Take All Of Me
Main character: Blaine Anderson
Important side character: Kurt Hummel
Side characters: Quinn Fabray, Sam Evans, Cooper Anderson, Brianna Taylor, Dr. Warren, Dr. Marley Rose, Eva, Yvonne & Jackson Anderson (Blaine's parents), Wes Montgomery, David Thompson, Thad, mentions of Nick Duval, mentions of Jeff Sterling
Pairings: Klaine
Fandom: Glee
Author: Myrne
Rated: M
Summary: When 28-year old Blaine Anderson, a former US army soldier, finds himself stuck in Burke Rehabilitation Hospital, he's sure his trauma will slow down his recovery, but then he meets an angel in human form.
Important: I don't own Glee and their characters! I also apologize for any mistakes. English is not my mother tongue. Also, there are two minor character deaths in this story. It's not Klaine, I promise, but I wanted to warn you nonetheless.
Thank you, Dianne Steedman, for your continuous love on this story. I love the fact you're from New Zealand. I've traveled to NZ (from my home country the Netherlands) last year and I've loved every single minute of it.
Without further ado, enjoy chapter 4.
Chapter 4 – "Kiss Them Goodbye."
On Saturday, morning well on its way, Blaine heard voices coming from the hall way. He furrowed his eyebrows together, because the voices sounded familiar…
"Blainers!"
Blaine wheeled out, surprised as he saw Wes, David and Thad appear through the door, all bright smiles on their faces. Blaine copied them, moving over to them and spreading his arms wide.
They all fell in each other's arms, hugging close and Blaine couldn't help but to start crying softly as they pulled away.
"Hey, guys." He swallowed away his tears and looked up at his friends, who were carrying presents.
"Hey, Blaine. How are you?" Wes asked as he put down his present on the table and removed his jacket. The other men followed him and sat down on the table's edge, while Wes sat down on the only chair in the room.
"Um, I'm… okay enough," Blaine exclaimed as he shrugged, pointing at his missing lower leg. "This is my situation. It sucks."
"Yeah, I can imagine," Thad mumbled, running his hand through his hair as he kept looking at his curly-haired friend.
"In the back of my mind, I always knew it could happen, but I never thought it would truly happen to me, you know?"
"We get it, Blainers," David said with a sad look in his eyes.
"How was Nick and Jeff's funeral?" Blaine asked. He knew the funeral had already taken place, but since he was severely wounded, he couldn't go and it had broken his heart.
"It was beautiful. It was a joined one. Their parents had made sure they stayed together…"
"That sounds wonderful, guys," Blaine spoke out softly as more tears rolled over his cheeks. "I just miss them, you know? And I miss you guys and army life."
"Yeah," the three friends spoke at the same time and nodded, moving in for a second hug.
Just in that moment, Brianna, the weekend nurse, put her head around the door. "Hey, guys! You need some more chairs?"
"No, we're fine, Brianna. We're taking Blainers outside. Some fresh air would do him good!"
"Stay safe, boys!"
"I see you've already met Brianna," Blaine laughed as he watched David stare at her until she was out of sight.
"Her red hair is beautiful," David sighed as he received a slap on the shoulder from Blaine.
"Not you too! Cooper keeps flirting with Quinn. What is it with straight guys and nurses?"
David wiggled his eyebrows, laughing as they put on their jackets again, helping Blaine wrap his around his shoulders. They added a scarf and a beanie on his head, since the temperature had dropped severely since Blaine had been admitted at Burke's.
The four of them moved outside, Thad pushing Blaine's wheelchair. Blaine had wanted to move himself around, but they were going to be gone for a longer period of time and while his upper arm strength had been growing over the last few days, he shouldn't overwork the muscles.
Thad was glad to wheel him around, though, while Wes and David were skipping around in mountains of autumn leaves, kicking them around.
"Hey, 5-year-olds! Can we grab some coffee somewhere?"
"Oh, yes!" David exclaimed excitedly as he ran back towards Thad and Blaine, Wes shortly behind him.
