Got inspired for a new story while driving in the car. Let me know if I should continue this!

Chapter 1 *Lights*

'Did you write that article with your eyes closed? This internship is your possibility to make it big, Lopez. Don't screw it up.'

Ugh! Goddamned! I know exactly that this is the one chance I have. Why does Shelby hate me so much? Did I ever do something to offend her? I don't think so! Basically all I ever do is kiss her ass all day long and let her boss me around. She thinks I'm her personal assistant or something when actually we are supposed to work as a team. Just because she's like twenty years older doesn't mean I'm her servant now.

I admit; she's a freakin' genius art director and everything she touches turns into gold while I am nothing but an inexperienced copy writer who's supposed to learn from her. Maybe I do… of course I do. But it would be much more pleasant if I didn't have to run for coffee or a bagel every ten minutes.

That's exaggerated. But still… she loves bossing me around when she's not even my real boss. Sue Sylvester is. And compared to her Shelby is an angelic creature who just wants to play for a bit.

But that's what you get when you accept an internship at the Sylvester-Magazine. You get a year of humiliation and degrading little jobs that are not written down in your contract and in exchange you will get a top recommendation letter and the chance to go work for pretty much any magazine, newspaper or even television if you like.

I just lately saw the movie 'The Devil Wears Prada' for the first time and I had to notice some shocking similarities between that and the Sylvester magazine. Maybe we're not that extreme… as we're not a specific fashion magazine. We cover pretty much everything around entertainment though and right now I'm sort of working with or rather for Shelby Corcoran in the celebrity department. Not as much fun as it sounds… really not.

So after spending hours on that interview with this newcomer actor – a rising star in the business I had never heard of before (which caused quite an embarrassing moment or two), Shelby basically shred it with her fingers and told me to do it all over again. I don't know how to do that. Because I think it was pretty good and also my other co-worker Quinn Fabray liked it when I gave it to her to read.

It's personal, obviously and therefore I can rewrite it a hundred times and all Shelby will say is: 'You could do better…'

So I'm not even gonna try really… I'll just exchange a couple words and rephrase two or three sentences and that's it.

That interview-fail thing happened before lunch. But then my day really just started; around 3 o'clock pm the fire-alarm system went off and almost gave me and Quinn a heart attack. We ran out of our joint office and three minutes later found ourselves outside in front of the building among hundreds of employees, holding our bags and belongings close to our chests and trying to find out what was going on.

It turned out to be a fire drill and after listening to some further instructions we were allowed to go back inside. But then a man standing close to us actually had a real heart attack because of the turmoil and general anxiety before we all knew it was just practice.

I supported the man's head in my lap and tried to talk to him and calm him down while Quinn went to look for the paramedics that were around. Guess they were not counting with an actual emergency…

Later they told me that I helped saving the man's life by staying calm and reacting quickly. I was still trembling when finally the ambulance drove off to get him to a hospital.

After that Quinn and I decided to go for a strong coffee in the cafeteria to calm the nerves and it helped a bit. Until Shelby spotted me enjoying the 'break' and scolded us for not heading straight back to business.

I didn't tell her about the man that almost died in my arms. I'm pretty sure she wouldn't have given a shit.

So then I thought that the day could not get worse – until it started raining. God I loathe the rain. My dad used to call me the 'sun goddess' while and my sister the 'shade plant' because she got burned so quickly and hated sitting in the sun. Which was bit mean I guess…

So all I did for the last two hours before I could go home was sitting at my desk being depressed and moody. Quinn only threw a glance at me at times from opposite the room and wished me a nice weekend when it was finally five o'clock.

I'm now standing next to my car – pissed as hell at what I see. Some asshole must have bumped into my car because there is a giant scratch along the driver's door. Somebody's not gonna be happy about this...

I'm wet from head to toe just by leaving the building and walking across the parking lots to get to my black Nissan. Why is this day so shitty? All I want is to get home in no time and watch a movie and order in. And not think about Shelby and everything she'll ask me to do tomorrow…

Once I'm settled in the car and about to leave the parking lots, I can hardly see through the windshield because thick rain drops are falling down. I drive slowly between the other cars to not scratch another one along the way and I manage successfully. So when I look to the left and want to turn into the street, I step on the gas without bothering to turn signal.

