Disclaimer: I am just borrowing them for the fun of writing, BUT I do own the plot, ideas and original characters.
A/N: Not beta'd; all mistakes are mine. Please mention them if you find any.
A/N2: A HUGE thanks and shout-out to those of you who have read and/or reviewed this story! It means so much! Your words keep me writing :D
A/N3: I used the partial name of my high school's rival, Central Cougars; their colors: orange, white and black.
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"This doesn't look good," Quinn muttered, her head bowed slightly; she'd seen many injuries at games, but nothing as bad as this.
Quinn's words echoed through Rachel, but she couldn't react to it before something caught her attention. Deborah must have seen it too; Finn was waving his arms towards someone; motioning for whoever to come out there, Deborah reacted immediately, "Arin, stay with Rachel, whatever you do, stay with her," she commented, already stepping over to the aisle nearby, running down the steps.
"W-w-what's going o-o-n?" Tina chimed in.
Rachel shook from her thoughts, "she's a nurse at St. Rita's. Finn must know that," she replied, watching Deborah cross the field, Finn meeting half way.
"He's unconscious," Finn told her as she ran towards him, her face maintaining a calm he'd never seen before.
"Mrs. Puckerman," Coach Tanaka said as she stepped up, "the ambulance is on the way, but Finn told us you were a nurse."
She tugged off her bulky jacket silently nodding as she knelt down, feeling his wrist for a pulse. "Shit," she hissed, unable to find it and pressed two fingers to his neck, "his pulse is weak," she whispered.
"Shouldn't we take his helmet off?" Tanaka asked still kneeling next to Puck.
"Not a chance! That could be the only thing supporting his neck. We don't know what kind of internal injuries he as," she snapped, her hands gently checking his arms for broken bones before noticing specks of blood outside his mouth and nose. She knew what that meant, but couldn't freak out now. "I think he might have a punctured lung," she said quietly, looking at Tanaka, "we need to clear everyone out and give the medics some room, she replied, already hearing the sirens.
"You heard her, clear out of here!" Tanaka stood up, "clear out!"
The shrill echo of the ambulance's siren got louder, piercing through the cold night like a razor blade, coming to a stop right outside the gate. Two medics got out and were running towards the field, bags in hand.
"He's got a week pulse and possible internal bleeding, but no sign of broke bones in his extremities," Deborah said quickly as a medic walked up. He eyed her for a moment, "I'm his mother and an RN at St. Rita's; I know what I'm talking about," she snapped.
Hearing the two magical letters, the medics knelt down, allowing her to assist, while they tried to keep the rest from crowding around as another medic came over, rolling a stretcher over the field.
Rachel stood helpless, tears coming to her eyes as she watched him be rolled onto a backboard and lifted up onto the stretcher. The three medics and Deborah pushed the stretcher towards the ambulance, Finn and the rest of the guys following close behind.
"I'm going to go find out what hospital they're taking him to," Mr. Schuester commented quickly, taking off to meet them at the ambulance.
Feeling an arm go around her shoulders, Rachel looked up to see Quinn standing next to her. She almost couldn't believe she was standing there, consoling her until she spoke, "I'm sorry you have to be here to see this."
Though Rachel thought she could handle watching, she looked down to see Arin's head buried in Puck's jacket, her eyes facing away from the field. Rachel nodded silently to Quinn, seeing Mr. Schuester return. "They're taking him to St. Rita's," he started.
As Rachel heard him spoke, she immediately moved towards the aisle with Arin, but everyone around them stopped her, "Rachel, you're in no state to be driving," Mr. Schuester commented stepping towards her, "I'll drive you and Arin to the hospital. Deborah is going with them," he said motioning towards the ambulance that was already leaving.
Rachel looked at him, "but my car -"
"Will be fine in the school's parking lot over night," Quinn told her.
"Come on, Rachel, Arin," Will commented, motioning towards the aisle.
"Do what he says, Rachel," Mercedes replied stepping towards her, "we'll be up there soon, but you should go now," she told her.
Rachel nodded at Mercedes, silently guiding Arin towards the aisle where Mr. Schuester was standing.
