"Blaine? Blaine?"

Blaine rolled onto his stomach, moaning into his pillow.

Kurt coughed loudly and shook his shoulder again. "Blaine, you're absolutely useless when you're asleep! It's like you hibernate or something!"

A few seconds later, a particular nasty cough woke Blaine up from his deep sleep."Mmmh Kurt?"

Kurt shook his shoulder, determined to not let him fall back asleep, as he coughed.

"Water. Water." Blaine stumbled out of bed, tripped over his own shoes, and jogged to the bathroom in the hallway. He turned the water on, cringing at the sudden bright light. His eyes were red from sleeping and his pupils were huge. He could still hear Kurt coughing down the hall as the cup began to fill.

"Shit. I mean crap." Blaine muttered a few moments later, quickly turning the faucet off and dumping the overflowing water back into the sink. He then grabbed a napkin and dried the cup off before quickly making his way back to Kurt's room.

Kurt sat up, pale and still coughing.

"You should have woken me up." Blaine whispered

Kurt gave him a look and rolled his eyes, but then sent Blaine a small smile to let him know he was only kidding.

"Was I that out?" he asked, handing Kurt the glass sheepishly.

"Yes. I got you to come to like five times but then you'd just roll over and go back to sleep." Kurt said after taking several long drinks from the cup. He gave one more tiny cough and then his fit ended. Sweat matted his forehead and he could see it had soaked through his shirt too.

"Oh, babe. Are you okay?"

"Just a coughing fit."

"Where's the thermometer?" Blaine kicked his shoes under the bed so he wouldn't trip on them again.

"Bathroom. The top drawer." Kurt moaned, falling back into a laying position on the bed. He lay still as he waited for Blaine to return, feeling somewhat guilty. Not only did he have to wake Blaine up for some water, but now Blaine wouldn't go back to sleep because he thought Kurt was sick.

Blaine came back in, curls going in all directions. "Open up, honey." He took a seat beside Kurt on the bed and put the thermometer into his mouth, humming while they waited for the beep. "100.1. It's not bad, but I don't necessarily like it. Let's get your shirt changed at least so you'll be more comfortable."

Before Kurt could even respond he was half way to Kurt's dresser and had opened the top drawer. He pulled out one of the UK t-shirts he had given Kurt and carried it over.

"You're good at this." Kurt whispered as Blaine carefully helped him change his shirt.

"Left arm now. Be careful." His eyes met Kurt's and he smiled.

"Was your mom a doctor or something?" Kurt asked quietly.

"My dad is. A pediatrician." Blaine eased him back down. "So I probably get it from him… Hope it's the only thing I got from him." He added as an afterthought. "Are you cold?"

"Burning up. Just lay with me, please."

"Do you want something for your fever though?" Blaine pushed his hair back, leaning over him.

"Lay with me." He shuffled over.

Blaine lay down and Kurt rolled onto his right side, then pressed himself to Blaine. Blaine rolled onto left side as well and resting his arm on Kurt's waist.

"Blaine?" Kurt turned his head to look at Blaine.

"Yes, my love?"

Kurt smiled a bit. When Blaine called him 'babe' and 'honey' it always made his heart flutter. When he used expressions like 'my love', however, a thrill would go throughout his entire body. They were all nicknames and it was silly to get all excited over 'my love', but Kurt didn't choose what went straight to his heart and that was one of those things that did.

"What'd you want?" Blaine smiled at him sleepily.

"Well you threw me off and now I forgot." Kurt laughed and then coughed a bit.

Blaine reached up and touched his face.

"Blaine, come over to this side."

His boyfriend carefully crawled over him and lay on his right side so that they two boys were facing each other and not having to look at each other from awkward angles with heads turned. "Remember yet?"

"I don't want you to be mad at me." Kurt bit his lip.

Blaine sat up and reached over Kurt to turn the lamp on before settling back on his side to face Kurt. "Why would I get mad at you?"

Kurt sighed deeply. "Remember how we always said we'd be honest with each other?"

"Yes…" Blaine said slowly, his face filled with concern. "Of course I do. Is someone hurting you?"

"No… I just…" Kurt sat up. "I was honest with you. About everything. I always have been… and I like that I can be honest with you. Sometimes when I'm honest people can… take it the wrong way. But you never do."

"Okay?" Blaine bit his lip, eyes on Kurt.

"You're not being honest with me." Kurt looked down again. "I mean… You're not being dishonest. I don't think. Because I haven't asked, so I'm not mad… I just… want to know what you're keeping from me. So, consider this me asking… you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but… I'd really like it if you did."

"About what?"

About what? How much was there Blaine was keeping from him? Kurt's face must have shown what he was thinking, because Blaine looked down quickly. "… What your mom said… what did you do?"

