Chapter 36
All of the bystanders who were witnesses to Bonnie & Clyde's murder suicide were shocked and appalled to say the least. Many held each other as the police and FBI swarmed the school and rescued victims from classrooms, the courtyard, and other areas of the school. In total there were 20 victims, most wounded or severely wounded, and initially five confirmed deaths. The deaths were the two boys Clyde had shot and the three girls Bonnie had gotten.
Other victims, like Dan Humphrey, lay bleeding, barely clinging to life. When Serena saw Dan's rescue, she followed the emergency squad and rode with them to the hospital, while the Basses waited around long enough to see Jenny and Eric walk out with superficial wounds, and in the arms of Lily and Rufus, who were waiting for them to take them home. It was then that Chuck and Blair went to the hospital themselves to check on their own wrist and ankle injuries.
When the arrived at the hospital, Chuck and Blair were rushed through emergency and examined first by an attending physician until Chuck's own private physician arrived to examine them in a suite in another area, mainly because they could pay for it. The physician's prognosis for his two patients was that Chuck had a sprained ankle and Blair had a sprained wrist, with the doctor recommending them to rest for a few days before they returned to work. The doctor's recommendation sat well with those two, although Blair had to draw the line at Chuck's idea of booking a hospital room for the two of them, as they decided to check up on how Serena was holding up after accompanying Dan to the hospital.
They learned that Dan was in the ICU wing of the hospital, which was where the Basses guessed they'd also find Serena, so to get there Chuck issued for an orderly to come with a wheelchair so that he could ride to the ICU instead of having to hobble on the pair of aluminum crutches the doctor had given him. As Chuck settled himself in the wheelchair, Blair gave him a look of pity and reluctantly he gave in and let Blair ride with him, so with Chuck seated in the chair, his crutches balanced along side, Blair sitting crosswise across his lap with her arm in a sling and her legs balanced over the armrest, and the orderly pushing them, Chuck and Blair made their across the hospital to the ICU.
Somewhere along the line, the orderly made a wrong turn and ended up wheeling them through the children's wing, where a clown was making balloon animals and stopped when he saw the young couple. Chuck didn't want to talk to the clown, but he enthralled Blair as he made her a princess crown out of a balloon, gave Chuck a balloon shaped like a dog, and for both of them a red helium filled balloon on a string which he tied to the armrest of Chuck's wheelchair.
Soon after that, they left the Children's ward, only to discover the gift shop, which Blair insisted they stop at. Blair walked through the gift shop, browsing for the perfect item to cheer up her best friend Serena, while Chuck tried his crutches a bit as he browsed the gift shop to see what the had available, but he soon became tired and just leaned against the wall looking cool. Eventually Blair walked over to Chuck, having the gift shop employee carry her ideas, to show him what she had in mind. Chuck nonchalantly glanced at Blair's gift options for Serena, then suggested that they buy her a bouquet of flowers and her favorite magazine, which Blair actually agreed with.
So with their purchases in tow and an orderly wheeling the chair, Chuck & Blair finally made their way to the ICU waiting area, where they saw Serena sitting slumped in a chair, crying, while the Humphreys and Vander Woodsens gathered around. When Mr. & Mrs. Bass made it into the picture, Serena suddenly looked up at them and started to laugh, saying "Where in the world were you two? How did you two get injured and why are you covered with balloon animals, flowers, and gifts? And who is Chuckles the Clown?"
"Oh its a long story, S, believe me! And we'll be fine, you don't have to worry about us! Anyway how are you holding up, S? You look like a mess!" Blair moaned as she gave Serena a hug with her good arm, and Serena tried to be careful of Blair's injured one, as she poured out her concerns.
Meanwhile, the rest of the family glanced over at Chuck sitting sullenly slumped in the hospital wheelchair, with a red balloon tied to it, and his foot in a bandage. Rufus then commented "Chuckles the clown? You're not moonlighting..."
"NO! We accidentally went through the Children's Ward and this clown gave us these balloons...Oh get this stupid thing out of here." Chuck growled as he batted the balloon out of his face and slumped back in frustration and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Charles are you okay? What happened to your foot?" Lily asked out of genuine concern for her adopted-son, Chuck.
"Erg...it was after the party today...and let me extend my appreciation to you, Serena, and anyone else who helped to organize it...anyway it was after the party today, I was trying to help Blair, and I stumbled and dropped her...injuring myself and Blair. I can't believe I could do that..." Chuck groaned, growing more self conscious by the moment.
