Happy Wednesday!
I want to thank you all again for your comments on the last chapter. I'm glad everyone seems to be enjoying this story so far!
With this chapter, we finally get all the pieces – Blaine is one of my favorite characters to write, and I'm glad it's time to share his first chapter with you.
Thank you to Christine for being the best beta in the world!
I hope you enjoy.
Blaine Anderson loved Thursdays. It wasn't exactly a random quirk - and it didn't mean there weren't Thursdays where he was in bad mood or that were particularly long and annoying. He liked to think they were a symbol for surpassing obstacles. No matter how hard your week had been, Thursday reminded you that you were just a step closer to getting through it unscathed. The finish line was right there, in plain sight, and you were going to make it.
It meant another long week of treatments and doctor visits was nearly over, and Cooper had made it.
Maybe Blaine was just a really positive person, or maybe he just needed something to hold onto. He liked to think that getting to the weekend was a little victory. They had won. Cancer had lost. That was more than enough for him.
On this particular Thursday, he got out of bed before the sun was up. There was a lot to do, and he had to do it all before he went to the hospital. After a quick shower and an even quicker breakfast, he was leaving his apartment and heading towards the subway station.
His life had changed a lot since Cooper had been diagnosed. He now realized he hadn't appreciated the little pleasant things in life, like being able to sleep in or sit down for breakfast without having to run anywhere. He hadn't realized how much of a blessing it was not knowing your way through a hospital like it was your own home, or what absolute bliss it was to completely ignore what different kinds of leukemia were called. On Blaine's nightstand, there weren't any science fiction novels anymore. Now he read books about cancer before he went to sleep, hoping he would find a new diet, or a new vaccine, or a new treatment that could help Cooper.
After a couple of stops, he got off the subway and walked up the stairs and onto the early morning streets. In the financial district, he shared his commute with jaded business men and women who looked like they worked too much and slept too little. He followed them down the street, a mass of gray suits amongst which he was a contrast in his red polo and navy pants, but instead of going into one of the tall, imposing buildings, he stopped at a corner and got his key out of his bag to open his little world.
Flora was a small flower shop, a bright and glorious patch of colourful nature in a concrete jungle. He had inherited it from his grandmother, and had been the man in charge for four years now, since their grandmother had passed away. Cooper had helped at first, mostly doing deliveries and charming people at the counter, but Blaine had a real talent for putting beautiful bouquets together, so that's mostly what he did.
When Cooper decided to go his own way, Blaine hired an assistant, Annie. She was his most valuable asset now that he spent more hours at the hospital or at home taking care of Cooper than at work.
Blaine busied himself with the little chores required to starting his day at work. He checked the change in the register, watered the flowers, swept the floor, turned the coffee maker on. By the time he was done, he heard the ding of the bell he kept above the door, and looked up to find Annie walking into the shop.
"Good morning!" She chimed, light as the bell. She was a strange, intriguing creature.
Today, her hair was green, and she looked exactly like she belonged amongst all the strange, beautiful flowers in Blaine's shop. She seemed right at home there, tall and thin like a stem. She was wearing a military jacket too big for her slim body, and jeans with so many holes in them that Blaine had no idea how they held up, instead of disintegrating right there and then.
For all her weird looks, she was nice, understanding and responsible, and Blaine cherished her. He knew he would be lost without her.
"Morning!" He called back, and pointed at the coffee machine. "I'm making coffee. Get a cup once it's done. I'll be in the backroom, starting up with the orders."
She saluted him, dropped her bag behind the counter and sat on a stool to watch the coffee drip into the pot.
Blaine went into the backroom, a rather large room room crowded with buckets of flowers, a big refrigerator with even more flowers, and a long table where he usually worked. There was a cork board behind the table, where Annie usually pinned all the deliveries and orders they needed to get done on certain dates. Blaine grabbed the first one, which said Two dozen red roses, with a white ribbon and a card with the inscription: Maggie, I love you, please forgive me. So, the usual, then.
Blaine spent the following two hours working quickly in the backroom, only popping out the front if Annie needed him, and then grabbed three bouquets and his bag.
"Hey, I'm heading to the hospital already. All the orders for today are done. Don't schedule more for tomorrow, I have a meeting with Coop's doctor, so I'll be at the hospital all day," he kissed her cheek. "I'm dropping off the 9 o'clock delivery on my way. Call me if you need anything."
"Sure thing, boss!" She exclaimed.
"Thank you, Annie," he said, because he owed her. "I'll be back by closing time."
He braved the subway again, which was no easy task when the train was crowded and he needed to keep three beautiful bouquets on perfect conditions.
After delivering one of the bouquets near Times Square, Blaine hopped back on the subway and headed towards the hospital. He made one final stop at a coffee house to get Cooper some green tea, and a fresh coffee for himself. He'd read last week that green tea had all sorts of healing, noble properties. It couldn't hurt to try.
