Chapter 8

So this was actually supposed to be the second part of one chapter. But I split it in half, because I think people should have a choice whether to read about physical violence or not. 'Glee' was a show where that didn't take place, or wasn't seen. So yeah, if that's not your genre, perfectly fine, consider this as a summary + the second part of the chapter.

Summary previous chapter:

We get a look inside the mind of Brittany.

- Britt is really insecure, about herself, about her relationships with people (she doesn't think she deserves good things)

- Her mother (the worst of the two) and stepfather hurt her. Physically and mentally (hence the insecurity about herself).

- She hides away her wounds with concealer or wearing different clothes

- She doesn't tell anyone about this, out of fear for losing her sister Charlotte to the system (and her safety; Brittany ran away once, which ended in her sister getting hurt. Her sister is her number one priority in life)

- Her mother has a lot of influence on the town (contacts at the police and in the justice system of Lima), she wouldn't get believed above her mother

- She's really hesitant towards dating with Santana, because she wants to protect her and her parents against her own parents (getting Santana's parents fired or in jail, because of Susan's influence). But … she loves Santana too

- Victor, Santana's father, mentions his concern about Brittany towards Brittany's mother, he even asks her if she knows if something bad happens to Brittany.

This chapter starts at the beginning of the next day. She's badly hurt from yesterday.

Wow, okay, summaries are hard to make. I hope I didn't forget something.

Anyway, have a nice week everyone! And thank you for reading and following! Special thanks for Flmagic11 and Marie RieRie England for your reviews!

The next day at school. Santana's POV

I'm very anxious today. I sense it from the end of my toes, all the way to the top of my head. It's a bad feeling. I'm feeling jittery, fidgety, dreadful, … I don't know what it is. I just want to see Britt. No. I need to see her. I have this very alarming vibes. A funny feeling that's warning me for something... I don't know. The things she confided me with yesterday. It's just … it's a lot.

I talked to my parents all evening, looking for a solution. My father told he me spoke with Susan, Brittany's mom. He said her reaction was very concerned, despite thinking she would have noticed something. Either way, she emphasized it effortlessly to my dad she will try to talk to her daughter. After knowing what I know now … he's more hesitant about her reaction. If he thinks about it more in detail he did notice some signals. She really tried to downcast his worries. Talking about me, being a bit of a hysterical teenager (how dare she, me? Hysterical?! Never!). Saying her daughter wouldn't be subtle enough to hide such stuff from her parents… Nevertheless, my dad doesn't really think the problem lays with her parents. He's sure it's someone else. Maybe someone from our school?

My mother reacted more concerned the minute he explained the conversation. She thinks it's extremely strange her mother claims to not know anything at all. It wouldn't be alarming, if I hadn't just figured out there is indeed someone out there hurting her. Doesn't that make Susan's reaction to my father really really strange? She really doubted the fact that my worries could be true. Though my father does counter react, that she still acted very worried and promising to get to the bottom of truth about my worries.

Still. With the affirmation we have now, that Brittany's getting hurt … her reaction is meaningless. Is she really that numb? Is she really just not realising what's going on with her own daughter? I mean … her mother is away for work a lot. Like a lot a lot. She's even more absent than my father, which is saying a great deal. So yeah … maybe that is a possibility. That would just be sad for Brittany, having no frequent mother in the house to support you.

But wait, I'm wandering. Would her mom do it? I don't know. Who would hurt their own daughter? Or what about her stepfather? Would he be capable of something like that? Or is my father right, do we need to look in another direction? Is it someone from our school? There are some giants running around there. And hell, the amount of creeps, who are walking around in this neighbourhood … it's ridiculous. Wandering around in this town, alone, as a girl … that's not a good idea.

I don't know who's hunch I need to follow. One thing is for certain, I wasn't being hysterical, I was right! Not in a 'yay I was right' kind of way, more in a really sombre 'I don't want to believe I was right' kind of way. Now the most important matter. How can we make this stop? Hmmm. I don't know. I need to be able to help her…but how?!

There's not that much we can do, without knowing what exactly is going on. Nonetheless, since she verbally confirmed somebody is hurting her, my parents went into action. They called the police, but they weren't of that much help. Since she still hasn't told me who's hurting her, there's not a lot they can legally do. They either need prove or need the victim claiming the problem. My mom kind of thought they would say that.

However, my mom did insist, and they said they'll look into it, as long as they can at least get the name of the victim… I want to ask Britt's permission first, before doing something like that.

This is probably part of the reason why I'm feeling so anxious this morning. We decided to ask Brittany to come home with me tonight. In that way, my parents can ask her some question. Get her to sit down in a safe environment, hopefully secure enough to open up again. From there we'll see how we can help … if she'll allow us to help her.