"I'm sure he will be fine, girls," Ms. Pillsbury spoke up, "don't worry."
Will's hard gaze at Emma quieted her. Rachel saw the same gaze; telling her he knew more than he was letting on. Rachel chose to ignore the aching feeling in her stomach as she walked with Mr. Schuester and Arin towards the pavement of the sidewalk.
Half the team was still standing around where they had been, no one really moving. As Rachel, Will and Arin walked towards the exit gate, she glanced back to see Kurt and Finn standing with Matt and Mike. Mike was holding Brittany as her shoulders shook, while Santana was hugging Matt. "Strength in numbers," Rachel thought, glancing up to see Quinn, Mercedes and Tina making their way to the small group of Glee clubbers on the field.
She turned her focus back to following Mr. Schuester out of the main gates of the stadium and to the teachers parking lot, where he unlocked the doors of his Geo Metro and let them get in. Once he was inside, "um, is there someone you should call?" He asked.
"Uh?" Rachel asked glancing at him as he pulled out of spot he was in.
"Someone you should call, your dad's?" He asked.
"Oh, um," Rachel sighed, "yeah I should probably let them know what's going on," she whispered, reaching into her pocket and pulling out her phone. She managed to dial her home phone, hoping they weren't asleep. After a second ring, she almost hung up, but her dad, David, answered the phone, "hello sweetheart, the game over yet?" He asked.
She gasped, "Noah got hurt," she croaked out, her voice cracking as she finally broke down, tears coming from her eyes. Knowing she couldn't talk any more, she quickly passed the phone to Mr. Schuester.
Rachel only heard what Mr. Schuester was saying to her dad, "uh, Mr. Berry? Me? I'm Will Schuester, I'm the coach of the Glee club. Yes, he did. He's being taken to St. Rita's right now by ambulance and I'm driving Rachel and his sister there as we speak. She's is no shape to be driving... Her car is still at the school... I'm not sure... I only got to speak to his mom briefly; she was there tonight and is a nurse at the hospital; she said something about bleeding and his lungs, but I didn't catch everything... I'll tell her," he handed Rachel back the phone, "he said he'll meet us there."
Rachel silently took her phone back, whispering a "thanks," to him, before glancing back at Arin, who was silently watching the road pass by.
Mr. Schuester watched Rachel for a moment, shocked at a complete change from the Rachel he knew in class; she was quiet and sad, two traits he didn't think she knew, but he did give into knowing she had only started dating Puck a few short weeks ago and this was not something planned.
"Thank you for driving us, Mr. Schuester," Rachel said softly having finally calmed down enough to speak a whole sentence without crying.
"No thanks needed," he admitted, "it was the least I could do."
Rachel smiled at the over used cliché, but she knew he was right. Her eyes landed on the brightly lit St. Rita's Medical Center sign that he passed, entering the parking lot near the red and white emergency sign. She wiped her eyes and sat up a little, as if ready to jump from the car.
"Hold on, I'm going in with you," he said parking in the nearest spot.
Rachel slowly slid out, letting Arin get out on her side, since the car was only a two-door. Mr. Schuester met her in the front, and allowed her and Arin to walk a head, both girls walking slightly faster than he was to reach the automatic doors of the hospital. Following them inside, he glanced around to see Deborah standing next to the nurses station, now wearing a pair of medical scrubs.
"Mom!" Arin exclaimed, running up to her. "Where's Noah?"
Deborah looked up and wrapped her arms around Arin as she reached her, "he's in surgery," she whispered, looking up at Rachel and Will. "he has at least two broken ribs, punctured lung and some brain trauma."
Rachel fell against Will as Deborah spoke, using him to hold her up as reality hit her like a ton of bricks.
Will took a deep breath and tried to keep his emotions at bay as the four of them stood there, taking in her words.
Arin, who hadn't let go of Deborah yet, looked up at her mom, "is he going to die?" She asked, finally letting the emotions of the night hit her, and began to sob against her mom.
Deborah picked her up, "no he's not going to die," she promised her, moving into the more private waiting room, with Will and Rachel following, "he's going to be good as new, but it's going to take some time," she assured her.
Rachel pulled away from Will and looked at Deborah, "how long will he be in surgery?"
