~*~Friday morning~*~
Blaine yawned as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Looking at his right wrist, he noticed the time and sighed when he realised he only had 2 hours to get packed and get himself to the airport. Rubbing his hands across his face, he shook himself awake, threw back the covers and scratched his butt as he padded over to the bathroom to freshen himself up.
Blaine was an actor and was enjoying a well-earned summer break when his agent called him. Washing the shampoo from his dark curly hair, he smiled as he remembered how wild his twitter notifications went when his decision to attend a special event were announced. He'd been trying to attend for years but other commitments had always prevented him from doing so. This time, it just happened to coincide with something he was going to do anyway. Blaine was so excited that he hadn't really paid any attention to the scratchy feeling at the back of his throat.
Blaine was drying himself off when his phone beeped on his nightstand. Patting himself down with the towel, Blaine sneezed as he picked up his phone.
Have a good flight! Don't forget your passport! ;)
Blaine smiled at his friend Kurt's text then checked his backpack to make sure he'd actually packed it! Dressing in jeans and his favourite blue t-shirt, Blaine grabbed his suitcase, backpack and burgundy jacket and headed for the door. One last look around and the door was locked as Blaine headed to the waiting taxi outside.
Blaine rested his head on the back of the seat as the taxi made its way to the airport. His head was pounding as though dozens of little Doozers were mining his brain from the inside out. Swallowing a couple of painkillers, he closed his eyes and covered them with his favourite pink sunglasses. Before he knew it he was landing in London.
~*~Friday night~*~
Blaine did feel a lot better but that was probably due to the 9 hour nap he'd achieved! Stretching and yawning he watched as the seatbelt sign disappeared indicating the passengers were free to leave and switch on their mobile phones. Blaine waited in his seat until the bulk of the passengers has left the cabin and decided to check his messages. There were a few from Kurt reminding him not to go kissing strange foreigners or drinking too much tequila, 3 from Tina reminding him to have fun, take painkillers and not to forget the herbal tea her grandmother had passed on and 5 from his agent asking him to call her as soon as possible, as soon as he lands, straight away, urgently & immediately! Rolling his eyes, Blaine sighed as he pressed the button on his phone.
"Hey Karen, what's the emergency?" Blaine asked, standing up and pulling his backpack out of the overhead compartment.
"Blaine, are you still on the place?" His agent sounded panicked.
"Um, yeah, we just landed. I'm just about to get off now." Blaine turned around and bumped into 2 burly men. They were both dressed in black, had guns strapped to their backs and the word "POLICE" written across what looked like a bulletproof vest.
"We've got a problem." His agent yelled in his ear.
"Um, yeah, I think I've just bumped into it!" Blaine admitted.
"Mr Anderson?" One of the police officers asked. Blaine nodded. "We need you to come with us."
"Um, ok, I need to collect my suitcase, should we go there first?"
"Your luggage has already been collected Mr Anderson, if you'd like to follow me." Blaine was led from the plane sandwiched between the two police officers wondering what had happened during his flight. As he was led through the terminal, past the immigration queue and into a small interview room, Blaine wondered if this was something slightly more serious than whether or not he'd packed something in his suitcase he hadn't. Three hours later, Blaine was allowed to leave. According to the immigration officer, his recent trips in and out of the UK for meetings with his record producer had red-flagged him with British customs! Oops! After showing the immigration officer copies of emails between him and Derrick, they were satisfied that the multiple short stay trips were nothing sinister...then they mentioned his visa. Due to his appearance at a fan convention that weekend he needed a work permit but his current visa only allowed him to visit as a tourist. Several calls and Blaine managed to get a new visa and was finally allowed to leave the airport.
His agent was waiting for him in the arrivals lounge and was shocked at his appearance.
"Blaine! What the hell happened?!" she asked, surprised at his pale appearance.
"Just a mix-up." He said and then explained the whole thing.
"I told you just to Skype Derrick!" she said.
