Jeff ran down the stairs, not even caring if someone heard. He wouldn't stop for anyone. He reached the door quicker than he ever remembered being able to, but stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He sighed heavily, turning around.

"Please just let me go. It's Nick." He looked up to see Blaine staring at him and frowning. Jeff shook his hand off. "What do you want?"

"You'll get in trouble." Blaine had a questioning look on his face and Jeff turned back towards the door.

"I don't care. The guy I love could be dead!" He could feel the tears about to fall, but he just took a shaky breath and opened the door. He heard Blaine walk away so he bolted. He ran all the way to the gate that locked at midnight every night. He climbed it as quickly as he could, hoping that the cameras wouldn't catch his face or ridiculously bright blonde hair.

Once over the fence, he barreled down the road that led to the main road where he could catch a taxi. There were very few in town, especially at this hour, so his chances were very slim. He stopped at the corner, waited for two minutes, then decided to just run to the hospital. He was on the track team the previous year at his old school, and even being out of shape he knew he could make the distance quickly. He stretched his legs as quickly as possible, looked for any traffic, then ran towards the hospital. He knew it would take at least fifteen minutes, even without stopping, so he tried to find a comfortable pace so that he didn't have to stop.

He felt some rain drops fall, but he didn't slow down. The rain picked up after a few minutes, making the ground around him slippery. He wiped his eyes every few seconds to keep them clear, but it was no use. He ran without seeing anything except what was directly in front of him, hoping that he would get to the hospital soon. He heard thunder in the distance and lightning lit up the sky, giving him a better view of what was coming. There were cars coming and he ran to the side of the road, not slowing down at all, and hoping the cars would see him. They passed, splashing even more water onto him and he felt tears come to his eyes. Damnit, Nick, you better be alive when I get there.

About ten minutes later, he could see the hospital in the distance and it made him run even faster. He was starting to get tired, but he was so close, and he needed to make sure Nick was alright. He picked up the pace, starting to feel sick to his stomach, which was probably more the fact that Nick might not even be alive at this point than the running. He somehow made it through the door of the emergency room, immediately locating Nick's parents sitting in a corner. He had only seen them once before, and they were friendly to him then because he was just Nick's roommate. Now, he was the hated boyfriend and in a stressful situation, they would probably blame him for anything they possibly could. He stopped in the doorway, leaning down to catch his breath, and realized he was probably going to pass out if he didn't drink some water, so he got some out of the water fountain. He made his way over to Nick's parents. Nick's mom was crying into his dad's shoulder. He had no expression on his face other than exhausted. He didn't even appear concerned. Jeff felt like punching him, but refrained because he wanted to know everything.

"Mr. and Mrs. Duval? I'm Jeff, Nick's roommate? They called me and I'm so worried. Have they told you anything?" Nick was shocked to see Mr. Duval stand up suddenly and come close to Jeff's face.

"You're the one who has my son convinced he's gay. Leave now. You have no business here. He's our son, and…"

"Oh, you mean the son that you punched a few times because he was trying to be honest about who he was? I have every bit as much business to be here as you do. He's my boyfriend. He would want me here. I wouldn't have been the first one they called if he didn't." Jeff had never stood up to an adult like that, and it actually scared him a little when Mr. Duval looked like he might punch him, but Mrs. Duval stepped between them.

"Stop. Jeff can be here if he would like." She turned to face Jeff. "They haven't told us anything yet except that he is in emergency surgery and it isn't looking good. They'll be out as soon as anything, good or bad, happens." She burst into tears again. Her husband helped her back to her seat, glaring at Jeff the whole time. Jeff just sat down across from them, staring at the double doors that were marked EMERGENCY ROOM PERSONNEL ONLY. There was a sign lit up on the wall saying OPERATING ROOM 267 OCCUPIED. It was the only thing lit up, so he knew immediately that was the room Nick was in. He watched it intently for the next hour, not hearing anything or seeing anything except the sign that was lit up and the double doors next to it. A few nurses came out occasionally, but all of them took an immediate right down the hall, so he knew they weren't reporting about Nick.

Another hour passed and he started to really worry. He sat forward in his seat, jiggling his leg up and down and glancing at the clock every minute.

Finally, the light went off and Jeff stood up and ran to the double doors, hoping a doctor would immediately appear, but that didn't happen. Another ten minutes passed before a doctor walked out and right into Jeff.

"Excuse me, sir. Are you here for Nick? Where are his parents?" Jeff nodded and pointed to the Duvals in the corner, who stood up when they saw the doctor and walked over quickly.

The doctor clasped his hands in front of him and frowned.

