Sorry guys, this wasn't supposed to take so long but I've been preparing for Finals so my writing has been coming out slowly. I actually considered starting a new chapter fic but decided not to because I didn't want any others to become a priority over this one. Hope you enjoy!
"C-can you slide these on that table?" Casey sputtered out, holding a dozen flowers in his nervous hands. David places them on the corner table next to all the others. The room was starting to smell like flowers, giving Blaine an even bigger headache. He spent the last hour sitting next to Kurt's bed, feeling completely useless, while a nurse refused to tell him how bad Kurt was because they weren't related. He also had the privilege of listening to the Warbler's debate the entire situation and give a second-by-second account of the incident. And to top it all off, Burt was here.
Boy, was he pissed.
"So you're tellin' me that I'm paying an arm and a leg so my boy can be safe in school, and now he's unconscious in a hospital bed because of bullying!" Burt could barely keep his voice down, and as the conversation with the Dean progressed he stopped trying.
"I'm terribly sorry, Sir," Blaine heard Dean Joseph say for what seemed like the hundredth time. "I have no intention of letting anything like this happen again, I can assure you. We will be getting to the bottom of this." His voice turned hard and Blaine hung his head. He knew exactly what "getting to the bottom of this" would entail.
Good-bye Warblers.
No, he would not give up that easily. This was his home, his family. The Warblers gave him a home when he had no where else to go. He had come to Dalton a year ago sporting several bruises, a broken heart, and a face that refused to smile. One by one, these boys broke through his silence and showed him that he didn't have to be alone anymore. They gave him a place to feel accepted, a place where he could smile and never have to worry if someone would beat the smile right off his face. He was not going to give that up without a good fight.
"Boys, please leave so Mr. Hummel can have some alone time with his son." The Dean's face was gentle but pained and Blaine knew why. Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand once more and got up from his seat next to the bed, nodding slightly to Burt as they passed each other. He left the room with his friends and they all circled around the Dean silently.
"You know what this means, don't you?" Dean Joseph was standing painfully still with his hands clasped behind his back, not looking any of them in the eyes.
"Yes," Blaine said softly. "Means someone needs to get the hell out of our school right now." The other boys nodded and muttered their agreement. The Dean was shaking his head.
"No, that isn't what I meant. I meant-"
"I know what you meant, Dean Joseph. And, with all due respect, I strongly disagree." Wes and David were looking at him like he had gone insane. Nobody interrupted the Dean unless they wanted detention for the next month.
"Blaine, you don't understand." He sighed with exasperation. The sound reminded him of whenever he talked to his father and his father would sigh and tell him that he was too young to understand. Maybe that's why Blaine's blood was boiling. "That kid-"
"I know what happened to him. I was there, remember? And he isn't just some kid, his name is Kurt." Blaine ignored the gasps coming from the other boys and took a step toward the Dean. "You don't understand. Ever since the Warblers formed they were a source of freedom for boys who felt suffocated by life. Now you're going to take that freedom away because one boy has completely lost his mind?"
"What else would you have me do, Blaine? What else can I do?"
"What makes you think disbanding the Warblers will stop him, anyway? He'll just target other groups in the school. It doesn't end when we do. The only thing we can do is find this boy and turn him in, and we can't find him unless the Warblers stay together."
The Dean eyed him for a few seconds, perhaps testing his resolve. Now that Blaine was calmed down a bit he was internally freaking out at almost yelling at his Dean. He had never done such a thing.
"Keep your friends close..." Wes muttered behind him. The Dean heard him and nodded.
"And your enemies closer," he finished, as if he was talking to himself. He started pacing and seemed to have forgotten that the boys were there watching him until a few minutes later.
"Okay, I won't disband the Warblers. But I need all of you to do everything in your power to find this boy. I give you permission to bend the Dalton Rules as you see fit. Be sneaky, and make sure you find this kid. I want the boy who did this in my office in less than two weeks. No more students will be harmed at our school." He nodded firmly to the boys and then turned and left.
Blaine held his breath as he watched the Dean walk away. Had they really gotten this lucky?
"Blaine, where did that come from?" David said, his eyebrows raised so far that they almost touched his forehead. The other boys were smiling and patting him on the back.
"I...really don't know."
"Well, way to go! If I had my gavel with me I'd bang it in your honor." Wes smiled brightly at his friend.
"Ugh, good thing you don't have your gavel. Nobody wants to watch you bang anything!" Jeff said, earning himself a smack on the head from Wes.
Kurt's door opened and his father walked out. He came right up to Blaine.
"Kurt's awake. He wants to talk to you."