AN: Hello my loves! If you haven't read the author's note, please do so. As for the questions about a sequel..that answer is complicated. Once everyone reads this chapter and the next one, I will discuss everything...because as of right now, the answer is yes/no. I'm sorry this is so short/a lot of dialogue, but since the story is winding down...it needs to be this way. The song in this chapter is also by Idina Menzel. :]
Chapter 25
By the next week, Blaine was not having a very good time. They cut the cast off his leg and arm, but the muscles under the cast were completely useless. He couldn't walk on his own, still couldn't use his arms, and to top it all off, they shaved his leg, so he had a smooth leg.
"The rest of me is hairy, why can't my leg hair grow back quickly like the rest of it would?" He complained to Kurt, who was taking him to his first appointment of rehab with Dr. Pew.
"It'll grow back, just give it time," Kurt soothes, attempting to steer Blaine while reading a copy of Hamlet for his Shakespeare class.
"Ugh. I hate this. I just want to be able to go do what I want to do. Now I have to get some guy to put me on a treadmill and watch me make an ass out of myself for an hour." Blaine continues, clearly not done ranting. "Then I need to get back and read freaking Beowulf so I can write a paper on it by Friday morning. Which I don't really want to do either."
"Shouldn't you be happy that you're alive and able to read Beowulf?" Kurt muses, turning the wheelchair into the rehab center.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm thrilled. But this whole thing just seems to be a huge waste of time. I don't even care about these classes." Blaine's attitude doesn't improve when he sees the pool, "I didn't bring a swimming suit, can't do it, take me back to the room."
Dr. Pew stares at Blaine, immediately taking down notes. "Good evening, Mr. Anderson, are you ready to work hard?"
"See, the problem is, I don't have my swimming suit…" Blaine starts, shrugging.
"Of course not, we have a hospital certified one for you here," the doctor motions to a changing room, "I can help you if you'd like, or," he glances at his clipboard, "Mr. Hummel can."
Blaine groans, "Kurt, then."
"I thought so. If you need any help, Mr. Hummel, just let me know."
Kurt wheels Blaine inside and helps him out of his pajama pants and t-shirt, "Can you please just be nice to him? He's trying to help you."
Blaine rolls his eyes, "I suppose. But I really don't think anything if going to help me. I'm a lost cause."
"If you keep up that attitude, you're never going to get better," Kurt is getting upset with Blaine. Blaine's attitude has been rotten for the past few days and Kurt feels like he isn't telling him something. To top it all off, Blaine's parents are angry with Blaine for something and no one will let Kurt know what's going on.
Blaine runs a hand through his hair haphazardly, "I know, I know." Blaine's arms did regain some strength from the arm exercises he'd been given to do in his room, but at times they still went out at odd angles. "I'm sorry, baby," he whispered, "I'm trying. We finally got stuff right and I fucked it up again."
Kurt presses a quick kiss to Blaine's cheek, "Stop it. I want to see you walking by the end of this week. So that means focusing on getting better – not focusing on things you had no control of."
It turns out that Kurt sees Blaine walk that very night.
In the pool, Blaine can focus more on his legs, and not worry as much about the balance issues. "Babe! Can you see me? I'm walking!" Blaine beams from the pool as Kurt watches proudly, his book thrown haphazardly to the side.
"You're doing great, honey!" Kurt encourages, tears threatening to fall as he sees Blaine be truly happy because of himself for the first time since he woke up.
Blaine pushes himself, walking slowly throughout the pool, and eventually he can do it without holding onto anything. By the end of the hour, he is tired, but happy.
As Kurt wheels him back, Blaine discusses his guitar, "My grandparents said they'd buy me another, of course, but I don't know what I want. I need a good guitar if I'm going to move to New York City and work as a songwriter."
Kurt stops short as he looks at Blaine, "Since when are you working in New York City as a songwriter?"
Just as he's about to continue on, Blaine's face turns to pain, "Owww. Kurt, can you get me some ice? I have shin splints."
Kurt hurries to the nurse's station and gets an ice pack for Blaine's leg. When he gets back to the room, Blaine's using his arms to monkey his way into the bed. "You're not supposed to do that," Kurt warns.
"I know, but since I can, I figured why not," Blaine holds out his arm crookedly and takes the ice pack, placing it over his bad leg, "Thank you so much, love."
Kurt sits, just thinking about the night, "I'm really proud of you, Blaine. I can't believe how much progress you're making."
"Thanks. I wish my parents could have seen it. But, of course, Dad's stubborn streak had to come out again." Blaine grimaces again, and Kurt moves the ice pack down his leg.
"Why are you guys fighting again?" Kurt asks delicately, knowing it's better to just let Blaine explain when he's ready.
Blaine sighs, "Kurt…now is not the time to tell you."
"So we're back to keep secrets, already?" Kurt is annoyed. Didn't they just do this?
Blaine tries to grab Kurt's hand, and Kurt relents and helps him, "Honey. It's nothing you need to worry about. Stupid family quarrels." He waves his other hand dismissively, "Now that everyone in my family loves you, you'll be in on all of this soon anyway."
"So does that mean I get to know what your grandfather does?" Kurt asks, excited, but realizing he probably wouldn't find out.
Blaine just looks at him, "He owns the Giants. Why?"
"Like…Hagrid, giants?" Kurt is confused, "And I thought it was some big secret."
"Like…football Giants. And not really, I thought you knew." Blaine is nonchalant about the whole thing.
"I have no idea what that is." Kurt confesses.
