Next chapter for your reading pleasure...it's a bit longer than some other chapters. There's a new character introduced and some of you might not be too thrilled, but it's a necessary evil for Kurt's progression.

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CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The doctors told Kurt he had to spend another week in the hospital before they would even consider releasing him. He was going stir crazy. Sure, Rachel had been visiting as much as her off-broadway play would allow and his dad was around almost around the clock. Then there was Blaine. Kurt wasn't sure why he was so adamant about having Blaine come to New York following waking up from his accident but he was. There was a part of him that regretted asking for Blaine to come. He had a job and Kurt was sure since Blaine worked for his father getting the time off had probably been a hassle – one that Blaine was sure to pay for once he got back. But there was also a part of Kurt that was so glad for Blaine's presence. He knew exactly what to say when Kurt was feeling down or on the brink of having a meltdown. He was such a reassuring comfort in Kurt's life and that's exactly what he needed right now. Still, Kurt knew that Blaine couldn't stay forever. Blaine had not mentioned one word about work to him and Kurt knew he wouldn't. Blaine would just say that if Kurt needed him then there was nowhere else he'd rather be. Kurt decided to ask his dad about it. Blaine had just left to make a phone call and grab some coffee for himself and Burt.

"Dad?" Kurt grimaced as he shifted in the bed.

"What's up kid? Do you need anything? Do you need me to ask for an adjustment to your pain meds?"

"No, I'm ok right now. I was just wondering…has Blaine mentioned anything to you about his job?"

"Now that you mention it Kurt, no he hasn't."

"Well, he does work for his father and if I remember anything about Mitchell Anderson I'd be willing to bet that Blaine will have to face some major consequences for taking time off of work."

"That may be Kurt but he's only been here for a few days. Don't you think he's earned some vacation time?" Sure, Burt knew that Mr. Anderson could be tough to deal with but Burt couldn't believe that he wouldn't give his own son a few vacation days.

"Dad, Mitchell Anderson doesn't believe in vacation time. Never has, never will." Kurt sighed. "Maybe I shouldn't have been so quick to ask for him to come. I didn't think it through, I just spoke…"

"And you spoke what's on your heart Kurt and your heart wanted Blaine here. Are you sorry that he's here?"

"No…but I would hate to be the reason for making his life more difficult once he goes back home. I made things difficult enough while I was there. I don't know, Dad. I'm still so confused about everything right now. Plus, it's hard to think clearly while I'm drugged up on pain meds." That much was true. Kurt didn't know what he felt for Blaine. It was getting easier to be around him. He didn't feel blinding anger when he looked at him or thought about him or their past. The anger was still there but it was on a slow simmer. Mainly he felt sadness regarding their past. But between mourning for what could have been and the twinge of anger in addition to Blaine constantly telling Kurt that he loved him…well Kurt was more confused than ever.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. A new voice spoke "Hi, I really hate to interrupt but it's time to rewrap some of the bandages on your ribs."

Kurt groaned. He really hated when they rewrapped his ribs. That always hurt like hell and left Kurt in quite a bit of pain which required more pain meds and that meant he would pretty much be out of it for a few hours. And Kurt was not happy that someone new would be rewrapping his ribs. He had just gotten use to Jeannie doing it. She was his favorite nurse. Kurt turned his head to get a look at this new nurse. Oh, hello there new hot, male nurse!

Hot male nurse chuckled. "I guess I should introduce myself first huh?" Kurt could only nod. "My name is Kevin. I'll be filling in for Jeannie. She had to take some emergency leave so she'll be off duty for the next few days. Looks like you'll be stuck with me." Kevin smiled at Kurt and reached out his hand. "You must be Kurt." Kurt shook the man's hand then he turned to look at Burt. "And you are?" Kevin sure did have a flirty tone to his voice.

Burt gave Kevin a once-over. He wasn't sure he liked how he was looking at his son. "I'm Burt Hummel. Kurt's father."

"Well Mr. Hummel, it's nice to meet you." The two shook hands. "I'm sure you already know this, but I'll need a few moments alone with the patient here." He turned and winked at Kurt. Kurt could only stare. It had been a long time since anyone had left him speechless.

