13 When the Waves Turn Minutes To Hours
The stop at McDonalds did not go as planned, starting with when Rachel sat next to Puck and begged him to rub her neck for her. Putting an experimental hand to her nape he scowled furiously, "Kurt," He looked at the male diva, "You got any ibuprofen or whatever in your man purse?"
"Uh," Kurt blinked. "I'll look." He began to dig through his bag and Brittany, obliging as ever, went through hers, pulling out Band-Aids and a bottle of Aleve and multiple tubes of chapstick.
"That'll work," Puck nodded to the Aleve and grabbed the bottle. "It is only Aleve right?" He double-checked with the sorta ditzy blonde before he handed the pill to Rachel. Brittany nodded with a smile and he petted Rachel's hair.
"Here Puck," Kurt handed him a small bottle of lotion, "Put some on your hands and then rub her neck, it won't pull at her skin as much as without the lotion."
Puck looked at the scent dubiously, "What's White Vanilla Sugar?"
"The least feminine scent I could find," Kurt retorted dryly. "Take care of your woman Puckerman, worry about smelling sweet later."
Puck had decided that was good advice so he'd done the best he could in the short amount of time they had. Rachel was really tense but he was getting breathy little gasps and a moan or two that went straight to his dick. He groaned slightly when she moaned again and pressed a kiss to her hair trying to ignore his discomfort so he could see to hers. He was grateful Rachel had told him to eat while she waited for her salad, she'd known he was starving.
Rachel had just shuddered and he'd felt a click from her neck, "Okay baby, try to rotate a bit," He coaxed and there were two tremendously loud crunches from her neck as she did. The relief must have been great because she gave another of those little moans again and sighed. Then Finn had nearly blown his stack over the noises and what Puck was doing to Rachel and it wasn't right and his rant was reaching damn near epically insane proportions when the manager asked if they'd take the rest of their food to go.
Rachel sighed and put her salad back in its bag, only half finished and slid her bottle of water in her purse. "It would have been nice to eat a full meal on something without wheels under it," She remarked and stood, stretching slightly. "I've got to do some yoga tomorrow."
"Damn, is that the bendy stuff that looks kinda like ballet only you wear crop tops and low pants?" Puck teased, "Can I come watch?"
"You can participate if you like," Rachel teased back. "I guarantee you'll have a whole new perspective on things."
Puck was so busy helping Rachel put on the letterman's jacket he'd given her on and then admiring how his gorgeous girlfriend looked in it that he totally didn't see the punch coming. His head hit something, maybe the plastic of the booth, maybe the floor, he couldn't tell, but the cracking sound was sick and then something else hit him in the face. Rachel was screaming for someone to stop, to stop and he couldn't even raise his hands to defend himself.
Finally someone made the punching stop and he tried to push himself up only to nearly black out, "Rachel," He muttered forcing his eyes open against the encroaching darkness, "My head angel, can ya…" Everything was dim, he was only vaguely aware of Rachel's soft lap cushioning his head, her tears dropping on his face now and then, her gentle little fingers dabbing at the blood that was surely crusted on his skin.
Then her lap was gone and he couldn't hear her voice and he wasn't having any of that shit, "Rachel? Rache? Angel," Puck found himself incredibly pissed that he could barely talk and forced his eyes open to see some dude in a dark blue uniform that was not a cop over him. "Where is my girl?" He ground the words out from between teeth clenched against the pain in his head. "Where's Rachel?"
"She's still in the restaurant," The EMT told him quickly, "We're going to the hospital Noah."
"Not without Rachel," He argued. "Can't leave without her," When the man appeared to dismiss his words Puck found the strength from somewhere to grab the guy's arm and squeeze. "She's gotta come with. She's gotta. Can't leave her here. She's the only one my ma will listen to. I need her man. She's gotta come with."