His boyfriend sighed and sat up as well, facing Kurt. "Well you know I had a lot of sex when I was younger."

"You got kicked out of camp for having sex?" Well, that made sense… but Kurt had known about Blaine and his past sex life… so that wasn't exactly a secret. He didn't get why Blaine had wanted to avoid the subject so much. Of course Kurt didn't know details about his sex life… but were those details necessary to know?

Blaine looked very uncomfortable. "Not… exactly. I started having sex when I was fifteen. It was my fourth summer there… I mean, everyone was doing it. That sounds so stupid. But I started going when I was twelve, you know? And the second year almost everyone was doing it… the camps were awful, you couldn't do… anything. So everyone would sneak out and go into town, go to parties, get drunk and… fool around."

Kurt nodded.

"I went to the parties but I never had sex until I was fifteen. I got drunk at one of the parties and there was this older guy, he was seventeen, and we started making out and then it just… happened. I don't even remember it, to be honest." Blaine continued. "But after that I wanted to try it again so I could remember it I guess. I don't know; you're stupid when you're fifteen. So I had sex again and… well everyone was doing it because, well, what else could we do? So I had sex… a lot."

Blaine was talking very quickly and struggling to find words. This was something Kurt had never seen and it worried him. He reached over and grabbed his hand. "But you didn't get kicked out for that? You went five summers…"

"Well after camp I guess I got restless and depressed or something. Well, I know I got depressed. I got restless too though and wanted to have sex because it… felt good. And Dalton doesn't let you stay over the summer so I was at home and… I guess I needed a release. Does that make sense? So that's what I did. I had sex all summer long with these people I didn't even know. I could have ended up getting an STD or AIDS, Kurt. I probably had sex with, like twenty people. Maybe more."

"That's okay… you didn't get anything… right?"

"Right. I never got anything." Blaine waved his hand a bit. "I got checked out by three different doctors to make sure… and my dad found out."

"Oh no." Kurt said quietly.

"We got into this fight, Kurt. This really, really, really bad fight. He ended up pushing me down and everything. I guess he thought that I might, you know, change my mind and decide to like girls. And he found out that I'd gotten tested for HIV and he just… flipped out. He kicked me out."

"But then why did you go back to the camp?"

"Well, I went to stay with Wes and his family for a while. Three weeks. And then my mother called and asked me to come home because my grandmother made them take me back in. She couldn't have a 'runaway' grandson and win her election for mayor. I shouldn't have gone home… Wes told me I could stay. But I wanted to go home because… I thought m-maybe things would get better. That he would realize I was still his son. He didn't. It was awful when I went back. He wouldn't even look at me for weeks. If I walked into a room, he'd leave… and I saw the packets for the stupid camp on the table and I knew he was making me go back but it was so awful. I tried to argue. I was sixteen, I didn't want to go. They would hit you sometimes, especially if you were small or flamboyant. This younger minister liked to knock me around. I'm not exactly tall now and I was much shorter then."

Kurt felt tears well in his eyes and he squeezed Blaine's hand, trying to offer some comfort. He hated Blaine's parents. He'd never felt such hatred for another human being. It was worse than hate. "What happened?"

"Well I went back to having sex a lot… and the minister knew it, but he could never prove it. Obviously." Blaine gritted his teeth. "But he made sure to set me up, you know, so he could punish me. And it made me angry… one night I fell asleep and forgot to memorize this verse in the bible. The next day in 'class', I didn't know it so I was given a form of detention. You know, I had to memorize the poem until I knew it and stuff… so, he left me in there alone with his son."

Kurt got a confused look on his face.

"He was visiting his dad for something or other. This kid was so far in the closet, Kurt, that you couldn't get him out if you tried... well, I say that but… " Blaine trailed off. "I don't even think he knew he was gay. He'd been brainwashed. He tried to make me do my lines and I refused. So he came up to my desk, like he thought he was going to hit me. He kept saying I was disgusting and needed to be taught a lesson or two. Like he was his dad or something."

"Did you hit him?"

"No… I did better than that. I kissed him."

Kurt's eyes widened, mind racing. What did he mean? Kissed him? A minister's son?

"It wasn't like anything with you and Karosfky." Blaine said quickly. "He raised his fist to punch me and I kissed him. I guess it was kind of the opposite. I was trying to piss him off… I didn't think he'd… " Blaine trailed off again.

"What did he do?" he was becoming more worried. He didn't like where this was going.

"He pushed me into a wall, we made out for 45 minutes, and then we had sex. His dad walked in on us… during the act." There was no emotion whatsoever in Blaine's voice

Kurt covered his mouth with his hand, eyes even wider. "You had sex with a minister's son at a gay-to-straight camp?"

