Hello, you lovely people :') Sorry I disappeared-I've been doing shows all weekend, and literally have not been in the house! Hope everyone had awesome weekends :D

Thank you so much for all of your reviews! They mean the word xxxx

SPOILER: Kurt IS getting out of hospital in the next chapter! Don't worry! :D xxxx

It was a hot, sunny day, made bearable by the slight breeze that blew coolly through the heat, cutting it up and deterring from the closeness of the humidity. Much to Kurt's detestation, but begrudging compliance, Blaine had taken him in the wheel chair down to the hospital gardens, just to get some fresh air.

Well, they called it a hospital garden. It was basically a square of grass out back-obviously meant solely for the purpose Kurt and Blaine used it for now as opposed to beauty; so patients could get out of the depressing corridors and wards for a while for a breather. They were not the only ones taking advantage of it-several patients were being carefully watched over by their relatives, and one or two nurses, as they walked or were wheeled slowly around, chatting as brightly as they could to them. It was a little sad really…

Blaine was currently sat on a battered old bench dedicated to the memory of someone, who no doubt had died in the hospital, with Kurt beside him in the wheelchair. It wasn't overall uncomfortable-he had to admit, he'd felt a bit like Cleopatra as Blaine wheeled him around-but he did feel a little on display. A careful poncho disguised his baby bump as well as it could, so the gentle, but no longer small, swell could be a trick of the light-so it was any stranger's guess why he was in the chair. As he looked around at the other patients, he couldn't help but try to guess what was wrong with them. He spotted an old man, a nurse carefully holding his arm as he limped along, wincing slightly every now and again-but he refused like a weary old soldier when the nurse suggested they call it a day and go inside. There was a woman in her forties escorted by a concerned husband walking close by. There was nothing visually wrong with her, but by the man's nervous disposition and the way he looked after her, there had to be. There was even a little girl, about nine years old, holding her mother's hand with a scarf tied around her head-but even then, you could tell that she had had some sort of treatment which had left her bald. Kurt's heart melted at the last one. He prayed his baby would never have to go through something like that.

"Okay?" Blaine asked him for the umpteenth time. "Do you want anything? Should we go back inside?"

"It's fine," Kurt looked up at the sky, eyes instinctively turning away from the bright sun, like a torch in the blue wash. "You can relax, you know? With any luck, I'll be out of here in a few days,"

"I hope so," Blaine patted his hand. "But then again-we want to be sure everything's fine-"

"Relax," Kurt pretended to flick him. "You don't have to be constantly on edge, you know?"

"I'm sorry…it's just…"

"What?" Kurt looked back at him. There was a faraway look in his boyfriend's eyes…

"It's just…look, this is going to sound really, really weird-but…I just have…I have a really bad feeling that…that something's happened,"

Kurt blinked. "What?"

"I don't know…you know, when you just have those feelings in your gut…" Blaine leaned on his hand. "It's probably something I ate…but I just…I just have a feeling,"

Kurt leaned over, taking his hands. "Everything's fine. I'm fine, you're fine, the baby's fine…"

Blaine nodded. "I know…but…I feel like I'm missing something. Something important. Something serious. I-I don't know why…"

He looked into the distance, seemingly distracted.

"Maybe you're going mad," suggested Kurt lightly.

"Maybe I am…" Blaine agreed mistily-more serious a reply than Kurt was anticipating. "I don't know…"


"Hey, Mom! Have we got any food in?"

Cooper clanged the front door shut as he strolled into the house he'd always hated…Oh well. Free food. He'd go and see Kurt and Blaine again later-Kurt seemed a hell of a lot better now-and everyone pussyfooted around him and treated him like he could die at any second less. Though of course everyone still babied him and acted as if he could shatter at any given time. Well-Kurt probably had a lifetime of that to look forward to-as did the baby.

Cooper dumped his wallet down on the hall table, grinning at the picture of his niece-in-the-making as he affectionately referred to her that was stuck in the see-through part. He'd never really reckoned babies-though he'd taken care of Blaine when he was one-but he had to admit, he was looking forward to meeting her, and being the cool Uncle Cooper she so richly deserved…

Hell, he could give Blaine a lot of advice-he should do that. He'd meant to today-give him the Cooper Anderson lessons of how to avoid throwing young children out of the window if they screamed too much. And boy, could Blaine scream back then. It was no wonder he was such a talented vocalist-he sure has the lungs for it. Remind him to bring that up when Kurt was around….He'd been meaning to give Blaine the supportive pep talk for quite some time-but stuff had been slipping his mind a lot, lately…

Daisy. Daisy, Daisy, Daisy…Cooper found himself grinning like an absolute idiot as he thought about her, the way her red-blonde curls framed her pretty eyes, the way she smiled when he was sweet, the way her nails were painted a different colour every day, the way her bracelets clicked on her freckled wrists when she moved…God, what did he sound like? Like Blaine going off on one of his I-love-Kurty realms…but maybe that was a good thing? Wouldn't it be lovely to have a relationship like them…only minus the whole teen pregnancy thing…

She just fascinated him. The way she seemed so sparky, so young, so fun-loving…but there was always something else in her eyes. Something far older, far more deep, way beyond her years, as if she had the experience of a much older person. Perhaps that was why the age-gap didn't worry him so much. He'd been surprised when he'd told her straight his age, the eight-year gap that had concerned him-and she'd barely batted an eyelid. Something told him she'd been looking for an older guy, someone to take care of her.

He'd work out her secret some day. But for now…he just loved every second he was on the phone to her, whenever he saw her…He was actually seriously considering moving back to Lima to be near her while they were-and it felt weird to say-dating.

