Author's Note: Phew! Sorry for the wait guys, getting back into the swing of school after break and all that. Dealing with my pristine Hogwarts trunk full of HP books getting water damage due to a sprinkler leak (luckily the school will pay to replace them, thank GOD/MERLIN/OZ). Also agreed to beta a chapter of a fic I hadn't read yet, so had to read that, and auditions are this weekend… You get the picture. I promised myself I would get this done tonight though, and get it done I did, although I really shouldn't be still up and unshowered at midnight when I have a 9:30 class tomorrow and didn't quite get 6 hours of sleep last night before my 8 am class this morning . Anyway, here is the chapter, I hope its length at least partially makes up for its lateness.
-SQ
Disclaimer: *bored voice* No…I do not own Glee… (or the songs used in this chapter. I don't even own a copy of one of them)
Chapter Twenty-One: To Get to You
Blaine's eyelids flickered and he turned his head slightly, burying it in the extraordinary silkiness of his pillow. His legs felt cramped and he tried to shift them into a more comfortable position, but they wouldn't move; something was holding them in place. Groaning, Blaine scrubbed a hand over his face and looked blearily down to see what the obstruction was. It was with great surprise that he found it to be his boyfriend, who was currently sitting halfway onto his lap. What Blaine had mistaken for a pillow was in reality Kurt's hair.
"Good morning," said Kurt, smiling up at him.
Blaine blinked. "Wha-a?"
Kurt and Finn burst out laughing.
"You fell asleep, dude," said Finn from where he was sitting at the foot of the bed.
Blaine blushed. "I—"
"It's okay," said Kurt, cutting him off. "You're warm." He leaned back against Blaine's chest.
Blaine smiled and wrapped his arms around him, his smile turning into a frown as he did so. "So are you. And not in a good way."
Finn leaned across the bed and touched Kurt's forehead with his palm. "He's right."
Kurt shrugged irritably. "What do you expect? I'm sick."
"I wish you weren't," said Finn.
"Don't we all?"
"D'you wanna stop with the cards?" asked Finn.
"Y-y-y-yeah," Kurt yawned. "M-m-maybe." He curled up against Blaine's chest, Finn rubbing his back.
"Kurt," said Blaine. "I hate to say this, but my legs are asleep."
"Oh," said Kurt. He scooted backwards off of Blaine's lap to lean against Finn instead. "Sorry."
"It's okay," said Blaine. He stretched out his tingling legs, wincing. "Is that coffee?"
"Yeah," said Kurt. "My dad brought it. But it's stone cold by now."
"Where is your dad?" asked Blaine.
"He went, um, out," said Finn, not looking Blaine in the eye. "Said he'd be back soon."
"Finn, why won't you tell me where he went?" whined Kurt, obviously continuing an earlier conversation.
"Who says I know?" said Finn.
"I know you know! Tell me!"
Finn shook his head, miming locking his lips and throwing away the key. Kurt glared at him.
"I'm gonna go get myself some hot coffee," said Blaine. "Do either of you want anything?"
Kurt shook his head.
"Nah, I'm fine," said Finn.
"Okay, I'll be right back."
The door swung shut behind him. Kurt leaned back against Finn.
"I love him."
Finn smiled. "I know you do."
Kurt twisted so that he could see Finn's face. "I love you too. Even if you are infuriating."
"These drugs they give you make you pretty happy," the larger boy chuckled.
"Don't worry. I'll be back to being b-b-b-itchy in no time."
"I didn't say being happy was a bad thing!" said Finn.
Kurt giggled and yawned again.
"Go to sleep," said Finn. "I promise I'll wake you when, um, if anything exiting happens."
Kurt narrowed his eyes at his brother. "You kn-n-now something d-don't you?"
Finn laid him down on the bed and ruffled his hair. "Maybe. Go to sleep."
"Hey!" protested Kurt.
"Aw, it's just gonna get messed up anyway by the bed," said Finn.
"It's the principle of the thing," Kurt grumbled.
