(Burt's POV)
I paced the small room, hands in my pockets as I thought through the previous night.
"Hey hon, the boys are going to get something to eat at the mall, what do you want?"
I tore my eyes away from the tv and looked to my wife and shrugged.
"I don't know... What do you want?"
"Burt seriously... Why did I join a bunch of men who can't make up their minds about food?" She said with a smile. "How about pizza? Sound good?"
"Sure, Finn'll love it... Just make sure that Kurt doesn't find out," I replied as I turned my attention back to the television.
Carole was on her cell phone, ordering the pizza when the home phone rang.
"Hello, Hummel residence."
"Burt Hummel?" an unrecognizable voice asked.
"Yes... Who is this?"
"Mr. Hummel, I need you to come to the hospital. Your boys have been in a car accident."
The world became a blur as I hung up and quickly moved to get my jacket. I barely processed Carole and Finn asking me what was wrong, I barely processed the phone ringing in the background. All I could think of was the fact that my sons were lying in a hospital.
"Blaine, Kurt," was all I said before motioning them to follow me out the door.
I ran to the car, Carole and Finn close behind. As we all shut our doors I shoved the keys in the ignition and peeled out of the driveway, speeding down the road.
"Burt, what happened?" Carole asked as she laid a hand on my arm.
"They were in a car accident... I don't know how serious... I need to get to them."
The usual ten minute drive turned into five as I blew past stop signs and red lights. I parked hazardously in a parking space and ran toward the hospital door.
"Hummel... Uh Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson?" I asked. I had to remind myself that we didn't want to go through the trouble of changing his last name, and we knew that a piece of paper wouldn't change the fact that he was a Hummel.
The nurse behind the desk looked around the desk and pulled out the piece of paper.
"Oh yes, I'll get the doctor for you."
The doctor hurried down the hallway a short time later and the three of us started asking questions at once.
"Hold on everyone. Let me explain" he said, taking control immediately.
"Please doc, just take us to them... I need to see my sons," I replied, voice cracking slightly.
He nodded and led us to a small hospital room.
My legs went weak as I saw Kurt laying on the bed, his eyes closed, face contorted almost like he was in pain, but unconscious nonetheless.
I walked over to him and grabbed his hand, my other pushing the hair off of his forehead, running my thumb over one of the many small scratches that stood out on his pale skin. He didn't even flinch.
"What happened?" I asked, not taking my eyes off of my boy- my son.
"There was a sever car crash that happened on the freeway, five cars involved, one of them your son's. Kurt and Blaine's car received the worst of it. The driver side slammed into the median, another car running into the passenger side. It took the paramedics twenty minutes to get them out of the wreck. Kurt has a broken leg and he's on some pretty heavy drugs for the pain right now, so he'll be out for awhile." he looked down at the clipboard. "Blaine's right arm is broken, a couple of broken ribs and is still unconscious. He's in ICU."
My head whipped around so fast, I thought it might break. "What- why?"
"One of the ribs punctured his lungs. He's fine at the moment, but we fear that it may collapse. We need your consent to do emergency surgery so we can prevent that from happening. It also seems like there may be some swelling in his brain. We don't know the extent of any of that at the moment, but we will as soon as we can fix his lung and get him an MRI and a possible CT."
"Do what you need to do to save my son," I said, panic rising in my voice.
He nodded and exited the room, returning a few minutes later with a paper of consent. I signed it and he left, saying that we would be notified when they were finished.
And there I paced in front of Kurt's bed, waiting and hoping he would wake up... That Blaine would be perfectly fine. My head was spinning.
I had insisted that I stay at the hospital. I needed to be as close to my sons as possible. I looked to the couch and the untouched sheets that were sitting on them. I knew I needed to sleep, but I couldn't. My mind wouldn't stop thinking of the worse.
I simply could not wrap my mind around losing either of them. Without them, I was nothing. I had Carole and Finn, but it would never be the same. I needed my whole family- and not an empty chair at the table.
(Kurts POV)
My body woke, but my eyes were to tired, too heavy to even think about opening them, my mind not working properly. I wanted to open my eyes to see who the padding of feet in the room belonged to, to ask where I was, but my body simply wouldn't let me wake fully.
