Puck was a little kid who had been in this same situation too many times. He had taken it too many times. But physically he was a nearly grown man, rocking on his knees as he tried to comfort a friend. As well as himself.

"He can't hurt you, he can't hurt you, he can't hurt you, he can't hurt you," Puck was no longer breathing, he was just chanting.

Over and over again.

Puck's head swayed side to side, his nose brushing along Kurt's curved cheekbones. Every movement was driving him closer to his breaking point, "He can't hurt you, he can't hurt you, he can't hurt you" Puck's voice croaked and a few cries forced themselves, and a few unregistered words came out with a few unnoticed tears.

"I'm so sorry Essie." It came out broken, Puck was broken.

Kelly pulled out with sloppy wet pop, "All done."

Kurt hissed, around Puck's hand from the lack of warning. He had been distracted, a name still sounding in deep in his ears.

Puck was mercifully snapped back to reality.

Kelly sealed the cotton swab into a zip lock bag, "I'll give you two a minute to recuperate."

Kurt's jaw opened and he pushed at Puck's hand with his tongue.

Puck yanked his hand out, wiping it down the side of his jeans, "You okay, man?"

"Can you help me with my legs?"

"Yeah sure," Puck jumped to his feet. He was light-headed. His eyes were red, itchy and watery. But he was a man, he was the boy. He was going to ignore it.

Once his hand wrapped around Kurt's ankle, he saw a ring of crescent shaped cuts.

He frowned grimly at the fact he knew exactly how long it would take for them to heal.

"One?"

Both boys' spine stiffened.

"Two?"

Both boys' held their breath.

"Three?"

Puck hoisted Kurt's legs up and pushed them together. Gently lowering them as Kurt hissed.

Puck shuffled his ways back to his seat, playing with the cuts on his hand.

"I'm sorry." Kurt said to the floor.

Puck's head snapped up, a dumb-founded look on his face, "Hmm? Why? What?"

Kurt pointed with his jaw at Puck's injured hand.

Puck looked back at it as if he was seeing it for the first time, "This, oh it's nothing." He said trying to keep the truth out of it, "Nothing I haven't taken before."

Puck sank down into his seat, "You feeling any better? You're still bleeding?"

"I re-torn a little bit I suspect. " Kurt sighed. "But with this thing?" He tugged on his IV, "It's getting re-placed. I'm fine."

Puck whipped his hand over his jeans again, and stared down at the miniscule stained streak of red.

An awkward silence fell upon the two teens. The sense of urgency was gone, Kurt was taken care of.

Physically at least. Mentally and emotionally he wasn't so sure. Those were things Puck couldn't help with.

Puck was focused on the sounds of the hospital, so much that he wouldn't have to deal with the sounds in his head; that's when Kurt spoke and he jumped out of his skin.

"Who's Essie?"

Puck stared at Kurt his mouth pressed into a thin white line.

The smaller teen swallowed a hard piece of air, with his damaged windpipe. It hurt going all the way down, "Well?"

Puck had a lump stuck in his throat, preventing him from answering.

The ugly ass yellow hospital curtain pulled back and Kelly walked it, "You ready to finish this up?"

*

"Are those fabrics in your teeth?" Kelly leaned in close to Kurt's extremely open mouth.

"Most likely." Mumbled Kurt.

Puck coiled his hand into a fist.

"They're nearly all the way back in your molars." Kelly put away a cotton swab that she had just recently taken, and pulled out some tweezers. She maneuvered around Kurt's teeth for what seemed like minutes.

"You have great teeth." Kelly praised as she finished up, snapping her latex gloves off. She turned around and tossed them into the garbage.

Both teenagers watched her face them, a very calm expression on, "We're done." And with that she was gone.

Kurt sighs deeply, relaxed into his bed.

And that's when thought set in. Kurt had invited Nick into his room. Wanting...something. Had he...he had... Kurt choking on self disgust.

"Don't you even think that!" Puck growled through his clenched teeth.

Kurt stared at the pissed off teen, "And what I'm thinking?" Kurt challenged with a certain snarky-ness in his tone.

"You're blaming yourself, feeling guilty and ashamed."

Kurt's blood was boiling. If he couldn't be mad at himself he was going to be mad at Puck, "How do you know what I'm feeling?!"

Puck was speaking to his chest as he answered, "I know that look in your eyes." For years he looked into eyes like that.

Kurt's heart swelled believing Puck, "Who's Es-"

"KURT!" Mercedes shrieked as she threw open the ugly ass yellow hospital curtain.

Both teens' hearts stopped at her booming, mortified voice, "Are you okay? What happened?!"

All the other Gleeks filed in after her waiting for Kurt's answer.

His brain was utterly shelled-shocked, and his Adam's apple twitched as it wanted responded.

"Ohh Kurt," Her words laced with pity. Mercedes ran to the Kurt's bed side, about to drag him into bone crushing hug.

Kurt flinched away, shrinking away from his best friend.

Mercedes' heart dropped, her eye shone with rejection, "I would never hurt you." Her word stung in Kurt's ears.

He knew it was true, but his body still cowered. Kurt was too slow on the draw to recover.

Her forehead scrunched up," You really think I would hurt you?"

Artie wheeled his way to the end of Kurt's bed, "None us would."

Kurt looked back and forth between them all. He wanted to say something. That he knew. That he was fine, but- But just so many people were staring at him.

Kurt was in a fugly hospital gown, with messy hair and bruise and cuts. And he had no idea how what to say.

Puck huffed and pushed himself on his chair, "Alright, everyone out Kurt needs his rest."

No one moved.

"I'll call the nurse, she'll bring needles." Puck threatened, as he walked towards Artie. Puck wheeled Artie straight into the mob of people.

The Gleeks didn't move fast enough for Puck, "Kelly!!" He hollered over his friends' heads who noticeably shuffled faster.