Finn leaned back against the wall. "Go to sleep Kurt. You'll want to be awake later."
"Why?" demanded Kurt. "Why will I want to be awake later?"
"No particular reason," said Finn hurriedly.
"Finn Hudson—mph!"
"Ouch!" Finn gaped at his stepbrother. "You bit me!"
"You put your hand over my mouth," said Kurt.
"That hurt," said Finn, shaking his hand.
"Oh, don't be a baby."
"You bit me! And your teeth are sharp. You almost broke the skin!"
"Come on, Finn, you play football."
"Yeah, well, people don't bite each other in football."
Kurt rolled his eyes. "Should I kiss it to make it better?"
"Um…"
Kurt gave Finn's palm a quick peck and then lay down with his head on Finn's knee.
"Oh, so now you'll go to sleep."
"Yep," said Kurt cheerfully.
*****WBATF*****
There was a knock on the door and Burt stuck his head in. "Hey, how is he?"
"Still got a bit of a fever, but he slept most of the afternoon," said Finn.
"Did he eat?" asked Carole's voice from beyond the door.
"Yeah, he just finished," said Blaine.
"I am right here, and I am fine," said Kurt. "Why are you hiding behind the door like a criminal, Dad?"
Burt grinned. "I brought you something."
"What?" said Kurt curiously.
Burt grinned and opened the door.
"Kuuuuuurt!"
Kurt found himself suddenly swept up into several pairs of arms.
"Mercedes? Tina? Rachel? What are you guys doing here? !"
"We came to see you of course," said Tina.
"Your dad came and picked us up," said Rachel.
Mercedes gave him another hug. "We've been so worried about you."
Kurt hugged her back. "I'm fine, Mercedes."
"You weren't fine last week," said Tina.
"I know," said Kurt. "It was pretty scary. But I'm okay now, I promise. Thanks for coming, girls."
"We wanted to come earlier," said Rachel, "but they wouldn't let us."
The girls moved back from him and he noticed that they weren't the only new arrivals. The entire McKinley High Glee Club, including Mr. Shuester, was crowded into the hospital room.
"Wow!" said Kurt. "I mean, I knew I was popular, but really!"
Everyone laughed.
"We thought we'd come to cheer you up," said Artie.
"What we have planned won't really fit inside this room, though," said Sam.
"So we got the doctor to agree to let you leave for a little while," said Puck.
Brittany pushed a wheelchair up to the bed.
"But I can walk," Kurt protested.
"Doctor's orders," said Mike.
Kurt rolled his eyes but let Finn and Blaine help him into the chair.
"It's good to see you looking better, Kurt," said Will.
"It's good to be feeling better," said Kurt emphatically.
Finn wheeled him into the hall, Blaine, Mr. Shue and the rest of New Directions walking ahead of them. The group made their way down the hall, though the main lobby, and into a waiting area off to the side. Kurt raised his eyebrows. In the middle of the waiting area, looking distinctly out of place amidst the burgundy and beige patterned couches, was a scuffed, tan upright piano.
The figures sitting on the surrounding couches rose and turned then, big grins adorning their faces. Kurt's jaw dropped. "But—what—?" he sputtered.
"We decided to call in a bit of backup," said Rachel, grinning as broadly as the Warblers assembled behind her.
"Finn!" said Kurt, twisting in his wheelchair to stare accusingly at his brother. You knew about this!"
"Knew about it?" said Wes. "It was his idea!"
Kurt gaped at his brother. "This is what you were hiding from me!"
"Hey, Finn, Blaine, are we gonna do this or not?" asked David.
Kurt's gaze flicked away from Finn to David and then Blaine. "You knew about this too?" he asked his boyfriend.
"Yep," said Blaine. "I got the Warblers onboard."
"But—but—you weren't hiding anything!" he protested.
"On the contrary," said Blaine, "I was doing a rather better job a hiding it than some people I could mention." He looked pointedly at Finn.
Kurt laughed. "Well, we all know Finn's a terrible liar."
