Title: Beating The Odds Author: saar_fantasy Pairings:Puck/Kurt Rating: PG-13 Word Count: ~ Genre: Established relationship, Drama, Angst, Romance Warnings: Cancer and all the drama that comes with it (don't worry...It's a happy ending)
Disclaimer: As much as I wished I did, I don't own any of them.
Summary: Puck has been keeping a secret from his boyfriend. From everyone of his friends actually. It takes a fight between the couple for Kurt to realise what's wrong.
Puck got a room assigned in the hospital. A room for one person, as requested.
Puck didn't want a room with two or more people in it. He wanted his privacy and didn't want anyone else see him suffer.
Of course his mother and Kurt would come and visit, they wouldn't listen when he said that wasn't necessary, but he hoped his mother wouldn't bring his sister Sarah with her.
She knew that he was sick, real badly so, but he didn't want her to see him throw up and stuff like that.
His hair was shaven off for the surgery, but he couldn't help but stroke his hand over his head as if his mohawk was still there.
It was silent in the room, nobody really knew what to say, and Kurt was sitting on the bed, between Puck's legs who was leaning against the headboard.
Kurt was leaning against Puck's chest, playing with his hands that were resting on his stomach.
Puck nuzzled into his neck and Kurt pushed back against his chest even harder, blinking back tears.
"Hey," Puck whispered, as if he felt that Kurt was having trouble keeping his feelings at bay, "It's gonna be alright, Princess."
It had been ages since Puck had called him that and it just broke him.
He turned around and just flung himself at Puck's chest, sobbing uncontrollably.
That was the cue for Julie Puckerman to take Burt and Carole to the cafeteria to give the boys some alone time.
-..-
Puck tried to console his boyfriend by softly rubbing his back, whispering sweet nothings into his ear.
You should think that he was the one who needed consoling, but he was actually doing pretty well.
He was ready for the operation.
Yes, they had been told that morning about the possible side effects of a brain surgery.
Some of his limbs might be temporarily paralyzed, his leg or his arm, sometimes people even can't talk for a while.
But it will come back most of the time. It's also part of where the tumor is located in the brain.
The doctor said it was pretty easy and he won't have much trouble of it.
Guess he just had to wait and see about that.
"Babe," Puck tried again when he notice Kurt had quieted down a bit, "Are you alright?"
Kurt nodded slowly, "Yes, I'm fine. You called me Princess, and..."
"It's been a while since I called you that," Puck filled in for him." I know, but it won't be the last time. I promise."
Kurt tried to smile a little and nodded silently.
Puck held him closer to him and they stayed like that until their parents returned.
An extra, smaller, bed was rolled in by two nurses, which was for Kurt because he wanted to stay the night.
The nurses were used to people staying there for their loved ones, so they kept the bed always in their stock room down the hall, not too far away.
They all stayed in Noah's room. Sometimes in silence, sometimes talking, until a nurse came to tell them visiting hours were over.
Burt, Carole and Julie all left, leaving Kurt and Noah alone.
-..-
That night, Kurt and Noah had seks in Noah's hospital bed.
It was Noah's idea and although Kurt had protested first that everybody would hear them and the nurses would complain, Noah had said that he didn't care about the patients and that the nurses would be to shy to say something.
It seemed to be true, because no nurse came in to tell them to stop, nor to quiet down.
When two of them came inide together the next morning with the doctor in front of them, he was sure they were blushing and neither of them dared to look into his or Noah's eyes.
Noah smirked and Kurt rolled his eyes at him but couldn't keep the smile from creeping up on his face.
His smile immediately vanished when they told them they came to take Noah to the OR though.
Puck noticed the look on his boyfriend's face change and opened his arms, Kurt quickly dove in to them.
They were clinging onto each other for a while until the doctor said it was really time to go.
With one last kiss, Noah was wheeled out of the room and Kurt was left alone.
-..-
When Puck's mother arrived, she found Kurt in Noah's empty room, sitting hunched forward on a chair, crying his eyes out in his hands.
Julie, Puck's mother, lays her hand on the boy's shoulder and he startles a little, looking up at her with red, puffy eyes.
"Julie," he whispered softly, "I didn't hear you come in."
She smiles a little and takes another chair for herself, sitting down next to him, she asks, "How long as he been gone?"
Kurt looks down at his watch and shrugs, "Maybe half an hour? They said it could take a while."
She nods and looks straight in front of her, while Kurt composes himself again.
They sit in silence for a while until Julie speaks up again.
