Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of its characters. Those would be the property of Ryan Murphy, Fox and so on and so forth.
Author's Note: Very nice reviews, guys. I've found a little more spare time, so as a Thanksgiving treat, I bring you chapter 17. ^.^ Yay! I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and get to eat lots of food, spend wonderful time with your family…and read this chapter…lol. I'm thankful for all of you guys!
-Casey
Reviewers:
theslytheringleek – Man, I don't know what I'm going to do when this story is finished, either! D= I do want to write another Glee story, but dear lord I don't have any ideas as of right now…hopefully an idea will strike me…or I should create a suggestion box…lol.
GLEEKfreak101 – Why sure, I'll wake Blaine up for you. *Takes Sue's megaphone and goes up to Blaine's hospital bed* "HEY BLAINE! GET THE FRACK UP!" Lol…maybe I should put Sue in here and have her do that…lol, I kid, I kid. =D!
MiaLawrence – Haahaha, I now dub Blaine "Sleeping Beauty". Lol. I like my version of the Anderson's too. Normally they're not very nice…and in this story, I just couldn't have that. Lol. Hope your week is starting off well!
flamealchemist15 – Nope, Kurt won't leave that room for nothin'! Lol. =D
tranghana – Hahaha, I got you! =P I'm so mean, but it turned out sorta all right…lol.
klainediva – You're very welcome. ^.^ Blaine does need to wake up like nowish…lol. I hope Karofsky gets what's coming to him, too! ;P
GreggoAddict – I loved writing the exchange between Kurt and Mr. A, it was cute and fun! =) I hope Blaine talks when he wakes up, too!
Starsleeper – Glee really needs to put Blaine's parents in…lol. I know we didn't see them, but I seriously HOPE they attended WSS, lol. I'm so honored by your compliments, thank you. =) I hope I can count on your wonderful reviews on my next Glee Adventure, too! 3!
Azaelia67 – I hate when writer's do that. XP I've been doing that with one of my stories…=P But it's been a run into the ground sort of deal and like no one's reading it anymore anyway…or at least not that I know of…lol. I should probably just slap a last chapter on that one and call it good. It's like the one story I never completed. But hey, at least I would never do that to you guys. ^.^
Klaine Lover – What a review! Lol. I always enjoy your reviews. I think I do need some more Warblers up in here. Lol.
riker-rocky-ross-lynchlover795 – I know! Isn't he just the most amazing boyfriend ever? ^.^
AisforAwesome – Oh no! My puppy dog eyes failed? =( Yes, a little break from the drama is good, but when there is no drama, there is indeed angst. ;D
Frances – We needed some mature adults after all that Blaine's been through, eh? Let's hope that Blaine shall wake up and Mr. Anderson can tell Blaine what he told Kurt. ;D
fanficloverme96 – You are the infinite badass you are. ;D You know, we have been lacking Warblers…and I think those guys need to come pay us a visit. Lol. And hahahaha I got you with the daydream, too! Teehee! I'm an evil one, I tell ya!
MadamMalkin93 – Yeah, I had a nice streak of cliffies there for a while, I thought I'd give you guys a break. Lol. Blaine does need to wake up, lol I miss him already!
LaLaLandFanGirl – Oh no! No panic attacks now! Lol. I'm so glad you love it!
Marie-Ruth – I know! My Mr. Anderson is amazing! =D
katieo97 – I really wanted to trick people with the first part of the chapter, apparently I succeeded. Lol. We shall see if Blaine wants to survive for us. ;D
Kilen – I'm glad to hear that! =D!
Wonderful as always you guys are! You make me so happy! So without further adieu, let's get our reading on, shall we?
Chapter 17. "Surprise Visitors"
Kurt sat in his seat rocking back and forth waiting for Blaine to make any sign of movement, just one sign.
"Come on, sweetheart, you have to wake up. There are too many things you're missing out on." Kurt grabbed for one of Blaine's hands and stroked over it gently with his thumb. "It's been a year, Blaine. You've been in a coma for a year and the doctors are all losing hope. I'll never give up on you Blaine…you mean too much to me. Please sweetheart wake up for me please—"
Kurt was startled when he thought he saw a shift of movement from the bed.
"Blaine? Blaine, honey?" Kurt gasped out as he stood up hesitantly. If there was movement, that meant-
Without warning, Blaine shot up from the bed and started screaming at the top of his lungs.
"Dave, I need Dave!"
Kurt blinked in shock. Was Blaine really asking for Karofsky after he had just been in a coma for a year? Kurt was filled with joy seeing his love wake from a coma that he thought he might never awake from, but he didn't like hearing Blaine call for his attacker. He had to be confused and disoriented because there was no way he meant what he was asking for.