"He's alive. I don't know how and it's a true miracle. He won't be back to normal for a very long time, if at all. I can go over the injuries now if you'd like, but that will need to be more private."

"Can I see him?" Jeff hadn't realized he asked until the doctor turned to him and shook his head sadly.

"I'm afraid he has to be in isolation for the next six hours at least. Just to keep the chance of infection down as much as possible. You can all join me in my office to discuss the injuries." The doctor had them sign a paper, but when the paper got to Jeff, Mr. Duval took it away and shook his head.

"You aren't family. You can visit him tomorrow. Go back to Dalton." The doctor pretended not to notice this exchange for a moment, but then looked at Jeff sadly. Jeff knew hospital policy: If the family of the patient did not give written consent for non-family members to see someone in the ICU, they couldn't see them. Jeff felt tears come to his eyes and the doctor gently patted his hand, seeming to somehow understand what was happening. Jeff looked down at his lap and let a tear fall. He stood up and wiped his eyes.

"I guess I'll be back tomorrow then." He looked up at the doctor, wiping another tear. "Thank you for saving his life." The doctor stood up and shook his hand. He paused for a second and then turned to the Duvals.

"I'm going to escort him out to make sure he is okay. Please look through the papers you will need to sign when I get back." The doctor put his hand on Jeff's shoulder and gently guided him out of the office, shutting the door behind him. He started to talk softly and quickly. "This is against the rules, but you seem to care about him deeply and I can see that his parents don't see that or don't care. I'll tell you that his injuries are extensive. He is by no means out of the woods yet. I can't tell you all of his injuries, but I can warn you that he doesn't look good at all and the chances of him not remembering anyone or anything over his lifetime is still a possibility. He is in a medically induced coma for now and probably will be for the next 48-72 hours, which unfortunately increases his chances of memory loss. I have no problem letting you in tomorrow when he is allowed normal visitors, but I'm going to have to ask you to not put up a fight about this right now." The doctor smiled sadly. "I know this is rough on you. I'm sure he would be happy to know you're here for him. Leave your number at the desk and I will call if anything changes. That's also against hospital policy, but I don't think anyone will notice."

"Why are you doing this?" Jeff sniffled and wiped the tears that had started to fall during the doctor's speech.

"I know exactly how you feel right now. My husband's parents never accepted us and when he was in the hospital with cancer, they refused to sign off to see him. Nick kind of reminds me of him a little. I hope everything works out for you both."

"Thank you." The doctor walked back into the office, shutting the door. Jeff left his number at the desk and walked outside, where it was still raining. He just sat outside the door, letting the rain completely soak him through again. He cried until he didn't think he had tears left. He slowly got up, realizing that the sun had risen while he was busy in his own mind. He stood in the same spot for a moment, not realizing when a car pulled up and Kurt ran out, pulling him to his chest.

"Are you okay? What's happening? Is Nick okay?" Kurt was talking softly, but he was panicking. Jeff broke down again, letting Kurt hug him even closer and then he felt someone's hand on his shoulder that felt a little familiar.

"Jeff, let's get in the car okay?" Jeff let them lead him into the backseat of that, both on either side of him and he continued to cry for an immeasurable amount of time. When Blaine finally spoke, Jeff just stared out the windshield, afraid to hear anything or see anything that might hurt him. "Would you like to tell us what's going on?" Blaine's voice was soft and caring, but Jeff didn't want to talk about it.

"I just need to go lay down. Please." Blaine looked at Kurt worriedly. He hopped into the driver's seat, buckled in, and turned the car on. Kurt reached over and buckled Jeff in, then himself, pulling Jeff into his side for comfort. Jeff pretended not to notice Blaine's scared glance at Kurt in the rearview mirror.

When they arrived back at school, he walked straight to his room, avoiding everyone who tried to talk to him. He could hear Blaine and Kurt following at a safe distance behind him, quietly explaining briefly to people that "now was not the time." He made it to his room, sinking into Nick's bed and hugging the pillow that smelled like him close to his body. He felt numb. He couldn't even cry anymore. He heard Blaine and Kurt walk in a moment later, sitting on his bed and staring at him. He just got into a zone, remembering everything about Nick, everything about their friendship, everything about their relationship, and how it could all be for nothing because of this. He knew the tears would start to come again soon, but until then, he would just stare at nothing. Blaine cleared his throat.

"They told us that Nick was in a serious accident. Is he…um…" He looked to Kurt for help. Blaine had never been good in these kinds of situations, but Kurt always knew exactly what to say or do to help.

"I think we just both would like to know that he's alive and well." Kurt placed his hand in Blaine's and that's what did it for Jeff. He stood up and started to pace.

