Oh my gosh, Oh my gosh, Oh my gosh. I'm scared to ask you to review. But please do. I need your reviews on this chapter more than any other. I will update tomorrow.
Even though he'd been young when it happened, Kurt still remembered everything about the day that his mother died.
The morning had dawned clear and bright. Though his dad had been sleeping at the hospital, he insisted that Kurt spend each night in his own bed. It was what his mother wanted. He remembered climbing out of that bed, looking out at the brilliant blue sky and feeling like things were going to be ok. That nothing bad could happen on such a beautiful day as this.
His grand mom had made him oatmeal and shuffled him into a light coat. Then to the hospital. Climbing the steps, he'd been thinking that his mom should just be waking up, and he'd be able to describe the day to her. How the robins were starting to come back for the spring, and how he'd been thinking of going in another direction for his summer wardrobe. More black, less denim.
Instead he'd been greeted at the end of the hall by his dad, looking more careworn and sad then Kurt had ever seen him. Something in the stillness of his dad's face had registered as wrong to Kurt, even as young as he'd been. He could feel something, almost a physical sensation of loss, as though a part of him had broken off somehow, to drift forever beyond his reach. Everything changed in that moment.
He'd walked numbly into his fathers arms, too shocked to cry. He'd let his dad hold onto him like he was the only thing he had left in the world. He'd let himself believe it when his dad had whispered over and over..."its all going to be ok".
Even though he knew it wasn't.
Kurt shook himself out of his reverie; He didn't know why he was letting himself go to such a dark place. Maybe it was because; when he'd looked out his window this morning, it had been another clear, bright day, like the day his mom died. And he couldn't shake the feeling that change; something life altering, was coming. Wrapping his pea coat a little tighter around himself, he headed out the door to school.
Hoping that whatever change was coming, it would be good change for once.
"I'm going to tell them tonight."
Kurt pulled back from his boyfriends arms. Their mid day make out sessions; in the instrument closet of the choir room, usually didn't involve much talking.
"Tell who what?" Leaning in, he brushed his lips across Dave's mouth. God, his boyfriend tasted like his own peach chap stick. He loved that he could taste himself on the other boy's mouth.
He was surprised by Dave's maneuvering away from his kiss. He must really have something important to say, Kurt mused, finally giving the other boy his full attention.
Dave's face was flushed and he took a deep breath, looking into the smaller boy's eyes.
"I'm telling my parents that I'm gay"
Kurt froze, his mouth hanging open in disbelief. Then he felt it, a rush of joy and pride so strong he felt swept away by it.
"Ohmigosh, Ohmigosh, Ohmigosh! Babe! "
Other than those incoherent exclamations, Kurt found himself unable to speak. Launching himself back into his boyfriend's arms, he held him tighter than he ever had. Dave seemed just as caught up in the moment, clinging to Kurt as if he never planned to let him go.
Huddled close together in the closet, they skipped fourth period, talking about the how's and the where's and the why's of what Dave was about to do. Dave explaining that he almost said Kurt's name a hundred times a day at home, and how he couldn't lie about the most important thing in his life anymore. How he was going to sit them down and tell them after dinner. How he'd have an overnight bag packed, just in case.
Kurt, dizzy with excitement and apprehensive with dread, pledged to talk to his dad that night too. To find out if; worst case scenario, Dave could stay with them. To tell his dad the truth about them. If Dave was being completely honest, then it was time that he was too.
They both agreed to tackle the family first, and then school. One thing at a time.
Just before the bell for 5th period rang, they left the closet, and parted ways. Kurt had never seen Dave looking so tense. Kurt wanted to hold him close, reassure him, be his anchor. Yet he couldn't even get a handle on his own feelings! He felt so nervous, so excited, and so so...everything. He was practically vibrating, emotions were charging through his body so quickly.
Amidst all the other emotions was relief. This was the feeling he'd had that morning. The feeling that life was about to change. He was going to have a real boyfriend; one who he could hug and kiss whenever it suited them. One who could take him home to meet the family and vice versa. Well, he hoped anyway. He had no idea how Dave's family was going to react. But he wasn't as nervous as he could have been. Two people who had created such awesome people as Dave and Elly had to be wonderful and understanding. They had to be.
The remaining two classes of the day dragged by. Kurt swore he could hear the second hand of the clock slowing down, until every minute seemed an age. He didn't even hear his teachers, so lost was he in running through possible outcomes of Dave's big announcement. He envisioned Dave calling, asking to come and live with him. He imagined Dave calling, asking him to come over, as his parents wanted to meet him. He envisioned Dave calling and breaking it off, stating that his parents had "talked some sense" into him. These and a million more scenarios played across Kurt's troubled mind as he waited for the final bell to ring. Would this day never end?
Rain pounded on the windows, adding to Kurt's aggravation. How could a day that had started out so beautifully have turned into this rainy, icy mess? Typical Ohio month of March, he supposed. But that didn't stop him from feeling apprehensive, as if the change in weather somehow was the harbinger of bad things to come with Dave. He imagined Dave, sitting in the rain, kicked out of his house, unable to get in touch with him.
Oh God, he needed to turn his mind off. Maybe when he got home after Glee, he'd take a nap. Something to give his exhausted brain a rest, and a way to make the time pass more swiftly until he heard from Dave.
Finally, after what seemed an eternity, the final bell rang. Kurt hesitated. Knowing that Glee practice started in ten minutes, he gauged whether or not he had time for one last pep talk with Dave. He could meet him out by his truck; maybe give him a quick hug, and one last boost of encouragement.