"Chuck don't beat yourself up about it, everyone makes mistakes sometimes. Anyway, Blair looks like she's getting along fine...even with her arm in a sling..." Eric noted from his stuffed chair in the corner.
Chuck just glared back at him, until Lily interrupted "Charles, we know you didn't mean to hurt Blair, and anyway I'm sure you'll both be fine very soon."
"Thanks...uh by the way, how's Humphrey...uh Dan, fairing?" Chuck asked cautiously.
"Well the doctors said..." Rufus began, until Serena and Blair walked into the room very sullenly and Serena went and sat down beside her mother, allowing Lily to give her a hug, while Blair went over to Chuck and sat on his lap, throwing her good arm around his shoulders as she laid her head against his chest.
"Serena...Dan isn't..." Rufus asked, his voice catching a bit.
"No not yet...but he isn't doing very well at all..." Serena cried, leaning against her mother.
Meanwhile, Chuck tried to comfort his wife, until Blair whispered "Oh Chuck, he isn't in very good shape at all. They said a bullet pierced his lung and another may have severed his spine. But it was the fact that he was left to bleed for so long that caused an infection to set in."
"Is there anything that can be done? Any way we could assist...?" Chuck whispered to Blair.
"The doctors said they're doing what they can, but its only a matter of time until they know for sure. If you want to see him for yourself, I'll go with you as you use your crutches..." Blair replied back.
"All right then, lets go..." Chuck said as he angled out of the wheelchair, grabbed the pair of crutches, and they walked the short distance to Dan's hospital room.
Once there, Chuck and Blair just stood there staring at poor Dan, who was hooked up to all sorts of machines which were more or less keeping him alive. Both of them just stood there staring at their poor friend and brother, neither knowing what to say, neither believing something like the events of that day could happen in their part of the city.
Eventually the Basses realized they needed to get home to their son, and the business at hand in dealing with the damage at the Palace Hotel, so with heavy hearts, Chuck and Blair bid the Humphreys and Vander Woodsens farewell, promising to keep in touch, as they made their way out of the hospital and into their awaiting limousine which swiftly took them home.
Once they got home, the Basses ate a quick dinner, then decided to call it an early night. They were thankful for the help Dorota and some of the other servants provided, although Chuck and Blair both did what they could to help each other bathe, then curled up together on their king sized bed, as they held each other and thought about their day.
~o~o~o~o~
The next few days passed quickly with Chuck staying home to recuperate and rest his foot, but still maintaining control of Bass Industries via cell phone, internet, and other video conference methods. It was through that, that Chuck learned there was a small but valid chance that the bombing/fire at the Palace and the school shooting at Constance Billiard & St. Jude may have been linked. This was based on a surveillance video taken from the basement of the Palace, which showed footage of Carter Baizen chatting up the waitress then footage of the gun crime that was committed against him by a rough looking lad who more than slightly resembled the late Clyde Barrowsworth. Based on such clues, Chuck decided to have a full investigation undertaken to discover any other possible leads and to solve the crime.
Blair's arm healed more quickly than Chuck's foot, so she was soon back to work after only a few days. One day Blair came home from work to find Chuck sitting fully dressed on the bed, but stockingfooted because his one foot was still bandaged, with their baby son, watching TV. Blair kicked her shoes off, crawled onto the bed too, and turned toward the TV surprised at what was playing.
"Hi Chuck, how are you and our son doing? And that wasn't what I thought it was, was it Chuck? " Blair teasingly asked.
"We're doing fine...and whatever do you mean?" Chuck asked as he tried to hide the remote under a pillow, but Blair was too fast and grabbed it, turning the TV back on.
"Ha ha I knew it, though I can't believe it! Chuck Bass was watching Sesame Street! This is too classic!" Blair teased as she started to laugh.
"Well...I was working on some things for B. I. when I heard Matt crying in his room, so I brought him in here and turned on the TV...which just so happened to be Sesame Street." Chuck said as he tried to come up with an excuse.
"Hmm...so our baby son was watching Sesame Street, but how does that explain the fact that he was sitting on your lap and you seemed to be watching it too?" Blair laughed.
"Well...uh...okay honestly there were some parts that were still kinda cool and they showed some clips I remember seeing when I was a kid...then I remembered why I used to like it when I was a little boy...and I guess I started to watch it too." Chuck admitted sheepishly.
