking up at Brittany, who talked to Jenna in their kitchen, and stomping her little red chucks at them.
Despite the child's protests, Brittany had decided to drop some work stuff home before going to visit Santana instead of going directly from the little girl's preschool to the hospital. Since the blonde had told her daughter that mama – as the child had taken to call the Latina – had woken up, the kid was relentless on going to visit her.
"In a minute, honey. Let me just finish talking to Aunt Jenna, ok?" Brittany said, ever so patient, and the child bounced off of view again.
"I just hope she doesn't get disappointed," Jenna said, taking in the kid's excitement. "I mean, with all the stories from Quinn, Rachel, James, your sister… you know, the poor woman would have to be Wonder Woman to live up to that," she finished sincerely.
"Zoey will be fine. I'm sure Santana will be great with her," the dancer replied confidently.
"Yeah, but from the stories I've heard, Santana doesn't strike me as a kid person, if you know what I mean," the green-eyed woman said with concern.
"Honey, relax," Brittany soothed, "Zoey was very much wanted, Santana and I couldn't wait longer to finally have her. I'm sure she will do fantastically," the taller blonde added, running her hand up and down her wife's arm.
"I hope so. I would just hate to see Zoey getting her heart broken."
"I can bet my life that she won't."
"Can we go now?" Zoey asked in the same fashion, carrying two stuffed animals under one arm, another bigger one under the other, and a small backpack on her back that looked extra bulky.
Taking in her daughter's appearance, Brittany said hardly containing a grin, "Where do you think you're going with that entourage, daughter of mine?"
"I want them to meet mama, too," Zoey said like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"I'm sure that she'll have plenty of time to meet the whole gang, but for today let's just take at most two guys, ok?"
The blue-eyed girl put the stuffed animals on the floor, alongside the backpack, which she opened to properly inspect. Looking like she was making Sophie's choice, Zoey finally reached her decision.
"Ok, I'll take Rainbow and Sparkles, then," she said with a slight pout, holding a stuffed duck and unicorn.
"Wonderful! Let's go them," the words had barely left Brittany's mouth and Zoey was already dashing for the front door. "What about Aunt Jenna's goodbye?" the taller blonde added, making the kid rush back to give the woman's leg a quick hug, and resuming the dash to the door.
"Goodbye, Aunt Jenna," she shouted running.
Brittany shook her head, beyond thrilled to see her daughter this happy to finally get to meet her mama properly, "We'll be back soon," she said, giving Jenna a quick peck on the lips.
"I'll be here," the smaller blonde replied with a small smile on her face as she watched her wife leave, getting this weird sense that life as she knew was about to change somehow. She wasn't keen on it.
Santana listened to her new ipod, filled with songs that she'd never heard before. She had been too anxious waiting for Brittany's visit. She was finally getting to meet her daughter, Zoey, and that was… huge. So, she decided to calm herself with music. It always managed to relax her a bit. She had fixed her hair earlier; a steady, well put together, high ponytail, with her bangs neatly stretched across her forehead and neatly tucked behind the opposite ear. Her lips were also looking very lively, completely covered with the lip gloss she had snagged from Quinn the day before. She wanted to look good for her kid. First impressions counted for something. Among those thoughts and unfamiliar tunes she saw her door moving. Showtime, she thought. Be cool, Santana, she thought again, turning her ipod off and placing it on the nightstand.
Brittany pushed open Santana's door with Zoey in tow, one stuffed animal snuggled under each arm.
"Hey, San," Brittany beamed, smiling, still amazed to be saying those words again to an awaken Santana. Outside of her dreams, obviously.
"Hey," Santana said to Brittany, and then directed her eyes to the little girl standing by the blonde's side, in a pair of red chucks, jeans and a pink-lilac-aqua-white plaid shirt. "And hey, you," she crooned, trying her best not to shift into her ugly-cry right there, and probably scare the bejesus out of the kid.
Zoey looked up at Santana, and then at Brittany, seeming a bit unsure.
"You've been babbling non-stop about meeting your mama the whole day, and now that we're here you won't even say hi to her?" Brittany asked playfully, smiling and looking down at her daughter.
The blue-eyed girl tugged on Brittany's hand, balancing to not let the stuffed animal fall. Brittany complied, leaning down, and Zoey whispered something in her mommy's ear. Santana looked puzzled, and Brittany just grinned.
