Break-In (complete)
Title: Break In
Rating: R (language)
Summary: When three people break into McKinley at night, it has disastrous results for Will
The first thing he sees is Emma’s tears and hears the sounds of loud buzzing and loud voices that seem to be only getting angrier and more panicked as they approach. He lets out a gasp before he passes out.
Will spends most of his nights at school. It was quiet, peaceful and it left him alone with his thoughts. Most people would like the distraction of other people and to avoid the ugly emotional baggage that one carried after a divorce and loss of a love, but for him, it made him realize just how much he needs to be alone because he needs to find himself again.
He keeps his radio low as he grades Spanish tests and was on his second class when he heard the sounds of muffled voices and then what he believed to be glass breaking. He stands, confused, turns off his radio and takes a few steps slowly to the hallway thinking maybe he was just making up the noises. But when he hears the sounds of pounding and more glass, he walks further out from his office and down the hall as he feels his spine tingle and his stomach flip not knowing what he was going to encounter.
The first thing he sees is a blue bandana on the floor and the sounds of squeaking shoes on the floor. As he gets closer he pulls up the cuffs of his button down to his elbows and takes a deep breath thinking he may have to act quickly.
He sees the blur of a person’s head passing the hallway and he sees they are carrying something in their arm. He hears the yelling of another person and he doesn’t recognize the voice and when he reaches the end and peers around the corner, he sees three kids, none he recognizes carrying baseball bats and smashing lockers as they go down the long hall, peering into a classroom and looking to steal.
Taking one more breath he picks up the pace to hallway down the hall where he stops and shouts to them. “Hey!”
His voice causes the three to turn; they look Will up and down and seem unimpressed. One of them slowly approaches him, the baseball bat at his side. He has an attitude right away and Will can smell the beer on his breath. He’s not that tall but he’s muscular and has tattoos all along his arms.
“Run along teach, there’s nothing to see here.”
Will looks to the other boys to see them just as menacing. Will takes a breath and looks at the baseball bat that is lazily at each of their sides.
“I’m going to call the police.”
His cell phone is stupidly left on his desk so he has no way to prove it and he knows the kids are not at all threatened. What he assumes is the leader of the pack, takes another step forward, picks up the bat and points it at him.
He says with a chuckle. “Sure you are.” He puts the bat down and it rolls away from him as he approaches Will slowly and smugly, with anger and evil in his eyes. “Get the hell out of here and we won’t hurt you.”
The sheer fear of this kid and his two pals makes Will go pale and he can feel his legs shake. Never before had he been faced with the real reality of violence around him or to himself. He may have a strong body and good moves but he never felt he had to use those quick skills to get out of a terrifying situation.
So with adrenaline Will stands up to the kid and looks at him right in the face. “Leave now and I won’t say a word.”
The kid looks him up and down again, nodding, seeming pleased at his response. “Oooh.” He puts his hands up and looks to the other boys. “Curly hair sweater dude wants us to leave and he won’t say anything. Very cool right?”
The other two don’t say anything but smile. The kid turns and faces Will again, pounding his first into his hand. “Since you asked so nicely, we’ll leave.” Will watches him pick up his bat and the two follow as they purposely hit his shoulder as they pass, knocking his balance a bit.
As their loud voices disappear down the hall Will takes a deep breath out and pinches the bridge of his nose not believing what he just escaped. Slowly he turns and walks back to his office and thinks of how he’s going to clean up the mess or explain the dents in the lockers the next morning.
As he rounds the corner to go back to his office, he finds the hallway lights off making it completely dark. He sighs and as he tries to find the light switch he feels a pain stab through his back, dropping him to the floor.
He struggles to get up and as he uses one of his legs to get up again, he feels the sharp of a crack and yelps as he feels his knee on fire. They are all shouting and he can feel the bats hitting him on the back and side as he tries to move on all fours across the floor to get away. They’re mocking him as he crawls and he knows that he’s in real trouble.
“Awww, isn’t that sweet, Mr. Big shot is crawling like a baby. Howl, go get this motherfucker.” Will is in intense pain and he’s sure he can’t feel his legs from below the knee and his back feels like someone has put a fifty pound wait on it.
The darkness is causing him to become even more disoriented and when he smells the beer and onions on one of the kids breath, he knows he’s being dragged by the collar. “Please, no more. I won’t tell anyone I promise…” He’s fearing for his life and now all he can think about are those he loves as he feels himself being propped up against a locker then each of his sides getting hit and as he tries to protect himself, he feels his knuckles and fingers throbbing after every swing.
He only hears two voices so he’s not sure where the third is. He can’t see in front of him and he’s feeling dizzy and maybe he’ll throw up all over himself. He hears the lockers around him getting rocked and it causes him to slouch from the vibration and as his head hits the cold floor he thinks about crying but doesn’t want to give them the satisfaction.
They are yelling to each other, ignoring him and he assumes they are trying to make their plans to steal the new laptops.
Suddenly he feels his head being dragged upright, the grip of his hair so tight that it makes him yelp out in surprise. “You’re going to tell us what room those laptops are in or we will do more then just crack your kneecaps.”
Confused and pain shooting from all ends of his body he tries to make out the face of whoever is speaking. It’s no use and when he mumbles he doesn’t even recognize his own voice but it’s defiant. “You think you’re bad ass. If I tell you where those laptops are you’re still going to tourture me.”
