Morning came, and Kurt was woken by Ludmilla, the nurse from the previous night.
"Kurt?"
She waited until he sat up in his chair, giving him time to realise where he was and that Sebastian was still there.
Kurt rubbed his eyes. His sleep had been just as interrupted as Sebastian's, as he too had needed to wake up every hour to help Ludmilla translate.
To his relief, Sebastian had started to sound better as the night wore on. He had opened his eyes and recognised Kurt. He had started to reply to their questions, and had even begun to show a mild irritation at the repetition. He was still preferring French, though he had thanked Ludmilla in English after she changed the height of his bed.
"Good morning," Kurt mumbled, rolling his shoulders to relieve the stiffness in his neck from sleeping on a chair. "Do we need to wake him again?"
Ludmilla shook her head. "I just wanted to say goodbye. My shift is over. I just transferred his care to my colleague, who will be here shortly. He's fully informed. The doctor will be in soon too."
Kurt took it all in. With the first shock faded, he was better able to concentrate. "Thank you so much," he said.
"You're welcome, honey. I wish you all the best." She looked at Sebastian with a soft smile. "Tell Seb and his dad hi from me, ok?"
Kurt looked at Marc, who was sleeping with his head pillowed on his arms at the foot of Sebastian's bed.
"Oh, he's not-" he started, then nodded. "I will."
She placed a hand on his back and left the room.
Marc heard the door close and stirred. He yawned heavily and sat up, stretching his back. He looked at Sebastian. In the light of day his injuries didn't look quite as scary.
Marc looked at Kurt and smiled sympathetically. "You alright?"
"Yeah," Kurt said, sitting up. "The nurse just ended her shift. She said someone else will take over for the day."
Marc nodded. "They work long hours here," he mused. "I should know." He sat up and checked his phone.
Kurt got up and felt Sebastian's forehead. His temperature was normal. The swelling from where he'd hit his head had gone down a lot, though the colour now looked awful.
Anger and guilt rose up inside of him again. None of this would have happened if it wasn't for him. He wished there was a way to take it back, or take it onto himself.
Before he knew it, another tear rolled down his cheek. Kurt wiped at it angrily.
"Paul is on his way," Marc said, and looked up from his phone. "Are you sure you're ok?"
Kurt shrugged. "I choreographed the song, you know," he said.
Marc looked at Kurt and sighed. "Kurt," he started, "this is not your fault!" He glanced at Sebastian. "Sebastian would never blame you and he'd hate to think that you're blaming yourself."
Kurt shook his head. "You didn't see the show, Marc. I basically invited them. I made him dance like that and then I failed to keep him safe."
It had been turning over and over in his mind. He'd had at least 10 seconds before Sebastian fell. There were a million things he could have done in ten seconds. And he had just stood there.
Marc shook his head and stood up, walking around the bed slowly until he stood next to Kurt.
"Listen to me," he said, placing his hand on Kurt's shoulder, turning Kurt until he was looking at him. Kurt was the same height as he was, but somehow seemed so much smaller in that moment.
"It is not your fault. Dancing, no matter how provocatively, is just that. Dancing. No one ever gets a free pass just because someone dances or dresses a certain way. Those guys are sick and evil...it's all them!"
"I know that," Kurt mumbled. "But if we hadn't done it, maybe..." He shrugged. This hadn't been some unavoidable force of nature or an accident. They had provided an opportunity.
With his mom, and later his dad, he had felt completely powerless. This was somehow even worse.
Marc sighed, unsure of what else to say to Kurt to make him feel better. Instead he pulled Kurt into a hug and held him tight.
"Hey, hands off my man," Sebastian joked feebly, glancing up at them. His eyes were still half closed and his head hurt like hell, but he pulled up the corners of his mouth to show he was teasing.
"Bas!" Kurt let out, his heart leaping up in his throat.
Marc let him go with a grin. "You know he's safe from me, Seb. I like older guys." He chuckled. "Good to see you awake."
Kurt leaned over and carefully kissed Sebastian's cheek. "Do you know where you are?" he asked.
Sebastian closed his eyes at the touch and let out a shaky breath. He surveyed the way his body felt, then opened his eyes again and looked around the room. "Hospital?"
"That's right," Marc said placing his hand on Sebastian's leg. "Do you remember what happened?"
Sebastian frowned and tried to search his brain for the memory but it felt foggy. "No...was...was I in an accident?" He looked at Kurt. He looked scared and tired, but uninjured. "You're okay?"
"I'm okay," Kurt assured him. "We were doing our new routine at Satire. You were...attacked and hit your head."
He had told Sebastian what happened every time he woke up during the night, and yet saying it didn't get easier.
