A/N: Okay so after reading the spoilers for Season 4, this story got into my head, and i'm hoping to make it a multi-chapter fic. I got a good idea of what's coming next, so I really hope you like it, please REVIEW. It'll make my day. =]
They never made it to Paris. The hurried phone call of a worried Nate Archibald had made sure of that. Blair had known that Chuck would somehow put a stop to her happiness, he always did. But she could never have imagined this. Shot. The bastard had gone and got himself shot, and now she was swapping her flight to Paris which would have involved a glorious summer of whirlwind romance and wining and dining with her best friend, for a flight to Prague so she could go visit her ex-boyfriend in hospital where he was recovering from a bullet wound. She could picture the whole scenario now. Chuck Bass drunk and drugged up, wondering aimlessly around the streets of Prague and seducing prostitutes. Then an image of him alone and bleeding on the ground. A wave of worry washed over her, but she pushed it aside. He'd put himself in this situation, they would have been spending the summer together if he hadn't whored her out to his Uncle for a hotel and then slept with Jenny Humphrey while she was frantically trying to find him at the Empire State Building. No this was his entire fault. But it didn't make her feel any better about the situation.
Serena was worried about Blair, she hadn't said a word about Chuck's injury, although she'd made plenty of angry exclamations about how unfair it was that their summer trip had been ruined, an accusing tone clearly present in her voice. She knew that this was just Blair's way of dealing with it, but the eerie calm did not suit her best friend, she knew it would only be a matter of time before she broke. They arrived at the hospital, greeted by Nate, his face a picture of relief as the girls joined him. They were back together; they would all be able to deal with this together. Little did he know, Blair had no plans on staying.
"Where is he? I want to see him, so I can book a flight to Paris" her voice was carefully steady.
"Blair, maybe we could stay here for a bit, make sure Chuck's recovered before we leave, it'll give you two a chance to talk" Serena tried reasoning with Blair, giving Nate a sharp look. Nate responded unhelpfully by shrugging his shoulders. Blair sighed.
"I don't want to talk to him. Of course i'm scared; of course I want him to be okay. But nothing is going to make me forgive him for what he did to me! I want to know he's okay and then I want to leave. Please Serena"
Serena watched Blair sadly and nodded slightly, agreeing to her pleads.
"Okay Blair, we'll see him then we'll go" she replied reluctantly.
"Thank you" she breathed.
Nate looked unsurely at the two girls, he knew that Chuck would want Blair around him and it would devastate him if he woke up without her there by his side, but at the same time, he knew his friend had gone way too far this time, it was clear Blair was having trouble dealing with it. He sighed deeply.
"The doctors say that the surgery went well but he's still unconscious. He'll be waking up in the next hour or so if you want to see him before he's awake Blair, but they've assured me he's going to be fine"
He watched as Blair's eyed slowly filled up with tears, and instinctively wrapped his arms around her pulling her close. Serena watched them, a look of deep concern on her face. She slowly walked over and stroked Blair's hair gently.
"He's going to be okay Blair" she whispered. "You're going to be okay"
She nodded and pulled away from the two of them.
"I'm going to see him now" she announced. She then walked to the door of his room, her high heels echoing around the halls. Not many people would notice the slight hesitation and shaking of her hand before she opened the door, but it was definitely there. There was also a slight gasp as she saw Chuck Bass lying there in the European hospital bed, all silent and still and with a bunch of tubes attached to him. She walked closer to him, fear gripping her as she saw his pale face. His hand clutched the sheets of the bed tightly and he shouted out her name. That was the moment her resolve dropped completely as she began crying and grabbed his hand in her own.
"Shhh Chuck, please... i'm here, Chuck! I'm here!" she bent down and brushed his sweaty hair from his face, kissing his forehead gently. He moaned her name again, and she squeezed his hand. His eyes shot open and he moved forward which resulted in a loud grunt of pain.
"B-B-Blair?" he stuttered, shaking slightly. She closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again. He was looking at her intensely.
"It was just a nightmare, you're okay" she said, matching his gaze. Relief washed over his face.
"I'm okay now you're here. I've had that nightmare every night for weeks" he shuddered, which resulted in another look of pain. She looked at him anxiously for a moment, and then reassembled her features into an expression which she hoped looked indifferent. He was still looking at her; in fact he hadn't looked away once.
"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice filled with concern. She looked up slightly shocked.
"Shouldn't I be asking you that? You're the one who went and got yourself shot" she replied indignantly. He ignored her comment.
"I need to know if you're okay. You don't look like you are, and it's bothering me"
She was going to lie. She seriously considered it for a long moment, just telling him that she was completely fine, but he knew her too well. He'd know she was lying, there was no point.
"No Chuck, i'm not okay." He looked at her, this time he was the one with the anxious expression and was making no move to hide it.
"Blair I-"he didn't get to finish what he was about to say, Blair interrupted him.
"But I will be. I came here to make sure you were alright. Because despite everything I still care for you, and I'd never want you to be hurt. But now I can see that you are okay, I'm going to Paris with Serena, like we'd planned before all this happened. And i'm going to have a good time without you Chuck, I will" Chuck nodded, still watching her carefully.
"I want you to Blair. I want you to have an amazing summer with Serena and i'm sorry that your trip has been postponed because of me"
She looked at him, a confused expression on her face. Chuck smiled slightly and brought her hand to his lips, kissing it tenderly.
"Go, right now. Go get your flight, tell Serena not to worry about seeing me. I want you to have a good time"
She nodded, and squeezed his hand.
"I'm glad you're okay Chuck. Get better soon"
She then got up and walked out the room, fighting the urge to turn back. Chuck didn't take his eyes off her as she walked away from him. As she returned to the hallway, Serena and Nate stood up immediately, their furious whispers coming to a halt.
"He's awake. We spoke and he told you not to worry about seeing him, Serena. He wants me to have a good time in Paris. He told me to go get a flight" her voice was numb, and there was no emotion behind her words. Serena glanced at Nate.
"Can we go now Serena? Please?" there was a slight crack in her voice. Serena nodded, gathering up her bags before kissing Nate on the cheek.
"Okay honey, come on let's go" she took Blair's arm and led her towards the exit. Blair turned round to face Nate.
"Thank you for calling us, and make sure you take care of him okay?"
"Of course I will Blair, go and have fun, I'll keep an eye on him for you" He smiled at her, and received small smile in return.
As they left, Nate sighed deeply and ran his hands through his hair making it even more unruffled and messy than it was before. He knew that despite the brave front Chuck had evidently put on for Blair, he was most likely devastated at her leaving him once again, to go to Paris for a summer without him. Nate entered Chuck's room with the hope that at least his best friend would be happy to know that he wouldn't have to spend the summer alone.