Deborah sat down in a chair, letting Arin sit in her lap and shrugged at Rachel's question, "I don't know, it could be several hours," she admitted, wiping her eyes. "I should be in there!" She exclaimed, her shoulders shaking as she tried to hold back the sobs that finally came.
Arin wrapped her arms around her mom's neck and the two sat together, both crying for Noah. Rachel, too, felt more tears fall from her eyes as she stood next to Will.
"Rachel!" A male voice called from the doors and she looked back to see her dads walking towards them.
"Daddy," she ran towards David who was closer and hugged him tight, before moving to hug Alan.
David moved towards Will, "you must be Mr. Schuester," he said extending his hand.
"I am," Will replied, shaking the man's hand.
David nodded, "thank you for driving the girls here," he told him, seeing Rachel and Alan walk up.
"Mr. Schuester, this is my other dad, Alan," Rachel said.
The two men exchanged handshakes and then Rachel turned to Deborah and Arin, "Arin, Deborah, these are my dads, Alan and David," she turned to her dads, "This is Deborah, Noah's mom and Arin, his sister," she explained.
The two men nodded at her, "wish this could have been under different circumstances," Alan admitted.
Deborah nodded silently, "yeah, me too," she agreed.
"So, what happened at the game? Where's Noah?" David asked sitting down next to Deborah.
Mr. Schuester excused himself to make a phone call outside, while Rachel, Deborah and Arin tried to explain to David and Alan just what they had seen. Deborah then explained his injuries and that he was in surgery.
"Um, Deb," one of the nurses walked over with a clipboard in her hand, "I really hate to do this, but I need you to fill this out," she said softly.
Deborah sighed, "thanks Tammy," she replied taking the pen and clipboard, staring at the words. "Arin, could sit next to me?" She asked softly.
Rachel looked at Deborah, but the look on her dad's face was what scared her. His eyes widened in shock as he glanced at the paperwork and lowered his gaze.
"What kind of paperwork?" Rachel asked.
David and Alan exchanged glances, Alan quickly figuring it out. "Something that hopefully isn't necessary," Alan replied, resting a hand on Rachel's shoulders.
Deborah nodded, slowly bring the pen to the paper and started filling out Noah's information.
"What is that?" Rachel asked again, looking between her dads.
"A DNR," Alan said.
"What?" Will had returned, having missed part of the conversation.
Deborah stopped writing, taking a deep breath, "it's a Do Not Resuscitate order. In case he flat-lines during surgery, I have to make the decision if I want them to give him CPR or not," she whispered.
Rachel's hand flew to her mouth, gasping as she took off outside the hospital, not wanting to hear them talk about Noah like he wasn't going to be there.
"Rachel, what are you doing out here?" Mercedes' voice broke through Rachel's thoughts and she looked up to see Mercedes, Tina and Quinn walking towards her.
"H-h-how's Puck?" Tina asked.
"He's in surgery. Two broken ribs and a punctured lung, and... and some brain trauma."
Mercedes walked forward and wrapped her arms around Rachel and she lost it, collapsing against Mercedes as sobs racked her body. "I can't loose him!" Rachel exclaimed, "I just got him."
"Girl, he's going to pull through; Puck is the toughest asshole I know, he's not going down without a fight," Mercedes told her.
Rachel sobered quickly at Mercedes' words, "how could you -"
"You've got to believe that, Rachel," Mercedes responded, having expected her to react this way, "and he sure as hell wouldn't want you doing this to yourself."
Wiping her eyes, Rachel nodded, realizing what she had told her was true, but she was having a hard time forcing herself to believe it. She wanted to, but her fear overpowered everything else. "I'm trying to," she whispered.
A ringing phone startled them all and Quinn apologized quickly when she realized it was hers. "It's Finn. I'll meet you inside," she said, stepping away from them to answer it.
Rachel reluctantly returned to the waiting room finding Mr. Schuester, and her dads sitting in chairs, Arin running to Rachel when she saw her. Rachel noticed that Deborah was gone, "where's your mom?" She asked, but when the girl didn't speak, she looked up to her dads.
