I don't own Glee.
You've Got Me If You Want Me: Chapter 11
Two things happened that Friday. 1.) Kurt was found and returned to Oak Front Hills. 2.) Connor had a heart attack. Of course, they didn't happen in this order.
Dave had been sitting in the game room, playing checkers with a new girl named Elise. Connor had been standing at the door, arguing with Miss Higgins about the snack Dr. Rogers had sent for the boy to eat. Dave wasn't sure how, but Connor had lost even more weight. The scrub pants he had been given were knotted around his waist and he was constantly pulling them up. His cheeks were shrunken in and his skin gave off a weird yellow color. Connor's hair, which had been the shaggy style that Dave was attracted to, had started to fall out in random patches. His exposed arms were covered in bruises; every time something put even the slightest pressure on the boy he got a new bruise.
Dave kept glancing up from his game with Elise, his eyes locked on Connor's face. Although his face was still fierce, Dave noticed something was off with Connor. His voice waivered every once and a while and he would wince and grab his arm or chest. He blinked several times, shaking his head as he refused to eat the crackers Miss Higgins was trying to give him. Dave looked away, smiling slightly as Elise got her first King of the game. He looked back, freezing as Connor collapsed in front of the nurse, clutching his chest.
Everything happened fast from there. The orderlies kept the patients out of the way as Miss Higgins and the other nurses got Connor on a gurney and moved him of the room. Dave couldn't get the pale boy's face out of his mind. He could hear the nurses yelling for Dr. Lewis and he saw a nurse running past the door, yelling for someone to get aspirin.
The excitement ended as soon as it started. Dave heard the heavy metal doors clank shut and an orderly named Steve worked to calm down several patients who were upset. Dave climbed to his feet and slowly moved to the window. The sky was a depressing fray color and almost all of the trees had lost their leaves. The grass was still covered in the early morning frost. Dave was sure that it was going to snow soon and he felt a twinge of sorrow as he thought of Kurt. It had only been two days, but Dave was sure that the skinny teen was freezing because the lack of warm clothes.
Dave let his head fall against the cool glass, sighing heavily. Everything seemed to be going wrong. He closed his eyes hearing the faint sound of sirens. Soon, an Ambulance was speeding up the drive way, it's red and blue lights flashing. Dave watched as two paramedics jumped out of the truck, carrying equipment with them. The left the building again a five minutes later, pushing Connor out in a bed; an oxygen mask was fixed to his face. Dave could only hope that the same process wouldn't be repeated soon with Kurt.
Kurt leaned against a tree, hugging his arms closely to his chest. He shivered, wishing he had grabbed a sweater before he ran. He wasn't sure where he was but he was pretty sure he was far enough away from Oak Front Hills that he wouldn't be found anytime soon. His stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn't had a full meal that he kept down in almost four days. He hated to admit it, but Kurt knew he was going to have to eat something soon.
Kurt whimpered as he tripped over another branch, his ankle throbbing in pain. The joint was swollen and Kurt cursed the flimsy slippers he wore. He limped ahead, letting out a sigh of relief when he found a small town. He sucked up to the owner of the small tavern and ate a small sandwich before limping back out to the road. Kurt kept his head down, too afraid to meet anyone's eyes. He glanced up at the small general store, wondering if he could sneak in and steal some kind of sweater before making his way out of town.
Luck, however, wasn't with the injured boy. A police man stood right inside the door. He was talking to the cashier, showing the women a copy of the picture Kurt had taken his first day at Oak Front Hills.
"You mean that young man right there?" The old woman asked, pointing at Kurt. Kurt froze for a moment, his eyes wide as he stared at the police man who was turning around to look at him. Kurt turned, trying to run as fast as his injured foot would take him. He tripped on the last step, stumbling slightly across the parking lot. He had just straightened back up when the cop grabbed him, pressing him tightly against his parked cruiser. Even though it was cold, Kurt could feel the sweat from the overweight oozing through his clothes. The balding man was breathing hard as he patted Kurt down. Kurt whimpered as the officers hands patted at his legs and tried to struggle against the sausage like fingers that pinned him to the car. Soon, cold metal handcuffs were being slid onto his wrists which were crossed behind his back.