"Aw..ha ha...that's okay Chuck. So who are your favorite characters on Sesame Street, Chuck?" Blair asked nonchalantly, as she drew their son onto her lap.
"Well...back in the day I used to like to watch the usuals like Big Bird, and Bert and Ernie because Bert reminded me of my dad and Ernie was a fun loving pest, like I saw myself. The Count because of his style, but I think my favorite of the puppets was Oscar the Grouch because he didn't let anyone tell him what to do. I also used to have a crush on Gina, but that goes without saying..." Chuck laughed as he slyly admitted a bit about his childhood and some of its happier moments.
"Ha ha...aw...that's so funny, Chuck...but so cute too! Yeah funny enough I used to like those same characters too, although I love your comparisons between Bert & Ernie and you and your father because I can totally see that! Ernie, the fun loving pest to the somewhat stoic, Bert...yeah that is totally you and Bart, especially back then! Bert – Bart...ha ha! Plus the resemblance is uncanny!" Blair laughed as she held up a copy of the Vander Woodsen – Bass family wedding portrait and compared Bart & Chuck back then to the scene between Bert & Ernie that was playing on the TV screen at that moment.
"Shut up, Blair..." Chuck moaned with mock dejection as he wrested the photograph out of Blair's hand and set it back on the table, behind their own wedding photograph.
"I'm sorry, Chuck, but I just found it far too funny. Anyway, I can also see why you liked the Count, probably because he liked to count all of his possessions, embraced the dark side, and had a sense of style you do sometimes copy with your hair style. And Oscar the Grouch...well that's sorta like you too...especially with the attitude and eyebrows sometimes. Actually each of those Sesame Street characters remind me of you a little bit! Ah you're such a narcissist sometimes, Chuck!" Blair teased.
"Well...I told you my favorite characters on Sesame Street, so if you watched the show, who were yours'?" Chuck asked, slightly bemused.
"Ha ha...well funny enough my favorite characters were pretty much the same as yours' although I liked Elmo, Big Bird, Snuffy, Grover, and so forth too. But I also liked when they had guests on the show too. Still meeting Oscar the Grouch and Grungetta was probably the best." Blair laughed.
"You actually met, Oscar the Grouch? I'm impressed...how did that happen?" Chuck said in his sultry voice.
"Well, back when I was about 4 or 5, my dad knew someone who worked with the crew on Sesame Street, and he scored me an opportunity not only to meet the cast, but also to be part of a segment in an episode...so in one episode from 1995 or so, I appeared as one of the kids in 'Oscar's Grungetime Band', wearing a dirty, green t shirt, makeup to look like dirt, and a little trash can lid as a hat. It was fun, and if I remembered correctly, I wanted to take the hat home but the wardrobe staff wouldn't let me, even when I pitched a good fit!" Blair remembered, suddenly feeling slightly upset over her loss.
"Ha ha poor Blair! Well if you really still want a trashcan lid as a hat, I'm sure I could find some way to get you one..." Chuck slyly replied.
"You'd do that? Ha ha, oh Chuck, I don't really need that...but thanks for the offer anyway..." Blair laughed.
Suddenly Blair's cell phone rang and she answered it, seeing that it was Serena on the other end of the line. When Serena asked Blair what she was up to, she started to say "Well S, Chuck and I were just finishing watching Sesa..." until Chuck interrupted her by playfully putting his hand over her mouth and whispering "Shh, Blair don't tell her that because she'll never believe you!"
"TMI Blair! I don't need to know if you and Chuck were watching some sex tape, instead...I think I need you two down here because Dan doesn't seem to be doing well at all..." Serena cried into the phone.
"I'm sorry S...we'll try to get down there as soon as we can..." Blair said as the sadness and sympathy for her friend poured out of her voice.
Blair handed the phone to Chuck and let him speak to his stepsister a bit too, until he hung up a minute later, saying "All right Blair, lets get down to the hospital." as he began climbing out of bed, trying to find his shoes.
Blair helped Chuck with his shoes and handed him his crutches, as they made their way downstairs with their son. They handed the baby to Dorota, telling her it might be late until they got back, then left in the limo.