"Yeah, sure. I'll be out in the hall." Burt tried to give this Kevin guy his best intimidating father stare that he could. Then he turned to Kurt. "I'll see what I can find out about Blaine's time off. He should be heading back any minute. You know he doesn't like to spend any more time away from you then he has to." Even though Kurt and Blaine's relationship was totally undefined at the moment, it didn't hurt to plant that little seed in Kevin's head. He didn't even know if this Kevin guy was gay but if the way he was looking at Kurt was any indication, Burt would bet that he was.

"Thanks Dad but don't tell him that I was wondering. Really, if he needs to go back I'll completely understand." Kurt really didn't want to be the source of any more difficulty in Blaine's life than he already was.

Blaine was approaching Kurt's room just as Burt walked out into the hallway. Blaine took one look at Burt's face and grew concerned. "What happened? Is everything ok with Kurt?"

Burt shook his head. "No, he's fine. Just getting his ribs rewrapped." Burt decided to leave out the fact that a flirty male nurse was the one doing it and that the nurse had left Kurt mainly speechless.

"Oh, ok. Good. By the look on your face, I thought something had happened." Blaine visibly relaxed.

"Look Blaine. I'm glad we have a few moments to chat. I've been meaning to ask you, how's work going? You didn't have a hard time getting these past few days off have you? I mean, you just jumped on a plane the minute I called you."

Blaine visibly tensed. "There is no place I'd rather be Burt. You know how I feel about your son…how I've always felt about him. I know I screwed up so horribly in the past but I'm not letting that happen ever again. I'm not letting anything get in the way of fighting for him, and that includes my job."

It was Burt's turn to tense up. "What exactly does that mean Blaine? That doesn't sound like your father willingly gave you the time off of work." He took one look at Blaine's face. "He didn't, did he?"

Blaine sighed. "No, he didn't."

"Blaine. I know you love Kurt. And I know you're trying to make up for your past transgressions, but making things more difficult between you and your father is only going to make things worse for you. What kind of trouble are you going to be in when you get home? And when are you planning on going home?"

"I'm not going home. Not anytime soon anyway. I quit my job when my father refused to give me the time off."

"Blaine! You can't just quit your job!" Burt was shocked. Sure, he knew that Blaine loved his son but to quit his job? That was crazy.

"I can and I did Burt. Look I'm not taking any of the blame of what I did to Kurt off of me, but part of that was due to my father. I told you some of the things he was telling me when I didn't get into NYADA. But I don't think you know the half of it. You could never understand because you are a good dad. You would never say the things to Kurt that my father has said to me. And when I told my dad that I needed a few days because of an emergency in New York, he knew instantly that it involved Kurt. And Burt, I felt like I was 18 years old again. I heard all of those horrible things he said to me again and I got angry. I'm not 18 anymore. I'm an adult and I can stand up to my father and make my own decisions. And that's exactly what I did. And I have not a single regret about it."

Burt didn't know what to say. Blaine had grown into such a fine young man. He would be proud to have Blaine in Kurt's life again. He never felt like a match maker but he would do what he could to make Kurt see what he saw. Burt opened his mouth to speak "I get it. I mean, no, I don't completely understand the relationship between you and your father but you deserve happiness and if you're not getting that at work then maybe you should look elsewhere. Have you given any thought to your next step?"

"Actually I have. Don't mention this to Kurt because I don't want to put any additional pressure on him but that phone call I was making? It was to a law firm in the city. Rhodes, Michaelson, & Boothe in downtown Manhattan are looking to bring on some new lawyers. I just had a phone interview with them and they seem impressed. I have an interview with them in person tomorrow afternoon."

"Wow, Blaine. That's great. I hope it goes well for you but I really hope you're not doing this just for Kurt. Things might not turn out exactly how you want them too."

"I know. I have no delusions. I know no matter how hard I fight for Kurt, he might not be able to get over what happened. But this really is such a great move for my career. The pay is better than what my father is paying me and I just need to get out of Ohio. My father is too strong of a presence for me and I need to break free."

"I get it Blaine. Now, how about we go get that coffee for real? Kurt's ribs should be all rewrapped by the time we get back."

"So, how are we feeling today Kurt? How are the ribs?" Kevin's smile never left his face.

