AN: We are coming close to the end. May will have a small epilogue attached that will cover the summer before college starts in the fall. The rest will be dealt with in one shots, that I will probably start posting in December. I'm trying to do NaNoWriMo with another story so I probably won't have time for anything else in November. The goal is to finish this one though within the next week.

April - Part 1

It was bittersweet preparing for Nationals this year, Kurt thought. He was ecstatic that they had managed to qualify for the competition again, but he was also constantly reminded that it would be their last as a team. Most of New Directions was graduating come May, but he was sure that Tina and Artie would lead the new New Directions well. And with Ms. Corcoran deciding to stay another year at McKinley, he was hopeful that they would do well even without all the seniors.

They were going to Nationals as a team and they would perform as a team. They had of course backup numbers like they did for every competition, but neither the chosen ones nor the back up number were anything other than group numbers. Ms. Corcoran had decided that for their final performance as a team, there wouldn't be any solos or duets so they could all share a stage one last time.

Kurt was happy with this decision. After all, having a solo or not wouldn't have any impact on college applications anymore. He and Blaine had both accepted their spots in Boston and Providence and were now waiting to hear back from their first choices.

New Directions started their celebrations before they even got to Chicago and turned their bus into party central until the bus driver threatened to make them walk to Chicago if they all didn't sit down immediately. But even seated they kept celebrating – the impending end of their high school careers, getting to Nationals for the second time in a row, and Brittany being on track to graduate with the rest of the seniors. It seemed like winning at Nationals wasn't as important anymore as it had been in the past. Getting to share the experience with all their friends was more important now.

"You know, with so many of us going to the east coast we should try to get together at least once a month," Rachel suggested before continuing to chat everyone's ear off about AMDA. Kurt had made his peace with not getting into the same school as Rachel and could now be really happy for his best friend. And if Julliard didn't work out in the fall, he would at least have Mercedes with him.

Next to him Blaine was listening to their song selection on his iPod, Michael Jackson's 'Black and White', My Chemical Romance's "Sing' and Fun's 'We are Young', all three of which Kurt found fun to sing. Blaine had his eyes closed and was mouthing the lyrics to the song as Kurt looked at him fondly. Whatever happened during the next months with college, Kurt was never going to say goodbye to this boy.

He knew he would miss everyone terribly but as long as Blaine was somewhere close by he would be okay. He knew it was probably wishful thinking to assume they would all always be as close as they were now, but one was allowed to hope.

Three hours later the bus arrived in Chicago and Ms. Corcoran gave them the rest of the morning off to explore the city as long as they were back at the hotel in time for check-in.

Blaine had been in Chicago before and so Kurt gladly followed his boyfriend around, but was disappointed they didn't have enough time to go shopping on Michigan Avenue. They took pictures in front of Buckingham fountain, which Kurt recognized from reruns of 'Married with Children' and went on a walk through Grant park before heading back to their hotel which was close to Sears Tower. Kurt couldn't for the life of it remember its new name.

Unfortunately, Ms. Corcoran put him into a room with Finn, while Blaine was put with Mike. Coming in 7th the previous year had gotten them some donations, so they did have enough money for more hotel rooms. Kurt was prepared to just switch as soon as they got their room keys put their chaperone Ms. Pillsbury, the former choir teacher's former girlfriend, followed them up to their floor to make sure everyone went to their own rooms.

Kurt didn't have time to come up with a plan that would get him and Blaine into the same room, because as soon as they had dropped their suitcases off, they had to go back downstairs for another dance and vocal rehearsal. Close to dinner time they were finally released and Kurt rushed back upstairs for a much needed shower while Blaine and Finn were watching TV.

Before jumping into the shower, he sent a quick text to Carole, telling her that they arrived safely in Chicago and were having a good time. He nearly missed his phone ringing over the sound of the shower, but quickly shut off the water when he saw that Carole was calling him.

"Hey, Carole. It's nice of you to call but you really don't have to check up on us," he joked but was met with a sob. "Carole?" he asked tentatively. "Is something wrong?

"I'm so sorry Kurt, but it's your dad. He was rushed to the hospital in Columbus because he had a heart attack."

Kurt froze. This couldn't be happening again. "Please tell me he is okay?"

"I don't know yet. I just got here. I'm sorry for not calling earlier but I didn't even think about that. I know you have a competition tomorrow, but I needed to let you know."

