"How long has she been out for?"
"Three days now."
"Do the doctor's have any updates, or know when she might wake up?"
"They said she's stable, but there's no telling how long she'll be unconscious for." A familiar voice says before breaking out into a sob.
Weird. Everything sounds like it's in a tunnel. I feel awake, but for some reason my body won't move. I can see the light of the room through my eyelids, but I can't seem to open them.
"Tina, I'm sure she'll wake up soon. It's good news that she's going to be just fine, though. At least we know she'll recover."
Tina! Yes, that's whose voice it is! Now I know Tina's here, but who's the male and other female voice in the room?
"And it's all thanks to Brittany. She wouldn't be here if it weren't for you."
"Oh…it wasn't anything. I did what any person would've done given the circumstance."
Brittany. That's the other female voice. Even only half conscious, I can still visualize her stunning features and smooth blonde hair. I wonder what she's wearing right now. Is she dressed semi-formal like when we first met, is she wearing jeans and a t-shirt? I wonder what style her hair's in today, maybe she has it in a bun or ponytail, maybe it's-
Wait…why am I unconscious? And where am I? What happened to me? I venture to say it was something less than thrilling based on the tone of everyone's voice and the context of what they're talking about.
I need to find out. Before I start to panic more, I need to see if there's anything even to be worried about. I'm really bad at overreacting about situations before I know the full story.
Come on, Santana. Just try to do something simple. Wiggle your fingers, or blink open your eyelid, just something. Hang on, I gotta concentrate.
It takes a minute, but the quiet chatter that was taking place in the room seemed to pause.
"Is she?" Tina asks.
I feel a hand on my forearm and cool fingers brushing hair off my forehead.
"Santana? Are you awake? Please tell me you can hear me." She sounds choked up again. God, I hate it when Tina cries. I hate it when anyone cries. I know I seem heartless, but everyone has their soft spots, okay?
I use as much effort as I can to slowly blink open my eyes. The first thing I notice is the bright white lights above me. Wow, they're bright. I look around at my surroundings. Why am I in the hospital?
My vision is blurry at first, but I soon start to be able to make out figures of people standing at the foot of my bed. One looks like Mike and the other looks like Brittany.
Ohhhhh, so that's who the male voice was. God, I feel stupid for not recognizing it sooner.
"Hey," He says emotionally as he walks up beside his girlfriend, resting a hand on her back.
Well, that's why I didn't recognize his voice at first. Mike never gets emotional…about anything. He has really strong control over his emotions, so if he's ever upset, you'd never be able to tell.
"Hey," I respond, instantly wincing at the scratchy sound of my voice. I guess that happens when you're unconscious for days at a time.
Tina points across the room at a bottle of water and Brittany brings it over. Oh, shit…Brittany's here. Well, that was embarrassing. Our second time seeing each other and I sound like one of those chain smokers of 30 years that we see on the anti-smoking commercials.
I smile in gratitude as Tina hands me the water bottle, uncapped, and I bring it to my lips to take a sip. Damn, water never tasted so good.
"Mike, why don't you go tell the nurse station that she's awake." Tina says as I hand her back the water bottle.
He nods his head before giving me a soft smile and leaving the room.
I look over at Tina and then at Brittany, hoping one of them will start explaining before I have to ask.
A couple moments go by, and nobody says anything. They're both still looking at me like I'm going to break at any moment.
"Soooo…what the hell happened? I mean one minute I'm checking out the forcefield with Mike and Brittany, and the next I'm waking up in the hospital. Anyone care to connect the dots for me here?"
"Mike knows more of the specifics of what happened, but I can give you a quick rundown," Brittany chimes in.
I nod my head, encouraging her to continue.
"So, basically. We were all outside in the field looking at the forcefield. When Mike went to turn it off, it seemed to malfunction or something, so he told us to stay put and he'd go get his colleague to see if they could fix it. You, um, started walking around a little, thinking we were a safe distance from the forcefield, and went to go pick a flower that was a couple feet away from you. Well, when you bent down, the forcefield seemed to, like, suck you in and shocked you."
Listening to Brittany retell the events of the day, the only thing I can think is…damn, am I that stupid? Mike told us not to move, and what did my ass do? Move! And now I'm in the hospital.
"What happened after that?" I ask, curious as to what happened.
"Mike was able to shut down the forcefield from the manual controls inside the building. As soon as he came outside to verify, he saw you collapse on the ground, um…unconscious." Her voice seemed to waver a little.
"It wasn't just unconscious, Brittany," Tina remarked. She seemed to be getting upset again.
Brittany didn't seem comfortable with explaining what Tina meant, but I looked at her expectantly hoping she'd tell me.
"Right…um, not unconscious, but, um…lifeless." She added softly.
Lifeless? As in dead? As in I had died out there? What the fuck?!
"I-I died?" I ask, hoping to god that I heard her wrong. I didn't actually die, right? If I died, I wouldn't be here right now.
"Yes, Santana. You died. No pulse, stopped breathing, everything." Tina said.
