Chapter 15

"Okay, how does this feel?"

Kurt couldn't stop the quick intake of breath that was in direct response to the pain he felt when Doctor Wilson pushed down on his swollen third knuckle.

"It's fine," Kurt uttered, concentrating greatly on keeping his voice even. "I can hardly feel it."

Wilson let out a good-humored chuckle.

"You know there's no point in lying to me right?" He asked, gently releasing Kurt's hand. "Nevertheless, I don't think anything is broken. If it was, you wouldn't be able to fake your way out of that pain. I'll wrap it up and then I want you to ice it for twenty minutes every few hours for the next few days, okay?"

Kurt nodded, cradling his hand while he waiting for Wilson to gather the supplies he needed to wrap Kurt's hand. Apparently the old t-shirt trick wasn't making the cut.

"Okay, so tell me," Wilson continued. "How does the tree look?"

Kurt paused for a beat.

"Actually it was a wall," Kurt answered sheepishly. "And it looks a lot better than I do."

Wilson laughed gently again. He was one of the older members of the community, a pediatrician before the outbreak. Now he served as general practitioner, obstetrician, and emergency surgeon when needed.

"Well I'm afraid you're going to have to sit out from Rescue for a few weeks at least," Wilson said, securing the ace bandage around Kurt's hand with metal clips. He patted Kurt on the back genially.

"I kind of figured," Kurt mumbled. "Actually, I was going to take a break anyway."

It was only a half lie, which, given his recent behavior, would have to be praised as a half-truth. The embarrassment of being put on the sidelines because of his own stupid actions would, under normal circumstances, be enough to destroy him. But with everything going on with Blaine, it seemed so minor.

It had been forty eight hours since their big fight, and Kurt hadn't seen Blaine once. Of course, the only time he left his house in that whole time was to use the communal facilities and to grab a bite to eat once. He could still taste the bland venison on the back of his tongue and it made him want to retch it up all over again. He couldn't keep it down for more than a few minutes and he was starting to wonder if he'd ever do anything other than sleep, and occasionally pee, ever again.

Somehow he'd managed to follow Thomas' direction and go see Doc Wilson. As much as he didn't want to deal with it, his hand was going to be a problem if he didn't get it looked at soon. He thought he would be grateful to hear that there was no major damage, but instead he felt very apathetic about the whole thing.

"So what are you going to do with your vacation, then?" Wilson asked, jolting Kurt out of his thoughts.

Kurt worked up a small smile. Wilson was so nice, he didn't want to appear rude.

"You know, I hadn't really thought about it," he answered honestly.

"Well, if you find yourself with more free time than you know what to do with, you're welcome to come help out around here. You seem to have a pretty good head on your shoulders and I could use an extra hand from time to time. I would say hands, but…"

Kurt let out a genuine laugh for the first time in as long as he could remember. But you're wrong, he said to himself. I don't have a good head on my shoulders. I have no idea what I'm doing anymore.

"Thanks, Doc," Kurt said, jumping down from the scavenged exam table in the tiny house that served as Wilson's office and exam room. He left it at that, not telling Wilson he'd be back around, not wanting to lie to the man after he'd been so kind.

Kurt left Wilson's and headed straight back home. Every time he went outside these last few days, which hadn't been often, he secretly hoped that when he drew back the curtain covering the doorway, Blaine would be in there waiting for him, to let him start to make amends. Each time he was disappointed though, and he knew it was too soon for him to go over and try to retrieve him from Brittany and Santana's. He wasn't sure if it would ever be right for him to do that, but if he had to, he would, eventually.

For now, the bed was too tempting and he was a sleep before he could even kick his shoes off.

Blaine sat in the small room that served as Brittany's kitchen. Since she and her dad had lived in New Lima almost since the beginning, their house was much more like an actual house than most of the others in the community. There was a kitchen, a living room, and two bedrooms. Brittany's father had been gracious enough to allow Blaine to crash on the couch for a couple of nights, but he was sure he was wearing out his welcome. After all, Santana was there most nights too, sharing Brittany's room and sometimes even Marina spent the night when she got lonely in the small dwelling she technically shared with Santana. Her fierce, independent streak kept those nights to a minimum though. Regardless, Blaine was going to have to think of a different sleeping arrangement before too long.

"How are you feeling?" Santana asked, bringing him a warm mug of tea. She was still in her pajamas, talking quietly so they didn't wake up the rest of the house. It wasn't too early, but it was one of the rare times when no one was away on an extended mission and Brittany and her father were late sleepers on their days off.

"A little better," Blaine answered truthfully. The last few days had been difficult, but each morning was a little easier. The girls knew how to cheer him up, telling him jokes and singing with him, doing anything they could to make him laugh. He was still angry and hurt about everything going on with Kurt, but it was no longer excruciating. He was starting to think that life would eventually go on.

He hadn't seen Kurt, despite the fact that the girls had been dragging him out constantly the last few days, demanding he get fresh air and exercise, refusing to let him curl up in a ball and mourn his losses. It was probably for the best, he told himself, without their help, he's not sure where he'd be.

"I'm furious with Kurt," Santana admitted. "But you know you eventually have to talk to him right?"

"I know," Blaine conceded. "I just don't know what to say, or where to start. I still love him, but I don't want to be near him. I'm still so angry."

"I get that. He did something awful and then he lied about it. I can be a straight up bitch sometimes, but I can't stand liars."

Santana and Blaine both quietly sipped their tea for a few moments. Finally Blaine got up the courage to ask, "Have you seen him? Since the other night I mean."

Santana shook her head.

"No. I've thought about going over there and giving him an epic verbal beat down, but honestly, I'm trying this new thing where I try to be nice to people…and it's really hard."

Blaine and Santana both laughed quietly. It was nice to be laughing again.

"You guys have been really great," Blaine said, grabbing Santana's hand. "Letting me stay here, helping me sort through all of this, but I feel like I'm starting to wear out my welcome. I think it's time that I pack up and head out."

"Are you going back to Kurt?" Santana asked, unable to hide the surprise from her voice. Kurt was her friend, but she didn't want to see Blaine get back into a relationship that was obviously toxic for both of them.

"No," Blaine answered quickly. "At least not yet, not for a while. I'm going to talk to Nick on my team and see if I can crash with him and Jeff for a while."

"Wanky," Santana said with a smirk, earning a groan from Blaine.

"It's not like that," Blaine answered. "I mean, it is for them, but I'm putting romance on the shelf for now."

Santana squeezed his hand and stood up from the table.

"Okay well, speaking of romance, I've got to go give Brittany her rise and shine, if you know what—"

"I get it," Blaine cut her off with a smile and a wave. "No need to hear the gritty details."

He watched her fondly as she strolled back to the bedroom she often shared with Brittany. He was happy for his wife, which still sounded so weird in his head. They had what he wanted to have with Kurt; an easy going, free-spirited relationship, full of love and light. Sometimes he resented how happy they seemed, but that was silly. It wasn't their fault that he couldn't make that with Kurt. Someday he would have it, he was certain. Kurt may have broken his heart, but it no longer felt like the end of the world. He would make it through somehow. He would be just fine.