"It wasn't very good." Was all Blaine could think to say. "They had my parents pick me up that night."

"Blaine, why couldn't you tell me that? That's just… really funny actually."

"It's not." Blaine said softly, looking down. "Because it just… ended up pushing me over the edge. It got really bad at home and they wouldn't even let me out. At all. Like… I was locked in my room all day. They only let me out to go to church. They took away my phone, my computer, my music. It was like the camp only worse because I had no human contact… I went from a place where they would try to beat me down physically for being gay to a 'home' that beat me down emotionally… I became really, really depressed…"

Kurt's hand reached up to touch his face, his insides twisting. He wish he'd known Blaine back then. He would have begged his father to take him in. Burt would have done it in an instant, even if he and Blaine weren't dating. Kurt knew that much.

"I wanted to kill myself, Kurt. Is that pathetic? It is pathetic. I guess I'd just had enough. I'd been run out my school. Sent to a camp where everyone told me I was going to go to hell. They told me I had to change and, Kurt, when I was twelve and thirteen I really did try." There were tears in his eyes. "I tried really hard but I couldn't change. And it… I was never like you, Kurt. I didn't accept myself from the beginning. I spent the first three years trying to become someone I wasn't… and that wasn't even good enough. My w-whole life e-everyone I know has been so disappointed in me. I wanted to kill myself." He rubbed furiously at my eyes. "I really wanted to kill myself."

Kurt wiped his own eyes and then Blaine's, kissing his forehead. "Did you try?"

Blaine let out a laugh. "I was too afraid to try. My grandmother made m-me go to counseling because s-she couldn't have a d-depressed grandson in her family publicity pictures."

"Was everything about her moving up?"

Blaine nodded, tears spilling over. "S-she had to have a perfect family so it made her look better. They get so much money, you know." He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "It was always 'You got a B on a paper. What would your grandmother say?' or 'If someone found out about this, your grandmother's reputation would be at stake!'"

Kurt moved Blaine's head onto his shoulder. "You seemed so happy when I met you."

"That was a year later. When Dalton started, Wes and David were there… I mean, it was kind of awkward talking to them about the camp and the sex and stuff but… they listened. And the counselor my grandmother sent me to helped a lot too. He was very accepting… I didn't go home for fall break for the first time and my parents didn't say anything… I went home with Wes over Thanksgiving break and Christmas break. Spring break we all three went to Florida. Summer I switched between Wes and David's houses. I mean I'd been happy at Dalton before because I had friends, but I always had to go home to my awful parents and camp, you know?"

Kurt nodded, rubbing his back.

"That year was… the first two months of the school year were hard because I was still so depressed. But eventually I started to feel better. By the time Christmas came, I felt like a whole new person… It was the best year of my life and summer without spending those weeks at that camp… you don't even know how liberating that was."

"I'm glad they helped you." Kurt whispered.

"And then I met you."

Kurt smiled and wiped Blaine's eyes again. "I can't believe you had sex with a minister's son at a gay-to-straight camp." He giggled a bit and then hugged Blaine.

"Can you imagine what it did to that boy, though?" Blaine looked down. "Having to find out that way and then his dad walking in…"

"Blaine, are you okay? Why didn't you ever tell me about all of this?" How was Kurt supposed to know all of this had happened? It was before they had met but he still felt bad that he wasn't aware. He felt like a bad boyfriend. He was a bad boyfriend. How had he not known?

"Kurt, you needed someone and I wanted to be there for you the way no one was there for me. I wanted to make sure you were okay and you had an easier time… I don't like to just go up and talk about my problems. I'd much rather help other people than help myself." He took a deep breath as more tears filled his eyes.

"Hey, hey." Kurt wiped his eyes again. "I'm the crier in this relationship, Blaine Anderson. So you better suck it up and walk it off." He teased.

Blaine reached out suddenly and buried his face in Kurt's neck, starting to cry.

"Shh, shh. I was just kidding, Blaine. Shh." He rocked Blaine back and forth, trying to ignore the dull pain in his chest from the movement. He'd had to cheer Blaine up before, but he'd never seen Blaine quite like this. He wasn't sure what to say, so he said what he knew he'd want to hear when he was that upset. "It's okay. Everything is going to be okay… oh, shh, shh."

"It was so hard being so unloved." Blaine choked into his neck.

"Oh, Blaine. They loved you, they just…" Kurt struggled to find comforting words. His heart felt like it was in his stomach.

"No, they didn't. Don't lie to me like that, Kurt. T-they stopped loving me t-the day I came out. I had to l-live like that e-every day until I went to Dalton in f-freshmen year. At s-school I was bullied and… and then I h-had to come home to it and t-that made it so much worse."

