Author note: I don't know where all of this angst came from. I also apologize for any medical errors. I'm not gonna pretend I know the first thing about medical stuff. I'm not a doctor, so please look the other way if I made any mistakes that doesn't make sense and just go with it, mmmkay. I basically just went with what I've seen on tv and copied some stuff from wikipedia, lol - I have no clue what I'm doing ;) Anyway, remember that reviews = love :)
It was a late Thursday afternoon when Kurt came home to a sleeping husband on the couch. His first reaction was to be a little bit annoyed since it was Blaine's turn to cook, but any annoyance he felt quickly faded once he saw Blaine. He was sick again. That much was certain. Blaine had suffered from a bug the weekend before and it looked like it was back with a vengeance. He didn't look good at all. His skin was pale, his curls sweaty, hands cold and clammy when Kurt kneeled next to the couch and took one of them in his own.
Kurt was confused though. Because Blaine had seemed better on Monday and he'd never once in his life heard of sickness coming back like that. He turned and checked the clock, it was almost 5 pm which meant that Blaine would have been asleep for about two hours if he'd passed out as soon as he came home from school – and Kurt suspected he had if the jacket on the chair and the shoes on the floor next to the couch was any indication. Blaine was a tidy person and rarely left messes in his wake. Unless something was wrong. But what worried Kurt the most was that Blaine hadn't woken up as soon as he came in. His husband was a deep sleeper normally, that was true. But even he couldn't usually sleep though the noise of their heavy sliding door.
He picked up the jacket and shoes and put them in their right places, then he came back to sit on the couch where he debated whether or not to just let Blaine sleep though the night. He sighed and decided rather reluctantly that he'd better wake him up to see how he felt and ask if he needed anything. Blaine had to eat anyway, if he was to keep up his strength and beat this stubborn sickness for good, whatever is was. So he ran his hand through Blaine's hair and softly whispered his name.
"Blaine, wake up." All he got in response was Blaine snuffling down further into the couch. "No honey, come on." Blaine slowly opened his eyes.
"Kurt?" He croaked out. He seemed confused.
"There you are. Yes, it's me baby. How are you feeling?" Kurt kept running his fingers through his hair and Blaine leaned into the touch which made Kurt smile.
"Not good. Wha time's it?" He slurred.
"It's just after 5, what's wrong?"
"Stomach hurts, head hurts..." Blaine paused to re-evaluate his words, then; "Everything hurts."
"Awh, my poor baby." Kurt cooed. Then Blaine seemed to realize something as he practically sprang to his feet and nearly tipped over. Kurt was quick to catch him before he could fall. "Whoa, easy."
"It's my turn to cook. Kurt, I'm so sorry." Blaine looked absolutely crestfallen and Kurt almost laughed because only Blaine could be this upset over something like that.
"Blaine, it's fine. Don't worry about it. You're sick again and need to rest." He lowered Blaine back on the couch. "What do you say we order in and then watch some Real Housewives of Beverly Hills?"
"Mmm. I love you." Blaine smiled as he slumped on the couch. "You're the best."
"I know." Kurt smirked. "And I love you too." He stood up. "I'll go order. You want the usual?" A nod from Blaine. "Okay, I'll be right back."
Once Kurt came back Blaine had almost dozed off again, but he managed to wake him with a gentle nudge. In hindsight Blaine's obvious sluggishness should have been a red flag. "The food will be here in 20 minutes, try to stay awake until then? I promise you can sleep after."
"Mmkay." Blaine sighed and leaned into Kurt's side.
"You get awfully cuddly when you're sick." Kurt laughed and ruffled his hair.
"Mmm hmm." Blaine mumbled into his neck and closed his eyes. A pause. Then...
"Blaine?"
"Mm."
"Don't ever change." A smile, a kiss to Kurt's neck, then a slurred; "Promise." And Kurt held him a little tighter. They sat like that in silence with Kurt just holding and petting Blaine until the food came and he had to get up. Blaine actually whined as he left and almost didn't let go. "Aww, my pathetic puppy." Kurt teased and Blaine pouted.
"I miss my hubby. Come back, hubby." Blaine called after him and Kurt's laughter carried from the hallway. Blaine smiled through his exhaustion. He loved that he could make Kurt laugh like that.