Puck groaned as the man pulled away and cursed as the dizziness returned bringing the addition of nausea with it, "Shit," He groaned and turned on his side knowing it was better to be at least partially face down if he was going to throw up. Sure enough, about five seconds later he was really glad he'd done that as everything he'd eaten came back up in one hideous go. "Damnit," he coughed and cursed again as that made his head worse.
Rachel's voice was the most welcome sound in the world, "Oh baby, I'm so sorry." She came and sat next to him, her soft hands petting his face. Her voice changed to her 'you'd better do what I say buster or it'll be your balls' tone and he knew he was talking to either Schuester or Finn. "See what you've done? See? Look at him; he has a concussion at the least."
"He doesn't have the brains to get a concussion," Finn's voice was extremely unwelcome and Puck tried to find the energy to flip his former friend the bird.
"Sir I'd like to leave as soon as possible," Rachel had to be addressing the EMT.
"Rachel don't worry about yours and Puck's bags, we've got those," Kurt's voice was strained. "But call your dads so they don't freak okay?"
Puck thought hazily that Rachel must have nodded because the door was slamming and then it felt like everything was moving and he groaned at the sensation, which did not help the dizzy at all. And then mercifully the dizzy went away and not so mercifully so did everything else.
When she was eleven years old, she and her Daddy had been in a car accident. Daddy had ended up with a broken arm and they'd both been taken to the emergency room. He'd hit his head and the wound had bled all down the side of his face, soaking into his shirt and turning everything red and smelling of copper.
She'd had a concussion, a sprained wrist and a healthy dose of anxiety regarding travel in bad weather. Rachel also knew that hospitals were for helping people, but she'd forever associate the smell of antiseptic with white and taupe corridors, nurses in oddly patterned scrubs and her Daddy's blood.
She hadn't been this scared since she was eleven, hadn't been so out of her mind with fear that she couldn't speak since she'd waited silently in that emergency room with her Daddy, praying to God with everything she had in her that her daddy wouldn't die.
The emergency room was set up differently, Rachel noticed as she looked around trying to distract herself. The walls were painted a soothing blue and had framed posters detailing medical conditions and symptoms as well as helpful emergency tips. Really, putting helpful emergency tips in the emergency room seemed like too little too late but she guessed the budget didn't run to Monets and Van Goghs.
This time she didn't have anyone to wait with her, she wasn't injured so she couldn't go back to one of the treatment rooms with Puck. She'd flipped through a magazine that was several months old, walked around the waiting area and kept her ears wide open for any mention of Noah Puckerman. The only helpful thing she'd been able to do was explain what had happened and Noah's symptoms. Once the hospital staff had learned that, and that she wasn't a blood relation, they'd told her to go and wait in the appropriately named waiting room.
So wait she was, with as little grace as possible. Rachel frowned, she couldn't even be sure they were treating Puck, he wasn't eighteen yet so they needed a parent to consent to any medical procedure. At least that was what she thought, but she wasn't an expert by any means. It had been over two hours since the EMTs had brought Puck to the hospital. Pulling out her phone she checked her messages again, five new texts from Santana and Brittany and two from Artie, another two from Sam.
Trying to breathe at a normal rate to keep from spiking her adrenal glands and going into a full blown panic attack Rachel hit the speed dial for her Dad's phone. Ring, ring, ringing more and then finally, "Rachel sweetie how're you doing," Her Dad greeted her.
"They haven't told me anything yet Dad," Rachel began to pace just to keep from twitching from sheer nerves. "It's been two hours... I'm really going crazy. Okay crazier," She qualified impatiently.
"They're probably doing x-rays and MRIs and basic things like that," Hiram offered in a reassuring voice. "LeRoy and Esther brought Bekah over a little over an hour ago. They're on their way up to you right now."