"Dave? What? I'm confused, Blaine-"
"I need Dave!" Blaine repeated in exasperation. "He loves me and he'd never leave me! I need him now! Go away, Kurt; you don't love me and I certainly don't love you! GO AWAY!"
Kurt felt his heart shatter; he didn't know what to do. He hadn't given Blaine any reason to think this way. Why was he saying these things? He needed to go and get a nurse, but before he could, Blaine stopped him by grabbing onto his arm with a forceful grip that had actually begun to hurt.
"You better be going to get Dave, Kurt or I swear-"
"Blaine, you're confused, honey…Dave is—"
"Not here! I need him! Go get him now or I'll fucking kill you, Kurt!"
Kurt woke up gasping. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he was slowly trying to adjust back to consciousness. The consistent beeping of the medical equipment rapidly brought him back to reality as he once again became aware of his surroundings. Just to be sure, he snuck a quick glance over at the bed next to his; Blaine was still there with no sign of any movement being made since he last set eyes on him. Alas, it had been yet another nightmare plagued night. He hadn't been getting decent sleep for weeks due to the nightmares and it was really starting to get to him; however, this one was just bizarre. Blaine would never speak to him like that much less ask for Dave right after he got out of a coma. The part that really shook him was the fact that in his dream, Blaine had been comatose for over a year. It never had occurred to him that Blaine could really be in a coma for that long.
Kurt sat up and rubbed at his eyes. The hospital room was empty and silent as he grabbed his phone from the bedside table. 9:17 AM. Surprisingly enough, he'd gotten quite a few hours of sleep. He saw that he had a text from his father and opened the message. 'Called you in to school. Remember, just for today, kiddo. I want you home by curfew tonight. Call me if you need anything.' Kurt silently wondered if there was a way he could guilt trip his dad into getting him an extra day off if Blaine didn't wake up. Probably not, but it'd be worth a shot and he'd have to cross that bridge when he came to it.
Blaine's parents must have gone to work before Kurt had woken, which was fine by him. He had no intention of leaving Blaine until one of them came back and coma or no, Kurt was happy to have some alone time with Blaine. Kurt sighed and proceeded to leave the hospital room to use the restroom. If he wasn't able to get the next day off, he hoped that one of the Anderson's could stay with Blaine. He didn't feel comfortable leaving Blaine alone again; they'd done it once and look where it got them: another damn hospital.
As soon as he reached the restroom, he walked over to the sink, turned the cold faucet on and cupped his hands allowing the icy water to fill up as he splashed the water on his face. It made him feel better as the water dripped down into the sink, each drop washing away that horrible nightmare. He grabbed a paper towel and dried off as his body slowly but surely started to wake up. A shower would probably do him wonders, but he wanted at least someone in Blaine's room standing watch if he was going to go home and shower at any point.
He left the bathroom and headed straight back to Blaine's room. When he rounded the corner, he was met with some of the hospital staff who smiled as they walked past him. Kurt wished he could smile back, but that nightmare haunted him and he couldn't seem to lose his thoughts in anything else. He responded with his best attempt at a smile, which probably came out as some sort of weird grimace and hurried along until he was back in Blaine's room. He fell into his chair next to Blaine's bed and resumed his post from the night before.
He stared at his boyfriend with sadness plaguing his very core. He silently wished that Blaine could just wake up and forget all of the bad things that had happened to him. As much as Kurt hoped that he wouldn't wake up with a case of amnesia, Blaine did deserve to have no memory of all of the horrors that had happened to him. Kurt sighed deeply and reached out to hold Blaine's hand. Just like in the nightmare. He tried to shut the memory of that out and just be here for Blaine when he woke up.
"Blaine, sweetheart, it's me," Kurt began with a sad smile. "I spend a lot of time talking to people who are in a coma and let me tell you, it's not one of my favorite pastimes. Look, honey…we need you here. Not just me, but your mom and dad, the Warblers, we all need you. You being in a coma is killing us. We need you to wake up, please…"
Kurt scooted his chair closer so that he could rest his head on Blaine's bed as he guided his thumb over Blaine's hand. He sat alone in the silence for a few minutes just listening to the machines indicating that Blaine's heart was still beating. That beeping was what kept Kurt's heart beating. It was a constant reminder that Blaine hadn't died from that gunshot wound and that he was still here. He may be trapped in his own mind right now, but he was still alive and Kurt needed to focus on that.
"Hey Kurt," A voice sounded startling Kurt out of his thoughts.
Kurt picked himself up from the bed with record speed as he was surprised by the voice, albeit a familiar one. Once he saw the many red and blue blazers in the door way, his tension quickly turned into elation.