"Shh, honey. Shh." Kurt switched back and forth between stroking his hair and rubbing his back. "It's okay now."

"I always wanted a Dad like yours, Kurt. A dad I could talk to… a dad who could look past the fact that I like guys and see me for me."

"We can share my dad." Kurt whispered, smiling. "He told me yesterday that if I ever broke up with you, I was moving out and you were staying."

"He did not." Blaine sniffled.

"Yes. He did." Kurt said very seriously, moving into a laying position with Blaine and resting Blaine's head on his chest. "We'll share him. He's got plenty of love to go around. He really does like you, Blaine… I think he just doesn't know how to act. Plus, he thinks you're scared of him."

"I am." Blaine looked at him. "Your father terrifies me."

Kurt laughed. "Don't let him! He's really an old softie, I promise. Otherwise would I be so spoiled?" And Kurt Hummel was definitely spoiled. The only thing he'd ever been denied was a dog. "He adores you. I promise. He thinks you're a 'real stand up guy.' And Carole... she may be falling in love with you, the way she goes on about you when you're not in the room. Face it; you've basically been adopted into the Hummel family."

"They don't like me that much." He whispered, looking back down.

"Yes, Blaine. They do. They love you." Kurt kissed the top of his head. "And more importantly, I love you. More than I could put into words. I'm not like your family. I won't judge you by stupid stuff like sex… I just want you to be happy."

"I am happy." He sniffled. "That's why I don't like to think about it. I'm sorry I didn't tell you… I knew I'd have to tell you eventually… but things were going so well. I don't like to think about them… it hurts."

"Don't let them get you down. Look at you. You got accepted into some of the top schools into the country on a scholarship. I was struggling to get C's in classes at Dalton and you had straight A's and I never even saw you open a book. You are so smart." Kurt whispered, playing with his hair. "And you're so polite that it's almost sickening at times. You're absolutely gorgeous, Blaine. Everything about you is …" Kurt put his forehead against Blaine's. "You are so much better than them. You are smart, caring, kind, respectful, you have a smile that can light up the room. You've got so much patience, you're so understanding. I could sit here all night and come up with words to describe you but they wouldn't be enough. I don't know how two people so mean could raise someone so… perfect."

Blaine smiled weakly and kissed him. "You forgot sweet."

"I forgot conceited too." Kurt ruffled his hair, laughing. "And you're unhealthily obsessed with football."

"Is my snoring perfect too?"

"Yeah. It's so loud that when I sneak out to have sex with tons of girls and come home, you won't even notice me getting back into bed."

Blaine laughed this time. "Well you hit me. Really hard."

"It was only one time!" Kurt leaned forward, kissing him back. "I'm sorry I hit you in the nose while I was sleeping."

"And I'm sorry my snoring will push you into exploring sexual relations with women."

"Sexual relations." Kurt snorted, and then sighed softly.

The two fell into a comfortable silence, linking hands. Kurt's thumb moved up and down against Blaine's and he asked quietly, "Blaine?"

"Hmm?"

"You really are perfect."

"So are you, Kurt." Blaine squeezed his hand.

"We'll prove them all wrong." Kurt yawned. "I promise."

***WBUCT***

"This is so amazing, holy hell." Kurt shoved cheesecake into his mouth and said, mouth full, "Why didn't I eat this stuff before?"

It had been two weeks since Kurt had been home from the hospital and he was about to go to his first doctor appointment.

"Because it makes you fat and clogs your arteries?" Finn asked.

Kurt's fork stopped in midair and he glared at Finn. "I'll have you know, Finn Hudson, that your hair looks ridiculous and that pimple on your chin is noticeable."

Burt snorted into his orange juice. "Be nice, Kurt."

"I can't help that this medicine makes me eat like a pregnant woman! So you should leave me alone because it's very early and I can't come up with any good comebacks right now."

"Makes you mean like a pregnant woman too." Finn muttered.

Kurt opened his mouth to respond, eyes narrowing.

"Come on, honey. Let's get you ready to leave. You can finish that cheesecake later." Carole said, holding out her arm. Kurt stood slowly. He had only been walking around for a day and a half and was still pretty shaky. Blaine jumped up from his seat and rushed to help as well as Kurt swayed. "Do you have him, sweetheart?"

Blaine nodded, sliding his arm around Kurt's thin waist. "I'll get him ready."

"Kurt, are you absolutely positive you don't want me to go into work late and stay with you?"

"I'm sure dad. I'll be fine. It's a doctor's office, what could happen?"

Burt nodded and let out a resigned sigh. "You call me as soon as you leave."