Blaine starts laughing, "Don't let my grandfather hear you say that. They are the team here. That's why he lives in NYC. Even though they don't play there, but don't worry about it. I think he's selling the team soon."
"You can do that?"
Blaine laughs, "Yes. You can. I really hope he does sell it."
"Why?"
Blaine uses his arm to bend his leg and rests his head on it, "Because I don't want to have to take care of it one day. I want to live my life, not live my grandfather's."
Kurt understands fully, "I feel the same way about my dad's shop. Though, I'm positive he's passing it to Finn."
"You do look cute in those coveralls though."
Kurt smacks his shoulder playfully, "That isn't my dream, to look cute in coveralls everyday."
"I know. You want to design them," Blaine laughs, "I'm sure Finn would love fur-lines coveralls for the winter."
"Faux-fur though." Kurt corrects. "And I don't really know. I was thinking about adding theater to my major…"
Blaine's eyebrows shoot up, "Really?"
Kurt nods, "You aren't mad?"
"Intrigued, actually."
Kurt sighs, "Blaine…I just…you know my dream has always been to be on the Broadway stage."
Blaine nods helpfully, "That's why I was shocked when you didn't pick theater."
"Me too," Kurt said quietly, "I just…I'm still not sure what I want. I love fashion. But my heart belongs on stage."
"So do it," Blaine eyes light up as he says it, gripping Kurt's hand tighter.
"You won't think I'm stealing your thunder?"
Blaine laughs, but his eyes don't light up like they did before, "I wouldn't worry about that. I think I can handle you."
Blaine's phone vibrates and when he pulls it out he sees a message from Henry: Hey man. So, the brothers just asked me to live with them next year. They didn't know I was living with you. Do you mind if I go with them?
Blaine frowns at his phone but quickly texts back: No problems. Don't worry about it.
"What's wrong?" Kurt knows how to read Blaine's faces better than anyone.
"Henry wants to live at the APiKapp house." Blaine shrugs, "Not a big deal really."
Kurt is actually relieved, "I'm actually happy. That house is going to be interesting anyway."
"We have an interesting group of friends, that's for sure." Blaine laughs, checking another text message.
"Mr. Popular, am I going to lose you to a frat house as well?"
Blaine rolls his eyes, "Never. Not a chance. Isn't gonna happen." He takes Kurt's face into his hands, and Kurt has to put his hands over Blaine's to keep them there, "Don't you worry. You won't lose me to a frat house. You won't lose me to anyone or anything."
Kurt smiles at him, "You know, I believe you?" Kurt feels his pocket vibrate and pulls out his phone and sees a message from Mel: Kurt! I don't know if Blaine's allowed to have his phone…but I'm gonna have to back out of the housing thing. My parents said it was a no go after the whole…incident with homecoming.
Kurt wants to feel bad, but he doesn't. "So, Mel just backed out too."
Blaine doesn't seem surprised, "Oh well."
Kurt knows he should get back to Ardmore, but he has no desire, "Think I can skip classes tomorrow and tell them I'm helping you strengthen your arms?"
"You were told not to take advantage of that." Blaine warns, "But I'm all for it."
The boys sit in silence, watching Wheel of Fortune, occasionally muttering the answers or mocking the contestants.
Kurt glances at Blaine who is attempting to jot lyrics down on a legal pad. "Ugh. This isn't working," he throws the pencil across the room.
Kurt gets up and grabs the legal pad and the pencil, "I can help you?"
Blaine immediately shifts, "Kurt…you know I don't like to let anyone hear my songs before I'm done. I can't even play the guitar…I've just had these lyrics in my head for days…"
"Please let me do this for you…" Kurt wants to understand what is going on in Blaine's mind, because he knows something is wrong. This is the only way Blaine is going to tell him.
Blaine looks into Kurt's eyes, and then smiles, "Okay." He starts tapping his hand against his leg and opens his mouth,
If I told you that I lie sometimes,
If I told you that I'd run away,
If I told you who I was before,
Would you follow me?
If I told you that I sneak sometimes,
If I told you that I love too much,
If I showed you the other side,
Would you follow me?
Kurt is writing almost as quickly as he can, and Blaine pauses, looking at the lyrics, and nodding to Kurt before his voice rings out again:
Cause I'm shedding my skin
So you can see my face,
I need you to know who I am.
I'm ready to go where I've never been,
Will you stay around and follow me?
Yeah...
If I told you the earth was square,
If I told you water wasn't wet,
If I told you life was fair,
Would you follow me?
Ohhhh...
Cause I'm shedding my skin
So you can see my face,
I need you to know who I am.
I'm ready to go where I've never been,
Will you stay around and follow me?
Kurt stops writing at this point, and just looks at Blaine. What was he trying to tell him?
To the furthest moon and back,
Jupiter and Mars and all that,
To the middle of a galaxy,
On the smallest raft...
I don't know if I can be sure
Of anything I believed before...
Will you follow me?
Cause I'm shedding my skin
So you can see my face,
I need you to know who I am.
I'm ready to go where I've never been,
Will you stay around and follow me?
To the moon and back,
Jupiter and Mars and all that
Blaine stops singing and looks at Kurt.
"I'm sorry…I wasn't able to translate that," Kurt admits.
Blaine takes a deep breath, "Kurt…the reason my parents and I are fighting…and the reason for that song…Kurt, I'm dropping out."
Please try to remember that college doesn't always work for a person/ his or her dreams. :) I love reviews!