Author's Notes: So, I wanted to get this uploaded while I still have time. Things are getting a little bit busy as far as time goes, so I might be on a bit of a hiatus while I get some other stuff accomplished and also rehabilitate this story a little.

Thanks go out to Horsegahl, who is helping me become a better writer by reminding me that, contrary to how most of you feel, this story's plot still needs a bit of work. (I'm terrible at characterizations, so this comes as no surprise.) Thanks to her, I am reworking some other parts I have written but not published so that it's a little more believable.

Thanks to thunderincrimson who always has spectacular reviews for me and whose suggestions, as always, are very interesting and have gotten me thinking.

Thanks to Sakura12, who is always great for feedback on every chapter and who I always look forward to hearing from!

Thanks to Patricia Sage, who constantly comments and keeps me going strong with her kind words.

Thanks to peacegal45, who has me torn in whether or not to use my favorite plot device, and also for inspiring me to write and publish this. Without you, not only would this story not exist, but I wouldn't be here now.

Thanks to everyone else who bothered to review too! You are spectacular!

Also, a big thank you to RachelMarieCriss, who has given me a great inspiration and idea on where to go with this story. (It's somewhere I never would have thought of, either!)

On the topic of the contest on the Doctor's name, I'm going to keep it going just a little longer, and I should warn you, the character I based him on is not a doctor in this series - far from it actually. Thanks to those of you who have commented or messaged me with answers, and I hope to hear from more of you soon!

Blaine's parents did make it into this chapter briefly. I'll add more later, but for now, they don't care where he is or what he's doing so long as they aren't being bothered and their lives aren't being directly affected, because I've seen Blaine's parents portrayed as homophobic and unaccepting (is that even a word) of their son, which, though never directly mentioned, is highly plausible, so I'm going with it for now.

This is now the longest chapter in the fic, so sorry about the length. I figure this should hold you until I can get time to write more - which will be sooner rather than later. So, in honor of Glee's return tomorrow night, I present you all with this!

When we last saw our characters, they were just receiving the news of Kurt's possible diagnosis. Is it pneumonia? Is it something else? Is it deadly? Stay tuned.

Disclaimer: Don't own Glee.

Enjoy!

CHAPTER 10: PINS AND NEEDLES (AND A DIAGNOSIS)

"Well, it definitely looks like your son has a bad case of the flu," Dr. Monroe said. "However, it also seems like he might have pneumonia as well."

Blaine Anderson was not a medical doctor. He didn't claim to know anything about medicine. He had never graduated from med school; for that matter, he had never even considered attending medical school or ever taken a physiology/anatomy class. But he didn't have to have ever done any of those things to know that having pneumonia as a complication of the flu almost never ended well. His heart dropped into his shoes at the doctor's words.

"Pneumonia?" Burt asked incredulously. He was standing only a few steps in front of Blaine, and yet in the Dalton boy's ears, he sounded distant, far away. "How could he have gotten that?"

"Well, we're still not certain he has it," the doctor said calmly. "But it could be from any variety of things: prolonged exposure to cold with a weakened immune system, bacteria or viruses that were in the environment, breathed in, and moved to his lungs, or even the virus that gave him that flu. Especially since he was already afflicted with the flu, he was much more susceptible. And by the looks of it, if it ends up being pneumonia, it's an unusually severe case, too."

Finn couldn't stop thinking of his stepbrother sleeping in wet clothes on his watch, or out in the cold puking into a trash can at the side of the house. He felt ashamed of himself. He should have known better, and now he felt responsible for Kurt's possible pneumonia. Blaine wasn't feeling a whole lot better. He wanted to strangle himself for not seeing it sooner, for not getting help for Kurt sooner, and now the poor boy Blaine loved was sitting all alone, coughing and sick.

"So, is it possible to check and see if Kurt has pneumonia?" Finn asked anxiously, his heart hammering in his chest.

"We're sending him for a chest x-ray now to confirm," Dr. Monroe said.

"And that will tell us for sure?" Burt asked.

"Yes," the doctor answered.

"Can we go with him?" Burt asked uneasily.

"I'm sorry," the doctor said shaking his head sadly. "No one else can be in there. He'll be back in about thirty minutes though, and then you may go see him." Even from the waiting room, Kurt's barking cough could be heard, loud, clear, forceful, and torturous to the ears of those who loved him so dearly. While the anxious and fearful family conversed with the doctor, a very different conversation was occurring back in a hospital room.

