Chapter Ten
No! No! No! The inconsolable voice was relentless in his head as Blaine sank down onto a chair in disbelief. He cradled his head in his hands as he tried desperately to make sense of the words the doctor was saying.
"…. massive internal trauma … paramedics … resuscitated … ambulance … lost so much blood …"
Blaine stood up and interrupted the flow of appalling words. "I … want … to see ….Chad." Although Blaine's voice was hoarse, his words were deliberate and to Nick, it sounded as though it actually hurt for Blaine to pronounce each word. The doctor nodded.
"Certainly. If you'll come with me?"
Nick and Jeff took up a position on either side of Blaine as they followed the doctor through a warren of corridors until he stopped outside a door with a frosted glass window.
"He's in here," the doctor explained. "The nursing staff cleaned up as best they could after the trauma of emergency treatment."
Blaine didn't reply; instead he stared hard at the door as if willing it to open of its own accord and for Chad to come out yelling "Surprise, Baby!" Of course, Blaine knew he would first scream at Chad that this particular joke wasn't funny and that he'd gone too far this time but in the end, they would kiss and cuddle and everything would be alright. If Chad would just come through the door.
"Blaine?" Nick's voice, calm and steady, broke through Blaine's scattered thoughts. "Blaine, do you want us to-"
"No," interrupted Blaine quietly, "No, I'll be alright. Just give me a minute."
Doctor Stephens opened the door and motioned for Blaine to enter. From where he was standing, Jeff could see the outline of a body lying on the narrow hospital bed and knowing that it was their friend lying there, Jeff turned to hide his anguish in his husband's arms.
"Oh Nicky," he whispered, "What are we going to do?"
Nick gathered his husband into his arms, wiped away the tears that were rolling slowly down Jeff's cheeks and then wiped away his own. "I don't know, Angel. I don't know. But right now, we've got to be strong for Blaine."
Muting sounds from the hospital corridor, the door closed heavily behind Blaine as he walked slowly towards the bed where his Chad lay beneath the pale blue hospital sheet. Blaine let out the breath he didn't realize he had been holding when his gaze fell on his beloved's face.
"Oh Chad," he whispered. "What have they done to your beautiful face?" He reached out to cup Chad's cheek in a gesture he knew his husband loved. "It makes me feel so cherished Blaine, so humbled to be loved by you. Hold me, Blaine" and Blaine would cup Chad's cheeks to do just what his husband requested.
Blaine's breath caught in his throat as he realised that Chad's flesh was still warm to touch and he felt the bile rise. He fought the urge to vomit and instead reached under the sheet to find Chad's hand and brought it up to his own cheek, nuzzling the hand that had held his for the past nine years. Blaine turned his head to kiss the inner palm and then turned Chad's hand over as he placed soft kisses on each knuckle.
"That tickles," giggled Chad as he tried in vain to pull his hand away from Blaine's grip.
"Mmmm…" mumbled Blaine, determined not to let go, "and that's why I love it so much."
Chad laughed and brought his other hand into the game as he carded his fingers through Blaine's dark curls. They were sitting in Chad's car, parked outside Blaine's dorm room but neither boy was ready to say goodnight after a fabulously romantic date. Chad had taken Blaine to dinner at a steakhouse in the city centre and the two had soaked up each other's attention. Despite the three year gap, Chad found Blaine to be funny, intelligent and brilliantly entertaining. He hadn't enjoyed a date this much in a long time. Although nervous of being a greenhorn, Blaine relaxed in Chad's company as he found the older man charming and utterly wonderful. He was a kind and attentive date and had managed to sweep Blaine off his feet with his impeccable manners and old school gallantry.
When he grabbed a handful of Blaine's hair and tugged gently, Blaine's lips become free which was exactly Chad's intention.
"I want to kiss you," he whispered huskily, looking deeply into Blaine's eyes, asking silently for permission.
"I want you to," replied Blaine and, with a quick grin of delighted triumph, Chad's mouth descended on Blaine's lips and both boys sighed into the much anticipated kiss. Chad's lips were soft and Blaine could taste the last hint of the cappuccino they'd enjoyed after dinner. Chad groaned in pleasure and suddenly his tongue was pushing against Blaine's lips gently requesting entry. Blaine relaxed still further in Chad's arms in quiet submission and opened his mouth to allow his boyfriend even greater access. Their tongues joined together to dance that ancient ritual until eventually each boy had to break away, gasping for air.
"Blaine!" Chad gasped. "Kissing you is amazing. You are amazing!" and he bent his head forward to kiss Blaine again.
"Mr Anderson?" Doctor Stephens was back in the room trying to gain Blaine's attention but without being obtrusive. Still holding his dead husband's hand, Blaine, his eyes dull and expressionless, looked up at the doctor.
