Today is Christmas eve. It's been three months and Blaine is still in a coma. Amber went back to California for work after a month, calling to see if anything changed with our boy. Nothing. Now she's back to spend the holidays with us. We are celebrating the holidays in Blaines' room because none of us can imagine spending them any other way. Drew Blaines date to the dance that night got out of the hospital in two day lucky that he got off on a broken foot and concussion. He came to visit Blaine once. That was the day he told us he was moving with his family. They moved to vermont or something like that. Apparently he has an aunt who lives there.
Blaine looks a lot better than he did. Most of the machines are gone now except for the feeding tube and the I.V. but he's breathing on his own now and that's a huge improvement.
We are all discussing stories of past christmas's when I feel something shift in my hand. Sometimes Blaines hand twitches which is common with comatose patients, so I brush it off. Till I hear a small grunt. Mom's in the middle of saying something but I interrupt her and turn my head toward Blaine.
"Blaine? Blainey?" He squeezes my hand.
"Blaine, can you hear me?" More grunts.
"I'll get the doctor." My father says scurrying out of the room.
"Blaine? Can you open your eyes sweetie?" My mom says.
Slowly he opens his hazel bright eyes. I start crying.
"Welcome back little bro." I say but he's struggling around the feeding tube. He brings his weak arms up and tries to pull it out. "No Blaine let the doctor get that. It's a feeding tube and it was giving you nutrients while you were unable to feed yourself." His eyes widen a little bit.
Soon the doctor comes in.
"Hello Blaine! I'm doctor Robins. It's good to see those pretty eyes of yours. Now I'm going to ask the family to step behind the curtain as I take the feeding tube out." She's instructing Blaine to do something then we hear a cough and soon enough the curtain is open again.
"w-what h-happend?" He says voice rough from lack of use. The doctor gets a cup of water with a straw in it but he's much to weak to hold the cup so she places the straw to his lips and he takes a small sip of the water.
"Blaine what do you remember?" Doctor Robins asks.
"I-I remember going to the dance and um.. dancing with Drew and…" His face is suddenly masked with terror. "D-Drew i-is he okay?"
"Drew moved after Blaine, he only had a concussion and broken foot."
"Can you move your legs for me Blaine?" Blaine tries but doesn't move much.
"W-why am I so weak?" He asked tiredly.
"You've been in a coma for about three months now Blaine, your experiencing atrophy in your muscles and bones." She explained. "Can you tell me if your in pain?"
"My head hurts and my leg and my stomach."
"You broke a few ribs, your femur, you had brain bleeding and we had to remove your appendix." He gaped at her. "I'm going to get you pain medication, it will make you more tired but that's okay."
"What's going to happen to the boys that did it. " He looks at us when the doctor leaves the room.
"They are in juvenile detention right now." Doctor Robins was back and injecting something into Blaines I.V. "But Drew said he didn't see them all only two of them. Tommy Nelson and Spencer Lawrence." He nodded and his eyes drooped. He was fighting to keep them open.
"It's okay Blaine go to sleep. We will be here when you wake up."
"Promise." He whispered.
"Promise."
"So when does he get out?" My father asked Robins.
"Well, Mr.Anderson Blaine needs to almost relearn to walk and use most of his motor skills. I would say he will be here for another month or so."
'And then he can go home?" Angela asked.
"Sadly no, then he will need to go to a rehabilitation center for a few months, and they can give him the help he needs till he is strong enough."
Later that night my parents went home so they could bring in Christmas gifts for Blaine and everyone.
"He's going to have it rough isn't he?" I ask Amber.
"It will be extremely hard but he has you Coop. He couldn't have gotten a better big brother."
"I love you."
"Love you too."
Blaine woke up at about twelve in the afternoon the next day.
"Merry Christmas Blain!" My mom said giving him a wrapped gift.
"It's Christmas?"
"Oh Blaine I'm sorry, I forgot you didn't know what the date is."
"Oh it's okay." He says opening the rather large gift slowly and with a little help from Amber because he couldn't hold it. "A new guitar?"
"I hope it's the one you wanted sweetie."
"Its beautiful." he says touching the strings. "Thank you mom you didn't have too-"
"It wasn't my idea Blaine I just helped pick it out."
"Coop?"
"Not me bro."
"Dad?" He asked sounding shocked.
"Listen Blaine I know in the past we had differences but I love you and I''m sorry this had to happen to make me realize my wrong doings."
"I-It's okay dad. I love it I really do."
We all have fun that day mom brought christmas food in a picnic basket for us all to have. Blaine apologizes for not having gifts for anyone. Which is where everyone tells him to shut up because how in the world could he have had gifts.
"Then she said-"I was in the middle of telling a story about meeting Ambers older sister when I saw Blaine when I stopped. He was wavering in his seat. "Blaine? You okay."
"I-I-I d-don't-t f-feel-" His eyes rolled to the back of his head and his limbs stated thrashing. What the fuck?!
"Blaine! Blaine! Get a doctor!" Amber pressed the nurse station and my father went into the hallway. Soon a group of doctors were in the room and we were kicked out. A couple agonizing minutes later the doctor came out.