Your voice, Kurt. Find your voice! Kurt cleared his voice. "Um, they're ok. Still pretty tender and it hurts to take deep breaths."

Kevin chuckled. "Yeah, it will continue to hurt for a little while longer. You know, I broke a few ribs back about three years ago. I know it hurts like a bitch." Kevin was very tender and gentle while tending to Kurt. "Your chart says you've been here for about a week and you've been awake for three days. You're making good progress. How's your face? Swelling going down?"

Kurt's hands flew to his face in embarrassment. He'd forgotten how horrible he looked. Here he was, smiling at this hot male nurse, who seemed to be flirting with him, and he looked absolutely horrible! If his face wasn't already discolored due to the bruising, he was sure he'd be bright red from blushing.

Unfortunately, Kevin seemed to pick up on Kurt's embarrassment. "It's ok Kurt. I've seen worse, trust me. Looks like you'll be able to open that other eye in no time, which is good because that eye…" Kevin pointed to Kurt's good, open eye, "is beautiful."

Kurt bashfully answered "thank you. And yes, I think the swelling is going down some. I'm looking forward to seeing out of both eyes."

Kevin just nodded. "It's a real tragedy what happened to you Kurt. I mean, I don't know why people feel the need to be so mean."

Kurt shifted uncomfortably. He really didn't like talking about his attack. Kurt didn't know if Kevin knew he was the victim of a hate crime but it was obvious he'd been beaten up. Add to the fact that his attackers were still out there roaming the streets…yeah, Kurt didn't like this topic at all.

Again, Kevin picked up on Kurt's feelings. "I'm sorry, I'm sure it's not a comfortable topic for you. Can I tell you a secret?" Kurt nodded. "The reason I had broken ribs? My ex-boyfriend decided to use me as a punching bag one night."

Kurt's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Wow, I'm really sorry. I guess I should be glad my attack was random."

"Eh, it's ok. Like I said that was three years ago and I got the hell out of that relationship." Suddenly, Kevin turned bashful. "You're lucky, according to your father, your boyfriend, who it seems can't stand to be away from you, well…seems like he must be a pretty good guy."

"He's not my boyfriend."

"Oh, well then…good to know." Kevin winked at Kurt once more and continued wrapping Kurt's ribs.

Ugh, this past week had been almost torture. Kurt desperately wanted to get out of the hospital and go home. He was feeling much better. His ribs still hurt and of course he still had his broken arm, leg and ankle to deal with. The broken leg and ankle would make getting around difficult, but Kurt didn't care. He needed to get out of the hospital. He was going stir crazy. To make things worse, he couldn't distract himself with work. Paul Brewer had not emailed him because as long as he was in the hospital, Ms. Spencer felt like he should be spending that time recuperating, not working. Sure, Kurt was always sketching in his mind, but without knowing Mr. Brewer's vision for his line, Kurt felt like it was fruitless. His one saving grace in this torture place…Kevin, the hot, male nurse.

Blaine wasn't stupid. He could see that Kevin was flirting with Kurt. Of course Blaine could see it. Kevin did it right in front of him. What was wrong with him? I mean, Blaine knew that he and Kurt had not gotten back together, but Blaine felt like things were moving in the right direction. Blaine was constantly at Kurt's bedside, only leaving to change clothes. Blaine and Burt alternated spending the night with Kurt in his room. Blaine was the one that helped Kurt move around when he wanted to get out of bed because having a broken leg and ankle made it hard for Kurt to get around without some type of help. Nearly every single time Kevin entered the room, Blaine was usually touching Kurt in some way, even in the simple way of placing his hand on top of Kurt's. Kevin should be under the impression that Blaine was Kurt's boyfriend, right? Not that it mattered…Kurt would be released from the hospital soon and Kevin would be a thing of the past and Blaine would let Kurt know about his future plans.

Kevin grew more confused every time he went into Kurt's room to check on his patient. Kurt had told him on the day they met that Blaine was not his boyfriend, yet they seemed to have a close relationship. Blaine was very affectionate with Kurt, and Kurt never seemed to discourage Blaine's behavior. Kevin had never questioned the bond that Kurt and Blaine seemed to share. Instead, Kevin enjoyed flirting with Kurt. And Kurt never discouraged Kevin flirting either. What was going on? Kevin knew it was unprofessional to ask Kurt on a date while he was still his patient, but Kurt was going to be discharged the day after tomorrow. Kevin wanted to immediately ask Kurt out. Before he could do that and risk rejection, Kevin knew he had to know exactly how Blaine fit into his life.