I'm really relieved and grateful my parents are all in, trying to fix this. I just hope we'll find a way to help her, as fast as possible.

"Stop biting your nails Santana, people can see you" Quinn mutters, hitting away my left hand from my mouth.

I haven't told Quinn about last night. Haven't really had the time. I didn't thought that was something to tell through text. Plus, I don't know, should I ask Britt's permission for something like that? Would she want me to tell her? I don't really know any guide lines in situations like this.

Right now my mind is too much focused on Brittany arriving at school to think about anything else anyway. She texted me a few minutes ago. She was going to be a bit late, but will arrive at school no matter what. Considering the text, Quinn and I already went to our lockers.

We walk past Tina and Rachel, who both have been slushied again. Probably by the football players or something. I'm starting to feel for these guys. I mean, I'm sure Rachel deserved it for some reason, but I can't imagine Tina already doing something wrong this early in the day. Besides, Tina and Mike seem to get along better and better, giving off this long-term relationship-vibe. I need to have my enemies and friends-list in check. For now, I need Mike on my good side. Despite the fact that he likes to streak around his abs for everyone to see, he can be a good guy… I guess.

Curious eyes are wandering towards Quinn and I. We get a few strange looks from students. Normally everybody avoids us like the plague, but not today. It's probably because Britt's not next to us. Even so, they look away the minute I give them my signature look. Head high, shoulders straight, biggest glare I can manage, taped on my face. It's like magic. Everybody walks in a bow around us. If you could order your mind to live in slow motion, this would be a time to do so.

I check the lock on my locker for the fifth time, trying to resist the urge to start biting my nails again. It's a nervous habit I haven't quite controlled yet. God, where is she? She should have been here by now.

My focus shifts back to Quinn, the minute I hear her say a word that starts with B.

Quinn's attention is towards the end of the hallway. "B? What the hell Britt, you look like you've been through hell and back. What happened?!" She exclaims, with panic in her voice. I think the whole school heard her. I take in the presence of Brittany, trying get a grip on the situation at hand… It's nothing like I would have thought. It's even worse.

I could have predicted she might be a bit in pain again. The common excuse about 'falling when I danced' or whatever already mulling around in my head. I did expect her wearing some strange clothing combination again, hiding whatever the hell she tries to hide. But I didn't expect to see this …

For some reason (I probably don't want to know), she's wearing a sweater. Sure, spring hasn't started yet, but it's not that cold. Coach Sue always demands us to wear short sleeves, until it at least freezes. So that's already a bold move from her. However… it's not the sweater I'm worried about for the moment.

The sleeve on her left arm has crawled up a bit, showing a part of her wrist. I need to look twice before I believe my own eyes. It looks black. Pitch black! At first I thought she was wearing a bracelet or something.

And another thing. She's walking very weirdly, like she isn't comfortable in her own body. It's like she just got a wedgy or something. Or like she just discovered her period has started, and she isn't wearing anything yet, so she's trying to prevent from leaking before she can take care of that in the bathroom (short explanation: it looks like she has period pains). It can make you feel so uncomfortable in your own body. And I know Britt is one of those girls, who have the unfortunate pleasure of having the whole picture. Stomach ache, back pain, headache, heavy legs, …

It doesn't really matter what it looks like. Her step means that she's in pain. A lot!

She stumbles towards us, taking one small stride at a time. It's devastating to see. It looks like she needs all her energy to move, demanding every muscle to pull her body forward. It's the most painfully slow walk I've ever seen.

I resist the urge to run towards her, trying to keep as much attention away from us as possible. However, that doesn't mean I'm trying to meet her halfway. Yet, I don't know what I'll do once we've managed to catch up to each other.

When I'm almost at her side, I can see her face more clearly. It looks bad. So, so bad. There's a long red stripe, just below her right eye. It's like the form of a … measuring stick or something? I have no idea how that happened. Even so, that's not even the worst part. Her eyes … they look beaten, dead. It's like they lost all fight in one night. If she said she saw a unicorn die in front of her yesterday, I would believe her. Plus, she has huge bags under her eyes. It's like she just had the biggest hangover ever, or hasn't slept for more than a week.

Is this what she's hiding between her walls?

No sparkling childish happy eyes. No rainbow miracles visible behind those piercing blue orbs. No … spirit.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Puck nearing Brittany too. Puck is one of the unfortunate boys I slept with, as an excuse, trying to suppress my feelings for Britt. He's a dick, but he's a football guy, best friend of the quarterback… so we're acquaintances. All cheerleaders are with the football guys. And he's in glee club too. He's not the worse company to sit next to in that club…

"Yo, what's up with you Brittany? Stared too deep into a glass, if so, nicely done man." Puck says to Brittany through the hallway and gives her a brotherly 'pat' on the back.