Just as he was walking into the lobby, two bouquets in one arm, a cardboard tray with the two cups in the other hand, a young man ran into the hospital, nearly knocking him over, as he hastily tried to approach the information desk. Blaine managed to balance everything without dropping the drinks or the flowers, and look up to see the man looking back at him over his shoulder, scared, frantic blue eyes grazing by, and mumbling a quick apology before he reached the desk and started inquiring about his father. Blaine's heart went out to him and hoped the nurse had good news to give him, as he pushed the button for the elevator. He went in and the doors were closing as he gave one final glance at the stranger, who seemed about ready to collapse right there in the middle of the lobby.
Cooper had been in the hospital for the past few days. He'd been under the weather since his last chemo, and the doctors decided to keep an eye on him. Cooper wasn't thrilled - he got bored too easy, and there were only so many nurses he could flirt with before they all rejected him. He was reading the magazine Blaine had brought him the previous day when he walked into room 216, and looked up from it sleepily.
His hair was almost completely gone. Blaine had gave him a buzz cut when it started falling out, but Cooper didn't want to be completely bald, so he wouldn't let his brother shave his head. There were still spots on his head that were completely bald, but most of them were in the back of his head, so Blaine didn't tell him.
"Hey, little brother," Cooper said, perking up a little.
"Hi, Coop," Blaine placed the cups on the nightstand. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I have cancer. How are you feeling?" He asked, with a playful grin.
"Like my brother has cancer," Blaine rolled his eyes. "I brought you some green tea. I read it's good."
"You said celery juice was good last week, and it made me throw up," Cooper replied, reaching for his cup and smelling it with distrust.
"Well, it's not celery juice. Just tea," Blaine headed for the window. It had a pretty nice view of the street outside. He grabbed the vases with the flowers he had put in two days ago and began replacing them with the fresh ones. When he was done, he put the vases back on the windowsill and stepped back to observe the result. The yellow and orange lillies gave the room a more cheerful look.
Cooper put his magazine aside and they turned the TV on. Cooper changed the channels until the found a movie they both liked, and then they spent most of it reciting the lines back and forward. If Blaine closed his eyes, he could pretend they were back in their parents house, many years ago, when they were so young and so free, and so, so healthy; when they would just hang out together after school, play video games and watch movies. Most guys wouldn't have spent so much time with their little brothers, but Cooper had always made time for him. Blaine had always been number one on Cooper's priority list.
Now Cooper was the only item on Blaine's list.
When the movie was over, it was almost time for lunch and Cooper was beginning to look tired. He had stopped mimicking the actors at least half an hour ago, so Blaine had stopped, too. Sometimes it was the silly things that made him realize everything had changed.
"Hey, why don't you take a little nap before they bring your lunch over?" Blaine suggested, standing up from his chair and stretching his arms above his head. "I'll go find a sandwich or something at the cafeteria and we can eat together when you wake up."
"Sure, B. That sounds nice," Cooper murmured, but he was already almost asleep.
Blaine watched him for a few seconds, and then grabbed his wallet and phone from his bag before leaving the room. As he walked towards the elevator, he saw the guy who had almost knocked him over in the lobby earlier. He was pacing the hallway nervously, speaking into this phone.
"I know, I've tried his cellphone, but he's not picking up," he was saying. "Just please, tell him to call me as soon as possible."
He looked drained, spent, exhausted. Blaine had no idea what exactly had brought him here, but he felt for him - it wasn't easy to see your loved ones suffer. As Blaine was about to walk right by him, he dropped heavily into a chair and sighed.
It brought Blaine to a stop.
"Hi," he said gently, hoping not to startle the stranger. A pair of bright blue eyes looked up at him. "I'm sorry to bother you. I'm in room 216 with my brother, and I was about to go pick up something for lunch at the cafeteria. It looks like you need a coffee."
"Coffee sounds great," the man muttered, and placed his head against the wall so he look at Blaine more comfortable. "But, to be honest, I don't feel like leaving my Dad alone for too long. I'll go later."
"I'll bring you something," Blaine offered kindly. "What would you like?"
"Oh," the man seemed surprised. "That's really nice, but you don't have to…"
"It's really no problem," Blaine interrupted with a little encouraging smile.
"Okay…" the man still seemed hesitant, but he said: "I would love a latte, if it's not too much trouble."
"Not at all. Which one's your dad's room?" He asked.
The man pointed at the door across the hall from them. "He's in 206."
"I'll be back in a bit, 206," Blaine said, and then walked away towards the elevator.
As the elevator doors closed, he could almost swear he saw the flash of a smile on the sad stranger's face.
Now our story can truly, truly begin.
See you again on Saturday for the next one.
Love,
L.-