The kid bangs his head against the locker hard and gets right into his face as Will can feel his breath all over his face. “You stupid fuck!” Will then feels his eye go blurry and the harsh pain run through his cheek to his mouth.
When he opens his eyes he struggles and can taste blood that is sitting in the side of his mouth, between his teeth and cheek.
“You’re good for nothing piece of crap! Domino, monitor this guy, if he tries to move, set him straight.”
Silence fills the hallway and Will feels his head sag for the second time and for the second time, he hit the cold floor, the dust causing him to feel sleepy. A few minutes (maybe even hours) he hears the sounds of the kids, their voices filled with giddiness.
“Holy shit man, you got ‘em! Sweet!”
Will slowly opens one eye to see a rack and eighteen laptops sitting on them. He feels the pounding of their shoes on the floor and when two approach him, he can see they have ditched their bandana’s and are now only wearing tank tops and shorts. “So what the hell do we do with this little punk?”
The ringleader’s voice (who he still doesn’t know his name) yells out. “I don’t know, stuff him in a locker or something, just get him out of sight.”
Before he can even breathe again, the pain in his chest quite evident, he feels his arms pulled and he lets out a groan as he’s dragged down the hall. They reach a door and when he feels his arms being dropped down, he lets out a breath as they feel like they have been torn out of his arm sockets.
The two of them are talking above him as he tries to move his legs, hoping nothing is broken. “Dude, a bathroom, really?”
“You got any better ideas Domo?”
“I kinda like the idea of a locker.”
“You want to spend an hour getting him in there? I don’t, besides we gotta get back and help Rocket with the tops. So let’s just get him in there and leave some kid to find ‘em.”
Will feels his shoulders pop as they grabb his arms and drag him into the bathroom, his shirt riding up letting his bare skin touch the floor and with the small white light that was on, he could see the bruises forming.
One of his eyes feels heavy while the other was blurry as he prays that it would be over soon. He feels his arms drop to his sides and then pain as they shove him into a stall, backing his head into the porcelain of the toilet causing his body to be contoured and twisted as they make him disappear in it.
He groans and whimpers but he keeps the screaming and the yelling to himself as he can feel them deliberately poking at his sides and punching his kidneys and chest a few times. After a few minutes they hover over him by the door of the stall and snicker. “Ahhh, good work Domo.” With his head on the floor, eyes half open he sees them exchange high fives as he feels one last kick to the back of his leg and the door closes.
With his face swollen, his body bruised he waits till it’s completely silent before letting the tears fall.
People think Emma is way too early. She’s always the first to school even before the Figgins. The teachers snicker and call her a goody-goody but she mainly does it because it’s quiet, she can get her paperwork done and she likes seeing the kids wave to her as they enter.
The first thing she notices is Will’s car in the lot. She thinks it’s strange but she doesn’t think too much because Will has gotten to school before her but that’s because he was so stressed about Glee and couldn’t sleep. She knows Glee doesn’t have anything important but she shrugs and then walks towards the main entrance. She walks down the hall and turns to see broken glass up ahead in addition the lights are off, the hallway dark except for the natural light of the sun. Quickly she looks around her to see no one around. As she carefully approaches she sees the side door up ahead broken and open.
Gasping in fear she quickly walks to her office and enters, almost tripping as he picks up the phone.
“Hi Lima Police, this is Emma Pillsbury, teacher at McKinley.”
As she talks she looks around for fear the intruders are around. Taking the phone with her she closes the door and locks it but know she’s not really protected from being seen.
“Allright we have a few police cars heading to the high school. Are you safe?”
She nods, almost speechless for words as she crouches under her desk. “I am, I’m uh, under my desk…I don’t see anyone…”
The woman on the other line is calming and it helps her. “Ok, good. It may have happened last night. For now, please keep your eyes open but stay out of the sight as the police are on their way.”
She nods and peers her head out from under the desk. Everything is quiet as she peers outside to the hall to see it empty and lifeless. She thinks of Will and wonders where he is and if he knows.
Will wakes up and blinks his eyes. He’s so tired and he feels a pain all over. As he tries to move his head he feels sick and he throws up a little on the floor. The smell makes him wince and he cries out, his voice barely above a whisper. He has no idea what time it is but he can see a light coming through so he thinks it must be morning.
Slowly he places his hands on the floor to see them red and maybe a pinkie broken. He needs to crawl out and let someone know he’s here. He doesn’t want to be found at lunchtime and with all the students seeing. Slowly he lifts his chest and even with the pain unbearable he slowly uses his hands and arms to pull himself out from the stall.
His arms feel like jelly and he’s pretty sure he’s got a black eye. He can taste the dried blood on his tongue and he can feel a few teeth jiggling in his mouth. The floor is somewhat soothing as he crawls, reaching the door in pretty good time.
He has to stop and take a breath, trying to knock to tell someone that he’s there.
Emma doesn’t hear anything for some time so she slowly crawls out from her desk and crawls by the file cabinet, hoping that an officer will pass her office soon. She wants to find Will and huddle close to him, keeping her safe, stroking her hair and humming a song to keep her from going crazy and maybe even making her laugh even under diress. She just needs him.