"Sweetheart, he needs to get ready." Carole said and then waved the boys on.

Blaine got Kurt to the stairs. "Take your time. I've got you."

"I don't know why dad's so worried." Kurt winced as he took the first step up.

"It's your first time out of the house. I'm a bit anxious myself." Blaine admitted, helping him up the next few steps. He had thought things would be awkward with Kurt after talking about his past, but the opposite had happened. Blaine only left his side to get food or to use the bathroom. He felt this overwhelming need to be with Kurt, to touch his hair, hold his hand, kiss his pale cheek.

"Don't be anxious." Kurt was breathing heavily as they reached the last step. "It's not a big deal."

"What do you want to wear, my love?" Blaine sat him on the bed.

"As much as it pains me to say it, sweat pants. This Prednisone is making me gain so much weight that I doubt I'd fit into my pants."

"You've gained 4 pounds at the most, Kurt. And you'll wear it off in no time when you're able to start walking regularly." Blaine began rummaging through his drawers. It was really quite amazing that Kurt let him as "no one touches the clothes. Not even you, Blaine." At least, that was what he'd said one week after they'd started dating and he'd offered to help Kurt, who was freaking out over a wardrobe mishap, pick out an outfit. Blaine seemed to have made definite progress, even if it was only because Kurt was so weak. "Black or gray?" he called over his shoulder.

"Black." The way Kurt said it had a definite 'duh' behind it and Blaine rolled his eyes. "I saw that in the mirror, Blaine."

Blaine stuck his tongue out and exclaimed, "Kurt!" when a pillow flew across the room and hit him in the back of the head.

"Did you see that? I have got amazing aim."

Blaine threw the sweatpants at him. "Just for that I'm finding the ugliest t-shirt in here, young man."

"There are no ugly t-shirts in there." Kurt scoffed. "It's my drawer, not yours."

Blaine turned and approached him, grinning. "You think you're funny, don't you?"

"Naturally."

Blaine couldn't help but laugh at his boyfriend. "You're a real pain sometimes, Kurt."

Kurt blinked up at him, smirking. "I like to keep you on your toes."

He rolled his eyes. "Let's get you changed and get this doctor visit over."

Kurt nodded and lifted his arms up. Blaine tugged his shirt off, eyes going to the bandages. He had yet to see underneath them. Kurt had been pretty adamant about only Burt and Carole changing his bandages. He had a feeling Kurt was embarrassed of the incision and it broke Blaine's heart.

Blaine carefully pushed a clean t-shirt over his head. "Okay, you've got clean boxers on right?"

Kurt gave another nod and Blaine proceeded to tug off his current pajama pants. It took no time at all to get Kurt's pants, socks, and shoes on and he resolved to carry Kurt down the stairs in an attempt to save Kurt some pain.

"Now it's right next to Lima Memorial." Burt said, helping get Kurt into the car. "It's got a big blue sign. You can't miss it. Kurt knows which one it is."

Blaine nodded. "Is the quickest way the highway?"

"Yep, that's the way I'd go. They're doing construction on the main roads, so the highway will get you there faster. Here is his insurance card, his license, and mine. Oh, and my credit card for the co-pay. I don't know what they'll need. If they need anything else, just call the garage."

"Alright." Blaine put the stuff inside the glove compartment.

"If he's up to it, stop by the grocery store and get some stuff when you get his medicine filled. Finn pretty much wiped the place out. If not, leave him in the car, get the medicine, and order some pizza or something with my card."

"Okay." Blaine nodded again, getting into the driver's seat. "Right by Lima Memorial?"

"Yes. You can't miss it." Burt nodded. "Kurt, you call me and let me know what they say."

"Okay, dad. Go to work!"

Blaine shut the car door and waved, then backed out of the driveway.

"It's really easy to get to." Kurt said, resting against the back of the seat. He wasn't completely better, but Blaine could definitely see an improvement in how his boyfriend felt. For instance, he was leaning against the seat and not whimpering because of the pressure it put on his side. He was throwing pillows when before he could hardly lift a glass of water to his mouth. Kurt was doing better, feeling better, and it made Blaine ecstatic.

Blaine turned the radio on.

"Another top 40's channel, Blaine? You really need to add some variety. And you need to clean your car."

Blaine decided to not mention that McDonald's bag had been in there since before Kurt was admitted to the hospital. That would not go over well with Kurt.

"Hey now. When we're in your big truck of a car, I don't make you turn your music." he pointed out, glancing at Kurt.

Kurt had his head back against the headrest but was looking at Blaine. "Because my music is superior."

Blaine shook his head, grinning. "You're something else, Kurt." He glanced back to Kurt again and saw Kurt grinning back at him.

