I don't own Glee or United States of Tara

Chapter 25

Kurt was starting to feel like a prisoner in his own home. After his dad picked him up from Dalton on Monday, he'd driven straight home and Kurt hadn't been allowed out of the house once. He was feeling so cooped up that he'd almost been looking forward to his appointment with Dr. Simmons on Thursday, but her secretary called the house that morning to reschedule since Dr. Simmons had to attend to a family emergency.

It wasn't that his father was trying to punish him by keeping him home. It was just that he was so afraid. When Kurt called him after Blaine went back to class on Monday, he could hear the panic in Burt's voice then and pleaded with him to please drive safely. He'd tried to explain everything in a way that wouldn't freak his father out, but there was really a limited number of ways you could explain a transition and a bloody fist fight, followed by a fainting spell. Burt had instructed Kurt to put Jeff on the phone and Kurt silently mouthed apologies to his friend as he could hear his father giving loud, direct instructions not to let his son out of his sight.

Jeff was great to sit with him during the forty five minutes it took for Burt to arrive to pick him up. Despite Kurt refusing several times, Jeff made him eat half a Poptart after he'd finished another generous handful of crackers. By that point, Kurt was feeling stuffed, but the logical part of his brain told him that he shouldn't be uncomfortably full after eating what most people would consider a snack. Admittedly, about twenty minutes after eating the Poptart, he felt ten times better than he had previously.

It only made the time go by slower knowing that he wasn't going to see Blaine until the weekend. They'd made an agreement that Blaine should spend time with Jeff after school, since there still had been no word from Nick or his family concerning his whereabouts. As composed as Jeff normally was, Blaine and Kurt felt helpless watching him quietly and privately fall apart.

Kurt missed Blaine, and while they talked every night after Blaine went back to his own room and they both agreed that it was the right thing to do for Jeff, he still felt so lonely without Blaine's presence. He anxiously counted down the hours until Saturday when he knew that Blaine was coming to see him.

Kurt had the whole day planned out. Kurt was hoping that the sunny weather they'd had all week would hold out before the rains were supposed to move in on Sunday. He'd prepared a picnic to eat out in the gazebo and a movie marathon for later in the day.

Even more exciting was that Kurt, after several straight days of begging and bargaining, had finally convinced his dad to let him go to Westerville to watch Blaine perform with the Warblers at the Westerville Mall. Ever since the infamous Gap Attack, which was well-received by everyone except its intended target, the Warblers had grown bolder and bolder in their off-campus performances. Their scheduled Sunday concert at the Westerville Mall food court pavilion was the third such performance of the season.

Now Kurt was humming happily to himself as he spread peanut butter on slices of bread, readying the sandwiches in the final step of assembling the picnic lunch. Blaine was going to be arriving any minute and Kurt found himself rocking back on his heels with a barely controlled enthusiasm. Nothing was going to ruin this day between the two of them, he vowed to himself. Perfect days were hard to come by in Kurt Hummel's life, but he was determined to make this one of them.

Burt Hummel was a man at the end of his rope. He felt like he'd been dangling for weeks now, and the phone call he received from his shaken son hadn't helped matters. He ignored his doctor's orders to remain as stress-free as possible for the sake of his heart on a near daily basis, but really, what choice did he have? Kurt was in crisis nearly constantly, and through no fault of his own. Kurt was working on his assignments faithfully and even still, things continued to get worse.

But Burt did have reason to be thankful as the week progressed. As upset as he'd been when the Thursday appointment with Dr. Simmons had been cancelled, at least Kurt hadn't had any more transitions since Monday. He'd been eating three times a day and Burt even caught him snacking a few times.

Per his request, Kurt hadn't left the house, not even to run errands with Carole, but Burt knew he couldn't keep his son locked up forever. He could see the stir-crazy look in Kurt's eyes when he begged pathetically to drive to Westerville on Sunday. Against his better judgment, he'd agreed, if for no other reason than he knew that Kurt was just asking him out of respect. Kurt was an adult now, and it was really up to him to come and go as he pleased, but Burt liked that his son still had the decency and love for his father to ask his permission.

After his meeting on Monday with Ron, and before he'd received the phone call from Kurt, Burt had made contact with the private investigator that Ron recommended. Richard Oliver seemed legit to Burt, and he was impressed with the knowledge and resources he seemed to have at his disposal. He respected Richard's honesty with him and his realistic expectations for finding a guy who'd, for all intents and purposes, disappeared into thin air. Richard warned that it might take a while and that Burt was encouraged to call him with any more information, seemingly significant or not, that he might uncover when talking to Kurt. He assured that as soon as he found anything, he'd be in contact with Burt immediately.

