Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan, and Brad Falchuck do, and don't they just love to run it in our faces.
A/N; Hello friends who I have yet to meet, it's only me: Mancocoo. :) I've come with a brand spanking-new chapter for you wonderful people! I hope there are people still reading this... maybe.
I just want to talk about the fact the fact that the New Directions didn't win their Sectionals. I'm sorry, WHAT. There has to be a catch, they any just not go to Nationals. Then Kurt got into NYADA- BEAUTIFUL. And now all we have to do is get through this Paul/Adam character Kurt love interest and we are in the clear!
Anyway, here's my update. Love you all ;)
The waiting room was eerily quiet. Blaine thought being in a hospital waiting room would be hectic—people scurrying in and out, hysterical family members, screaming children, even screaming adults—but there was nothing of the sort. Aside from him, there was one other family; a mother and father, and a small boy. He'd watched them enter the hospital with their daughter, who was treated for a broken wrist.
Miss. Clarke was originally going to accompany Carson in the ambulance, but Blaine insisted that she needed to stay for the other students' sake. The ride to the hospital was a mess. Carson remained unresponsive the entire time as the paramedics grilled Blaine with question after question; Full name and age? How long has she been unconscious? Does she have previous history of fainting? When did she last eat? Does she have any pre-existing conditions? Have you reached her guardian yet?
Blaine wasn't able to answer most of them, so they told him to simply stay quiet while they worked. They'd gotten her to the hospital in only a few minutes, and then he was ushered to the sitting room. So there Blaine sat, hunched back in the felted seats, hands clasped together, his chin resting on his fist.
He tapped his feet back and forth aimlessly, glancing around at the pale blue walls. If he had no morals, Blaine would've wished for some sort of action or excitement to burst into the waiting room. Then, as if by magic, a man rushed through the entrance doors, sprinting to the front desk. He wore tight, navy blue jeans and a grey blazer with three gold buttons holding it closed. A white scarf laced around his neck, but Blaine couldn't get a good look at his face; he moved to the counter and began to speak. "I'm here for Carson Hummel, I'm her father," he blurted out, panting from the run across the parking lot, most likely. "Where's is she," he demanded, "Where is my baby?"
The woman behind the desk looked up from behind her glasses resting on the bridge of her nose, an irritated expression plagued her face. "Sir, as of right now I don't have any information for you. So, if you would be so kind as to take a seat and wait, I'd be glad to assist you when I'm finished with my work," she spat, a fake smile spread across her lips.
"You want me to wait to hear if my daughter isdead or alive? Look," he squinted, reading the name tag pinned to the woman's shirt, "Tanya, we have been to hell and back with our lives in the past six months, and what I don't need is you giving me that prissy, inconsiderate attitude of yours. So either you put a smile on your face and lead me to my little girl, or we are going to have big problems," he snarled, and the woman's sat stiffly, her eyes wide and frightened. The man leaned in, coming within dangerous range of her. "That's a threat and a promise."
She gulped audibly and stood, rushing to the back counter and out the door. The man snorted impatiently, fists clenched. The woman, Tanya, darted back hastily. She sat back in her chair and spoke, "You're daughter is with Dr. Collins, sir, to repair a laceration to the back of her head. Afterward, she'll be sent to the Radiation room for an MRI, to check for any brain damage. I can't let you back with Dr. Collins in the middle of the procedure, though, so would you mind waiting, Mr. Hummel?" she said calmly, but she was obviously terrified.
He shook his head, "Fine, I'll wait. Thank you so much," the words dripped with sarcasm, and he turned to sit.
Blaine stood and gasped inwardly when he saw who the man was. Hummel. Carson Hummel. How had he not noticed? She'd been in his class for three months and he never noticed. Taking a step forward, Blaine clears his throat. "Excuse me, Mr. Hummel?" The man looked up, and blinked rapidly when he saw Blaine. His hand crawled up to his mouth, and he gasped breathily.
"Blaine Anderson?" Blaine nodded his head, half-smiling.
"Hey Kurt, it's been long time."
Kurt shook his head in disbelief. "What in God's name are you doing in Lima? Last I heard, you were off to Los Angeles!"
Blaine laughed, "Yeah, that worked for a little bit. I went to college, got my degree in teaching, and here I am."
"Yeah, there you are."
The two stood awkwardly, not knowing what to say. Blaine eyed Kurt hungrily, noticing the change in his appearance. His styled had matured, but it still had a Kurt-essence. To add, Kurt was more filled, his arms were slim in his blazer, but more defined than Blaine had recalled. Kurt hadn't gotten much taller, and his hair was done differently; coiffed to the side, slightly bowing off his head. Nonetheless, he was still as breathtakingly beautiful as Blaine remembered.