"You have a concussion. The nurse says you'll probably be able to remember when your brain catches up, so to say."
Sebastian frowned and tried to remember. He lifted his right hand to his head but felt a pain shoot through his fingers and down his wrist. He looked down at his hand and saw it was heavily bandaged. There was blood under his fingernails.
"Wh-"
"The attackers stood on your hand," Marc said in a dark voice. "Paul said two of your fingers might be broken but they need to do more scans to determine the full damage."
"Oh..." Sebastian said quietly. Flashes appeared in his mind; a bathroom, someone strong-arming his hands behind his back. But that's not right, Sebastian corrected himself. Kurt had said they were doing their routine. Why would he have been in the bathroom?
Kurt saw the confusion on his face, and mistook it for irritation about his hand.
"You were unconscious for a bit. Dealing with that had priority. Your fingers will be taken care of today, Paul said he'd look at the scans himself."
Sebastian nodded. He turned his head away and closed his eyes. Why couldn't he remember? Duh, a little voice said in his head. You hit your head and were unconscious. But if he had been unconscious, how come he could remember things Kurt hadn't told him about?
"Maybe you should sleep again son," Marc said quietly. "Your brain needs time to heal."
Sebastian sighed and nodded, letting sleep claim him.
There was a knock on the door, and after a brief pause, Paul came in. He was wearing a lab coat over a deep blue shirt, and Kurt couldn't help but notice it was an unusually subdued look for him.
"Morning." He walked up to Marc and kissed him softly. "Change of the guards. You can go home and rest if you want," he suggested.
Marc looked at Sebastian, feeling torn. He knew he really should go and sleep and shower...and eat. But he didn't want to leave Sebastian.
"Honey, you need rest. You're no good to him if you're dead on your feet."
Marc sighed and nodded, giving in. "I know...Fine. But you call me the instant something happens." He looked at his husband fiercely.
"I promise," Paul said. Marc nodded and kissed him again before turning to Kurt.
"Kurt? You should head home too."
Kurt swallowed. "I can't. The nurses don't speak French."
Paul raised an eyebrow and gave him a stern look.
"What if he needs me?" Kurt added.
"Then I'll call you," Paul offered him a sympathetic look. "I'd be the same if this was Marc. I was tempted to stay last night, too. But I've seen first hand what can happen in my profession if we don't get enough sleep. And I'm taking no risks with him, okay?"
Kurt nodded, feeling a little reassured. He knew Sebastian was in the best hands.
"I also happen to speak French," Paul added nonchalantly. "Maybe not as fluent as you guys...but enough to tell him you're on your way. Deal?"
"Yes," Kurt whispered, suddenly feeling extremely tired.
Marc looked at Kurt sympathetically. He didn't like the idea of Kurt going home alone. "Why don't you come home with me? You can have a shower and get some sleep and then we can both come back in a couple of hours?" He glanced at Paul.
Paul nodded. "Poppy and Lola had their walk and their second breakfast," he said, rubbing his hands with disinfectant, his eyes already on Sebastian. "Don't let them trick you into giving them a third."
Marc smiled. "I won't," he said, knowing they'd probably try.
Kurt picked up his jacket and gave Sebastian a last, longing look.
Sebastian stirred from his sleep at the sound of voices. He looked around the room and let out a groan. "Kurt?" he mumbled.
Immediately, Kurt dropped his jacket and went to his bedside, taking his uninjured hand.
"I'm here, Bas."
Sebastian relaxed at the sound of Kurt's voice and sought him out with his eyes. He tried sitting up but the pain in his head held him down.
"Wh-what happened?"
"You were attacked at work and hit your head. You have a concussion," Kurt said patiently.
"Do you know what year it is, Seb?" Paul asked, using a pen light to shine into his eyes one by one, checking the dilation of his pupils and his reflexes.
Sebastian squinted against the harsh light and frowned, trying to move away. "2015," he said.
"That's great," Paul said, holding Sebastian's chin in his hand and shining the light into his eyes until he was satisfied. He lowered his torch. "Okay, I'm gonna tell you three words and I need you to remember them, okay?"
Sebastian raised his eyebrows but nodded.
"Okay. Boat. Tree. Cat." Paul turned back to Marc and Kurt. "We need to test his information retention...as sleep seems to be wiping his memory."
They both nodded. Paul examined the bandage around Sebastian's hand. It was time to get it x-rayed.
"Okay Sebastian, can you repeat the three words for me?"
Sebastian looked at him and sighed, thinking back to what Paul had said. He didn't like being treated like he was five years old, but there was probably a point to it all. His brain felt so foggy.
"Boat," he said after a minute. "Tree…" He looked at Kurt. "Cat?"