"Everybody wants to know how he's doing, but all I can say is they haven't told me yet," Rachel heard her voice crack and took a breath to steady herself. "Dad, he just asked me out today. We..." She took another breath that sounded disturbingly like a sob. "He told me he loved me, and kissed me and... God Dad, we hardly got to spend anytime together because Mr. Schue didn't want us sitting next to each other on the plane or on the bus. What if something happens to him, something worse? Dad he could die and I-"
"Stop that right now," Hiram Stein's voice was firm and reassuring both. "First of all baby star, you don't know what's happening with him. Second of all, he's in a hospital. There's no better place he could be if his injuries are serious. And legally they can't tell you anything because you're not related. Esther will be there soon, the weather's good and there won't be a lot of traffic at this time of day. Just try to breathe baby star."
"I am," Rachel nodded into the phone, forgetting her dad couldn't see her. "I just...you know I deal with everything better when I have something to do. I don't have any of my things with me besides my purse. I can only look through it so many times."
"Where are the rest of the kids," Hiram sounded puzzled as well he should have been Rachel thought with a frown.
"I'm guessing they're on the bus to Lima," She answered him trying to keep her voice even and mostly succeeding. "I've gotten texts but no calls. I have no idea what's going on with them. Half of them haven't even asked how he is."
"Well answer their texts and then... not to sound cliche star, but this is a good opportunity for you to try and write something," He sounded hesitant but hopeful, as if he truly thought writing down what she was feelign would be good for her.
"It would be cathartic at least," Rachel sighed. "You're right Dad, I'll go get a notepad. I want to save the battery of my phone."
"I sent a spare charger along in your suitcase," Her dad said quietly. "I'm going to guess that your teacher didn't bother to have your luggage removed from the bus."
"No, I don't think so," Rachel admitted, "But honestly I wasn't paying attention to anything but Puck and the way he was bleeding. Mr. Schuester could have started speaking Russian for all I would have noticed."
"Well I'll let you go, I need to feed Bekah and if anyone calls I'll pass the messages on to you star," Hiram promised. After a few good byes and admonishments for Rachel to get some rest he disconnected the call.
Rachel looked at her phone for a moment and quashed the urge to call her Daddy or Esther just to see how close they were, but if they were driving they'd need to keep their attention on the road. With a repressed sigh she moved towards the direction of the gift shop. She wasn't doing anything useful just standing around, at least she could try to write a song while she waited.
It was the beeping noise that woke him up, it sounded a little bit too much like the emergency alarm he used as back up to be on time for school. Rachel's idea, as it was to text once they'd showered so there was another backup. He groaned and reached out to turn off the damn noise and only hit air. "Ma, please turn that thing off?"
"Noah?" Rachel's voice was filled with some odd sound, and her hand caught his searching one.
"Rachel, I love you but if Ma catches you in my room, I'm grounded 'til I'm eighty," Puck groaned. "Hide wouldcha angel, until I can sneak ya out?" He nearly cursed as his head throbbed, "What're you doin' here anyhow?" He couldn't seem to open his eyes.
"Noah, you're in the hospital," Her voice had tears in it; that was the wrong sound. Something wet and soft touched his face, his eyes and he was able to open them finally. "Your skull was cracked baby," She touched his cheek.
"Never been so glad to see you," Puck finally got the words out, "How long've I been here?"
"A week," Rachel shuddered, "You wouldn't wake up. Baby you passed out and you wouldn't wake up." She slid down to her knees by the side of the bed and buried her head in his side, sobbing until Puck couldn't stand it and reached over to touch her hair, groaning as he did.
"Gorgeous, I get that you're upset, can you...I dunno, sit with me and explain?" Puck petted her hair awkwardly, "Last thing I remember is Kurt tellin' you to call home."
"Oh," Rachel pushed herself up and pulled the chair over to the bed, wiping her tears away, "So they brought you to the hospital, St. Theresa's, it's about four hours from Lima, forty minutes from where we were at the McDonalds," She took his hand in hers and kissed his knuckles. "You were admitted and they took you in for x-rays and found out you had a fractured skull, and some bleeding in the layers between your brain and your skull." She blushed slightly, "I'm not supposed to know any of this but I eavesdropped shamelessly when the doctors talked to your mom."
"M' brain okay?" Puck wanted to hold her more than anything in the world but he couldn't seem to move much, "'S hard to move."
"I think it's the drugs," Rachel pushed a button by the bed, "But your brain is fine, no damage, the bleeding stopped before it got dangerous and you didn't have to have surgery. But you're going to have a scar on your scalp. Noah," She hesitated. "I tried to stop them, I'm so sorry."
"They shaved off my mohawk didn't they," Puck wasn't even surprised. "Well I got the most beautiful girl in the world, figures I'd lose my do."
"Yeah," Rachel sighed heavily. "But it'll grow back in a month or so." She tilted her head at him, "Everyone in Glee has been skyping daily to see how you are. They're all mad that they're stuck in school and I'm here."
"'M so glad you're here gorgeous," Puck offered her a smile he knew wasn't quite his usual. "You wanna help me out?"
"Anything," Rachel was instantly on her feet. "What can I do?"
"Gimme a kiss Rachel," Puck tugged her closer. "I've lost a week of time with you. Gotta start catching up." Her giggle was slightly hysterical but she nodded and bent over to press her lips to his, lightly, gently. When she began to pull way Puck's instincts took over and he managed to wrap his arms around her, holding her against him. "I ain't gotten to tell you I love you in a week, ain't gotten to go on a date with you, I been passed out like a bitch while you've been scared outa your mind." He kissed her to punctuate each sentence, "I am going to kill Finn for this, and then I'm gonna go to work on him."
Rachel giggled, "You stole that line from Ocean's Eleven." She kissed him again and felt his hand creep up from her waist. "Noah, you're still in the hospital and if you go where I think you're going with that hand the nurse is going to see just how much you like me."
"Fuck," He groaned and let his head fall back to the pillow with a wince. "How'd you talk 'em into lettin' you stay?"
"I called Daddy from the ambulance, Mr. Schuester had already called your mom. I told Daddy what happened and he and Dad took care of everything," Rachel shrugged slightly, "I think they figured out that if they wanted me to stop crying they'd have to let me stay with you. As it is I only go to the hotel when your Mom comes in and that's just to shower and change. Daddy insisted on renting a car and driving your mom because he didn't want her behind the wheel for four hours when she'd be so worried."
"Where's Bekah?" Noah hoped she was all right, not scared or anything.
"Dad has her," Rachel said promptly. "Daddy came down here to be with me, and Dad said since Bekah couldn't miss school she could stay with him and keep him company." She looked around in exasperation, "Where is that nurse? You're awake, you'd think that would warrant some sort of attention."
"It does," The nurse who came in told her dryly. "Noah, good to meet you finally." She pointed at Rachel and motioned for her to get off the bed before she began to do really annoying things to Pucks eyes and face. "Looks good, pupils are clear, dilating nicely," She noted the chart. "We've got you on several things you will not want to examine closely," Her dark face was stern. "We'll remove everything after the doctor has seen you and approved it."
"When's that?" Puck asked figuring out pretty damn quick that he didn't want to know about tubes and iv's. "Ain't cool for my girl to see alla this...junk, ain't..." He groaned as his head started to pound. "When can I bust outa here?"
"The doctor is making morning rounds now," The nurse's tag said her name was Rosa, "Maybe another hour before he gets to you." She smiled slightly at Rachel and looked at Noah more closely. "You took quite a beating. But the bruises are fading and the scar should be near invisible."
"Hey Rach, just tell me you dig me with scars would ya," Puck asked and felt a wave of fatigue wash over him. "If I've slept for a week why'm I so damn tired?"
"You weren't sleeping, you were in a coma brought on by the fracture to your skull," The nurse told him briskly. "Your body needs actual sleep."
"When do you think I'll be cleared to go?" Noah asked her tiredly, "Gotta take my girl out."
"I'd guess at least another week," He was told, "We don't fool around with the brain." She left the room after changing the bag on one of his iv's.
Puck looked at Rachel and sighed, "Guess we'll have to put our date off a little longer."
Rachel's eyes were almost glowing, "Noah, you're talking to me. That's enough to put me over the moon after this past week." She glanced at her phone when it chirped and smiled. "Your mom is on her way over. I texted her that you were awake." She grabbed her book bag, "I've been keeping track of our assignments through Kurt and Artie and the rest of Glee."
"Yeah, don't want my grades to slide or I won't ever make NYU or Julliard," Puck sighed. "Just can't seem to make my brain work. I'm all foggy gorgeous."
"That's the drugs," Rachel said matter-of-factly. "When Daddy had his surgery the drugs made him dopey for days afterwards Pain meds make you want to sleep until you get used to them."
"So what happened after we took off in the ambulance?" Puck wanted to know if Finn had gotten in any trouble or if Schuester had let the whole thing slide.
"I haven't asked anyone, but Daddy is looking into it," Rachel admitted. "He knows we're dating by the way, so does Dad and your mom. So he's understandably pretty mad about what Finn did." She sighed, "I don't know what will happen to him and I don't care." She shuddered, "You could have died Noah. I heard the doctors say if the bone had broken any more it might have pushed into your brain. That sort of injury kills people if it isn't treated quickly enough and we were forty minutes from the hospital." Puck would give anything to take that tormented look off her face as she shuddered and took deep gasping breaths as she tried to regain control of herself.
"I ain't goin' anywhere gorgeous," Puck promised. "We're going to New York together an' we're gonna knock that place on its ass."
"Well I'd better get started with schoolwork then," Rachel smiled shakily.
Puck had never figured he'd be grateful for the ability to take a piss on his own but there you have it, life is full of strange things. He leaned against the wall for a second after taking care of business and took a deep breath. He was still fatigued, something they told him was the drugs in his system, apparently they had him on the good shit, but that was supposed to go away.
They were discharging him finally, after two weeks of being in the hospital, and the second week was mostly because of the coma during the first week. Rachel had been awesome, getting everyone in Glee (except moron Finn) to skype the classes they shared with Rachel and Puck. So once he got his brain working again he was able to work on catching up. He still got tired though so he'd had to really work at staying awake through the classes. Lunch was hilarious because they kept passing the laptop or phone around the table, Finn again being conspicuous by his absence.
Puck straightened his ass up and strode out of the bathroom to see Rachel sobbing in the arms of his mom while Ma just patted her back and soothed her. Rachel had been terrified he'd never wake up when he was in the coma. For that alone, and the new lines on his mom's face, Puck would gladly kill Finn. "Aw gorgeous, you gotta let go a that," He tugged her out of his mom's hug and wrapped her up in his arms, "I know I coulda died. But I didn't. So let's enjoy us both bein' okay." He tipped her chin up so he could see her and grinned, "Man you don't cry pretty Rache," He teased. "I'm always gonna know when its fake tears or when you're really upset 'cause when you fake cry you don't get all red and smudgy like this."
"Noah Puckerman," Rachel's little fist hit his bicep, "I do not cry ugly."
"Yeah you do," Puck disagreed as he sat on the bed to pull on his shirt. HIs chest and torso were an ugly mix greenish yellow bruises and his face was about the same. The scar the nurse had mentioned would bisect his right eyebrow when it healed up. "But that's good because I ain't good enough for you and if you didn't cry ugly you'd be damn near perfect and then you'd have nothin' to do with me." He kissed her gently on the lips, "So let's enjoy the ride okay?"
"You're right," Rachel sighed and picked up her bag and then her satchel with the laptop in it. "We've got a four hour drive ahead of us." She looked up as her Daddy entered the room and smiled.
Puck gave LeRoy a half grin as the man took in Rachel's tear stained face, "Dude, you really need to teach her how to lighten up. I ain't dead."
"I imagine that'll be your job Noah," LeRoy retorted. "Esther I've gotten everything out of the hotel rooms and it's all in the rental. We can blow this pop stand just as soon as Noah is checked out."
Puck was pretty sure the morning would be gone before that happened, but it was only ten before they put him in a wheelchair and pushed him to the curb. He shook his head as he climbed out of the thing and into the car, which was really an SUV. "Sweet ride Mr. Berry," He grinned as Rachel showed him the DVD player and the movies her daddy had brought. "And you have saved me from four hours of musicals."
"I did pick up another copy of Oklahoma since I heard something about you being an all or nothing guy," LeRoy chuckled as he slid behind the wheel and looked around to be sure everyone was safely secured. "I don't think action movies would be good for your head, explosions might be a little loud."
"Probably right," Puck grinned. "Hell, lets watch Oklahoma." He shook his head at himself, no one would ever believe he'd chosen a musical over a comedy or an action movie.
It wasn't until he got to school on Monday that Puck found out what had happened to Finn. Rachel had deliberately not asked and Puck pretty much didn't care about the moron until he got called into Figgins' office. When he walked out again he was feeling more than a little blindsided. The whole day had been weird so far, with all of glee club and the football team welcoming him back, thought the team was a little off and Finn wasn't among them. That might have accounted for the weird, he thought with a mental grimace.
When he got back into class it was time for lunch, Rachel and he were gonna eat with everybody from glee club once they'd stashed their books for the morning. Hanging at his locker was surreal, he kept looking around for Finn. Rachel hurried up to him, her expression worried and he couldn't stand it anymore. "Don't freak out gorgeous but if I don't do something I'm gonna go nuts," He scooped her up against him and kissed her like there was no tomorrow. Her lips were so soft and sweet against his, her mouth hot and so good. "I say thank you for stayin' with me?" He asked between kisses.
"Hmm...didn't want to leave you," Rachel gasped into his mouth and he groaned at the taste of her.
"Couldn't leave you anywhere near him, not after what he pulled on the plane," Puck pulled his mouth away from hers before he came in his jeans and kissed her jaw and neck before setting her on her feet. "Had to keep you safe," He explained.
"You did a very good job," Rachel smiled. "Want some lunch?"
"Hell yeah, starvin' and not just for food," Puck grinned and grabbed his books, taking hers out of her out of her hands to carry them. "Though you do look good enough to eat," He nearly moaned as he took in her legs under the short skirt.
"I'll do my best to satisfy your appetites," Rachel winked at him as she began to walk towards the cafeteria. Puck groaned as he saw her hips twitching. He knew every curve and line of her body, knew how she looked in jeans and skirts and dresses so you'd think he'd be used to all of it but one little sway of those hips and he'd follow those legs anywhere.
"Gorgeous you are mean," He declared catching up to her and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. The lunchroom seemed to almost pause as they entered and Puck blinked before he could locate the rest of the club. "Somethin' I said?" He asked Rachel as they moved towards the table with their friends, "This shit is weird."
"Did they tell you finally?" Artie asked quietly as Puck sat across from him. "No one was allowed to tell Rachel because they were worried she'd tell you and it'd stress you out during recovery."
"That was probably a good thing," Puck rubbed his eyes and winced slightly as the motion tugged on his scalp. "Did you guys know he got arrested?"
"Yeah," Mike nodded slowly. "The manager of the Mickey D's called the cops when Finn hit you."
"The charge was assault and battery," Artie explained. "I really think Mr. Schuester wouldn't have done anything if you hadn't passed out. Mike and Sam and Lauren had to pull Finn off you and Schuester just seemed like he was in shock over the whole thing."
"I remember the hitting stopped," Puck grinned. "Thanks for saving my face from total annihilation guys."
"Yeah well when you talked to Rachel you sounded almost drunk and not because of all the blood in your mouth either," Mike told him. "Sam says you're damn lucky you didn't lose a tooth."
"Or five," Santana added quietly from her place on the other side of Brittany.