Kurt snapped Blaine from his thoughts, and Blaine was grateful for it. Given another ten seconds of hopelessly staring, he probably would've begun to drool. "Degree in teaching? You're a teacher? Of what?" Blaine winced slightly at the disbelief in Kurt's voice. Kurt scrunched his face regrettably. "I didn't mean it like that."
Blaming nodded once. "Music," he said plainly, and Kurt smiled.
"I'm sure your students love you. My daughter, Carson, she took a music course at McKinley, it's her favorite class. She said the teacher always goofs up, but she likes him, 'says it makes him seem more human..." Kurt trailed off, hurt warming over his eyes.
Blaine chuckled heartily, "Yeah, I can never get any of my songs right for that class."
Kurt's head snapped up. "What?"
Blaine opened his mouth, wordlessly, giving Kurt a confused look. "I said, I can never get any-"
"No, I heard you the first time. I mean, you're Carson's teacher?"
Blaine cocked his head to the side, narrowing his eyes. "Yeah. I teach at McKinley; Grade 9 Instrumental Instruction."
"But she never said- wow, that's crazy."
"Yeah, crazy."
Kurt's eyebrows furrowed, clearly in deep thought. "Wait, so you teach at McKinley, and my daughter goes to McKinley. You're here, and my daughter's here..." He continued to connect the dots, not fully understanding.
"You're daughter passed out in my classroom, Kurt."
Kurt's eyebrows rise and he began to sputter out, "Oh my God, you came here with her!" Kurt cupped his hand over his mouth, "Oh my god, what happened? The school wouldn't tell me what was wrong with her- they just said she's here at the hospital. Then the woman behind the counter said she's got a gash on her head, and you just said she fainted and- oh God, what the hell happened?
Blaine sighed and gently began leading Kurt into a chair with a comforting hand "Come sit, I'll explain everything." Kurt sniffled and exhaled deeply, rubbing his hands down his face as he plumped down in a hospital chair. Blaine tenderly sat next to him, never removing his hand from Kurt's back. He savored the small contact, having not heard from or about Kurt in years.
Not taking his eyes off the floor, Kurt muttered urgently, "What happened?"
"Well, I was covering Quinn's class and your daughter-"
Kurt's eyes widened and he looked over to Blaine, "Quinn Fabray?"
Nodding, Blaine smiled. "Yeah, she teaches the Sex Education class. She's great."
Kurt grinned, chucking to himself. "I always told her she'd end up working with kids. She never believed me, but I always knew. I remember tricking her into taking that parenting class senior year; her reaction when she found out was priceless. She was so pissed at me, but it was totally worth the constant guilt trips. Her face just sparkled when she found out we'd be watching the kids at that daycare. I just knew it." His eyes wondered off, his face softening at the memory. "I would adore to see her again..."
"You can, she's Carson's teacher, too. I'm sure you're bound to meet up with her." Kurt nodded, and gestured for Blaine to continue. "Right, so I was covering for Quinn, and Carson raised her hand for a question and asked- uh, well she wanted to know about, uhm," Blaine rubbed his hands down his clothed thighs, not knowing how to tell Kurt his daughter inquired about sex.
Kurt raised an eyebrow questionably. "What?"
"She asked about gay sex." He murmured, but Kurt heard him perfectly clear.
He barked out a laugh, leaning over in his chair and grasping his stomach. Blaine watched with confusion as Kurt continued to huff out amusedly, his eyes watering a little. "Oh, oh that's great," he said, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "That's Carson for you, straight to the point. Wow, I needed that laugh." Blaine smiled ear to ear at Kurt's delighted expression. He always told Kurt his smile was his most magical feature.
"Yeah, I was a little taken back, because she usually doesn't talk all that much. I thought it was great she felt comfortable asking about it, but a few boys in the class didn't appreciate her honesty as much."
Kurt's smile immediately dropped. "What do you mean?"
"They started teasing her."
It took every nerve, bone, and muscle in Blaine's body to stop him for reaching over and enveloping Kurt in a comforting hug. Because the look on Kurt's face was absolutely, heart-wrenchingly crushing. Kurt turned his head, closing his eyes in frustration. "What did they say?"
Blaine frowned, both men knowing the answer. It was because you're gay, but Blaine didn't have the heart to tell Kurt that. Kurt would blame himself, and beat himself up for it.