Paul smiled at him. "That's really great Seb, well done."
"My hand hurts," he said quietly.
"You may have fractured your fingers. We're going to take you up for x-rays soon."
Sebastian sighed. "Can I have some water?"
Kurt handed him a glass and looked at Marc apologetically. "Say hi to Poppy and Lola for us," he offered. Now that Sebastian was awake, he wasn't going anywhere.
Marc shook his head a little, but assured him that he would. "I'll see you guys in a few hours."
Once Marc had left it wasn't long until Sebastian was whisked away for his x-ray. Kurt used the time that he was gone to call his parents. He didn't tell them too much for now - just that there'd been an incident at work and that Sebastian was in the hospital. They had immediately offered to fly over, but Kurt had assured them that it was going to be okay and that there was nothing they could do. Just being able to tell someone had already helped him a little. After that, he called Isabelle and took a week off, telling her he'd be in touch once he knew more. He also called Joe to give him an update. Both his employers ensured him he could take as much time off as he needed. Joe also reminded him that as an employee, Sebastian was insured through Satire. That also took a load off Kurt's mind.
Then, a nurse brought Sebastian back into the room. He'd been awake for a while now and his head, while still painful, was clearing up a little and he didn't feel quite so had just settled back into his bed when Paul walked into the room carrying an iPad.
"Hey guys," he said smiling at them. "How are you feeling?"
"Sore...but okay. I don't feel as lethargic now."
"That's good news," Paul said, sounding relieved. "I have your x-rays here."
He held up the tablet and showed them both the images.
"You have what's called a boutonnière deformity in your right index finger," he said gently, pointing to the joint between the base and middle part of his finger. "This is why you can't straighten the finger out. The middle finger is slightly fractured."
Sebastian swallowed and nodded. He was very touched that Paul was taking the time to talk him through everything. Paul was the head of Paediatrics so normally wouldn't get involved with cases like his.
"Will I need surgery?" Sebastian asked.
Paul smiled and shook his head. "No, we can splint the fingers together. You'll need to keep the splint on for four weeks and then come back for another x-ray to check how it's healed. Then, physical therapy. After that, you should be able to regain full use of your fingers."
Sebastian sighed and nodded. Four weeks without the use of his dominant hand. That was gonna suck.
"That's...quite good, I guess," Kurt suggested. "It looked much worse." He offered Sebastian a tentative smile before turning back to Paul. "What about his concussion?"
"Well, the MRI showed no neck injuries; there's no sign of skull fractures, his pupils are responsive, and my report says he hasn't vomited again in the last 8 hours-"
"Well, he hasn't eaten anything either," Kurt cut in.
"Yes, um - that could be the cause of that," Paul agreed. "We should get you something to eat from the cafeteria. You'll hate it, but there's no better alternative in a five mile radius, trust me, I tried everything."
Sebastian smiled bravely. He knew Paul was trying to cheer him up a little, but he was still concerned about his hand, and the strange visions he kept having.
"So...how long will he have to stay here?" Kurt asked.
Paul contemplated the question for a moment. He looked at Sebastian. "If you feel up to having the splints done today, and you remain symptom-free for the next-" He checked his watch. "Twelve hours, I'd say, I can have you discharged in the morning." He paused. "But I'm not letting you go home."
Sebastian frowned. "Wh-"
"You're coming home with Marc and I. Kurt, you are welcome to come too, of course," Paul added, looking at him.
"I..." Sebastian started to say but the look Paul gave him was enough to shut him up.
"Sebastian, you have had a blunt trauma to your head and will have limited use of your hands. This is not up for negotiation, you understand?"
Sebastian looked up at Paul with wide eyes and swallowed. It had been years since an adult had shown this much care. He nodded and reached for Kurt's hand.
"Thanks, Paul," Kurt said. He had been up for a while that night googling medical information, and while almost every website said something else, they did seem to agree that secondary symptoms could still occur hours or days later, and he'd feel a lot safer if Sebastian wasn't alone.
Paul looked at the two of them, pursing his lips in thought. "I talked it over with my team. As soon as you're discharged I am taking personal leave to keep an eye on you at home. Marc's been bugging me to take some time off anyway."
Sebastian bit his lip and nodded. "Thanks."
Paul's pager beeped and he checked it. "I've gotta go, I'll have Dr Slater come up this afternoon and take you to get your hand splinted okay? Rest up."
Sebastian nodded again and Paul left.
"So...sleepover at Marc and Paul's?" he said to Kurt, making an attempt at a joke.
"Sounds great!" Kurt replied, repressing the urge to apologise again. He'd done that enough in the night, and this wasn't about him. It was about Sebastian.
