Summary: This was a wake up call. It is time for him to grow up and become a man who can truly be strong on his own, for himself and for the woman he loves. ChuckXBlair, Post Finale
Couldn't help myself, I just had to write something about the finale. This should only be two or three parts (if I stick with my plan), and I should be posting on my other story again soon. :)
1
The first time he wakes up, he's too out of it to be anything more than confused.
There's a weight on his chest and a pain in his side and when his eyes flutter open, it's so bright he winces.
"Chuck.."
He feels fingers in his hair and he tips his head to look at the person he can feel at his side, but the angle is too much and he hisses at the sharp, stabbing pain that creeps up his side.
"Be careful," the voice gently chides, and suddenly there's brown eyes and porcelain skin and auburn curls leaning over him and everything instantly feels better.
"Blair," he tries to speak, but he's perplexed when it comes out as nothing more than a breath.
"You're okay. You're going to be fine."
His eyes flutter shut for a moment and then there's fingers in his air again.
"Just go back to sleep, Chuck. Everything is going to be alright."
He sighs in content and nods just a little in agreement and within seconds he's asleep once again.
–
The next time he wakes up, he's much more aware.
He dazedly realizes he's in a hospital. He remembers the bullet; remembers losing the ring he'd valued more than his life.
He thought he was going to die and he had accepted it. He shouldn't even be here now.
There's a hand loosely wrapped around his own and he slowly turns to see Blair sound asleep next to the bed.
He sets his jaw and his side aches from just his slight movements, but he can't bare to look away from her.
Of course his last thoughts had been about Blair. But he hadn't thought about that first time in the limo, or the day he admitted he loved her, or even the night they had after Lily and Bart's wedding. No, when he thought he was dying on the street in that alley, he didn't relive a single good memory of the two of them, but instead thought only of the last time he saw her, crying and hurting yet again because of something he had done.
He remembers thinking it made sense that he would die alone in the middle of a drug binge.
The very last thing he had thought, though, when he was sure he was dying, was how Blair Waldorf would be so much better off without Chuck Bass there to hurt her.
There's a knock at the door and leans back and shuts his eyes and pretends to be asleep as the door clicks open.
"Blair."
He immediately recognizes the voice of his step sister and feels Blairs fingers shift around his.
"Blair, wake up. You have to come back to the hotel with us tonight."
Blair's grip tightens but she says nothing.
"Come on. My mom thinks a night sleeping in an actual bed would be good for you, and I agree. You haven't left the hospital once since we got here."
Chuck's throat works with emotion as silence hangs in the room.
"B.."
"I'm not leaving, Serena," Blair suddenly snaps, and he can hear his step sister sigh in frustration before her heels start to snap against the floor until her hears the door close behind her.
The silence that hangs in the air when she leaves is deafening.
He can hear her ragged breathing next to him as she begins to fidget with his fingers and he struggles with what to do next.
He doesn't deserve her loyalty. He doesn't deserve her at his bed side after all that he's done. What he deserved was that bullet and he should still be suffering on his own.
He's suddenly so very tired and as the silence stretches on he finds himself farther and farther from pretend sleep and closer to actual sleep. The world becomes a haze as he feels her rest her forehead on his arm. The last thing he's aware of is a warm wetness against his skin.
–
The third time he wakes up, the room is cloaked in darkness.
He blinks a few times against the blackness and finally makes out her form by the window, illuminated by the city lights outside.
"Blair?" he calls out, his voice thick and rough in his throat.
She turns to face him and he can see her eyes glisten with unshed tears and he feels ill. She doesn't speak, just silently crosses the room and settles back in the chair she's been in this whole time and looks at the ground as he studies her profile in the dim light.
He's over come with guilt. He's so mad at himself and he's so sorry he's hurt her again. He wants to apologize for making her cry again, maybe even for surviving and dragging her back into his mess up life again, but his lips won't move.
"I thought you were dead," she suddenly explains, her pained tone ripping him from his thoughts and tearing him to his core. She shakes her head to herself. "I got the call from Lily that you were shot and I thought that was it. You were dead and I was never going to see you again."
Her gaze suddenly meets his and her tears catch the light and shine as they roll silently down her cheeks, each one another weight on his chest.
"I was so mad at you for leaving me like that," she admits, her voice trembling. "You're Chuck Bass. You're supposed to fight and kick and scream and never back down, but you just gave up."
He frowns. "I didn't give up, Blair. I fought with all I had when they took the ri-"
"But you did," she interrupts him. "You gave up on me and us and on yourself. You spent practically the entire last month on a coke binge, and when everything got too hard again, you ran away to go on yet another bender in the middle of a city where you know no one, just like you always do."