"That stupid fucking asshole went to a party, probably got drunk, probably fucking drove, and then nearly died in an accident. Yes, he's alive, but barely and he may not be that way for very long from what the doctor said." He started to cry again. "His parents refused to sign off to let me in so I have to wait until..." He looked down at the alarm clock on the table, wiping his eyes to see better, "eleven to see him. And even then it won't be like seeing him, it'll be like seeing some stupid asshole you read about who didn't do what they were supposed to and had too many drinks and still thought he was okay to drive home." He let out a sob and collapsed back onto the bed, throwing Nick's pillow across the room.

Blaine retrieved the pillow, gently placing it next to Jeff, who was sobbing into the other pillows on Nick's bed. Jeff just stared at it, almost hoping it would go away, but then giving in and hugging it close to him again. Blaine spoke after another moment.

"I'm sorry this happened, Jeff. I doubt Nick did anything to intentionally hurt you. And I'm sure he will pull through. He's strong and otherwise healthy before this." Blaine rubbed his back soothingly and Kurt came over to grab his hand. "We can stay with you until noon if you want."

Jeff shook his head. "I'll be fine. Thanks guys."

"It's what friends do. Call or text if you need us." Kurt brushed the hair out of his eyes and got up. Blaine patted his back and walked with Kurt out of the room. Jeff just continued to cry until he finally fell asleep.

He woke up to his cell phone going off. Nick. He pulled it from his pocket and saw an unknown number, but answered it anyways.

"Hello?" His voice was shaking, hoping nothing was wrong.

"Jeff? It's Dr. Avers. Can we talk for a moment?" Jeff gulped. He saw that the clock read ten. Only one more hour.

"Sure. Is everything okay?"

"I think you'd find this change of events much better. Nick remains the same. However, his parents have left for some business thing and have decided to sign over permission for you to come in whenever. They have you listed as a cousin, but no one would actually check into it. You can come in now if you like." The doctor sounded like a combination of happy that Jeff could see him and upset that he would have to see him like he was.

"I'll be right in." Jeff hung up, rushing to put his shoes back on, which he hadn't remembered taking off. He grabbed a water bottle, chugged it, then quickly left the room. He wasn't in as much of a rush this time because he knew he could get a taxi. He stopped by Blaine's room to see that no one was there, realizing after he knocked that they would still be in class. He continued to leave campus, sneaking out of the gate while the guard was otherwise preoccupied. He ran to the end of the street, enjoying the feeling of the wind on his face, but not liking that it was still raining. He got a taxi within a minute, realizing that he only had enough to get him to the block before the hospital. When they arrived, he got out quickly, running the rest of the way to see Nick.

As soon as he walked in, he saw that the lights on the occupied room board were lighting up more. He counted six that were lit up before he finally walked over to the desk.

"Nick Duval, please."

"The doctor will be out in a moment to talk with you before you go in. Have a seat please."

Jeff sat, jiggling his legs up and down impatiently. After what seemed like forever, Dr. Avers walked out with a solemn look on his face. Jeff jumped up, his heart racing.

"Is everything okay? He's fine right?"

"Nothing's changed. In fact, all of his cuts are looking better already. We've been quite impressed with his progress in such a short period of time. I just needed to warn you that he doesn't look like himself. He is very swollen in some areas, and there's a lot of bruising, especially in his face and chest areas. His head is wrapped tightly so that you can only see his face. He has a broken arm and leg, as well as broken ribs, and internal bleeding, which is still a huge risk. It also looks like he may have some type of infection, but it isn't serious, and we aren't too worried about it. Just be prepared." Jeff nodded and allowed himself to be led to Nick's room, which was only a few feet behind the door. The doctor opened the door, letting Jeff in.

He nearly passed out. He had been prepared. At least, he thought he had been prepared. Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw, though. Nick looked nearly dead. There was no pretty way to put it, he was knocking on death's door. Jeff gasped and walked over to the bed, putting his hand over his mouth as he felt tears well up in his eyes. The doctor had been right, and it hurt to see Nick like this. He hadn't expected anything quite this bad.

"Here's a chair. I imagine you'll be here a while. Feel free to press the call button if you need anything and especially if he wakes up, which he shouldn't. Oh, how old are you?"

"18. Today is my birthday."

"Happy birthday. I'm sorry you're spending it here. I'm glad you're 18 though. It makes this much easier."

"Yes, it does. Thanks for everything."

Dr. Avers nodded and left the room.

"You stupid fucking idiot. I love you."

Jeff broke down more than he had before and grabbed Nick's hand, hoping that he would feel it and would know to be okay.