"Gee, thanks."
"Heloooooo!" said Rachel, waving her hands. "We're waiting! Get your butts over here before we start without you! I'd be more than happy to take your solos."
"Who says you'd get to take their solos?" demanded Santana. "You already have a solo!"
"No one is going to take our solos," said Finn quickly. He and Blaine took their places amongst the group.
Jeff sat down at the piano and began to play the opening chords as the New Directions stepped forward, forming a line in front of the blazer-clad Warblers.
There was no spotlight in the hospital lobby to shine on her, but Tina drew Kurt's attention anyway as she took the first solo.
"There's too many things I haven't done yet
Too many sunsets I haven't seen"
Rachel took a preparatory breath and Kurt's focus shifted to her as she sang the next line.
"You can't waste the day wishing it'd slow down
You'd have thought by now I'd have learned something"
Suddenly the accompaniment Jeff was playing on the piano changed, becoming faster and harder. Behind the New Directions, the Warblers came in with a vocalized a cappella-style harmony and beat boxing. Together, the McKinnley students sang,
"I had to escape; the city was sticky and cruel
Maybe I should have called you first
But I was dying to get to you
I was dreaming while I drove,
the long straight road ahead, uh huh yeah"
The piano changed again, reverting to the simpler, softer tune of the first section. Mercedes took the next solo in her rich, soulful voice.
"I made up my mind when I was a young girl
I've been given this one world
I won't worry it away"
This time Wes and David each took a step forward to join the front line, several New Directions members between them, and sang the next line as a duet.
"But now and again I lose sight of the good life
I get stuck in a low light
But then love comes in"
They grinned and winked at Kurt, stepping back into the Warbler line just in time for the music to change once more, the Warblers again providing extra vocal accompaniment as the New Directions sang the melody in unison.
"Could taste your sweet kisses
Your arms open wide
This fever for you is just burning me up inside"
Then the two groups broke, splitting so that the Warblers were now on the left side of the "stage" and the New Directions on the right. Jeff on the piano picked up elements of both sections of the mash-up at once and half the Warblers split from the vocal harmony to sing the grittier line of melody.
"I drove all night…to get to you"/"How far do I have to go to get to you?"
"Many the miles"
"Is that alright?"
"Many the miles"
"I drove all night…to get to you"/"How far do I have to go to get to you?"
"Many the miles"
"Is that alright?"
"But send me the miles"
"I drove all night"
"And I'll be happy to follow you, Love"
The piano accompaniment mellowed once more, the Warblers' voiced dropping out of the background. Blaine stepped into the middle of the semi-circle and sang,
"I do what I can wherever I end up
To keep giving my good love
And spreading it around"
Blaine stepped back towards the Warblers and was replaced by Finn, who gave Kurt a half smile that was somewhere between earnest and sheepish as he sang,
"'Cause I've had my fair share of take care and goodbyes
I've learned how to cry
And I'm better for that"
Finn fell back into the New Directions clump and the chorus, complete with the duel piano lines and the layered New Directions and Warblers came back.
"I drove all night…to get to you"/"How far do I have to go to get to you?"
"Many the miles"
"Is that alright?"
"Many the miles"
"I drove all night…to get to you"/"How far do I have to go to get to you?"
"Many the miles"
"Is that alright?"
"But send me the miles"
"I drove all night"
"And I'll be happy to, yeah"
"I drove all night…to get to you"/"How far do I have to go to get to you?"
"Many the miles"
"Is that alright?"
"Many the miles"
"I drove all night…to get to you"/"How far do I have to go to get to you?"
"Many the miles"
"Is that alright?"
"But send me the miles"
"I drove all night"
"And I'll be happy to follow you, Love"
The reverberations of the chorus dies out as Jeff deftly picked the simple line from the beginning of the song back up, his fingers caressing the keys softly and gently. The New Directions and the Warblers drew back into their lines, but left Finn and Blaine out front forming a third line of their own. The two boys looked Kurt in the eyes and sang softly along with Jeff's graceful piano playing.