Kurt's mind was racing. He had to get to Columbus because what if his dad didn't make it. He couldn't be on a stage singing happy thoughts while his dad might be dying hundreds of miles away.

"We're coming down," he announced because he wouldn't be able to stay in Chicago one second longer. "Kurt, honey. There's nothing you can do right now. How would you even get here?"

He could think about that later. First he had to tell Finn and Blaine. "We'll find a way," he told his stepmother before hanging up the phone and wrapping a towel around his waist.

"Dude, clothes," Finn exclaimed when Kurt stepped out of the bathroom, but Kurt ignored him. "Grab your stuff - we need to leave!"

Both Blaine and Finn looked confused. "Now," Kurt yelled before rushing over to his suitcase, dropping his towel unceremoniously to hastily get dressed. His socks were two different colors but Kurt didn't care. Behind him, the boys finally started moving as well and Blaine approached him slowly.

"What's wrong Kurt?" A treacherous tear was rolling down his face and Kurt wiped it away furiously. "Dad. He is in the hospital. Heart attack," he forced out. "We need to get to Columbus."

Finn's face fell as well and he dropped his duffel bag before sinking down on his bed. "We don't have time for that now, Finn," Kurt yelled again before storming out of the room and heading over to the room Ms. Corcoran had said was hers.

When she didn't open on the first knock, Kurt started pounding his fists against the door until his robe clad teacher opened, looking at him in alarm.

"Kurt?" "We need to leave. Finn, Blaine and I. My dad is in the hospital."

Ms. Corcoran looked shocked. "I, the bus driver went back to Lima and we don't have enough chaperones for me to drive you. I don't, I," Kurt didn't let her finish. "We are all eighteen. We get a car. I just thought you should know," he told her. Before he left, he turned again. "Tell the others we are sorry, but we can't stay."

"They'll understand," Ms. Corcoran answered. " I, I," Kurt didn't hear whatever else she had wanted to say as he made his way back to his room where Finn and Blaine were already waiting for him.

They had taken a cab to the nearest car rental place and after Kurt had signed a waiver agreeing to pay an additional twenty-five dollars a day for being under twenty-five, Blaine sat down behind the wheel because both Kurt and Finn looked to shaken to drive, although he would have preferred to sit in the back with Kurt to comfort him. As it was, the two brothers had to take care of one another.

He was feeling pretty bad as well, even though he wasn't strictly family, but new and improved Burt had been the closest to a proper father he had ever gotten. But now wasn't the time for him to freak out as well. He had to get them to Columbus first.

Traffic was terrible for the first fifty miles, but once they were further away from Chicago, it luckily eased up. Taking his chances he drove fifteen to twenty miles over the speed limit, hoping he wouldn't get pulled over at some point. He was just glad that this year's Nationals were being held closer to home, because it would have taken them nearly double the amount of time to get to Ohio from New York if they had to drive.

They only stopped once, somewhere in Indiana, for coffee and a bathroom break and Blaine held Kurt in his arms for a few minutes ignoring the looks some people gave them at the truck stop, before offering a hug to Finn as well, who accepted it immediately. Burt might not have been Finn's dad by blood, but he was the only father Finn had ever had, so Blaine understood why he needed to be comforted as well. He was sure Kurt would react the same way if it were Carole who was in the hospital.

By the time they crossed into Ohio, Finn and Kurt were both asleep in the backseat even though it was only eleven o'clock. Blaine plugged in his iPod, turning the music low, because he didn't want his mind to wander. Burt just had to be okay, because he didn't want to see Kurt go through the loss of a parent so young ever again. His own father might be dead to him, so to speak, but he knew he would still be sad on some level if he died suddenly.

Once he got into Columbus, Blaine drove by Burt's apartment first because he knew Ethan had to be with Carole, but when after a few minutes of ringing the bell no one answered, he got back into the car and drove over to the hospital.

The parking lot wasn't crowed thankfully and so he found a spot close to the main entrance. After putting the car into park, he walked around to the back seat and gently shook Kurt awake. Finn needed more force, but as soon as the two of them realized where they were, they hurried out of the car and followed Blaine into the hospital.

Blaine had texted Carole when they were on the way and she had told him where she and Ethan could be found in case they were still in the hospital. The three of them took the elevator up to the third floor and followed the signs for the Intensive Care Unit. Blaine was worried about Burt being moved to the ICU, but at least that meant that he was still alive.