By Saturday, Burt still hadn't heard anything from him, but after talking to Richard at length on Monday, he really wasn't expecting to hear anything for a couple of weeks or possibly more. Of course, Burt hadn't quite held up his end of the bargain with Ron or Richard since he hadn't figured out a way to talk to Kurt about what he knew. He was hoping that the appointment with Dr. Simmons would help him broach the topic, but since that wasn't going to happen for at least another week, Burt wondered if he shouldn't just sit down with Kurt himself.

Burt decided that he would, but not until after the weekend. He knew how excited Kurt was about his 'home date', as he called it, with Blaine on Saturday and his trip to Westerville on Sunday. His son deserved a carefree weekend. Well, he deserved a lot more than that, but Burt was going to do his best to make sure that Kurt had at least forty-eight hours of unhindered, carefree time just being a teenager. Everything else could wait while Kurt enjoyed just a little slice of what most kids his age got on a daily basis.

"Kurt this is so good," Blaine moaned through a mouthful of sandwich. The boys were lounging on a blanket spread out on the gazebo, chatting about nothing in particular and just enjoying the weather and each other's company.

"It's just peanut butter and jelly," Kurt giggled, rolling his eyes. "It can't be that much better than any other you've had."

"But it is," Blaine insisted enthusiastically. "No really, and I bet it's because you made it."

Kurt blushed deeply, despite the fact that he should be used to such flattery after so many months.

"Whatever you say," Kurt replied before taking another small bite of his sandwich. Between that, the fresh fruit, chips and brownies, Kurt was beginning to grow full. He raised his eyebrows in surprise when he saw Blaine going for his third sandwich in addition to the other sides. It was just another one of the little things that Kurt loved about his boyfriend.

After they were both finally sated, they remained outside for a while longer. Not long after they took their last bites, Blaine received a simple text message from Jeff stating that Nick was back at school and that they would explain everything the next day at the mall. Blaine and Kurt hugged each other tightly at the news, wanting desperately to call Jeff or Nick and ask for more details, but they recognized that the boys probably just wanted some time to themselves while they sorted through the last week of separation.

Giddily, they made their way into the house as the sun lazily made it's decent toward the horizon to begin their movie marathon. They'd spent more time than they originally thought they would outside, so rather than the four movies they'd agreed upon earlier, they narrowed it down to two. Kurt chose Pretty in Pink because he liked to tease Blaine about the same-named character that played opposite Molly Ringwald. Blaine chose The Lion King because he loved to sing along.

All in all, it was exactly what Kurt was hoping for. It was a perfect day and a perfect evening with the perfect boyfriend. When Blaine left that night, giving him a chaste kiss on the cheek in the doorway, Kurt couldn't have been happier. By the time he'd closed the door and started the climb up to his bedroom, he was already counting down to when he would get to see Blaine again the next day.

Kurt watched amused from his seat at a table near the stage in the Westerville Mall food court as Warblers wandered here and there, getting ready for their opening number. He'd met Blaine there an hour earlier just to walk around and spend some time together before the performance. He also reunited with Nick, giving him a long, gentle hug. Jeff had, with Nick's blessing, confided in Blaine and Kurt what had happened to Nick with his father, knowing that he could trust his two friends not to gossip about it. While both Blaine and Kurt were distressed about the whole thing and wished they could do something about it, they respected Nick's wishes to let the whole thing be, but only after giving strong vows that if it ever happened again, they would not remain silent again.

Now, as Kurt watched the scene playing out in front of him, he kept a careful eye on Sebastian. He watched the boy's every move, though he tried his best to be discreet about it. Sebastian didn't notice, or if he did, he didn't appear to care. The whole thing was odd, and it almost creeped Kurt out more that Sebastian hadn't retaliated in any way. He hadn't heard from the other boy, nor had Blaine, Jeff or Nick since the altercation on Monday and Kurt monitered his Facebook nearly religiously for any sign that he was going to hold his promise to ruin Kurt's life.

Maybe Conrad really did scare the shit out of him, Kurt thought to himself as he sat sipping his coffee. He allowed himself to entertain the idea that maybe the whole ordeal was over. If it was, great, but Kurt wasn't about to let his guard down around the other boy.

Kurt was broken out of his thoughts as he watched Sebastian walk hurriedly toward the side of the food court that opened out toward the parking lot.

"Sebastian!" Wes called after him, exasperated. "We just now got everyone assembled and we go on in fifteen minutes. Where are you going?"

"Left my tie in my car, I'll be right back!" Sebastian called over his shoulder, walking briskly. Now that Kurt thought about it, he was the only Warbler not in complete uniform. It was a weird thing to forget right before a performance, but Kurt shrugged it off, smiling as Blaine approached his table.

"Are you ready?" he asked, grinning at Blaine as he sat.

"Of course I'm ready," Blaine answered with mock over-confidence. "The question is, are you ready?"

"Well, if I can fight off the hoard of screaming tween girls afterwards, I'll be in good shape," Kurt laughed as he watched the color rise in Blaine's cheeks. "Now go get 'em, Tiger."