"It was because of me, right?"
"Don't take it out on yourself- it's not your fault."
"But it is," Kurt said gritted teeth. "It's my fault she's bullied. It's my fault she can't have friends over because their parents don't trust me. It's my fault she's afraid to take the bus home because of what they might do to her. It's my entire fault. If I wasn't who I am, she would have an easier life. If I just wasn't so-"
"Stop it, Kurt!"
His mouth clamped shut, and he glanced at his feet. Blaine looked at him in disbelief. "What happened to you, Kurt? Fifteen years ago, the Kurt I knew wouldn't give a couple homophobes the satisfaction of breaking him. He would've told them to fuck off, not let them win! You were so proud of who you were, Kurt, and that is one of the biggest reasons why everyone admired you."
"Yeah, getting tossed in dumpsters everyday shows real appreciation. Just keep going, Blaine."
Blaine's face sagged sadly as he sighed. "Well, I asked her to stay after class so we could talk about it, but she basically put her fingers in her ears and started singing. She said everything was fine, and she was dealing. She went to leave, and she just dropped." Kurt shuddered, clenching his eyes shut. "I tried to catch her, Kurt, I swear, but I wasn't fast enough. She hit her head because I wasn't fast enough." Blaine balled his hands into fists. Kurt reached across his lap and placed his hand atop of Blaine's.
"Now, don't you go and start blaming yourself. If it's not my fault, it's definitely not yours."
Blaine chuckled, "Yeah, I guess. Anyway, she gashed her head on the door stop. She could've have fallen anywhere else and just hit the floor, but of course her head found that one inch poking up from the tile. I didn't know what to do. I've had students faint before, but they always would wake up a few seconds later; Carson just didn't. So, I just held her. I kept telling her she'd be okay, but I think I was more or less trying to comfort myself. Then the paramedics came and now, here I am; waiting for any news."
Kurt smiled sadly, his eyes brimming with tears. "Thank you, Blaine. If anything, I'm glad you were there with her. Thank you. I just- I can't thank you enough. Thank you." He leaned across the arm of his chair and enveloped Blaine in a warm hug. Catching him by surprise, Blaine's eyes widened, but he smiled and wrapped his arms around Kurt, resting his chin on Kurt's shoulder. The musky vanilla smell of Kurt's cologne radiated off Kurt's body. It was still just the same as Blaine remembered. He milked in the aroma, letting the fond thoughts of Kurt performing his morning routine flush in his mind; Kurt sitting on his felted stool in front of his mirror, smiling at Blaine as he smoothed in his moisturizer over his cheek.
All to soon, though, Kurt pulled back, letting his hands drop to his lap. They locked eyes for a moment, and it felt like if they looked away, the world would explode right then; and for the sake of the planet's entire population, they just had to continue staring.
"Hummel, Carson?"
The rough voice of a doctor broke the ex-lovers from their gaze, causing them to blush profusely. They both rose from their seats and hustled over to the doctor, who held a clipboard in his hands. His wavy blonde hair was slightly gelled back and combed. He had bright blue eyes and crisp white teeth. Sea-foam green scrubs hung over his body, and a long, white coat lay atop them. He looked slightly aged, maybe mid-forties. "I'm her father, Kurt Hummel," Kurt said, toying with his hands nervously. Blaine took a step behind him, anxiously waiting for the doctor to speak. "Hello, I'm Dr. Collins. I worked on your daughter," he said with a friendly smile.
"Where is she? Tell me she's okay."
"Mr. Hummel, I can assure you she's alright. Though, your daughter gave us quite a scare. When she arrived here, her blood pressure was far below average for her age. Carson was also severely dehydrated and had one of our nurses check her records for any history of anemia, and it showed she had inherited the disease from her biological father," Dr. Collins squinted at his clipboard, "A Bradley Rosen?"
Kurt nodded slowly, "My husband, yes," he said at barely a whisper. Blaine's eyes widened behind him, jealousy creeping up his neck.
"Yes, because of her condition, there was a significant amount of blood loss from the laceration on her head, which is why she still hasn't regained consciousness. The paramedic's report also stated that CPR was performed in order to revive her on her way to the hospital."
Kurt turned to Blaine, looking terrified. Blaine only chewed the inside of his lip, his triangular eyebrows eyebrows flattening sadly.
"We have her stable now, Mr. Hummel. Her immune system was also fairly weak, which we believe is from exhaustion and malnutrition over an extended period of time. How well has she been sleeping, Mr. Hummel?"