Bang!

My eyes widen when I see a body getting tossed across the hood of my car and a hideous thud sounds in my ears when it lands on the ground a second later.

My heart is racing and I'm sure this time I'm next in line to get that heart attack. But I'm not. My knuckles are white because I'm clutching the steering wheel and cold sweat that came out of nowhere is forming on my forehead. I'm sick and I want to throw up when I realize that I just hit someone. I freakin' hit someone!

It takes another three seconds until I regain the necessary composure to unbuckle my seatbelt and open the door with trembling hands. As soon as I get out, the rain continues to beat down my head and shoulders but I don't even feel it. The only thing I feel is the hammering in my ribcage and the weakness in my legs that almost won't allow me to make my way around the car. I want to close my eyes because I'm scared to death of what scenery will be offered to me once I reach my victim.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God…" I whisper when I see blonde hair spread across the ground. The next thing I see is a bloody forehead and I almost vomit. Eventually my consciousness kicks back in completely and I jump to the body that is lying on the sidewalk next to my car.

"Oh my God – can you hear me? Hello?" I kneel down to the young woman's body and want to touch her and help her up but my fingers are shaking ridiculously and I'm afraid I'll hurt her even more if I touch her. "Miss? Can you hear me? Oh God I'm so sorry, I didn't see you. Please say something!"

The woman is lying on her side and the blonde hair is covering her face. I can see some blood on her forehead and I swallow emptily when I also notice the bruise on her wrist and the ripped jacket on her shoulder. I hold my breath when she stirs and I believe to hear a soft moan coming from her.

"Miss? Can you hear me?" I ask again and reach out to push the hair out of her face. I'm scared to find a nasty scratch across her face or a giant hole in her head or something but luckily there's just the small wound on her forehead that causes the blood. As far as I can see it's not deep though and I exhale a breath of relief. But she could still be harmed and have inner bleeding or something like that.

A muffled noise leaves the woman's lips and she finally opens her eyes.

"Are you alright?" Stupid question – of course she's not alright! I watch how she lifts her head and slowly she sits up and then rests against the tire of my car. Somehow my hands have made their way to her shoulders and I'm helping her to sit upright.

"Ow!" She gasps and I pull back my hand on her left shoulder because I just noticed it's the one where her jacked got ripped. I'm guessing she landed on her shoulder when she fell off the hood.

"What? Is it your shoulder? Is it broken?" I say hastily and try to get a closer look but I can't see anything through the material.

"I don't know" The woman mumbles and shrugs. Which causes her to wince and I see immediate tears forming in her eyes.

"Don't move it! Keep still, I'll call an ambulance, ok? It might be broken." I reach into my back pocket to get my iPhone. But when I try to unlock the keys my fingers are still shaking like leave and I almost drop the phone.

"It's ok, I don't need an ambulance." The blonde mutters and shakes her head. I stare at her with disbelief because – I just hit her with my damn car and she's bleeding!

"What? Of course you need one! Look at you, you might be seriously injured." The woman shakes her head again and then makes a move to get up on her feet. "No, wait! Miss you shouldn't get up. You might be-"

"Seriously injured, I know." She finishes my sentence with a weak but slightly annoyed voice. "But I'm not. It's just my shoulder, I've had problems with it ever since I was a cheerleader. It's not broken, I know it." She turns her left shoulder to demonstrate and it looks like it's really not broken. "Help me up" She grabs my arm and although I want her to stay where she is to prevent farther harm, I offer my hand for support. She takes it and together we manage to get her up on her feet.

"Ok, there you go. Are you sure you can walk? Are your legs fine?" I ask and there's a tremble in my voice because I can't quite believe she's standing up and seems to be fine more or less.

I'm looking down at her legs and see that her pants are drenched because of the rain and her white sneakers that look very new are dirty now. When she doesn't answer right away I look up into her face and for the first time we make eye contact.

For a second it feels like I get pulled into that endless blue of her orbs and I'm not sure if it's really her who just got hit by something big or me. I have to blink several times because rain drops are falling from my eyelashes and make my view go blurry. Her one hand is still clutching to my arm while the other one is safe in mine and then I remember that I asked a question.