David cleared his throat, "blood transfusion," he said softly.
Rachel quickly introduced Tina and Mercedes to her dads before sitting down with Arin. Quinn came in moments later saying the game was over and the rest of the Glee clubbers, Finn, Matt, Mike, Brittany, Santana and Kurt were on their way in Kurt's car. After a brief nod from some of them, Quinn took a seat near Tina and joined the silence. Tina added briefly that Artie would be praying for Puck that night. He was out of town with family and was unable to get back to be there. When everyone else arrived, no one said anything; they just took seats around the waiting room and hoped for more news than they knew from what Quinn had passed on over the phone.
Footsteps from around the corner echoed through the room and everyone looked up in hopes for something new. Deborah returned holding a cotton ball to her arm, stopping in her tracks when she saw the room had filled up a lot since she'd left. She also noticed the eyes on her, "he's still in surgery," she said softly, taking a seat next to Rachel, "they know the brain trauma is just a concussion, but that's all I know," she added.
As the minutes ticked past, more football players and Cheerios arrived, along with Coach Tanaka and Ms. Pillsbury, Deborah, Rachel or Mr. Schuester explaining what they knew to groups that came in.
The game had started at six, he had gotten hurt around eight and had been in surgery since nine. It was now after one in the morning and no one was making an attempt to leave. Rachel had noticed several people were sitting on the floor, some had their hands folded in prayer, while others were leaning back in their seats, either asleep or just with their eyes closed and others sat talking quietly to someone they were sitting by.
Rachel's eyes were focused on a sign across the hallway and blinked as a man in blue scrubs walked into her line of sight.
"Deborah," the man said, stepping between some students to get to her.
She lifted her head and looked at him, "Brad, how is he?" She asked quickly.
He looked around, "maybe we could talk privately," he suggested.
"They're here for him, anything you say now I'll just tell them in ten minutes," she told him.
The man took a deep breath and nodded, "alright. He'd stable for now, but as you know the next 24 to 48 hours will be the worst. The concussion he has is worse than I have ever seen, so until he wakes up we won't know how bad it is. We were able to drain the blood from his lung and repair it and his ribs. The blood you gave us was enough to replenish what he lost. He'll be in the intensive care unit (ICU) for the next few days, so for now, you'll be the only one allowed in to see him, but once he's in a regular room he will be able to have guests," he said, more telling everyone else, since he knew Deborah would already know the hospital's policy.
Deborah nodded, "but he's okay, right?"
Dr. Brad Stevens looked at her, "it is by some miracle he doesn't have a broken neck. He must have some guardian angle hanging over him, because we almost lost him twice, but both times his heart started again without assistance; he's one tough and lucky kid, but for now, yes, he is okay," he said, watching Deborah.
Deborah took a deep breath and nodded shakily, her eyes glancing at Rachel, who's eyes were huge. She took Rachel's hand and squeezed it tightly before looking at him, "can I see him?" She asked.
"Of course, I'll walk you," he told her.
Deborah glanced at a few of them in the room, before slipping away, following Dr. Steven's to the ICU.
Waves of emotions crashed through the room. Everyone heard what the doctor had explained, some chose to focus on the good; that Puck was alive, but some focused on him almost dying, which caused even more tears to be shed at the thought.
Rachel only wanted to focus on him being alive, but she struggled with the fear of almost loosing him and refused to believe anything until she saw him herself, but knowing he'd be in ICU for a few days, she knew that wouldn't be possible.
"I told you he was tough," Mercedes said softly, sitting down next to her.
Rachel smiled, "yes, you did. I should have believed you," she whispered.
"It's alright," Mercedes shrugged.
With the current news that he was alright, some of the people who had come by, chose to leave, knowing they wouldn't be able to see him for a while. Before they left, some made sure to talk to Rachel, giving her best wishes for him. Rachel was a little shocked at a few of them; most she'd never even seen before, let alone talked to, but she accepted their words with a nod or a 'thank you.'
As the room thinned out, Coach Tanaka, Ms. Pillsbury, Mr. Schuester, Rachel's dads, and the Glee club remained with Rachel and Arin, all waiting for Deborah to return. Rachel woke Arin up to tell her the good news, leaving out the major details, but Arin was happy to know he was alive.