Blaine seemed to get a second wind once Kurt got some food into him, he walked to the bathroom by himself to pee more than a few times though, which Kurt thought was a bit odd and they were only about 30 minutes into the first episode of The Real Housewives when Blaine's eyes started to droop again. Kurt watched him struggle to stay awake out the corner of his eye, but it was a feeble attempt and soon Blaine's head lolled to the side and onto Kurt's shoulder. He was out like a light and Kurt slowly got him manhandled down into a horizontal position on his back with his head in Kurt's lap. Blaine being as short as he was meant that he could fit almost fully stretched on the couch with only his toes sticking out at the end. As he reached for a blanket to tug him in, Kurt couldn't help but think about how much he loved how cute and compact Blaine was. How they just fit so perfectly together on that couch. He sighed contentedly and tried to focus on the screen but soon gave that up in favor of watching his husband instead. He turned off the tv and just sat in the quiet for some time. The shadows were getting longer and the darkness of night was creeping in, the only sounds were muted traffic from the streets below and Blaine's soft snoring.
"And you say you don't snore." He whispered fondly as he petted Blaine's hair and continued to talk to him even though he knew Blaine couldn't hear him. "You know, I should get my phone and tape this for blackmail later. But I won't do that. Do you know why?" A snore. Kurt chuckled under his breath. "That's right, because I love you and I would never do that to you." A kiss to Blaine's forehead. Kurt leaned back and just enjoyed the tranquility. As far as he was concerned, this was bliss.
The peace didn't last long though, because suddenly Blaine's eye flew open and he sat up straight.
"B? What's wrong?" Kurt asked alarmed.
"I think I'm gonna..." A hand to his mouth. "Bathroom." Then Blaine was gone and Kurt was left in stunned silence until he eventually snapped out of it and followed the sounds of retching. He found Blaine bent over the toilet puking his guts out.
"Oh sweetheart." Kurt went to the sink to wet a washcloth that he pressed to Blaine's neck.
"I think I have the flu...for real this time." Blaine moaned. "This feels a hundred times worse than last weekend. My stomach is killing me." Another attack of nausea made him puke until he was dry heaving. "Uggh...kill me."
"I'd rather not. I'm pretty attached to you in case you haven't noticed." Kurt joked and Blaine glared at him. "Oooookay." He raised his hands in surrender. "Not in the mood, got it."
"Ya know, Mr. Anderson-Hummel..." Blaine drawled, head still in the toilet bowl. They hadn't hyphenated their names when they got married but they still liked to call each other by both. "If I dared to tease you when you are sick, you would bite my head off." Kurt's eyes got comically huge, acting surprised.
"Mr. Hummel-Anderson!" Kurt put a hand to his heart, mocking offense. "I have no idea what you're talking about." That was another thing about their names. Blaine insisted Anderson should go first because it was alphabetical, while Kurt insisted Hummel should go first because it sounded better. And none of them were backing down on that. It was a big reason why they both simply kept their own names in the end, they just hadn't been able to agree on it, but none of them particularly minded because in time it had evolved into a kind of game between them. It was their thing.
Blaine rolled his eyes fondly at his husband, then instantly regretted it as the nausea returned tenfold. Kurt noticed right away and started rubbing his back. "Can I get you anything?"
"Water." He croaked. "I'm so thirsty." Kurt smiled, his hand still stroking Blaine's back. "Sure."
Then he was gone and Blaine frowned confused. But Kurt returned a moment later with a cold water bottle from the fridge. At Blaine's expression Kurt lifted an eyebrow.
"What? You didn't honestly think I was gonna make you drink tap water? I know you hate it."
Blaine grabbed the bottle greedily and downed half of it in one go. God, how he loved his husband and his thoughtfulness.
"Thank you." He whispered as he put the water down and leaned against the wall.
"You're welcome, honey." Kurt smiled and sat down next to him. "In sickness and in health, remember. I did promise to take care of you."
"Mmm. And you do it so well." Blaine leaned his head on his shoulder. "So do you." Kurt countered. Silence followed and Blaine felt himself falling asleep again, he was just so damn sleepy all the time. It was weird. But he was brought back from the edge by Kurt's voice.
"Do you feel well enough to go to bed? It's getting late and we both need sleep."
"Can't I just sleep out here?" Blaine whined, he really didn't feel up to moving. He heard Kurt chuckle.
"You're really adorable when you're like this, but no. You can't sleep on the bathroom floor, baby. Come on, up. I'll help you." Kurt grabbed his hand and Blaine had no choice but to follow. His husband was about to turn him around towards the door, when Blaine stopped.
"Wait. I need to pee."
"Again?" Kurt asked surprised, then shrugged. "Okay." He doubted Blaine needed help with that. Besides, there were boundaries in a relationship that shouldn't be crossed. "Call if you need me?"
"Sure." Blaine smiled watching Kurt leave the room. "Wait." Kurt turned in the doorway.
"What is it, hon?"
"Can you get me another water bottle from the fridge?"