It was between Kurt and his head. He was trying desperately to get a grip on himself. He wished with fervor that he could stop coughing. It was so painful and was making his side hurt worse than ever, not to mention his headache and chest pain. He also knew how much it was probably grossing out the nurses and terrifying his family, who he was sure could hear it from the waiting room. He wished he was at home, in his own bed, with Blaine and the rest of his family by his side, not at a hospital catching more germs and awaiting a chest x-ray, and certainly not in a foreign, uncomfortable place, coughing his heart out with the impending doom of an IV looming over him. Suddenly, a nurse with a wheelchair arrived to take Kurt down for his x-ray, breaking up the monologue in his head. The young woman smiled kindly at him.

"Hello, Kurt," she said cheerfully. "I'm Amy and I'm your nurse for now. I'm going to take you to get a chest x-ray to see whether or not you have pneumonia, okay? It'll take about thirty minutes." Kurt wondered how one could be so cheery when talking about possibly having pneumonia. However, he simply nodded mutely, trying to move as little as possible to avoid another assault of pain and nausea. The nurse noticed him turn a faint shade of green.

"If you need to throw up, just tell me, alright?" She said.

"Okay," Kurt said in a small voice. Amy helped him stand, steadied him on his feet, and got him into the wheelchair as quickly and easily as was possible. She then wheeled him toward the room where he would get his x-ray and find out whether or not he had pneumonia. He really didn't want pneumonia, not on top of the flu. He knew enough about health to know that the two together was a really bad combination. He tried not to look so out of it and so lost. He was feeling miserable and afraid. He didn't know what lay ahead, just beyond the doors to the x-ray room, or what fate awaited him once the pictures were taken. The only thing he was sure of was that he was most certainly dying, with pain so intense it beat out anything else he'd ever felt.

G~G~G

Thirty minutes is a long time to wait, Finn realized. He had quickly tired of answering the texts from the New Directions and was trying to busy himself on the Internet on his cell phone, but he found it hard to concentrate on anything besides figuring out if Kurt was okay or not. At this point, Finn was noticing that even Burt and Carole were having a hard time remaining patient. Blaine couldn't stop wringing his hands in worry. He was physically praying for a miracle. He had let his parents know where he was long ago, but since they didn't particularly care what he did so long as it wasn't interfering with their peaceful lives, it didn't really matter that he'd even made the gesture.

Suddenly, Dr. Monroe returned to the waiting room and made his way over to the Hudson-Hummels. Just as before, the whole family crowded around the doctor. The results were obviously back, and the family was undoubtedly hoping for some good news about their son.

One look at the doctor's face and Blaine knew with absolute certainty and no doubts that no such news was coming. Perhaps it was the somber expression, or the worry lines, or the way he held himself formally, much more formally than when he had met them the first time. He got a sinking feeling in his gut as he realized things were about to go from bad to worse. The whole family seemed to notice the stoic, sober expression on Dr. Monroe's face, and their hope seemed to flicker out and die like a candle. Nobody said anything for a few seconds.

"Your son's chest x-ray came back," Dr. Monroe said. Burt nodded. Carole looked at the doctor expectantly, sure the bad news was coming next. And she was right. "He has a very severe case of pneumonia on top of a bad flu." For what felt distinctly like a full minute, nobody spoke a word.

"What can we do for him?" Carole asked suddenly.

"Is it serious?" Burt asked simultaneously.

"Is… is Kurt going to… you know… live?" Finn asked fretfully. Blaine said nothing for fear that opening his mouth would cause him to break down. The tangle of emotion that welled up within his heart was as unbearable as it was intense, and he wasn't sure how much more of this he could take.

"Well, we've moved him to a room now," Dr. Monroe said. "He's going to have to stay overnight at least, if not more than that. We're getting ready to start the IV with antibiotics and some fluids to keep him hydrated. His condition is very serious, but I don't believe it's entirely untreatable. It's still relatively early, though, so it's hard to say what's going to happen. I'd like to think he'll respond to treatment and recover, but I nothing's for certain at this point, and there is the chance he won't make it. I'm sorry I can't tell you much else at the present." Blaine felt as if he'd been kicked in the gut. The doctor had just told him his boyfriend, the object of his affections, the one thing he loved most in this world, was possibly going to die. His mouth was dry and his body was rigid. How do you react to finding out someone you love probably won't make it? He wanted to throw up or pass out or cry, or all three.