"I'm sorry but I have paperwork that you need to sign. Perhaps you'll come with me?"
Blaine nodded his head and held up his free hand to indicate that the doctor should give him one minute. The doctor nodded his understanding and left Blaine alone with Chad once more.
"Chad …" Blaine's voice was choked thick with emotion. He bent over the bed and placed his lips on his husband's in a final kiss. Again, Blaine had that weird sensation that any second now, Chad would open his eyes, grab Blaine and roll him over on the bed and smother him with the early morning kisses Blaine loved so much But, there was no response from Chad's lips. There was no playful laughter and there was no waking from this sleep.
"Chad, I love you," Blaine whispered against his husband's lips and, as he stood up, he tucked Chad's hand back under the sheet. He stood beside the bed staring at Chad's face. He knew, subconsciously, that he had to turn around and walk out the door leaving Chad there but there was no way in hell Blaine had the capacity to do that right now and so he stood still, quietly immersing himself in the sight of his hurt and damaged love. Dimly, he was aware of the door opening and suddenly Nick was beside him.
"Blaine?" he asked quietly. "What do you need, Blaine?"
Blaine looked up at his friend and Nick read the desperate anguish written across Blaine's face, his eyes tortured with disbelief.
"Turn around," he whispered to Nick. "Help me to turn around," was the forlorn plea.
The tears were rolling freely down Nick's cheeks as he put his arms around Blaine's shoulders and turned his friend to face him, Blaine's back now facing the hospital bed where his husband lay. Nick sought Blaine's eyes as he tipped his friend's chin upwards to face him. Reaching out to those sad, bleak eyes, Nick assured his friend.
'I'm here, Blaine, I'm here. I'm not going to leave you."
Somehow Nick managed to persuade Blaine's legs to follow him as he tugged Blaine out the room into the corridor where Dr. Stephens was waiting with Jeff. The doctor guided the men silently back to the waiting room where Nick was surprised to find the two police officers were still waiting. Nick lowered Blaine carefully into a chair and took a seat beside him as the doctor sat on Blaine's right with a clipboard on his lap.
"I'm dreadfully sorry to have to do this, Mr Anderson but I'm required to ask you to sign this document which identifies the deceased as Charles Edward Anderson, your husband.
He handed Blaine a pen and slid the clipboard over onto his lap. Blaine took the pen and shakily signed his name on the dotted line.
Oddly enough, it was the act of signing the paper that broke Blaine completely. It felt like the ultimate betrayal of all that they had been to each other and his anguished heart could take no more. The doctor left the room just as a primeval howl escaped from Blaine and he slid onto the floor hugging his knees to his chest as the sobs wracked his body. Jeff was on the floor beside him in an instant, holding and patting and gently rocking his friend in his sorrow.
PC Puck turned to Nick whose eyes had flown wide at his friend's display of suffering. "It's best sometimes to let them get this out," he suggested, "otherwise it festers like a bad sore. Let the hurt out, I say."
He then handed Nick a business card with a request to keep both him and Quinn informed of the funeral arrangements. Nick thanked the officers who left just as the doctor returned with a bottle of tablets which he offered Nick.
"Sleeping tablets," he explained. "The next few nights are going to be hell for your friend. These will keep the nightmares at bay."
An hour later, a silent Blaine accepted the medication from his friends as they tucked him into the bed in the guest room of his own house. Blaine had refused to enter the bedroom he shared with Chad, shaking his head vehemently when Nick had led him there so, instead, he and Jeff had settled Blaine in the guest room – the one they had often used when drunk dinner parties at the Andersons ran late.
Blaine closed his eyes the minute the duvet was pulled up over him effectively shutting out the sight of his two best friends and their tear-stained faces.
"Paris! Chad! I can't believe you brought me to Paris!" Blaine had his arms wrapped around Chad's neck as he pulled his boyfriend into a grateful hug. Placing his hands on either side of Chad's face he kissed him between words.
"You" kiss "Are" kiss "The" kiss "Best" kiss "'Boyfriend" kiss "Ever" kiss.
Chad grabbed Blaine's bottom lip on that last word and held his boyfriend's lips hostage as he deepened their kiss. Blaine was happy to oblige and gave Chad free reign of his mouth and tongue. Blaine still couldn't believe that Chad had brought him to Paris to celebrate the fact that they'd been together for seven years. Blaine chased after Chad's lips as his boyfriend broke their kiss to stare down into Blaine's hazel-nut eyes.
"Mmm… I think I may have developed the seven year itch, Blaine. I don't want to be your boyfriend anymore."
Blaine's entire world tilted on its axis and around him all movement stopped as he stared back in shock at the man he loved.