As they were walking down to the nearest coffee shop, Blaine heard a shout coming from behind them. Thad turned him around in the wheelchair and Blaine saw Cooper run up to them.
"Hello, guys! What are you up to? It's good to see you outside, Blaine."
"We're gonna grab some coffee, you wanna join us?" Blaine asked.
"Yes! These are your buddies from the army?" Cooper asked back, as they continued walking.
"Yep, Wes, David and Thad at your service," Blaine joked as his three friends bowed lightly. "Guys, this is my brother Cooper Anderson. You know, the Hollywood actor, the one I visited in L.A. whenever I was on leave from the army."
"We remember." Wes nodded and extended his hand for Cooper to shake. "Wesley Montgomery, it's really good to finally meet you, Cooper."
"You too, guys. I'm so sorry for your loss," Cooper said softly, refering to the unfortunate death of Jeff and Nick.
"Thank you, Cooper." David's head hung and he flashed a weak smile towards the actor. "But now we're here for Blaine! And maybe for the cute nurses."
"Stay away from Quinn, she's mine!" Cooper growled, which made Blaine whine and David laugh as he shook his head.
"Nope, I've had my eyes set on Brianna. She's a weekend nurse. She has beautiful red curls and I just wanna bury my face in them."
Blaine groaned as the other four guys laughed loudly, earning some curious glances from bystanders. "Please, stop being creepy."
Cooper's eyes sparkled. "Oh, I haven't met Brianna yet."
"That's for the better. I think she'd rather date a Hollywood actor than an army guy who'll be gone all the time anyways."
"Hey," Wes exclaimed softly, as he put his hand on David's shoulder. "Don't be insecure. You're a catch!"
"Thanks, Wesley," David laughed as he rolled his eyes.
The five of them arrived at a coffee shop and Blaine's stomach started rumbling when his nose caught the smell of freshly grinded coffee beans and apple pie.
"My treat," Cooper offered as they moved inside. Thad and Blaine sat down at a wide table, pushing one chair away and putting Blaine with his wheelchair in the empty space at one side of the table.
"A medium drip and a piece of hot apple pie for me, please!" Blaine said to Cooper, who was gonna go over to the counter to order, with help of David.
The boys all rang in their orders and waited at the table for it to be done.
"When do you have to go back to work?" Blaine wondered out loud, as they were all sipping their coffee's, too impatient to wait until the drinks had cooled down.
"Two weeks," Thad answered, playing with the plastic lid on his coffee cup. "I think it's good for us to go back, life goes on, you know. Even now that our squad is broken. It feels like the Fellowship from the Lord of the Rings at the end of the first movie."
"Only Thad can make it nerdy," Wes teased, sticking out his tongue.
"Will you say hello to everyone from me?" Blaine asked with a tiny voice, emotions high in his throat. "I don't know if I could come over and say goodbye myself."
"I think it's good for your mourning process, buddy," Cooper spoke up, placing a soft and careful hand on his little brother's shoulder.
"Yeah, Blainers, I think it is. You know how other soldiers have done the same after they were honorably discharged and it all did them good. Otherwise you will have an unfinished chapter you can never truly close off."
Blaine sighed defeatedly as he ran his hands through his ungelled hair. "I guess you guys are right. As always."
"Ofcourse, you should listen to your buddies. We've known you for so long."
"15 years," Blaine mumbled with a tiny smile on his face. They truly were the best friends a man like him could ever wish for. Even though they were broken, he was sure they would be bound by their strong friendship for ever.
"I've wanted to apologize for my behaviour earlier this week. I had no right to get so frustrated with you. It just kills me that this thing that happened to you killed your confidence so much."
"I know," Blaine said softly as they were back in his room, the other boys back to their car to put in more parking money.
"I hope you'll get it back, you've been talking to a psychologist, right?"
Blaine nodded as he looked up at his big brother. He really did mean well most of the time. "Yes, Dr. Rose. She's amazing, she's not as uptight as some of the psychologists I've had to deal with in the army."
"Good, that's… good."
Blaine smiled weakly as he wiped his tired eyes. "Sorry, Coop, I think I need to lay down, I'm pretty tired and I haven't even done much."