"He'll be ok. Noah's always been a strong boy." Then she looks over at Kurt with a soft smile on her face, "And now he has someone to fight for too. That makes me even more sure that he'll get through this."
Kurt doesn't say anything, he just gives her a soft smile back and she hugs him.
They hold onto each other to find reassurance that the boy they both love so much will be ok.
At the end of the hug, they're both almost 100% sure that he will.
-..-
They both don't know how much time has gone by when the doctor arrives, but when he does, they both jump out of their seats.
"Ms. Puckerman, Mr. Hummel," the doctor acknowledges them with a nod, "Mr. Puckerman is out of surgery."
"How is he?" Julie and Kurt ask in unison, making the doctor smile a little.
"He's as good as he can be after such a hard operation. He's been conscious once, but is back asleep now."
"Can we see him?"
"Yes, you can. But only for 5 minutes maximum. Plus, I have to warn you before you get inside his room..."
"What is it?" Julie asks quietly, grasping Kurt's hand for support.
"He has trouble with talking, so it's better if he doesn't, at least not for a little while. We're gonna take a scan of his brain again this evening to see how bad the damage is, but it probably won't be that bad. Just give it a week or so."
Kurt and Julie both nod. They knew this was a possibility. They're just happy that he came out of the operation alive.
They both thank the doctor before they follow him out to the recovery room where Noah is now.
As soon as they enter the room with the doctor, they both stop for a minute, taking in the suddenly very small looking form on the bed.
There's a wire attached to his arm, which they both assume is for pain medication, and they watch as the doctor approaches Noah's bed.
"Mr. Puckerman?" the doctor asks quietly, when the boy doesn't respond, he puts a hand on his shoulder and tries with his first name. "Noah?"
Finally, Noah opens his eyes and looks up at the doctor questioningly.
"You have some visitors."
Noah turns his head so he can look to the side of the door, when he sees his mother and boyfriend standing there, he tries to smile a little.
That's all it takes for Kurt to rush to the bed and to almost let himself fall down on Noah.
He is aware of the wire though and it isn't until Noah nods and moves a little, that Kurt lies down next to him.
Kurt reaches his hand up to Noah's skull and gently traces the bandage over what's probably gonna be a scar.
Noah's mother has come to the bed now as well and takes the chair that the doctor gives her and sits down next to the bed, taking her son's closest hand in hers.
"I'll leave you alone for a while," the doctor says and starts moving away, "I'll come back to check here in 5 minutes."
He doesn't say that will also mean that Kurt and Julie will have to go, but he doesn't have to, all three of them already know.
-..-
When the doctor comes back, he finds Kurt still on the bed with his patient and feels a little sorry to have to tear them apart.
Noah's mother already stands up from her seat when she sees the doctor walk over to them, but Kurt doesn't even acknowledge him.
He just keeps tracing paterns on Noah's, kind of atrocious, hospital gown.
"Mr. Hummel," the doctor says gently, "I'm afraid it's time to leave."
Kurt doesn't even look up when he says, "I want to stay."
"I understand that. But my patient really needs a lot of rest."
"I won't keep him awake," Kurt says, finally looking up into the doctor's eyes, "I just want to be with him."
The doctor looks from Kurt's pleading eyes, to Noah's. Then at Noah's mom who just gives him a little smile.
The doctor sighs and finally caves.
"Alright. But I'll have to ask you to wait in his private room. We'll bring him there in a few minutes."
Kurt nods and climbs off the bed, but not before he presses a kiss against his boyfriend's lips.
He mutters a quiet thank you to the doctor, then watches as mother and son say goodbye. Julie promises she'll be back the next day.
Kurt walks with Noah's mother to the exit door of the hospital, gives her a hug goodbye, then goes back upstairs to Noah's room to wait.
-..-
When They finally brought Noah up, Kurt was dozing on and off on his extra bed in Noah's room..
He had barely slep the night, more like nights, before. So it was only normal that he was tired.
He was awake when the nurses brought Noah in though, and when they had checked everything on the machine that kept Noah's stats and had left the room, Kurt crawled into bed with him.
Noah smiled a little when he felt the sudden presence of a body pressing against his side and he turned to him, openig his arms.
Kurt automatically went into them, one of Noah's arms under him, the other one draped over his side, and let himself be pulled against his boyfriend's strong chest.
Neither of them cried this time, but they did hold onto each other very tight.
"You'll get through this," Kurt whispered, "I know you will."
Puck responded by pressing his lips to the top of the boy's head and kept them there until they both fell asleep.