"Nice try, kid," The cop, who was named Officer Sampson, said. He pulled Kurt away from the car and opened the back door. He pushed Kurt towards the seat, slamming the door shut behind the frightened teenager. Kurt's blue eyes were wide as he stared though the cage separating the front and back seat. "I do have to say you made it a lot longer than anyone else who's tried to escape that joint. But they always get caught sooner or later."
Kurt sighed, swallowing thickly. He shifted so his weight wasn't resting on his hands and leaned his forehead against the cold window. It turned out that Kurt had gotten a lot farther than he had originally thought. The drive back to the hospital took about a half an hour and Kurt constantly shifted, his shoulders screaming in agony at the way he was being forced to sit. The only blessing was the fact that Officer Sampson turned the air up in the car. The underweight teen soaked in the heat, his skin losing some of its pale twinge.
"Yeah this is Officer Sampson, patrol car 573. Just letting you folks know that I found your escaped patient in little town called Murberry. He's restrained and I'm bringing him back know. Be about a half an hour 'til we get there. If you could, have Mr. Reagan waiting for me. Thank ya'." The officer said into his cell phone, turning a hard left onto the back road that would take them back to Oak Front Hills.
"So, kid, why'd you run?" He asked, looking at Kurt in the rearview mirror. Kurt shrugged but didn't answer. "I've seen kids from that place. The ones that run? The ones that fight help? They never extent to much. I normally see them right back in this car, charged with some greater offense. Take some advice, kid. Get your shit together while you still have a chance."
Kurt didn't answer. He kept his eyes trained on the road, watching as the trees passed by. 'Looks like I'm going back to hell,' Kurt though, closing his eyes and sighing deeply. 'And I'm never going to get out.'
Dave was still sitting by the window when a white police car slowly pulled up the drive. He held his breath as the cop got out of the car and pulled up his pants over his large belly. He fixed his hat on his head before making his way to the back door. He roughly pulled a handcuffed Kurt out of the back seat and escorted him to the front door of the facility where Mr. Reagan was waiting for them. The former football player let out a sigh of relief as Kurt was led inside.
Ten minutes later, Kurt was lead onto Level Three with Officer Sampson and Mr. Reagan right behind him. A new anklet was fixed around his right foot, the black box shinny with a red light blinking at the top. Dave noticed the heavy limp the boy walked with, leaning dependently on his right foot. The teen was still handcuffed and he rolled his shoulders as the adults talked.
"Thank you so much for returning him as soon as you found him, Officer Sampson. Mr. Hummel has become one of our problem patients lately. I'll be personally talking with both his father and doctor once I see you out. Obviously a new form of treatment must be put in place to get through to this young man. "
"Just doing my job, Officer Sampson said, patting his pockets to find where he had put his keys. He stock the smallest key on the ring into the lock on the handcuffs and pulled the cold metal away from Kurt's wrists. Kurt rubbed at small marks the cuffs had left as the cop clipped the cuffs back onto his belt. "Anymore problems, just let us know, Mr. Reagan."
Mr. Reagan took Kurt's elbow and escorted him to a bench by the nurse's station. "Sit. I'll be back to deal with you once my conference call with your father and Dr. Barker is finished. Don't move until you're told to."
Kurt watched with dull eyes as the admissions director and police office crossed the hall to the heavy door leading out. Officer Sampson turned around, meeting Kurt's eyes. "Remember what I said, kid." Kurt sighed but looked down. He bit his lip, scanning the room. He yawned slightly as Dave quicly crossed the room and perched on the bench next to him. He sighed in relief as Dave's body heat continued to warm him.
"Are you crazy?" Dave growled in Kurt's ear. He huffed in frustration when Kurt simply raised an eyebrow at him. "Don't answer that! What in the hell were you thinking? It's November in Ohio! You could have frozen to death out there. And in case you haven't noticed, you need help, Kurt. Why can't you see that, huh? You need serious help!"
Kurt looked away, picking at the scabs on his arms. Finally he looked up, completely changing the subject.
"Where's Connor?" He asked, looking around.
"Gone," Dave said simply, still glaring at the boy he was in love with.
