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:

Wonderful reviews as always, guys. I was sad to see that we've lost some readers, but I'm sure that was due to my absence. =/ I'm going to address all of the reviews here again because I'm again writing very late into the night and am very tired. ;) One thing that stuck out to me was the fear that I might not have been continuing this. I could never leave you guys like that! Not after the road we've been down! Lol. I really hated that long hiatus. =( Plus, we still have things that need to be addressed…like what will Blaine remember after he wakes up…what will become of Karofsky…and most importantly…Azimio. We have a bit of stuff to go through here still.

So anyway, here's another brand new chapter for you guys. =) I really have missed all of you!

Reviews are as always, appreciated!

Much love,

-Casey

Chapter 19. "What Do You Remember?"

The uncomfortable scratchy feeling of the sheets, the all too familiar metallic smell and what appeared to be the glow of florescent lights on the other side of his closed eyelids…Blaine knew instantly where he had to be. He was becoming all too familiar with every aspect of these awful hospital rooms. What had happened to him? He felt like he'd been out for weeks and he couldn't even muster the strength to open his eyes. He felt entirely too weak to even fathom a thought, which was fine by him; the longer his eyes were closed, the longer he could delay the inevitable reality he had to face.

As soon as he attempted to throw himself back into the peaceful oblivion known as sleep, that's when it all came rushing back: Karofsky, a gun…Nick and Jeff…Oh god, were they all right? What happened to them? Did Karofsky hurt them? All these thoughts went racing through his mind a mile a minute. Unfortunately, his blissful world of sleep would have to wait and reality would have to become a top priority. He needed answers and he needed them now.

Blaine opened his eyes.

"Blaine, sweetheart?"

Blaine knew that kind and caring voice.

"Mom?"

"Oh, honey, you're awake!" She exclaimed whilst grabbing onto his hand and holding it to her lips to kiss. "I've been so worried."

Blaine's eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"Do you," Mrs. Anderson began tentatively. "Do you remember anything, sweetheart?"

Blaine thought he did. He wasn't so sure. It was all coming back to him in bits and pieces. He was just starting to get his grip back on consciousness and was trying to piece together every detail in his mind like a jigsaw puzzle.

Blaine stared into his mother's eyes that were filled to the brim with tears. He felt his heart clench at the sight. He didn't want to see her cry over him even if it was out of joy. He gently pulled his hand out from her grip and brought his hand to her face to wipe away a stray tear from her makeup stained cheek.

"Don't cry, mom; I hate seeing you cry. Plus, you're ruining your mascara. "

When she looked back at her son, Blaine could feel all of her love just flow onto him. He felt more touched by his mother's emotion rather than the confusion he had felt before. How could he believe that his mother couldn't love him again after all that had happened? She had loved him and cared for him so much; he felt like a criminal to have even doubted it for a second.

Blaine was taken aback when he saw her eyes widen ever so slightly.

"Sweetheart…you're talking. You're actually talking to me," She spoke softly in astonishment. She laughed and wrapped her arms around him tightly as she cried into his shoulder with relief.

Blaine's eyes widened in return. He just realized that he had finally talked to his mom for the first time since his kidnapping. All of his communication to her since the whole ordeal had been written. He could hardly believe that he hadn't noticde that he'd been talking. At that moment, Blaine filed all his fear and pain away and just basked in the sensation of being awake and seeing his mom again.

Blaine licked his lips to regain some moisture on them, his throat was scratchy and raspy…how long exactly had he been out?

"Mama, how long have I—"

She carefully unwrapped herself from around her son and wiped a tear away with her palm. "You've been in a coma few days, honey. Do you remember anything from what happened?"

Did he? No, not really. He remembered bits and pieces…then a horrible pain in his chest. What exactly was that pain? The gun? What happened to Karofsky? Where was Kurt? His questions were endless, but he didn't have a lot of strength to ask all of them. What was really plaguing his mind at the moment was Kurt's whereabouts. Where was Kurt?

"Kurt," Blaine whispered.

"What was that, honey?"

"Kurt…where is Kurt?"

Understanding filled Mrs. Anderson's eyes. "Oh, sweetheart, he was here every minute at your bedside, but I finally convinced him to go home and take a breather. He didn't want to leave, but I told him it was best. I'm sorry you had to wake up without him here; I can call him, though. Would you want me to call him, sweetie?"

Blaine nodded wanting to give his throat some rest. Not only had he been in a coma for a few days, but his vocal chords had been quite a bit out of practice for a while now. He didn't know what this meant for the future and he couldn't exactly explain it, but he didn't feel as afraid to talk anymore. He didn't know how long this bravery would last, but he felt like taking advantage of it while he could.

Mrs. Anderson went to go make the phone call to Kurt as Blaine was left unattended in his bed. He was sure that his mom would also go and get a nurse; he hoped that when she did, the nurse brought a glass of water with her. His throat was killing him, not to mention a rather foreign pain in his chest. He carefully placed his hand on the woolen blanket and peeled it away from his chest and felt his heart jump into his throat.