There was a soft knock on the door and it opened slowly.
"Good morning Mr. Hummel. How are you?" a female voice asked quietly.
"As good as I can be..." a male voice replied.
"I'm so sorry Burt. I thought you promised me you would stay out of this hospital," she scolded lightly.
The man chuckled slightly. "Sorry Nancy... Sometimes we just get some bad luck... I wish that we could stay away."
"Well, I'm just here to make sure Kurt's alright, check his vitals and the like."
I heard the footsteps come closer and a hand went on my arm.
"The poor dear," she whispered quietly as she wrapped something around my arm, a cool circular object going to my wrist. The band began to tighten around my bicep, and soon it ceased.
"Nancy... Have- have you seen Blaine?"
She sighed as she took the band off of my arm.
"I haven't. But did the doctor tell you..."
"Tell me what?"
"I probably shouldn't tell you this... But I like to consider you all my friends. Kurt is very lucky to be alive. Because he is so small and doesn't have a lot of muscle and fat, the impact of everything jostled him quite a bit. We believe that Blaine blocked the blow of the airbag that deployed in front of Kurt." she paused taking a deep breath. "If that airbag hit him full on, he would have major injuries... That could have very well been fatal."
"But, he's old enough, and certainly tall enough to drive in the front seat... Surely he could have taken it..."
"Because of everything else that crashed into him... One more thing would have only made it worse... Overall... Blaine's a hero."
My mind became more aware of my surroundings and I started to become more awake.
"Blaine," I whispered, my voice low and hoarse. I knew he wasn't in the same room, but something about saying his name brought me the comfort and safety i needed to feel. My eyes slowly opened and blinked against the bright light that shone in the room.
"Hey kiddo," my dad said as he went to my bedside. "How are you feeling?"
"Like shit," I said with a small smile. "Where's Blaine? Is he alright?"
The look on his face gave it all away, but I needed him to say it; I needed to know the truth.
"He's ok, right?" I asked again, my voice thick, tears threatening to leave my eyes.
"I'll give you both a moment. I'll be back in later to finish up," the nurse said as she left the room, closing the door behind her.
Dad sat on the side of the bed and grabbed my hand. It felt strong in mine, providing the comfort I would need.
"Kurt... Blaine's in surgery right now. One of his broken ribs punctured his lung and they are afraid that it might collapse so they're fixing it as we speak."
The tears spilled over, my lower lip quivering.
"His right arm is broken... And- and he has some brain swelling. But they don't know the extent of it. They are going to get him an MRI and CT as soon as they're done."
All hell broke loose then as I turned my head to the side and started sobbing uncontrollably. I didn't know why I was crying so hard and not just silent tears. I settled on it being a side effect from the drugs I was on.
He pulled me up into a sitting position and drew me into his chest as he stroked the back of my head soothingly.
"It's going to be alright Kurt. He's strong. He's going to make it," he whispered, his own voice cracking with emotion.
"He will... I know he will." I took a deep breath and pulled away, wiping my wet cheeks.
He patted my shoulder comfortingly and gave me a wink.
"You will too Kurt. And please.. Let us help. Don't try to be strong for anyone."
"I will... I'm working on it," I replied in agreement. "God what time is it?" I asked rubbing my still tired eyes. "I feel like I haven't slept for days."
"It's only two in the morning ... Get some sleep kid, you need all the rest you can get. I'll be here when you wake up."
"Ok daddy... You get some sleep too though. I know you're worried; but at least get some rest. I don't want you ending up in the hospital as well," I said as he patted my knee and stood.
"I will Kurt, I promise."
I scooted down so I was once again lying on the mattress and closed my eyes, darkness taking over me once again... But not without one last thought of the man in surgery.
(Burt's POV)
"Burt," a voice called in the distance. "Burt, wake up. Your son's out of surgery."
At those words I startled awake, sitting up in my bed to see the doctor standing in front of me.
"He- he's good then?" I asked rubbing my tired eyes and getting out from under the sheets.
"Yeah... I can take you to him. You can't stay long though- he's still in the ICU for recovery. I'll explain everything on the way there."