Kurt sighed, "From what I gather, not at all. We've both been under a lot of stress lately. Sleeping has probably been the last thing on our minds."
"That's very unhealthy, Mr. Hummel. As your daughter begins to enter stages of puberty, sleep is a necessity. Carson needs at least eight full hours of sleep each night. To ensure she gets the rest needed, we would like to prescribe to her anti-anxiety pills, or even a strong sedative pill for the night, with your consent."
"Anything to get her back on her feet. She's been living-death the past few months."
Dr. Collins nodded sympathetically. "I'm sure it's been rough. It is recorded that her father recently passed? I'm very sorry, Mr. Hummel. My partner passed three years back; I understand how hard the first year can be. I was a wreck afterward. It still catches up to me sometimes, but it'll get better; just give it time." He held Kurt's shoulder and nodded encouragingly.
Kurt gulped. "I can only hope." He said plainly. Blaine's heart sank in his chest. Kurt was married, and they'd had a child together.!But more importantly, his husband had died. Kurt was a widower, and Carson had lost her father. Blaine felt a sudden pang of guilt wash over his body, guilt and pity.
"You can see her now. She is still unconscious, but you can be with her."
"Thanks, Dr. Collins." The doctor nodded and walked off down the hallway he had come from. Kurt spinner around to face Blaine, who had stayed quiet throughout the entire conversation.
"Thanks for everything, Blaine. For being there for Carson," he looked into Blaine's eyes, "and for being there for me. You've been wonderful, and it's great to hear from you again. I just can't thank you enough." He smiled at Blaine, who was seemingly confused.
"Why do you sound like you're saying goodbye," he said defeatedly.
Kurt fumbled, "I-Ijust thought- you've been here for so long, and you probably want to get home. I just meant that you- you don't have to stay here."
"I want to. Carson is a fantastic student, and now I'm an even bigger fan knowing she's yours. I want to make sure she's okay." Blaine smiled at Kurt, and Kurt nodded hesitantly, turning to the front desk.
They asked the nurse where Carson's room was, and then walked to her side by side. Kurt reached her room and froze, Blaine giving a small shove and the door popped open. Kurt gasped quietly, and Blaine patted his back, comfortingly. "My baby," Kurt let out at barely a whisper.
He walked over and sat in the chair beside Carson's bed while Blaine sat in the chair adjacent. Kurt took Carson's hand in his and whispered, "Hey, Cheeks," Blaine grinned fondly at the nickname. "It's Daddy. You're going to get better now, okay? Can you hear me, baby? We're going to get through this. We're going to get better together. I'm here now, and I'm not leaving you alone, okay?" He paused, waiting for an answer. Kurt guided Carson's hand to his lips and his eyes clamped shut.
Blaine gawked at the connection between father and daughter, almost envying them. Blaine had always wanted children someday, and hoped the relationship with his kids would be that of Kurt and Carson's.
But there was only one man Blaine could think of whom he would ever want to raise a child with; Kurt.
A pained groan sounded quietly through out the full hospital room. Blaine jolted out of his half-asleep haze, sitting up in his chair and taking Carson's hand gently. "Carson? Can you hear me?"
Another groan pushed from her chest and she spoke groggily, "Dad?"
"No," Blaine said softly to avoid startling her. "It's me, Mr. Anderson. How are you feeling, sweetheart?"
Her eyes shot open in shock, "Mr. Anderson? What are you doing here? Where I am? Where's my dad?" Carson bolted up and yelped, throwing her hand to her forehead as she hissed.
Blaine pushed her back slowly, "Woah, don't sit up so fast. You've got a serious concussion, you'll make your blood pressure drop again; they've been trying to regulate it for a while. Just breathe with me, Carson- in and out."
He inhaled then exhaled as example, and Carson cannoned the action. She eased back onto the bed and let her eyes close, shivering lightly. "Are you cold? I can go ask the nurse for another blanket-"
"I'm trying to adjust. Just give me a second."
Blaine nodded and pulled his chair closer to the bed, crossing his arms and resting them on the edge of it.
She sighed then peeled her eyes open again. "Better?" Blaine asked, and she only shrugged lamely.
"So, your dad went home for a little. We've been here all night and he was getting antsy, so I told him to go home and shower, get something to eat- I was cool with chilling here. It took some convincing, but he'll be back soon."
"All night? What time is it?"
Blaine glanced down at his watch, "Well, it's about two o'clock in the morning. You and I arrived at the hospital around twelve in the afternoon by ambulance yesterday and your dad got here about a half hour later. But he didn't leave your side until an hour ago when I sent him home. I told him to get some clothes and stuff for you in order convince him. He was starting to think you'd gone into a coma or something. I had to give him some time to relax. We've both been pretty worried, actually."
