Chapter Six: A Lifeline
October 2018
Blaine was startled awake to the sound of rolling wheels. He sat up in the chair he had been sleeping in and immediately felt the pain shoot down his back. With a groan and a stretch he opened his eyes and noticed the nurse wheeling in a cart with various contraptions and viles. "Good Morning," she said cheerfully.
Morning? Blaine looked at his brand new Rolex. It read 6:08. He had slept all night in the chair beside Kurt's bed. If Kurt had woken up in the night he hadn't noticed. "Good Morning," he mumbled to the nurse then looked around toward Kurt. He was still in the same position. He found it odd that Kurt hadn't woken up or at least moved. "Is he okay," he asked the nurse. "I mean, he's been out for a long time."
The nurse was preparing a needle with some sort of clear liquid. She paused and looked at Blaine with compassionate eyes, "has Doctor Ryan spoken with you?"
"No."
She nodded. "As soon as I'm finished here I will ask him to see you. He'll be able to answer your questions better."
Blaine nodded and sat in silence. He watched as the nurse injected the liquid into Kurt's IV. "What is that?"
"Heparin. It's a blood thinner. It's normal for someone who has been lying in bed without moving for a while." She next prepared another needle and expertly poked Kurt and drew three viles of blood. She labelled them, set them on the cart and smiled at Blaine again, "The Doctor should be in to see you soon. In the meantime, you should get yourself some coffee. For a hospital cafeteria, the coffee is pretty good here. You look like you could use some caffeine."
"Thanks," Blaine mumbled. He wasn't sure what to make of everything that was happening. The nurse was right, he did need coffee. It would surely help but he didn't want to miss the doctor. He had a lot of questions – for Burt's sake of course. He knew when Burt called he would want to know everything.
A few minutes later, Blaine returned from freshening up in the bathroom. When he entered the room he saw the doctor hovering over Kurt. He turned and smiled. "Good Morning. I'm Doctor Ryan. I've been overseeing Mr. Hummel since he arrived." He extended his hand towards Blaine.
Blaine shook it. "Hello Doctor, I'm Blaine Anderson."
"And how are you related to Mr. Hummel?"
Blaine's eyes shifted. "Well, it is a bit complicated. I… I was once engaged to him," his brow furrowed. "Now I guess I'm sort of a friend."
Doctor Ryan nodded with a bit of confusion but Blaine added, "his father is in Australia. We're trying to contact him so that he can come."
"I see. Well, I notice from the chart that you are Mr. Hummel's emergency contact so I have answers if you have questions."
"Yes. Well, I don't know anything. Could you please start from the beginning?"
"Mr. Hummel was hit by a car, Mr. Anderson. He is quite lucky to be alive." Blaine's stomach churned at the thought. "He has three fractured ribs, a fractured arm, and a cracked skull."
"A cracked skull? Oh my God."
"Yes. It's quite serious. Last night we took him into surgery to try to minimize the damage the skull would have on his brain. We did the best we could but we won't know anything until … or even if … he wakes up."
If? If? "What do you mean, if?" Blaine asked with panic in his voice.
"Mr. Anderson, your friend is in a comatose state. There is no way of knowing if or when he will regain consciousness. I'm so sorry."
Blaine had to sit down. His legs simply were too weak to hold him. His heart thumped in his chest and his lungs felt like they would collapse at any moment. Kurt's in a coma. Dear God, no.
"Mr. Anderson," Blaine felt Doctor Ryan's hand on his shoulder. "We are all hopeful that he will regain consciousness but one can never know for sure."
Blaine looked at Doctor Ryan then at Kurt, who of course hadn't yet moved. He could feel the tears swelling in his eyes. "I can't lose him," he whispered.
Doctor Ryan spoke gently, "do you see those circular patches on his head?"
Blaine nodded.
"They monitor brain activity. This morning I noticed that there was slight movement on the graph. It means that his brain is in some way active – I can't tell you in which way but there is activity. That is very positive."
"Does that mean he's dreaming? Can he hear us?"