"Do your legs hurt? Can you walk?" I ask and watch how the woman nods softly. But then her eyes roll back into her head and the next thing I know is how she collapses in my arms. Her whole weight presses into me and I have to use all my physical strengths to no sink back to the ground. "Hey! Hey wake up! Miss!"

Panic walls up inside me because unconsciousness is not a good sign. A very not good sign.

Her head is on my shoulder and I can feel her hot breath against my collar bone. She's not dead.

With one arm I support her around her waist and with the other hand I slap her across the face to get her to regain consciousness.

"Mmpf…" Comes over her lips and although I feel bad for slapping her, I'm glad to know she's still there. I turn around and manage to open the passenger door of my car. Carefully I lean into it with the woman's weight still around my shoulders and somehow I manage to get her into the seat. She opens her eyes lazily and when she looks at me I can't help but smile relieved.

"There you are… I'm gonna drive you to the hospital now, ok? Because you just lost consciousness for a minute there." The woman knits her eyebrows together and she looks at me confusedly.

"I did?" I nod and then motion for her to pull her head back so I can close the door. As soon as I know she can't fall out anymore I hurry around the car and jump into the driver's seat. It's still raining heavily and I have to gather my thoughts for a second.

"Ok… what's the quickest way to get to the hospital?" I mumble and after checking my mental map of L.A. I know where to go. I look to my right to make sure the woman is still awake. She's fumbling on the seatbelt but her arms seem too weak to pull at it. "Oh wait, let me help you."

I lean over her body and grab the seatbelt. I pull it across her chest and then fasten it to make sure she's safe.

"Are you alright? You think you're gonna make it to the hospital?" I ask and start the engine to finally leave the parking lots and get the fastest way to the hospital.

"I think so… unless you get us into another accident…" The woman mumbles and I bite my toungue.

For the rest of the ride we don't talk. I only throw quick glances at her from time to time to make sure she's still awake.

Once we get to the hospital she seems to be feeling quite a lot better. She steps out of the car by herself and only reluctantly takes my arm for support but I insist. I guide her to the reception and five minutes later we're sitting next to each other in chairs and with some papers to fill out.

I take the pen and read the first question on the formula.

"What's your name?" I ask her, ready to write it down. She doesn't answer and so I turn to look at her. "We need to fill this out. What's your name?"

She closes her eyes for a minute and I already fear that she's losing consciousness again. But then she sighs softly and throws a tired glance at me before motioning to the paper in my hand.

"It's Brittany"

"Ok…" I write the name down and wait for her to tell me her last name because it's quite obvious that 'Brittany' won't be enough. But she doesn't and so I look at her expectantly once more. "And? I need the whole name…"

Brittany touches her forehead and checks her fingers for blood. But it has already dried. She takes her time until she parts her lips and takes a deep breath.

"S pierce…" She mumbles.

"Spears?" I ask and almost burst into laughter when I realize what that name would mean in combination with her first name. She sighs again, this time almost a bit annoyed. She grabs the paper and pen from my hand and scribbles something down. I have to narrow my eyes to read 'Brittany S. Pierce'. Oh… right.

She fills out the whole paper by herself and I feel dumb. First I hit her with my car and then I can't even write her name.

We're still waiting for her to get called out and so I decide to get into talking because I'm starting to feel uncomfortable.

"So… were you on your way home?" I ask and try to sound friendly. I think I do because this time Brittany answers right away.

"Yeah…"

"Me, too. I just got off work… what do you do for a living?"

"Nothing…"

"Oh… uhm…alright." I don't know what to say because now I feel dumb and embarrassed. Way to start a conversation with a person you almost just killed. She throws a look at me and her icy eyes pierce into mine. "I just got back from a job interview and I got it. But I'm not so sure they'll still want me to start tomorrow as I look like a monster with this scratch on my forehead." Brittany ads and makes the blood in my vein freeze. I liked her better when she was unconscious I must say.

"Look I'm really sorry I ran you over" I start my apology because I realize that I haven' properly done so, yet. "I was in a hurry and it was raining. I really didn't see you…"

The blonde hisses and gives me a pointed look.

"Yeah well maybe you should turn on the lights of your car next time."

