This chapter is the longest by far, with some OTH and some ER mixed in. Both AU, as well. Please try to focus on Blaine and Kate, though. :)

Update as of May 2: Modified this chapter a little bit.

Kate didn't even hear her flashlight clatter against the hardwood. She hurried to where Blaine lay, nearly tripping over a leather belt on the floor. He was curled up on his left side, facing away from her and the door. There was an upturned baking tray beside him, which explained the noise she heard earlier.

"Blaine," she whispered breathlessly, kneeling down beside him. "It's me. I'm here."

He groaned in response, slowly twisting around onto his back. His eyes were squeezed shut in pain, his teeth gritted. Kate reminded herself to stay calm.

Blood covered most of the left side of his face, having flowed from a nasty-looking gash above his temple and forming a puddle on the floor. The skin under his right eye was red and slightly swollen, and he had a cut on his lower lip. There were welts - some of them oozing blood - and more bruises on his arms, which were currently wrapped protectively around his ribs. Kate suspected that at least one was fractured or broken. He might even have internal injuries without her knowing it.

"Kate," gasped Blaine, squinting at her from barely-open eyes. His navy pajamas were drenched in sweat. "Hurts. Can't b-breathe. Help..."

"I know, Blaine, I know." She wrenched open one of the drawers where she knew the Andersons kept freshly washed dishtowels and grabbed one. She pressed it gently but firmly against Blaine's head wound, causing him to wince in pain. "Sorry. Just hang on, okay? Hang on," she said, using her other hand to pull her phone out. She furiously wiped away the forming tears from her eyes with the back of her hand so that she could see properly. Blaine needed her to be strong.

She dialed a number she knew all too well; her mother used to work there, and now her godfather Tony was. The line rang thrice. "Tree Hill General ER, how may I help you?"

Kate recognized the female voice immediately. "Sam?" She was a nurse at the ER, not the desk clerk, so Kate could't help but feel slightly confused. But there was no time for questions. "It's Kate."

"Kate?" Surprise was evident in Sam's voice. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. Blaine's not." People working at the ER knew Blaine from when he and Kate volunteered there last summer. "I'm at his house, 416 Crete Drive, and we need an ambulance," continued Kate, keeping her voice composed even though she was terrified. "He's hurt. Bad. He's bleeding from a head wound, but I've put pressure on it. I think he might have broken a few ribs, he said he has trouble breathing." She heard Sam typing away at her keyboard.

"ETA is seven minutes, Kate. Is Blaine's head wound still bleeding?"

Kate removed the towel and gingerly pushed away some of Blaine's dark curls to take a better look. "No, it's stopped."

"Okay. Does he have other external injuries you can tell me about?"

Kate roamed her eyes over her best friend's tense body. "Several welts, cuts, bruises on his arms. A black eye and a split lip."

"Okay, Kate, can you check Blaine's ribs for me? I need you to tell me if there's any broken skin."

"Hang on." She put the phone on the floor beside her and leaned over Blaine, trying to move his arms from around his torso. "Blaine," she said softly when he whimpered in protest, "It's okay. I just need to see if you're bleeding, alright? Come on..."

Blaine swallowed and slowly relaxed his arms, allowing Kate to lower them gently to the floor. It took a few moments of fumbling with the buttons before she was finally able to open his shirt.

Damn. She couldn't help but grimace at seeing Blaine's exposed skin. And that was considering she'd seen plenty of his injuries before. She took a deep breath and picked up her phone. "Sam, I don't see any broken skin. There's a lot more bruises and welts, though... A lot." She held back a sob.

"Okay, we just need to make sure he stays still until the paramedics arrive. They should be there in about... four minutes." There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Kate, can you tell me what happened?"

"I'm not sure," said Kate, stalling. She glanced back at the discarded belt near the door. She had a very good idea, but she didn't want to talk about it right now. And not over the phone. "I found him like this."

A longer pause. No doubt Sam was wondering why Kate was at Blaine's house this late. "Does Tony know?" She and Tony had been dating for a while now.

Kate bit her lip. "No. Could you please tell him for me? I'll- I'll follow the ambulance on my bike. I know they won't let me ride with them because I'm not eighteen yet. And I'm not family."

"Alright, they're almost there." As if on cue, Kate heard sirens in the distance. "I'll tell Tony to expect you. You've done a great job, Kate. Blaine's lucky to have you there."

He wouldn't be here like this if I'd done things differently, thought Kate. But all she said was, "Thanks."

Another pause. "Do you want me to stay on the line till they get there?"

"I think I can handle it," said Kate. Blaine was now trying to raise his right arm towards her, with little success. She quickly slipped her hand into his, and he grasped it weakly. "Thanks again, Sam. I really appreciate it." The sirens had grown louder.

Kate disconnected the call and turned her attention to Blaine, who was now looking at her through half-lidded eyes. She was suddenly unsure whether he could see or hear her. His breathing was shallower, and his body wasn't as tense. He's slipping.

"Hey, stranger," she said, her voice higher than normal. She swallowed and cleared her throat. Tears spilled from her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away, sniffling. She had to be strong. For Blaine. "Help'll be here any minute now." She squeezed his hand gently as the sirens sounded from right outside the house. "You'll be okay, Blaine."

She felt his grip on her hand tighten, however slightly. "Will be... I promise," he whispered, giving her a ghost of his charming smile.

Kate tried to return it with a smile of her own. "Okay," she said, leaning in close and planting a kiss against Blaine's damp curls. "I'll hold you to that."

Author's Note:
I do not own any recognizable characters, places, etc. Nor do I own the cover image for this story - credit goes to gala000085 on Tumblr.
I also have no expertise or experience in medical situations, relying only on online information and my imagination.