"Jeff…everyone, hi," Kurt greeted in surprise as he stood up to go and give everyone a hug as they all clumsily made their way into the room. David, Nick, Jeff, Trent and Thad were the ones who had been able to make it. The big surprise was when one other appeared behind them.
"Wes!" Kurt exclaimed as he enveloped the previous council leader in a warm hug. Wes had graduated and had been off to college, but he still kept in close contact with all of the Warblers. Kurt wouldn't be surprised if they skyped with Wes during Warbler meetings. He could even see the image of Wes, gavel at the ready on a screen with the Warbler's gathered around hanging on his every word.
"Wonderful to see you, Kurt," Wes replied as he returned his hug. "I heard what happened, well most of the details anyway. I never thought anyone could be capable of doing this to someone like Blaine."
"A very sick person," Kurt responded with anger at the very thought of Dave.
"Has there been any change?" Thad asked as he walked over to Blaine's bed and rested his hand softly on Blaine's.
"No, no change as of yet. The doctor said that the surgery was successful, but Blaine lost a lot of blood which resulted in shock. They remain hopeful, but they said only time will tell," Kurt explained shakily as he tried not to cry in front of all of his former classmates.
"I wish we could have done more, but it all happened so fast-" Jeff started but trailed off with a look of sheer guilt on his face.
"You're not at fault, Jeff; I heard the phone call. I heard you and Nick and trying to get Dave to leave Blaine alone. You did all that you could, I'm sure of it. I'm extremely grateful that you two didn't get hurt as well," Kurt responded with sincerity.
Jeff nodded, seeming to take Kurt's words to heart and went to join Nick who had already made his way over to Blaine's bedside.
"So this...Dave Karofsky guy? Did they catch him?" Wes asked emotionless as he stared at Blaine's still form.
"Yeah, they caught him. What they're going to do with him, however...who knows?" Thad responded not taking his eyes away from Blaine.
The Warblers were all silent for a moment as they all took in their friend's condition. Everyone was shocked at the image of Blaine lying dead still in a bed. Normally he was so hyper and full of life. After all, it took all that they had to try and keep Blaine from jumping on the furniture during performances. This to all of them wasn't Blaine; it was a stranger.
"So, I'm confused, it's only like 10 in the morning yet, you guys are all here on a school day," Kurt stated just realizing what time it was.
"Kurt, we Warblers have always had our weird ways. It's like you think Dalton has teachers or something," Jeff joked lightly.
Kurt managed a small smile at that. The Warblers really never did have a hard time getting off campus. Blaine had done it to confront Karofsky way back when and all of the Warblers had managed to get out to send Kurt off on the steps at McKinley when they had sang 'Somewhere Only We Know," He had to face it, The Warblers just had their ways.
"Man, what I wouldn't give to have Blaine get up right now and just say that this is all a joke," Trent said completely downtrodden, causing the mood to shift away from the lighthearted reprieve they just had.
"What I wouldn't give to hear him sing and see him jumping on all the furniture…seriously, this boy's like 5 years old with the way he handles furniture," Nick said with a small grin. "He still owes me a game of 'the floor is lava'."
"You know what I'd love to see? Blaine wake up and suck face with Kurt; that's always a sight for sore eyes," David responded with a sheepish grin at Kurt who playfully smacked at his arm.
"I would give anything for him to wake up with no memory of any of this," Kurt admitted, fighting the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes.
The Warblers all muttered in agreement that they would wish for the same.
"Is it true that if you talk to someone in a coma that they can possibly hear you?" Nick asked tentatively, not removing his gaze from Blaine.
"I've heard that it's possible, yeah. I talked to my father when he was in a coma and he woke up from it. I-I don't know exactly if that's why he woke up, but in my experience, it doesn't hurt to try," Kurt responded, trying to keep the memory of his father in this same position as far from his mind as possible.
There was a few more moments of silence before Nick took Kurt's usual seat next to Blaine's bed and grabbed for his comatose friend's hand.
"Blaine? It's Nick-" He trailed off a little embarrassed at being watched, but continued regardless. "Look, man, we need you to wake up. You're one of our best friends; our leader and without you, we're nothing. Not just as Warblers, but as friends. We're really not complete without you. If you're not around, there's no one to be Captain Goober and at the same time keep all the rest of us goofballs in line. We need you here, Blaine."
"Blaine, Thad here," Thad joined in nervously and received an encouraging smile from Nick to continue. "The last time we saw you, you were a wreck and just weren't yourself. It killed us to see you that way, just like it kills us to see you like this now. We need you to wake up, Blaine…without you, The Warblers; your friends really are nothing. You gotta wake up, man."
