I don't know if anyone is actually reading this but I wanted to apologize for the delay. Life got in the way. (On a side note, I despise giving speeches!) This chapter may be a bit slow comparatively speaking, but it is necessary to build the plot. I am going somewhere with this fic, I swear. I hope you all enjoy it and if you get a chance let me know what you think. I'm beginning to question if anyone even cares about this fic any longer. *le sigh*

Chapter 4

Emma's eyes fluttered open as she attempted to clear the sleep from her mind. She closed them once more, not ready to face the brightness of the room. She shifted for a moment, her other senses taking over and alerting her to the fact that she wasn't in her own bed. Her eyes shot open at this realization as she quickly tried to adjust her vision to her surroundings. She took in the pale white walls of the hospital room as the memories of yesterday came flooding back in waves. Looking around she noticed that Will was nowhere to be found. Her anxiety was beginning to take over when she noticed the little yellow note on the table beside her bed. She picked up the paper, immediately recognizing the handwriting as her husbands. Her breathing relaxed a little bit at the sight of the familiar scrawl.

Emma,

Officer Michaels called around 8 and wanted me to come back to the apartment to make a claim on anything that was stolen or damaged. I should be back in an hour or two, but I have my cell if you need anything. Don't hesitate to call. I left a cup of tea for you for when you wake.

All my love,

Will

Emma let out a small sigh as she absorbed the note. She looked to the table where she had found the note and noticed a white ceramic mug. She picked it up and smelled it, crinkling her nose in pleasure. Peppermint. The scent called to her, however, the mug was cold. She wondered how long it had been there waiting for her. Emma found the clock on the wall and noted the time. 9:53 A.M. Had she really slept for 12 hours?

She put the cold tea back on the table and picked up the telephone, trying to figure out how to dial outside of the hospital, which was proving difficult with a new cast she wasn't used to. Her mission was interrupted moments later though as she heard the turn of the doorknob.

She immediately brightened as her husband walked in and greeted her, "Good morning beautiful." He smiled at the phone in her hand. "Calling someone?"

Emma blushed a little bit as she put the phone back on the receiver, knowing Will knew exactly who she was attempting to call. "Not anymore." She smiled in return.

Will walked to the patient table and wheeled it to Emma's bed so it was sitting directly in front of her. He took out a disinfecting wipe from the bag he was carrying and began wiping it down as Emma looked on with a quizzical expression.

"What's that for?" She asked, curious about what was in the bag.

Will pulled out a few containers of food and placed them in front of her. "Brought you some breakfast." He said as he nodded toward the untouched food tray resting on the other table. She followed his gaze to the breakfast tray the hospital staff had undoubtedly left for her that morning that she honestly had no desire to eat.

"Thanks Will." Emma said genuinely as her husband opened a container of fruit and pulled out a whole wheat bagel from the bag.

"No Problem. I know how terrible hospital food can be, and you've got to keep your strength up so you can get out of here." He said as he planted a sweet kiss to her head.

The fruit looked delicious to Emma and it wasn't until she saw it that she realized just how hungry she was. She found the hand sanitizer in Wills bag of surprises and quickly rubbed some on her hands before she began to eat. Will took a seat at the foot of the bed as he watched Emma devour the fruit.

Will chuckled softly as he very rarely saw his wife drop the dainty woman act and stuff more than one bit into her mouth at a time, but he didn't blame her. He would be starving too in her situation. Emma noticed his soft laugh and realized that she was the object of his humor. She chewed and swallowed her bite as she reached for a napkin and dotted her lips.

"Will Schuester, are you laughing at me?" She asked after her mouth was no longer filled with fruit.

Will couldn't hide his amusement at this point as he broke into laughter at his wife's incredulous look. Emma's mock stern face softened as she too began to laugh. Will couldn't help but be thankful that she seemed to be feeling better spirited today.

"I would never laugh at you!" He said with a grin, making it quite evident that he was indeed being sarcastic.

Emma giggled at this. "Good."

They shared a soft smile as Emma turned her attention back to the grape she was holding. She popped it into her mouth and savored the taste. She really was thankful to have such a wonderful husband that knew her so well.

As she continued to chew she looked back to Will. "Was anything stolen when you went back to the apartment?"