"Yeah, I know, it's just not the same as talking face to face Karen, you know I prefer to get a proper feel for people." Blaine sighed, stopping at a kiosk and buying 3 red bulls. He downed the first one in one go, burping quietly as he disposed of the can.
Karen led him out to a waiting car which would take him to his hotel. Coughing slightly, he settled himself in the leather seat and opened his second can.
"That stuff will rot your brain." She said, nodding at the blue & silver can in his hand.
"Yeah, but it's better than falling asleep at a table full of fans!" Blaine chuckled gently to himself at the mental image. Blaine loved meeting his fans – sometimes he still couldn't believe that people gave up their own time and spent their own money just to come and see him. This weekend was extra special as he was getting to catch up with some old friends from his TV show.
"Do-Re-Mi" was in its 5th season in the US but its 6th season was scheduled to be the final one. The other guests at the convention this weekend included Nick, Trent & Dave who he hadn't seen in while. Blaine tried to keep in touch with as many people as he could but he was terrible at social media and didn't always remember to reply to texts and emails. He was also getting the opportunity to catch up with some of his college buddies – they'd started a small theatre company during their studies and whilst he'd gone on to become well-known thanks to Do-Re-Mi, the others were also getting well known in their own rights too. SpacedOut were currently performing a combination of 2 self-written shows along with lots of other improve shows in Nevada. It had been a while since Blaine had just been able to just hang with his friends but he was really hoping that this weekend would give him a chance to do that. Firstly though, he had a meet & greet with some eagerly waiting fans!
Blaine's agent steered him straight towards the meet & greet room and swapped his final red bull for a bottle of water and two paracetamol. Popping the tablets, he entered the room and was hit by a wall of heat – geez was there no air conditioning in this country! Blaine spent the next 4 hours meeting the fans who had patiently waited for him to arrive. Whilst some tables were chatting with the other guests, Blaine moved from table to table as the PA advised. This is like fan speed dating, he thought to himself, smiling at the thought. Blaine's cold was pushed to the back of his mind as he chatted about a wide range of topics including, Do-Re-Mi, his co-stars, his album, when his next tour was, what held him up tonight, what songs are you going to sing this weekend. Before he knew it, it was 2am and Blaine felt the familiar nudge on his shoulder advising him to wrap it up.
"OK, so I'm gonna crash cos it's been a long day & I'm sure you guys are tired as well! Thanks so much for waiting for me, I really appreciate it but I'll see you guys tomorrow!" Blaine excused himself and was led to his room where his bags were waiting. Blaine locked the door, dropped his phone on the nightstand and stripped off his jeans and t-shirt. Too tired for anything else, he dropped himself onto the bed and pulled a pillow towards him. Resting his face on the cool fabric, he felt his heavy eyes close. The next he knew was his phone ringing loudly 8 hours later.
~*~Saturday morning~*~
Karen was knocking on the door – a constant knocking that was echoing through Blaine's head.
"Okay, okay, I'm up!" Blaine groaned, stumbling over to the door as the room spun around him. "I'm here, you don't need to keep banging!" Karen walked into the room and threw open the curtains, Blaine flinched as the bright light hit his tired eyes.
"Blaine, you look like shit!" Karen said matter-of-factly.
"Thanks Kaz! Love you too!" Blaine replied, dropping onto the bed on his back.
"Are you sure you're up to this?" Karen asked, touching the back of her hand to Blaine's forehead.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm good. I just need a shower and some water and I'm good to go! How about some breakfast?" Blaine smiled, not wanting to disappoint anyone.
"Okay, I'll go and order something and I'll be back in half an hour – try and be dressed!" Karen smiled and laughed as she left the room. Blaine laughed as well as he remembered the last time she brought him breakfast during an out of town visit. He'd left the door unlocked and as Karen always had a key card to his room, she had knocked once then entered. Blaine had been in the bathroom and hadn't heard the knock – he realised Karen was in his room after he had strolled out of the bathroom...naked! Karen had smiled, cleared her throat, dropped his breakfast tray on his bed and left the room whilst staring at the ceiling.