Carole and Ethan were both asleep in the waiting room when they found them and Finn immediately ran over to his mom, shaking her awake. Blaine couldn't hear what he was saying, staying a bit back to give the family some privacy, but went closer when Carole called his name.

"Blaine, honey. Can you sit with Ethan while I see if I can't get Finn and Kurt to see their father?" she asked and Blaine nodded before he sat down next to Ethan.

"I'm scared," Ethan mumbled once they were alone. "I'm not allowed to see him and I'm scared that he will die before I can tell him that he is a good person."

"I'm scared as well," Blaine admitted, " but Burt is strong. We'll just have to have a little faith."

Ethan snuggled up to him and Blaine put his arms around the young boy.

"I don't want Uncle Burt to leave. Everyone always leaves me," he whispered into Blaine's shoulder and Blaine tightened his hold. Throughout his life he had to deal with his own abandonment issues and he hoped things would work out better for Ethan.

"Hey, even if something happens to Burt, you'll still have us. Finn is staying in Ohio and Carole never wants to let you out of her sight. And Burt would never leave any of you by choice either," he tried to comfort Ethan as best as he could.

They sat in silence after that until Ethan's breathing evened out. Carole, Finn and Kurt were back a few minutes later and Blaine stood up, careful not to wake Ethan, and pulled a teary Kurt into his arms.

Carole had been looking forward to spending some time alone with Ethan while the boys where in Chicago and Burt was in Columbus. She would have loved to come with them again, but the kids were performing early Friday morning this year and she knew she couldn't just take Ethan out of school for it or leave him with a stranger. Burt was busy as well, so she was hoping someone was video taping the performances so she could still see her boys perform.

She had the whole Thursday afternoon planed out, the games she wanted to play with Ethan and the cookies she wanted to teach him how to bake. What she hadn't planned was rushing to Columbus after a call from Burt's secretary, informing her that Burt had collapsed in his office for the second time in a few weeks and was on the way to the hospital with a probable heart attack.

Getting to Columbus had taken longer than she would have liked with people driving home from work and a car crash slowing down traffic on the interstate. Ethan sat next to her clutching a stuffed animal while staring out of the window.

"Is uncle Burt going to die?" he finally asked and Carole gripped the wheel tighter.

Burt's secretary had followed the ambulance to the hospital and was giving her as much information as she had, but all Carole knew at that point was that Burt had been taken to surgery so they could fix a suspected blockage to avoid Burt having a stroke on top of his heart attack. She didn't have much medical knowledge but it all sounded bad. At least Burt had been admitted to a top hospital where he would receive excellent care.

"I'm sure the doctors are doing their best," she told Ethan not knowing what else to tell her nine year old foster-son. "Maybe we should pray for him?" Ethan suggested and Carole told him that would be all right with her. Who was she to tell him how he should deal with something like that. She wasn't religious herself but if praying helped Ethan, she was all for him giving it a try.

After what felt like hours she finally got to the hospital and was grateful for Burt's secretary who offered to look after Ethan while Carole went to find a doctor. Suddenly her phone alerted her to a new text message and Carole realized she hadn't told her sons yet. As much as she wanted to talk to a doctor first to give them some kind of news, this couldn't wait.

Kurt sounded shocked but still composed when she reached him, and she tried to tell the boys that it wasn't necessary to come down until they knew more, but Kurt told her that he, Finn and Blaine would leave immediately. She was just glad that Blaine was coming with them, because she wanted neither Kurt nor Finn behind the wheel at the moment. Both boys had lost one parent already and Carole hoped they all wouldn't have to go through that again.

After finishing her call, she made her way down another long corridor until she finally found the nurse's station she had been told to go to.

"My husband Burt Hummel was brought here a few hours ago. Can you tell me what's going on?" she asked as calmly as possible because on TV people who yelled at nurses never got any answered.

Unlike the bored TV nurses, the nurse immediately sprang to action and started typing on her keyboard.

"He is still in surgery, so if you could just sit down in the waiting room. I'll send his doctor over as soon as he is done in the OR."

That was not the answer she had hoped for but she knew there wasn't anything else she could do. She quickly dialed Burt's secretary's number, and Marsha informed her that she and Ethan were having a snack in the hospital cafeteria and that she would keep him busy for the time being. That lady was an angel in Carole's opinion.

Carole kept her gaze on the clock in the hospital waiting room, which for some reason was behind bars, but it felt like time wasn't moving forward at all. After forty-five torturously slow minutes a doctor in scrubs finally approached her.

