Disclaimer: This is RPF (real person fiction) primarily about Darren Criss and Chris Colfer. While they are both real, this story obviously isn't. It is a work of fiction. I don't own the Glee characters or the actors who play them but I sure wouldn't mind owning Darren Criss in real life!
In a weird case of life imitating art, Chris had this to say when interviewed on the red carpet earlier tonight:
"My fifth time going straight from the Glee set to the hospital was recently, yes. And it was all my fault because I always try to everything full out, and I was exotic dancing on a table and injured my foot...as one does" - Chris Colfer at 2011 Emmys
I feel bad for poor Chris for getting hurt so often, but the CrissColfer shipper in me wants to believe that Darren was the one to drive him to the hospital. Okay, back to the story. Now where were we?
"Oh Chris," Darren whispered softly as he continued to stroke Chris's hair. "You promised me you'd take care of yourself and that you wouldn't do this to be again. Come on, honey. Open your eyes. You promised." A single tear made its way from Darren's eye and slowly tracked down his cheek, waiting to see if Chris would fulfill his promise. But Chris continued to remain unnaturally still and quiet, clearly underscoring the fact that at the moment, Chris had broken his promise to Darren. Hopefully not for good.
As Chris lay unconscious in Darren's arms, Darren's hand continued to lightly trace patterns through Chris's hair, fingers whisper light as they glided over his temple back to the crown of his head. Brush, stroke, repeat. Again and again he followed this path, the repetitive motion soothing and trance-like. Darren's eyes never left Chris's face, however, still hoping that at any moment Chris's eyes would fly open and tell Darren that it was all one big joke.
Darren had often teased Chris about his inability to turn his thoughts off, even in sleep. Darren slept with wild abandon, his body strewn about the bed haphazardly, his hair rumpled, and his face open and child-like in sleep, In contrast, Chris's face never quite lost that thoughtfulness, that unique "Chris-ness" that only hinted at the depths and volumes of thought going on beneath the surface even as he slept. Darren remembered watching Chris fall asleep for the first time, having expected to see him relax into that completely absent look of a deep, dreamless sleep. Instead, Darren was shocked and amused to see that even in sleep, Chris furrowed his brow, looking as if he was concentrating intently on something unseen and just out of reach. He was rarely still in his sleep either, frequently shifting and mumbling incoherent nothings. Even his sleep-talking sounded insistent, his mumblings taking on the tenor of passionate convictions.
But now... Now Chris's face only showed blankness, without a hint of his personality showing through his face. The only signs of life came from the flushed hue of his skin which hinted at the fever raging through Chris's body. Darren had been worried about Chris many times before. He'd felt his stomach sink to the floor upon seeing Chris nearly collapse backstage after Glee Live only a month earlier. He'd felt the mixture of hot guilt and relief in equal measure when Chris made the difficult decision to break up with his boyfriend just before the Glee Live tour started. Chris had known that he didn't love his boyfriend Jaime enough to make the long-distance thing work, and he knew it wasn't fair to ask Jaime to wait for him when he knew that they had no long-term future together, Darren had been relieved to discover. But these previous worries and jumble of emotions paled in comparison to the overwhelming fear and anxiety that had taken hold of Darren since Kurt had collapsed to the ground and left no sign of his personality to his body, but only this vast, disconcerting blankness.
Darren was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of soft moan, so quiet as to be barely imperceptible at first. Darren's eyes were on Chris in an instant, his voice calling out and pleading with Chris to give any response.
"Chris? Hey honey, can you hear me? Come on, Chris. I need you to open your eyes, okay? Can you do that for me? Talk to me, Chris. Please." Darren called softly, cupping Chris's cheek and stroking it gently as he did so.
Chris let out a slightly louder groan, his brow tightening briefly in a grimace of pain. He stilled for several seconds, causing Darren to hold his breath. Slowly, he shifted his body gingerly before a shaking hand was lifted up towards his own forehead.
"Mmhmm, head," Chris mumbled painfully.
"Shh, I know, babe. Come on, Chris, I still need you to look at me, okay? Open your eyes," Darren commanded while placing his hand over Chris's, which was still resting gingerly against his right temple.
Chris groaned and drew in a wheezy breath before slowly opening his eyes and blinking confusedly in the overhead light. He looked at Darren for a several seconds before seeming to actually register who he was and then allowed his eyes to trail around the room, attempting to find the context for which he was currently lying on a couch in an empty dance studio cradled in Darren's arms.