"Of course." Then he was gone leaving Blaine to finish his business. But as he was flushing and washing his hands, a knock came on the door and Kurt popped his head back in.
"Here's your pajamas." He handed Blaine a navy blue top and black sweatpants.
"Thanks."
When Blaine finally left the bathroom, all clean and dressed for nighttime Kurt was sitting on their bed changed as well, the bottle of water was on Blaine's nightstand and Kurt immediately got up to meet him halfway, sliding an arm around Blaine's waist to support him, but he didn't stop there. Before he knew what happened Blaine was swooped up in Kurt's arms bridal style and was being carried to the bed. Blaine giggled surprised and leaned into his husbands neck, placing a small kiss there. He loved his husband's neck. Kurt always claimed that Blaine was the king of romance in their relationship, but Kurt did have his moments.
"My hero." Blaine smiled as he was placed on the bed. Kurt just kissed his temple.
"Anything for you." And the intensity in his eyes told Blaine he really meant it. How did he get this lucky?
"Get under the covers, I'll be right back. I just need to turn off the lights."
Blaine got in bed and wasted no time opening the water bottle and emptying most of it down his perched throat. How was he still thirsty? He'd already had one bottle of water, plus the three glasses he downed after he brushed his teeth and now this. Hmmm. Weird. He yawned, feeling lethargic again as he sunk down into the pillows. Kurt returned quickly and Blaine didn't miss the way he side-eyed the empty water bottle. So sue him, he was thirsty. And starved for his husband. He made grabby hands at Kurt, who laughed.
"I'm coming, I'm coming." Kurt chuckled and jumped under the covers.
"Not yet, but you will be." Blaine drawled as he sneaked a hand up Kurt's thigh making him squeak.
"Mr. Hummel-Anderson! You did not just hit on me in your state."
"Of course I did, Mr. Anderson-Hummel." Blaine smiled goofily up at him. "Have you seen yourself?" His eyes drooped sleepily as he dropped his head to Kurt's chest.
"Not happening, you need rest." Kurt was running his fingers through Blaine's hair again and it felt amazing.
"Mmm. Buzz kill." Blaine mumbled and clung on to Kurt like a koala. He just wanted to cuddle his husband and sleep for eternity. Little did he know how right he would be about that.
"You're insatiable." Kurt accused, but there was a smile in his voice.
"Only in regards to you." Blaine could almost feel Kurt roll his eyes as he felt himself succumb to the darkness and grow limp and heavier on top of him.
"Smooth, Casanova. But you're out of your mind if you think you're getting lucky tonight. You can barely keep your eyes open." The snore that answered Kurt had him rolling his eyes fondly again, before he hugged Blaine closer to him and fell asleep himself.
The first thing Kurt noticed when he woke up was that Blaine hadn't moved all night. That wasn't unusual though, Blaine always slept soundly. He gave him a quick kiss on the forehead before he untangled himself from his grip, pushed Blaine on his back and slipped into the shower. Kurt had school to attend after all and he didn't want to be late. He couldn't quite shake the feeling of uneasiness at the thought of leaving Blaine to fend for himself though. As he walked back into their bedroom to pick out an outfit he shot another glance at Blaine. Still asleep, still in the same position. No snoring. Hmm. He half-heartedly picked out his clothes and returned to the bathroom to change. There was something nagging him at the back of his head. He just couldn't quite put a finger on what it was.
"This is stupid." He muttered to himself in the mirror as he did his hair. "Blaine's a grown man, not a child. It's just the flu. He'll survive a day without you." He grabbed the hairspray and coated his perfectly coiffed hair in a generous amount. He walked out again, another look in Blaine's direction. Nothing at all had changed about the scene in the bedroom. Hmm. Strange.
He continued to the kitchen for a quick breakfast, ate it in silence and deep thought. Then back to the bedroom to see if Blaine was awake. He wasn't. Kurt checked the time. Only 7:45 am, it was still early. It wasn't weird that Blaine would still be asleep. Hmm. He wrote Blaine a note and put it on the nightstand next to the empty water bottle from last night. He looked at the bottle. Something prickled in his mind, a thought, a feeling...but he couldn't pin it down. Instead he took the bottle to the kitchen to dispose of it.
Afterward he continued to the hallway, where he stepped into his shoes, then this peculiar sensation hit him again. He looked towards the door to the bedroom and shook his head, then put on his coat, but his eyes kept drifting to the bedroom door. He sighed. He knew he was gonna miss his train if he didn't leave right this second. Still...something was holding him back.