I'm just a few metres away from her, and I see pain flash through her eyes the microsecond after Puck touches her. A millisecond later everybody hears it. Brittany cries out in pain. The most gut-wrenching scream I ever heard. It's like Puck's touch electrocuted her. All her muscles give out. She falls down on the ground, doing everything in her power to not start to cry.

Puck looks baffled. "Huh, didn't realize I used that much strength, I …"

I don't let him finish. I flash forward, only needing two seconds to push him against the lockers. "Get the hell away from Brittany or I will go all lima heights on you" I point my finger at him and he actually looks scared. I know I've got a reputation, not to mention that I know how to look threatening, and I'm not afraid to use it. Especially if it involves Britt Britt.

I look around and students are starting to gather around us. It's ridiculous. Sometimes, I feel like high schools are like zoo's. The minute something out of the ordinary happens, everybody tries to scramble towards there, to see what's going on. I bet they're even hoping for a fight. "Show's over before it began people. Move!" I yell.

I look over at Brittany, who's barely moving, and I'm panicking, I don't know what to do! She looks like she's in so much pain! I need to do something. Anything!

I'm grateful that Quinn's here. She's helping me with getting people's attention away from Britt. She looks just as lost as I am. I snap into my concentration mood. I try to remember what my father taught me about first aid. She needs to lay down, in a room where nobody can walk past her and accidently hurt her… She needs to get to the nurse room!

"Puck! Mike!" I yell from the bottom of my lungs. They were both not far away. I saw Mike already running towards us anyway. Puck was sort of trying to get away from my grip, but I need strong people right now. "You, grab her legs" I point towards Puck. "And you, grab her shoulders." They reach over towards her, but I hear Brittany give out a small whimper. "Gently! She needs to be brought to the nurse room. You're both strong enough to be sure to not let her fall… what are you waiting for? Go! And don't hurt her!"

I frantically whisper to Quinn next to me. "She needs medical attention and she needs to get out if this hallway immediately. I think we'll hurt her, but I don't think she has the power to walk by herself and people should stay out of her business. So we'll just have to push through and get to the nurse room asap!"

Quinn looks worried but answers anyway. "Okay, let's do that."

The boys are still trying to figure out a way to hurt Brittany as little as possible. Quinn moves down to Brittany, who's still whimpering and on the edge of hyperventilation. "Hey B, we're going to get you out of here, I hope we don't hurt you. People are starting to watch and you need to see the nurse."

I see Brittany giving the smallest nod as an answer. I look Quinn in the eye, sadness mirrors itself. Puck and Mike grab her, as gentle as possible. She makes a strangled noise, from deep within her throat. It almost sounds like a cat who you're hurting really badly. I know the sound because I accidentally stood on Lord Tubbington's tail once…

We've been sworn enemies ever since. Maybe that misfortune wasn't purely on accident. He was stealing way too much attention from Brittany when I wanted to talk to her! Before you judge me, he started hating me first! My arms have been scarved with his scratches all through the year already! He's acting all innocent, like he doesn't understand I'm not a prey … but I know better. He's the devil in disguise.

I'm counting down our steps towards the nurse room. Brittany makes an agonizing noise, every step we take. My heart sinks to the ground by the sound of it. Mike and I give each other very distressed looks. Are we doing the right thing? They're hurting her so badly right now, but something needs to happen. She can't just lay on the ground right now, she needs to see a nurse or something. Plus, school hallways are like a death trap to get trampled!

My head is working overtime right now. I don't know what the hell is going on. I have no idea how she even managed to arrive at school! I think she said she was driving by herself. I can't remember that bright anymore, my mind is too occupied in the present right now. But how the hell was she able to get herself here in this stage?!

After the three longest minutes of my life, probably even longer for Brittany, we arrive at the nurse office. I say a quick thanks to Mike and Puck, ordering them to go back to their classes. Puck is happy to oblige, too uncomfortable to be put in a situation like this… Sure, like I'm happy to be in this position right now. Mike is more averse to my order, he doesn't want to leave her alone. Any way he can help, he'll do. I don't think he can do much right now, too many people here will feel too suffocating. I need to be able to think clearly. I can convince Mike of the matter, once I promise him I'll give him an update… when I have one.

The nurse who's on duty rushes over to us and asks what happened. Quinn responds in a panicked and defeated tone, just like I feel probably. "We don't know! She just arrived at school and then somebody hit her on the back and fell to the ground. Also, she didn't look good before that either. She looks like she's in a lot of pain."