"I don't know for sure. And although it has not been scientifically proven, we believe that stimulation would help his cause. That means you should talk to him, Mr. Anderson. And if you're so inclined, holding his hand would certainly not hurt."
Blaine wiped his eyes. "Okay. Thank you," his voice trailed off.
"I'll be around and the nurses are here to answer any questions too. Don't hesitate to ask. We want for you to be comfortable so that you can help Mr. Hummel. Support from his friends and family is very important at this stage." Doctor Ryan stood and took one last look at Kurt before exiting the room, leaving Blaine there with nothing but his thoughts.
Blaine replayed the conversation in his mind as he gazed at Kurt through blurry eyes. He was in a coma. His Kurt was in a coma fighting for his life. There was brain activity which was a good sign. Talking to him would help … but the words that were etched in Blaine's heart chanted at him with every beat. If you're so inclined, holding his hand would certainly not hurt. "If I'm so inclined," he said aloud. If I'm so inclined… The truth is Blaine had been inclined to hold Kurt's hand since the first moment they met. Their hands were made to hold each other. Their relationship started and was defined on how well their hands fit together. If you're so inclined, holding his hand would certainly not hurt… his heart chanted. This made Blaine angry. Why had he not yet held Kurt's hand? Why did he reject something that had once been the most natural and most beautiful gesture in the world? Why had their hands been apart for the last three years?
Blaine looked at Kurt again. His face looked sad yet peaceful. He wondered what he was thinking about - if anything. What kind of brain activity was he having? Could he hear him? Was he remembering? Was he dreaming? Blaine stood and moved closer. His hazel orbs glowed from the wetness that encompassed them – Kurt was blurry to him … and busted up … but Blaine thought he was still so beautiful. Before he even knew it, Blaine whispered, "Kurt…" He sobbed softly at the sound of his own voice saying the name of the man (he still) loved so much. He gently took his hand. It was surprisingly warm and the weight of it felt so good. Blaine pressed his palm against Kurt's and wrapped his fingers around the side of his hand. It was something that he had done a thousand times in his life – something that had become so natural – and now it was like it was the only lifeline between them. He squeezed and spoke a little louder this time, "Kurt. It's me… Blaine. I'm here. I've been here since the moment they called me." Tears slid down his cheeks and onto his sweater. "It's going to be okay. You are going to be okay. I need for you to keep fighting. You need to wake up Kurt. Your dad will be here soon and you need to be awake for him." Blaine tried his hardest to stifle his sobs. He didn't want for Kurt to hear him cry. He slid his other hand on top of Kurt's so that it was sandwiched. He squeezed again and rubbed the top of his smooth skin. He would have stood there holding his hand for an eternity if it hadn't been for his phone vibrating in his pocket.
He reluctantly released Kurt's hand to answer the phone. He barely even said hello before Burt was almost screaming in his ear, "Blaine! It's Burt. What the hell happened to my son?"
Blaine explained everything. He knew there was no way he would be able to dance around the subject or stall until Burt arrived so he just came out with it. He told him everything Doctor Ryan had said and he even explained how he had come to be the person the hospital called.
"I'm glad Kurt never changed that card. You were able to be there for him. Thank you, Blaine. Our family has always loved you and we've always known that we could count on you for anything."
Blaine's chest contracted. His heart was in sheer pain. "Of course, Burt. I'm not leaving his side until you arrive. I promise."
"Thanks son. Carole and I are on our way to the airport now. We'll take the first flight out and be there as soon as we can."
"Sounds good. I'll be here."
"Blaine…"
"Yes."
"I don't know if Kurt can hear or understand but please," Burt choked back tears which made Blaine's chest ache even more, "can you tell him that I love him?"
"Yes, of course I can."
With that, Burt hung up. Blaine pocketed his phone and leaned back against the wall with his eyes closed. Burt's words hit home. Our family has always loved you… And he had and would always love them. It was very clear to him now that the Hummels would forever be part of his life whether Kurt liked it or not.