"What is this?" He mumbled under his breath. "You are being completely irrational." He grabbed his keys, opened the door, then... "Fuck this." The door fell closed, the keys abandoned on the counter. Before he knew what had possessed him he had kicked his shoes off and removed his jacket again. "It's Friday." He muttered to himself. "I'm taking an early weekend." He knew it wasn't wise to skip school, but he just could not make himself leave. Not with this block of ice in his stomach that he didn't understand the cause of.
He went straight to the bedroom and just watched Blaine for a while. Listened to his deep breathing, watched how his chest would rise and fall with every breath, observed how his long eyelashes fanned over his cheeks, how his plumb pink lips were slightly parted as he slept. God, his husband was beautiful. Even with those ridiculous triangle eyebrows. Kurt smiled and let his finger gently trace one of them, then let his whole hand slide down to cup Blaine's face. He let his thumb rub Blaine's cheekbone once, then twice. Then he noticed it. The stillness. Blaine was unusually still. Had been all morning. Kurt was on his knees on the bed next to his husband in seconds bending over him.
"Blaine? Honey, wake up." Nothing. Kurt furrowed his brows. He should have gotten some kind of reaction. He called Blaine's name several times and tried to wake him, but he remained unresponsive. And suddenly that feeling Kurt had had since he woke up made sense. Wrong! Something was wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Blaine, Blaine, Blaine. Wrong, Blaine, still. Kurt's blood turned to ice. No. No no no. Suddenly he was screaming. Screaming for Blaine to wake up. Shaking him, pushing him, pulling him, even slapping him. No response. Blaine was not waking up. Kurt could feel his breathing speeding up, he was panicking...on the verge of hyperventilating, but he couldn't break, not now. Blaine needed him. He tried taking deep breaths calming himself down.
"He's still breathing. He's not dead. He's still breathing. He's not dead. He's still breathing. He's not dead." It became a chant and he kept repeating the words as he stormed into the living room to his messenger bag searching for his phone. "Where is it!" He yelled frustrated as he emptied his bag on the floor. When he finally found it he dialed 911 equally thankful and surprised that he got it right on his first try considering how much his hands were shaking. He was back in the bedroom next to Blaine again before the operator picked up.
"911, what's your emergency?" A female voice came over the phone, but he barely registered it.
"Help! Oh God, help us!" He knew he was screaming but he didn't care.
"Sir? What is the problem?" The operator remained calm, this was her job after all.
"He's not waking up!" Now tears were streaming down his face, he was full on crying, he was losing it.
"Okay Sir, I need you to calm down. Can you do that for me." The operator asked.
"No. Yes. I don't know. Please help us." He begged.
"What is your name?" Okay, simple questions. He could handle that.
"Kurt Hummel."
"Okay, and where are you calling from?"
"Bushwick." He quickly relayed his address, surprised he even remembered.
"Okay, that's good Kurt. I sent an ambulance. They're on their way."
"Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"You're welcome, now...what is wrong, who is not waking up?"
"My husband." He sobbed. "Blaine."
"Is he breathing?"
"Yes."
"But he's not waking up?"
"No. I've tried everything." There was a pause and he knew she was probably typing something down.
"Did he have a seizure?"
"No, at least I don't think so." If Blaine had had a seizure, surely Kurt would have woken up, right?
"How old is he?"
"He's 24."
"Okay." Another pause. "Has he had any symptoms you can think of that could have caused this?"
"No...I mean. Yes. Maybe. He was sick last weekend, some bug...but he seemed fine by Monday, then yesterday he got sick again. He complained of stomach pains and nausea and he was throwing up."
"Okay. Can you think of anything else?"
"Um, no...yes, wait. He was really drowsy. Couldn't stay awake at all. Come to think of it he's never that tired unless he's taken nighttime cough medicine." He stuttered as he held on tightly to Blaine's hand. "And he was drinking a lot of water. Like way more than he usually does, he went to the bathroom a lot more as well, I thought it was was a bit weird, but not cause for concern considering how much he was drinking."
"I see. Kurt. Does your husband by any chance have diabetes?"
"What? No. Not that I know of. And he would have told me."
"Okay, the reason I am asking is because it sounds like he's gone into Diabetic Ketoacidosis."
"What?" Kurt was confused. "I don't know what that is!?" His voice sounded hysterical to himself.
"It's more commonly known as diabetic coma." DIABETIC COMA! The words flashed like neon signs in Kurt's head. People could die from that. That much he knew. No no no. Suddenly all he could hear was the rush of blood in his ears.
"...urt...Kurt! You there?" He tuned back in. "Yes."
"How long has he been like this, it's really important."