She tilted her head to the side, her eyes curious. "We? Why did you stay?"
He raised his hands in innocence, "Hey, you're the one who passed out while under my supervision. I had to make sure you made it through or else I'd have a nasty court case on my ass." Her eyes popped and Blaine smacked a hand over his mouth, mumbling, "Prtnd you dnt hear tht!"
She tried to laugh then winced, feeling her head throb. "Ouch."
Blaine dropped his hand and patted it over hers. "I know, kiddo, believe me. It'll pass with the meds. Take it from someone who has had many concussions in his day." He smiled at her and she groaned again.
"This bites."
"Do you want me to call a nurse? You're supposed to already be on medication. They said that you wouldn't feel anything when you woke up." Blaine frowned when Carson shrugged
"I'll live."
He hesitated, but sighed, sitting back in his chair and intertwined his fingers, resting them on his lap. "So, Carson, I suggest you get comfortable. We've got a long conversation ahead of us that you would probably rather have with me, and not your dad. Am I right?"
She snorted and moved to rest on her side, facing away from Blaine. "Come on, Carson. I'm not playing this game with you. We have to talk about this." She shuffled further away and turned her face to lie in her pillow.
"We're not in school, you can't make me to do anything here."
She crossed we arms defensively, remained facing away from him, and Blaine only sighed deeply. "Look Carson, all I want to do is help. I know it's scary, but you have to learn to trust in some people. I'm here because I care, and I want to do everything I can to make you better. You can't keep shutting everyone out, it's just going to drive you insane."
Carson rolled over and looked at Blaine with teary eyes. The expression almost. made Blaine's heart collapse completely. "I'm sorry, Mr. Anderson. I just- it's hard."
Frowning, Blaine sat up back in his chair, sitting his elbows back on her bed. He hated seeing people cry; it made him feel incredibly guilty, especially when it was a child. "I know it's tough, sweetheart, but you have to try."
She let out a shaky breath and closed her eyes, nodding. "My dad's dead."
Blaine winced at her frankness. "I know, the doctor mentioned it. I'm so sorry."
She shrugged, "Yeah, everyone is. Anyway, he died six months back. So my dad, the one that's still alive, moved us back here over the summer. We're staying with my grandparents for now. At first, I was fine," Blaine popped his eyelids pointedly, and she let out a terse laugh. "Well obviously not fine, but I was better than I thought I'd be. I wasn't like, depressed or anything. It's more like- I don't know, like," She shook her head and tightened her eyebrows, searching for words. "It's like, I was pissed off."
Blaine nodded sympathetically, seeing the hurt in Carson's eyes as she recalled her feelings. Though strangely, it made him feel open, in a way- as if his student actually trusted him to hear about a time that must have beenso incredibly difficult.
"I was just so angry, you know? My dad- he was awesome. He was insanely smart, and funny and nice to everyone; he was always helping people, putting everyone else before himself, even if he'd never seen the person before."
She chuckled to herself. "I remember some days he'd come home like, a hundred bucks short. Turns out he'd donate it all the people on the street with the 'Hey, I'm dying, give me money!' signs. My dad got so mad, but we both couldn't help but to laugh because he was just so naïve." She smiled, but then her face stoned abruptly. Her eyes snapped shut and clenched her jaw.
"It's okay to talk about him, Carson. It's okay to smile about all the great times you guys had, and when he'd make you laugh. You don't have to-"
She cut him off, "No, it's not. Because all he did was see the good in people, and I know that's weird because he was a cop and all, but he was just this amazing bam- he's dead. Just like that! And yeah, I'm pissed; I'm so fucking pissed because it's not fair. We've got all this scum mucking up our world- racists, terrorists, murderers, rapists, homophobes, bullies, but my dad is the one who's dead, not those assholes, my dad. It's just so stupid."
Carson scoffed, gritting her teeth. "And then, there's all my friends, and therapists, and teachers telling me, 'It'll be alright, it'll get better,". Well, you know what? It's not getting any better. It's never going to get better because my dad is dead. He's dead, and there's nothing anyone can do about it; nothing. So you tell me; how the hell does that constitute as getting better? It doesn't, and it never will. Ever."
Carson then let go of every feeling she'd been hiding, and tears began to run down her face. She threw her head into her hands, hunching over. Sobs wrenched through her body viciously and Blaine felt his own tears brimming over his eyelids.