By the time the Basses made it to the hospital, they realized it was too late by the general demeanor of the family. Blair ran and gave her best friend, Serena, a hug and tried to comfort her, which started them both to crying. Chuck suddenly became a bit withdrawn, remembering the death of his own father and the time afterwards, but he tried to keep a stiff upper lip to be strong for his wife, Blair, as well as the rest of the family, as he sank into a waiting room chair to rest.
As most of the family started to grieve over Dan's unfortunate demise, Chuck and even Blair started to become withdrawn over the scene there because it reminded them too much of their own parents' deaths, the year to year and a half before. Although Blair tried to comfort Serena, it was soon her husband, Chuck who she sought comfort from, as she made her way back over to him and slowly sat on his lap. Blair put her arm around Chuck, giving him a bit of a hug, as she briefly let him comfort her and she comfort him.
Soon after that, the Basses bid the Humphreys and Vander Woodsens farewell, then went to their home where they relaxed for awhile on their bed. Blair just clung to her husband for awhile, until Chuck comforted her with a round of sex, then waited until she fell asleep so that he could steal away to his home office. Chuck sat down at his desk chair, staring out the window as he then reached into his desk, removed his flask, and took a long pull on it as he looked out the rainy window onto the city below.
~o~o~o~o~
Two days later, Dan Humphrey's funeral was held in a small church in Brooklyn, with most of his friends and family in attendance. Not only were Rufus, Lily, Jenny, and Eric upset, but Serena was overwhelmed by grief. She tried to take the comfort her family and friends tried to give her, but even their help was not enough since none of them knew what it was like to lose one's true love.
When Chuck & Blair arrived at the funeral and tried to comfort or give their condolences to Serena, she just rebuffed them to a degree and tried to be strong for appearances sake. Surprised by her best friend's rebuff, Blair told Chuck "I can't believe she just did that, Chuck. Serena just ignored me like we haven't known each other for years! What's up with that?"
"Maybe that's just her way of grieving, Blair? We all have our own ways...you should know that!" Chuck growled as they walked to the church.
"Yes I know...its just that...I don't know...I just wish S would open up to me more. I mean its not like I don't know what grief is like...because my mother's passing was only a year ago...almost exactly." Blair sighed as she took her seat and Chuck slid in beside her.
"Yes...I remember now. Eleanor's passing was almost a year ago...I'm sorry, Blair...how are you holding up?" Chuck replied as he quietly asked her and slipped his arm across her shoulders in a slight hug.
"I...thought I'd be okay when the anniversary came...but coming here just reminded me of how much I hate funerals, Chuck." Blair said, her voice on the verge of tears
"Yeah...let me just say...the feeling is mutual, Blair." Chuck sighed as he offered her a handkerchief from his pocket.
"Thanks, Chuck. Ha, who knew I'd be crying at Dan Humphrey's funeral? But he didn't deserve to die that day...no one did. Plus I feel so bad for Serena and their whole family. Losing a child or a lover...I can't imagine...and I don't want to either. What those kids did was despicable, horrible! It's just ridiculous that it was one of those crimes where justice can never be properly served...which makes me so angry!" Blair sighed as anger replaced her tears.
"I know what you mean Blair...but maybe you should curb your ire until later because the service is starting...although I wouldn't mind if you did bring some of your passion to the bedroom tonight...or even the limo after the service." Chuck whispered to Blair, his tone taking on a seductive air in the end.
After the service, everyone met at a small restaurant where they held the reception for the grieving family, where again Serena tried to hide her grief, although some of her indifference didn't work when Blair cornered her and forced her to have a talk.
"Serena, I know that I don't totally understand what you're going through, but I can sympathize to a degree because the anniversary of my mother's death is quickly approaching and I know how it is to lose a loved one...the pain never entirely goes away...but it helps if you have someone to support you. I'm just a phone call or a visit away, you know that, Serena." Blair gently admonished her.
"Yes, I know Blair...but I don't know...I feel like I just need to get away from here..." Serena sighed.
"You better not be thinking about running away to Thailand now..." Blair scolded her.
"No...nothing like that, B. I'm thinking about going to California and looking up a few people I know...relax on the beach...clear my head...figure out what to do next..." Serena sighed.
"Well...just be careful out there S. Yeah I guess its like Chuck told me, everyone deals with loss in their own way. Still though, I'll be thinking of you...and if you can be call once a week so that I know you're still alive." Blair cried as she gave her friend a hug.
"I'll try to remember, B...and thanks a lot..." Serena replied as she returned her friend's hug.