I'm speechless because I swear to God I the lights were on. I never drive with the lights off!

"I did! I didn't see you because of the rain!" Brittany shakes her head slowly.

"No, they were off… because I didn't see you and therefore I crossed the street. I wouldn't have done that if I had seen your car coming my way."

My mouth is hanging open because I can't believe what she's accusing me of. Yeah, I hit her with my car but I didn't do it on purpose!

"That's not true – they were on."

Brittany shrugs and then grabs a magazine from the small table next to her seat. She opens a random page and her eyes roam over the content of an article.

"They were on…" I repeat rather to myself than saying it to Brittany. Who does she think she is? I already feel bad enough.

"They were not…" She mumbles and I almost don't catch it. I want to protest because this is getting ridiculous but then a woman calls her name and lets us know that Brittany's next. I get up with her and want to follow her but she turns around. I almost walk into her but can prevent another crash.

"I'll go alone." She states convincingly and of course she's going alone! Why did I get up? She's not my child or something! I nod and sit down in my chair again. "And you don't have to wait. I'll get a cab home. Thanks"

She's already walking away when I call her back.

"Wait! Please let my drive you home, I feel really bad. It's the least I can do to make sure you get home safe." Brittany turns around and one of her eyebrows is pulled up.

"Make sure I get home safe?" She asks mockingly. "I think it's a little too late for that." Okay, that's enough. If she doesn't want my help – no problem.

"Fine… I just wanted to help but you know what? I just lost interest in your wellbeing. Sorry for trying to be nice after hitting you with my car…" I answer and I'm a bit surprised about my reaction. Brittany just looks at me and tilts her head slightly.

"Whatever you say…" She mumbles unimpressed and then walks away without looking back.

I'm still standing there with my hands on my hips and anger boiling up inside me. My eyes follow her until she's gone around a corner and I shake my head with disbelief.

"Bitch…" I mumble and earn an offended look from an old lady sitting across me. "Oh! Not you! Sorry…"

I grab my bag and my jacket from the chair I had been sitting on and then leave the hospital as quick as possible.

Everything hurts when I get home. My head, my feet, my back, my arms… What a shitty day. I drop my bag and kick off my shoes before I walk into the living room. I can hear voices from the television but when I reach the couch there is no one there. I sigh and grab the remote control to turn it off before I disappear in the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later I have showered, eaten a few bites of some leftovers, brushed my teeth and I'm on my way to get to bed. I carefully open the door to not make too much noise and only turn on the small light on my bedside table. I throw a quick glance to the other side of the bed and smile when I see that my husband's fast asleep.

I change into my sleeping clothes and once I'm under the sheets I turn off the lights. I turn to the side so I can look at Gabe in the dark. Although he's sleeping he looks exhausted. Probably had a hell of a day, too. But also he looks bit older than usual…

Well… he is 37 and therefore fourteen years older than me but still. Tonight he looks different. He's working way too much… but as a doctor with such promising skills – he can never say no to anything. He's always there whenever somebody needs his help. I only knew what to do when this man had a heart attack because Gabe has told me so many times. It finally paid off.

I could have brought this Brittany girl to his practice and he would have taken care of her right away… but it's on the other side of town and well… I'm sure he had enough to do anyways.

When I close my eyes the pictures of the accident wash over me and I wince. The body on my windshield, the blood on her forehead… the man with the heart attack driving off with the ambulance.

I move closer to my husband and grab his wrist.

"Gabe?" I whisper and hope dearly that he'll wake up. But he doesn't. Whenever he sleeps, he sleeps like a rock. I sigh and turn on my back to stare at the ceiling.

What if she had serious injuries that I couldn't see? What if she collapsed again and I will never know that she died in the hospital right after I left?

But then again… she looked fine when I did. She even snapped at me. Why was she so mean? On one hand I hope to see her again so I can apologize again and pay for the hospital bill – shoot!

I didn't give her my number… she doesn't even know my name. Why did she not ask for it? It's sort of in her interest, right?

Well but then on the other hand I hope our ways won't cross again. Because I don't know how to handle someone like her. I don't even know what that means.

But I definitely had the lights on…

What do you think? Worth another chapter?