I nodded, looking to Kurt once more.
"No worries, Carole just got a call and is going to come and stay with Kurt until she can see Blaine. She'll be here soon."
I nodded, grateful that he wouldn't have to be alone for a long amount of time.
"A doctor went in when you were asleep. Kurt's going to be just fine. There is signs of a minor concussion, but with lots of rest he should heal nicely."
I only nodded in response as we walked out the door.
As we walked to the elevator he talked quietly as to not to disturb everyone else.
"We managed to fix his lung, but he will still need to be on oxygen for a while so he can fully recover. The swelling in his brain however is another thing on it's own. It's looking pretty serious. We are giving him some medicine through IV... But if that doesn't work we might need to think about going in and relieving the pressure."
"You mean another surgery?"
"Yes... He's in a comatose state at the moment, but-"
"Wait what?"
"Because of the swelling he's in a coma," the doctor said simply, with a hint of sympathy in his voice.
"Be straight with me here... When is he going to wake up?" I asked, not really thinking clear.
"I don't know... But he's young and other than everything going on now he has his health... I expect that he will pull through. We are going to wait a week to see if any progress has been made and if not the last resort will be surgery."
Every word hit me like a bullet in my chest. I swallowed a lump in my throat as I faced the front of the elevator, pushing back tears that threatened to push through.
As we reached the floor, I quickly stepped out and made a lucky guess to which direction to head. I needed to see my son.
The doctor picked up his speed so he could guide me to his room.
"I'll be at the nurses station if you need me," the doctor said as we paused outside his door.
I nodded as I reached for the knob, turning it and pushing the door open slowly.
The sight made my knees go weak, my head fuzzy.
I closed the door and in one swift movement I was at his side.
His face was covered with cuts and a bruise that formed around his eye. A oxygen mask covered his nose and mouth. His skin was as pale as Kurt normally was instead of his tan skin. He just laid there almost lifeless. The only evidence was the slow rise and fall of his chest and the steady beep from the heart monitor. His hair was free from gel, his curls framing his face.
I took his left hand, careful not to disturb the needle that went through the skin and I rubbed his knuckles and sighed as I continued to look at him.
"Blaine... I know you can probably hear me. When I was in my coma I heard Kurt come to talk to me everyday. Blaine, you need to wake up... You need to come back to me- to us, to Kurt. You promised me you wouldn't break his heart. And you said yourself that Anderson's never go back on their promises."
I took a deep breath and glanced to his right hand that was set in a plain white cast. I sat in the chair beside the bed, his hand still loose in mine.
As I continued to look at his features, the dam broke and silent tears sprung from my eyes.
"I can't lose you Blaine. You are my son, and I forbid it. I will not let you give up, you hear? 'Cause if you do than everyone else will just shut down... Because you give life to that house. I never imagined that you would become a son to me, but now I can't see you not."
"Burt, I'm sorry but times up for now... Hospital policy."
I nodded, giving his hand a small squeeze before exiting the room, but not without one last look at the pale boy.
(Kurt's POV)
"Blaine?" I asked as I woke up and felt a hand in mine.
"No honey, it's Carole," the voice said softly.
I opened my eyes and saw her sitting in the chair, her eyes red and puffy.
"Thank god you're alright. We were all so worried about you," she said as she gave my hand another gentle squeeze.
"Hey man, how're you feeling?" Finn asked as he stepped to the other side of the bed.
I shrugged. "How's Blaine? Has anyone heard anything?"
"You're dad went up to see him... They said the surgery went well."
"What about... The... The," I couldn't finish my thought. I didn't even want to think about it. Luckily, Carole saw this and continued.
"They say it's pretty serious, but they are optimistic that he'll pull through."
"I need to see him... I need to see for myself that he's alright," I said, sitting up more, tossing the sheets aside, wincing as my head started to ache.
"Honey, you need to relax right now. You have a concussion," Carole said gently as Finn pushed my shoulders back against the mattress.
"No, I don't care. I need to see him."
"We'll talk to the doctor about it. Right now, just relax."
I took a deep breath and jumped when the door opened.