"Hey, bro, that's not true. Every day you're sitting up in that wheelchair is another big, but tiring step for you. I'll call someone who can help you into bed."
"Thanks, Coop. Again, I'm so happy you're here. Where are you staying?"
"In a hotel, Blaine, it's fine. I didn't want to raid the apartment in the city and plus, then it would cost a lot of time to come here every morning."
Blaine shrugged as Cooper walked over to the alarm button, which he pushed. "You don't have to visit me every day."
"Little brother, stop talking. I want to visit you. I care about you. I don't have to be back in L.A. for another two weeks to shoot my next film. There's no place I'd rather be."
The ex-soldier swallowed away some tears and looked up as he heard another person enter his room. It was Brianna to help him get into bed.
Blaine shooed Cooper out of the room as he suddenly heard two voices, making the hair on the back of his neck stand up.
He heard Cooper talk to them as Brianna was softly talking to him, trying to let him focus on the task of going to bed. When the voices started raising, Brianna actually growled as she quickly rolled the turntable away and put the blanket over Blaine's body.
"Let me take care of this, Blaine," she spoke out. "You rest."
Blaine nodded as he closed his eyes. "Thanks, Brianna."
Brianna Taylor wasn't often angry. She could empathize with all the patients having a temper, since they had lost an important part of their life. However, she couldn't handle parents or other family members thinking they could control their loved one's well being.
Which was what was happening right now as she left Blaine's room, seeing Cooper and two older people standing in front of each other, all staring at each other angrily.
"Good afternoon," Brianna tried speaking in her calmest voice. "Please, take this conversation outside. Our patients, including Blaine, are trying to rest."
"It's the middle of the day," the man huffed. "Blaine doesn't need rest. You rest at night time."
"God, father! How can you be so ignorant?" Cooper raised his voice again, but immediately calmed down as soon as he felt Brianna's hand on his upper arm.
"Again, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave this hospital, before I have to call security."
Jackson Anderson huffed as he walked off, Yvonne following him like a puppy. Cooper snorted, eerily looking like his father, as he followed them aswell.
Brianna let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and moved her way up to the nurses station.
"You've handled that well, Bri," another nurse told her as she sat down, taking her water bottle and gulping down a big sip.
"Thanks," she answered with a sigh as she opened her computer to report.
"Cooper, why are you here? You know we're taking care of Blaine's recovery," Yvonne started as they were standing outside Burke's.
"You are taking care of it? Don't make me laugh. The only thing you do is pay."
"If we wouldn't, he couldn't have gone to this facility, Cooper Jay Anderson," Jackson jumped into the conversation with a sneer, wrapping an arm around his wife in protection.
"I know money is important, but Blaine's recovery is more than just the place he's being treated and how much it costs. It's also receiving love from his family, his friends, his parents…" Cooper trailed off sadly, knowing his parents would never be capable of loving their sons in an honest way. "Who am I kidding, though, you'll never be able to love us."
"We've paid for Blaine's expensive school education at Dalton. We've paid your first few months in L.A., when you weren't earning enough money from your acting roles in commercials," Jackson spat back, venom in his voice.
"You've never loved us though," Cooper mumbled as he knew this conversation would go no where.
His parents didn't agree, but also wouldn't deny either, which made Cooper even more sad. He ran his hands over his face as he pointed into the direction of the expensive car his parents owned.
"Now, go, please… I don't want you upsetting Blaine."
"You can't send us away. We are his parents."
"Yes, and I'm his brother. I care about him more than you do. Parents should love their children unconditionally. No exceptions."
Yvonne sighed as she wanted to say something, but then was pulled back by Jackson. Cooper watched them go to their car and opened the trunk, revealing boxes.
"If we were such bad parents, how would you explain we would be here with Blaine's wardrobe?"
Cooper groaned as he moved closer to the car, widening his eyes as his father lifted the boxes out and just threw them on the ground without a care of the surroundings. The sound was deafening and Cooper winced.
When all the boxes were out, Jackson stepped in, waiting for Yvonne to do the same. She turned around, smiling sadly at Cooper as she also got into the car.