"There's too many things I haven't done yet
Too many sunsets I haven't seen"
The song drew to a close. There were tears in Kurt's eyes. There was a moment of silent stillness, and then the entire lobby behind them erupted into applause. Kurt turned and saw that the area between them and the front desk was liberally populated with various hospital patients and visitors, all clapping and cheering for the Warblers' and New Directions' combined performance.
"Did you like it?" Finn asked, coming over to him as Rachel took repeated bows for the enthusiastic crowd.
"It was amazing!" said Kurt. "I didn't know those two songs went together!"
"Well, it wasn't easy," said Finn. "But Puck, Sam, and Artie figured it out."
"When did you guys have time to practice this?" demanded Kurt.
"While you were asleep this afternoon," said Finn with a grin. "As soon as you fell asleep I called my mom and she came to stay with you while I went out to meet Blaine, the Warblers, and the New Directions."
Kurt thought back to that afternoon. "Blaine didn't go to get coffee at all!" he exclaimed.
"Well, he did get coffee, but yeah, he was heading out to meet the Warblers."
"And my dad…"
"Picked up some of New Directions. Mr. Shue and Puck drove the rest."
"How long have you been planning this?"
Finn shrugged. "A few days. Well, more like a week really. Everyone else rehearsed some beforehand, only Blaine and I couldn't be there. And we called talked to them on the phone about planning and stuff while you were sleeping."
Kurt shook his head in wonder. "Finn, I have just developed a whole new level of respect for you."
Finn grinned lopsidedly.
Kurt yawned widely, shivering slightly.
"You should probably get back to bed," said Finn.
"But I want to s-s-see everyo-o-one," yawned Kurt.
"Dude, you're exhausted. And visiting hours are technically over as of, like, five minutes ago. They're gonna kick everyone out pretty soon anyway."
"Can I at least say goodbye?"
"Of course."
Kurt did say goodbye, hugging every one of his friends tightly and thanking them for coming to visit and sing for him. They all told him not to mention it and to feel better soon, and he promised he'd try his best. When Rachel and Mercedes had finally given him their last hugs and promised to visit again if he wasn't out of the hospital soon, and to see him soon regardless, Finn started to wheel him back to his room.
"Oh! Wait!" Mercedes came running up behind them, her hands held behind her back. "I almost forgot!"
"What did you almost forget?" asked Kurt, looking at her curiously.
"This!" she said, and pulled her hands out from behind her back, revealing a teddy bear that had to be almost half the size of Kurt himself.
"Mercedes, where did you get that?"
"The toy store," she said, grinning. "I promised you one, didn't I?"
Kurt laughed. "I suppose you did. Thank you, Mercedes. I love him."
Mercedes gave him one last hug. "I'm glad. See you later, white boy!"
"'Bye Mercedes."
Finn wheeled Kurt back to his hospital room and he and Blaine helped him into the bed. He barely kept his eyes open long enough to kiss Blaine goodnight before falling asleep. The older boy laid a hand on his forehead.
"He's warm. Do you think it was too much for him?"
Finn considered and then shook his head. "No. You heard him. He loved it. He was dying of boredom in here. You have to admit this place isn't very Kurt. He's gonna be just fine."
Blaine smiled. "No," he agreed, "it isn't very Kurt. Thanks for organizing this for him."
"Thanks for helping me," Finn responded, smiling back.
Blaine shifted his weight, not quite sure what to say. "Well, goodnight, Finn."
Finn offered him a half wave. "'Night, Blaine."
AN: Okay, now you can kind of see why this chapter was a bit of an effort. A lot of time playing the two songs at the same time to try to figure out how I could possible put them together. And this was after searching high and low for a song/songs to use there. In case you're wondering, the two songs I used for that mash-up are "I Drove All Night" by Celine Dion and "Many the Miles" by Sara Bareilles.
I hope my efforts paid off though. I think it turned out to be a pretty cool chapter. But I'm more interested in what you think *hint hint*
-SQ