Kevin approached the door to Kurt's hospital room. As he got closer, he heard Kurt's beautiful laugh. Kevin peered in the little door window and found Blaine, sitting at the foot of Kurt's bed, rubbing Kurt's foot. They were sharing a laugh. Kurt's father was nowhere to be found. Kevin had had enough. He was going to find out what was going on.

Kevin pushed open the door and smiled big and bright. "Hey there Kurt! How are we feeling today?" Kevin immediately noticed Blaine's face fall and he could have sworn he saw a brief look of disgust pass over his face. Blaine, however, was the perfect gentleman and if a look of disgust did pass over his face, it was gone quickly and he plastered a smile on his face.

Oh, how Blaine hated it when Kevin interrupted when he and Kurt were sharing a genuine moment that was full of smiles and laughter…not tainted with regret of past mistakes or the inhumane way some people treated others. Blaine spoke up before Kurt had a chance, "He's doing much better. It might be time to release him and let him go home and get back to his life."

Kevin chuckled. He could see what Blaine was doing. "Well, that's the doctor's decision. Not mine. Now, if you don't mind Blaine, I need to redress Kurt's ribs."

Blaine knew that was code for 'I want alone time with Kurt'. Blaine decided to challenge this. "I'm sure Kurt won't mind if I stay in the room while you redress his ribs. Besides, won't I need to know how to do it once he's released? And, it's nothing I haven't seen before."

"Blaine!" Kurt spoke for the first time, finding himself a little embarrassed at what Blaine had not so subtly implied. Blaine turned to look at Kurt. "It's ok Blaine, really. Why don't you go and find out why my dad has been gone for so long. He said he was just going to call the shop and make sure everything was running smoothly and he's been gone for almost an hour." You could cut the tension with a knife.

Blaine sighed. He really didn't want to leave. "If that's what you want, I'll go find your dad. You know I'd do anything you asked." Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand as he got off the bed. Kevin had this smug smile on his face when he passed. He hadn't thought about boxing since his brief run as the leader of the Dalton Academy Fight Club, but he desperately wanted to punch that smug smile right off that asshole's face.

Once Blaine had left the room, Kurt looked at Kevin in the eyes. "Sorry about that. He usually thinks things through before he speaks." Kurt sighed. "Anyway, to answer your question, I am feeling much better. I do feel like I'm ready to go home."

"Well what I said to Blaine was true…it's the doctor's decision to release you, not mine. Now, let me see how those ribs are doing." Kurt grimaced as he sat up. "You still seem to be in quite a bit of pain there Kurt. You know you have to be honest with me about how you are really feeling. We haven't done an x-ray in two days. Maybe we should schedule you for another one. If your ribs are not healing properly, we need to know before we send you home before you're ready."

Kurt groaned. "No offense, but I don't want to be here any longer than I have to. I'm ready to go home. I'm ready to get back to work." Kurt paused for a moment, remembering something Blaine had said. "Speaking of home, Blaine's right you know."

"Right about what?"

"Well, he is going to need to know how to change the dressing on my ribs once I get released, right?"

Kevin didn't like the implication that Kurt was putting out there. "Well, I thought I'd show your father today, but he isn't here so…" Kevin let the sentence trail off.

"You really don't like him, do you?"

"Who? Blaine?"

"Yeah."

Kevin sighed. He knew he needed to know what was going on between those two. Kevin had no claim on Kurt. It was just a crush that Kevin desperately hoped would develop into something more. "It's not that I don't like him, Kurt. It's just that I don't know him or what you two mean to each other…"

Kurt interrupted him, "I told you he's not my boyfriend."

"I know that's what you told me but does he know that? I feel like he's trying to claim you. I mean, he would cock his leg and piss on you to mark you as his territory if he could."

Kurt had hoped that he would be able to get through this hospital stay without trying to explain his relationship with Blaine. How was he going to answer this? "I'm going to be completely honest with you Kevin."

"Ok."