There was a large incision in his chest that was now closed together by stitches, which he was certain would leave a horrible scar. He felt his heart rate quicken and his breath become a little hitched. What the hell had happened to him?

His mother returned, luckily with a nurse. She took in his appearance and quickened her pace to his bedside.

"Blaine, it's great to see you awake, are you in any pain?"

Blaine shook his head slightly, too shocked for any additional movement.

"No pain at all? That's good, but you look rather alarmed, did you perhaps see the incision?"

Blaine nodded slowly trying to calm down.

"W-what happened to me?" Blaine asked as loudly as he could with his raspy voice.

The nurse must have noticed it because she brought his attention to the glass of water on his bedside table. He felt stupid to not have noticed it before. He grabbed for it like it was the last glass of water he would ever be lucky enough to behold and took rather large sips of the cold water. He immediately began coughing as his throat rejected the liquid.

"Easy, easy," The nurse instructed. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a straw that she began to unwrap. "I think this will make it a bit easier to take smaller sips. Not too much all at once, you don't want to make yourself sick."

Blaine responded with an uneasy smile as he gratefully took the straw from her hands. He dunked it down into the water and tried to sip at it again. She was right, it did make it a lot easier to take it slower.

"What do you remember?"

Blaine removed his attention from his water and sat up slightly, wincing a bit when the movement put strain on the stitches.

"Careful there. You don't want to pull out your stitches now," The nurse came to Blaine's side and pushed the button on his bed to adjust it so that he could sit up.

"I-I remember being at school...then he showed up out of nowhere and he planned to take me away again. Nick and Jeff were there and—Nick and Jeff! What happened to them?" Blaine asked in alarm realizing that he didn't yet have the answer to that question.

"They're fine, honey. They're both fine. They both came to visit you just this morning with the rest of the Warblers, "His mother intervened.

Blaine nodded with relief. They were both fine. Karofsky hadn't hurt them.

"It's curious that all of those private school boys got permission to get out of school to come visit at the same time," The nurse trailed off curiously.

Blaine couldn't help but smile ever so slightly. The Warblers were very good about getting on and off of campus. It was always a mystery to everyone, but they had their ways.

"What else do you remember, honey?" Mrs. Anderson asked getting back on track.

"Not a whole lot," Blaine started honestly. "I just remember him trying to carry me off, but Nick and Jeff wouldn't let him…then…he…"

That's when it all came back to him. Blaine had been ordered onto his knees in front of Karofsky right in front of Dalton.

"I want you to tell me that you don't want to be with me!" Dave screamed the demand at the highest octave he was capable of.

Blaine didn't say anything, he just knelt silently and watched as his tears splashed into the grass beneath him. The cooler fall weather was causing the grass to begin to die. Blaine thought back to how beautiful it was once spring had arrived as the snow began to melt. All of that beautiful green; now it was dying a slow and merciless death.

"Say it!"

Blaine flinched at the loud scream that had wrenched him from his thoughts. This was it; he took a deep breath and responded in barely above a whisper, "I d-don't want to be with you."

Dave let out a heart wrenching sob as the sound of a gunshot sounded.

Blaine's brought his hands to his lips as he stifled a gasp of shock. Karofsky had shot him. That's what the pain had been, the reason he had been unconscious and the reason that he had an incision with stitches; the bullet had to have been removed. It all came flooding back to him now and it was all becoming clear.

The nurse and his mother looked at him in understanding knowing that he was beginning to remember what had happened.

"I—he—he shot me, didn't he?" Blaine let out in a whisper.

Mrs. Anderson's tears began to spill again as she slowly nodded.

"Yes, honey. You were shot, by that disgusting Neanderthal," She replied with a bitterness towards Karofsky.

It all made a lot more sense now. Blaine was relieved that no one had been hurt, but he also couldn't believe that Dave had actually shot him. He knew he was capable of a lot…but attempted murder? Blaine shouldn't put it past him. There was a lot of things that Dave was capable of that he never could have imagined before any of this.

"What—what happened to him?" Blaine asked focusing his attention on his blanket.

"He's in police custody with no bail. Many witnesses saw what happened and the police caught him at the scene," Mrs. Anderson answered her son's question with all of her anger at Karofsky extremely evident. She was usually very good at hiding her anger from everyone; Blaine had gotten that trait from her. He and his mother always kept their composure unless something completely brought them over the edge; she had to be absolutely livid to be letting her guard down like this.

"Will there be a trial?" Blaine asked.

"Let's not focus on all of this just now. For the time being, I just want you to get some rest and heal, sweetheart. Don't let that…thing keep you from that, too," Mrs. Anderson responded as she attempted to hide away her anger and remain composed.

Blaine knew this process well; he had to use it often, so he grabbed his mom's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze to offer his support, which caused her to calm down a lot quicker as a result.

He was distracted from his mother when footsteps and a soft whimper sounded from the doorway.