In under fifteen minutes they had reached the doctor's office. Blaine pulled into the closest spot to the door so Kurt wouldn't have to walk very far, shut off his car, and went to unbuckle Kurt's seat belt. "Feeling okay?"

"Yeah." Kurt moved so his legs were outside the car, almost touching the ground. They touched the ground and he hoisted himself up.

"Be careful." Blaine whispered anxiously. He reached out and put his hands on Kurt's lower waist. "Nice and slow."

Kurt put his arm around Blaine's neck and leaned against his boyfriend. Blaine shut the car door, not even bothering to lock it because he had more important things to worry about, and got Kurt to the door. A receptionist rushed forward to hold the door open and helped Blaine sit him down.

"I forgot his cards in my car." Blaine hit his forehead. "I'll be right back, Kurt."

Kurt nodded and slouched down in the seat, yawning. Blaine jogged to the car, got out everything he needed, and ran back in. He approached the receptionist window.

"Kurt Hummel?" she asked. She was a very pretty young woman wearing Garfield scrubs.

"Yeah. Here's his insurance card and his license." Blaine passed the two forward.

"Whose account is the insurance under?"

"Burt Hummel." Kurt said from the seat.

"Date of birth?"

"September 10, 1976." Kurt said before Blaine got a chance to look at the license.

The receptionist smiled. "If you can help him fill this out, the doctor will be out in no time. If he needs a bathroom it's right through this door, and a water fountain is on that far wall."

"Thanks." Blaine flashed a big smile, accepted the clipboard with registration papers, and went over to Kurt. The second he had sat down, Kurt leaned against him with his head on his shoulder.

They were ¾ of the way done with the papers when a voice called out Kurt's name. Blaine stood and wrapped an arm around Kurt. "Can you hold the clipboard?"

Kurt nodded and accepted it. A young man held the door open for them.

"Okay, let's get your jacket off and I'll weigh you." The man said, setting his own clipboard down as soon as they had passed the door. It shut and the man helped Kurt out of his jacket. "Can you stand on it?"

Kurt nodded and moved one foot onto it, swaying a bit. The man had his arms out, prepared to catch him. Kurt moved his other foot onto it and straightened himself as much as he could. "Good. It looks like you've gained 4 pounds."

Told you, Blaine thought biting back a grin. Kurt shot him a look as the man helped him down. "I'll get you into a room and the doctor should be in soon. I think he's giving someone a few shots." There was loud crying. "Yeah, I was right. Giving a kid shots."

Kurt laughed a little. The man grabbed his jacket and led the way. Blaine walked slowly with Kurt, bearing most of Kurt's weight.

"Now just sit in the chair. We won't worry with getting you onto the bed unless the doctor wants us to, okay?"

"Alright." Kurt nodded and took a seat. "I'm going to take your blood pressure and temperature so we can make sure everything is in order." Kurt gave another nod, doing everything the man told him to do. "Good, your temperature is normal and your blood pressure is—as always—fantastic. He'll be right with you, kid."

The man left and Kurt rubbed his forehead.

"You okay?" Blaine asked, standing next to him. There were no other seats, but he didn't mind standing. Especially if it meant Kurt didn't have to go through the stress of getting onto that high bed. That had been bothering Blaine for a few days.

"I've got a little headache but I'm fine." Kurt gave him a smile. "They usually don't take too long to get back. We shouldn't be here very long."

"They can take as long as they need. I'm not in a rush." Blaine reassured him, ruffling Kurt's hair. Kurt leaned against his leg. "You can try to get some sleep while we wait if you want."

"No, no, I'm fine." He yawned and stretched, then whimpered. "That hurt."

"Oh baby." Blaine leaned down and kissed the top of his head. "Be careful."

There was a tap at the door and then it opened. "Hello, Kurt."

"Hey, Dr. Gibbons." Kurt said, sitting up straight.

"How are you doing? Is your medicine working alright?"

"It makes me kind of… loopy. But it helps with the pain. I've been able to move a lot more this last week that I was before."

"That's great! I'm going to lower this bed and we'll get you onto it, alright?"

"That may be a problem." Kurt said hesitantly.

"Oh, you'll be surprised at how low we can get this thing." The doctor said, going to the other side of the bed. He pushed a button and it lowered itself closer to the floor. "Let's try to stand up on our own."

"I can't do that." Kurt said instantly. "I always have to have help getting up. When I put my arms down like this," he demonstrated, "it always puts pressure on my side."

"That's normal." The doctor helped Kurt up and over to the bed. "Now I'm going to lift it back up and we'll take a look."

