"Santana, please, don't tell anyone." Kurt begged as the latina girl continued to smirk at the two of them.
"Please, this can't get out." Blaine chimed in.
"What's in it for me?" Santana asked with a smirk across her face. Kurt and Blaine looked dumbfounded. What did they possibly have that Santana would want? "If i'm going to be keeping my mouth shut, I'll want something to reassure me that it's worth my time." she told them.
"What do you want?" Kurt sighed.
"Any good surgical cases that come into the ER." Santana said. "You guys can take all of the broken bones and tummy aches in the pit."
"You're going to blackmail us?" Kurt exclaimed.
"Deal." Blaine said jumping in. "Promise that you won't tell anyone."
"Don't worry gelhead. I won't tell your big brother or your daddy." She said. "Remember our deal though because if you don't something just might slip." Santana reminded him before leaving.
"Why are you letting her do this to us?" Kurt asked angrily. "She can't just do this. It's not just an inconvenience to us, but it's compromising our education!"
'What other choice did we have Kurt?" Blaine exclaimed. "Fine I admit that you were right. We shouldn't do anything in the hospital. Now, let's just get back to work before this day gets any worse." he sighed as he left the supply closet. Kurt sighed. So much for a secret romance. Now it felt like they had committed some sort of crime and were basically on the run.
"The price I pay for love." Kurt muttered before leaving the supply room. He walked to the pit where Santana, Rachel, Sam and Blaine were waiting with Dr. Anderson.
"So, this will be one of your many night shifts." Dr. Anderson said. "I'll need three of you with me for already scheduled surgeries. I will also need two of you to man the pit for any incoming emergencies that are not surgical. If two of you don't volunteer, I'll be forced to choose myself." Santana looked over at Kurt and Blaine with a devilish look on her face.
"I'll stay in the pit." Blaine said.
"So will I." Kurt added chiming in.
"Great, you three come with me." Dr. Anderson said before walking off.
"This is going to suck." Kurt pouted. "We're not going to even see the inside of an OR tonight."
"You never know," Blaine said hopefully. "Maybe we'll get some good surgical related trauma tonight."
"That's awful." Kurt exclaimed. "You can't just wish for people to get seriously injured so you get a chance to cut."
"You know you're wishing the same thing." Blaine retorted.
"I know…" Kurt confessed. "Does that make me a bad person?" he laughed.
"If it does, then I guess we can be bad people together." Blaine replied.
"If you two are actually ready to work, their are patients waiting to be seen." A bitchy nurse said interrupting them. Kurt and Blaine looked at her and took the charts that lay in her outstretched hands. Then, they went their separate ways. Blaine walked over to a bed that was currently occupied by an eights year old girl.
"How are we doing tonight, Sydney?" Blaine asked taking a glance at her chart. The young girl didn't talk. She stayed quiet.
"She hurt her arm fooling around at home." Her father said jumping in.
"Alright, let me just take a look at that." Blaine said nicely as he gently handled the girl's fragile arm. Blaine began to look at the arm. Something didn't look right. It was definitely broken. There was no question about that. But, what really concerned him was the bruises that were spread around the area that was injured. "Sydney can you tell how you hurt your arm?" Blaine asked. Once again the girl didn't speak.
"She was playing some stupid dancing video game in the living room and she slipped and fell on it." Her father told him.
"Well, Mr. Harper," Blaine began, taking another glance at Sydney's chart. "I need to take Sydney up and get that arm x-rayed."
"I want to go with her." the man said immediately.
"I'm sorry, but only medical professionals can be with the patient when doing x-rays. It's standard procedure. But, you're welcome to go to the cafeteria and grab something to eat and I'll let you know when she's finished." Mr. Harper seemed to be on edge. He absolutely did not want to leave his daughter. "I assure you sir, she's in good hands." Blaine added.
"Okay, I'll be back as soon as you're finished." Mr. Harper said to his daughter. Sydney nodded. Blaine helped her into a wheelchair and then began wheeling her down the hallway towards X-rays.