Will can’t reach the door handle, it’s too far up. He sighs and feels the tears because he can’t be found by a student as he tries to plant his feet, hoping maybe he might be able to stand, just for a moment. As he does so, he feels the pain shoot up from his toes to his hips and he knows for sure that something is fractured or broken.
But he’s determined and wants to get out of here. He lengthens his arm and using the weight of his feet, he pushes up enough to place a hand on the handle. He yelps in victory and grips it tight, not wanting to let go.
A police officer passes by and she quickly stands up and opens the door.
“Oh thank you for coming so quickly. I’ve been under my desk, afraid they might still be here…”
The police officer nods. “I have some guys checking the outside perimeter and the halls. So far, I don’t see any one. I think they broke in last night. But to be safe, please stay in your office and we’ll come get you when it’s safe and you can give me a statement, ok?”
She nods and watches him walk past her. Suddenly she remembers.
“Officer, I’m not the only one here.” He turns and she approaches him slowly, still looking all around.
“There’s another teacher, Will Schuester in the building. I saw his car in the lot. He might be here, in his office.”
The officer pulled out a notepad. “Ok, thank you. We’ll check all classrooms.”
She nods and watches as he slightly smiles, touching her shoulder lightly. “I’m sure he’s safe. Please go back inside your office miss.”
She quickly turns and goes back into her office hoping that Will will come running down the hall to her.
Will feels his hand slipping from the door and he struggles to keep his grip. He screams for the first time out loud in defeat as he crumbles to the ground, his hand and head hits the cold floor at the same time making him bite down on his tongue, drawing more blood.
Emma when anxious always needs to use the bathroom. Finding it hard to stay still knowing she really can’t hold it she carefully exits her office and goes a few doors down to the faculty bathroom.
Will hears footsteps and as quickly as he can tries to lift his head in case someone is coming.
Emma opens the door but hits something. She rolls her eyes thinking it was some senior prank as she continues to force the door open but stops when she hears a groan.
He feels like he’s being pushed and he struggles to move. He lets out a groan and closes his eyes because it’s easier to tolerate the pain when all he sees is black.
It’s Will. And he’s badly hurt. She screams.
“Will!”
He’s so tired and he can’t feel anything but he can smell her raspberry shampoo and the mint of her toothpaste. Strangely it causes him to smile a bit and when he opens his eyes the first thing he sees is her tears.
Emma feels sick. She knows she has to be strong for him as she pushes the nauseous feeling aside, jumping up, not wanting to leave him as she screams for help.
When she kneels next to him, she doesn’t want to touch him but she needs him to know she’s here, she will always be here.
“Will, I’m here, ok? I’m here. Stay with me. Everything will be all right.”
In the background he can hear loud buzzing and voices that are screaming. He doesn’t know what they are saying as he tries to blink but finding the light too much from outside.
It’s only when he feels the warmth of fingertips on his fingers that he gasps and then feels nothing again as he feels the world go black and silent around him.
When he wakes up again, he’s in a bed and he feels stuck. His eyes adjust to the harsh light and he feels sick to his stomach. As he tries to turn his head he can taste cotton and cheese and he sees someone sitting in a chair, looking distraught but he can’t make out who it is.
Emma sits by his bedside all day and night. The paramedics brought him in yesterday morning strapped to a gurney with a mask on his face, whole body strapped down protecting his spine. Emma rode with him in the ambulance while trying to keep a hold on his hand even though they were strapped down.
While getting him onto the gurney in the bathroom, he threw up and Emma watched as he cried out in pain as they moved him to his side. She cried thinking about him spending the night all by himself and when they arrived at the hospital she went to the hospital chapel when she was told she couldn’t see him.
She pulls the blanket off and watches him sleep the tubes and mask no longer needed and when she seems him move his eyes she waits before telling anyone, afraid it was just a reaction of the body and not his own doing.
But when she sees him tilt his head a little bit and make eye contact with her, she quickly stand up and goes to him, her hand gently caressing the tops of his fingers, a few bandaged.
She speaks above a whisper, getting real close, afraid to fall apart in front of him. “Hi, I missed you.”
He tries to smile but he’s pretty sure he looks like a Monster. He can feel the bandages and the casts and he doesn’t want to know right now how it bad it is.
“Em…” That’s all he can say as he feels his eyes slowly closing again. But he can feel her warm fingers as he tries to squeeze knowing that she needed to be comforted just as much as he.
“It’s ok, sleep. The doctors say you will be up and singing in no time.”
He can hear her slightly chuckle and he thinks it’s the best sound in the world. He keeps focus on the smell of her, rather than the stale, stuffy air that is all around and if he could he would bottle it and keep it at his bedside.
She’s gently stroking his hair as he can feel the movement of her fingers in her scalp and he lets out a measured breath, keeping that feeling in his memory bank for the time being. She’s talking a little bit and she sounds like she just awoke and he likes the throaty, wispy voice that she has, like he imagines it to be after they spent the night together.
“Your parents stopped by. The Glee kids made you a card, it’s on the nightstand. Don’t worry about them or your classes, Figgins found someone for the time being.”
As Emma watches him she thinks of all the time they have spent together and apart. Lately it’s been more apart but she knows that just because she didn’t want to hurt herself or him or each other. She’s a better person because she knows him but she also knows she just needed to find her own path, and realizing he too, has faults.