"It's- it's not w-worth it anymore. I don't want to b-be here, or anywhere." Blaine fell silent, his eyes widening. No, he thought, that's not what she meant. "I don't f-feel like I'm living, so what's the use in t-trying to."
"Oh my god," he breathes out. "You- you don't want to... die, do you?"
"I don't know, Mr. A." she said quietly between sobs.
Blaine hesitantly shifted up to sit aside Carson in her bed, enveloping her in his arms. She let her head fall into his chest and pulled a fist full of his shirt, and in seconds it was soaked with her tears. Blaine just held her firmly; one arm wrapped tight across her back and the other held her head to his chest, his cheek resting in her hair. She's been doing this to herself on purpose, he finally understood, she doesn't want to live, she wants to kill herself.
He shuddered, only grasping on to Carson tighter, desperately almost trying to hold her from floating away. He know what to do, and only thought that if he were in this situation, he would just want someone there- someone who didn't tell him it's be okay, just there to hold him, and let him cry. So, that's what he did. For a while, Carson just cried. She let out everything she been holding in for months; it all came out in one wet, jerky mess.
Her cries soon softened and she slowed her breathing, evening it out again. Her arms dragged under her nose and she sniffled; her eyes were red and swollen. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to cry. I-I'm sorry," she choked out, clearing her throat. Blaine sighed inwardly at the tight and dry sound of her voice. He pulled back from Carson slightly and rested us hand on her shoulders.
"Carson, please don't apologize for crying. It's human; it's not something to be sorry about."
"I don't cry anymore."
Then, something within Blaine clicked. It had only then occurred to Blaine how isolated Carson actually must have felt. Up to that point, no one in his family, or even a close friend, for that matter, had died. He realized that he didn't understand, and for the first time, he had no idea how to help someone.
Staring pitifully, Blaine let out a long breath, saying, "I have to be honest with you, Carson." She tipped her ear to the side slightly, clenching her jaw. "I don't know how you're feeling right now. But I can try to understand, and what I do know, is that holding everything in for so long isn't healthy; mentally or physically. You- you're borderline suicidal." Blaine said the past part as tenderly as he possibly could, not wanting to set Carson off again.
"I... I can't deny that," she said, and Blainecould almost hear embarrassment and terror in her voice. "I've thought about it- just ending everything."
Blaine choked out a sob, losing all the strength and composure he'd been trying to muster up. "Oh God, Carson no."
She sniffled and finally brought her gaze up to Blaine, who had tears of his own now flushing down his cheeks. "Why are y-you crying?"
He squeezed her into his chest again, crying into her hair softly. "Because you don't understand. You don't get that if you killed yourself, so many people would miss you."
She whispered through another gush of tears, "No, no one would."
Blaine pulled her face up to look at him, cradling her face in his hands. "Carson, don't you believe that for a second," he said sternly, "Don't. You are worth so much more than you know, sweetheart. You father would miss you, your grandparents, your friends, your teachers, me."
She hiccuped and sighed, letting her eyes slip closed. Carson looked absolutely exhausted. "Please don't say anything to my dad. Please."
Blaine sighed, "You are eating yourself alive, and fainting during school is just the beginning." Blaine paused, letting the heavy atmosphere melt between them. "Do you realize how close we were to losing you?"
Pulling away from Blaine slowly, Carson shook her head. "Carson, y-you could have died."
Then, Carson's tone changed. She stiffened at his words, rotating her head to face him. Her face was cold, but innocent at the same time. "No," she huffed out anxiously, "That's total crap. All I did was faint, for crying out loud! I bashed up my head, yeah, but a couple stitches didn't save my life."
"No, a couple of doctors saved your life." Her eyes narrowed, clearly not believing Blaine. As he sighed, Blaine shifted on the bed slightly, pausing before looking at Carson. His expression read nothing but seriousness, and it almost scared Carson because that look only made an appearance when he was upset of angry at one of her classmates.
"Carson, you fainted because your body was exhausted. You were dehydrated, your blood pressure was way too low- you were a shell of a person, with all the blood you lost- I don't know whatcould have happened if the paramedics had arrived even two minutes later. I actually ended up shooting home myself for a little so I could change out of my clothes, "he gestured down to his deep blue, long sleeve shirt and fresh denim jeans, "I was soaked with your blood, Carson."
Gulping, she breathed out "I almost died,"
"This situation was much more serious than you know. I don't think I've ever seen your father so absolutely petrified before."
Her head cocked slightly and she narrowed her eyes confusedly, "But you only just met my father?"