"Oh God, Oh my God." Kurt cried. "Since last night probably, he more or less passed out in bed. That's a really long time. Oh my God! Where's the ambulance!?" It felt like it had been forever since he called. He couldn't believe Blaine had probably gone into a coma at some point during the night and he hadn't noticed. How could he have been that oblivious to these symptoms!? He was supposed to know his husband. He was supposed to know when something was really wrong.
"Listen to me, Kurt. This is not your fault, okay." The operator said. "The same thing happened to my sister. You had no way of knowing he was this sick if your husband is not a diagnosed diabetic. And I may be wrong. It may not be DKA at all, it's very rare in Type 2 diabetes which is what your husband might have, although it does happen."
"What do I do?!"
"You need to keep an eye on him until the ambulance people get there, they should be there any minute now, if he starts to...".
Kurt didn't hear anything else because right in that moment Blaine's breathing turned into deep gasping. It sounded like he was choking and Kurt reached a whole new level of terrified.
"He's having trouble breathing." He screamed. "I don't know what do to!?"
"That's what I was afraid of, try and keep his airways clear, tip his head back. If he stops breathing you need to give CPR. Do you know how to do that, Kurt?"
"I...I...yes, I think so." Kurt tried to remember that first-aid class he took back in high school as he tipped Blaine's head back. "I'm clearing his airways."
"Good. Kurt, you're doing good. You need to keep calm for him, okay."
"Okay." Just in that moment Blaine took in an especially labored breath and then his chest stopped moving. Everything in Kurt's world just froze as panic set in. Blaine wasn't breathing. His chest wasn't moving. BLAINE WASN'T BREATHING! "No! Blaine. No please! Breathe!" He started hitting Blaine's chest as tears streamed down his face. "Blaine! Please!"
"Is he not breathing?! Kurt!? KURT!?" He heard the operator but she sounded far away.
CPR. The word flashed in his mind. You need to give him CPR. Come on Kurt. You can do this.
Head back, clear the airways, give breath, do compressions. Repeat. Come on. Snap out of it.
And just like that he took a big breath, put his lips to Blaine's and forced the air down his throat watching as his chest rose, then fell back again and remained that way. He started chest compressions. Then another breath, then chest compressions. Then another breath. It didn't seem to make a difference. Where was the damn ambulance!?
Just then there was a knock on the door and he forced himself away from Blaine as he ran to let them in. "In there." He screamed as he pointed to the bedroom. "He's in there! He's not breathing!" It was then that he noticed the phone was still in his hand. He lifted it to his ear. "They're here, I gotta go." Then he just hung up without waiting for a response.
The paramedics ran to the room and he followed, watched as they set to work on Blaine. "Save him." He cried. "Please, save him!" The paramedics looked at him with sympathy. "We'll do the best we can, Sir." One of them said as another loaded Blaine on a stretcher while a third one kept doing CPR. Blaine had an oxygen mask over his face. He saw them give his husband a shot of something, but didn't ask what it was.
"Where are you taking him?" He asked as he followed them outside.
"New York Presbyterian Hospital. You can meet us there."
"Like hell I will." Kurt roared. "He is my husband. I am going with you!" The glare he sent them clearly scared the paramedics as they stepped aside to let him jump in the back with Blaine. He grabbed Blaine's hand right away while the paramedics talked what seemed like their own medical language. He didn't have a clue what they were really saying, but he knew it was bad. They were still giving Blaine CPR, but it didn't seem to help. Blaine was getting paler and paler. He was dying.
"He's crashing!" One of the paramedics yelled to the others. "We have to zap him. Sir, I need you to let go of him." The same paramedic addressed him. When Kurt didn't respond he tried again. "Sir, we need to use the defibrillator to try and get his heart started again, you can't touch him when we use that." Kurt let go of Blaine then, but the movement felt robotic. He felt strangely removed from the situation. It was like he was floating outside his body, watching everything. Watching how they tore Blaine's shirt in half, how they charged the machine, the yell of "Clear!" sounded like it was under water and the way Blaine's body jumped and twitched was so unnatural he had to look away. But then he heard it. The beep. Then another. And another.
"He's back." He heard someone say. Blaine's heart was beating again. Blaine was breathing again. Tears of relief fell from Kurt's eyes as he grabbed Blaine hand in his own and didn't let go until they reached the hospital.
The arrival at the hospital was a blur. He knew he had a panic attack when they tried to separate him from Blaine. He knew he struggled and screamed as they held him back from going in with Blaine, he knew he felt a prick in his arm, then nothing, until he woke up in a hospital bed.
"What happened?" He moaned as he said up. A nurse was quickly at his side. She looked kind.