From a distance he hears her gentle cries and he wants to touch her, tell her it’s ok but he can’t because he knows that it’s going to be a long road filled with lots of challenges. He only hopes when he’s well enough that he can tell her he needs her and he wants her in every part and she wants the same.
When he wakes again he sees a nurse over him, adjusting something. She smiles, gives him a gentle pat and speaks. He can actually hear her voice normal for the first time in days (or maybe weeks!) he’s not sure.
“Hi honey. Your girlfriend is outside with your folks. She’s an adorable thing. Been here for days. I’ll let them know you’re up.”
He shifts a bit to try to get comfortable but he still feels bound and stuck. When he sees his parents and her enter he puts on his bravest face and really does feel good when he sees her bright smile and his parents holding hands.
“Oh you’re up!” His mother is by his head with his father behind her while Emma is by his hand, stroking the top gently.
“Hi everyone.” His mouth feels a little dry and he watches as he mother gently grabs a cup and fix the straw. “Here honey, you look dehydrated.”
He takes a sip from his mother, feeling like he’s a baby again and cracks a smile at his parents, hoping he won’t have to deal with their overbearingness too much.
“I know you’re just waking up after all those drugs but your father and I have been talking and we think its best you move home to get better. The doctor says you’ll be in a wheelchair for at least…”
Emma sees Will face tense and she knows he’s not ready for the aftermath. She gently rubs the top of his hand gently before approaching his mother, getting into her space. “If you don’t mind Mrs. Schuester I would like to show Will a video.”
Will smiles gently at her, knowing she knows him all too well and they watch as she pulls out a portable DVD player. “The Glee kids made you a music video the other day. I was there and it was quite a production. Costumes, hair and dancing. They all worked together like I haven’t seen before.”
He thinks that his kids are pretty amazing and as she pushes play and he watches, with his parents trying to sneak a peek he feels tears falling. Even though he’s not able to be there, he knows he’s there. When the video is finished and she puts the player away, his mother smiles and kisses him lightly on the cheek.
“Oh honey, we love you and we know you’ll be well soon. We’ll leave so you can get some rest. We’ll be back tomorrow.”
He nods and gently closes his eyes as his mother and father both kiss him and watch as they leave, waving goodbye to Emma, taking one last look at him before leaving the room.
Emma feels the room grow quiet and she doesn’t know what to do next. She knows this is the first real time she’s had with him and she doesn’t want to say the wrong thing or worse nothing at all. She feels her heart beat fast as she pulls the chair close, sitting near his hand so she can stroke it, the only thing she feels that won’t hurt him.
He watches her hand stroke the top of his hand and he wishes she wasn’t so scared. He takes a deep breath and coughs lightly to get her attention.
“Em, it’s ok.”
He can see she’s trying not to cry and it breaks his heart. She looks up at him with tears in her eyes and it makes his heart hurt, because he can’t do anything but use his words, chained to a bed.
She wipes the tears away and watches his eyes grow in concern. The last thing she wants is for him to hurt for her. “I know. “
They both sit together in silence for awhile before a nurse comes in. “Ahh Will, time to take off some bandages. I think you’re girlfriend here will appreciate seeing your lovely forehead again.”
Emma blushes at the comment and watches as the nurse props Will up, gently taking the forehead bandage off. He gently lifts his head off the pillow and when he looks back at Emma, she’s smiling, and she squeezes his hand just a little bit harder.
“All right you two. No making out but I do allow a little forehead touching, ok?” Will chuckles and smiles as the nurse leaves the room and watches as she stops to gently whisper something in Emma’s ear.
When the nurse leaves, Will wants to know. “What was she saying about me?”
She feels giddy after the nurse lightens the mood so she gently stands and walks to be by his head, leaning forward slightly and before she places her lips to his forehead she whispers against his skin, “Oh just that she would love to be the one kissing your forehead.”
Will smiles as he feels the light touch of her lips to his skin. The one of the many things he misses about her is her gentle kisses on her skin. It causes goose bumps and form all over and for the first time, he can feel his skin come alive.
She gently moves her eyes to look at him. They sparkle even with him being in the bed and she knows he’ll be there for a little while longer. She gently sits in a small empty space on the bed and moves up to play with his hair gently, something she could do for hours.
“That feels good.”
She smiles and watches as his eyes close in happiness.
Without wanting to waste another moment she stops and gently places her hands gently on the sides of his face, knowing his cheeks and mouth were still sore.
“Will.”
He opens his eyes to see her staring. He can feel her skin, the softness and all he wants to do is fall into it and breathe her in.
“I realized that I need you all the time, everywhere. I can’t deal with just lunches or after school meetings or five minute counsel sessions. It’s not enough. You can’t leave my sight, you got that?”
He would laugh if he didn’t find her so serious, so right. He finds it hard to move his arms and as badly as he wants to cups her face and show her how right she is, he says the only thing that matters.
“I love you.”
Emma lets the tears run freely as she moves her head closer to him, not wanting his head to come up too far off the pillow.
She whispers to him as she gently strokes the stubble of his cheek with her thumbs knowing the contact was beneficial for him. “I love you too.”
And they sit there, quietly till the nurse tells Emma she needs to go.
Reluctantly she pulls away and walks slowly to the doorway, turning to see him one last time. He’s smiling as the nurse fixes his pillow and she watches him from the doorway until she his eyes close.
When he closes his eyes he thinks about Emma and how she has saved his life in more ways than one.