The nurse analyses Brittany shortly and commands us to turn her around on the bed, on her stomach. It makes sense. I mean, we are assuming there's something wrong with her back.

"This is Brittany Pierce right?" I nod. The nurse gives a bitter sigh. "I've seen her one too many times here this year. The nurse from last year told me she's a regular in this office."

I ponder over those words, over and over again. What the hell, she came here a lot last year? She never told me that. When did she come here? How did I not notice that? Okay, yeah, we didn't have that many classes together last year. Unfortunately I didn't get to see her that much. But still. We bounded so much during this summer, wouldn't that have come up in one way or the other? God, I should've seen the signs earlier.

Snapping back to the situation at hand, I hear the nurse starting to talk to Brittany in a gentle voice. "Brittany, I'm going to put your shirt up, just to take a look at your back. Your friends are still here, do you want me to send them away?"

Brittany mumbles something incoherently, and I see silent tears falling down her face. I know she can handle a lot of pain, so to see her cry … she must be in hell right now. "What was that, I didn't understand?" the nurse asks Britt again. There's a lot of sympathy and pity in her voice.

She answers shortly. "Yes". The nurse looks at us and silently asks us to leave.

I panic. "No I can't leave her, she needs me, please." The nurse must see the desperation in my eyes and hear it in my voice. She looks at me sceptically, but says it's okay to stay, as long as Quinn leaves.

Quinn and I make quick eye contact before she walks backwards. She closes the privacy curtain, but I can't hear any footsteps after that. "I'll stay right here if you need me." Figures she won't leave for class right now. I don't have the energy to fight her over this right now. At least it's less crowded in here now. Hopefully it'll give Brittany some more breathing space.

When the curtain's closed, the nurse starts to move her hands to the underside of Brittany's shirt. "No!" Britt yells.

I rush to her side, where her head rests and try to calm her down. "It's okay Britt Britt, she just wants to help, everything's all right. I'm here, don't panic. Plus, you still have your sports bra on right? It's like going swimming … sort of" wow, okay, I'm really not in the mindset to find a way to cheer her up, not even a little bit.

She looks really fragile, and I'm having a really hard time not to panic myself. I've never seen her so distressed before. "All right, I'll put your shirt up now Brittany." The nurse says. A gasp escapes her mouth the second she starts to see Britt's back.

I look up to see what the commotion is about. I freeze the second I see Brittany's back. All blood drains out of my face. I see deep dark red lines on her back. It's like the skin is barely keeping itself together. One small thing and her back would burst and bleed, I'm sure of it. Other parts of her back are dark blue, almost black. It's like some sort of sick color book of black, blue, yellow and red. There are also some sort of traces of a … square-form thing?

The nurse starts talking again. It brings me out of my horrendous amount of shock. "Brittany you need to go to the hospital, this is not something I can fix." She sounds very distressed.

Brittany tries to pull herself up… with the emphasis on trying. "No, I'm fine, I refuse to go to the hospital, I'm totally fine."

The nurse tries to find ways to convince Brittany to let her call an ambulance, but she ignores her. Instead, she puts her attention on me. "Please Sanny, promise me you won't let me go to the hospital. I can't, I really can't go." She looks to me with those pleading piercing blue eyes of her.

I must see something really desperate, because I promise just that. And I curse at myself. I never break my promises, ever. But she really needs medical attention right now! Trying to swallow my promise back, I try to speak up again. Though I can't. I'm too late. That last bit of strength must have been too much for her, because she has passed out.

My stomach churns. I'm overcome with … I don't even know anymore. I don't know what to do. She should go to the hospital! This is just irresponsible to leave her like this… But I made that promise. Ugh, I hate that I did that. Why did I open my mouth?! I need to come up with a different idea. Fast.

Wait …

"Quinn, can you please bring me my phone, I need to make a call." I hear Quinn running away, not even bothering to answer me. She must realise the importance of this situation. She didn't protest and came back in record time.

When she pushes away the curtain I hear her take a very dramatic gulp. "What happened to her? This isn't normal." Quinn exclaims.

I snap, the emotions getting too much for me. "No Quinn, this looks pretty normal to me, we always come to school with a back that changed color and you're not able to see what skin-color you have anymore. Perfectly normal." I'm practically yelling at this point. I think the whole school can hear me.

She looks at me with tears in her eyes. "I'm just going to ignore that, because I know that's just your emotions speaking." She takes another look at Brittany's back, before falling into a mess of tears and hiccups.