"Easy there." She said as she held him steady. "You had an episode when you arrived. You were hysterical. They had to sedate you."
"When I...?" Then the haze cleared. "BLAINE! Where is he! Where's my husband! How long was I out?!" He screamed.
"Calm down, sweety. You've only slept for half an hour. And I'll see what I can do about your husband. What's his name?"
"Blaine Anderson."
"Okay, I'll be right back. If you promise to remain calm, then you can move to the waiting room down the hall and I'll notify the doctor where you are so he can come talk to you?"
"Thank you...?"
"Carole. My name's Carole."
"I'm Kurt. Thank you, Carole."
"You're welcome." Then she was gone and he moved to the waiting room area that was blissfully empty. It wasn't until 10 minutes later he realized he should probably call his dad. As the phone rang, he wondered what to tell him.
"Kurt?" Burt's voice calmed him down right away the way it always did.
"Dad." He sniffed.
"What's wrong? Kurt. Talk to me, you are worrying me."
"I'm at the hospital, dad. It's Blaine. Something's wrong. He got sick yesterday and then this morning he wouldn't wake up. I tried and tried and he didn't respond and then he...he stopped breathing and I didn't know what to do, but then the ambulance came and they...oh God dad, they had to zap him. He died, dad. He died. Right before my eyes. But then they got him back." He was full on sobbing again.
"Oh Kurt, I'm so sorry. But he's still alive, right?" His dad sounded shaken.
"I...think so. He was breathing again the last time I saw him."
"Good. That's good. I'm catching the first flight out. What hospital are you at?"
"Presbyterian."
"Alright, I'll be there in a few hours. Hang in there, Kurt. Blaine is strong. He won't leave you without a fight. You are everything to that boy."
"I know, thank you dad."
"I love you, son."
"Love you too."
"I'll see you soon."
"Yeah."
The click that followed was too loud. And the hours of waiting after that were too long. At some point Kurt fell asleep in the uncomfortable hospital chair and didn't wake up until he felt a hand on his shoulder gently shaking him. He opened his eyes and stared right at Burt Hummel.
"Dad." He was out of the chair and in Burt's embrace in a matter of seconds. "Oh daddy."
"I know." Burt just held his little boy tight. "I'm here." He let Kurt cry against his shoulder for as long as he needed to.
"I can't lose him dad. I just can't. He's the love of my life. Why didn't I see it!? Why didn't I see that something was seriously wrong!?" He cried.
"You're not a doctor, Kurt. There is no way you could have known. It's not your fault. It's not Blaine's fault either. "
"I did know, though." Kurt wiped his nose on his sleeve, clothes be damned. "Some part of me knew."
"What do you mean?" Burt looked puzzled.
"I was supposed to go to school this morning, dad. I was this close to leaving him. But I had this feeling ever since I woke up that something was off. It just took me too long to realize what it was. I thought I was going crazy. Oh my God, dad. I ALMOST LEFT HIM! I was practically halfway out the door, I had the keys in my hand and everything. And he would have died. I would have returned home in the afternoon and my husband would have been waiting for me, in bed, dead. Oh my God, he could already be dead right now, we don't know!" Kurt was heading straight for another anxiety attack.
"But you didn't, Kurt. You didn't. You stayed and you got him help. That's what's important. And Blaine is alive and well, you have to believe that. It's been hours. They would have told you by now, if something like that had happened. Okay? Take a deep breath, son." Kurt nodded.
Just then there was a knock. A friendly looking doctor stood in the doorway.
"Family of Blaine Anderson?" He asked.
"That's us." Burt addressed him and Kurt stood up on shaky legs. "I'm his husband."
"I see. I'm Dr. Cartwright. Well, first of all. Blaine is gonna be fine." Both Kurt and Burt released breaths they didn't know they were holding.
"What happened?" Kurt asked because he had to know.
"Blaine has Type 2 Diabetes. That's what caused all this. It went un-diagnosed and untreated for too long and he suffered Diabetic Ketoacidosis. Also known as diabetic coma." So the 911 operator was right after all, Kurt thought as the doctor went on. "DKA may be the first symptom of previously undiagnosed diabetes, as in Blaine's case. It is a potentially life-threatening complication in patients with diabetes mellitus. It happens predominantly in those with type 1 diabetes, but it can occur in those with type 2 diabetes under certain circumstances. Blaine was one of the unlucky few. DKA results from a shortage of insulin: that means that in response to that the body switches to burning fatty acids and producing acidic ketone bodies. That is the cause of most of the symptoms and complications - like his vomiting, thirst, fatigue and reduced bladder capacity. "
"I don't understand." Burt interrupted. "Kurt said he stopped breathing? How can diabetes cause that?"