Kurt watched Blaine retreat from the table to join the rest of the Warblers at the stage. Within a few minutes, Sebastian was jogging back in, tying his tie as he went. Shortly thereafter, the boys took the stage and began singing.

All in all, they put on an hour long performance, earning loud and appreciative applause after each number. Kurt's heart swelled as he watched Blaine and his former glee club get the recognition he always thought they deserved. As the crowds that had gathered over the hour dispersed, Kurt made his way to the stage.

"You were breath-taking as usual," Kurt whispered in Blaine's ear after being pulled into a tight hug.

"I love you," Blaine whispered back, surprising Kurt. It wasn't that he wasn't used to hearing it, he actually heard it quite often from Blaine, but it was almost always when they were alone, in an intimate situation. The way it came from him so easily reminded Kurt of the first time he'd said it.

"I love you too," Kurt answered, pulling away slightly to look into Blaine's eyes as he spoke. "But unfortunately, I have to go. I promised my dad I'd be home in time for dinner."

Blaine nodded. He didn't want Kurt to leave so soon, but he knew that this was Kurt's first time away from the house since Monday and Burt was probably pacing around the house at that exact moment, unable to rest until Kurt was home safe again.

"Let me walk you to your car?" he asked. Kurt smiled and hooked his arm through Blaine's crooked elbow, allowing Blaine to lead him toward the parking lot.

"Man, it must have poured while we were in there," Blaine observed as they stepped out into the nearly flooded parking lot.

"Yeah, and it looks like it's not quite finished," Kurt answered, pointing up to the western sky as menacing-looking clouds billowed toward them.

"Are you going to be okay going home?" Blaine asked, concern etching his face.

"I'll be fine," Kurt assured. "Maybe I'll beat this next wave."

"Well, just pull over if it gets too bad, okay? Promise?" Kurt tried to suppress the smile that was playing at his lips over his boyfriend's concern.

"I promise," he vowed. Pulling Blaine into one last hug, he said goodbye and headed out to his Navigator parked near the far end of the parking lot.

"Call me when you get home!" Blaine shouted after him.

"I will!" Kurt called back over his shoulder. This time he didn't bother trying to hide his grin. He hated that Blaine had to worry about his DID and how that affected his life and health, but for some reason, it was downright adorable that he was worrying about something as silly as making sure Kurt could drive safely in the rain.

By the time Kurt pulled out of the parking lot onto the main road a few minutes later, it was starting to drizzle again, and after about five minutes, Kurt found himself in a complete downpour. Kurt was relatively unfazed. Growing up with his father, he'd been taught safe driving skills from a very young age. He knew how to drive to avoid hydroplaning and, perhaps more importantly, he knew how to drive to avoid others who didn't know how to drive in the rain. He made sure to give everyone else on the road a wide berth, and thankfully there weren't many other drivers on the road.

About ten minutes into his drive, Kurt's phone began to ring in the passenger's seat. Kurt contemplated answering it, knowing it was probably his dad checking in on him. He decided not to, knowing that he didn't need a distraction with the weather. I'll pull over at the next exit, he told himself. It would give him an opportunity to both call his father back and to see if the rain would let up a bit before he continued on, like he promised Blaine he would. The next exit was a little less than a mile up the road, so he carefully began switching lanes to get over all the way to the right.

It was then that he heard a strange noise coming from his engine. It was a hissing sound, almost too faint to hear above the driving rain. Suddenly even more alert than he had been seconds earlier, Kurt scanned his dash for any warning lights, but found nothing. Returning his eyes to the road, he peered at his hood, panic rising instantly in his stomach. There was smoke or steam or something curling out from underneath the hood.

By the time Kurt registered that something was seriously wrong, it was too late. He heard a loud bang and before he could react, his Navigator was spinning out of control. Bracing himself, despite knowing in the back of his mind that it would be of no use, Kurt squeezed his eyes shut. He felt the car leaving the roadway as it bumped down the embankment. Within a split second, his senses were thrown completely as it rolled over. Mercifully, the vehicle finally came to a stop upside down as it crashed into a bank of trees at the bottom of the hill.

Kurt was frozen for a moment before the second wave of panic crashed into him. Letting out a garbled squeal, he began fighting hard against the seatbelt that kept him strapped in, he frantically tried stretching the belt, forgetting about the buckle release at his lap. Being upside down was completely disorienting and the way his head banged against the window hard enough to break it as he tumbled probably didn't help matters.

Unsuccessful at releasing himself, Kurt could feel his heart pounding out of his chest. His only thought was getting out of his car alive and he couldn't figure out how to do it. He knew that he was injured pretty badly. There wasn't a lot of pain, but there was blood and his left ankle sat at a funny angle. After one last attempt at squirming his way out of the seat belt, Kurt suddenly felt a wave of heat running through his body and his vision grew splotchy.

I don't want to die here, he thought to himself over and over again before darkness finally won out.