On the small bedside table, Sebastian's phone buzzed. It took Kurt a moment to realise it meant someone outside of the hospital was trying to reach them. Within a few hours, his world had shrunk to these four walls. He looked at the screen. "It's Alice," he said. He suddenly remembered they were supposed to meet up at the museum for modern arts. "I'll talk to her."
He unlocked Sebastian's phone and walked to the window.
"Hey, Alice, it's me, Kurt. No, I'm...in the hospital. It's Sebastian." Kurt explained the situation in the briefest terms, leaving out everything about the nature of the attack. He focused on telling her Sebastian was already doing better and that he didn't need surgery. He could hear she had put him on speaker for the others.
"Can we come to see him?" Steph asked.
Kurt hesitated. "I don't know. There's no one I can ask right now, and Bas is still very tired." He suppressed a large yawn of his own. "But if everything goes well today, he can go home tomorrow. We've been invited to stay at Marc and Paul's while he recovers. Maybe-" He yawned again, "it'd be better if you come when we're there."
They exchanged a few more words of sympathy, and Kurt hung up. He turned back to Sebastian.
"Alice said they'll get you a photo book of the collection," he said, offering him a smile. It was the last weekend of the exhibition they'd wanted to go see, and it seemed unlikely that Sebastian was up for it within the next 36 hours.
Sebastian bit his lip and nodded. He was disappointed he couldn't see it, but it was a touring exhibition and if it was popular this time round, it might come back.
"Thanks for talking to them," Sebastian said quietly. "Are you okay?"
Kurt looked exhausted.
"Sure," Kurt said, shrugging a little. "I could use another coffee, but I ran out of coins somewhere last night. They should think about offering a caffeine flatrate."
Sebastian stroked Kurt's arm, guilt settling inside him. "Thank you for staying with me," he said quietly. "I love you so much...but you can go home and sleep if you want to. You should go home and sleep. You must be exhausted."
Kurt bit his lip. "I thought I could have a short nap here when the doctor comes to splint your fingers. Or when Marc comes back." He stretched his back. "I'm used to it. I didn't get that much more sleep last year when I was juggling work and school."
Sebastian looked at Kurt sympathetically. Then he had an idea. "If were staying with Marc and Paul, we're going to need some clothes and stuff...I would help but can't. Maybe, you could go home and pack us a bag? And then...get some sleep while you're there? Please baby, I don't want you to make yourself ill. You need sleep, and these hospital chairs will do your back no favours."
"I can wait till Marc gets back. I don't want to leave you here by yourself," Kurt said softly. "Last night...I was terrified I was never going to see you again. I need some more time to assure myself we'll be okay."
"Kurt," Sebastian said brokenly, shuffling to the right a bit. He patted the space on the bed next to him.
Kurt hesitantly sat on the bed next to him and Sebastian wrapped his arm around Kurt, careful to not jostle his bad side. As Kurt laid his head against his chest, Sebastian kissed his forehead.
"I'm okay baby, I'm gonna be fine. I'm a bit banged up, but I'll heal."
"Yes," Kurt mumbled. Feeling Sebastian next to him was enough to make Kurt relax properly for the first time since the attack. As Sebastian whispered quietly into his hair, Kurt felt the clutches of sleep curl around him, and, with the reassuring sound of his boyfriends heartbeat under his ear, he finally succumbed.
A while later, a young doctor pushing a wheelchair came in and found the both of them asleep on Sebastian's bed.
"Mr Smythe?" he said quietly, putting his hand on Sebastian's legs to shake him a little.
Sebastian jumped a little at the unfamiliar voice and it took him a minute to get his bearings.
His eyes settled on the doctor's lab coat and it clicked.
"I'm sorry to wake you Mr Smythe, but it's time to take you to have your hand splinted."
Sebastian nodded.
"I don't want to wake my boyfriend," he said quietly. "He's been awake since yesterday morning."
The doctor nodded sympathetically and helped gently lift Kurt so that Sebastian could extract himself. Once his arm was free, he sat up slowly, and with the doctor's help lowered himself into the wheelchair.
The movement made his head spin and he dug the heel of his left hand into his forehead.
"Easy," the doctor said kindly, taking his hand away from the bruise on his head and handing Sebastian a cup of water from the table. "Slow sips."
Sebastian sipped the water and allowed his body to get used to the new position before handing the cup back to the doctor and nodding.
"Okay. Let's do this," he said, hoping it sounded braver than he felt.
A/N: We know this is a heavy storyline and we hope we are doing it justice. Thank you to everyone who has commented so far. We really love hearing from you! If there's anyone silently reading along, please consider leaving a comment here, via PM or on Tumblr...we'd love to hear what you think!