His parents sped off and Cooper watched them go, surrounded by Blaine's clothes packed neatly in boxes.
Their relationship would always be confusing and hurtful.
"You need help carrying these in?" A voice spoke up and Cooper looked up and around, spotting his brother's three high school and army friends.
"Yes, please," he sighed and the four of them worked on getting the boxes inside, when Cooper was stopped by two security guards towering over him.
"Is everything fine now?" One of them growled out.
"Yes, I'm so sorry, those were my parents. The relationship is rough, I will personally make sure it won't happen again."
"You better," the other said gruffly and they walked off again.
Wes stayed, waiting for Cooper to finish, with a box in his hand, looking concerned.
Cooper caught up with him, balancing the box in between his arms. "How much did Blaine tell you about our relationship with our parents?"
Wes shrugged as they moved towards the elevator. "Not much. We knew it wasn't good, since he never mentioned visiting his folks during time off. He was always talking about you, though."
Cooper smiled weakly as he pressed the up button, waiting until the elevator would arrive. "Yeah, we've always had a pretty strong bond. I think growing up inside the toxic Anderson household made our relationship even stronger."
The elevator arrived and they both got in, putting the box on the ground to release some pressure off their muscles.
"I get it… I think it's great you're sticking up for him. He needs it."
Cooper nodded as they reached Blaine's floor, putting the boxes inside his room as quietly as possible, since Blaine was sleeping. Although it was a restless sleep, Cooper noticed, as he was mumbling and shifting around.
"Yeah, well, I know what I need to do now…" Cooper said as they walked back down, getting the next few boxes as they saw Thad and David pass them, armed with boxes, again.
"What's that?" Wes asked curiously.
"I'm gonna pay for the rest of Blaine's stay here," Cooper said determinedly.
Wes whistled as they took the stairs down. "That must cost a fortune."
"I don't care. It's my little brother. I don't want him to owe my parents anything. They've paid for enough already and holding it over his head. It ends here."
"It'll be a legal battle," Wes exclaimed. "But my sister's a family lawyer. I think she'll be honoured to represent you."
"Thanks, buddy," Cooper answered as he shot a watery smile into the direction of one of his brother's friends. "You are good friends."
"Yeah, we've been through a lot together."
Blaine woke up an hour later, not feeling particular rested and a terrible head ache was bugging him. Groaning, he sat himself up, suddenly spotted a dozen boxes all piled up in one corner of the room.
He pushed the alarm button to call for a nurse, figuring he would ask for his pain medication a little bit earlier and ask help going to the toilet.
He suddenly remembered he had heard Cooper speak to his parents just before he fell asleep and he wanted to know everything that had happened, especially since all these boxes where now in his room. Boxes he hoped would contain his wardrobe.
Brianna came over to help him with the things he needed and then he called Cooper on his cell phone, knowing he would be close, maybe in the cafetaria downstairs or on a walk with his friends.
He proved to be right, as Cooper moved inside his room just 5 minutes after their phone call, slightly out of breath.
"Hey bro," he exclaimed and sat down on one of the chairs. "Your friends are collecting take out. We thought you would like a greasy burger instead of the healthy food they're giving you here."
Just as Cooper said those words, Blaine's stomach started to rumble, making the two brothers laugh as Blaine nodded. "A burger sounds good… Where are mom and dad?"
Cooper sighed. "I knew you were gonna ask about them. Don't worry, I took care of them."
Blaine frowned as he stared at his brother, who looked emotionally tired. "What do you mean?"
"They were only here to scold you for resting during the day. Oh, and to drop off your clothes, I guess, but father was so angry he just threw the boxes on the side walk and left us to take care of them. Some father…" Cooper concluded.
"I… thank you, Cooper. I don't think I could have handled them today."
"You're welcome, bro. I also want to let you know that from this day on, I'm gonna pay for your recovery here at Burke's."
The curly-haired man widened his eyes as he shook his head wildly. "No! That will cost you a fortune!"