"You're welcome, S. Anytime. I mean it." Blair cried.
"Thanks...Oh...I just can't believe it. Dan's dead. It just hurts so bad though. Why did it have to happen? Why? What was the purpose and what am I to do now?" Serena cried to her friend.
"I don't know, S? I really don't know. I would suggest counseling perhaps...the Ostroff Centre might help...or your trip to California?" Blair suggested.
"Ha ha, oh B...you and the Ostroff Centre! I still don't know how you connected I or my family with that place several years ago? Then invited the head of it as the guest speaker at college day." Serena laughed behind her tears.
"It was just a wild guess...ha ha..." Blair laughed nervously as she remembered fondly the time she and Chuck had spied on Serena, caught her going to the Ostroff Centre, and jumped to their own conclusions.
"Yeah...well anyway B, I think my trip to California will help, but even that isn't a permanent solution. I still have to figure out what I want to do next, since I am obviously not going to be getting married any time soon. ...Oh B, I still can't believe he's dead! I loved him, B...I think Dan was the best I ever had." Serena cried.
"Dan Humphrey was the best you ever had? Really, Serena!" Blair asked skeptically.
"I don't know...maybe not in that way, but somehow I loved him on a deeper level that made things like that not matter anymore. With Dan's death, I feel like...like part of my soul was ripped out...like I lost my best friend! You'd probably feel the same way if anything happened to Chuck." Serena cried.
Blair suddenly became very reflective as she thought about the dark time when Chuck had climbed to the rooftop of Victrola's and drunkenly walked its ledge after his father's death, and her initial fears about what would've happened if he had fallen off, as she replied "Yeah B, I do know what you mean there, Serena. If anything like that happened to Chuck, I couldn't bear it either."
"Really? I knew you could sympathize B! So anyway now it's on to the rest of my life, somehow." Serena sighed as she stood up to go talk to her mother.
"Good luck, Serena. I'll definitely be thinking of you. Remember to call at least once a week, okay?" Blair reminded her.
"Okay B, I will..and thanks." Serena said as she walked away.
Blair got up then and walked over to where she found Chuck sitting off to the side in an overstuffed leather chair, his foot propped up and a drink in his hand. Blair seated herself on the arm of his chair, brushed back a wisp of his hair, as she asked him about his foot.
Chuck clenched his jaw as he tried to move his foot and commented "Ugh...it still hurts sometimes, like right now...maybe I should have my doctor examine it again...Anyway did you have a good talk with Serena?"
"I'm sorry, Chuck, but the doctor said its something that'll just take time. Maybe when we get home I'll rewrap your bandage for you and see how you're doing." Blair replied, the concern and sympathy apparent in her voice.
"Hmm...are we going to play Nurse & Patient now? Hmm...maybe the sooner we get home the better." Chuck teased her.
"Well...we could do that too, if you want." Blair slyly teased him, then went on "Anyway, Serena's holding up, but I do feel for her. She must've really loved him...and she reminded me of how much I love you, too..."
"Thank you Blair...I do too. That is too bad about Serena. So what is she going to do now?" Chuck asked as he took Blair's hand and held it in his own.
"She said she's going to California to sort things out or find herself or something. I just hope she can find what she needs there, whatever it might be..." Blair sighed.
"California? Yeah that's probably good for her. I hope she finds what she needs too..." Chuck said as he suddenly switched topics "So are you ready to go now? Maybe you can help me up?" and held out his hand for assistance.
"Yeah I'm ready...All right Chuck, up you go, and here are your crutches." Blair said as she helped Chuck up from the chair and they made their way out of the restaurant and into their waiting limo.
Once they made it home, Blair helped Chuck to their bedroom and helped him take off his shoes and unwound the bandage from his one foot. "Hmm...your foot seems to be getting a little better, Chuck. The ankle doesn't seem quite as swollen. It'll just take time, like the doctor said. Hmm...for your height, you seem to have big feet."
"Well you know what they say about men with big feet..." Chuck slyly replied, with a smirk.
"Oh Chuck! Ha ha very funny...although in your case, you might be right..." Blair moaned, then slyly smirked.
"Do you want to find out if you're correct, nurse, and what effect the message from your little hands does to the rest of me?" Chuck seductively replied as he unbuttoned his jacket, then his pants.
"Hmm...a request for me to get in your pants...I thought you'd never ask..." Blair purred as she performed a further examination on him as well.