A.N.: Wow, what wonderful reviews! I mean, the more I update, the more reviews I get! And, while this really doesn't apply to any of you guys, I want to officially state that some of my fanfiction involving anime have now been put on hold. So, I want to be able to work on this (and my other Klaine story), for my GLEE fans. Thanks again, guys! Also, I don't own GLEE (duh!).
The Warblers stared at the two teens in the hospital room, first at Jeff, then at Nick. After that, their brains began to click into motion and realized that their recently hospitalized friend was now awake and staring at Jeff with a look of surprise.
"Nick!" Blaine called in shock, rushing over the bed, followed closely by Kurt. The countertenor was bouncing on the balls of his feet; David and Wes both came over and greeted Jeff.
And now, the blonde was staring dumbfounded at the group. He was close, so close finally getting his alone time with Nick, the time needed to sort things out between the two. He needed to explain just how much his best friend really meant to him (and he meant a lot). Unfortunately, the Warblers (and he loved them to death), had come to spoil the moment and were now crowding around the bed.
Nick turned his attention to Blaine, smiling lightly.
"How are you feeling?" Blaine asked; and, while Kurt hadn't really known him that long, he still thought that Blaine was just so adorable when he started caring about his fellow students more than himself.
"Good," Nick lied, actually feeling positively drained. He wasn't quite sure what was wrong with him (as he hadn't seen a doctor), but he figured that he needed a serious nap (which couldn't really be accomplished with his friends worrying about him so much). The brunette yawned lightly as a way to try and coax his friends into leaving him alone, but they simply chalked it up to just waking up.
Wes looked . . . not like Nick had ever seen him. Usually, the teen was always so strictly business and didn't really care who was tired or who was thirsty. But now, he had a look of guilt that was nothing but heart-wrenching.
"Hey, that cake was delicious," Nick laughed; and he was telling the truth. Before he knew that the cake was making a feverish attempt at his life, he was quite certain that Mrs. Montgomery was the best baker in all of Westerville, Ohio. And he still loved the taste, except for that it tried to kill him. He smiled weakly, feeling that his lips were very much chapped; he hated chapped lips.
David and Blaine laughed nervously; they weren't quite sure whether or not Nick was serious, but Blaine did find it sweet that he had tried to cheer Wes up.
Wes offered a small smile. "You don't have to worry about Warbler practice for a while. Just do as much as you can. If you still want to be a Warbler, of course. I mean, I know that after everything that's happened, you probably aren't too keen on-"
"Of course I still want to be a Warbler! If you'll let me," Nick interjected. The brunette didn't want to sound too pushy or ungrateful, but the Warblers were everything to him. Sure, he didn't get any solos, but he was perfectly content humming in the background because it meant that he was being useful for something. Life was pretty dull until the singing group came into play.
Blaine smiled widely. "I think I'm speaking for everyone here when I say that we'd love to keep you. But for now, you need to just focus on getting better."
A tall, balding man walked into the room, looking quite out of place. Nick wasn't quite sure who he was, but he did seem familiar somehow. "All right, kids, the snow's piling up. We really need to get going," he tried to be polite yet urgent at the same time. He looked down at Nick, and the brunette immediately felt quite nervous. "Burt Hummel," he greeted, extending a large hand.
Nick took it and shook slightly. "Nick," he replied, "Wait, Hummel? As in, Kurt's dad?" Nick smiled as he remembered the picture saved on Kurt's phone of his father's and Finn's mother's wedding.
Burt nodded and looked over at Jeff. "How're you holding up?" he asked, seeming not to notice who was in the hospital bed. Not that Nick minded; he wasn't too fond of having everyone's attention on him. But Kurt's father seemed to be as quirky as Kurt was, even if no one else noticed.
The blonde teen lifted his head in surprise. "I'm . . . fine," he answered. Nick narrowed his eyes slightly, not truly believing his friend.
"You don't look it," Burt responded without changing the tone in his voice. Unfortunately, his son then deemed that Burt was overstepping a few boundary lines and hissed under his breath.
"Dad, he said he's fine. Don't start psychoanalyzing." Nearly immediately after Kurt finished scolding his father, a tall boy all but stumbled into the room; he seemed self-conscious about being in a room full of people who were staring at him and his faltering steps.
"Dude, what's wrong with him?" the teen asked gesturing towards Nick.
"I'm allergic to walnuts," Nick replied, not upset despite the tone in the tall boy's voice. He was quite certain that, if Kurt even allowed him into the room, he probably meant little to no harm.
"You can go to the hospital for that?" he asked, dumbfounded. "Dude, that's insane!"
Kurt looked ready to kill once more. "Finn Hudson, I swear that if you don't shut up in the next five seconds, I will rip out your vocal chords and stuff them up your-"
Blaine coughed loudly, cutting off the threat. "Sorry, Mr. Hummel. We probably should get going. Jeff, you don't mind calling the Duvals, do you?" Oh, right. Nick's parents probably would want to know why their son was currently in the hospital; he just hadn't thought about that.
"Sorry, but I still want to be able to see the road," Burt apologized, but he really didn't look too sorry. He was a father after all, and he (like any other sensible parent), wanted to make sure that his son was safe and sound at home and not at a hospital during a snowstorm. Nick couldn't blame him, even if he did want his friends to be able to stay a while longer.
"You guys go on; Jeff will make sure I don't die," the brunette joked, nodding to his best friend, who still seemed to be mulling over what Burt had said to him. Kurt nodded but didn't look too convinced, and it was quite obvious that Blaine felt uncomfortable leaving his friend alone.
The blonde Warbler in question eventually met Nick's gaze. "Don't worry; I'll make sure nothing goes wrong," he said almost too quickly, like he wanted to believe it himself.