Will looked at his feet for a minute as he looked more somber, alerting Emma immediately. Her breath hitched momentarily. "Will, what is it? What did he take?" The mood in the room had shifted and she was beginning to get nervous as he usually answered her questions directly. Pause could not be a good sign.

Will finally looked up and made eye contact with his wife. "He took a few things that seemed kind of…strange." Will said, trying to gage Emma's reaction before he continued. Emma was beginning to grow impatient sensing that there was something she still hadn't been informed of.

"Will, just tell me. I'm sure whatever it is can be replaced." She said, leaving her breakfast forgotten on the tray.

Will took a breath as he contemplated how to continue. "He took some pictures, a few of our home movies, your lotion and…and your toothbrush." He looked to her once more as her expression turned from one of worry to one of confusion. She blinked a few times, making sure she had heard him correctly.

"Wha-Why would he want those things?" She asked, truly puzzled.

"Em, he…he also looked in your underwear drawer. I don't know if anything is missing but the police want you to check when we get home… Em," He grabbed her hand in his as he looked into her confusion filled eyes, "Officer Michaels thinks you may have a stalker."

Emma inhaled sharply as panic began to rise. Feelings of fear, anxiety, and violation ran through her entire body, overtaking her entire frame as she attempted to process this new information.

"A-a…A stalker?" Emma questioned with a squeak. Will nodded and squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"Officer Michaels said we both need to make a list of everyone we know so they can start narrowing down the choices. He is also going to have an officer on duty at all times to protect you. He assured me they wouldn't let anything happen to you." Will tried his best to reassure his wife but he knew this was an impossible situation to deal with.

"Wow I…A stalker. Why would someone want to stalk me?" She asked searching his eyes for answers she knew he didn't have, but she searched anyway.

"I don't know. Sweetheart, we are going to get through this. Officer Michaels said that stalkers are more common than people think, and the majority of them have no interest in harm." Emma's grip tightened on Wills hand. He rolled the food tray away so he could sit directly in front of her. He could tell by the look on her face that she was trying her best to compose her thoughts into something that made sense.

"Will, he's already harmed me. That's why I'm here now." A tear rolled down Emma's cheek as her composure began to crumble once more, "What if he tries to hurt me again?" Her hand moved to her stomach protectively, "What if something happens to the baby?"

"Em, we aren't going to let that happen." Will said as he wiped away the tear. It broke his heart to see her cry, especially when he felt partially responsible. "They will have a cop with you at all times. The police are trained to deal with situations like this. It's going to be okay, sweetheart. We just need to put together our list so the police can find whoever is responsible for this. Officer Michaels will be there tomorrow to help us sort out what to do from here. It will all work out in the end though. I promise. "

Emma calmed a little bit at Wills touch. She leaned into him and clutched onto his chest as a few more tears came flooding down. Will held onto her securely as he whispered reassurances into her ear and kissed her head softly.

"I don't know if I can go back to the apartment Will." Emma confessed into his shirt. She looked up at him, the fear evident in her eyes.

"It's okay Em. I already talked to Shannon and she said we could stay with her for a little while until we find a place. We can stop by the apartment and grab a few things after you're discharged. Shannon is bleaching some sheets for us as we speak. She said her guest bedroom is all ours." Will couldn't help but place a small kiss on her forehead. He wanted nothing more than to be able to kiss away all of her fears.

Emma relaxed quite a bit with this news. The thought of a stalker was terrifying, but she trusted her husband. She knew he would do anything for her or the baby, she just hoped he didn't sacrifice himself in the process.

And although she didn't think sharing an apartment with Shannon would necessarily be ideal, she didn't think they really had another option. She just hoped she didn't drive Shannon to nuts with all of her crazy. She knew it was a lot for most people to deal with and she didn't want it coming in the way of her relationship with the woman like it had come in the way of so many relationships in the past. There was also the danger element. If there was someone stalking her, Shannon would be putting herself in danger by housing them. She knew she would have to have a talk with Shannon before they stayed with her to make sure she understood what she was offering. Though knowing Shannon, she wouldn't change the offer anyway.

"Shannon is such a good friend." Emma said, thankful at that very moment for the people in her life.

"She really is." Will confirmed, pleased that Emma seemed comfortable with this idea. He would have to find some way to repay his friend for her generosity.

"Okay," Will said as he pulled a notepad and pen from his bag of tricks, "We had better get started on that list."