I remember tears streaming down your face
When I said I'll never let you go
When all those shadows almost killed your light
He burst thought the hospital's doors and up to the front desk.
" Can I help you, sir?" the lazy nurse asked like she was a robot.
" My name is Cooper Anderson. My little brother is here. Please..." Cooper gasped.
" Your brother's name?"
" Blaine. Blaine Stuart Anderson."
I remember you said
Don't leave me here alone
But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight
The sight that laid behind the door of room 13 was enough to make Cooper's legs go out from underneath him. His brother- his baby brother- was laying in a bed with tubes and wires coming out from underneath the thin sheet. His face was bruised and bloody. His eyes were closed tightly, like he was in pain.
" Blaine..." Cooper choked out. Tears fell from his bright blue eyes. He pulled himself up and staggered to the chair beside the bed. He took Blaine's bandaged hand into his and held it tightly.
" I'm so sorry..."
Just close your eyes
The sun is going down
You'll be alright
No one can hurt you now
It seemed like years before Blaine started to stir. He whimpered and tried to pull his hand away.
" Blaine," Cooper said as soothingly as he could, " It's ok."
" Make them stop..." Blaine cried weakly. Tears came down his bloody face.
" Sh, Blaine, sh" Cooper whispered and sat down on the edge on the bed, still holding his brother's hand.
Blaine's eyes opened slowly. " C-Cooper?" he said, his voice high and panicked.
" Yeah. It's ok. You're gonna be ok."
Come morning light
You and I will be
Safe and sound
Cooper climbed into the bed with Blaine and lulled him to sleep with every song he knew when Blaine started to cry. He saw the bandages around Blaine's chest and knew something was broken. That made it all the more harder for Cooper not to cry, too. But he held back his tears and continued to rub Blaine's unharmed arm until he too fell asleep, his broken brother in his arms
Don't you dare look out your window
Darling, everything's on fire
The war outside our door keeps raging on
Mom and Dad came a day later to see Blaine. And Cooper was furious. Mom just sat down in the chair with a blank expression on her face. Dad... Dad left the room muttering " this is why we told him to be normal...". Cooper charged after him.
" Your son just got beaten to a pulp at his school dance and you just walk out on him? Saying that this was his fault?"
" Your brother brought this on himself. He has to deal with the consequences."
" He almost died, Dad!"
" He's awake now, isn't he? Listen, Cooper, Blaine needs to learn to deal with things himself. He needs to learn to be mature. You can't keep sheltering him like this."
" Mature? You think this is a lesson about maturity?" Cooper started to raise his voice, but a warning look from a passing nurse quieted him down. " I don't care what you think this all means. But to me, it means my little brother has been hurt, and I won't stop until the bastards that did this to him are locked up for good. I'm not becoming a lawyer for nothing."
And with that Cooper went back into Blaine's room. Mom was still in the chair and Blaine looked distant.
" Hey, Mom? Can I sit for a minute?" Cooper asked quietly. Martha got up wordlessly and went out of the room. Cooper felt the urge to throw something at her, but he resisted.
Hold on to this lullaby
Even when the music's
Gone
" Coop?" Blaine's hoarse voice said. Cooper turned to Blaine and sat down on the bed.
" Yeah, buddy?"
" I... I heard you and Dad..."
" You did?"
" Uh huh. I didn't... I didn't think you cared about this as much as you do."
" Blaine," Cooper said, " Of course I care. Why wouldn't I care?"
Tears formed in Blaine's eyes. " 'Cause I though when you left for Harvard you wanted to get away from me..."
" Oh, God no, no Blaine. It wasn't like that." Cooper started, scooting closer to Blaine. " It was bad timing, really. I mean, I know it seemed like I left because you came out, but it was bad timing on my part."
Blaine didn't seem convinced. He turned his head away, hiding his tears.
" When you came out, I was so, so proud of you. Believe me, I was. I thought that you looked free after you told us. I wanted to tell you this earlier, but... like I said, bad timing."
Blaine's chin trembled and he started to cry in earnest. Cooper wrapped his arms around Blaine, holding him, protecting him, because that was his job.
" So, so proud, Blaine. We're gonna make this right. I promise."
Just close your eyes
The sun is going down
You'll be alright
No one can hurt you now
Come morning light
You and I will be
Safe
And
Sound
Le Blaingst. Also... can we please have a moment of silence for the plot bunny that was Melanie Sarah Anderson. Damn you, Cooper... naw, jk.
This story was inspired by Taylor Swift and The Civil War's song Safe And Sound that is going to be in the Hunger Games movie.