Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.
A/N: ... I mean, were was Carole?
Time Out Of Line
Carole lets Burt go in first, alone.
When the door to Kurt's room closes behind Burt Carole looks around the empty corridor for the first time, all white-washed and cold, solitary chairs strewn here and there in front of rooms. She lets her handbag and jacket drop onto one of them closest to her, too exhausted to keep a hold of them, and then stands there, too restless to sit down.
She stands there for quite a while, feeling like she might be intruding on them as much as she is apprehensive of freaking out on Kurt, she has banned herself from entering the room for now.
Then there is Finn, always on her mind. Finn who undoubtedly would be here right now if he anyhow could, to be with Kurt, to assure him that he will do his best to keep him safe. And Carole can just see the banter between her two boys even in the midst of all this.
"Dude! How could this happen? Why wasn't Blaine there with you?"
"Finn, Blaine is my boyfriend not my bodyguard."
"But you have to be safe here."
"Finn, I ... I am. Most of the time. It's like that everywhere. This could have happened anywhere really."
"Don't say that," Finn would whisper back sadly, still knowing it is true.
And Kurt would just reach out and take his hand and whisper back, "It's okay. I'm okay."
'Instead ...,' Carole still cannot get the image of Finn in that morgue out of her head, knows not how, neither wants to in a way, nor ever will. And should Kurt's injuries in any way resemble his, even if it might to 90% be so only in her head ... "He does not need me to freak out on him right now, Burt, Honey," she had whispered twenty minutes ago to her husband now emerging again from the hospital room her step-son is lying in.
Burt comes over and pulls Carole right into a hug. "Ready to come in?"
"How bad is it really?" she asks, voice stretched thin with concern and fear alike.
Burt lets out a drawn out huff, "I don't know how he got this strong. I was such a mess at his age, didn't know at all who I was. He ... he knows who he is. Maybe because he has had to fight for it so damn hard every day of his life in Ohio." After a small moment's pause Burt adds, "He's asking for you."
Burt right behind her, carrying her bag and her jacket, Carole is still pretending to be alright when she steps through that door.
Kurt though sees right through it, keen perception dimmed by the pain medication, but he still knows Carole. He reaches for one of her hands as soon as she is close enough, squeezes as much as he can muster right now and says, "It's okay, Mom."
With that she bursts into tears.
And Kurt holds her hand as tight as he can.
And she holds his.