Finn wasn't doing too much better. Here Kurt had finally begun to heal after what had happened to him, and now his life might be taken away from him at sixteen. He felt sick to his stomach at how gruesome and ghastly this situation was. The world was so unkind, life so unfair. He wished he could switch places with his step brother, take away Kurt's hurt and agony and possible death, and transfer it to himself. That way, things could be a little more bearable for everyone. Burt was crushed and ready to break down himself. He couldn't stand the thought of losing his son, especially not so soon after losing the love of his life. Kurt had been the only thing he had for a long time, and he was not going to stop fighting, stop praying, stop working to make sure he came out of this. Carole was beside herself. Kurt was her son, regardless of the fact that they weren't biologically related. She would fight until the end to see him come out alive.

"We're going to start the IV now," Dr. Monroe said, pulling everyone from their silent reveries.

"Wait, woah," Burt said, holding his hands up to encourage the doctor to slow down a little. "IV? As in, with a needle?" Dr. Monroe looked slightly bewildered.

"Well, yes," he said. "I'd imagine so. There are very few ever done without a needle." Burt took on the expression of a suddenly crazed man, a man gripped so hard with fear and anxiety that it crowded every other rational thought in his head.

"I need to be in there now," Burt said urgently, starting off in the general direction of the rooms but having no idea where exactly he was going.

"Burt, why?" Carole asked, holding her husband's sleeve to hold him back for a second, taken aback by his sudden severity and urgency. The two boys and the doctor also looked relatively confused.

"Kurt's terrified of needles," Burt explained. "The last time they had to draw his blood, he passed out." Blaine cursed softly, under his breath, more out of shock than anything else. You'd think that this would have come up in conversation, he thought to himself. This was a very bad thing indeed, and Burt really needed to be in there, as did Blaine. Upon hearing this, the doctor did not try to hinder their progress to the room.

"Room 228 on the second floor," Dr. Monroe said, and led them where they needed to go. The group did everything short of run to get there as quickly as was humanly possible.

When they finally arrived, breathless and worried sick, the nurse was already in the process of prepping Kurt's IV. Although completely out of it and coughing his heart out, Kurt had terror stark in his baby blue eyes. He had paled considerably and was starting to break out in a cold sweat that was not a result of his current fever. Blaine nearly fainted from seeing all the monitors his boyfriend was currently attached to. This must be worse than I thought, Finn thought worriedly.

"Okay, Kurt," Amy was saying. "I need you to make a fist for me, okay?" She demonstrated what exactly it was she wanted him to do. Kurt was starting to hyperventilate a little as reality set in for him. There was a needle, a very big needle in the nurse's hand that was about to go into him. Amy noticed Kurt's obvious discomfort, but, upon seeing his family in the doorway, she smiled and beckoned for them to come in. They followed this commanding gesture almost in a trance. Blaine could distinctly see the relief in the woman's face. Kurt was most definitely starting to panic, and a panicking Kurt was a decidedly bad thing. Kurt seemed to relax slightly at the appearance of his Blaine. The tension in his chest ebbed slightly as he released a little of his anxiety in the form of exhaling, and his lungs took the opportunity to try and expel whatever was irritating them. He coughed again, a harsh and barking sound that wrenched the hearts of everyone in the room.

"Blaine," he croaked when he could speak again. "Thank god." Blaine chuckled softly, ruffling Kurt's hair tenderly.

"It's good to see you too," he joked. Then, Kurt saw his dad.

"Dad," he rasped, taking on yet another petrified expression. He swallowed, cringing as it irritated his sore throat. "I-I can't… not again…," he took a deep, shuddering breath and erupted in another fit of coughing.

"I know, Kurt," Burt said, coming closer to his son. "But they can't make you feel better unless they do this."

"I'm scared," Kurt said in a small voice, a heart-wrenching look on his face. He looked up shamefully at his boyfriend. "I hate needles." Blaine felt a surge of sympathy toward the poor sick boy.

"Baby," he soothed, genuinely not caring who heard. "We'll all be right here with you the whole way. It's okay to be scared, but they're going to make the pain go away by doing this." Kurt bit his lip anxiously. He looked over at his dad again.

In a voice barely above a whisper, he asked, "What if I start calling for mom again?" The reality of the situation sunk in. Kurt not only was afraid of needles, but also of bringing shame, humiliation, and pain on himself and his father by instinctively calling for someone who could not answer, be there, or comfort him. Burt smiled sadly down at his son.