She sniffles and he has to look away, it's too much.
"You almost died, alone and high on the street and I don't even know how it got to this point," she wonders aloud tearfully.
He feels her fingers loop through his and he finds himself gazing right back into her beautiful, sad eyes.
"You need help, Chuck."
He swallows against the emotion in his throat and his eyes glaze over instantly, because she's completely right. He's a mess.
He opens his mouth to respond but he's interrupted by a knock at the door and the arrival of a man who is apparently the doctor who saved his life. The doctor immediately launches into a speech about stitches and scar tissue and surgery, but he can't seem to concentrate on any of it. All he knows is that Blair's hand never leaves his and the good doctor injects him with a fresh batch of painkillers before he leaves.
His eyelids quickly droop shut, her warm lips on his forehead helping to lull him into a heavy, dreamless the sleep.
–
When he wakes up again, the room is empty.
There's a grey, dull light streaming through the window and all he can hear is the rain slowly dripping against the glass.
Chuck sweeps his gaze around the room hopefully, but when he realizes just how alone he is, his stomach drops.
He groans and tries to move and push himself up to sit but a stabbing pain suddenly shoots up his side and he crumbles in agony.
"Woah, be careful, man."
He jumps at the voice and suddenly there are large hands on his shoulders, helping him back down on the bed.
"Nathaniel," he grates out through clenched teeth, his hand going to press against his bandaged wound. "Finally come to pay your respects, have you?"
"I came as soon as I heard what happened, Chuck. Everyone did."
He looks away from his friend and bites his lip against the burning ache in his side.
"You had us all worried, man," Nate informs him before leaning forward in his seat. "What even happened?"
Chuck rolls his eyes. "I got mugged and the son of a bitch shot me when I tried to fight back. It's not rocket science, Nathaniel."
The blonder boy scowls. "But you're a billionaire; why the hell would you fight back? You could have died."
"It wasn't about the money," he snaps in frustration, not wanting to be reminded of his own mortality again. "It was because they took Blair's ring."
"Blair's ring?" Nate wonders dumbly, his mouth dropping open as his mind slowly puts together the pieces. "You mean… you proposed?" he asks, his tone letting Chuck know he thought it was the most ridiculous thing ever.
"No, I didn't propose, Nathaniel," Chuck barks back, annoyed, before letting out a sigh and conceding. "I didn't get the chance before Humphrey ran in and sucker punched me."
Nate stares at his best friend in disbelief. "Wow."
Chuck nods and rubs his palm against his side. "Don't tell her about it, okay?"
Nate's eyes widen slightly and he begins fidgeting with his fingers, "Of course, I won't tell her anything," he assures his friend, before biting his lip and continuing, "because I couldn't if I wanted to. She left."
His brow furrows in confusion. "She left? What do you mean she left?"
"I mean her and Serena left about an hour ago to catch their flight back to Paris."
"What?" Chuck questions dumbly, instantly pushing himself up again and ignoring the horrific pain in his side. "She's just gone?"
Nate nods slowly, patting his friend empathetically on the back. "I'm sorry, man."
He drops his head and takes a few deep breaths to calm himself. "I really messed up," Chuck admits helplessly. "I ruined everything and then I just.." he trails off and shakes his head at himself. "I don't blame her for leaving. Just because I got hurt, doesn't change the fact that I hurt her first. It doesn't change how I acted or what I did."
Nate eyes him sympathetically and reaches in to his pocket. "She asked me to give you something before she left, though."
Chuck frowns in confusion and hesitantly holds his hand out, expecting a note. But his heart races when a tiny gold charm falls into his palm.
"She told me to tell you it's important that you get better on your own."
He stares transfixed on the little heart in his hand and sets his jaw and it's all he can do not to cry in front of his friend. That tiny charm gives him more confidence and courage than he's felt since everything fell apart between him and Blair. He hears his friend get up from his side and start to leave, and he comes to brave, albeit quick, decision.
"Nate," he calls, stopping the other boy in his tracks "Do you think you could do something for me?"
"Anything, man."
Chuck takes a deep breath and closes his fingers tight and protective around Blair's heart. "I need you to call the Ostroff Center for me. I want to be able to check in as soon as I get back to New York."
"Are you sure?"
Chuck simply nods, his jaw set in determination, and ignores the look of shock on his friends face as he easies his wounded body back down against the sheets.
This was a wake up call; the bullet, the heart. It is time for him to grow up and become a man who can truly be strong on his own, for himself and for the woman he loves.
TBC... Please let me know what you think, feedback is greatly appreciated...