"Blaine went into what we call metabolic acidosis, a condition that occurs when the body produces excessive quantities of acid or when the kidneys are not removing enough acid from the body." The doctor explained. "As I mentioned before DKA produces acidic ketone bodies and his body couldn't deal with it so his respiration ultimately failed. What Kurt witnessed in Blaine is called Kussmaul breathing. It's a deep labored breathing pattern often associated with MA, particularly in relation to DKA. But also kidney failure. It usually only occurs in advanced stages of acidosis and this type of breathing is seen as a sign of coma or imminent death in diabetic patients." Both Kurt and Burt paled at hearing that, but the doctor kept going. "Blaine is lucky to be alive. Had you not called for help when you did and had the paramedics not given him a shot of insulin on the scene, we wouldn't have been able to save him." Kurt let out a sob. And Burt hugged him tight.
"Thank you. Can we see him?" Kurt stuttered out.
"Sure, he's still sleeping at the moment and he'll have to be on insulin for the rest of his life, but he'll make a full recovery in no time. And if he sticks to his insulin schedule I don't see how this could happen again. He's in room 205. I'll have a nurse show you the way."
"Thank you, doc." Burt shook his hand.
The doctor nodded at them and left, a minute later Carole entered and Kurt did not miss the way his dad did a double take, but he was too tired to acknowledge it. All he wanted was to see his husband. Carole took them up two floors in an elevator, then down a corridor, all the while making small talk with his dad. He tuned them out, he wouldn't be able to relax until he saw Blaine alive and well. Finally they reached the door and Kurt practically stormed in.
The sight before him made him want to cry. From both happiness, relief and hurt. Because there was Blaine, his husband, the love of his life. So pale and small and fragile. But alive. Sleeping. Normally. Without the stillness. God, the stillness. Nothing terrified Kurt more and he knew he would never forget it as long as he lived. There was a world of difference between a sleeping person and a person in a coma. Now that he had seen both, he saw the changes so clearly and didn't understand how he could ever have mistaken coma for sleep. The two were a world apart. At least he knew he would never make that mistake again.
He sat next to Blaine and held his hand, praying for him to wake up. He didn't though and soon sitting next to Blaine wasn't enough so he crawled into bed with him and cuddled up next to him as close as he could and just breathed him in. At some point he started singing softly to him.
Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place.
Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace.
Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste.
It all revolves around you.
And there's no mountain too high, no river too wide.
Sing out this song and I'll be there by your side.
Storm clouds may gather and stars may collide.
But I'll love you until the end of time.
Come what may, come what may.
I will love you, until my dying day.
It was their song. He fell asleep between one breath and the next and didn't wake up until a soft, yet alarmed voice woke him from a restless sleep, he noted briefly that someone had put a blanket over them, probably his dad or Carole. Then he focused on the voice. On Blaine.
"Kurt? What's going on? Where are we? Are you hurt?" Kurt lifted his head and met the frightened amber stare of his husband. "Shh, honey. It's okay. I'm fine. We're both okay." He caressed Blaine's face.
"It's not okay. What happened? How did we get here? I don't remember anything." Blaine voice was getting higher and higher and Kurt tried to calm him down with comforting touches.
"Something happened...to you." Kurt hesitated. How much should he tell him?
"What do you mean?" Blaine's confused gaze fixated on him.
"Turns out that flu we thought you had. Not so much the flu after all." And Kurt couldn't meet his eyes.
"Oh..." A beat. "Then what was it?" Blaine looked scared.
"You have Type 2 diabetes and you went into a diabetic coma. But you're okay now." Blaine eyes widened.
"Oh wow."
"Yes, wow. You really scared me."
"I'm sorry, I didn't know. I just...I...um...I mean, it runs in my family, I think my grandfather had it, but..." Kurt silenced his rambling with a kiss. "It's okay. I'm just so glad you're here."
The sound of the door opening made both of them turn their heads.
"Nice to see you awake, kid." Burt smiled and he walked closer and ruffled Blaine's hair. "That was some scare you gave us."
"Sorry, Burt." Blaine smiled. "I'll try not to make a habit of it."
"You better not!" Kurt swatted his arm and all three men laughed.
"So, when do I get out of here?" Blaine asked.
"According to the doc, you get to go home as soon as they give you a crash course in diabetes and you learn to prick yourself with the needle." Burt knew he had said too much when Blaine went three shades paler.
"The...what...?" Blaine blurted, his eyes as big as saucers. And that's when everyone in the room remembered Blaine's fear of needles. It turned out not to be much of a problem though. Blaine was a quick learner and obsorbed everything the doctor told him, he quickly mastered the epipen too, though he knew he would never grow to like it and 2 days later he was released.