The End
Rating: R (language)
Summary: When three people break into McKinley at night, it has disastrous results for Will
The first thing he sees is Emma’s tears and hears the sounds of loud buzzing and loud voices that seem to be only getting angrier and more panicked as they approach. He lets out a gasp before he passes out.
Will spends most of his nights at school. It was quiet, peaceful and it left him alone with his thoughts. Most people would like the distraction of other people and to avoid the ugly emotional baggage that one carried after a divorce and loss of a love, but for him, it made him realize just how much he needs to be alone because he needs to find himself again.
He keeps his radio low as he grades Spanish tests and was on his second class when he heard the sounds of muffled voices and then what he believed to be glass breaking. He stands, confused, turns off his radio and takes a few steps slowly to the hallway thinking maybe he was just making up the noises. But when he hears the sounds of pounding and more glass, he walks further out from his office and down the hall as he feels his spine tingle and his stomach flip not knowing what he was going to encounter.
The first thing he sees is a blue bandana on the floor and the sounds of squeaking shoes on the floor. As he gets closer he pulls up the cuffs of his button down to his elbows and takes a deep breath thinking he may have to act quickly.
He sees the blur of a person’s head passing the hallway and he sees they are carrying something in their arm. He hears the yelling of another person and he doesn’t recognize the voice and when he reaches the end and peers around the corner, he sees three kids, none he recognizes carrying baseball bats and smashing lockers as they go down the long hall, peering into a classroom and looking to steal.
Taking one more breath he picks up the pace to hallway down the hall where he stops and shouts to them. “Hey!”
His voice causes the three to turn; they look Will up and down and seem unimpressed. One of them slowly approaches him, the baseball bat at his side. He has an attitude right away and Will can smell the beer on his breath. He’s not that tall but he’s muscular and has tattoos all along his arms.
“Run along teach, there’s nothing to see here.”
Will looks to the other boys to see them just as menacing. Will takes a breath and looks at the baseball bat that is lazily at each of their sides.
“I’m going to call the police.”
His cell phone is stupidly left on his desk so he has no way to prove it and he knows the kids are not at all threatened. What he assumes is the leader of the pack, takes another step forward, picks up the bat and points it at him.
He says with a chuckle. “Sure you are.” He puts the bat down and it rolls away from him as he approaches Will slowly and smugly, with anger and evil in his eyes. “Get the hell out of here and we won’t hurt you.”
The sheer fear of this kid and his two pals makes Will go pale and he can feel his legs shake. Never before had he been faced with the real reality of violence around him or to himself. He may have a strong body and good moves but he never felt he had to use those quick skills to get out of a terrifying situation.
So with adrenaline Will stands up to the kid and looks at him right in the face. “Leave now and I won’t say a word.”
The kid looks him up and down again, nodding, seeming pleased at his response. “Oooh.” He puts his hands up and looks to the other boys. “Curly hair sweater dude wants us to leave and he won’t say anything. Very cool right?”
The other two don’t say anything but smile. The kid turns and faces Will again, pounding his first into his hand. “Since you asked so nicely, we’ll leave.” Will watches him pick up his bat and the two follow as they purposely hit his shoulder as they pass, knocking his balance a bit.
As their loud voices disappear down the hall Will takes a deep breath out and pinches the bridge of his nose not believing what he just escaped. Slowly he turns and walks back to his office and thinks of how he’s going to clean up the mess or explain the dents in the lockers the next morning.
As he rounds the corner to go back to his office, he finds the hallway lights off making it completely dark. He sighs and as he tries to find the light switch he feels a pain stab through his back, dropping him to the floor.
He struggles to get up and as he uses one of his legs to get up again, he feels the sharp of a crack and yelps as he feels his knee on fire. They are all shouting and he can feel the bats hitting him on the back and side as he tries to move on all fours across the floor to get away. They’re mocking him as he crawls and he knows that he’s in real trouble.
“Awww, isn’t that sweet, Mr. Big shot is crawling like a baby. Howl, go get this motherfucker.” Will is in intense pain and he’s sure he can’t feel his legs from below the knee and his back feels like someone has put a fifty pound wait on it.
The darkness is causing him to become even more disoriented and when he smells the beer and onions on one of the kids breath, he knows he’s being dragged by the collar. “Please, no more. I won’t tell anyone I promise…” He’s fearing for his life and now all he can think about are those he loves as he feels himself being propped up against a locker then each of his sides getting hit and as he tries to protect himself, he feels his knuckles and fingers throbbing after every swing.
He only hears two voices so he’s not sure where the third is. He can’t see in front of him and he’s feeling dizzy and maybe he’ll throw up all over himself. He hears the lockers around him getting rocked and it causes him to slouch from the vibration and as his head hits the cold floor he thinks about crying but doesn’t want to give them the satisfaction.
They are yelling to each other, ignoring him and he assumes they are trying to make their plans to steal the new laptops.
Suddenly he feels his head being dragged upright, the grip of his hair so tight that it makes him yelp out in surprise. “You’re going to tell us what room those laptops are in or we will do more then just crack your kneecaps.”
Confused and pain shooting from all ends of his body he tries to make out the face of whoever is speaking. It’s no use and when he mumbles he doesn’t even recognize his own voice but it’s defiant. “You think you’re bad ass. If I tell you where those laptops are you’re still going to tourture me.”
The kid bangs his head against the locker hard and gets right into his face as Will can feel his breath all over his face. “You stupid fuck!” Will then feels his eye go blurry and the harsh pain run through his cheek to his mouth.
When he opens his eyes he struggles and can taste blood that is sitting in the side of his mouth, between his teeth and cheek.
“You’re good for nothing piece of crap! Domino, monitor this guy, if he tries to move, set him straight.”
Silence fills the hallway and Will feels his head sag for the second time and for the second time, he hit the cold floor, the dust causing him to feel sleepy. A few minutes (maybe even hours) he hears the sounds of the kids, their voices filled with giddiness.
“Holy shit man, you got ‘em! Sweet!”
Will slowly opens one eye to see a rack and eighteen laptops sitting on them. He feels the pounding of their shoes on the floor and when two approach him, he can see they have ditched their bandana’s and are now only wearing tank tops and shorts. “So what the hell do we do with this little punk?”
The ringleader’s voice (who he still doesn’t know his name) yells out. “I don’t know, stuff him in a locker or something, just get him out of sight.”
Before he can even breathe again, the pain in his chest quite evident, he feels his arms pulled and he lets out a groan as he’s dragged down the hall. They reach a door and when he feels his arms being dropped down, he lets out a breath as they feel like they have been torn out of his arm sockets.
The two of them are talking above him as he tries to move his legs, hoping nothing is broken. “Dude, a bathroom, really?”
“You got any better ideas Domo?”
“I kinda like the idea of a locker.”
“You want to spend an hour getting him in there? I don’t, besides we gotta get back and help Rocket with the tops. So let’s just get him in there and leave some kid to find ‘em.”
Will feels his shoulders pop as they grabb his arms and drag him into the bathroom, his shirt riding up letting his bare skin touch the floor and with the small white light that was on, he could see the bruises forming.
One of his eyes feels heavy while the other was blurry as he prays that it would be over soon. He feels his arms drop to his sides and then pain as they shove him into a stall, backing his head into the porcelain of the toilet causing his body to be contoured and twisted as they make him disappear in it.
He groans and whimpers but he keeps the screaming and the yelling to himself as he can feel them deliberately poking at his sides and punching his kidneys and chest a few times. After a few minutes they hover over him by the door of the stall and snicker. “Ahhh, good work Domo.” With his head on the floor, eyes half open he sees them exchange high fives as he feels one last kick to the back of his leg and the door closes.
With his face swollen, his body bruised he waits till it’s completely silent before letting the tears fall.
People think Emma is way too early. She’s always the first to school even before the Figgins. The teachers snicker and call her a goody-goody but she mainly does it because it’s quiet, she can get her paperwork done and she likes seeing the kids wave to her as they enter.
The first thing she notices is Will’s car in the lot. She thinks it’s strange but she doesn’t think too much because Will has gotten to school before her but that’s because he was so stressed about Glee and couldn’t sleep. She knows Glee doesn’t have anything important but she shrugs and then walks towards the main entrance. She walks down the hall and turns to see broken glass up ahead in addition the lights are off, the hallway dark except for the natural light of the sun. Quickly she looks around her to see no one around. As she carefully approaches she sees the side door up ahead broken and open.
Gasping in fear she quickly walks to her office and enters, almost tripping as he picks up the phone.
“Hi Lima Police, this is Emma Pillsbury, teacher at McKinley.”
As she talks she looks around for fear the intruders are around. Taking the phone with her she closes the door and locks it but know she’s not really protected from being seen.
“Allright we have a few police cars heading to the high school. Are you safe?”
She nods, almost speechless for words as she crouches under her desk. “I am, I’m uh, under my desk…I don’t see anyone…”
The woman on the other line is calming and it helps her. “Ok, good. It may have happened last night. For now, please keep your eyes open but stay out of the sight as the police are on their way.”
She nods and peers her head out from under the desk. Everything is quiet as she peers outside to the hall to see it empty and lifeless. She thinks of Will and wonders where he is and if he knows.
Will wakes up and blinks his eyes. He’s so tired and he feels a pain all over. As he tries to move his head he feels sick and he throws up a little on the floor. The smell makes him wince and he cries out, his voice barely above a whisper. He has no idea what time it is but he can see a light coming through so he thinks it must be morning.
Slowly he places his hands on the floor to see them red and maybe a pinkie broken. He needs to crawl out and let someone know he’s here. He doesn’t want to be found at lunchtime and with all the students seeing. Slowly he lifts his chest and even with the pain unbearable he slowly uses his hands and arms to pull himself out from the stall.
His arms feel like jelly and he’s pretty sure he’s got a black eye. He can taste the dried blood on his tongue and he can feel a few teeth jiggling in his mouth. The floor is somewhat soothing as he crawls, reaching the door in pretty good time.
He has to stop and take a breath, trying to knock to tell someone that he’s there.
Emma doesn’t hear anything for some time so she slowly crawls out from her desk and crawls by the file cabinet, hoping that an officer will pass her office soon. She wants to find Will and huddle close to him, keeping her safe, stroking her hair and humming a song to keep her from going crazy and maybe even making her laugh even under diress. She just needs him.
Will can’t reach the door handle, it’s too far up. He sighs and feels the tears because he can’t be found by a student as he tries to plant his feet, hoping maybe he might be able to stand, just for a moment. As he does so, he feels the pain shoot up from his toes to his hips and he knows for sure that something is fractured or broken.
But he’s determined and wants to get out of here. He lengthens his arm and using the weight of his feet, he pushes up enough to place a hand on the handle. He yelps in victory and grips it tight, not wanting to let go.
A police officer passes by and she quickly stands up and opens the door.
“Oh thank you for coming so quickly. I’ve been under my desk, afraid they might still be here…”
The police officer nods. “I have some guys checking the outside perimeter and the halls. So far, I don’t see any one. I think they broke in last night. But to be safe, please stay in your office and we’ll come get you when it’s safe and you can give me a statement, ok?”
She nods and watches him walk past her. Suddenly she remembers.
“Officer, I’m not the only one here.” He turns and she approaches him slowly, still looking all around.
“There’s another teacher, Will Schuester in the building. I saw his car in the lot. He might be here, in his office.”
The officer pulled out a notepad. “Ok, thank you. We’ll check all classrooms.”
She nods and watches as he slightly smiles, touching her shoulder lightly. “I’m sure he’s safe. Please go back inside your office miss.”
She quickly turns and goes back into her office hoping that Will will come running down the hall to her.
Will feels his hand slipping from the door and he struggles to keep his grip. He screams for the first time out loud in defeat as he crumbles to the ground, his hand and head hits the cold floor at the same time making him bite down on his tongue, drawing more blood.
Emma when anxious always needs to use the bathroom. Finding it hard to stay still knowing she really can’t hold it she carefully exits her office and goes a few doors down to the faculty bathroom.
Will hears footsteps and as quickly as he can tries to lift his head in case someone is coming.
Emma opens the door but hits something. She rolls her eyes thinking it was some senior prank as she continues to force the door open but stops when she hears a groan.
He feels like he’s being pushed and he struggles to move. He lets out a groan and closes his eyes because it’s easier to tolerate the pain when all he sees is black.
It’s Will. And he’s badly hurt. She screams.
“Will!”
He’s so tired and he can’t feel anything but he can smell her raspberry shampoo and the mint of her toothpaste. Strangely it causes him to smile a bit and when he opens his eyes the first thing he sees is her tears.
Emma feels sick. She knows she has to be strong for him as she pushes the nauseous feeling aside, jumping up, not wanting to leave him as she screams for help.
When she kneels next to him, she doesn’t want to touch him but she needs him to know she’s here, she will always be here.
“Will, I’m here, ok? I’m here. Stay with me. Everything will be all right.”
In the background he can hear loud buzzing and voices that are screaming. He doesn’t know what they are saying as he tries to blink but finding the light too much from outside.
It’s only when he feels the warmth of fingertips on his fingers that he gasps and then feels nothing again as he feels the world go black and silent around him.
When he wakes up again, he’s in a bed and he feels stuck. His eyes adjust to the harsh light and he feels sick to his stomach. As he tries to turn his head he can taste cotton and cheese and he sees someone sitting in a chair, looking distraught but he can’t make out who it is.
Emma sits by his bedside all day and night. The paramedics brought him in yesterday morning strapped to a gurney with a mask on his face, whole body strapped down protecting his spine. Emma rode with him in the ambulance while trying to keep a hold on his hand even though they were strapped down.
While getting him onto the gurney in the bathroom, he threw up and Emma watched as he cried out in pain as they moved him to his side. She cried thinking about him spending the night all by himself and when they arrived at the hospital she went to the hospital chapel when she was told she couldn’t see him.
She pulls the blanket off and watches him sleep the tubes and mask no longer needed and when she seems him move his eyes she waits before telling anyone, afraid it was just a reaction of the body and not his own doing.
But when she sees him tilt his head a little bit and make eye contact with her, she quickly stand up and goes to him, her hand gently caressing the tops of his fingers, a few bandaged.
She speaks above a whisper, getting real close, afraid to fall apart in front of him. “Hi, I missed you.”
He tries to smile but he’s pretty sure he looks like a Monster. He can feel the bandages and the casts and he doesn’t want to know right now how it bad it is.
“Em…” That’s all he can say as he feels his eyes slowly closing again. But he can feel her warm fingers as he tries to squeeze knowing that she needed to be comforted just as much as he.
“It’s ok, sleep. The doctors say you will be up and singing in no time.”
He can hear her slightly chuckle and he thinks it’s the best sound in the world. He keeps focus on the smell of her, rather than the stale, stuffy air that is all around and if he could he would bottle it and keep it at his bedside.
She’s gently stroking his hair as he can feel the movement of her fingers in her scalp and he lets out a measured breath, keeping that feeling in his memory bank for the time being. She’s talking a little bit and she sounds like she just awoke and he likes the throaty, wispy voice that she has, like he imagines it to be after they spent the night together.
“Your parents stopped by. The Glee kids made you a card, it’s on the nightstand. Don’t worry about them or your classes, Figgins found someone for the time being.”
As Emma watches him she thinks of all the time they have spent together and apart. Lately it’s been more apart but she knows that just because she didn’t want to hurt herself or him or each other. She’s a better person because she knows him but she also knows she just needed to find her own path, and realizing he too, has faults.
From a distance he hears her gentle cries and he wants to touch her, tell her it’s ok but he can’t because he knows that it’s going to be a long road filled with lots of challenges. He only hopes when he’s well enough that he can tell her he needs her and he wants her in every part and she wants the same.
When he wakes again he sees a nurse over him, adjusting something. She smiles, gives him a gentle pat and speaks. He can actually hear her voice normal for the first time in days (or maybe weeks!) he’s not sure.
“Hi honey. Your girlfriend is outside with your folks. She’s an adorable thing. Been here for days. I’ll let them know you’re up.”
He shifts a bit to try to get comfortable but he still feels bound and stuck. When he sees his parents and her enter he puts on his bravest face and really does feel good when he sees her bright smile and his parents holding hands.
“Oh you’re up!” His mother is by his head with his father behind her while Emma is by his hand, stroking the top gently.
“Hi everyone.” His mouth feels a little dry and he watches as he mother gently grabs a cup and fix the straw. “Here honey, you look dehydrated.”
He takes a sip from his mother, feeling like he’s a baby again and cracks a smile at his parents, hoping he won’t have to deal with their overbearingness too much.
“I know you’re just waking up after all those drugs but your father and I have been talking and we think its best you move home to get better. The doctor says you’ll be in a wheelchair for at least…”
Emma sees Will face tense and she knows he’s not ready for the aftermath. She gently rubs the top of his hand gently before approaching his mother, getting into her space. “If you don’t mind Mrs. Schuester I would like to show Will a video.”
Will smiles gently at her, knowing she knows him all too well and they watch as she pulls out a portable DVD player. “The Glee kids made you a music video the other day. I was there and it was quite a production. Costumes, hair and dancing. They all worked together like I haven’t seen before.”
He thinks that his kids are pretty amazing and as she pushes play and he watches, with his parents trying to sneak a peek he feels tears falling. Even though he’s not able to be there, he knows he’s there. When the video is finished and she puts the player away, his mother smiles and kisses him lightly on the cheek.
“Oh honey, we love you and we know you’ll be well soon. We’ll leave so you can get some rest. We’ll be back tomorrow.”
He nods and gently closes his eyes as his mother and father both kiss him and watch as they leave, waving goodbye to Emma, taking one last look at him before leaving the room.
Emma feels the room grow quiet and she doesn’t know what to do next. She knows this is the first real time she’s had with him and she doesn’t want to say the wrong thing or worse nothing at all. She feels her heart beat fast as she pulls the chair close, sitting near his hand so she can stroke it, the only thing she feels that won’t hurt him.
He watches her hand stroke the top of his hand and he wishes she wasn’t so scared. He takes a deep breath and coughs lightly to get her attention.
“Em, it’s ok.”
He can see she’s trying not to cry and it breaks his heart. She looks up at him with tears in her eyes and it makes his heart hurt, because he can’t do anything but use his words, chained to a bed.
She wipes the tears away and watches his eyes grow in concern. The last thing she wants is for him to hurt for her. “I know. “
They both sit together in silence for awhile before a nurse comes in. “Ahh Will, time to take off some bandages. I think you’re girlfriend here will appreciate seeing your lovely forehead again.”
Emma blushes at the comment and watches as the nurse props Will up, gently taking the forehead bandage off. He gently lifts his head off the pillow and when he looks back at Emma, she’s smiling, and she squeezes his hand just a little bit harder.
“All right you two. No making out but I do allow a little forehead touching, ok?” Will chuckles and smiles as the nurse leaves the room and watches as she stops to gently whisper something in Emma’s ear.
When the nurse leaves, Will wants to know. “What was she saying about me?”
She feels giddy after the nurse lightens the mood so she gently stands and walks to be by his head, leaning forward slightly and before she places her lips to his forehead she whispers against his skin, “Oh just that she would love to be the one kissing your forehead.”
Will smiles as he feels the light touch of her lips to his skin. The one of the many things he misses about her is her gentle kisses on her skin. It causes goose bumps and form all over and for the first time, he can feel his skin come alive.
She gently moves her eyes to look at him. They sparkle even with him being in the bed and she knows he’ll be there for a little while longer. She gently sits in a small empty space on the bed and moves up to play with his hair gently, something she could do for hours.
“That feels good.”
She smiles and watches as his eyes close in happiness.
Without wanting to waste another moment she stops and gently places her hands gently on the sides of his face, knowing his cheeks and mouth were still sore.
“Will.”
He opens his eyes to see her staring. He can feel her skin, the softness and all he wants to do is fall into it and breathe her in.
“I realized that I need you all the time, everywhere. I can’t deal with just lunches or after school meetings or five minute counsel sessions. It’s not enough. You can’t leave my sight, you got that?”
He would laugh if he didn’t find her so serious, so right. He finds it hard to move his arms and as badly as he wants to cups her face and show her how right she is, he says the only thing that matters.
“I love you.”
Emma lets the tears run freely as she moves her head closer to him, not wanting his head to come up too far off the pillow.
She whispers to him as she gently strokes the stubble of his cheek with her thumbs knowing the contact was beneficial for him. “I love you too.”
And they sit there, quietly till the nurse tells Emma she needs to go.
Reluctantly she pulls away and walks slowly to the doorway, turning to see him one last time. He’s smiling as the nurse fixes his pillow and she watches him from the doorway until she his eyes close.
When he closes his eyes he thinks about Emma and how she has saved his life in more ways than one.
The End