Lost Melody - Brittana

Chapter 23

Brittany sat in the hospital waiting room, her knee bouncing erratically as she chewed on the tip of her thumb, her mind running a mile a minute. The room was filled with the faint hum of conversations, muffled by the steady beep of machines and the occasional clatter of footsteps across the cold, tiled floor. Every few minutes, her phone buzzed in her pocket, but she didn't bother to check it. Her eyes kept darting towards the hallway, waiting for any sign of news.

Three long, torturous hours passed. Each second felt like a slow drip, winding down her already frayed nerves. She glanced at the clock on the wall—time had never moved this slowly. The room seemed to blur, sounds blending together in a static hum, until suddenly, the automatic doors hissed open. A doctor stepped into the waiting room, scanning the small crowd.

"Finn Hudson's family?"

Brittany's heart stopped. Her body moved before her brain could catch up, pushing her up from the chair so quickly that her knee knocked against the coffee table. "That's me," she said, her voice shaky but firm. The doctor, a tall woman with kind eyes, acknowledged her with a slight nod.

"Follow me this way."

Without hesitation, Brittany followed. Her footsteps echoed in the sterile corridor, each step heavier than the last. She felt the weight of what was coming, the uncertainty clawing at her insides. The doctor led her through a winding series of hallways, past rooms where other families sat in various states of worry, until they stopped outside a room. The doctor turned to her, her face composed, but there was a softness in her eyes.

The doctor paused, turning to face her. Her eyes were filled with the kind of calm Brittany knew was meant to soften whatever she was about to say. "Before you go in, I want to prepare you. He's stable, but he might be a bit out of it. The drugs are still in his system, and the medication we gave him could cause some confusion."

Brittany nodded, her throat too tight to speak. She didn't know if she was ready to see him like this, but she had no choice. She had to be strong. For Finn.

The doctor stepped aside, and Brittany took a deep breath, gripping the door handle with trembling fingers. She pushed the door open.

Inside, the room was dim, lit only by the soft glow of monitors beeping steadily beside the bed. Finn lay there, his face pale and gaunt, his chest rising and falling with slow, shallow breaths. His usually bright, boyish face was clouded by exhaustion, dark circles under his eyes. Tubes were hooked to his arm, and the sound of the machines tracking his vitals filled the silence.

"Finn?" Brittany whispered, stepping closer, her heart aching at the sight of him.

His eyelids fluttered, but he didn't open them at first. She sat down beside the bed, reaching for his hand, which felt cold and limp in hers. She swallowed the lump in her throat, squeezing his hand gently.

"Finn," she said again, a little louder this time. His eyes slowly opened, unfocused and hazy, like he was struggling to understand where he was.

"Britt..." His voice was hoarse, barely a rasp. He blinked, trying to focus on her, but his eyes kept drifting shut, heavy with exhaustion.

"I'm here," she said softly, brushing a lock of his hair off his forehead. Her chest felt tight, each breath harder to take as she watched him struggle to stay awake. "You're going to be okay."

"What... happened?" he mumbled, his words slurring together. His hand twitched in hers, weak and barely responsive.

Brittany felt the tears burning behind her eyes, but she blinked them away, forcing herself to stay calm. "You overdosed, Finn. You were—" She choked on the words, the memory of the phone call, the ambulance, rushing back to her in a wave. "You were unconscious when I found you."