Deborah returned, her eyes redder than before and this time, it was David who stood up and wrapped his arms around her before she lost it, crying and shaking harder than she had before. She was trying to talk, but she couldn't form any understandable words, so David, being a psychologist spoke to her quietly so only she could hear him, telling her something that eventually got her to relax enough to explain why she was so upset. "They had to intubate him."
The seriousness of what she said sunk in to those who knew what that was, but some of them didn't and Brittany was the one who asked what that meant.
"It means they have a tube down his throat to help him breathe; he might not be able to do it on his own right now," Deborah replied.
"But I thought the doctor said he repaired his lung," Rachel asked quickly.
"He did, but as long as he's unconscious they can't be sure he'll be able to breathe on his own, so instead of waiting until something happens, they did it as a precaution," she answered.
Rachel's shoulders relaxed, glad to know at least the doctor's were taking precautions, but that didn't help her emotions.
"Well, I think we all could use some sleep," Alan commented, "it sounds to me like Noah is in good hands here and we need to be strong for him. Being exhausted from waiting up all night won't help him," he added.
Though no one wanted to leave, everyone agreed that Alan was right. Deborah told them she trusted the doctors and nurses there and that was enough for everyone to agree to go home. A discussion ensued with who was taking who home, since most of the kids had left their cars at the school to 'carpool' to the hospital. Ken and Emma left first, after passing their condolences to Deborah and making them promise to keep them updated on Puck.
Rachel and Deborah promised everyone they would keep them updated if anything changed and Mr. Schuester was the next to leave, taking Matt and Santana back to the school to get their cars. Mercedes and Tina left next, followed right behind by Kurt, who was taking Mike and Brittany back to the school.
Finn wrapped his arms around Deborah, the woman who he thought of as a second mom and the two shared a quiet conversation before Finn reluctantly left with Quinn.
"We'll take you home," David told Deborah, "are you two going to be alright alone?"
She was silent a long moment, "we should be," she admitted.
"You two are both welcome to stay at our house if you don't want to be alone," Alan said stepping forward.
Deborah looked at both men, and then nodded, "thank you," she whispered, "maybe it wouldn't hurt to have some company," she replied.
"Excellent. We can drop you off at home long enough to pick up a change of clothes and then you can come over to our house," David said.
Deborah nodded and carefully picked up Arin before they all headed out to Rachel's dad's SUV. Getting inside, Deborah and Arin in the back with Rachel, Alan headed out and followed the directions Deborah gave him to get to their house. With Arin still asleep, Deborah went inside quickly to gather up some things for them before returning to car and getting in.
Rachel had been silent most of the way, trying to wrap her mind around a lot of things that happened that night. Quinn was being nice to her, and now she wondered if it was because the baby or if Quinn really did want to be friends. At the jerk of the car, Rachel shook from her thoughts, "what baby?" Alan asked quickly.
At his question, Rachel realized that she had been thinking out loud. "Oh no," she whispered and glanced at Deborah before turning her head to the front of her car. Alan was till driving, but David was looking at her, "um. Quinn," she started.
"Go on Rachel," David said, his voice calm.
Rachel took a deep breath knowing she wouldn't be able to get out of a long explanation. "Quinn is pregnant. She's dating Finn and is making him think he's the father, but it's Noah. Quinn won't let Noah have anything to do with it because she think he's a 'Lima Looser' so her plan is to give it up for adoption, but Noah wants to keep her, the baby," Rachel sighed, lowering her head before she could see any reactions from her fathers.
Alan was silent for a few blocks before he spoke up first, "she legally can't do that without the father's permission," he said pulling into their driveway.
Rachel looked at him, "really?"
Deborah had been silent the whole ride and when they arrived, their conversation was put on hold long enough for David to show Deborah to the guest room, where she laid Arin down on the bed. She returned to the kitchen to find David, Alan and Rachel, sitting in silence.
Alan looked up at Deborah, "did you know?" he asked her.
She nodded, "I just found out um, just after they started going out," she motioned towards Rachel.
"Then when did you find out?" David asked Rachel.