"No, baby, you won't break her. Go ahead," the blonde answered with a laugh, and watched as her daughter ran towards the Latina's bed, clumsily climbed it, and placed a hard, sloppy kiss on the cheek of an unsuspecting Santana.
"Hi, mama!" the kid exclaimed enthusiastically, and rather melodically, pulling back.
It was impossible to determine which heart melted with more intensity: Santana's or Brittany's.
After regaining her composure Santana smiled and said energetically, "Wow! That was some kiss! What did I do to deserve that, huh?"
The little girl just smiled and shrugged.
"You know, when you were still in your mommy's belly," Santana began in the sweetest of tones, running her hand along Zoey's silky, long, brown hair, "I always used to dream about what your little hands would look like…" she added, taking the girl's hand, "how your tiny nose would be…" the brunette added, touching the tip of the girl's nose, causing a giggle to escape the kid's lips, "what you would smell like…" she added, nuzzling Zoey's little neck and intensifying her giggles, "But never in my wildest dreams I dreamed of something as perfect as you," Santana finished, unable to keep her tears at bay.
She stole a glance at Brittany, and saw that the blonde was crying as well.
Zoey put her stuffed animals aside for the first time after climbing the bed, and scooted closer to Santana. The little girl took in her mama's tears and looked puzzled.
"Why are you crying, mama?" Then she looked back at Brittany and saw her crying too. "And you too, mommy?"
"These are happy tears, sweetie. I'm just glad that we're all here together, talking and laughing," Santana explained softly, and then she really looked at Brittany and added, "I'm sure your mommy feels the same." Brittany's words were caught in her throat, so she simply nodded.
"Like when Grandma Annie cried when I 'gived' her that drawing I made with Aunt Ally for her birthday?" Zoey asked, trying to see if she really understood the meaning of 'happy tears'.
Brittany forced her words to come out. "'Gave', Z," she softly corrected, "And, yeah, just like that," she added with a smile. The kid smiled proudly of herself; and so did Santana, proud of Zoey, of course. The girl was really sharp, but then again, every parent thought that of their own child.
The blonde woman took the opportunity to take a seat on the chair by Santana's bedside, placing something on top of her nightstand.
"I brought you a milkshake for later, I know how you hate hospital food. I would have brought a burger too, but I didn't know if you could eat solids yet," the blue-eyed woman said with a tender smile as she looked at Santana.
"You shouldn't have troubled yourself," the brunette replied slightly cold, holding the dancer's gaze.
"Please, it's nothing," Brittany scoffed. "Reminds me of old times," she added nostalgically, smiling.
"Old times?" Santana asked nonchalantly, feigning not to know what the other woman was talking about when she certainly knew quite well.
"When you worked those crazy shifts at the hospital and I always brought you decent food," Brittany explained, buying the brunette's bluff.
"Oh, right," Santana said, faking remembrance. The Latina didn't know why she did these things sometimes. But, frankly, she did. Know why, that is. Self-defense.
"Hello?" Zoey said, not digging not being the center of attention anymore.
Santana grinned widely, directing her gaze back at her daughter. "Look at the little attention-demander," she quipped, tickling the little girl who laughed hysterically on top of the Latina.
"Just like her mama, huh?" Brittany joked, smiling from ear to ear at the sight of Santana and her daughter getting along so well. Her heart suddenly felt too big for her chest.
Santana could have glared at the blonde, but, somehow, she felt utter joy hearing she and Zoey had similar trades. No matter how flattering or unflattering they sounded. So, she just displayed an amused smile. The brunette felt so comfortable and so happy with how this first meeting was going that she had to also laugh at herself for being so nervous before. Everything just felt so… right.
The Latina stopped with the tickling and took in her daughter's full height and weight on top of her. Then she said smiling, "Oh my, God! You're such a big girl! How old are you again?"
"Three," Brittany beat Zoey to the punch.
"And a half," the blue-eyed girl clarified, pride laced in her voice.
"And a half," the blonde repeated matter-of-factly. "Can't forget that."
"Naturally," Santana mused, smiling – she couldn't keep it out of her face, apparently. "So, I've been told that you even attend school already! Do you like it?" she added, making conversation easily.
"Lots!" Zoey almost shouted, unable to contain her enthusiasm.
"Hon', please don't shout," Brittany asked patiently. "This is a hospital, remember?" she added softly.
The girl looked apologetic, and Santana couldn't help but notice what a great mom Brittany truly was. Patient, sweet, adoring, nurturing… The Latina never had any doubt she would be like this, but it was even nicer to see it at first hand. At that moment Brittany looked at her, and Santana averted her admiring gaze. No need for the blonde to see that. To see how pathetic she still managed to render her.
"Lots," Zoey repeated lower than before, having Santana's full attention again. "We play, we colour, meet with our friends, learn new stuff…" she added enthusiastically.
"Seems like a really cool place indeed," Santana said nodding. "What about your teacher? What's her name? Is she nice or just a bi –" she stopped mid-sentence feeling Brittany's glare at her, and also realizing for herself what she was about to say; so, she amended, "– iiig silly lady?"
She glanced at Brittany and saw her smiling, which she involuntarily mimicked. And then she saw the blonde mouthing 'nice save'.
"Her name is Miss Miller, and she's very nice. She plays with us."
"I see," Santana said.
"Aren't you going to introduce mama to your friends over there?" Brittany asked, pointing to the long-discarded stuffed animals. "You were so pumped," she added, directing an amused look at the Latina.
Zoey busied herself grabbing them euphorically, she had totally forgotten about them with all the talk. "Mama, this is Rainbow," she beamed, handing Santana the unicorn, "And this is Sparkles," the little girl added, holding the duck on her lap.
"Wow! Nice friends you've got, kiddo!"
Zoey nodded and said, "Rainbow sleeps with me every day."
She then leaned closer and whispered something in Santana's ear. They both giggled.
"Hey! No secrets," Brittany whined in an exaggerated mocking way.
Zoey bought it anyway, like any other child would, and said sheepishly, "I just told mama that sometimes, when you're scared at night too, you ask me to borrow you Sparkles so he can sleep with you." Brittany blushed slightly.
"Yeah, your mommy always had a soft spot for ducks."
"They're cute," the blonde said, defending herself.
"I think too," Zoey chanted with a smile.
Both looked at Santana expectantly.
"If you two say so, who am I to disagree?" the brunette said, amused. "I think they're cute too," she added smiling.
Zoey and Brittany clapped their hands in glee just like the blonde always used to do, and Santana's heart suddenly felt too big for her chest this time.
The little girl, who was then practically mounted on Santana, noticed the Latina's lip gloss. "Your lip gloss is pretty, mama," she stated simply with that complete sincerity that only kids possess.
"Thanks, honey," Santana said, touched. "I actually nabbed it from Quinn yesterday."
"Quinn was here?" Brittany asked at the same time as Zoey.
"Aunt Quinn is here?" Zoey asked at the same time as Brittany.
"Well, she and Jimmy visited me yesterday," Santana answered both. "They asked me to say hello to you two," she added, looking from the blonde to her daughter. "They couldn't stay longer, but they promised to come later to stay for a while."
Brittany and Zoey seemed satisfied with her answer, then after a beat the kid said softly, "I miss my godparents."
"I know, baby," the blonde leaned forward on the chair, and caressed the girl's forearm. "They will come back soon," she crooned soothingly.
Santana took in Brittany's closer proximity and looked deep into blue eyes. "You asked them," she stated softly, almost as a whisper. Her eyes looked warm, like they always once were when they looked at her, Brittany noted.
"Of course. We had decided," the blonde replied in the same fashion as Santana's statement.
They stayed like that, holding each other's stare for what it seemed like a century, but was probably mere seconds. Both wanting to say more, but not entirely sure on what exactly. A nurse interrupted them.
"Is the silver Focus yours?" the nurse asked Brittany, popping her head in and feeling three pairs of eyes on her.
"Yes. Why?"
"You parked in a prohibited zone, you'll have to move it," she stated simply.
"Now?" the blonde asked, and the nurse just nodded before popping back out.
"I'll…" the blonde began to say, pointing her head to the door.
"I'll look after her. We'll be fine, won't we, Z?" Santana asked, already taking property of the girl's nickname. Zoey just nodded with an easy smile.
"Ok. Be right back."
Santana lay in bed with Zoey curled up beside her, both highly propped up and leaning back on the brunette's pillow. They were listening to music on Santana's new ipod, sharing the earbuds. One to each.
"Next," Zoey called, and Santana pressed the button.
"Next," she said again, and Santana pressed again.
"Next," she said again, and Santana pressed again.
"This one!" Zoey exclaimed. "I love it."
"Great," the brunette said smiling, pleased to please her daughter. "Let's hear it then," she added, not recognizing the artist. Shocker, she thought.