"Yeah well Rache was putting your head in her lap and when she touched your scalp her fingers came away bloody," Artie continued, "She had her phone out and was calling nine one one before anybody realized she had blood all over her fingers and her jeans."
"She told them you'd been attacked and had hit your head when you fell backwards, that you were disoriented and had already passed out once and your speech was slurred." Mike ticked the list off on his fingers, "Rachel being so detail obsessed might have just saved your life. I heard the EMT's say a lot of people just try to ignore head wounds."
"You did all that?" Puck felt Rachel shudder next to him and he wrapped his arm around her, "Breathe gorgeous, just breathe. I'm right here."
"I've never felt so...terrified and helpless in my life," Rachel whispered. "I couldn't do anything but wait. The police came while the EMT's were examining you and I didn't even pay attention to what they were doing."
"Yeah it was right after Finn said you didn't have enough brains to have a concussion that the cops arrested him," Mike shook his head. "I know he's been released to his mom's supervision and Kurt says she's beyond furious with how he's behaved."
"Yeah I'm pretty pissed at him myself," Puck sighed and kissed the top of Rachel's head. "I told Figgins and the cops that unless someone pushed me into it I didn't want Finn to go to adult jail," He said finally. "But I didn't want him off scott free either." He looked up and down the table meeting Kurt's eyes and shrugging apologetically, "I told them he should have to do Juvie and community service like me. And some therapy might be helpful too since this all started with his obsession with Rachel."
"Thanks Puck," Kurt said quietly, "He needs something to straighten his ass out."
"Yeah but I'm glad it ain't my job, or Rachel's anymore," Puck groaned as he shook his head. "Need to stop doin' that until this damn thing heals all the way."
"Eat something," Rachel pushed his tray closer and he nodded slowly picking up his sandwich and downing it in three bites. "Wow," She was looking at him with wide eyes. "I guess you are starving."
"Oh yeah," Puck grinned at her. "And don't think I've forgotten about my AC/DC shirt."
"I hoped you wouldn't," Rachel smiled at him demurely, her eyes lowering to hide that wicked gleam he loved seeing.
"All right that's enough," Mike said in an eerie imitation of Mr. Schuester.
Rachel frowned, "I really wonder what they'll do about Mr. Schue if anythin," She said quietly. "The whole time we were at Nationals he just...let Finn do whatever he wanted. He didn't even yell at Finn for kissing me on stage when we'd been broken up for weeks. He made me sit with him until Noah had to ask the flight attendants to help me because Mr. Schue wouldn't. What kind of teacher lets what happened to Noah and me happen to kids he says he cares about?" She looked around the table, "I still love glee club and I won't leave, but... I don't trust Mr. Schuester to keep me safe anymore."
Puck stopped himself from nodding just in time, speaking instead, "Yeah, getting my skull cracked while Mr. Schue did nothin' to stop it...I think Rache and I better look out for each other."
"Well you're off to a good start," Artie smiled. "So you comin' to glee club this afternoon?"
"Hells yeah," Puck grinned. "Rachel and I've been workin' on something since before Nationals."
"Can't wait to hear this," Kurt grinned. "For what it's worth Puck, Rachel, I'm so sorry about Finn's behavior."
"Hey man you ain't his keeper," Puck just barely kept from shaking his head. "We gotta jet if we're gonna get to class on time guys." He reminded them gulping down the milk Rachel had gotten him. That was one more thing he loved about her, she didn't make him eat the rabbit food just because she did. "Can I walk ya Rach?"
"I would be disappointed if you didn't," She smiled up at him and wrapped her arm around his leaning into him happily.
Author's Note: I know there's medical stuff in this and I'll admit to researching brain injuries and the bleeding into the brain is accurate. The coma stuff and being released after another week I'm sketchy on. So please be kind and if anyone out there would like to do more research and let me know an appropriate recovery time I'll be happy to update and correct this chapter. I can only read so much medical jargon before my eyes cross.
Love to hear what you all think. I warned some of you that you'd be pissed at Finn. grin