Hello! I am sorry for the wait. I am hoping my schedule will lighten up in about a week, though that might or might not happen. I really shouldn't have written this today ad yesterday. I have incredibly large amounts of work to do for Thursday. I cut this off sooner than I planned because I want to post this today. I hope you enjoy it!
Special thanks to those who put alerts on this story, and extra special thanks to my reviewers IWillBeWhereYouAre, lilycats, and Supermegafoxyawesomehot7.
If you haven't, I suggest you read Truth, Love, and Evolution.
I do not own glee.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Dimly, Kurt becomes aware of a small, nondescript room. He seems to be lying on a bed other than his own. He decides he liked his bed better. He starts to wonder where the beeping is coming from, but it requires too much effort so he drifts back into sleep.
Too tired to truly dream, he mostly wanders through a state quite close to unconsciousness. It's comfortable and soothing. For some reason, he hears a voice softly singing "Teenage Dream."
Initially, Kurt merely rests. As he gains strength memories return and he begins to fight the inevitability of waking up. It's a battle he needs to win: here is safe, but his body insists on betraying him by trying to leave the comforting space. He turns away from the light of eyelids attempting to open and buries himself in scenes of safety.
In one, his mother sings him to sleep. In another, his father carefully runs behind Kurt while teaching him to ride a bike. Next Finn takes his hands and leads Kurt in a dance at their parents' wedding. Burt and Carole look at the pair with astonishment and joy.
Then Kurt drifts into a scene longer than the others, where Blaine takes him by the hand and pulls him to a piano. Sing, Blaine's eyes encourage, nobody will hurt you here for being who you are. Sing something that you've wanted to sing but were too afraid to before. Kurt looks at him trustingly and lifts his voice into the beautiful song "Defying Gravity." Perhaps it's a cliché choice—he doesn't care.
The music swirls around him and Blaine, cloaking the pair in comfort and peace.
The world outside, however, insists on intruding. "Kurt? Wake up… please Kurt, you have to wake up."
The music continues to wrap around Kurt, but now it holds an air of hesitation. Kurt is torn. He knows—he just knows—that with the light comes pain. The pain drove him here, and though Kurt remains happy to stay here, he knows that for some reason he should not. He tries to forget the distant sense of unease. He lost some sort of fight in the other world, and it would be so much easier to stay here. He desperately, helplessly wants to stay here, in this place of safety and utter possibility.
A hand gently touches Kurt's cheek. Startled, Kurt focuses his eyes to see Blaine standing close in front of him. Blaine saves him from his indecision with the whisper Go on. Really. I'll be there with you. I'll help you stand up if you fall. Noticing Kurt's objection to the idea of falling, Blaine adds: It's easy to try so hard not to fall that you never take a step. Trust me?
Before he can change his mind, Kurt focuses on the sound of his father's voice. The sounds are his trail of breadcrumbs, and they lead him back to wakefulness.
. . . . . . . . .
He hears the beeping again. It sounds so harsh. It sounds like one of those TV shows when a character is in the hospital and friends and family wait anxiously for news. The beeps seem to symbolize all the sadness, dread, and painful hope that reside in hospitals. He wants them to stop.
Kurt notices that someone—his father?—has a desperate hold on his hand. The person's hand shakes like a leaf about to fall from its tree into a storm. Concerned, Kurt forgets about the incessant machine. He forces his eyes open. Initially, a confusing set of double images greets him. It gradually forms into a more recognizable scene: his father, head bowed, sits close beside Kurt's bed. Around him, only a couple chairs and a small window alleviate the stark whiteness of the room.
When Burt does not immediately notice Kurt's waking, Kurt attempts to say "Hi dad." It isn't a particularly ambitious attempt. Two words should be well within the realm of possibility. Apparently, a throat worn by shouts, screams, and disuse does not always adhere to the expected, as the words emerge as only a croak.
The croak still manages to fulfill its purpose: Burt whips around, relief replacing some of the fear and pain in his expression. "Kurt! How are you feeling?" Burt seems to realize the error in his question (of course Kurt doesn't feel well) and replaces it with "Do you need more pain meds?"
Most of Kurt's body was numb prior to the suggestion, but with the reminder the throbs and aches come roaring back. "Pain meds would be good," he manages. His voice is atrocious, but the words make their way out understandably.
"Don't worry son, I'll call in the nurse. I'm real glad you woke up Kurt, but I know you need your rest. Don't fight to stay awake or anything, okay?" Kurt nods as Burt continues, "I'm not going anywhere. You just try to relax and get better. I won't let anything happen to you. I swear."
"Dad? …" Kurt hesitates for a long moment before continuing. "What happened?"
"Mr. Schuester found you by the school dumpster. He called 911, then me. You we bleeding internally and have two broken ribs. At first, they weren't sure… they weren't sure if you were going to wake up. You've been asleep for two days, hon."
Kurt doesn't quite know how to process that. Sure, he's alive… but he almost wasn't. It's a lot to take in so suddenly, especially when already confused and scared.
"Who else is here?"
"The entire glee club has been in and out since you got here. Mr. Schuester comes as often as he can. Carole, Finn, and Mercedes are here now. Everybody's been distraught, but Mercedes most of all."
"Where's Blaine?" Kurt asks, with a tinge of panic creeping into his voice. The fear has already deeply rooted itself into his body. "He said… he said he would be here! Why? Why isn't he here, Dad?"
Burt reaches over and gently touches Kurt's shoulder, attempting to avoid the worst of the bruises. "Kurt, I don't know who Blaine is. I'll get him here, if you tell me how to contact him. How do you know him? Most of the school doesn't know about all this." His voice sounds calm, but Kurt knows it's an act meant to prevent him from panicking, or from panicking further. It's an act that fails miserably.
"But he should've called by now. He would've called right when I stopped responding to his texts. Wh-where's my phone?"
"Kurt, it's going to be okay," Burt says soothingly, though it has little effect, "when did you talk to him?"
"In… in the place. It was mostly dark, but he was there and he promised me."
Burt hopes this Blaine character isn't just a hallucination from when Kurt was unconscious. "Your phone is at home, I think. It was pretty much one of the last things on our minds. You forgot it when you went to school that day." Burt pauses, as if he isn't sure if his next question is a good idea. He sighs and asks, "Do you want to use my phone? To call him?"
Kurt takes a deep breath as some measure of calm returns. His voice shaking, he responds, "Y-yeah. Could you… could you tell Mercedes, Finn, and Carole I'm awake?"
With a timid smile, Burt pats Kurt on the shoulder, hands him his phone, and goes to walk out. "You going to be okay for a couple minutes?"
Kurt nods as he enters Blaine's cell phone number. "I'll be okay in a minute."
Burt smiles a little less hesitantly and reluctantly walks out. Kurt puts the phone to his ear, not quite understanding why it's so dreadfully important to talk to Blaine, to see Blaine. It just is. For now, he's willing to accept that.
Reviews greatly appreciated! They also get me to write despite threat of sleep deprivation. (Constructive criticism appreciated, but please no flames).