"What?" he asked quietly. "What did you say, Chad?"
But Blaine had heard perfectly well. He just couldn't believe it. His wonderful boyfriend of seven years had brought him to the viewing level of the Eiffel Tower to tell him that he no longer wished to be boyfriends. It wasn't possible; surely Chad wouldn't be that cruel? And what the hell was that kiss, then?
"You heard me Blaine," Chad replied quietly. "I don't want to be your boyfriend anymore. I want to be your husband. I want to be yours forever."
Blaine gasped as the pain in his heart gave way to sheer relief.
"Marry me, Blaine," asked Chad sincerely. "Make me the happiest man in the world and agree to be my husband. I love you so much."
"Yes," Blaine managed to breathe out. "Yes, I will marry you, Chad. Dear Heaven Above, I love you so much but you scared the holy crap out of me there, you idiot!"
Chad laughed and said, "I was too scared I would end up saying something cheesy and you would have something to mock me with for the rest of our lives."
Blaine giggled and then attacked his fiancé's lips with his own, fiercely and hungrily. All the dreams of the future seemed to be captured in that kiss. Blaine wanted more of Chad's mouth and his fiancé obliged, allowing Blaine to dominate the kiss, his tongue finding and caressing Chad's. Chad's hands carded though Blaine's curls as he accepted the passion in Blaine's kiss and revelled in the claim Blaine was staking on his lips, his heart and his soul. Panting, they broke away eventually to catch their breath.
"Oh Chad!" exclaimed Blaine breathlessly, "We're getting married! Chad, we're getting married!"
"Yeah, baby," Chad agreed with a huge grin on his face as he swept Blaine up off his feet and twirled him around. "Me and you and a lifetime."
Blaine turned uncomfortably onto his left side in the unfamiliar guest bed wiping the salty tears from his eyes with the back of his hand.
Nine years isn't a lifetime, Chad, he thought as sleep overtook him.
While Nick had a very difficult and emotional conversation with Sebastian, Chad's closest friend and business partner, Jeff picked up the various pieces of Blaine's phone from the living room floor. Gingerly, he replaced the battery and reattached the back cover. When he tried to switch it on he realised quickly that it was very obviously flat so he took it through to the kitchen where he knew Chad and Blaine always left their chargers and he plugged Blaine's phone in to charge. Nick came through to the kitchen and Jeff heard him conclude his conversation with Sebastian.
"Okay, Bas. I appreciate that. Yes, we'll let him know when he wakes. Okay, chat soon. Later, Bas, Bye."
He ended the call and Jeff immediately sought comfort in Nick's arms.
"Nicky, I feel like I'm in the middle of a nightmare and although I've said 'One, Two Three, Wake up' I'm just not waking up."
Nick rubbed his husband's back in comfort and his hand brushed tears off Jeff's cheek. "I know Jeff. I just can't believe this. It's all so surreal. We just have to be there for Blaine in whatever way he needs right now. Can we have coffee while he sleeps do you think?"
Pleased with something practical to do, Jeff set about preparing coffee for his husband. "I found Blaine's phone in pieces on the floor in the living room," he told Nick. "That's obviously why the police station called us and not he, himself. I can't understand why, though. Blaine is obnoxiously attached to his phone, why would it be abandoned in pieces on the floor, today - of all days?"
"Where is it now?" asked Nick.
"I fixed it and plugged it in to charge. It's lying there on the counter." Jeff indicated the phone's position with a jerk of his head as he poured hot water into their coffee mugs.
Nick swung off the bar stool he'd been sitting on to pick up Blaine's phone. Now that it had some battery power it was able to reveal to Nick that Blaine had 8 unread messages and 7 missed calls. As he held the phone in his hand, it vibrated violently, indicating yet another incoming message.
"Blaine? Please? I haven't slept at all. I'm so worried about you. Why aren't you answering your phone?"
Intrigued, Nick scrolled back further and read the following messages in chronological order:
Friday 11pm
"So? How did it go?"
Friday 11:58pm
"I'm assuming you are out celebrating and that's why you're not replying. I'm going to take that as a sign that all went well and Little School of Horrors was an enormous success."
Friday 11:59pm
"Which I knew it would be anyway."
Saturday 00h25
"Blaine? You've never taken this long to respond to my texts before. Is everything okay?"
Saturday 01h30
"Santana says I've crossed a line. I'm so sorry. I'll stop blowing up your phone and wait patiently for your text."
Saturday 01h35
"You will text me though, won't you?"
Saturday 01:36
"Ah, shit, I'm sorry."
Saturday 01:45
"Blaine?"
As he got to the end of the string of messages, Nick felt the phone begin to vibrate in his hands and Blaine's phone began to ring impatiently with an incoming call.