"That doesn't make sense. If I died, then how am I awake right now?"
"Luckily, Brittany knows CPR," Tina answered, turning to look at Brittany gratefully, "So she was able to save you until the ambulance arrived."
This is a lot to take in. So, you're telling me that I died and was brought back to life. Like Jesus? Like totally dead, and revived.
Now that I think about it, it's scary of course, but it's also kinda cool. I mean, who can honestly say that they've died and been brought back to life. Not many people, that's who.
I turn my attention over to Brittany, who's standing next to Tina with her hands in the pockets of her jacket.
"Thank you," I say sincerely. I mean, I just learned that I would have been dead if it weren't for her. The least I could do is show some appreciation.
She nods her head and gives me a warm smile.
She's humble. Andddd I have found yet another admirable trait about her.
The moment is interrupted when a nurse walks in, followed by Mike. She grabs a clipboard off the wall and gives me a smile. I know the clipboard has my information on it, as well as boxes for her to fill out with new information. Being the daughter of a well-known doctor teaches you some things.
"How are you doing, Santana?" She asks as she comes over and presses some buttons on a machine next to my bed.
"Little groggy still, but otherwise fine."
"Good to hear. I'm going to take your vitals, make sure everything's still a-okay, and then you should be all set to go home tomorrow, given everything is as it should be."
She slips a blood pressure cuff around my left arm and hits a button on the machine, causing it to tighten.
While my vitals are getting done, Tina, Brittany, and Mike all stand to the side and let the nurse do her thing.
A few minutes later, she writes the last thing she needs on the clipboard before sliding it back into its holder on the wall.
"Alright. Everything seems to be perfectly fine." She says with a smile. "The doctor wants to keep you overnight just for good measure, but you'll be good to go home tomorrow!"
I smile and nod my head. "Thanks," I say.
"Of course! Just hit the red button on the remote if you need anything, and I mean anything at all."
"I will."
She smiles and gives everyone a little wave before exiting the room.
"Well, guess I'll be staying the night again." Tina says as she walks back over to where she was sitting next to the bed.
What does she mean again?
"Have you been sleeping here the whole time?" I ask.
She doesn't say anything, but just nods her head. I don't know whether I feel loved or aggravated. It means a lot to me that she would stay with me, but it also pisses me off that she's been neglecting her own needs.
"No, Tina. I really appreciate it, but you need to go home and rest. I'll be fine. I'm awake now, so there's no reason to worry."
She opens her mouth to protest but I interrupt her.
"No, Tina. You've been here every day. You need to go and take care of yourself. I'm perfectly fine, and I'll get to go home tomorrow, so you can take care of me then."
She glares at me for a moment, seeing if I'll cave. Seeing that I stand my ground, she huffs out a breath of air.
"Well if I'm not allowed to stay overnight with you, someone else has to." She crosses her arms.
I got her to agree to go home herself, but I already know I can't change her mind about this.
"Fine…but who the hell would you get to stay here with me?"
She thinks for a moment before her face lights up with an idea. She turns to look at Brittany.
"Brittany, would you mind staying with her? I know it's a lot to ask, but I trust you, and you have my number," She turns her voice into a whisper, "In case I want to check in."
I couldn't help but roll my eyes. She's fucking ridiculous. I'm a grown ass adult and she doesn't think I'll be able to take care of myself in a place where people are literally constantly checking on me and caring for my every need.
"Yea, I don't mind. I was just gonna go home and watch reruns of The Bachelor anyways." She says with a shrug.
"Awesome!" Tina says as she pulls Brittany into a hug. "Thank you so much!"
"It's really not a problem," Brittany says, pulling away. "I might have to go home for a few minutes and get a change of clothes though."
"That's fine. I trust you." Tina pats her shoulder before walking back over to my bed.
I put on my best glare/pout and stare at her face as she nears.
She leans down to kiss my forehead, and I instantly rub it away. She doesn't seem fazed though. In fact, she just chuckles and starts walking away!
"Bye, Santana. I'll see you tomorrow." She says before turning to Brittany. "And thank you again…for multiple things." She says sincerely before her and Mike head out the door.
"Bye, Santana." Mike gives a wave and a small smile before following his girlfriend's lead, leaving Brittany and I alone in the room.
A few moments pass before Brittany breaks the silence.
"I'm gonna go ahead and run home to grab my clothes. I could grab some food and a movie on the way back if you want?"
I smile because, honestly, that sounds perfect. I nod my head.
"Ok, cool. Do you have a preference on either the food or movie?" She asks as she grabs her phone and car keys off of the small table in the room.
"Nope. I'm starving, so I'll pretty much eat anything, and I'm down to watch whatever. Only thing I ask is no horror."
It's embarrassing, but I'm such a scaredy cat when it comes to horror movies. Like hell I'd tell her that though.
"Noted." She nods her head in understanding, "I'll be back soon. See you then." She says as she gives me a wave and a smile before leaving.
I look around for the TV remote, deciding to channel surf until Brittany returns for the evening.
/
Brittany returned about an hour later with a takeout bag in one handand a movie box in the other.