Blaine froze, unsure of what to say. He wasn't sure if Kurt wanted Carson to know about their past together, so he decided to leave the decision if telling her up to Kurt. He thought quick on his feet, "I spoke with him briefly at conferences last year. He stopped by my room that morning. And judging by the man I met, I'm sure he has only been so terrified few times in his life."
"Whatever."
"Carson," Blaine paused, hoping Carson wouldn't shut him out with his next statement, "I bet he had the same look and feeling as he does now back when your father died."
Much to Blaine's surprise, his comment made Carson soften. She uncrossed her arms and settled back in her bad comfortably. "You're right. I'm sorry, Mr. Anderson. I just can't let-"
"Oh Carson, good you're awake." Dr. Collins' voice rang out from the door, both student and teacher exchange a glacé that said the conversation would have to wait. "Uh oh, I see puffy eyes. Looks like someone's had a heart-to-heart."
Carson winced and seethed out, "Dude, please don't talk that loud. My head feels like it's been smashed between like, a thousand rocks. What happened to the meds, doc? Don't you have any steroids or something to mess me up? What, no medical marijuana in Ohio yet?"
Dr. Collins smiled, chuckling. "Somehow you sound exactly how I imagined you would. Just as sassy and sarcastic as your father has been."
A quiet scoff came from the girl, and Blaine nudged her with elbow, whispering out of the corner of his mouth, "Give him some credit, Carson. He did save your life, after all."
"Yeah, yeah. So Doc, what's my diagnosis? How long do I have to live? I need at least a month, the Grey's Anatomy Reunion season premiere is coming up," she quipped. Blaine rolled his eyes at her and Dr. Collins let out a barking laugh.
"Kid's these days, huh?" Nodding, Blaine smiled sheepishly. It surprised Blaine how different and loose Carson was outside of class. The girl her met on the first day of school back in September was the complete opposite of the girl he was now sitting next to. Dr. Collins flipped through the papers on his clipboard, saying, "Well Carson, I think it's safe to say your body's good as new."
Her eyes lit up, "Can I leave?"
"Well, not quite," her shoulders sank and she sighed with disappointment. "We would like you to stay just a little while longer for some other testing."
"Testing," Blaine interjected. "You just said she's fine. What kind of testing does she need?"
"That's something I would like to talk to her father about, actually."
Blaine narrowed his eyes, "Well, her father has stepped out. Is it not something I am entitled to know? He did leave Carson in my care for the moment-"
"He left Carson in the hospital's care, sir."
Anger suddenly filled Blaine's senses and he stood, beginning to walk toward Dr. Collins, but he was beat to the punch when Carson spoke up. "Excuse me doctor, but Mr. Anderson has done more for me both physically and emotionally in the past day than anyone else has in months. I mean, he's only my teacher, for Christ's sake, and he's still here with me to make sure I'm okay. If you have anything to say to me or my father, you damn right better believe you can say it in front of him."
Both men starred at Carson as she puffed out her chest. Blaine's heart did flips in his chest. Carson trusted him.
Dr. Collins kept an unamused face; the nurse behind him watched with wide eyes. "Well Carson that's not our policy."
"Oh, screw your policy, and screw yourdamn evaluations. I bet I could go online and take the same stupid test for free and it would still probably give me a better reading than you." Blaine gaped at Carson, and the look she was giving the doctor- Thank god we're in a hospital, he thought, because if looks could kill...
Carson then nodded, crossing her arms. "You know what? I think I'm about ready to leave. What about you, Mr. A?"
He stuttered, not knowing where Carson was taking this conversation. "Uh, I'm ready to leave when you are, I guess."
"Good. I think I'm going to call my dad and have in sign me out of this nut house."
It was clear that Dr. Collins was very aggravated. His cheeks were flushed a hot red and his knuckles white as they clutched to shis clipboard. He took a deep breath and exhaled, putting on a fake grin. "Very well then, Miss. Hummel. If you wish against what our hospital as the opportunity to offer than I suppose I can't change your mind. As soon as your father is here to sign you out, you may leave."
"Well thanks a lot, Doc."
Dr. Collins left the room, the nurse trailing behind him. She shut the door and then the teacher and student were left alone again.
There was a long pause where neither of them spoke. Blaine turned to face her and he watched Carson, wondering if he had done something to anger the girl. She didn't move from her position; her arms were crossed against her body and she eyed the blanket at the end on the bed. But she doesn't look angry, Blaine thought, and she didn't. She had a neutral look on her face, not thrilled, but not upset. Like she was deep in thought, or something. Her face was calm, and the longer she remained still, the more apprehensive Blaine got, thinking she'd possibly gone into some sort of shock.