Blaine watched Kurt nod. He didn't like seeing Kurt back on a bed like that. Even if it didn't have the bars like the ones in the hospital, he still didn't like that Kurt had to be here. Kurt's shirt was removed and the doctor washed his hands, then began peeling off Kurt's bandages.

"I know it stings, but it's necessary. I'm sorry." The doctor apologized as he slowly pulled the several bandages off. The cut was 8 or 9 inches long around his side right under his arm. It looked incredibly painful and Blaine's heart fell to his stomach. The purple stitches stood out against the bright red incision and the surrounding very pale skin. "It's healing very well. I think we'll go ahead and take the stitches out today."

"Take them out?" Kurt asked hoarsely.

"Well they can't just stay there forever. I'll numb you first. It will feel weird, but you shouldn't feel that much pain at all." The doctor reassured him. "You'll probably feel better once they're out, too."

"I don't like this." Kurt moaned.

"I know, I know. It's the most dreaded part." The doctor washed his hands again and then cleaned Kurt's wound off. "Now how are your ribs feeling?"

Kurt touched an area low on his chest. "Right here is always really sore."

He looked at Kurt's chart. "That one was the worst. How about the other one? The one right above it?"

"It doesn't bother me as much." Kurt's voice was very soft. "It hurts to roll on that side at all though."

"You definitely want to avoid that. For at least another 3 weeks." He put a gel over Kurt's wound. "Ribs take about 6 weeks to heal when they're broken. That paired with your lung… I'd really rather you lay on your back. Now has your throat been sore? Running any fevers?"

"Not since I was home. Well, I had one small one two weeks ago but not since then." Kurt's eyes met Blaine's. "It's not that bad, Blaine. Stop looking like that."

Blaine swallowed. He couldn't keep himself from staring at the wound. It made his own side hurt just looking at it.

"Now lay back and I'll get these out for you. I need you to be really still for me."

Kurt nodded and eased himself down. He didn't even speak, just looked up at the ceiling and gritted his teeth. He felt a weird sensation every time the doctor would pull a stitch out and it was quickly replaced with a burning sensation. By time the tenth stitch was removed Kurt began whimpering very softly.

"We're 1/3 of the way done, Kurt. Just stay still."

The closer Dr. Gibbons got to the center of his wound, the more painful it became. Blaine grabbed his hand and Kurt squeezed it so tightly it was painful.

"Half way there, Kurt." The doctor whispered comfortingly as he continued.

"How many are there?" Blaine asked quietly.

"36."

Kurt gripped Blaine's hand even harder, letting out a noise that was a mixture between a moan and a growl. "Oh god, it really hurts. Is it infected?"

"Oh no. The skin is just sensitive because it's healing."

Kurt blinked, rapidly fighting tears that had come to his eyes involuntarily.

"You're doing a really good job, Kurt. I'm almost done, I promise. These last five will be very quick."

Kurt nodded, eyes meeting Blaine's. Blaine stroked his hair, his heart once again sinking to his stomach. Kurt shouldn't have to go through this. He was too kind, too beautiful, too perfect for this. The world was a truly awful place to hurt someone like Kurt Hummel.

"Alright, good boy. Sit up for me now."

Kurt sat with Blaine's help.

"For the next three days, I want to keep you on your current painkillers. Starting Thursday I am going to switch you to Feverall. It's got less side effects but is also a little less powerful. If you take it Thursday morning and Friday night you feel awful, I want you to go back to the old ones Saturday morning and then have someone bring you in so we can find another type."

Kurt nodded.

"I think you'll like this one more. It won't make you feel loopy or light headed like the other one can. You probably won't feel up to being very active, which brings me to my next thing. You need to get up and start walking. At least 4 times a day I want you to go outside and walk around your yard, walk down the street. You need to get out but you need to do so in moderation. If it's uncomfortable, keep going. If it gets painful, then you need to stop." He was now speaking to Blaine too, to make sure someone else understood as well. "I'm keeping you on the Prednisone. It's good for your lungs and making sure they heal correctly and it can help fight off any infections you may come into contact with. Without the other medicine, which causes lack of appetite, you'll probably be hungry a lot more. Plenty of water, plenty of juice. But really water, water, water. It's your best friend right now, Kurt."

Kurt nodded and tugged his shirt back over his head.

"If you start hurting any more than you do now, you need to come see me. You're at the point where you should be feeling better daily. There won't be any good having two good days and one bad day. If you keep fairly active and fairly rested, then you should feel better." He handed the prescription to Blaine. "I'll want to see him back in 7 to 9 days."

This time it was Blaine's turn to nod. The doctor shook Blaine's hand and swiftly left the room.

"He forgot to lower the bed." Kurt whimpered, his lower lip sticking out in a pout.