"So, Sydney," Blaine began. "What game were you playing when you broke your arm?" Blaine asked.
"I-It w-was Dance Dance Revolution." She said softly. "I slipped on the mat." Blaine noticed how rehearsed her answer sounded. When they got to x-rays, Blaine helped her up out of the chair. When she stood up, Blaine noticed more bruising up by her ribs. After putting a vest on her to protect her from the harmful effects of the x-ray machine, he took her x-rays and they were finished. But, Blaine wasn't ready to let her go just yet.
"I noticed some bruises on your ribs." Blaine said. "Can you tell me how you got them?"
"I fell down the stairs." Sydney replied.
"How did that happen?" Blaine asked softly.
"I just told you." Sydney snapped. "I'm clumsy. I fell." Blaine didn't want to push her anymore, because she was clearly getting upset. Blaine knew that something was wrong with this case. This little girl didn't fall down the stairs. Blaine knew that she was pushed, most likely by her father. Blaine brought Sydney back down to the ER and then went over to a nurse.
"Would you like me to tell the girl's father?" she asked.
"No." Blaine said immediately. "Just...not yet." He walked over to Kurt and tapped him.
"Oh, hey." Kurt said with a smile. "I hate the pit. I got a puker, drunk guy of course."
"I need your help." Blaine said. "I have a girl with what looks like a fractured or broken arm and she's got bruising all over her ribcage. She said she fell down the stairs."
"Maybe she did." Kurt said.
"You didn't see how her father was acting when I was examining her." Blaine said. "This poor girl looked so scared and he wouldn't let her talk. All of her answers were just so rehearsed."
"Wait, so you think that this little girl is being abused?" Kurt asked just to clarify. "Blaine, that's a really big accusation."
"Kurt, something in my gut is telling me that something isn't right." Blaine exclaimed.
"I don't know what to tell you. There's not a protocol for things like this." Kurt said.
"I'm just going to have to get her to tell me that truth." Blaine said. "I'm not going to let this man take her and hurt her again." he added not bothering to wait for a response from Kurt. He walked back over to Sydney's bedside and sat down.
"Sydney, honey, I need to know the truth about those bruises on your ribs and about your arm." Blaine said.
"You already know the truth." Sydney replied.
"Is someone hurting you?" Blaine asked again. He knew he was being forceful, but he wasn't going to let this little girl slip through his grasp.
"No." Sydney insisted. Blaine sighed and then placed his hand over the little girl's.
"Sydney, I know that you're scared and that maybe someone told you that it's not okay to tell the truth, but it is." Blaine said. "I'm here to help you. You can trust me."
"Do you promise?" she asked a tear nestled in the corner of her eye.
"I swear." Blaine said. "Nothing bad is going to happen to you."
"I-I didn't fall down the stairs." Sydney said. "My daddy pushed me and he b-broke my arm. But, he didn't mean it. Sometimes he just misses my mommy so much. So, he drinks and then he gets mean. But, afterwards he's really sorry." Sydney said. "He told me not to tell anyone about what really happened...or he'd do it again."
"Thank you." Blaine said. "Thank you for telling the truth." he added as he pulled Sydney into a hug.
"Hey! Let go of my daughter!" Blaine heard from behind him. He saw Sydney's father coming straight for him. In an instant, Blaine picked Sydney off of the bed and held her in his arms. "Put her down!" The man snarled. Blaine looked over to a nurse who stood nearby.
"Get security now." He mouthed to her. She nodded before scurrying away.
"Did you hear me?" Mr. Harper yelled again. "I said put her down."
"Sir, I need you to calm down." Blaine said in a calm voice.
"Calm down! You're stealing my daughter." The man yelled. "You've already stolen my wife! You can't have her too!" Blaine didn't know how to respond to that. Stole his wife? What was this guy talking about? Luckily, security arrived and took custody of Mr. Harper. Blaine, then, put Sydney down.