Screw Glee, they could do warm up scales without him. Dave needed him and he wasn't going to let him go to his uncertain fate without a few kisses...umm...words of encouragement.
Kurt hated the rain. Especially the spring rain, which; in Lima, always seemed to be a mix of rain and hail. Unfortunately the blue sky that morning had fooled him into leaving his umbrella at home. He was going to have to make a mad dash for it, hair style be damned.
Good thing he'd worn his faux leather boots today. God only knew what a slog through the parking lot would have done to his genuine leather shoes. He shuddered to even think of it.
Bracing himself, gathering his coat close around his body, Kurt went for it. Dodging the streams of cursing, running students, few who had brought umbrellas, he peered across the lot. A ha! There was Dave's midnight blue dodge truck, parked in the back, near the soccer field. Kurt smiled, remembering Dave confessing to him that he had started parking there last soccer season so that he could pretend to talk on his phone and check out the soccer players. It was on the few non Kurt related gay admissions he had made, and Kurt had been delighted to learn his secret. They'd spent an hour comparing notes, finding that their taste in soccer players was completely opposite. When Dave had called last season's captain "the least hot boy ever", Kurt had tried to walk away in a huff. But he'd ended back up in his boyfriends arms, laughing over how two such opposites could how found so much happiness together.
He smiled to himself, completely focused on his thoughts and reaching Dave's truck in the quickest time possible.
He later thought that his single minded determination to reach the truck and get out of the rain was probably why he didn't hear it. Didn't hear any of it. The sound of running footsteps, a hoarse voice calling his name, and the squeal of braking tires.
He was totally oblivious. So it came as a complete surprise when; a few steps from Dave's truck, he felt something hit him. And then the whole world went black.
When the blackness faded, Kurt found himself in the same hospital his mom had died in. He was lying in a bed, decked out in one of those god awful hospital gowns, with some kind of monitor on his forehead. Which was throbbing like he'd just spent three days and nights drinking at a Rachel Berry party.
Eyes coming into focus, he saw his Dad. He wanted to call his name, but he was talking to someone in white. The doctor, Kurt realized.
The events leading up to this moment came rushing back to him. He'd been running to Dave's truck when someone had lost control of their car on the ice and rain, and had...hit him? He didn't remember exactly, but stretching out his limbs and feeling around his body quickly, he understood that he was a very lucky boy.
Who got hit by a car and only hurt their head a little? Talk about a close call. Having reassured himself that nothing was broken, he let himself listen in on his father's conversation with the doctor, trying to gauge how long he was going to be made to wear this hideous hospital gown. Hopefully, they'd let him go home tonight.
Tonight! Suddenly he remembered why tonight was so important. Glancing at the wall clock, he saw that it was 7 pm. Damn; he'd been out for 4 hours. Maybe Dave had already told his parents. He needed to find his phone ASAP. As he looked frantically around the room, the conversation between his dad and the doctor finally began to penetrate.
"..Overnight for observation, but he looks really good. Just a nasty bump on his head. If he has any nausea or double vision over the next 48 hours, we want you to bring him back in."
"What about the other boy?"
Kurt wondered how his dad was referring to. Probably the driver. God, he hoped the other guy or girl had made it out unscathed. Well, maybe a ticket might be in order, but he didn't wish this throbbing head pain on anyone else.
"We will know more tomorrow, once the swelling in his brain goes down. If it goes down. It's not my place to speculate, because I've seen miracles, but it doesn't look good."
"Should I tell Kurt what happened?"
Kurt's heard the sorrow in his dad's voice. The tone of voice he hadn't heard since that morning his mom had died. His anxiety level began to increase. Someone was seriously injured, and his dad was afraid to tell him what happened? What the hell was going on? What had happened after the driver hit him? Had he or she spun out and seriously injured themselves?
"That's your decision. I'm sure he'll find out soon enough, you know how kids are with their social networking. If you think he's strong enough, I would say it's probably safe."
'What happened, Dad?'
Burt Hummel spun around so quickly, Kurt was surprised he didn't fall on his face. His face was a mixture of pain, anxiety, and joy.
"Kurt, my god, you gave me such a scare today. What would I do if I lost you? "
Kurt accepted the careful embrace of his father, so glad to be alive in that moment, that he couldn't help but tear up. Seeing answering tears in his father's eyes, he sighed. Maybe everything was going to be ok. But he still needed to know what had happened.
"What happened, Dad? Did the driver that hit me get hurt? I didn't even see them coming, I was trying so hard to get out of the rain!"
"Kurt…" Burt looked at the doctor anxiously, who nodded and whispering a good luck, exited the room. Burt inhaled deeply, and continued, not meeting his son's eyes.
"Kurt, you didn't get hit by a car"
"Then what the hell hit me? A Mack truck?" Burt didn't respond to his son's lame attempt at humor. Kurt's anxiety kicked back up to full strength.
"Dad, what hit me?"
"You are right in one way, Kurt. A car lost control and was going to hit you. You couldn't have gotten out of the way in time. But it didn't hit you. Someone pushed you out of the way and shielded you with their body. That's how you hit your head."
Kurt's blood turned to ice. His fingers, which had been gingerly combing through his hair, began to shake.
"Someone saved me? Who was it? Are they ok? "
And ,like that moment in the hallway all those years ago, when his mom died, Kurt knew; no matter what his dad said, that this other person wasn't ok. That everything wasn't going to be ok.
Taking a deep breath, Burt's blue eyes, the exact color of his son's, looked up, meeting Kurt's gaze for the first time.
"Someone did save you. His name is Dave Karofsky. I don't think he's going to be ok"