Blaine looked up and his eyes landed on him. His beauty mesmerized him and blocked out all the negative energy from earlier. His presence was like a light had just begun to shine, filling the room with a scintillating glow. His ocean blue eyes were shimmering with tears as he gazed at Blaine from the doorway.

"You're awake," Came his beautiful ethereal voice. It soothed Blaine to his very core to hear it.

He responded by slowly stretching his arms out towards Kurt.

Kurt took the hint and ran to Blaine. Once he got to his side, he carefully fell into Blaine's arms, careful to avoid the healing wound on his chest.

"I was so scared that you wouldn't wake up," Kurt sobbed.

Blaine gently stroked Kurt's hair as he held him and felt him begin to slowly relax in his arms like a bowl of melted butter.

"And never get to see your face again? How could I not wake up?" Blaine asked softly.

Kurt froze causing Blaine to feel somewhat anxious. What was wrong? Kurt then pulled away slowly and stared at Blaine in shock.

"What's wrong, sweetheart? Did I do something wrong?" Blaine asked, beginning to panic.

Kurt surprised him by looking shocked one moment and the next he let out a squeak and burrowed into Blaine's arms once again.

"You're talking again! And…and… you're Blaine!"

Blaine was confused by that statement.

"I've always been Blaine," He responded in confusion.

Kurt pulled away again and without wanting to lose contact, decided to grab onto both of Blaine's hands instead.

"I understood why, but before…you weren't yourself and I was so scared, Blaine. So scared that I'd lose you forever; not just physically, but mentally. I never knew if I'd see the old you again, but-but here you are!" Kurt exclaimed with tears of joy streaming down his face.

Blaine felt his heart drop. He had let his fear get so out of control that he had hurt the people who mattered to him most. He shouldn't have been so afraid; he shouldn't have let himself. Kurt needed him to be strong; he had known that and yet he had scared Kurt anyway. He felt very disappointed in himself. He tried very hard to keep any tears from falling, but his eyes were stinging as they began to fill with water.

"I'm…so…sorry, Kurt," Blaine began looking down in shame.

"What? For what, Blaine?"

Blaine continued to look down at his blanket as the guilt began to consume him, like he was falling into a deep black hole. Kurt's pale hand reached to his chin and softly pulled his face up so that their eyes connected.

"What on earth do you have to be sorry for, sweetheart?" Kurt asked with his usual compassionate tone.

Blaine hadn't noticed until now, but the nurse and his mother had left the room, obviously to give them their alone time. Blaine was thankful for that; he didn't want to look over to his mother now and feel guilty over how much he had scared her, too.

"I let my fear get the best of me. I'm usually so good at hiding my insecurities, but this time I let them take over. I should have been stronger, I shouldn't have been so weak, I should—"

Kurt cut Blaine off by placing a finger onto his lips. He looked very serious, which shut Blaine up in an instant.

"That…is absurd Blaine Anderson. You were never weak for even one second. To go through what you did and still manage to live from day to day is stronger than any person in the world could be expected to be. You, Blaine, are the strongest person I've ever met in my life. I was scared that I was losing the old you, but even if I did, I would still love you. How could I not love someone as brave as my boyfriend who had unimaginable things happen to him and yet, he still came back to me. I'm so very lucky to have you, Blaine. You're my knight in shining armor and I love you so much. Don't for one second think that you were ever weak. You haven't been weak a day in your life," Kurt spoke with immense sincerity.

Blaine couldn't help it, he was so enamored with Kurt's lecture that he couldn't formulate words; he just leaned forward and pressed his lips to Kurt's. This was the first kiss that they had shared since the night he was taken. It felt like fireworks were dancing around them as they held each other close and familiarized themselves with each others lips once again. He had missed feeling Kurt's lips on his and the very feeling of them chased away all of the disgust from the last kisses he was forced to endure with Karofsky. Kurt's warm lips knew his so well that they were completely in sync; sure they were both a little out of practice from how long it had been, but they were beginning to find their way back.

"I've missed you," Kurt breathed softly as he nuzzled his head into Blaine's neck.

"I've missed you," Blaine repeated as he wrapped both of his arms around Kurt. "I won't leave you again, I promise."

"This is probably the most disgusting display I have ever seen."

Kurt pulled out of Blaine's embrace just as he looked up to see Azimio standing in the doorway.

Blaine felt his stomach churn. Azimio…how could he have not thought of Azimio? It wasn't exactly a surprise that he would come here after his best friend had been arrested for the crime they both had committed against Blaine.

"Azimio, what the hell are you doing here?" Kurt asked coldly.

"I came to talk to your little boyfriend. Care to give us a few minutes alone, lady-boy?"

Typical Casey, right? Have everything all sweet and happy and of course a problem has to make its way in, eh? What does Azimio want, hmm? What's going to happen? We might just find out if we want to leave Casey some reviews letting her know how she's doing. ;D Tee hee, well let's me know how things are going guys and hopefully we can get another update here sooner than later! Much love to all of you!

-Casey