Zoey started to giggle.
"What are you giggling at, Miss Giggles?" the Latina asked, smiling wider.
"Mommy likes to dance goofy to this song," Zoey said through giggles.
"She does, doesn't she?" Santana asked rhetorically with amusement. "I bet she does. She can be pretty goofy, that mommy of yours," she added. "And we love it, don't we?" Santana finished, sweetness laced in her tone.
Zoey nodded and they giggled more, right then Brittany returned. The blonde took in the sight in front of her, and felt overjoyed. Santana and Zoey exchanged a hand-caught-in-the-cookie-jar look as Brittany walked further into the room towards the bedside.
"What are you guys giggling so hard at?" she asked playfully, arching an eyebrow at them.
"Nothing, mommy," Zoey answered in the least convincing tone ever.
The Latina turned off the ipod and cast it aside.
"Yeah, not a thing, Brittany," Santana said, and Brittany couldn't help but notice that, since she had told Santana about her marriage, the brunette only used her full name. It frankly bothered her, but she let it be. Things were too nice to darken the mood.
"Ok, then… I'll let it slide, only because we have to go. The nurse lady said visiting hours is far over," the blonde said.
"Already?" Zoey whined, wearing a very Brittany-like pout, Santana noticed.
"It's fine. They pulled the same sh… shenanigans," Santana amended; she was getting good at that, "with Quinn and Jimmy yesterday. Just call her in here and I'll give her a piece of my mind," the brunette finished.
"Yeah, she ain't coming in here, San. She told me how you made her cry yesterday," Brittany said, shaking her head for emphasis.
"She's just too sensitive," the Latina retorted defensively.
"Yeah, right... I for one don't want to be banned from visiting you. So, let's get going, baby," the blonde stated, outstretching her hand to Zoey, who still lay next to Santana.
The little kid hopped off the bed as quick as a cat. She had a sad expression on her face, and looked about to cry.
"Don't be sad. We'll come back often," Brittany reassured, looking down at her daughter while patting her hair.
"Every day?" Zoey tried her luck, looking up at her mommy with puppy-dog eyes. Santana was beyond herself with happiness, seeing how much her daughter cared for her. She felt tears threatening to well up.
"Ok, every day. If your mama doesn't mind," Brittany said, looking at Santana. She knew the brunette wouldn't object, in fact, she would love it. She just wanted the Latina to get the glory for appeasing their daughter.
Zoey turned back to inspect Santana and hear her verdict.
Santana looked at the dancer appreciatively, and flashed both of them a megawatt smile, saying, "I would love it!"
"Yay!" Zoey beamed, clapping her hands together.
"Ok, now that that's settled, go pick up your friends so we can go."
Zoey did what she was told, placing again one stuffed animal under each arm.
"Come here, sweetie," Santana spoke softly, beckoning her daughter, who quickly complied. The Latina leaned forward and whispered something in Zoey's ear. Taking in Santana's face and demeanor, Brittany didn't even have to hear her daughter's reply to know what the love of her life had said in their daughter's ear.
Either way she got her confirmation when the little girl hugged Santana, and replied sweetly, "I love you too, mama." The brunette then kissed her daughter's cheek.
Zoey walked back towards Brittany, who was almost by the door then, and stood by the blonde's side.
"I'll see you tomorrow, San."
"Yeah, I'll see both of you tomorrow."
When Brittany opened the door, Zoey went back running to Santana's side and handed her the duck. "Here, I'll let Sparkles sleep with you, mama. You won't be alone. He'll protect you," the kid said simply, and Santana felt a surge of love for her daughter of such magnitude that she felt her heart wouldn't take it, that it would actually burst. Her eyes started to well up again.
Brittany watched the scene unfold in awe. She had never felt prouder of her child and her infinite kindness and love supply like she did just there.
"Thank you so much, baby," Santana managed to say, holding Sparkles tightly.
She smiled at her kid, and her kid smiled back before running back to Brittany.
Both women exchanged a long look of awe, admiration, love and completion. They smiled at one another, and the blonde closed the door after Santana and Zoey waved bye.
Santana laid there in her afterglow as she thought about the amazing child she had gained. And how maybe, just maybe, things weren't as bleak as she initially thought. More than ever she felt she should work extra hard to get the hell out of that hospital, and into her daughter's life.
That's it for now! Hope you guys appreciated it. Let me know, hit the review button ;)