"Blaine is my ex-boyfriend. We were high school sweethearts. He's a year younger than me and when I first came to New York he was still in his senior year in high school. Let's just say that mistakes were made and we weren't very successful at a long distance relationship so we broke up about six months after I moved."

"Well that had to have been years ago Kurt. I'm more curious as to what's going on now."

Kurt really didn't want to give too many details. He would just tell Kevin what he needed to know. "Blaine is a lawyer and my Dad hired him for an issue with his business. I went back recently to visit my Dad in Ohio and ran into Blaine. It was the first time we'd seen each other since we broke up."

That surprised Kevin a little. "You hadn't seen each other since you broke up? That doesn't sound like it ended on amicable terms."

"It didn't. But I don't want to get into the details of what happened." Kurt sighed. "Seeing him again did stir up some old feelings for both of us. And you're not totally wrong in how you're reading Blaine. He seems to think that we can have a future again. He wants to try to fight for us."

"And you?"

Kurt rubbed his temples. "I'm not sure." Kurt could see the slight disappointment in Kevin's face. "I just don't know if I can forgive him and get past what happened. I don't know if I want to try. Sometimes things with Blaine are just so exhausting. I might be too tired to fight."

"So he did something wrong? To cause your break up?" Kevin tensed. "I knew there was something about him that was more than just my jealousy of him fawning over you."

"Kevin, Blaine is not a bad guy. We were so young when our relationship went terribly wrong. And, I am not blameless in this either. We both made mistakes and we were too immature and had too much pride to take a good, long look at our relationship. If we had, maybe we could have saved it."

"Do you think you would still be together if you had?"

"Absolutely" Kurt answered without a moment of hesitation.

Now it was time for Kevin to be honest. "Look Kurt. I like you. I know it is totally unprofessional for me to tell you that. I'm still your nurse and you're still my patient. But I was hoping maybe we could go on a date or something once you've been released. But having said that, I'm not sure I want to get in the middle of whatever is going on between you and your ex. Clearly things are unresolved between the two of you."

Kurt smiled. "I like you too Kevin. Talking to you and yes, flirting with you the past few days has been really refreshing. Like I said, things with Blaine are so exhausting and maybe a fresh start with someone new is exactly what I need. Besides, Blaine doesn't even live in New York. He lives in Ohio. That just complicates everything. You've helped me see things clearly. Talking to you about this helped me see what trying to bring Blaine back into my life would entail. My life is about to get pretty busy and complicated for me professionally. I don't want complicated in my personal life. I want simple. I want easy. I want fun. And, I want to go on a date with you."

Kevin's smile was so big and bright. "Well then. Ok."

"So Kevin, how about you get to wrapping my ribs and then see what you can do about convincing the doctor to spring me from this joint."

Blaine finally found Burt in the chapel of all places. "Burt? You know Kurt is fine right? What are you doing in the chapel?"

Burt looked a little startled. "Oh, Blaine. You scared me. I wasn't praying for Kurt. I have something else on my mind." Burt really wanted Kurt to find happiness outside of his career. Burt would be even happier if that happiness included Blaine. "So, what brings you here, kid?"

"Kevin showed up to redress Kurt's ribs." Burt could hear the distain in Blaine's voice. "I tried to stick around. You know, I figured I'd need to know how to do it once Kurt gets released."

"Huh, I hadn't thought about that. I guess he will need some help won't he?"

"Yeah, but he kicked me out." Blaine shook his head, and then bent over to place his head in his hands. "I know we're not where I'd like us to be but we've been getting so much closer. I felt like we were taking steps forward but now…I can't explain it Burt, but I feel like I'm losing him."

The thing to remember is that while Kurt is still fighting his feelings for Blaine, he also doesn't know that Blaine quit his job and is planning on moving to NYC. So yes, a new, uncomplicated relationship sounds more appealing than entering into a long distance relationship with Blaine - who he's not sure what he feels for him.

Of course, Blaine hasn't given up the fight but he doesn't want to tell Kurt about his possible job opportunity until it is a sure thing.

This story still has a way to go before the end and what would a Klaine fanfic be without angst and a little bit of heartbreak?

I will update again at some point tomorrow but it will most likely be in the afternoon.

How about some reviews? I'd love to know what people are thinking...