"What just happened?!" My mother practically screamed.
"I think Blaine is suffering from post-traumatic epilepsy. We are starting him on medications. But this could very well be his last seizure or he may have to deal with them for the rest of his life."
"This isn't fair he's such a good kid."
"I'm sorry Mrs.Anderson." She said sympathetically. Blaine will probably sleep the rest of the night seizures are very tiring and tend to make patients sore. So you all may want to go home and sleep then come back in the morning." We all went back into to the room to say good bye to Blaine even though he was sleeping. His bed now had cushioned sides incase it happened again.
That was not Blaine's last seizure. He had officially been diagnosed with post-traumatic epilepsy. They didn't happen often but occasionally they did. Blaine was embarrassed by them.
"I can't even walk yet Coop!" He said frustrated. His stay at the hospital had been extended till they could get the seizures under control. They also slowed his healing process down.
"You're getting more and more strength every day bud." I say to him.
"But it's humiliating, I can't even get up for the bathroom. They make me use a bedpan! It's gross and embarrassing. I hate this Cooper!"
"Blaine this stuff takes time."
"Too much time." He said under his breath.
A few weeks later I got a call from him.
I had started working in Ohio for a bit. At least until Blaine could be moved to the rehabilitation center. So I was at my job that dad hooked me up with for the time being when my phone rang.
"Hey buddy what's up?"
"Coop I did it!" He said excitedly.
"I'm lost, what did you do?"
"I walked today Cooper! Granted I took two steps but I did it!"
"I'm so proud of you Blaine, you have no idea!"
"Do you want to come to PT with me tomorrow. I can show you." I couldn't ever say to Blaine. He had been so melancholy since he woke up and now he was actually excited about something.
"Sure Blainey!"
The next day I got to the hospital a bit before his PT. I wheeled him into to the room and a man came up to him.
"Hey Blaine!" They bumped fists.
"Derek this is my brother Cooper. Cooper this is my physical therapist Derek." I shook his hand.
"Nice to meet you Cooper Blaine talks a lot about you, I'm guessing you want to show him how strong you are?" He shook his head. "Alright we can do that but you and I both know we need to stretch you first."
"I hate that part!"
"I know, I know but we don't want anyone getting hurt." Blaine huffed but went to the table where Derek stretched his legs and arms. Derek then sat him in the wheel chair and brought him to the two metal bars that had soft mats underneath them. He positioned Blaine so he could hold onto the two bars.
"I'm going to the end." He announced.
"Don't push it Blaine. Cooper won't mind if you can't make it okay?" He looks at me and I nod to Blaine.
"I can do it." He slowly picks up one of his legs and moves it only so far. He repeats the same step with the other foot and the pattern continues till he's halfway across the bars and his legs start shaking.
"I think we've had enough hmm?"
"Sorry, I-I can't do anymore." He's disappointed in himself.
"Hey Blaine you did great kid!"
"Really?"
"Absolutely. You have more courage than anyone I have ever met."
"Thank you Coop."
A week later Blaine is out of the hospital and in a rehabilitation center where he will be for the next three months. I move back to California and land a few more roles. On March 6th I come back to Ohio with Amber for Blaine's birthday (Its a surprise he has no idea we are coming). When Amber and I arrive at the center we ask for Blaine. They give us directions to his room. When we knock on the door nobody answers. I walk in and find nobody in the room. But I do study the room for a bit. It's much homier than the hospital room. He has a quilt of his on his bed posters of the buckeyes and Phantom of the opera on his walls. His bed is still padded in case of a seizure but the room has a Blainey feel to it.
"He's probably in the book room. Boy sure does read a lot." A woman working there said to us.
"Oh thank you. Where is that?" She points to the direction and we go there. Blaine is sitting on the couch with a book that looks like Lord of the Rings but I could be wrong. He seems to sense someone watching him and looks up he does a double take before a huge grin appears on his face.
"Coop!"
"Hey squirt."
"Don't call me that." He laughs.
"Happy Birthday!" Amber kisses his forehead giving him the gift from us. He opens it to find a new harmonica he had been wanting. It was gold and his name was engraved in it.
"Oh thank you guys! I love it!"
"No problem! Mom and dad should be coming soon with cake."
"Sounds good. I'm going to put this i my room."
"I can do it I already know where it is. We went there first to find you but we were told you come here often."
"That's fine I can do it." He says and gets up grabbing the walker next to him and slowly maneuvers his way to his room with us in tow.
"Wow Blaine I'm impressed you sure have gotten much better since I last saw you!"
"Thanks, I've been working really hard in PT and stuff, and I've only had one seizure since I got here!"
"That's great bud!" I praise. Later or parents are there and we celebrate Blaine turning 15. But that comes with him realizing he has to repeat a year of school.
"Blaine you shouldn't go back there I was looking at school and there is this all boys school up in Westerville. It's a boarding school. But it has a zero tolerance bullying policy."
"Okay." He says immediately. "I competed with them in glee. They were outstanding! I would love to go there!"
"Great once your out of here we will go and enroll you for next year!"