"Darren?" asked Chris shakily, a slight edge of panic to his voice. He allowed his eyes to quickly scan the room and drew in a sharp breath, attempting to lift his head off of Darren's lap.
"Shh, easy Chris. Just take it easy. Don't try to get up, okay? I need you to lay still and just listen for a minute. Everything's going to be okay," Darren said soothingly, gently pressing a hand to Chris's shoulder in order to direct him back to his lap while keeping a restraining arm across Chris's chest and torso.
Chris's blue eyes were wide and watery and Darren felt as if he could see directly into Chris's soul to visualize the fear, panic, and pain reflected there. He instinctively knew what Chris was thinking and began to answer the questions that Chris hadn't asked, but desperately wanted the answers to.
"Chris, you passed out while we were rehearsing the choreography for our duet. You hit your head when you fainted and you've been unconscious for a few minutes. You are burning up and I think you are running a fever too. Zach went to get some help so that we can figure out what's wrong with you, okay? You just need to lie still and relax until we can get a medic or doctor to check you out, alright?"
Chris's eyes widened further as he took in Darren's recap of the events of the last few minutes. He hated the worried look in Darren's eyes. His head, throat, and chest were throbbing, and he felt dizzy and nauseous. But he couldn't let Darren know how he was feeling or he'd surely be roped into an ER visit. No, right now all Chris really needed was a few Advil and a good night's sleep, and he was sure he'd be fine again. Chris needed to be convincing though. He focused all of his efforts on trying to sit up smoothly without shaking or letting the dizziness overwhelm him, while also trying not to visibly wince at the pain in his head, throat, and chest.
Without warning, Darren watched as Chris suddenly tried to sit up again, his face tightening as he struggled not to let the pain of moving show in his expression. But his paleness gave him away, as did the slight tremor in his hands and arms as he struggled to push off from the couch.
Darren's hands were on Chris in a minute, holding him more firmly in his arms this time. Darren removed his restraining arm from Chris's chest and brought it to his forehead, stroking it gently while simultaneously holding Chris's head flush against his lap so that he was forced to lay back. "Chris, stop. I mean it. You've got to lie still. You're sick and hurt and I don't want you passing out again, okay?"
Chris moaned slightly in a mixture of pain and frustration. "Darren, I'm okay. Just need some sleep. Can't you just take me home?"
Darren shook his head vigorously, wondering for the hundredth time that day why Chris had to be so damn stubborn. "Chris please..." Darren started, trying a different tact, his voice softening just enough to let a hint of his worry come through. "You are in really bad shape. Last time this happened, you promised me that you would take better care of yourself and let me help you when you needed it. Remember that, Chris?"
Darren's voice rose in volume and intensity as he remembered the pervasive hopelessness he'd felt at watching Chris become violently ill while still refusing to follow doctor's orders, instead stubbornly insisting on performing, leading to his near collapse back stage. " Just...god dammit, Chris! You're sick and you still insist on working a 15 hour day and now look at you. You're feverish and sick and probably just added a concussion to your list of problems," Darren finished intensely, breathing hard, his eyes dark with barely suppressed frustration and something closely resembling a growing rage, not directed at Chris, but rather directed at the unfairness of the universe and the damned circumstances that kept bringing the two of them back to this all-to-familiar scenario.
Something in Darren's expression and the passionate rage with which he asserted his frustration broke Chris just a bit. Chris knew Darren was his best friend and cared deeply about him, but when he got worked up like this...well, it was confusing to Chris, as it felt very much like a fight Chris should be having with a lover, not a friend. Darren and Chris's relationship had always defied labels, much to the chagrin of the media that was eager to make something of the fact that Darren was straight while Chris was gay. On more than one occasion, Darren had lamented the fact that his publicist had all but forced him to "come out" as straight in order to quell the media speculation and return the focus back to the work Darren was doing on Glee playing gay teen Blaine rather than having the spotlight focus solely on his relationship with Chris and the "will-they-or-won't-they" romance angle supposedly hinted at in their personal lives.
"Okay, okay..." said Chris meekly, his voice full of exhaustion as he finally allowed the pain of his injuries to show through on his face. "I'm not moving anymore. Now what?"
Darren sighed deeply, upset with himself for losing it on Chris in that way when Chris was so obviously scared and in pain. He looked down at Chris's tensed face and answered resignedly. "Now we wait, I guess. Can you tell me where you are hurting? What feels bad?"
Chris's eyes fluttered closed momentarily as he winced in pain. "My head hurts...a lot. Other than that, just cold symptoms, I think. Sore throat, coughing, that kind of thing."