Kurt and Blaine had the apartment to themselves that night seeing as Burt was on a date with Carole, the nurse. They were both happy for him and hoped it would lead to more. But as Kurt walked in he was immediately struck with images of what had happened and his breathing picked up. He sidestepped the mess on the floor where his bag had been ransacked, trying not to look at it. Trying to push it all from his mind. It was impossible though. And when they got to the bedroom and Blaine threw himself down on it, Kurt hands started shaking. Blaine almost died on that bed. Blaine did die and he still hadn't told Blaine that fact. His vision blurred and he nearly passed out. His husband was in front of him in no time though sensing his distress, but Kurt wouldn't look at him.
"Kurt? Hey, baby. What's wrong? Why won't you look at me? You haven't really looked at me since I woke up. I know something is wrong." When Kurt opened his eyes he couldn't hold back the tears. Or the truth.
"You died. That's what's wrong, Blaine." He held his hands up to his face trying to quiet his sobbing and avoid Blaine's worried gaze, but Blaine wouldn't let him. He took his hands and made Kurt look at him.
"Don't hide from me. Please. It hurts me when you do that. Now, what are you talking about? Kurt, I am right here. I'm not dead."
"You stopped breathing on that bed!" He pointed angrily at it as if it had personally offended him. "And you died in the fucking ambulance! Right in front of me! They had to zap you to get you back, Blaine!" He wiped at his eyes while a stunned Blaine just stared. "And I keep seeing it in my head, I keep thinking about it. I almost lost you! How dare you almost leave me like that!?" He started hitting Blaine's chest as irrational anger took over, but Blaine just held him tight as they both sank to the floor.
"Shhh, honey. Shhh. Let it out. Just let it out. I'm sorry." Blaine whispered and he stroked Kurt's hair while the other man held on to him for dear life. Blaine had no idea things had been so serious. As Kurt began to relay all the details of what he went though: what they both went through, a part of him was angry that Kurt hadn't told him right away, but a bigger part of him knew why. He also knew that they both probably had a lot of therapy in their futures to help them deal with this, but they would get through it together. He had no doubt. After a while Kurt stopped crying and began apologizing, at that point Blaine assured him he there was no reason for that.
"Kurt, you have nothing to apologize for."
"I almost left you, Blaine." And again Kurt wouldn't meet his gaze. "I'm the worst husband in the world."
"Is that why you won't look at me? Guilt?" Blaine asked and Kurt's silence told him everything he needed to know. "Oh Kurt, honey. No. Don't do this to yourself. Listen to me. You are the best husband in the world. You saved my life, baby. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't be here right now. And I am eternally grateful for that. For you. No matter how long I live I'll never be able to repay you. But I promise. I'll never leave you, I will always be here for you, Mr. Anderson-Hummel."
"Hummel-Anderson." Kurt corrected smiling through his tears because Blaine was still here to play this game with and Blaine chuckled because some things just never changed. And thank goodness they didn't. Then he leaned in and kissed his husband senseless. After a long and needed makeout session they moved to the bed and made love. It was in the afterglow Blaine finally worked up the courage to ask.
"Kurt? You awake, babe?"
"Mmm." Kurt drowsily answered, he always got so sleepy after sex. Blaine found it adorable.
"Did you by any chance sing Come What May to me in the hospital or did I make it all up in my head?" That made Kurt take notice and sit up.
"You heard that?" He asked astonished.
"I guess I did." Blaine mused. "I wasn't sure it was real until right now."
"That's...wow." Kurt stared off into space with a contemplative look on his face. Blaine just watched him and as he took in all of his husband's beauty he came to a realization.
"Not really." He said and smiled that smile that told Kurt that something incredibly corny was about to come out of his husbands mouth, he wasn't disappointed. "I'll always hear you, Kurt. No matter where I am. Your voice will always reach me." Kurt snorted.
"You are such a dork, honey." Kurt still couldn't help but smile big though. The smile that showed his teeth, the one Blaine loved the most.
"I'm your dork, though." Blaine winked and leaned in.
"That you certainly are." Kurt readily agreed as he met his husband halfway for a kiss that took both their breaths away - and when they resurfaced for air Blaine had a serious expression on his face, all traces of joking gone.
"Come what may, Mr. Anderson-Hummel?" He asked with glowing eyes as he let his forehead come to rest against Kurt's. Kurt smiled. "Come what may, Mr. Hummel-Anderson. Come what may." And they both knew everything would be okay now, because despite all they had just been through they still had each other. Fearlessly and forever.