"I don't care. I don't want father and mother to hold anything over your head. I actually want to cut off contact completely, if you're up for it."
"They are my parents…" Blaine protested, feeling so broken his chest area started hurting.
"That's exactly why we should cut them off, Blaine. They're horrible people and you shouldn't have to settle with them, just because they put you on this earth."
"I know… I just… cutting off contact completely just sounds so… final. They will never see me living my new life, maybe going off to college… Maybe getting a boyfriend…"
"That's because they decided to be like this, Blaine. You and I did nothing wrong."
Blaine wiped away tears as he nodded. "I should have done this a long time ago."
"You and me both, buddy. I already had contact with Wes's sister, who is a family lawyer. She wants to represent me in case mother and father are not willing to give up the payment."
"Oh, that sounds serious…" Blaine said worriedly, but stopped immediately as he saw his brother shake his head.
"Don't worry about it, Blaine. I want to do this for you. I will fight for you until the day I die. I will make sure you will live a happy life, away from the people who call themselves your parents, but don't deserve to be."
Blaine opened his arms and caught Cooper in a hug, pulling him close. "Thanks."
"You're welcome, Blainers."
The man in bed groaned out loud as he squeezed Cooper's upper arm teasingly. "Not you too."
Cooper laughed as he released his brother. "Ofcourse." He winked and then moved back to the door. "I will go and call your friends. I'm sure they're dying to spend time with you."
"Do you remember that time Nick and Jeff pretended to be gay in front of the whole army squad the first day?" Wes giggled, wrapping his lips around a beer bottle to take a large sip.
"Oh man, that was golden." Blaine wiped away some tears that had escaped his eyes as he too took a sip, only not from a beer. He was still coming down from a serious injury and he didn't need alcohol to make him even more uncontrollable.
"Wasn't there so much homophobia?" Cooper asked surprisedly. "I mean, the army isn't exactly known for their kindness towards gay people."
"Oh, yes," David nodded heavily. "Our group received some slurs, but physical violence stayed out."
"Thank goodness," Cooper answered, taking the last sip from the beer bottle and put it inside a plastic bag. "Let's go, boys. Blaine needs his rest."
Blaine pouted as he stared at his brother. "I'm fine, I want to talk to you guys some more."
"Relax, Blainers." Thad placed his hand on Blaine's knee, the one that was still there. Blaine stared at his legs with furrowed eyebrows and Thad quickly pulled his hand away. "We will be here for the next few days, don't you worry. We have plenty of time to spend time."
"Okay," Blaine said softly as he waved at his friends and brother sadly. "See you tomorrow?"
"Ofcourse, buddy," and after a tight group hug, they left him alone. Cooper's glance lingered on his brother for a longer period of time, until he was satisfied when he received a nod and a pretty believable smile.
At last, Blaine was alone. He shuddered out a breath and closed his eyes, feeling so extremely tired. His cell phone started beeping and when he saw who it was, it drained all the colour from his face.
Your father says you need to get up more. Resting during the day won't make you heal faster.
Blaine growled as he threw his phone against the wall across from him and it bounced off, laying on the floor, cracked and turned off.
"Now I finally have some rest," Blaine grumbled as he again pushed the alarm button to ask for help to change for the night.
"Blaine, why haven't you answered your phone?" Cooper knocked on the door hesitatingly, before entering and spotting Blaine sitting in front of the window, staring outside longingly.
"Hey, Coop! Um, yeah, about that… I kind of threw my phone across the room yesterday evening and now it's broken?" He said, smiling sheepishly as he pointed towards the broken phone on the ground.
Cooper frowned and picked it up, but it looked too damaged to be able to work again. "Um, are you okay?"
"It was after a particular heartless message from mom," Blaine growled.
"Oh…"
"Yes, oh. It said something about the line of that dad had said I shouldn't rest during the day, because I won't get better if I rest."
"What a load of rubbish," Cooper yelled, scaring Blaine. "Sorry, Blaine…"
"Yeah, my sentiments exactly."
"You know you should rest, right? If you go on and on and on without resting, that would be bad for you…" Cooper stared at his little brother worriedly, hoping the harsh wording of his parents hadn't made Blaine insecure.
"Ofcourse, Coop. Don't worry, I won't listen to mom and dad anymore. I accept your offer to pay for my stay here at Burke's and all my medical bills afterwards, although I will help you out. I'm not completely poor from working in the army. They did provide me with a paycheck every month, you know." Blaine winked, instantly calming down Cooper.
"Thank you so much, little brother. How do you want to let them know we won't be in contact anymore?"
"Oh, something really satisfying. Let me think about it."
Cooper couldn't help but to let out a happy laugh at that. "That's my little brother!"
"Now, let's go out for coffee? When will my friends be back?"
"Um, about that… Your friends are actually driving over to the apartment to get all of your stuff out."
Blaine looked at his brother in shock. "Um, you know that's my home? Kind of, sort of?"
"Yeah, a home you spent no more than a few days at a time at and mother and father are paying for. Now you're able to find a home of your own, make all the modifications it needs for you to move around… I just figured you wanted a fresh start."
Blaine hated the fact he couldn't jump up and hug the crap out of his brother, so he did the next best thing, opening his arms and receiving his brother in a tight hug.
"You're the best. I'm so lucky to be able to call you family. I hate the fact you're living so far away."
"Hey… We will be fine. I will have time off in between filming, so I can always come and visit you. When you're feeling better and you know how to move around with your disability and a doctor approves for you to fly, you can come visit me in L.A. again too. It will all work itself out, Blainers."
Nodding, Blaine stared outside again. For the first time in a while, his heart was filled with hope again. Also because of the fact he would be seeing his angel again in the next few days.
Kurt.
Blaine had done a great job not thinking about him for the last few days with the provided distractions in the form of his friends and brother. Also the drama surrounding his parents had been keeping him busy, although he hadn't confronted them directly.
He wanted to know how Kurt was. He also wanted to speak to him beyond the beautiful songs he received twice a week from the Broadway star. He wanted to know everything there was to know about Kurt. He just didn't know if Kurt wanted the same.
Running his hand through his unruly curls, Blaine watched as Cooper eyed the presents on the table. "You still haven't opened them."
"I don't want my friends thinking they should bring gifts," Blaine shrugged. "Them being around is more than enough."
"Just open them, silly man." Cooper rolled his eyes and threw one of them onto Blaine's lap. "Please?"
"You've always been so bad containing your enthusiasm around gifts."
"Yeah, yeah, now open them!"
Blaine sighed and hooked his finger around a string of tape and ripped it loose, revealing a tacky, glittery frame with a photo of the six of them all standing next to each other in their army uniform. Blaine swallowed away tears as he showed Cooper, who gave him an understanding pat on the shoulder.
Riding over to the window sill, he put the frame down, smiling and touching Jeff and Nick's face with his index finger. "I miss them…"
"I know, buddy."
The other present had been a silly mug that said: 'get well soon, tiger' with a cartoony tiger printed on it. It had made Blaine laugh and shook his head, placing it on his night stand. Maybe he could put water inside it when he would go to sleep, so he could have a drink at night when he would wake up.
Cooper had then taken him out to a coffee and then Blaine had been called by David who asked him stuff about the apartment. Blaine was happy Cooper had arranged for the apartment to be emptied, even though his friends had to do it.
Well, they probably had offered, so Blaine should be kissing the floor they were walking on and stop whining like the ungrateful bitch he was.
The rest of the day was a bit emotional for Blaine, resolving in two scary throwbacks to the explosion and Nick and Jeff dying. He couldn't wait to have a distraction in the form of his favourite Broadway performer.
Tuesday rolled around quicker than Blaine had anticipated and he had heard Quinn talking about Kurt to another patient yesterday, confirming he was coming in again today, on Tuesday.
It made Blaine's heart flutter in his chest, as much as he didn't want to acknowledge that. It didn't help that Cooper and his friends were constantly nagging him about it, making him even more nervous for the performance and seeing Kurt again.
He figured he would come out of his room and join the other patients in the common room. That way, he could show Kurt he was determined to come see him, even though it meant not being able to rest in his bed for the afternoon.
It made his head spin to think about how to befriend Kurt. He really wanted to know more about him, but how would he proceed without sounding and acting like a creep?
He was intrigued by Kurt, there was no better way describing it.
"What if I completely screw up, Coop?" Blaine said nervously, not knowing what to do with himself until the performance two hours from now.
"Jesus, relax, Blaine. He's just a guy. A talented guy, sure, but he will scare him off if you act like this around him."
"Well, thanks, Coop…" Blaine mumbled and stared at his jar of hair gel, opting to gel it down.
"Don't you dare gelling your hair, Blaine Anderson."
"Okay, okay…"
"I have never seen you so worked up about a guy before."
"That's because I've never met a guy as interesting as Kurt Hummel! I want to get to know him better, Coop."
"Just talk to him like a normal human being. He wouldn't sing here twice a week if he didn't have some kind of sympathy for the patients here."
"I'm not looking for pity."
"That's not what I mean, little brother…" Cooper pinched the bridge of his nose and sat down next to Blaine, who was pacing in a wheelchair-way.
"I'm serious, Coop. I don't want people pitying me. That's why my table mates don't know my full story yet. I don't want to hear praises, 'thank-you-for-your-services' and see sad eyes staring at me. I hate it!" Blaine was getting worked up and he felt his stump twitch.
"Calm down, Blaine…" Quinn exclaimed, who was just walking by Blaine's room and had heard his raised voice.
"I… I'm sick of being like this!" Blaine bit out and shocked both Quinn and Cooper, who were staring at him as Blaine quickly wheeled out of the room. He didn't know where he was going, but he was blinded by tears, so he should probably watch out, but he hadn't and now he had bumped into a person with his wheelchair. The person nearly tripped as he let out a shriek, but Blaine managed to grab his arm and pull him back on his feet.
"I'm so sorry…"
"Blaine?"
Blaine's heart leaped in his throat. "Kurt? You're here early."
"I'm always early. Warm up my voice and talk to the nurses. Quinn is my friend."
"She mentioned that…" Blaine nodded as he continued blushing, suddenly remembering how he had nearly floored Kurt. "Can I interest you in a cup of coffee? My treat, since I nearly tripped you."
Blaine could swear he saw a blush creep over Kurt's cheeks and it made his heart hammer inside his chest. Could it be…?
"That's awfully kind of you… I should have an hour left. I believe there's a coffee shop close to Burke's?"
Blaine nodded as he extended his hand, hoping he wouldn't look like a fool and Kurt would take it without question. Every argument about how he couldn't fall in love with Kurt fell out of the window when the opportunity to take him out for coffee arose.
Luckily, Kurt was still blushing and took Blaine's hand. "You want a push?"
"Please…" Blaine didn't want to feel pitied. That was the whole reason he removed himself from the conversation with Cooper, but he had hurt his arms severely by pushing himself out the room too quickly.
Kurt smiled back at him in comfort and took the handles of the wheelchair without another question, pushing him into the direction of the entrance. "I had a friend in high school who was in a wheelchair."
"What happened?" Blaine asked curiously, loving the small talk they were currently having, without immediately plunging into stuff like high school experiences, coming out or parents.
"He was in a car accident when he was younger. He was paralyzed from the waist down. He had his legs, but couldn't move them…"
Blaine nodded as he stared at his leg. He hadn't noticed Kurt staring yet, which made him extremely glad. Kurt was a good actor though and just pretended not to notice or he really didn't care Blaine was missing a part of his leg.
"That sounds rough."
Kurt shrugged as they walked into the cold autumn day. "He got around okay. He even moved to New York to attend college. I still see him from time to time. He managed great for himself. He's dating a very nice girl and they're living in a great apartment in a great area of New York."
Blaine stared at the ground, eyes sparkling with tears as he hummed to let Kurt know he heard him.
He didn't know if Kurt had done it on purpose, but telling this story about a person he knew that was in a wheelchair and had provided okay for himself, made him sort of optimistic for the future.