"Carole Hummel?" he asked and Carole nodded not bothering to tell him that it was Hudson-Hummel.

"How is he?" she asked. "Your husband has suffered a mild heart attack. However, after the first check up we discovered a blockage that left untreated would have caused him to have a stroke probably within a few hours. We went in and put a stent in to fix the problem, but he will have to undergo strict dietary changes so it won't happen again," the doctor informed her calmly and Carole released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

"So he is okay?" she wanted to make sure.

"Unfortunately your husband hasn't woken up yet, but this is quiet common with cases like this. Usually the body needs time to recover before it wakes up again. So for the time being I'm sorry to inform you, your husband is in a coma. We have moved him to the ICU and during visiting hours any family members over the age of twelve can stay with him for a few minutes. Unfortunately we cannot allow more than two people at the same time. Anyone under the age of eighteen has to be with an adult."

Carole sat down again trying to keep the tears at bay. She was trying to convince herself that it could be worse. At least Burt had survived the operation and she had to believe he would pull through.

"Can I see him now? My sons are on the way from Chicago but I don't think they will be here in time before visiting hours end. Are you sure they can't see their father for at least a minute when they get here?" she asked not above begging should it be necessary.

"I'll see what we can do. If you'd follow me."

Carole followed first the doctor and then an ICU nurse through another set of corridors until they finally reached Burt's room. The nurse stepped aside to let her in and Carole paled when she saw her husband. Strange peeping monitors surrounded his bed and a tube was inside his throat to help him breath as the nurse explained. He looked pale, even paler that Kurt in the winter and the wide hospital bed made him look smaller than he was.

Once the shock had settled she rushed over and sat down on the chair next to the bed, gripping his hand tightly, though mindful of the needle in the back of his hand.

"Oh Burt," she whispered, tears rolling down her face. "How could you do this to us? We need you!"

As much as it pained her to see her husband in the hospital like that, she couldn't help but be angry as well. After every doctor's visit she had told him to take better care of himself, but apparently he had ignored all her warnings just for what? Some stupid burgers and beer? Why would he do this to his family? She couldn't lose him now. She had done the single parent thing once, but then it had only been Finn. Now she had three boys to take care of, and she needed Burt to be there for it as well.

"You need to wake up, honey," she pleaded with him. "I can't do this own my own."

She stayed with him, pleading and begging, until the nurse came back and told her that was enough for now. Carole wiped away her tears not wanting to scare Ethan even more and went downstairs to the cafeteria to relieve Marsha. Marsha excused herself because she had her own family at home and Carole promised to keep her updated. Then she was alone with Ethan.

"Is uncle Burt going to be okay?" Ethan asked in a small voice and Carole felt tears welling up again.

"He is asleep right now in a special room so his body can heal," she explained not wanting to give him too many details. Ethan looked relieved. "Can I go see him?" he asked.

Carole shook her head. "I'm sorry, but you have to be at least twelve years old to go in, but I promise to tell him you wanted to come visit."

A glance at the clock told her that it was close to eight and the boys probably wouldn't be able to make it to the hospital till after midnight. She was glad that Kurt and Blaine where old enough to rent a car, because she didn't want them on a bus that late at night.

"Do you want to go back to Burt's apartment and sleep for a bit while we wait for your brothers?" she asked Ethan because if they stayed they would have to sleep on uncomfortable chairs in the waiting room.

Ethan shook his head though. "I don't want to leave. What if something happens while we are gone."

Carole took his hand and together they went back upstairs to the waiting room outside the ICU where she dug out the iPod Touch the boys had given her for Christmas and handed it to Ethan.

An hour later, the young boy was asleep on one of those ugly plastic chairs and Carole hunted down a nurse for a blanket. At some point she must have fallen asleep as well, because suddenly she was shaken awake by her frantic looking son.

"Where is he? Is he okay?" Kurt and Finn asked in unison and Carole gave them a week smile. The commotion had woken Ethan up as well and Carole asked Blaine to sit with him, while she took Finn and Kurt up to Burt's room, hoping the night nurse would let the boys in for a few minutes.

AN: It's been a while since my brief stint in med school so I hope this is somewhat realistic. And Kurt not remembering what the Sears Tower is called now is me. I've been on that stupid tower a few times, even after it was renamed but I can never remember the new name. Something with W I think ;)