"I'll lock the door this time! I promise!" Blaine laughed.
45 minutes later, Blaine was dressed, had eaten and was ready to go downstairs to prepare for the photo op sessions with the fans. Popping another couple of painkillers and half a bottle of water, he took a few deep breaths and follow Karen downstairs. The photo session had run really smoothly, Blaine was offered a break every half hour or so but, not wanting to disappoint the fans, he kept going. It took nearly 2 hours but everyone had had their picture taken – Blaine laughed with his agent as they recalled some of the poses. Blaine had picked up fans, been picked up by fans, acted out titanic, posed as a ballerina – he'd had a blast and was starting to forget his tight chest. He just had enough time for a quick lunch and rehydration before his Q&A session for the fans then he had a sound check for his performance that night. Looking at his watch, Blaine tried to calculate in his head whether or not he had time for a nap! He must have hugged nearly 500 people! Blaine sneezed as he was led out of the room and into a larger one to set up for his Q&A. Karen passed him a tissue which was quickly used and stuffed into his jeans pocket.
~*~Saturday night~*~
The rest of the night passed in a haze. Blaine was still kicking himself for messing up the words to 3 of his songs at his performance but the fans seemed to love it even more! Blaine still wasn't sure if it was a good thing that he got the loudest cheer when he messed up but judging by the twitter notifications that were currently melting his phone, the fans seemed to love it and think it made the evening even more special! Blaine headed back up to his room, he had an early start the following morning and between his cold and his jet lag he was feeling quite rough.
He managed to get his shoes and shirt off and his belt undone before his hands began to feel tingly. Clutching and releasing his fingers, Blaine figured he'd just overdone it with everything and the performance. He loved playing guitar and piano but sometimes he got a bit too carried away. It was a struggle but he managed to remove his belt. Sitting down on the edge of his bed in just his jeans, he smiled at his socks – he'd worn his lucky ninja turtle socks and again – twitter was full of pictures! A wave of warmth flooded over him and Blaine felt sick to his stomach. Feeling his lunch wanting to make a re-appearance, Blaine stood to make for the bathroom. As the room spun around him, he tried to move but his feet stayed still. Blaine tried to put his hands out to stop himself, missed the bed frame and felt the pain in his temple as the corner of the nightstand impeded his fall to the floor.
~*~Sunday morning~*~
"Ron, have you seen Blaine? He's not answering his phone." Karen asked, rushing into the SpacedOut signing session. Ron looked up, put his pen down and excused himself from the table. He pulled Karen over to the side and took his phone out from his pocket. No messages or missed calls.
"Weird – usually I've have a text showing me his daily sock choice" Ron mused, gaining a puzzled look from Karen. "Don't ask!" he grinned widely. "C'mon, let's go check his room." Ron whispered to one of his friends and apologised to the room for his absence.
They reached the 5th floor of the hotel and Karen handed Ron the key card for Blaine's room. Karen stood away from the door as Ron entered – just in case Blaine was leaving the shower again. There was a moment of silence before-
"KAREN! Call 911 or whatever the number is here! Quick!" Ron yelled from inside the room. Karen ran inside the room to see Ron trying to roll Blaine onto his back, a dark red mark on the left side of his head and something on the corner of his mouth. His face looked pale – too pale – and he didn't seem to be moving. "Karen! Ambulance!" Karen shook herself and picked up the telephone in the room, pressing 0 she connected to the lobby instantly.
"Help, we need an ambulance. Room 502, its Blaine Anderson, he's unconscious, quick please!" After being reassured that an ambulance would be called straight away and that trained first aiders would be sent to the room straight away, Karen dropped the phone and rushed back to Blaine's side.
