After Deployment

21

"Everyone's happy." Quinn noted with relief when they hung up the phone.

"It'll be better this time around." Puck promised.

"Yeah." Quinn agreed as she curled up with Puck and held his hands. "Now let's talk about you."

Puck looked at Quinn.

"I don't want you sleeping on the couch these next six months." Quinn said. "Or after that either."

"I don't want that either." Puck replied. "I just don't know how to stop the nightmares."

"There's been more since you got discharged." Quinn noted. "But never this bad before."

Puck bit his lip.

"Have you thought about going to therapy?" Quinn wondered.

"Therapy?" Puck furrowed his eyebrow. "I'm not crazy."

"I know you're not." Quinn stated. "But Noah, you've been through so much. Not just in the Air Force, but throughout your entire life."

Puck didn't say anything.

"You grew up with an abusive father." Quinn began. "You watched him beat your mom all the time. And he beat you."

"Lots of people have a shitty dad." Puck shrugged it off. "You did."

"Beth doesn't have a shitty dad." Quinn pointed out. "And my shitty dad was a lot different than yours."

Puck shrugged. "Still."

"You grew up with an abusive, alcoholic father." Quinn repeated. "You didn't grow up with money, and you had to be the man of the house since you were a kid. You struggled through school, and you lost your best friend in a horrible accident that you had to recover from yourself. And you were in the Air Force for four years-"

"Three and a half." Puck corrected Quinn.

Quinn nodded. "And you did two tours overseas before getting injured and having surgery and now dealing with a baby on the way."

"I'm excited about the baby." Puck told Quinn. "I am."

"That's not my point." Quinn said.

"Then what is your point?" Puck wondered.

"You've never had a break." Quinn stated. "You never had a chance to sit back and work through things. You always had to push it aside for whatever was going on in your life."

Puck furrowed his eyebrow.

"I went to therapy after Finn died." Quinn informed Puck.

"You never told me that before." Puck said softly.

"I never told anyone." Quinn replied. "After the accident, I stayed at the hospital in case you woke up while everyone was at Finn's funeral."

"And Mr. Schue had that memorial, like, a week or two after I woke up." Puck noted.

"We went to it together." Quinn reminded Puck. "But I still felt that so much happened that I didn't process, so I went to therapy."

"And you really think therapy would fix me?" Puck asked.

"You don't have to be fixed because you're not broken, Noah." Quinn clarified. "But I think it would help you."

Puck nodded slowly as he took Quinn's words in.

"I can't force you to go." Quinn stated. "And I won't, but I also have to protect myself and the baby. What happened last week can never happen again."

"I know." Puck agreed. "And if you really think it'll help, I'll think about it. But I wanna try natural methods, too."

"Drinking and smoking aren't natural methods." Quinn told Puck. "Not uncontrolled like that."

"I just don't wanna be the guy who drowns in prescription pills." Puck replied. "I wanna be here mentally."

"So if you go to therapy, tell them that." Quinn advised Puck. "They'll work with you."

"How do I even find a therapist? Like, a good one?" Puck wondered.

"We're both unemployed." Quinn pointed out. "We'll do our research and it might be trial and error, but we'll find a good match for you."

Puck nodded. "Thank you, Quinn."

"I just want you to be okay." Quinn said, shaking her head.

"I know, but you've always looked out for me. Even when we weren't together." Puck stated.

"You've done the same for me." Quinn pointed out.

Puck nodded. "I love you."

"I love you, too."