"Hi there Kurt. I heard you woke up earlier this morning," a man in a white coat said as he made his way towards me. "I'm Dr. Willkening," he said extending his hand and patting my shoulder. I realized that he didn't shake my hand because of the IV in one hand, the other in a cast.
"Nice to meet you," I said tiredly.
"How are you feeling?"
"Tired, my head feels like there's a party going on, and my leg kind of hurts. Are you Blaine's doctor as well?"
"I'll get the nurses to up your morphine dosage for the pain. You have a minor concussion, but it should be all healed up in a couple of weeks if that. leg is broken and will be in the cast for six weeks.
"You didn't answer my question... Are you Blaine's doctor?"
He hesitated but nodded. "I am. I'm sure your family has told you what's going on."
I nodded. "I need to see him," I stated.
"I-I don't think that's a good idea Kurt. You need to rest."
"I really don't care about what I need to do other than I need to see Blaine."
"I really don't think that's a good idea..."
"If you expect me to relax while I know there is a man in this hospital that is currently unconscious, than you are seriously wrong."
The doctor sighed and nodded. "Not long though... But I'll get a wheelchair and nurse to escort you up."
I nodded, now satisfied. I let out a yawn that I was trying to suppress.
"Maybe you should rest a little longer... And then you can visit him."
"No! I need to see him now... Where's my dad? Is he still there?"
The doctor looked to the other two people in the room and shook his head. "No... He needed to do something. He said he would be back soon though..." he stood there for a few awkward moments. "I'll uh, I'll go get a wheelchair and get you up there. I'll escort you personally."
I nodded, sitting up a little more so I could get used to the new position.
"Uh, doc?" I asked just as he was about to leave the room.
"Yeah Kurt," he said, spinning around on the spot.
"Could I have some pants at least?" I asked, embarrassed slightly as I realized all I was wearing was a backless gown.
He smiled a little and nodded. "Yeah, I'll get you some scrubs."
Ten minutes later I had on the surprisingly comfortable, yet totally not-my-style pants, and was sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Alright Kurt, we're going to take it nice and easy, alright? I gave you some extra morphine so you shouldn't be in too much pain," the doctor said as he sat beside me, one hand on my shoulder closest to him, the other securely around my waist. "Just let me support you and do all the work."
I nodded, as I braced myself for the pain that was bound to occur in my head from standing.
"Ok, on three. Finn you have the wheelchair?"
"Yep, nice and secure here," he said with a smile as he gripped the handles.
"Oh my god, let's just get this done and over with," I said, annoyed that this was taking more time than actually needed.
"Ok... One, two, three," he said as he lifted me, turned me around and sat me in the wheelchair.
"How are you feeling?" the doctor asked.
"Stupid. I could have done that on my own, you know."
"I know... With your concussion and not being able to step on one foot, or use crutches, we just wanted to be extra careful... Hows your head?"
"Perfectly fine... Now let's go," I snapped, patience running thin.
"Kurt..." Carole scolded softly.
"No no, it's fine," the doctor said before whispering, "it's the medicine... It makes people act differently. Just a small side affect that will go away once he's off of it."
He stepped behind the chair, and pushed me out the room.
The ride up to whatever floor he was on was long and silent, and I started to become more nervous as time went by.
"Ok Kurt... I'll let you in and leave you alone for a bit... If you need me just press the call button on the side of his bed," he said suddenly when we were in front of the door.
He slowly pushed the door open, and pushed me inside and to the other side of the curtain.
I gasped as I saw the pale man lying on the bed. Surely this couldn't be Blaine. He looked almost lifeless, so pale that I was tan in comparison, the only visible sign that he was a live was the heart monitor beeps.
"I'll leave you be," the doctor said, turning to leave after putting me beside his bed.
Once the door closed my body shook with small sobs, tears running down my face.
"Blaine," I managed to choke out as I carefully grabbed his uninjured hand. "Blaine, god... I'm so sorry. This should be me... You don't deserve this."
I took a deep breath and tried to control myself- only succeeding by bringing it down to silent tears.
"Blaine, sweetie, I need you to wake up. I need you. You are my world baby... You're my everything. Without you... I'm nothing."
