Hello again! I wanted to wait a little while to post this, but I got so excited about it that I decided to just go with it. It's on the short side, but it's definitely a good one. Enjoy!

SPOV

"I'm going down to the cafeteria to grab something. Do you want anything?" Julie asks me. I shake my head and she looks at me worriedly. "You've barely eaten or slept in weeks," she reminds me. "A cup of coffee? A sandwich? Anything?"

I consider it. "A cup of coffee would be great," I reply finally. "Thank you."

She nods and exists, leaving me alone with Blaine. It's been three weeks. Twenty one days, and not a change. Twenty one days I've sat in this chair, falling asleep leaning on the edge of the bed, never leaving except when necessary. As often happens lately, my thoughts drift back to my role in this. If only I hadn't involved him in the first place, neither of us would be here. I feel the tears start up again, and I burrow my face into his chest, missing the smell of him. Now he only smells vaguely of disinfectant and the sharp hospital smell. I sob the way I've wanted to for all these days, but was never able to. "I'm so sorry," I murmur, over and over. Wishing he could understand.

I feel a light touch on my back and assume that Julie has returned. However, when I look there's no one there. Which can only mean…I glance up at Blaine's face. His eyes are still closed, his face holding the same smooth expression as always. But his hand is now on my back, where it wasn't before.

I frantically hit the call button until a nurse appears. "He moved!" I almost yell at her.

"Calm down, Mr. Smythe," she says. "What happened?"

"I was upset," I explain. "And I hugged him, and his hand moved to my back. I know it wasn't there before. He moved!" She busies herself checking the monitors for a few minutes. "Well?" I ask. "Is he waking up?"

"Not yet," she replies carefully. "He's having what we call purposeful movements. It doesn't mean that he's waking up, but it does mean that there is consciousness there. It's a step in the right direction."

I thank her as Julie returns with the food. "What's going on?" she asks.

"He moved," I explain. "The nurse said that it was a purposeful movement. She said it doesn't mean he's waking up yet, but it does mean that his consciousness is still there. It's a good sign." She claps happily and hugs me before taking her seat again.

Three more days pass. Late one night, when Julie has fallen asleep on the edge of the bed, Blaine stirs. I jolt upright, watching him. "Blaine?" I say softly.

The hand I'm holding gives a weak squeeze, and his eyes fly open, searching the room in a panic. I stroke his cheek gently until he focuses on me, and I can see his confusion and anxiety. "Blaine, can you hear me?" I ask. He nods slowly. I smile. "Welcome back. I know you're scared, but it's alright. You're in the hospital, but you're going to be okay now. I'm here, I promise you're safe. Just relax and I'll get a nurse." He relaxes slightly, holding my hand tighter.

I hit the call button and shake Julie gently. She jumps. "What?"

"He's awake!" I tell her.

She blinks tiredly for a minute before realizing what I said and looking to Blaine. She smiles brightly when she sees that his eyes are open. "Blaine! Honey! I'm so glad you're alright!"

The nurse walks in and smiles. "Welcome back, Mr. Anderson. We've been waiting for you. I know you probably have a lot of questions, and we'll answer them soon. But I'm sure all these tubes and wires aren't comfortable. We can take some of them out now."

He nods enthusiastically, and the nurse begins removing wires and sensors from him until only the basic ones are left. "Alright," she says, "let's get that breathing tube out."

Blaine glances at me nervously, his grip on my hand tightening. I stroke his hair soothingly. "Shh," I murmur, "It'll be alright, honey. Once that's out you'll be able to talk to us."

The nurse quickly removes it, and Blaine coughs harshly. "Wa…ter…" he chokes out. We feed him ice chips until his throat feels better. I hold him close, happy to have him back. "Seb…?" he rasps.

I smile at him. "Hmm?"

He smiles softly. "Love you."

I kiss his cheek gently. "I love you too. Do you remember what happened?"

He nods. "Your…father." His brows furrow. "Where…?"

"He's in jail, where he'll stay for a long, long time. Do you want to know what happened after that?" He nods, so I explain. "You hit your head really hard. The doctors said there was some bleeding in your brain. They were able to fix it, but you were in a coma for a long time."

His eyes widen slightly at this. "How long?"

"A little over three weeks."

His eyes get a panicked edge to them, and I stroke his cheek lightly. "It's okay, honey. Your body just needed that time to recover. You're okay now." He hesitates slightly, but nods and leans into my touch.

He looks up at me. "Don't…leave," he pleads. "Hospitals…are scary…"

I nod and kiss his forehead gently. "Don't worry, sweetheart. I'm not going anywhere."

He shifts over shakily and pats the space next to him. I climb up, careful not to squish him. He smiles and rests his head on my chest. I carefully put my arms around him and feel him relax against me.

Julie smiles and kisses us both on the forehead. "Goodnight boys."

Yay! Don't worry, there's much more drama to be had, but I didn't want to be creul and drag this out on you. Remember to review and make me happy!

Until next time,

TheSongSmith