"Um, the night that we started dating," she said softly. "We were here working on stuff for Glee and admitted we liked each other, but he told me he'd end up hurting me in the end so it wasn't worth it. I told him I should be the one to make that decision. He gave in and told me; he was honest with me."
"That's what you two were doing when you were in the front day," Alan commented, remembering back to when he first saw Rachel and Noah hugging in the front yard.
Rachel nodded, "I told him I'd be there for him and I'm not turning my back on him," she said, stressing the last few words.
The three parents in the room exchanged glances and Deborah slid into one of the stools by the island they were sitting around.
"What do you think of this, Deborah?" David asked.
The woman shrugged, "I'm still a little shocked about it, but I can't say much. I was only 18 when I had him. I told him I'd be there and if he did want to keep his daughter then she'd be welcome in our home."
After Deborah spoke, an eerie silence fell over them, no one knowing what to say. David and Alan were exchanging glances like they were having a silent conversation with each other, trying calmly to come up with something to say.
Rachel tried to figure out her dads, but she couldn't come up with what they were thinking. "Can you please talk out loud," Rachel requested.
The two men looked at her, "sorry, just kind of unexpected news," Alan admitted, "are you and Noah," he motioned to nowhere in particular, unable to use the specific words.
Her eyes widened at his question, "no way!" She exclaimed jumping up from her seat, "I would... I'm not... No!"
The two men sighed in relief, glancing at her, "Rachel, calm down," David told her, "it just needed to be asked."
"But, how could you not trust me?" She snapped, a little harsher than she had expected.
"We do trust you," Alan stood up and moved towards her, "but you've got to see it from our eyes. We just find out that our daughter is dating someone who got another girl pregnant. Our first thought would be that you and he would be be having sex as well."
Tears came to her eyes again, "we're not... I'll admit Noah has been with other girls, but he's not pushing me into anything. He's different now; he doesn't want to ruin things between us; it's why he told me about the baby," she said wiping her eyes.
Deborah looked between the three and cleared her throat, "I got pregnant with Noah before I graduated from high school. He was born in August, so do the math," she murmured. "After he was born I worked during the day and took night classes to get my CNA (certified nursing assistant) degree. It took me a little over a year and my ex and I got married. When he found out I was pregnant with Arin, he filed for divorce and was gone as soon as it was finalized. Noah was six. Just after he turned seven I had Arin," she explained.
Rachel looked at her, curious as to why she was telling them this.
"Let me finish," Deborah said, knowing Rachel wanted to ask why she was talking about her past, "when I got my CNA, I started working at St. Rita's and took night classes to get my RN. Once I had Arin, I had to put that on hold because of my ex leaving, but once things settled down, Mrs. Morgan was there to help me out and she's been my best friend ever since. With her help, I was able to continue school and get my RN degree before he turned ten. Before I graduated from school, I had dreams and aspirations, just like everyone. There was no choice for me when I had him. I refused to let him go, and I do not regret my decisions. Quinn is probably three months along, so in less than seven months, she will give birth a girl and if Noah keeps her, he'll be a father before he's eighteen. I know you're talented, and you can go places. Do you want to be a mom before you're even a Junior in high school? You can be there for him, and be his friend, but taking on the job of a mom; that's a big decision and one that you can't just change your mind a year later and have things be okay. I love my son and I'm choosing to be a grandparent, but you're sixteen and I'm sure you do care for him, but do you care enough for him to give up your dreams? Noah won't ask you to, and I know it'd mean a lot to him if you did, but you've got to make that decision on your own and be able to stick with what you choose. I'm telling you this because I want you to see what you're getting into. I really like you, Rachel, so please don't think I'm trying to push you away; I'm not. I just want you to be sure. I know Noah cares about you, but I also don't want to see my son hurt later on."
...
A/N4: This was a tough chapter to write. I'm First Aid and CPR certified, but I don't know much about injuries. Hope this articulates how dangerous football can be. It seems like every Saturday morning the local newspapers through October had pictures of football players being airlifted from our area to the major hospital in Seattle, WA for injuries they got during the game.
A/N5: Sorry not so much Puck/Rachel, that's for next chapter. :D