"Then we all get to hear a kid who really wants his mom with him," Burt stated simply. "It's gonna be okay, kiddo. I promise. No one here's going to judge you." Everyone in the room nodded their agreement. Kurt swallowed hard in fear and winced. He then nodded slowly.

"Okay," he said shakily. He managed to make a weak fist and hold his arm out to Amy. His whole arm trembled, shaking with the effort of not pulling away. Amy smiled appreciatively and prodded at the spot she was looking to insert the needle. She then wiped the spot with an alcohol pad to somewhat numb it. Kurt clenched his teeth. He thought he could be brave and hold out, but his lower lip trembled and he leaned over into Blaine, seeking out the other boy's presence. Blaine sat on the bed to make it easier for both Kurt and the nurse, and Burt stood beside his son. Kurt grabbed his father's hand with his own free hand and squeezed it tightly. Burt returned the squeeze lovingly and wrapped his other arm around Kurt's shoulder protectively. Carole and Finn decided to hang back and give them all some space.

"Ready?" Amy asked kindly. Kurt couldn't help but whimper softly out of sheer terror. "Take a deep breath, okay?" Amy said, and started to come at him with the needle. Kurt tensed, and even not looking as he was, he could physically sense the presence of the sharp object he despised so fervently. He let out the breath he had taken and a soft scream came out of him unbidden as well as the air. Along with it came an onslaught of tears and sobbing, and a volley of weak coughs. He knew he wouldn't be able to stand it touching him; the moment it pierced his skin, he'd be either reduced to a screaming, babbling, sobbing wreck or out cold, whether or not she made it in the first time. He tried to force himself to calm down, to not call for his mom, but he was finding it increasingly difficult and utterly exhausting. He was too cold, too tired, in too much pain, and above all, too weak. He felt sick.

"One," Amy said gently, and Kurt's grip on his father's hand tightened considerably. "Two," she said, and Blaine cupped the back of his boyfriend's neck with his hand, holding Kurt steady and close to him. "Three." She pushed the needle into his skin but missed the vein, and Kurt screamed, feeling his consciousness quickly slipping away. He felt the world shiver and start to fade to the black nothingness he knew only came when there was a needle in him. He forced himself to remain conscious, not wanting to black out. He would not pass out again today, especially not in front of Blaine. All the color had drained from him, and he was a ghostly white. Amy tried again, but missed the second time too. Kurt shuddered and almost puked on Blaine out of utter fear. He restrained himself, but was physically shaking with the effort of not pulling away and keeping himself still for her. He was feeling lightheaded and dizzy and began hyperventilating.

He suddenly was unable to stop himself from seeing his mother's face and calling out softly, "Mom! Mom!" Burt squeezed Kurt's hand.

"You're doing great, buddy," he said reassuringly. "Just hold on, okay? It'll be over soon."

"You are doing great, sweetheart," Amy said apologetically. "I'm so sorry." Kurt could do nothing but sit there, sobbing against Blaine's chest and cry out for his mom, over and over. Blaine rubbed Kurt's back lovingly.

"It's okay," he kept whispering, for lack of a better, more reassuring phrase. "It's okay."

"I'm going to try one more time, okay?" Amy said softly. "Just hold on." But the second Amy touched the head of the needle to Kurt's skin for the third time, he screamed bloody murder and started babbling like crazy about wanting his mom and not wanting to pass out and being sorry for whatever he did to deserve this, and apologizing and begging someone, anyone to forgive him and make it stop.

Finn looked on with eyes wide in fear. He was feeling so afraid. He'd never seen Kurt like this, so vulnerable, so small, so helpless, and so totally unhinged from fear and illness. He couldn't help but hug his mom tightly, looking for reassurance himself. He hid his face in her shirt, almost to the point of tears himself. He trembled almost as hard as Kurt did. His mom, understanding what he was shaking for, shielded his eyes with her loving arms so he wouldn't have to witness them torture his brother and friend anymore. She didn't watch either, but winced at every whimper, every sob, and every scream she heard.

It was taking all Blaine's willpower to not break down alongside his boyfriend. Although he knew his boyfriend's terrified begging was not totally directed at him, he couldn't help but feel evil, cruel, and horribly, horribly guilty as Kurt begged for him, for anyone to stop the torment. Blaine knew he could do nothing to help him, and wanted to kick himself for it. Kurt's tears were soaking into his jacket, but Blaine didn't care at all. He held his baby tightly, knowing somehow that just by being there he was surely doing at least some good.