"You're kidding me!" Kurt said, throwing his hands in the air. "How can someone that fucked up get sent to Level Two before me?"
"He's not on Level Two, Kurt," Dave said, frustration and pain evident on his voice. "He had a heart attack. He hadn't been eating enough to support himself and his heart couldn't take it anymore. And that's where you're headed, too. Can't you see that?"
Kurt stared at Dave, his eyes wide. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, not knowing what to say. He licked his lips, clearing his throat.
"I-" Kurt began, jumping as the door to the nurse's station swung open.
"Mr. Hummel, Mr. Reagan has called and said to keep you in your room until he's finished talking with your father and they decide what to do with you. Say goody-bye to Mr. Karofsky." Mrs. Tyme grabbed Kurt's elbow and dragged him down the hall, the key to his room already out. The small teen hobbled along, wincing in pain as he practically ran to keep up. Dave watched sadly as he went.
Kurt hugged his knees close to his chest, the boot on his left foot keeping his injured ankle in place. The black plastic ran all the way up his leg until almost his knees and Kurt fiddled with the straps as Dr. Baker paced.
"I don't want to talk to you," Kurt mumbled. Dr. Barker sighed before sitting down in his seat and slamming his notebook down.
"That's fine," the doctor said. "I wasn't planning on having you talk. Just listen; you have caused more than your fair share of trouble lately and this can't continue. Your father, Mr. Reagan and I have talked and came to a conclusion. This was your last chance, Kurt. You'll spend a week on Level Four for your run away stunt. Anything after this-and I mean any little thing-we will start a more drastic behavior modification treatment.
"What you went through was horrible, Kurt. No one will deny you that. But this does not give you an excuse to act the way you have been. Arguing with nurses and orderlies, refusing to eat, purging when you do eat, refusing to participate in group therapy-or any other therapy that isn't strictly with me, cutting, running away. And don't think I don't know about you verbally attacking AJ last week to the point that the poor boy had a mental break down. Your family may have sat back and let you get away with whatever, but that's not going to happen here."
Kurt held his breath, waiting in fear for Dr. Barker to say he knew about his relationship with Seth. He let out a sigh of relief that he quickly turned into a whimper as the doctor moved to stand in front of him.
"This has gone on for too long. From here on out, anything little thing. I mean it. Any act of defiance, refusing to eat, verbally attacking another patient, or anything else you seem to think you can get away with will lead to a more drastic form of treatment. You hear me?"
Kurt kept his eyes low, wiping his eyes on his sleeve as he nodded his head. Dr. Barker sighed and called for an orderly to take Kurt down to Level Four.
"I'm upping your medication, Kurt. I'm also adding a mild sedative. Be good. I'll see you in a week."
Matt appeared in the room; his grip on Kurt's elbow was tight as he lead the limping teen downstairs. It was as if he was afraid that if he let go, Kurt would run again. Kurt didn't look up as they entered the elevator or as Matt entered the code to get onto the level. The beeping was a different sound than Kurt was used to and he assumed they changed the codes after he had escaped.
Kurt swallowed the pills he was given, not even thinking about tonguing his medicine. He didn't fight as Matt carefully worked his stiff limbs into a strait jacket. He swayed on his feet slightly as a nurse came with the key, sticking the metal in the lock as Matt typed in the code for his door. Kurt limped into the padded room, his boot making a weird sound against the cushions.
"Seth told me to tell you that he'd talk to you when you get back to Level Three. He's pretty disappointed in you," Matt whispered as he checked the straps on the jacket. "I'll be back tonight to get you moved to a bed."
Kurt's eyes filled with tears as the door buzzed, signifying that it was locked. He looked up, biting his lip at the camera in the corner he had never noticed before. He moved so his long legs were stretched out in front of him, the ugly boot making his injured foot look odd. The red light on his anklet blinked in time with his heartbeat. Kurt struggled slightly with the jacket, trying to get his arms moved to a position that didn't hurt his shoulders. Finally he sighed and laid back on his side, the tears coming heavier now. Once again he had let someone down. It just never seemed to end.
AN: I hope you liked it. Please Review.