Nick sighed softly. Just like Jeff to be the self-doubting type; he was also the type to blame himself for every little bad thing that happened to everyone. Which is exactly why Nick never found the time or the reason to talk about former bullying problems or home life. He preferred to keep it on a silent note simply because he didn't want to worry his friend. And, to be honest, he wasn't quite keen on talking to any of the other Warblers (even if they were his friends), about things so personal.
"Let's get going," Burt said, heading out the door. The rest of the group remained for a few moments before a gruff voice from outside the door called to inform the teens that Burt Hummel was leaving now, and unless anyone wanted to spend the night at the hospital (and that includes you, Kurt), they'd better be getting a move on.
"Don't hurry back to school," Kurt warned as Blaine was literally shoving him out the door. "Drink plenty of water, and don't you dare forget to get some rest! And when you do come back, you don't have to get involved in the intense choreography so quickly!" The countertenor's voice began to fade as Blaine finally managed to get him away from the door frame.
Nick smiled fondly at the over-caring teen; he was kind of like the mom of the Warblers, considering he was the only one who knew how to do anything. He glanced up at Jeff, recoiling lightly when he realized that the blonde hadn't kept his gaze off him.
"So," Nick began, not able to find quite the right words to say. Suppose he had been in a feverish haze when the ambulance had came, and Jeff hadn't made some strange love confession. He couldn't really remember much from the whole experience, anyway, so why would he remember that? No, he had probably been dreaming; and while it was a wonderful dream, it was just that.
"You look terrible," Jeff noted nonchalantly, as if he was telling Nick that it was snowing outside. "Can I get you anything?"
"No, I'm fine, just tired," Nick answered; he didn't find it very important to mention that he was particularly parched, as it would mean that Jeff would search the entire hospital searching for a drinking fountain and, subsequently, a cup to put the water in.
Jeff grunted in response, turning his gaze to the tiled floor. "You're not hungry or anything, right?"
Even if he didn't have anything in his system (considering he threw his dinner up at Wes'), Nick was very much certain that he wanted nothing to eat. He cringed at the thought of anything meaty or creamy or . . . well, that was awkward.
Nick shook his head vehemently. "Listen, can we talk? When the ambulance came, I was pretty sure that I heard you say something to me," he paused slowly, gently falling into his words.
"Like?" Jeff asked. His facial expression quite easily showed that he had no idea what Nick was talking about; that, or he really didn't care.
"You said something like, you know, that you lo-"
The door opened, and a dark doctor walked in. He was aged and tall, his thin glasses framing his wrinkled face. He smiled gently at the sight of Nick, who was now sitting up. "Good to see you're awake," he greeted, his Jamaican accent thick.
"Yes, sir," Nick responded. "So," he began, quickly getting to his point, "when do I get to leave?"
The old gentleman laughed heartily. "You can leave whenever you want," he answered, "but we'd prefer you stay for a few more hours."
Nick began to search his mind and gather his thoughts. Yes, he was sick, he felt sick, but he really didn't want to have his parents driving out in the horrid weather (and he knew how upset his father would be over something as "stupid" as a walnut); still, he didn't want to have to make a decision right now because he simply wanted to merely sleep and forget everything.
"I'm sure I should stay," Nick said thoughtfully, "but I'd rather just go home, I think." He stopped to look at Jeff, who raised his head in protest, it seemed. The blonde's eyes were wary, as if he didn't think that Nick should really be going anywhere.
The doctor made a sort of disapproving click of his tongue. "I understand, but you do realize that you were also showing signs of severe dehydration and exhaustion, right?"
No, Nick wasn't aware of that; now the brunette knew why he had felt so tired the past few days, why his body had screamed in protest whenever he got up in the morning or right before a Warblers practice. That could also explain why Wes seemed so guilty. He was the one that put the choreography and practice times together and was also the one who refused to allow any of them take more than one break per practice.
"I-I know," Nick lied, biting his lip. He wasn't quite sure whether or not to leave or to stay. If he left, he wasn't quite sure where he'd get a ride from; but if he stayed, his parents would most certainly have to come and pick him up, and that would make such a mess.
With a slight smile, the old doctor patted Nick's shoulder. "I'll give you a few minutes to think about it, but as a doctor, you know what I'd suggest."
The brunette nodded a thank you and watched as the man left the room, cracking the door partly behind him. Nick looked up at Jeff, who now was holding a very strong and very unlike Jeff kind of glare. "Seriously? You're really thinking about checking out of a hospital?" The blonde emphasized the last word, making it quite obvious what he thought of the whole idea. "Nick, you're sick, really sick. Besides, you can't go out in this weather! Who's gonna take you home?"
Everything that Jeff said made plenty of sense, in retrospect, but Nick wasn't quite sure. It was true, he probably wouldn't be able to find a ride home, and the thought that he might worry Jeff by leaving weighed heavily on Nick's mind.
"I'm not for sure, okay?" Nick snapped back, feeling the full extent of just how tired and irritated he really was; he pinched the bridge of his nose to fight an oncoming headache, not bothering to look at the half-worried, half-angry expression on his best friend's face.
"I mean, my mom will take you home tomorrow, if you really want; your parents don't have to come."
Nick sighed and fisted the bed sheets. "I'm not worried about my parents coming. Why would I be? I just don't like hospitals."
It seemed that Nick Duval was making up quite a few lies that night.
A.N.: A bit shorter than usual, but I wanted to just get this up. Yeah, yeah, Niff will never get their alone time. Also, do you think that Nick should leave the hospital (and risk getting sick from the snow), or stay (and face his father)? I'd love to hear what you guys think, and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter!