A/N: This chapter is also agonisingly short, I apologise! But I really hope you guys enjoy it – the next chapter won't be up till Sunday morning but I promise it'll be worth the wait. Please review, I love to know what you guys think and whether you want Kurt to stay at Dalton or transfer to McKinley!

Another HUGE thank you to everyone reading and reviewing this – I love you all! Please continue to review, it makes me so happy to know you guys like this! Happy reading! See you Sunday!

Chapter nine

Kurt would have known the smell of hospitals a mile off. He felt it tickle his nose and he raised a weary hand to rub the smell away, before he felt someone catch his hand and hold on, tight.

Kurt's eyelids fluttered, desperately searching for light. They flew open, suddenly, and he was immediately blinded by his painfully white surroundings.

And then there was a shadow. A boy with the light shining out around him, creating an angelic-like illusion. As Kurt managed to focus on his features, he could see that he was an angel. His angel.

For a split second, Kurt wondered if he'd died and gone to Heaven. But then the boy – Blaine, he was Blaine – reached out and cupped his cheek and Kurt knew this was far from a dream. This was reality and it was beautiful. Blaine's eyes shone and Kurt felt himself melt into a gooey mess on his white sheets of his horrendously uncomfortable hospital bed.

Kurt lifted his arm to touch Blaine's fingers, which were caressing his cheek, and that's when he remembered. It hurt, everything hurt. Flashbacks zipped through his mind, tugging at his senses and evoking such a deep fear from him that he could barely stop himself calling out – Jeff, being held down, being undressed, running to Blaine, running to get help from anyone who could give it.

Most of all, he remembered how scared he'd been. More scared them he'd ever been in his life.

"Kurt?" Blaine's voice bled into Kurt's subconscious, and the younger boy's fixed on the vision in front of him, eyes wide.

Kurt rattled in a breath, trying to remember how to speak without screaming. He said, stupidly, the first thing that came into his head. "I love you."

Blaine flushed violently, grinning, and Kurt decided that what he'd said really hadn't been that stupid if it made Blaine smile like that – he'd say it every day, just for him to grin at him like he was now. Blaine reached down, pressing a gentle kiss to Kurt's lips, hand still cupping his cheek. "I love you too, even though you scared me so bad, baby. I was nearly in the bed next you, having a heart attack."

He'd intended it as a joke, but in response, Kurt just reached out a hand and gripped tightly to Blaine's arm. "I'm sorry," Kurt whispered, sounding heartbreakingly ashamed.

"No!" Blaine exclaimed in surprise. "No, don't be sorry! You don't need to be sorry, honey. I just want you to be safe."

"I am," Kurt assured him, breathlessly, "I mean, I hurt but…I'm fine." Hurt was an understatement. Every part of his body was on fire, particularly his thigh and lower abdomen, Kurt noticed.

Blaine noticed the younger boy's eyes travelling down to rest on the bandages on his leg, reaching all the way up to his stomach. Kurt's eyes grew wide at the sight, and Blaine explained, quickly. "You lost a lot of blood. Why didn't you tell me? The paramedics said you'd probably been feeling light headed and that was a symptom of blood loss, even from that one cut."

"I thought…" Kurt interrupted him, quietly, "I thought I was light headed because you kept kissing me." He admitted, blushing.

Blaine smiled at him, broadly. "I should have noticed…I mean, I knew you couldn't walk properly, but I thought that would pass, but I was just…distracted," the older boy said, eyes boring into Kurt's.

"It doesn't matter now," he said, reassuringly, "I'm okay."

Blaine reached over and pressed a kiss to Kurt's forehead, tenderly. "The doctor said I needed to tell him when you woke up. I'll be back in a second, okay, baby?"

Kurt nodded, albeit begrudgingly. He felt selfish but he couldn't stand the thought of being separated from Blaine, even for just a few chaste moments.

"Oh, and by the way," Blaine turned for a second at the door of the side room Kurt was in, "your dad's on his way. I told him everything."

Kurt's heart sky dived.

Burt Hummel strode through the door some hours later, his rage so fierce that he nearly knocked it clean off its hinges. He took one look at the boy in front of him and stopped dead in his tracks. He barely recognised him.

He was broken, severely broken, anyone could see that, but that wasn't the only thing that was different about him – except the other thing that distracted Burt was of stark contrast to the injuries. Kurt's eyes were bright, brighter than his dad had ever seen them, and he was smiling so easily, laughing and there was hope. Hope danced through his eyes for the first time.

It was a stunning sight to behold.

And the source of Kurt's new found happiness was not hard to find. In fact, he was sitting next to Kurt, clutching his hand desperately, talking to him in soothing tones that were alien to Burt.

"Are you freaking kidding me?" Burt exclaimed and felt two pairs of shocked, teenage eyes fall upon him.

"Dad!" Kurt called out in surprise, but he smiled warmly.

"I let you two stay in the same room under my roof when you were fucking? Sweet Jesus!" Burt near-yelled, turning a brighter red than Kurt had ever seen him.

Both teenagers rocketed into excuses in perfect sync. "No, Dad, we didn't, I promise, it wasn't like that, we didn't…we haven't…"

"Mr Hummel, sir, I swear there was nothing like that going on!"

"I told you our relationship was platonic because at the time, it was!"

"We only just started…this, I promise, sir, we would never…"

"Honestly, Dad! This happened today."

"Today?" Burt was confused but silently relieved. "Are you the reason he's in here?" He directed this at Blaine, who looked like a rabbit in the headlights, desperate to bolt.

"He called the ambulance but it's not his fault, Dad!" Kurt exclaimed, squeezing Blaine's hand comfortingly.

"So what low-life did this to you, Kurt? I'll kill him." Burt asked, trying to keep the anger out of his voice.

"No way, Dad!" Kurt cried, hurriedly.

"I…I dealt with him," Blaine told Burt, quietly, "he knows what'll happen if he lays another finger on Kurt. I won't let anything like this happen again, Mr Hummel. Kurt's safety is my priority." Blaine promised, sincerely.

Burt's eyes softened slightly, but he tried to keep up the cold exterior. "Well," he replied, gruffly, "I should hope so."

"Dad!" Kurt wailed, and Blaine smiled. He could see straight through Burt Hummel and his defensiveness. He saw his love and adoration for Kurt shining through it all.

Burt sat down on the opposite side of the bed; taking Kurt's other hand that wasn't laced into Blaine's. "I hope you know you'll be removed from Dalton immediately."

A/N: Haha, another cliff hanger of sorts, I guess! Sorry! Thank you so much to everyone who's reviewing this, it means the world to me. Thank you for reading! Please review, if I get enough I'll post at least two chapters on Sunday to make up for it – if you want a lot of chapters posted on Sunday, please review and let me know!

Thank you!