It took 9 long minutes for the ambulance to arrive at the hotel and a further 5 for them to reach Blaine's room. Convention security had blocked off the entire floor so the paramedics had a clear path to their patient. The green-clad men rushed into the room to see a tall dark haired man holding a sobbing brunette whilst two blonde men attempted CPR on the still form of a dark haired man lying on the bedroom floor. They got themselves set up, clipped various monitoring devices to their patient and assisted with CPR. After a further 15 minutes there was no response. Looking sadly at each other, they both nodded.
"Time of death: 11:45am".
~*~Sunday afternoon~*~
A crowd had gathered in the lobby unaware of the drama unfolding 5 floors above them. Fans were acting out scenes from Do-Re-Mi, singing SpacedOut songs and clutching their treasured pictures they had taken with their idols. An announcement had been made about 15 minutes earlier stating that all signing and Q&A sessions were postponed. The fans were chatting amongst themselves when a blonde woman came skidding into the lobby, tears streaming down her face. A few people close by rushed to her aide trying to find out what had happened.
"He's dead! Blaine's dead!" she wailed. As the news filtered through the crowd, sounds of confusion and distress replaced the sounds of singing and laughter. At the far end of the lobby, someone sneezed.
~*~Sunday evening~*~
The convention organiser had no other option than to end the event early. The hotel had agreed to leave the main room set up for anyone who wanted to stay behind. It soon became a refuge for people who simply didn't know where else to go. Amongst the sobs and quiet sniffling, the coughing started. 2 hours later, the first person fainted.
The paramedics attended the hotel for the second time that day and were distressed by what they saw. A room full of crying people, most of whom looked terrified...pale, clammy & terrified. They found their patient lying on the floor on her back as two other individuals frantically attempted CPR. It was startingly similar to the scene that they witnessed just hours earlier. Again, they set up their equipment, started their monitoring and assisted with the CPR. Again, they looked up at each other.
"Time of death: 2:15pm." He said as everyone turned to hear a scream from the other end of the room. Pete stood and rushed towards the sound. He called over for his colleague who quickly pushed his way through the crowd. "Mike, what the hell is going on here?"
4 hours later, the main hotel had been quarantined, 129 people had been pronounced dead, 247 more were critical and a further 184 were beginning to show symptoms. Make-shift wards were set up in each of the hotel's function rooms and the best infectious disease physicians in the country were gathered in the lobby trying to create a timeline. They had reached their conclusion and had found their carrier.
Blaine Anderson.
~*~3 weeks later~*~
Dr Rhodes sighed as he read the post-mortem and pathology reports in his hands. Blaine Anderson's post-mortem had showed liver and kidney failure as well as a blunt force trauma injury to his head. Cause of death was suffocation. After hitting his head on the nightstand, Blaine had fallen unconscious. The fluid in his lungs that had been building all weekend had restricted his breathing and he had suffocated on the floor of his hotel room. Dr Rhodes sighed, At least he didn't feel anything, he thought to himself sadly. The blood work had been more interesting – a rare combination of bird flu & an immune system deficiency had been Blaine's eventual downfall. Presenting as a regular cold, the illness had ravaged Blaine's system and would have lead to his death even if he hadn't fallen and hit his head. There had been no further reports of illness or death since the final patient from the fan convention has recovered in hospital. 183 others hadn't been as lucky.
The illness had been so quick and those who had succumbed already had a compromised immune system or underlying illness which left them even more susceptible to its effects. The virus (Darriculus Crissosis) had been particularly devastating for those with asthma and other lung conditions – it crippled them and took their lives within hours of symptoms showing. Most of the survivors had recovered with no residual effects but a handful would require monitoring for at least the next few years if not the rest of their lives.
Investigations by the CDC in the US, had uncovered an unusual mould growing in the loft space of the apartment building Blaine had lived in. Their findings had confirmed that it was a rare combination of several factors that had turned the unsuspecting Blaine Anderson into a walking germ factory. The close proximity of everyone within the hotel had created the perfect environment for the virus to grow and spread. The photo op session had given nearly every attendee the exposure to the virus Blaine had been unknowingly carrying.
Social media was full of comments made by people hoping that the convention would be unforgettable and it was...it truly was.