"Sydney, I have to ask. What was your mommy's name?" Blaine asked.
"I-I think her name was Anna." Sydney replied. "I was really little when she died." Blaine looked to the nurse and asked her to get Anna Harper's file. In that time, a social worker came and took Sydney. She would stay in the hospital for tonight, but tomorrow she would most likely end up in foster care. But, anything was better than being with an abusive parent. When Anna's file came, Blaine opened it. Inside it read: Anna Harper died February 23 of a cardiac tumor removal. Surgeon: Nicholas Anderson." Now it all made sense. Blaine looked so much like his father. It was no wonder Mr Harper had reacted like he did.
Regardless of the past, Blaine was glad that he had gotten Sydney out of that house. It was clear that her father needed help.
"Hey!" Kurt said as he walked up to him. "Seems like your gut was right."
"Yeah." Blaine said softly.
"But, how did you know?" Kurt asked. " I know that the physical evidence was there, but you knew from the moment you laid eyes on her."
"Past experience." Blaine replied simply. "Excuse me, I have to go and do something." he said before Kurt could reply. Kurt was left standing in the open hallway, trying to figure out what Blaine could have possibly meant. Had he dealt with a case like this before? Had Blaine himself been abused? Kurt just didn't know.
Blaine, on the other hand, made his way down to his father's office. If there was one thing that he had learned from Sydney's case, it was that blackmail was not something to live with. He didn't want to keep himself a secret any longer. That boy had hidden long enough. It was time for him to be out in the open. He knocked on his father's office door until he heard a soft "come in."
"Hey, Dad." Blaine said.
"Oh, hello son." Nicholas Anderson said with a smile.
"I-I have to tell you something." Blaine stuttered.
"Sure, son." Nicholas replied. "You can tell me anything."
"It's something that I've wanted t tell you for a long time, but I never had the courage." Blaine said. "Dad, I've never been happy being this person. I've never been able to love anyone because I couldn't love who - the people that I wanted to. What I guess...I'm trying to say is...Dad, I'm gay." Instantly, Blaine watched something change in his father's eyes. "Dad?" Blaine asked.
"Get out." Nicholas said.
"What?" Blaine asked, hurt by his father's words.
"I said get out!" Nicholas repeated. "And I don't just mean the hospital, I mean my house."
"Dad… I'm the same person that I've always been." Blaine insisted.
"No. You're not." Nicholas said. "Now get out. I've got a surgery from 10 to 12 tomorrow. You've got that long to pack your things and get out."
"Dad, please…"Blaine begged.
"I'm not going to say it again. Get out!" Nicholas roared. Blaine quickly ran out of his office. He couldn't believe he had just done that. Why did he believe his father would actually accept him? How could he have been so stupid? Blaine, after momentarily breaking down in the men's bathroom, went back to work. Anderson's weren't ones to show emotion in public,so he hid his feelings. When his shift was over, Blaine went home and packed his things. They would have to stay in his car for the time being. After packing, Blaine took a seat in the driver's seat off his car. He didn't have anywhere to go. He couldn't go to Kurt's. They were too new and Rachel couldn't know that they were together. He just didn't know what to do. Blaine ultimately decided to go back to the hospital. He stashed some of his stuff in his locker and the rest stayed in his car.
"Hey, Blaine, what are you doing here?" He heard from behind him. It was Cooper.
"I really didn't feel like going home." Blaine replied. "I'd rather just work."
"Well, okay. If you insist buddy." Cooper replied. "But, promise me you'll get someone sleep. Can't have a sleepy surgeon. That's just a recipe for disaster."
"I promise." Blaine said with a smile, before Cooper walked away. Blaine may have promised that he was going to get some sleep, but he didn't promise where he would do it. Honestly, Blaine didn't know. It could be an on-call room or maybe even the backseat of his car. Right now, those were the only options open to him.