Chapter 11:

When Finn and Rachel emerged from the bathroom, Carole had already lined up the medicine and the thermometer on the coffee table for them. Rachel moved slowly through the living room and back to her spot on the couch, still looking quite green. Finn was right behind her and sat on the edge of the couch as he tucked the blanket back around her and reached for the thermometer first.

Rachel stuck her tongue out at him as he held up the oral thermometer. "Come on, babe. Don't be like that. I need to know how high your fever is."

Rachel pouted and crossed her arms as she opened her mouth for him to insert the thermometer. Finn watched her as he waited for the thermometer to beep, brushing her hair out of her face. It finally beeped and Finn pulled it out and looked at it. Rachel noticed the frown on his face and cleared her throat. "What is it?"

"You've got a fever of 104.7, babe." Finn said meeting her gaze. "Here. Take some medicine, it'll help you feel better."

Rachel nodded and slowly moved to sit up, Finn placing a hand on her back to help keep her upright. She gave him a small smile and took the first cup full of a disgusting, dark red liquid. She grimaced as it slid down her throat and looked up at him. "Which one's next?"

"Just the Dayquil." Finn replied handing her two orange tablets that he popped out of the package before handing them to her.

Rachel popped them in her mouth and swallowed them quickly with a drink of water. She then leaned back into the couch and let out a breath. Finn sat back with her and wrapped his arm around her. "I hate being sick."

"I know, baby. Nobody likes being sick but you'll be okay." Finn said gently as he kissed her temple. Rachel curled into his side and ran a hand over his chest.

"How's the bruising?" She asked softly, running a hand carefully over his stomach.

"I'm still sore if I move a certain way but it doesn't hurt as much now." Finn replied, smiling down at her. "Stop worrying, Rach. I'm not going anywhere."

"Like you said 'worrying about you is all I do.'" Rachel sighed shifting slightly so she could see him clearly. "You're not downplaying it for me, are you?"

"No. And that's not just because I'm not entirely sure what downplay means." Finn replied giving her his half smile. "I'm fine, seriously. I won't lie to you even if it would make you feel better."

"I appreciate that." Rachel let out a laugh while laying her head back down on Finn's chest. "And that's exactly what downplay means."

Finn laughed and Rachel joined in only to be cut off by her own coughing. Finn stopped laughing and gently rubbed her back, growing concerned when the cough became harsher to his ears. Rachel was gasping for breath in between her coughs.

She leaned forward, placing her head between her knees to try and get some air. Finn rubbed her back and leaned over to he could see her face. She finally was able to get some air and stop her coughing. Her face was a bright red and her eyes were watering.

Carole came into the living room then to make sure everything was okay. She noticed Rachel's red face right away. "Are you alright, sweetheart? That cough sounds pretty bad."

"Yeah, my throat just really hurts now." Rachel winced as she spoke.

"I'll make you some tea with honey to help. Do you need anything else?" Carole asked taking the now empty glass that Finn handed to her.

Rachel shook her head and snuggled back into Finn's side. He kissed the top of her head gently, wishing he could take all her pain and misery himself.

"Did you find out anything from the hospital?" Finn asked Carole before she left the room.

"Yeah, I'll tell you in just a minute. Let me get Rachel some tea for her throat first." Carole replied.

Finn nodded as she headed into the kitchen and he looked down at Rachel. "Besides your throat, how are you feeling?"

"You make everything better." Rachel smiled, looking up into his eyes.

Carole returned to the living room and handed Rachel her tea before sitting in the armchair. Finn locked eyes with his mom and noticed she looked nervous about what she was going to say.

"What is it, mom? What did they say?" Finn asked in concern, sitting up a little.

"Well you already know from when you were discharged that you weren't taken to the hospital here." Carole started. "It was out of town."

Finn nodded. "Why is that?"

"They weren't sure why you were taken there but they said the reason it took so long to tell me what happened is because your phone was shattered in the accident. They were able to Id you but you didn't have any emergency contact information in your wallet, which I've always told you to carry." Carole said giving him a stern look. "They had to get the police to do some digging before they found out that you were my son."

"Sorry mom. I had all that information in my phone so I didn't think about writing it down." Finn explained. "I'll make sure it's in there before I start driving again."

"Thank you, sweetheart. Do you need anything? You've been taking care of Rachel all day and neglecting yourself, haven't you?" Carole replied.

"Rachel made me lunch but we didn't finish it. I could use something to eat and some water." Finn said looking over at Rachel who was lying against the back of the couch with her eyes closed. Finn reached over and brushed her hair out of her face causing Rachel's eyes to flutter open. "Hey baby, do you feel like trying to eat something?"

"Not really but I know I need to eat. Maybe just something light." Rachel said quietly. Finn nodded and ran a hand over her head.

"You'll want to check her temperature again in about twenty minutes. The medicine should have kicked in by then." Carole said getting to her feet.

"Okay." Finn replied before turning back to Rachel. "You can rest for a bit if you want, I'll wake you when the food is done."

Instead of replying, Rachel just shut her eyes and reached for him. He sat back and moved closer so he could put an arm around her. He then grabbed the remote and started flicking through channels until he found something to watch.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Okay, so I'm thinking it's time for a time jump. Not too much of a time jump and I promise to fill in what happened during the jump but I'm ready for Finn to get better. What about you guys? Also this is not the end for the hospital conversation, their is a missing piece of information that will get filled in but why do you guys think he ended up in a different hospital? I have the answer to that question but I want to know what your ideas are. As always, please review and let me know what you think. Until next time, 'Losers.'