The silence only led on for a short while longer, until Blaine was first to speak. "You didn't have to do that, Carson. We could have just waited for your dad."
She glanced over to him, and he let out a small breath of relief when Carson finally responded; she leaned back into her pillow and sighed. Her eyes trailed up to the ceiling, "You know, I've been bashed about my dad's my whole life, but not one of my teachers ever said anything. Not one," she turned to Blaine and eyed him curiously. "Except you. Nobody saw how people really treated me. Expect you. Out of every teacher, principal, librarian, hell, even myfriends, nobody even asked me if I was okay. But then you did yesterday. And it wasn't fake, like it was your job to ask me. It was like you actually cared. I can't explain it. I mean, that was different for me. Then you stayed with me here at the hospital- I don't know, you're just different from everybody else. You're more human; you really do care."
Blaine smiled w, feeling an overwhelming sensation of warmth cloud his senses. He shook his head, "I just- I get it. I get what you're going through, because I went through it, too."
She popped her eyelids in shock. "Your dads are gay, too? God, first Rachel, and now you! Where the hell did all you people grow up?"
Blaine chuckled lightly, "No, no. My parents aren't gay- I am.
Her posture perked and she jerked her head in disbelief. Carson's eyes were like a deer's caught in headlights, and her jaw almost hit the floor with a smack. "Shut the front door, no kidding? You're gay? There's no way! You're so, you're so-"
"Dull?"
"Straight."
He scoffed with a smile, "It's the same reaction with every person I tell! Why is it so hard to believe?"
"Because the only things even remotely gayabout you are those saddle shoes you wear with the white soles, and all your bowties!"
Blaine threw his hand to his heart and feigned hurt. "I take offense to that! I thought you guys loved my bowties!"
"But you wear them every day!"
"My students never seemed to mind before!"
She rolled her eyes, "Well other than you're bowties and shoes, nothing about you says gay. Trust me; I've grown up with tons." She paused, laughing to herself.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing, you're just really oblivious." He cocked his head to the side, waiting for her to continue. She narrowed her eyes, "You don't see it?" Blaine only shrugged unknowingly. Carson let out a heartedly laugh. "Mr. Anderson, every girl in the entireclass is practically in love with you."
Blaine froze. A large gulp forced down his throat, and he inhaled slowly. "Really?"
"Yeah! That's all any of them can talk after your class. Hell, you're all any of them talk about after class, before class, during class-" Blaine raised his eyebrows, "It's a little weird. I think happen to believe they're obsessed."
"Wow."
"Yup," she said, popping the 'p' on her lips. The growing awkwardness was thick as it lingered through the room. Carson then asked, "Can I borrow your phone? I need to call my dad if I ever want a chance to get out of here."
"Oh, yeah. Yeah, sure." Blaine leaned back and went in his satchel, pulling out a smart phone with a blue case wrapped around it. He reached out to Carson, and she slipped the phone into her hand with a confused expression. As if Blaine read her mind, he responded, "It was in your pocket- the nurses gave it to me yesterday. Your dad told me to keep other with you just in case you woke and wanted it."
She nodded and pressed onto the touch screen, attempting to dial Kurt's phone number. But all too quickly, her head flushed with pain and her vision blurred a bit. "Whoa," she breathed out, and let her head fall back to her pillow.
She scrunched chef her eyelids together in pain, and Blaine was at her side in seconds. Leaning over the bed, he took his hand a out it to Carson's forehead. "Carson? Carson, what's wrong? Are you going to be sick? Is it your head? Talk to me, sweetheart. Do you want me to- should I go get the doctor? Here, let me go get you a glass of water. Just hold on a second and breath, okay? I'll be right-"
Her small hand flew out and blindly grasped Blaine's wrist. He jerked to a halt and twisted to face her. A long breath fell from her lips and she said, "Chill Mr. Anderson, you're almost as bad as what I imagine my dad's going to like when he gets here."
"What happened?"
Her hand dropped to her side and she breathed deeply again, distracting herself from the pain. "I got a head rush. I forgot that I smacked it pretty hard yesterday."
Blaine nodded, "Here," her reached for her hand and took the phone from her gently, "Let me call him."
"Speed dial one."
He brought it up to his ear saw Carson when her father's voice could be heard across the line. It was a small smile, but that Blaine remembered well, and it was one he'd cherished for years.