Hopefully he could have a great life, even though he missed his lower leg and was in a wheelchair. Maybe he could get an artificial leg...
Blaine shook his head as he clasped his hands together, rubbing them together to warm them up. He was getting ahead of himself. First he needed to be able to sleep without relying on sleep medication, he needed to accept the fact his friends weren't coming back, he needed to be able to stand up without help. He still had a long way to go before he could think about what was beyond recovery.
"Blaine?" Kurt spoke softly, making Blaine look up and notice they reached the coffee shop. Kurt pushed against the door and held it open as Blaine moved himself through it, immediately glad to be inside the warm room.
"Thank you," Blaine exclaimed as they sat down at a table, where Kurt shrugged off his coat and hung it over the back of the chair.
"You're very welcome, Blaine. What can I get you?"
Blaine frowned at Kurt as he reached for his wallet. "I haven't forgotten I would pay." He handed over a 20 dollar bill. "A medium drip and one of those delicious hot apple pies for me, please. Take any drink you want and something sweet."
Kurt beamed back at him as he walked over to the counter. Blaine sat back as he took in the sounds and views inside the coffee shop. The bell above the door rang, signaling a new costumer. Several people occupying the tables were mumbling to each other, sipping their drinks. A dog was lounging underneath one table as the owner was typing away on his computer. It made Blaine smile, he had always loved the atmosphere of a coffee shop, so many different people coming together for one purpose.
Kurt came back a few minutes later with a tray, holding two cups and two pieces of the hot apple pie Blaine had been dreaming about ever since he had first tried it.
"Thanks," he smiled toothily as Kurt set it down in front of him on the table.
"Thank you for the invite and for paying, Blaine," Kurt smiled as he sat down, sitting opposite of Blaine.
"It's no problem, really. I'm really glad I didn't hurt you. I wasn't paying attention where I was going. I'm so sorry again."
"Hey, Blaine. It's fine…" Kurt covered Blaine's hand with his, making Blaine's breath stutter. "Where were you rolling off to so quickly?"
"I was talking to my brother. I was frustrated, so I removed myself from the conversation."
"Sounds smart… Are you guys okay?"
"Yeah, he's the best. He's just… insufferable sometimes," Blaine laughed softly and he took a bite from the hot apple pie, moaning around the little fork. "So good…"
Kurt's eyes shot away from Blaine and it made Blaine scared he did something wrong, but then Kurt also took a bite and he was smiling around the fork, nodding furiously.
"Yep, it is good!"
"See? I told you so!"
Kurt winked and flushed a pretty shade of red as he looked down, devouring the piece of pie in a few bites.
"Your life must be exciting." Blaine decided to start a new topic to relieve some of the awkwardness that was clearly hanging in the air between them.
Kurt's eyes started sparkling as he smiled, nodding. "Yeah, it's only recent though that I'm playing Evan. It's my first big role, before that I only had ensemble roles. And it's only on Wednesdays, Fridays and the weekends. But I love it so much."
"I bet it's amazing," Blaine breathed out and wrapped his fingers around the paper cup.
"Yes! What… um, what is your story, Blaine?"
Blaine knew the question was coming. He couldn't expect Kurt opening up without some sort of information about himself in return, but he hadn't expected it so quickly. He breathed in a big gulp of air, coughing as he pushed it out shakingly.
Kurt was next to him in a flash, slamming a flat hand in between his shoulder blades. "You fine?"
Blaine nodded again. "I'm not choking…"
"Good," Kurt breathed out and sat down again, watching Blaine with curious eyes.
"Um, Kurt? I promise I'll give you my life story. I think you deserve it, since you've been singing so beautifully for me."
"I don't want it as sort of payment. I want it as… some form of friendship? I was hoping it would make you feel… better?" It came out as a question, showing Blaine how nervous Kurt was about proposing this.
"I'd like that, Kurt… Can I tell you my story later? I just really want to enjoy this outing without ruining it with my sad life story."
Kurt nodded, showing so much emotion in one single glance that it made Blaine gasp for air.
He couldn't help but to want to tell Kurt everything, eventually…