Darren nodded. "Yeah, it sounded like you hit your head pretty hard when you fainted. Can you show me where it is hurting? You probably have a big bump."
Chris winced again, his eyes closing involuntarily against the pain. Slowly, he turned his head to the left, facing away from Darren so that the back of his head was to him, bringing a hand up to poke at the tender flesh near the base of his skull. He sucked in a breath as his fingers grazed the sensitive area.
"Okay, let me take a look," Darren said, his hand gently following the path of Chris's own hand until his fingers traced a large, swollen lump at the back of Chris's head. "Ouch," said Darren sympathetically. "That looks painful. You've got a huge knot." Darren was about to remove his hand from Chris's head when he felt a slightly dampness. He quickly withdrew his hand and was shocked to see that it was smeared in blood. His hands were back on Chris's skull in an instant, prodding until they found what they were seeking. Just to the right of the hard knot sat an area that was oozing blood, Chris's hair starting to become matted and stuck to the wound as it mixed with his partially congealed blood. Darren withdrew his hand from the wound for a second time and was alarmed by the volume of blood that had leaked out over the course of such a short point of contact.
"Shit, shit, shit..." muttered Darren worriedly as he glanced down to the knee of his pants on which Chris's head hand been resting, discovering a spreading blood stain. He looked around the room frantically for something with which he could stem the blood flow, his eyes alighting on a small hand towel draped over a nearby chair. Chris spoke as Darren reached for the towel.
"Darren? What is it?" Chris asked worriedly, turning his head back towards Darren and watching as Darren's face went from calm and composed to panicked and horror-stricken in a matter of seconds.
"Huh? Uhh, it's okay, Chris. I just realized that your head is bleeding from where you hit it. It's bleeding a lot, but head wounds tend to do that, apparently." Darren rambled on, trying not to let the full force of his panic be obvious to Chris. "I just need to put pressure on your head to get the bleeding under control, okay? Can you turn your head again so I can get a better look at the cut?"
Chris turned his head wordlessly, allowing a single tear to spill onto his cheek as the pain swelled while Darren began poking at the sensitive flesh again.
Darren sucked in a wincing breath as he felt Chris shrink away slightly from his touch. "Shh, I know, Chris. I know it hurts. I just need to get the bleeding to slow down a bit." Darren pressed the clean white towel to Chris's wounded head, noticing a growing sick feeling in the pit of his stomach as he watched the crimson quickly spread across the absorbent fabric of the white terrycloth towel. "Sorry... sorry Chris," he muttered as he readjusted the towel to apply more pressure to the wound. "Almost done, just hang on, okay?"
Chris could only manage a small nod, not trusting his voice to keep from cracking in pain at the moment. He bit the inside of his cheek at the sensation of the burning sting of pain coming from his head wound that was currently competing for attention with the sharp throb of his temple and the vise-like squeeze of a building headache that was wrapped around his whole head and neck, complete with a requisite dizziness and growing nausea.
Darren finally nodded, satisfied with the positioning of the makeshift bandage. He kept his left hand protectively cupped around the base of Kurt's skull, pressing the towel firmly against Chris's wounded head. With his right hand, Darren reached up, placing his hand against Chris's chin and jaw and carefully turning Chris's head until he was looking up at Darren once more.
"Hey, all done. You doing okay?" asked Darren with growing concern, noticing the hot tear that had slid down Chris's cheek and gently wiping it away with the back of his hand.
Chris's eyes fluttered as he nodded. "Yeah, just...hurts." he managed weakly.
Darren nodded and brought his hand to Chris's forehead, testing his temperature with the inside of his wrist before resting the back of his hand against Chris's flushed cheek experimentally. Chris was burning with fever, but Darren noticed that he'd begun to shiver slightly, obviously adding chills to his list of symptoms. Darren looked into Chris's fever-bright eyes, thinking about what else he could do to ease Chris's misery. Just as Darren was pondering what he could do next to help, Chris let out a deep, hacking cough that seemed to last far too long for Darren's liking.
Chris wheezed as the tickle and burn in the back of his throat suddenly made itself known again, causing him to break into an involuntary coughing jag. He gasped and choked unexpectedly, his eyes drawing closed in pain as the hacking cough shook his body and made his head throb and the room spin as he struggled to draw in air and orient himself. He found himself struggling weakly to sit up despite Darren's restraining hand as lying flat on his back seemed to be only further aggravating his cough.