I try to take a deep calming breath. I need to keep control. Somebody needs to keep his mind clear for this situation. Crying people are worthless right now. Somebody needs to think clearly. For Brittany.

Brittany is partly in luck that we're in McKinley. The nurses at this school don't have a clue what they're doing. An educated nurse would've called an ambulance the minute we brought her in. But it's McKinley. So yeah, apparently no need. One of the hockey players lost a teeth on the ice once. It was one of his friends who knew you need to put teeth in milk, so they can save those teeth. It's also the friend who called an ambulance. The nurse (not this one) advised them to give him some painkillers. She told him they'll grow back… which they don't by the way.

So yeah, it's really disturbing how things work around here. And I know. I really know I should be the friend now, who calls an ambulance. But she looked so scared. So so scared to go to the hospital. Plus, it doesn't look like she's bleeding… at least not anymore, so there's no chance of her bleeding out … I think. I don't know anything else that could be life-threatening right now. My father learned me a thing or two about first aid. But this is way past first aid. That's why I need my phone.

My plan is to do the next best thing (after an ambulance). I call my dad.

My phone is ringing for ages. At least it feels that way. After three more rings I hear my dad answering. "Hola papi, necessita ayuda." I say to him, urgency coursing through my voice.

"What's going on mija, you sound really stressed. Is everything all right? Aren't you at school?" My dad asks worried.

I try to swallow away the tears that are threatening to fall. I start talking again with a trembling voice. "Nno, Brittany is passed out and seriously injured on her back, probably on other parts too. But she doesn't want to go to the hospital and I don't know why and …" My dad listens with upper concentration to my story. At the background I hear rushed footsteps.

"I'm driving to your school right now. I just got out of an appointment with a patient of me, so I can leave immediately. Put some ice on her back, on the places that look most badly bruised, the ones that look the darkest. That should help ease the pain a little. Don't let her drink, eat or take medication, before I have had a proper look at her. We don't know what we're dealing with. And Santana… if I see something that seems to immediate medical attention at the hospital, I'm going to have to call an ambulance. I understand your promises and Brittany means the world to you, but there is a line… I'll check her out first before we decide." My dad says in his professional voice.

I cry out "Papi, thank you, but I can't put ice on her back, I'm afraid I'll hurt her, I'm not strong enough."

"Mija, calm down, Brittany needs you right now. Everything is going to be fine, I can be there in fifteen minutes." He pauses for a second. I hear him open his car door. "You are so strong, you really are. Believe in yourself." I put my tears away with my right hand and give a quick goodbye to my dad. I don't want him to wait another second to start driving to our school.

I take a deep breath in, trying to listen to my dad's advice. I close my phone after another second. I try to gain some of my tough composure, putting on my 'bitch' mask again. I turn my attention from my phone to the nurse. "We need some ice wrapped in a towel to put on her back, but not too much." My voice sounds commanding, there's almost no waver audible. She rushes over to her office, hopefully to grab some ice they have in the freeze there.

Quinn moves closer towards Brittany, she's walking on her tiptoes. It's like she's afraid to hurt her by making noise … or just by breathing the same air as her. I put a hand on her shoulder, trying to give her some support. We look at each other. Both need some support right now. Both are not really sure what to say at the moment. I appreciate her deep concern for Brittany. I didn't realise she was already so fond of her. Though … I don't think even seeing a total stranger in this condition could make you feel nothing.

Rushed footsteps startle us out of our own world. It's the nurse, handing over some ice bags. I grab them, approaching Brittany with a lot of caution. I try to lay them on her back as slow and delicately as possible. She mumbles a bit in her sleep in response… at least she's not screaming out in pain.

There's no other reaction after that. Quinn comes nearer. "Now what?" She questions.

I look at her, pain is visible in both our views. I shrug my shoulders, showing her my insecurity. "Now we wait until my father arrives and then we'll see what he says."

16 minutes later, my dad arrives. Once he notices me, he changes his step to a small run. "Hola mija, are you okay?" He gives me a hug, giving me the support I needed so much from him right now. I'm grateful he's sensing the urgence of the situation. If he hadn't heard it before on the phone, he sure as hell recognises it now by the look on my face.

I don't let the hug linger for long, I'm not the one in need. "I'm okay dad, please ignore me. Look over at Brittany, she's the one who needs help."

My dad steps out of our embrace and takes in the sight of Brittany. He keeps quiet while he's examining what he can see. He lifts up the ice bags I put on her. I know my dad has a really good poker face. Sometimes that's needed in his line of work. But … that's what's so upsetting right now. I see worry and disturbance wandering in his eyes. Even his motions look more startled then normal.