Amy stuck again and this time got the needle into the vein. Kurt shrieked and blacked out for a second in Blaine's arms, reviving pretty quickly due to his own resolve not to pass out. He then sat there sobbing, his face buried in Blaine's blazer. Blaine patted Kurt's head and raked his fingers through his boyfriend's tangled and unruly hair soothingly.

"See, it's over now," he said gently, but his voice was strained with emotion. "You're okay."

"You did great, Kurt," Amy said, patting the boy's shoulder and smiling. Burt squeezed Kurt's hand lovingly again.

"See?" He said. "Everything's okay." Amy quickly filled and hooked up the IV bags with antibiotics and fluids.

"The faster these get into your system, the better you'll start to feel," she told him, but he was barely listening. He was still feeling particularly dizzy and nauseous and still not quite "all there" from the ordeal, and all his pains had flared again, this time with more severity that probably came from prolonged contraction of his muscles now that he was relaxing.

"Alright," Amy said, finishing hooking everything up and swiping the wayward hair out of her face. "Go ahead and get yourself comfortable, Kurt. I'll be back in just a bit to add some more fluids and make sure everything's okay. I'll add a dose of sleeping medicine to your next one so you can hopefully get some rest, and I'm going to hook you up to some oxygen so you can breathe a little easier later too."

"Thank you," Burt said appreciatively. Amy smiled genially.

"No problem, she said and left the room.

"Kurt, baby, calm down," Blaine said softly. "It's over now. You did it. You're okay." But Kurt could not get a grip. He was still crying, and now he was coughing roughly every few seconds. Finn had yet to remove himself from his mother's arms, still unable to look at Kurt in such a state. Burt gently rubbed his son's back in soothing, rhythmic circles.

"Just relax, bud," he said softly, using the same gentle, loving tone he'd adopted in Kurt's bedroom just hours before. "It's all over. You're going to feel so much better now."

"I'm so s-s-sorry," he sobbed softly. "I c-c-can't make it s-s-stop!" He held Blaine tighter.

"Just breathe, Kurt," Blaine said. "Everything's fine."

"I s-saw m-mom," he cried softly. "A-And it hurt s-s-so b-bad."

"Shh," Burt said. "It's okay. The pain's going to go away, I promise." Kurt coughed a loud, wet, hacking cough that jostled his weakened body around again and again. It sounded painful to his family; it felt even more painful than it sounded.

It took several more minutes, but finally he managed to calm down enough to peel himself off Blaine's chest and take a few deep breaths that set him coughing yet again. At this point, Finn also let go of his mother, silently thanking her for just being there for him. Blaine stroked Kurt's hair lovingly.

"Lie down, sweetheart," Carole encouraged. "Rest. You can sleep now if you want." Kurt looked apprehensive.

"Blaine?" He asked softly. "Will you…?" But he didn't need to finish.

"Yes," Blaine said automatically. "I'll stay with you." Nobody protested at all, although Burt also intended to stay overnight just to monitor his son and make sure everything was okay. He knew how precious every second was now, and he tried to push the idea of it out of his head.

Kurt tentatively lied back against the pillow and pulled the blankets up, suddenly aware of how cold he was. His teeth chattered audibly as he tried to get comfortable. Blaine got off the bed to give him more room to stretch out and took a seat by the bedside. He took Kurt's hand from under the blankets and rubbed the back of it with his thumb, carefully tracing circles into his icy, pale skin as if he could cure Kurt's illness that way.

Burt sat down on the small couch by the window, and Carole went to join him. Finn took the other available chair. He figured out how to work the TV pretty quickly, and so they settled in for just a little while, at least until Kurt fell asleep or a hospital staff member kicked them out. Kurt's eyelids grew heavy as soon as things settled down and he realized how poorly he was still feeling. His long lashes fluttered, brushing his flushed, tearstained cheeks as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep out of sheer exhaustion.

AN: So that's it for now. No cliffhanger this time - so sorry, guys! XD I hope you all liked. Leave me a review to let me know what you thought of this chapter, the whole story overall, or anything else! Enjoy the new episode tomorrow - I know I can't wait! Love you all, and hope to update again really soon!

Ciao, friends, and Klaine on...,

~PG22