Sorry for the delay in updating. It's exam season. Thanks again for the reviews. It's really appreciated.
- x - x - x -x- x- x- x- x- x- x- x- x
As the elevator pinged and the doors opened, Blaine could feel the tension coming from Kurt.
Grabbing his hand and giving it a squeeze, Blaine led the way along the hospital corridor towards Burt's room. Kurt peeked through the window of the door taking everything in, just as Blaine had done the night before. He let out an audible sigh of relief when his eyes rested on Burt.
Blaine took the first step to open the door and move inside, noting that Burt looked much as he had done the night before and that Carole was sat next to him asleep. Her head was resting on her arms, on the bed, her hand wrapped around Burt's.
Blaine couldn't help but smirk when his eyes spotted Finn in the opposite corner. Wedged between two plastic chairs and across their metal arms, he was scrunched up into a ball that you wouldn't think that his lanky form could mould to. Kurt's eyes had also moved in that direction and he was tilting his head horizontally, obviously curious about how he'd got into this position.
"He's been like that for about four hours." Both boys jumped at Carole's voice behind them and they turned to see her smiling at them. "He's not going to be able to move when he wakes up."
"Sorry Carole, did we wake you?" Blaine cringed.
"No boys, you're fine. I was just dozing."
She beckoned Kurt around to where she was sitting and moved up, so that he could have the seat nearest Burt. Kurt sat down nervously, his eyes not leaving his father.
"Is he... is he okay?"
Carole gave his hand a quick squeeze.
"He's fine sweetie. He's been asleep. He's stable and the doctor's are happy with his progress. He's quite heavily medicated, so they are not sure when he'll wake up, but he will."
Kurt just nodded, tears returning to his eyes.
"How are you?" Carole inquired. "Did you both manage to get some sleep?"
Kurt replied "A little". He bit his bottom lip before he continued. "Did they say why this happened? I mean, I was making sure he was eating properly and he'd cut back his hours at work..." The pitch of his voice was getting higher and higher.
Blaine wanted to intervene and to try to comfort Kurt, but he knew this was something that he needed to hear from Carole.
"Honey, you've done everything you can. We both have. Hell, I never thought you'd ever manage to get Burt to eat 'that rabbit food' as he calls it."
Kurt nodded, with a sigh.
"Are you doing okay sweetie? It was a pretty scary night."
Kurt's lip trembled. "I thought that he was dying."
Carole, had tears in her eyes now as well. "Me too hun. Me too."
Blaine felt both helpless and like he was intruding on a private moment.
After a few moments of silence, Carole squeezed Kurt's hand again to pull him from his thoughts. "You know what though? He made it. He's still here and we're going to get him fighting fit again. No matter how much fussing that takes" she added with a smile and a wink at Kurt.
The corners of Kurt's mouth turned up at that and he looked at Blaine when he spoke. "I'll expect we'll have a challenge on our hands there. We might have to recruit Finn and Blaine to help."
Blaine was happy to see a smile on Kurt's face, no matter how small, but he wasn't going to get drawn into this task.
Whispering conspiratorially, as if might wake Burt up, Blaine replied. "Kurt, I'm really very fond of your Dad, but it doesn't mean that I'm not still slightly terrified of his wrath. You both have my full support... but from a comfortable distance on the sidelines."
At this, Carole laughed, which prompted a commotion on the other side of the room, as Finn's head jerked up. "Ww...what's happening?" He tried to get up out of the seats quickly, but his feet were caught around the arm of the chair. He fell on the floor first, before scrambling to his feet, leaning heavily on one leg. The one that must have not had pins and needles.
Blaine had noted before how Finn would often have a confused look about him, but this current one was a cross between a deer caught in headlights and a wounded puppy. His eyes were darting around the room from Burt, to Kurt, to his Mom, whilst his mouth was opening and closing like a goldfish.
Kurt's smile had got bigger and Carole's laugh louder, but her hand rose to reassure Finn at the same time.
"Nothing's happening Finn. Burt's absolutely fine hun. Don't panic."
Finn still looked baffled but he let out a relieved sigh.
Taking advantage of the lighter atmosphere in the room, Blaine spoke up. "Why don't I go and get us all some coffee?"
"That's sweet of you Blaine, but let me go. I could do with stretching my legs. Plus, I can see if I can find someone to give us an update."
Carole stood, gave Burt a kiss on the forehead and left the room, followed closely by Finn. He looked like he needed the caffeine the most.
Kurt's eyes moved briefly to his father and then back to Blaine. Hesitating slightly, he held out his hand.
Blaine moved around to the seat vacated by Carole and took Kurt's outstretched hand, planting a soft kiss on the side of his head at the same time.
"You okay?"
Kurt shrugged. "Yeah I'm okay... I think. I mean... I didn't know what to expect this morning. I was so scared he'd be worse than when we left him. It was just such a relief to see him. But now... now I just want him to wake up. I want to hear his voice... to see him smile..."
"To know he's not going anywhere?" Blaine softly offered.
"Yeah"
Kurt's eyes were searching Blaine's again. Back to looking for any sign that Blaine thought he was being silly. At the same time Blaine was searching Kurt's face for clues as to what he was thinking.
Satisfied that he wasn't going to send his boyfriend running for the hills, Kurt carried on. "You know, sometimes in the mornings, I go and peep through his bedroom door for a few seconds and watch him sleeping. Just to check he's still breathing. Talk about role reversal. He used to do that to me when I was little."
He was looking back at Burt now, almost lost in thought. "Sometimes I panic that I'll look in and he won't be breathing. How ridiculous is that?"
Blaine swapped hands, so that he could wrap an arm around Kurt's shoulders and rub his arm.
"It's not ridiculous at all Kurt. I'm sure if I had faced losing someone I loved, I'd be the same. I don't expect the fear ever leaves you completely."
"I wish it would. I wish I wasn't constantly terrified of what might happen next."
In a voice so tiny, Blaine could only just make out; Kurt added "I'm scared".
"I know baby, I know." Unwrapping his fingers from Kurt's, Blaine pulled Kurt into his arms, where he immediately curled up tight. Blaine wanted so much to tell him that everything was going to be alright, but given the current situation, he thought it might just sound like a platitude.
Just then the door to the room re-opened and Carole appeared. "Kurt, I've tracked down Burt's doctor. He wants to talk to us."
Kurt immediately extracted himself from Blaine's arms and moved towards the door.
"Shall I come?" Blaine asked nervously.
Kurt paused and bit his lip. "Would you mind staying here?"
After seeing the small look of hurt on Blaine's face, he gave a sheepish smile and continued. "It's not that I don't want you with me. Trust me I do. I just don't like the idea of leaving him on his own. What if he wakes up?"
Blaine felt just the tiniest bit of relief. "I get it. Go on."
Alone in the room, he looked back to Burt. He wasn't sure what to do now and he still felt slightly nervous. He desperately wanted Kurt's Dad to wake up and be fine, but he wasn't sure what Burt would make of waking up in a hospital bed for the first time and discovering that he only had Blaine for company.
After sitting in silence for a few minutes, he looked over at the door to see if anyone was coming.
"Burt. I don't know if you can hear me or not, but you've got to get better soon. He needs you... and... and I need you too. He's hurting so bad and I don't know how to fix it."
Blaine was talking to himself as much as he was to Burt. Just verbalising what was racing through his mind.
"You two have this amazing relationship. One that I could only ever dream of having with my Dad. He can't lose that. Not now. "
He could feel himself choking up. Something that he wouldn't let himself do in front of Kurt.
"Please hang in there Burt. Please."
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
tbc