Brittany has come to our house a lot these past few months. I know he cares about her on a personal level too, not just as her doctor right now. My parents were captured by her the minute she met them. They always wanted a second child. Apparently they had some medical problems… I don't know the details (never dared to ask, it seems like a touchy subject), but I know I'm not an only child by their choice. And although they love me until infinity … I know they wanted more than one child running around in their house. Knowing that … the minute Brittany, my own personal sunshine, visited our house … they were both as smitten as I was. It didn't take them long to almost see her as a second daughter already. She sure was in our house a lot during summer, it made it seem like she lived there anyway.

Looking at my father now … I remember he was the most sceptic about my suspicions around Brittany, but I don't think he has any doubts anymore. I see the gears turning in my father's mind. I don't want to disturb him, but I want to know what he's thinking. I keep my voice soft, trying to approach him cautiously. "What do you think dad?"

He keeps quiet for another minute, carefully examining her back. Suddenly he turns around, asking me and Quinn something. "Did you see anything else that was bothering her before she collapsed?"

I need to think twice, because everything happened so fast. I can't think that clearly anymore. "She walked a bit funny, like she had really bad stomach cramps. And she looked really tired."

"She also has a sort of mark on her right cheek." Quinn adds. "Yeah, and her wrist looked very bad too." I further comment.

My dad frowns, a deep line visible on his forehead. He's in deep thought. He observes Brittany for another second, before rolling op her sleeves, being as careful as possible. He can't see that much because she's still lying on her stomach. Nevertheless, it's already not looking good.

"Okay, we need to turn her on her side, I want to know what you mean by that stomach pain. However, I want to stay very cautious with moving her around. I would prefer trying to get her in a sitting position. There's a chance she'll wake up, but we'll see."

"But dad, won't we hurt her?" I ask with a worried voice.

He sighs deeply at that. "I don't know Santana, but I need to see what all of her injuries are. I need to be able to estimate what's most urgent." I nod and take a look at Quinn. We've already moved her once, so I guess we can do it again.

We both walk to one side of Brittany and try to lift her up as gently as possible. Apparently it wasn't gentle enough because she wakes up again. She looks really startled at seeing my dad. All of her body goes into a cramp.

I try to gain her attention. "Hey Brittany, it's okay, it's only my dad. He's here to help."

"No, I'm fine" She tries to shield herself with her arms. I'm starting to lose my patience, she's obviously not fine, why can't she just accept our help?

I give an exasperating sigh. "Brittany, for the love of God, please let us help." She startles at the desperation in my voice. We end in a sort of staring contest for what seems like years for me. It probably only lasted for a few seconds. At some point her gaze shifts away from mine, before moving her body in a more relaxing position. I guess she saw the determination and worry in my eyes, realising she couldn't win this. She really doesn't look comfortable, but it looks like she'll at least cooperate.

My dad steps in. "Okay Brittany, how are you feeling?" She glances up to the ceiling before looking towards him. She opens her mouth, but it looks like she doesn't know how to answer that. She also looks a bit… afraid? I don't know, I know she's very fond of my dad, she loves him like it is her own father. There's no reason to be afraid. Especially of my father, he's a big old softie.

My dad must sense that she's at a loss of words, because he tries a different approach. "Brittany, can I see your wrists for a second, I just want to check what we're dealing with."

She looks conflicted for a few seconds, eyes wandering around the room from person to person. "Can I have some more space to breath, I don't like being looked at." Her voice is almost inaudible.

"All right, Santana, Quinn, can you go wait outside? I need a minute alone with Brittany." I make a motion to protest, but one stern look from my father and I know I can't win this battle. I trust my father with my life. I know Britt is safe with him… Doesn't make it easier to step outside though.

I take one last look at Brittany, before walking away from the nurse room. It's common sense we stay outside the door, there's no way I'm going to class right now.

…

You can almost see the floor beneath me starting to shape the trail I've been walking for the past 3 minutes. That's how long it takes my father to step in the hallway. I stop wandering, the second Quinn's head looks up towards the nurse's room. I turn around, seeing my dad is walking towards us. I bombard him with questions. Questions I'm not even sure are understandable sentences.

He puts his right hand up in the air, a sign for me to stop talking. I let him speak. "Santana, I called in an ambulance. Before you protests, this is urgent. Besides the external, visible trauma on her back and other places, I have a hunch that there is some serious internal bleeding going on. She needs medical attention, right now. I'm a cardiologists, I can't do that much right now. I called up my most trusted colleagues in the ER, they're already prepping a room for her. You can go to her, but she's going in and out of conscious almost constantly now. Don't touch her, or try to move her, we don't know what's going on."