Darren's eyes narrowed as Chris's fit seemed to go on and on, wracking his body with hacking coughs. He could feel Chris weakly pushing against him, seemingly struggling to sit up. It finally registered to Darren that Chris was probably having trouble breathing and that lying flat on his back was likely to only aggravate his cough further. In seconds, Darren had removed the restraining hand from Chris's body and instead slid his free arm beneath his shoulders while his other hand continued to cradle his head and neck while keeping firm, steady pressure on his bleeding head wound.
"Okay, Chris. I'm going to help you a sit up a bit more. Just lean against me. Let me do all the work. Try to breathe normally, Chris. Take slow, deep breaths. That's it. Just breathe. It'll pass in a second." Darren soothed as he cradled Chris so that Chris's head lay against his shoulder. While his left hand continued to hold the now blood-soaked towel over Chris's head wound, Darren reached out with his right and snagged a nearby bottle of water. He sighed in relief as Chris's coughing finally started to slow in intensity until at last, he stopped altogether, leaving Chris weak, sweaty, and breathless.
"Jesus, Chris," Darren started worriedly. "You are sounding worse by the minute. Here, think you could drink some water? We don't want you getting dehydrated." Darren carefully unscrewed the lid on the bottled water, bringing the bottle to Chris's mouth and watching as Chris downed it gratefully in large, slightly desperate gulps, wincing as he swallowed. After several large gulps, Chris pulled away from the water and Darren closed the bottle, setting it down on the floor near their feet.
Chris sagged into Darren, feeling as if his own body could no longer support the weight of his head which throbbed in time to Chris's pulse, causing a slight roaring, rushing sensation in his ears. "Darren," Chris breathed miserably. "This...sucks."
"I know, Chris. I know it does but we're going to get you to a doctor soon so that he or she can help you feel better, okay? You're doing great. Just hang on for a few more minutes. Zach should be back with help soon.
Chris could only nod wearily, too spent from the pain and exhaustion to respond further. His eyes fluttered closed, and Chris balanced there on the precipice between consciousness and unconsciousness as he tried desperately to get away from the steady throb in his temple.
"Chris. Chris? Chris! Hey, come on honey. No sleeping okay? I need you to keep your eyes open. Just for a few more minutes. Come on, Chris. Stay with me, please." Darren coaxed and cajoled, his voice slowly increasing in volume and panic as Chris's eyes remained closed.
Chris groaned at the sound of his name being called by Darren. God, couldn't he get a moment of peace, he thought wryly. The pain in his head, throat, and chest kept calling out to him, each pain unique in its color, texture, and shape. Above the cacophony of pain stood the unbearable agony in Chris's head. It was a red, pointed, and razor sharp pain that made the simplest of movements feel like pure torture.
"Darren?" Chris moaned softly. "Hurts...bad. Make it stop. Just wanna sleep, okay?" he mumbled, his words starting to slur together in a haze of pain and fever.
"Shh Chris... I know it hurts, honey, but you can't sleep just yet. You hit your head and might have a concussion, so I really need you to stay awake until the medic gets here, okay?"
With almost inhuman effort, Chris managed to pry open his eyes, looking up to see Darren watching him carefully, an unreadable expression on his face. "Darren?" called Chris weakly. "Will you...can you come...I don't want to be alone," he tried to explain, his words coming out jumbled. He drew a sharp breath and started again. "Darren, don't wanna go to the hospital alone. Will you come with me? Please?"
Darren bent down to kiss Chris's forehead, relieved to see his eyes once more and feeling touched that Chris wanted, no needed him to accompany him in the ambulance to the ER. "Of course, honey. I'll be with you the whole time, okay?"
And with these words, Chris seemed satisfied and finally allowed the blackness to overtake him yet again, sinking further into Darren as he was allowed a temporary reprieve from the growing pain that had threatened to overtake him only minutes earlier.
End Chapter Note: Ahh, sorry for the evil cliffhanger but I had to end this chapter somewhere and this seemed as a good a stopping point as any. I'm hoping that you are still enjoying this story. Please leave me a comment after you read and let me know what you are thinking so far. I greatly appreciate all constructive feedback. I've outlined the next 4-5 chapters, so don't worry, there is much more CrissColfer hurt/comfort goodness, angst, and fluff to come. If there is a particular character arc or plot point you'd like to see in an upcoming chapter, please let me know and I'll be happy to try to incorporate it into the story. I do have plans to introduce Lea Michele, Amber Riley, and Ashley Fink into an upcoming chapter, so that should be good fun! Please review :)
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