"Hey. I brought back Chinese. You eat sweet and sour chicken, right?" She asks as she sets the bag down on the table and starts taking out its contents.
I nod to answer her question. She gives me a soft smile as she sets down two cartons on my bedside table. One full of chicken and the other of rice.
"Do you want a fork or chopsticks?" She holds a fork in one hand and a pair of chopsticks in the other.
"Chopsticks are fine," She hands me the pair, "Thanks."
She smiles and nods her head as she turns around to grab her food. She returns with her own cartons and sits down on the chair Tina was occupying earlier.
We eat mostly in silence, only making small talk occasionally. Which worked out for the best anyways because I was starving and it's not polite to talk with your mouth full.
"What movie did you bring?" I ask as I set my now empty container of rice on the table next to the other empty takeout container.
She swallowed her food before answering.
"Aladdin…is that okay?"
"Of course."
"Okay," She looks down at her legs with a shy smile, "It's my favorite movie."
Okay, could she be any more adorable? Like seriously.
"Cute," I respond, not thinking about what's coming out of my mouth.
My eyes get wide realizing what I just said. God, why do I have to ruin every nice moment with my big mouth?
I chanced a look at Brittany and…is that a blush on her cheeks? I continue the conversation hoping that she's not freaked out or anything.
"You know, I've never admitted it, but I actually love Disney movies. They're so good at taking the worst scenario and making everything better. Nostalgia, I guess."
She looks up at me with a smile and makes eye contact.
Wow, her eyes are the most beautiful blue I've ever seen. They're not too dark a blue, but they're not too light a blue either. They're just perfect.
We continue looking into each other's eyes for what seems like an infinite amount of time, yet still not long enough.
She finally looks down and shakes her head a little before taking her final bite of rice and gathering up the trash in the takeout bag.
She gets up to set the bag back on the table and grab the DVD box. Then she walks over to the little table set underneath the TV and puts the disc in the player and grabs the remote.
She sits back down in her previous seat, but turns it a little so she can get a better view of the screen mounted on the wall.
She switches the input and presses play before setting the remote down on the bedside table and slouching down in the chair.
Throughout the first part of the movie, I can see her continuously moving out of the corner of my eye. That chair really doesn't look comfortable.
It's not until about 20 minutes in that I look over at her. I see she's shivering too.
I scoot over towards the right side of my bed, leaving enough room for a person to lay to the left of me. I pull back the covers and clear my throat, hoping to catch her attention. She doesn't hear me though.
"Britt," I whisper.
Ugh, she still didn't hear me. Maybe I moved too far away. Wait…why am I whispering? It's not like someone's sleeping and I have to be quiet or anything.
"Britt," I say louder. She turns to look at me.
Aha! Got her attention now!
I pat the empty space next to me and she looks at me curiously before shaking her head with a sheepish smile.
"I'm okay. Thank you, though." She says before turning back to the screen.
"Brittany, come on. You're not gonna break me or anything. I'm not even hurt…I'm just here so they can keep an eye on me for the night."
She looks between me and the bed, contemplating what she should do.
I can see in her eyes that she wants to. She's just not sure if she should.
"Please?" I ask. "That chair really doesn't look comfortable and I can see you shivering." I try to convince her.
It really is cold in here. Hell, I'm under the covers and can feel the cold. I don't even wanna know how she feels. Maybe if she came on the bed, our body heat would make it at least bearable.
She looks uncertain but eventually nods her head. She slowly moves and sits down on the bed beside me. I pull the covers back further, giving her more room to stretch out.
She pulls her legs on the bed and lays her head back on the pillows next to mine. I hand her the corner of the blanket so she can drape it over her body.
We continue to watch the movie for another half hour without either of us moving an inch. It isn't until Prince Ali starts playing that she moves.
As the song plays through the room, I notice a new weight on my left shoulder. I don't even have to look to see what it is.
I don't want to move my head and disturb her, so I look out of the corner of my eye to see Brittany's head lying on my shoulder. She's all bundled up under the covers and resting her head on me. On me!
What does this mean? Apparently she's not freaked about the comment I made earlier, but I still don't know exactly how she felt about it. Am I overthinking it? I feel like I'm overthinking it.
Okay, Santana. Stop being obsessive over this and silence your thoughts. Just focus on the movie.
I try to turn my attention back to the film, but I keep getting lost in the shiny blonde hair that I can see in my peripheral vision.
Somewhere towards the end of the movie, I start to feel my eyelids getting heavier and heavier, and can feel the bed getting comfier and comfier.
It doesn't take long before I finally close my eyes and drift away into a peaceful slumber, with Aladdin playing in the background and Brittany so close to me.
—-
This chapter was more for setting up the Brittana aspect of the story, but don't worry! The fun part happens in the next chapter and really gets the story moving.
Feel free to leave a review and let me know how you're liking it so far, but don't feel like you have to! :)
Next update should be within the next week, but I have a presentation coming up in one of my classes, so it may be a little over. I'll try to get it up before then, though!