"I'll get you down, baby." Blaine easily lifted him off of the bed and stood him up. "You okay?"

"I can't believe he took my stitches out… I was completely unprepared for that." Kurt whispered.

"You did very good! I would not have handled it nearly as well as you. I hate pain." Blaine said proudly as he helped Kurt out of the room. He had already paid for the visit upon arriving, so he got Kurt out to the car.

"I was practically crying." Kurt sighed. He buckled his seat belt and was surprised at how much easier it was to move without his stitches in. If he'd done that a few days ago it would have felt like he was ripping them out. "I'm a big baby."

That statement took Blaine by surprise. The young man who had almost been killed in a vicious attack, who had been on life support for 14 hours, who had had emergency surgery to repair a lung, who had gone to the police, and who had handled everything with such dignity, was definitely not a baby. He tried to think of how to express that to Kurt but couldn't find the right words. He didn't have the chance to dwell on that fact though. His phone had begun to ring.

"Probably my dad." Kurt laughed. "He's so impatient."

Blaine didn't recognize the number so he answered, "Hello?"

There was a reason he didn't recognize the number. It was his father's. "Blaine."

How could one word make someone so nervous? He didn't even think to turn on his car, he sat in stunned silence. He hadn't heard the voice in so long that he almost forgot what it sounded like. "Blaine, we're coming to get you. We're on our way to Lima right now."

"W-…"

"We know you're with that boy, Blaine, and we're coming to bring you home. Mother pulled some strings and we found you a nice internship to hold you over until you start UK back in the spring." His father's voice was very calm and professional. It sounded nothing like a father talking to a son.

Blaine closed his eyes, mind having shut down. Bad. This was bad. He took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself. What were they doing? Why couldn't they just leave him alone? He hadn't answered the calls. Could they not take a hint?

"You can tell us his home address or we'll go down to that garage. Either way, Blaine, you're going home with us." The way he said Blaine's name made his stomach churn. He sounded so disgusted.

"I'm 18, Dad. You can't force me to come home. I'm an adult." That statement took every bit of courage Blaine had in him.

"You froze your bank accounts, withdrew from college so you could shack up in some gay boy's house and have sex, and had the nerve to ignore calls from your family. Does that sound like something an adult would do?"

He didn't understand. He just didn't understand. Blaine wasn't having sex with anyone. He was here to help Kurt. Kurt needed him. He froze his accounts and switched them because they were his freaking accounts. His money. His money. "It's my life, Dad." He tried to make his voice calm. It probably didn't come out that way. Kurt reached over and grabbed his hand.

"The way you're leading your perverse life has an effect on your entire family! You need to come to your senses or I'm going to cut you off."

"Cut me off from what? I don't need your money anymore! I've got my own money saved up. I'm going to get a job. I'm going to go back to school!" His voice came out much more hysterical than he wanted it to. This was not the time. Not the time at all.

"Blaine, are you aware how much money you will inherit when your grandmother dies? 4.7 million dollars."

Kurt's mouth fell open, but Blaine didn't know if it was because of how rude of a statement it was or because of the amount of money it was. Probably a little of both. He and Kurt had never discussed just how rich his family was.

"I don't want that money. I want nothing to do with you or Mom or Grandma. I don't care about your stupid money!" Blaine shouted into the phone. Had he really done that? Oh god.

"Don't you raise your voice with me, you insolent good for nothing piece of shit! You will listen to me and you will listen to me right now. If you don't come home tonight I will go to that garage, I will find out from that fag's father where you are, and I will forcibly drag you out like the piece of trash that you are! Your mother and I have put up with this for far too long, Blaine. You're such a disappointment. You had soccer going for you until you joined that Fag School with that Asian freak! You think it's normal, parading around with gay boys and singing in competitions? We should have left you in that public school and let those boys knock some sense into you!"

Blaine held the phone to his ear, staring off into space. Kurt pried the phone from his hands gently and snapped it shut. "No one has the right to talk to you that way." He said softly. "And no one will talk that way to you. Ever again. Let's go to the garage."

"What?" Blaine's eyes widened. No, no, no. This was going very bad very fast. That was where his father was bound to be heading.

"Blaine, let's go to the garage." Kurt repeated very calmly. "This ends today. It's done. Today. It's done."

"Kurt—."

"You won't let anyone hurt me again?"

"Of course I won't, Kurt. But this—."

"This is me returning the favor. If you don't drive, I'll drive myself. Either way, we will both end up at the garage. Either way, this is ending today."

"Ku—." He was touched, really. But Kurt had no idea who and what he was dealing with. Not even the slightest idea.

"No, Blaine." Kurt whispered. "This is done."

Blaine sighed and started the car, swallowing the knot in his throat.