There you go. Cooper Anderson had a girlfriend. Gone was the man-whore, who could have any girl he wanted-and here was Cooper-happily dating just one girl. One incredibly special girl…

Making a mental note to text her in a minute to find out how her day at work had been, he strolled into the kitchen to make a sandwich.

"Mom!" he called again, wondering if she hadn't heard. He knew she was in, her car was outside. Also-thankfully-Cooper's "father" was out-his was gone.

"In here, darling," His mother's voice finally sounded from the living room. He could hear the faint sound of the TV set.

Whipping up a quick tuna and sweet corn sandwich, he stuck it on a plate and carried it out to say hello to his old lady. And perhaps to tell her about Daisy. He seemed to be absolutely bursting to tell everyone about her at the moment. Tugging his phone from his pocket, niftily balancing the plate in the other hand, he sent a quick text.

Hey girl-how was your day? Cooper xx

As soon as he'd gotten the delivery report to check she'd got it, he proceeded through into the living room.

"Hey Mom," he said, sliding over to the chair nearest the window and putting the plate on the sill. "How you doing?"

"Oh, just fine, darling, just fine,"

"Mmm," he said, taking a big bite of sandwich. "Hey, Mom, you're not going to believe this, but I-"

His voice stopped dead as he looked up at his mother.

It was not often that Cooper Anderson was lost for words. Even when he found out that his brother had got his boyfriend pregnant, he'd been able to find something to say. But now…now he was rendered completely speechless.

It was the shock more than anything. The sheer shock.

He stared, sandwich, having forgotten about the sandwich halfway to his lips. It hung in midair as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. And-at the same time-tried to pretend that he was not seeing it at all. Because-if it was really there…everything changed.

Clothes-wise Mrs Anderson looked completely normal. She wore a sky blue dress trimmed with navy, with a cardigan and boring pearl bracelet, and her translucent flesh-coloured tights which did not have a single ladder. Her usual I'm-posher-and-probably-richer outfits.

But her poise was different. Instead of the usual Kurt-esque one-leg-crossed-over way set sat, back straight and proper-she was hunched over, legs tucked beneath her as she leant on the arm of the sofa, not focused on the TV screen. Her hair was scraped back into a pony-tail, rather than her usual neat bun. Her honey-coloured eyes were distant, although her lips were turned into a fake smile as she looked at Cooper.

But that was the last remotely normal thing about her.

What was abnormal-was what made Cooper was to scream out loud.

Her face was unusually make-up free…but it was not that that shocked him to the core.

All around one eye, there was an ugly, dark-purple bruise. Like Blaine's after his encounter with the bullies…but worse. Far, far worse.

These had been inflicted by someone who knew far more what they were doing.

And it wasn't just that. There was a crusted, brownish-red mess under her nose-which Cooper realised with a start was a large quantity of dried blood. And not the sort of amount you got from a regular nose-bleed. Her nose actually seemed slightly out of shape…as if…

The remains of a smashed vase still lay on the floor.

Cooper's mouth hung open.

Finally…he found his voice, somewhere deep inside. "…Mom?" he choked out. "What-what happened?"

Maria blinked her poor, bruised eyes, pretending (badly) to be confused. "Nothing. Walked into a lamppost, that's all," she blurted out-far too quickly.

Cooper's teeth clenched. The most horrific, volcanic anger bubbled inside him.

His mind drew a horrible conclusion. The worst any son should ever have to come to about his parents.

Then, with tremendous effort…

"He did it, didn't he?"

Silence hung in the air.

Without a word…despite her best efforts…Maria's face crumpled.

Her eyes said it all.

For the second time in far too short a period, hands shaking…Cooper had had to make an emergency phone call from his living room-because his father had beaten up a family member.


Cooper's teeth had remained gritted the entire three and a half hours they'd spent at the hospital.

Words could not fathom how he felt. There are no words for men who beat up women. They do not deserve them. Any words would probably make paper burst into flame-so it is left to the deepest imaginations how Cooper felt at that time about what had happened to his mother. Here are the facts of that afternoon:

It turned out the his mother's nose was broken. It would heel along with the bruises, the doctor said. No lasting damage.

So inaccurate.

When asked how the injuries had occurred-

"Oh, I just walked right into the door! Silly me!" Maria had smiled too widely, giggling too falsely.

From the look on the doctor's face-he had heard this a million times-and each time had not bought it. But, with a disapproving look, he'd turned a blind eye as he bandaged her up. No further questions.

Cooper had bitten his tongue.

But now…

This was it.

That was the final straw.

First him, as a child…

Then Blaine, his kid brother…

Then his mother.

The end. That was the end.

No more.

Cooper now knew-this man was dangerous. He was crazy. He was insane. This man-whom he'd called "Dad"-was dangerous.

What about Kurt? The man had no idea about the baby still-thank God-but what if he found out from someone?

What would he do?

Would he hurt him? Hurt the baby?

Well, he'd already hurt his wife and both his children-what would he do to the pregnant boyfriend of his disowned son?

It sent a cold shiver down Cooper's spine to even think.

Cooper couldn't believe how stupid he'd been. If he'd gone right to the police after Blaine-hell, after his own ordeal…maybe none of this would have happened…

He hated himself…

But at the same time…this had to be the kick up the ass he needed.

This was it.

This time-Cooper was ending it. Cooper was ending it once and for all. That man would never hurt another member of his family. Over his dead body.

This man's reign over them was ending-if it was the last thing Cooper did.