My father gives me a really pained look, full with love and worry. I've never heard him so distressed in my life. This is bad. Really bad. Quinn and I rush back to the room. We each take a side of the bed Brittany's lying on. We take her hand, very very carefully.

She looks so … lifeless right now. I comb my fingers through my hair, frantically trying to keep my tears at bay. Quinn's not doing better, her eyes are flooded with tears. Nobody dares to break the silence that fell over the room. Nobody makes a move.

I'm a bit startled when my dad's suddenly standing next to me. He's trying to monitor Brittany's heartbeat.

I can hear the sirens coming nearer from a far away distance. It seems like it takes a decade until I can see the blue lights nearing through the window. Shit, the school will have something to gossip about for the rest of the week. Since it's about a cheerio it will probably take even longer. A month? Even a year? Doesn't matter right now.

At least classes are still in process. That will make the hallways clear for the paramedics. They shouldn't have to walk through a maze of wandering, chaotic students.

Once the two paramedics arrive, I resist the urge to grab the stretcher out of their hands. They're not working fast enough! The two first responders are very friendly and down to business though. They listen to what my father can say. They put her on the stretcher with such ease that Brittany doesn't even waver.

My fingers twitch to reach out to her, but I know I'll only slow them down that way. My dad gives me a gentle squeeze in the shoulder, telling me he will drive with the ambulance to the hospital. He says I can definitely come if I want, but he does request me to not drive myself.

When it's only Quinn and that nurse in the room, everything starts being too much. I can't seem to keep my breathing under control. Every little thing about Brittany's pain is put under a loop in my mind and repeating itself again and again. The walls are coming towards me and my legs fail to function. I fall down on the ground, all my muscles seem to disconnect from my body.

Quinn notices, and slides her phone away. "Hey, hey San, listen to me. Listen to my voice. Let me breath together with you. Listen to my breathing. Don't try to count, just think that you're pushing your breath-muscle down whilst exhaling and putting your lung muscle up whilst inhaling. I don't know what's going on in your mind right now, but it's playing with you. Everything is put under a magnifying glass, try to see that situation and further yourself from it. See that you're focusing on a much too detailed something and look to the bigger picture. And listen, listen to my voice and breathing. Feel the air going into your body. Feel the air giving oxygen to your head, stomach, legs, feet. Feel Santana."

When she says that last piece, she puts both of her hands on my legs. It triggers something in me. It gives me the ability to move a bit more again. I try to focus on my breathing, like she said. In the distance, I hear someone running towards us. I recognize Mike's voice.

"What can I do? You texted she's brought to the hospital? Can I do something? Do you need a lift?" His motions are frantic. He tries to keep himself under control, but you see he's panicked too. "I can't focus one second in class anyway."

I haven't found the control button for my voice yet, but luckily Quinn answers in a shaking voice anyway. "Yeah thanks, it would be really great if you could give us a lift to the hospital, thank you Mike."

She turns her focus back to me, while Mike mumbles something about grabbing Tina's car from the parking lot "San, can you move? Come on, I know you're strong. Get through this, we can panic together in the hospital. At least there we could get some news about what's happening."

It takes a lot of effort, but we both get into the car. Mike was really mindful about it, he even pulled the car up near the school doors. Once we're starting to ride away from school, Quinn and I fall silent again. There's not a lot of conversation in the car. Mike did mention something about not worrying about our classes. Something about the glee club group chat and talking to the teachers and all that. I'm not really in a mindset to worry about school this moment, but it's nice to know they have our back. I don't even remember if I have my cell phone with me. Don't care.

After a few minutes, we've arrived at the hospital. Mike suggests to drop us off at the entrance. He'll find a parking spot on it's own. In that way we can figure out where Britt's at, as quickly as possible.

Once we've both stepped out of the car, we run towards the information desk. We both start speaking at once. I shut my mouth and gesture to Quinn she can speak. Asking the location of Brittany Pierce didn't give much, so I asked after my father instead.

The person at the desk, Anne, doesn't really know if she can believe me if I'm speaking the truth when I say he's my father. She even had the nerve to ask for my passport!

Right before I was about to lose it, I hear my father calling my name. "Santana, over here." My head snaps towards his voice. Together we run towards him.

"Look, I don't know much yet. They took a look at her and she needed to go in surgery immediately. I'm not going to give all the details, but she suffered some internal bleeding. She has a ruptured liver, which made her go into shock. She uh, she had a minor heart attack, which is under control right now. But … this is really serious. Internal bleeding in an organ like the liver … with the combination of a heart attack … we'll need to see how the operation goes further."