"Blaine, it's Trent…" Trent began, stepping closer towards the bed. "I've always admired how you've been our leader and led us to do our best with everything we ever did. I remember the day you and I joined the Warblers together. I thought it was an awful idea, but you convinced me that it would be good for both of us because of what happened to us at our other schools. You changed my life by dragging me to that audition and you've always been there for me with your confidence and compassion. I-I just can't lose a friend like that, so please wake up."
Trent wiped a few stray tears and allowed Jeff to come closer to say his piece.
"Blaine, buddy," Jeff started, taking Blaine's other hand and putting it to his mouth like a microphone. "Is this thing on?"
This elicited a few much needed chuckles throughout the room. Even Kurt couldn't help but crack a smile at Jeff's shenanigans.
"There's no option to not wake up," Jeff stated with a little more seriousness. "We'd be lost without you, man. You're the one who encourages us all to be winners on stage and off and we can't lose that at any cost. You're the best thing that ever happened to Dalton and we can't lose you. You're the magical leprechaun that keeps us all together and without you, we'd all fall apart...not to mention, we'd be short a leprechaun..."
David sensed that Jeff was going to go on some kind of strange ramble, so he interjected before Jeff had the opportunity to lead them all down a never ending tangent about magical leprechauns.
"Blaine, when you first auditioned for The Warblers, we knew we had found someone special," David began. "You were exuberant, energetic, and most importantly, passionate about what you were doing. You were every bit of what it means to be a Warbler and not just in rehearsal, you lived it. That's why we focused on you the way we did. Your light burns bright, brother and we just can't have that light burn out, you have to fight. You're needed here."
Wes had been smiling at all of the touching things everyone had said and seized the moment to add his share. "Blaine, if I had my gavel with me, which I kept by the way," Wes started with a grin that had Kurt rolling his eyes. "I would object to your coma. You don't belong in that bed, Blaine. You deserve to be dancing around-even if it's on the furniture," That last remark was met with another laugh from the room. "You're full of life, Blaine. What happened to you was terrible beyond all comprehension, but you can't let it destroy your spirit or let a gunshot keep you from everything you have to offer to the world. The world couldn't handle the coldness if you left it Blaine, trust me."
Kurt couldn't help it, during the speeches tears had sprung from his eyes without permission and he was quietly sobbing as he listened to all of the beautiful words from his friends.
"Kurt, would you like to add anything?" Wes asked, placing a gentle hand on Kurt's shoulder. Kurt looked into Wes's caring brown eyes and gave a small nod. He sniffled and cleared his throat before he began to speak.
"Blaine Anderson, you're the world to me. You're what keeps me breathing through every day. Without you, I'm lost. It was you who pulled me out of my day to day terror and it was you who gave me the courage to stand up and not be afraid to be who I was. The first day I met you, somehow, I knew I loved you. You were the only thing I could see. If I lost you, I would lose myself, Blaine. I couldn't bear it if you didn't wake up. I need you, baby…I love you too much to lose you," By the end of this, Kurt was sobbing openly, being comforted by Wes who was rubbing comforting circles on his back.
"That was wonderful guys, I hope Blaine gets the message," David said with a smile.
"I think he heard us," Wes encouraged, with a warm smile.
The Warblers said their goodbyes to Kurt left to go back to Dalton before any of the fabled teachers became too suspicious and Wes had to get back to the University, so Kurt was once again left alone with Blaine. He sat in his usual chair with Blaine's hand held firmly in his.
"It was nice to hear what all those guys had to say, I hope you heard all of it…it was really lovely," Kurt said softly hoping Blaine could hear him as well. "I know that they meant every word of it, too. You're so special to all of us, sweetheart."
Kurt smiled lightly as he stroked Blaine's curls out of his eyes. "I wish you'd free the curls every once in a while, all that gel isn't necessary. These curls are to die for," Kurt chuckled as they fell back onto his forehead.
Kurt glanced at his cell phone and saw that it was approaching noon. McKinley would be getting out in a couple of hours and a few members of the Glee Club had promised to visit. He really needed a hug from Mercedes. As much as he loved being by Blaine's side, it was killing him to spend day after day staring at him in this state. He wished that there was some guarantee that he would come out of this, but the statement"only time will tell," had him downtrodden. He had to remain hopeful; Blaine wouldn't give up on life without a fight. If there was a fact that Kurt was positive of, it was that.
"Courage, Blaine," Kurt whispered softly as he held Blaine's hand tightly to his chest.
One word: WARBLERS! I had to bring them back in. We were completely lacking Warbler time and I know that you guys needed some Warblers…plus, we needed all those heartfelt speeches…I mean, what if Blaine can hear them? It'd definitely help with the healing process. ;D Let's hope that he did hear them! Anyways guys, it'd be a nice Thanksgiving gift if you left me your thoughts! I hope everyone has a wonderful day! =D
Much love…and virtual pumpkin pie?
-Casey