Kurt had gotten used to waking up with Blaine next to him. On a normal morning, Blaine was out the door early, off to the hospital for a twelve-hour shift.
But he had taken off four days for Kurt's surgery to take care of him all day. By the fifth day, Kurt's dad was in town to visit, so Blaine had to go back to work for the first time. Kurt liked having his dad around, but he knew he would miss his fiancé while he was at work.
But, Kurt knew he was at least getting better. He was slowly able to move around more. He wasn't so dependent on the prescriptions his doctor gave him, and had begun to feel generally much better.
"Hey, buddy," his dad said that morning, walking into the bedroom and pulling open the curtains. "How's the knee?"
"Fine," Kurt mumbled. He adjusted the pillow under his leg and sat up against the headboard of the bed. His dad tried to help him get up, but Kurt held his arm up in protest. He was fairly certain he could do it by himself. He didn't want to accept help he didn't need.
"Be careful," his dad warned. Kurt managed to slide down from the mattress independently, even though he struggled to catch his balance afterwards.
"I got it," Kurt reassured his dad, who tried to help him. "I'm fine. I'm going to make breakfast."
Kurt started to crutch into the kitchen, but his dad led him into the living room instead. Kurt hated being forced to sit for such long periods of time, but there wasn't exactly much he could do about it.
"Blaine made you some breakfast before he left," Kurt's dad explained. "I guess he didn't want to leave you in my care if it meant I had to cook for you."
Kurt laughed a little, mentally thanking Blaine for thinking ahead. The one thing Kurt had been dreading about his dad's visit was having to eat his food. He was determined not to gain any weight before their wedding, especially with being unable to exercise.
Kurt's dad brought him the still-hot toast and scrambled eggs Blaine had so carefully prepared in his rush to get out the door.
"Do you want to get dressed and go take me to that diner you guys all work at for lunch?" his dad suggested, sitting on the couch next to Kurt as he ate. "Blaine said you were kind of getting sick of being cooped up in the apartment."
Kurt did want to get out, but he dreaded the thought of having to get dressed and ready. He liked the comfort of his own home, and was uncertain about being back out in the huge city again.
But on the other hand, it had been almost a week. Kurt knew in the back of his mind that he would be fine, but still wasn't sure if he wanted to take the risk.
"Yeah, we can do that," Kurt agreed. His dad had yet to get the true New York City experience, so Kurt didn't want him to miss out on anything during his short visit. "Let's wait until lunch. The crowd shouldn't be as big than it would be now."
Kurt talked with his dad some more, grateful to get to spend some time with him. He took a small nap before getting dressed, so he would have enough energy to get through the afternoon. His knee didn't hurt, so Kurt skipped his medicine without a second thought.
They took a cab to the diner before the lunch rush, with Kurt pointing out every single restaurant, market, and theater that he and Blaine had been to. He tried not to overwhelm his dad with everything, but he truly wanted to help him experience city life.
Unfortunately, the restaurant was more crowded than Kurt ever seen it. He tried every way he could to get them a table as quickly as possible, but not even his coworkers could bend the rules for Kurt. On top of that, his knee was beginning to hurt, and Kurt regretted not taking his medicine.
"It's okay," his dad told him. "Let's go home. You shouldn't have to stand up for this long."
"Okay," Kurt agreed softly. He hated admitting defeat, but his knee was really starting to hurt.
The next few things happened so fast that neither Kurt nor his dad was ever really able to figure out who was at fault. One minute Kurt was up, and the next thing he knew he was on the floor. His knee throbbed in pain and made Kurt feel like he was being stabbed in the knee. He tried to catch his breath, and then felt his dad rushing to help him up to his feet again.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Kurt said over and over. He didn't want him to worry. "Dad, it's okay."
"Here, come on, let's go outside where it's less crowded," his dad said, helping Kurt with each step and refusing to let go. Kurt bit his lip to keep from crying, even though his leg hurt like a bitch.
"Are you okay?" his dad asked, helping Kurt onto a bench near the curb. "I don't know how that happened, kiddo. Is your leg okay?"
Kurt nodded stubbornly, even as his eyes watered. He clasped his hands together tightly and took a breath, willing to do anything not to cry.
"We'll go back to the apartment and you can rest," Kurt's dad promised. "I'll call Blaine if you want."
"No," Kurt insisted, adjusting his brace to try to help his knee. "I don't want him to worry. It's fine. I didn't even fall that hard."
Kurt's dad didn't say anything back, which meant the conversation was over. Kurt's dad still tried to help him, even though Kurt grew more and more frustrated. His knee didn't feel right at all, and Kurt was terrified at the thought of having to be operated on again. He wanted Blaine, but accepted the fact that he wouldn't be home for hours.
"Here, let me help you," Kurt's dad offered when they reached the building. Kurt pushed him away, and insisted on getting out of the cab on his own. The slightest movements made his knee hurt, and Kurt didn't want his dad messing it up even more.
"Dad, I can do it on my own," Kurt informed him harshly. "Just stop trying to help. That's what made me fall in the restaurant. I can do it on my own."
He knew he was being irrational and rude. Kurt was well aware of that, but he couldn't just turn around and apologize. That would be admitting that he was wrong and needed help.
When they reached the apartment, Kurt went straight for the couch. He was in too much pain to think clearly and remember where he left his medicine, but thankfully his dad brought it to him.
"I can tell your leg is hurting you," his dad confessed. " Take your medicine and see if it helps. I can still call Blaine if you want."
Kurt eagerly took the pill bottle from his dad and dry-swallowed his dose.
"No," he said firmly. "Blaine's busy. He'll be home soon."
Kurt closed his eyes and pretended to rest, just so his dad would leave him alone. The sharp pain in his knee slowly dulled, but remained achy even as Kurt fell asleep.
"He's been pretty irritable since it happened. He kept saying that he was fine, but I think it was really bothering him. He's been asleep ever since he took his pain medicine. I put some ice on his knee once it started to swell a little."
Kurt heard the voice talking, and realized it was about him. He connected the dots and realized it was his dad. He didn't want to open his eyes yet, though. He was still too tired for that.
"I think it should be fine," a second voice replied. Blaine. "If it's still bothering him we can take him back to the doctor. Don't blame yourself; that diner is so small and hard to move around in."
Kurt decided to open his eyes then, and he saw Blaine sitting on the edge of the couch. His dad was standing off to the side, his arms folded across his chest.
"Hey," Blaine said. "How's your knee, honey? Your dad called me at work and said you fell?"
"It's okay," Kurt yawned. "What time is it?"
"It's almost six. I just got home. Someone came and took my place for the last hour of my shift. You slept for a long time, and your dad said you haven't eaten since this morning. Can I make you something?"
"No, stay here," Kurt insisted. After not being able to have Blaine when he needed him the most, Kurt wasn't about to let him go.
"Okay, I'll stay," Blaine promised, stroking Kurt's hair back from his forehead. "We can order in dinner tonight. Then we'll see how your knee looks in the morning. Okay?"
"Okay," Kurt agreed, sighing contently and relaxing now that his fiancé was making everything better that had gone wrong. He couldn't wait to be completely recovered, but mostly to be Mr. Anderson-Hummel.
Author's Notes:
HI SORRY FOR DISAPPEARING FOR LIKE A YEAR. School got the best of me, you guys. Only two weeks and finals left though! Then I'm yours for the summer. Thanks for being so patient with me, even though writing has kind of taken a backseat this semester. I'm about to go organize all of these lovely prompts I have, so even though I may not update much these last few weeks of school, I'll be writing every chance I get!