I soak his words up, overcome with dread. My world is falling down all at once. Is he saying …? No, he. Is. Not. Right. She. Is. Not. Dying. Not on my watch! …I've lost my voice to respond. It's taking everything within my power to not break down right here, right now. A sudden hand on my shoulders makes me look to the right. It's Quinn's. She looks crestfallen… I'm sure I'm not doing any better.

"Come on, I'll take you girls to the waiting room". My father proclaims.

Quinn loops an arm around mine. We literally lean on each other to get to the chairs. We don't speak. We just wait.

After some time Mike enters the room. I guess Quinn has texted him, letting him know where we were.

…

It's silent. You could hear a pin drop. Nobody is in the mood to talk. The only thing we want is for Brittany to be fine. That's it.

"Quinn?"

"Santana?"

I hear two voices, both with a lot of motherly concern. I look up, seeing Quinn's and my mom rushing towards us. It's my mother who speaks first.

"Oh Santana, here you are." I get up and walk to her. My motions feel robotic. The moment I feel her arms around me, I break down. I have no words. Just sorrow and heartache. My mom doesn't verbally respond, she just hugs me really close in response.

In a faraway distance I can hear Quinn's mother giving some encouraging words to her daughter. It sounds like they're both in shock too. They know Brittany less than me, Quinn and our moms, but It's Brittany we're talking about. She charms her way into everybody's heart within the first two seconds of her appearance.

After what feels like a lifetime, my tears are starting to dry up. I've got nothing left for the moment. My mom gently puts me down in a seat. "Listen Santana, I'll be right back. I just need to make a quick phone call." I just nod in affirmation and sit down again.

I see out of the corner of my eye that Tina has arrived too, giving a bear hug to Mike. Puck, Matt, Kurt and Mercedes are slowly entering the waiting room too. They give me encouraging smiles, all of them with glistening eyes. Even Puck.

There must be something in this room, everybody who's here has tears shimmering in their eyes. Kurt explains something about Artie, Rachel and Finn handling the teachers or something, but I'm not really listening. It's all a blur right now. The only thing I want to hear is that Brittany woke up. That's it.

It's a bit implausible if you look around the room, all of these different teenagers coming together for another teenager. Yet the only thing these humans have in common, is glee club. Regardless, it's giving me a foreign feeling of support.

They're all looking for a place to stand or sit. Once my mom is back in the room, she walks over to me and sits down on the chair next to mine. Quinn is settled on my other side. There's not a chair on her side anymore, but her mother stand next to her anyway.

Once greetings are over, nobody really knows what to say anymore. It's back to silent mode. Again.

Some start pacing in the room, others aren't moving a muscle in their body. There's a tv playing advertisements and a clock in the left corner of the room. I try to focus on the seconds passing by. One by one. Minute per minute. Hour per hour.

…

Three hours have already passed… That's not a good sign. The longer an operation takes, the more chance there is at consequences and non-fixable problems. That's what my father always told me. I don't want to downfall into thinking about tragedies, but it's harder by the minute.

No. Santana, you can't, she will be okay!

I need to focus my attention elsewhere.

To Quinn, for example. She's talking in her slumber. I can't understand what she's saying, but it's definitely something she's muttering. She put her head on my shoulder an hour ago. She must have fallen asleep at some point.

Mike is shaking his head, like he's hypnotizing himself. Feeling my eyes on him, he looks up. We stare at each other for more then a minute, before glazing to nothingness again.

I don't even bother to look at the rest of the crowd. It's not doing me any favours. I'm better in tuning everything out.

I sigh, looking back to the seconds passing by. My mom squeezes my hand in support.

…

Another hour has passed…

Wait. I hear movement! Could it be?

The door opens, revealing my father wearing his doctors apron. He still looks distressed, but there's also a relieved smile peeking out. I can see it in his eyes.

I jump up, not letting go of my mother's hand. I run towards him, dragging my mom with me. I try not to sound too eager, but hope is clearly audible in my tone when I ask him what's going on.

"It's okay, she made it …" Everybody gives an ear drumming cheer at that. I hush them, I want to hear the rest. "She's okay, but we want to monitor her for another few days. She isn't conscious yet and we want to see how she wakes up. We have a hunch she'll have a concussion, based on the head injury she has. Her external trauma was bad, but nothing permanent will stay out of it. Except some scars. She had some bad internal bleedings, which went out of control five times, that's why the operation took so long, but it's okay now. She'll have a long rehabilitation before her, but I think she'll be back dancing in glee club in no time."

Relief washes over me. Worst case scenario in your face! Thank you. Thank you whoever I need to thank! Odin, God, Allah, Mother Nature, Faith, whoever else! My Britt Britt is going to be okay!