Wednesday, one in the afternoon

"I really don't want to do this." Mari muttered as she played around with the hem of her dark blue button-up shirt.

Blaine grimaced, the pain in his wrist and stomach bothering him every time he moved. "I know. I don't think any of us want to.

The four of them were in a small room off of the side of the hospital's press room. Burt and Sarah bought the four of them clothes that were nicer than the ones they had been wearing for the past two weeks.

Joey was standing up using one crutch and sliding his hand along the wall, practicing walking with his new walking boot. Kurt was up on his two crutches and texting. He wore one of his "plainer" outfits, a pale purple short sleeve button up with his favorite purple and silver edged tie; along with a pair of his black jeans, which he rolled up one pant so that his brace wouldn't get in the way. Burt ignored his earlier remarks about his looking like a mismatched color blind six-year-old. Blaine wore a simple black polo and a pair of blue Dalton sweatpants which, coincidently, look very much like Kurt's; the pant length was a little longer than his own.

Both Mari and Blaine were in wheelchairs, their shoulders and wrists couldn't handle the pressure on the crutches yet. Blaine winced as he reached forward and pulled the pant of his right leg towards his toes, hoping to cover as much as possible of the big orange cast. He leaned back and sighed, rubbing his left wrist. The black brace he had on was getting itchy.

The door opened and in came the four SWAT agents in their dress uniforms. All four of them smiled as they took in the sight of the teenagers. "You guys ready to go?" Jim asked.

"No, I need my hair spray." Kurt said grumpily as he put his iPhone in his pocket.

"I'll take that as a yes." Jim chuckled.

Tyler handed Blaine a pair of dark sunglasses as Julia did the same with Mari. The two of them had been having migraines the past two days and didn't want to risk anything with the camera lights flashing in their faces; but for some reason, Kurt didn't have any despite his concussion.

"So here's what's going to happen." Julia started. "You guys are going to go in first and we'll follow. Blaine and Mari, Tyler and I'll push you guys. Joey and Kurt, you guys are going to lay your crutches behind you with Jim and Aaron's help. If you guys are getting too stressed at the question being asked, it's perfectly fine to say 'No comment'. Doctors Piker, Moore, Mohammed, and Berrent are also going to be at the table. They're just there to explain your injuries and recovery. You don't have to say anything about them if you don't want to." She paused and looked towards the Anderson brothers. "Blaine, Joey. They're going to ask about your dad. For right now, just say no comment. I'll explain about the Strykas and Hummels having temporary custody of you two and Lauren." The two boys nodded somberly.

"Do you guys have any questions?" Tyler asked as he straightened his black tie.

"How long is this going to last?" Joey asked quietly.

"We're going to try to limit the whole conference to an hour. It might go on longer, but we'll try for an hour." Jim answered.

"Who's sitting where? Or does it not matter?" Mairead asked.

"You guys can sit however you want, but it would be better if we had Blaine and Mari on the end so that way they won't run you two over with the wheel chairs." Aaron told them, checking his watch.

A knock on the door sounded and then opened up; Dr. Piker nodded to the group. Everyone came out to flashing light bulbs and the sound of reporters clamoring for spots up closest to the long table. Joey and Kurt came out first after the doctors and then it was Blaine and Mairead being wheeled in by Tyler and Julia. Both Blaine and Mari closed their eyes under the sunglasses as soon as they saw the first flash of light directed towards them.

The doctors introduced themselves and went straight to describing what condition they were all in. All of the SWAT agents went next, explaining the circumstances and answering question such as who would get custody of the two boys, the incoming results of the autopsy on Miranda Anderson, funeral arrangements, leads on Matthew Anderson's whereabouts, etc. The whole time Kurt held Blaine's hand under the table, knowing how much it would bother him. It was mostly Mairead and Joey who answered the questions for the four of them about their thoughts on the whole situation, what they were doing in regards for school, and such.

"This is question is for Blaine, specifically." A female reporter said bluntly when it was her turn.

Blaine froze in his seat, his breath caught in his throat. Next to him, Mairead casually slipped her arms off of the table and under the white table cloth to hold his braced left hand. He clutched both Kurt and Mari's hands as he slowly looked up and hesitantly opened his eyes under his black sunglasses, surprised there weren't any more flashes of light.

"What do you want to say to your father, if he's watching this right now?" The reporter asked, her pen poised over the notepad.

Kurt opened his mouth to answer for him, but Blaine squeezed his hand before anything came out.

"I want to tell him," he began quietly, leaning forward a little bit into the microphone. "Go. To. Hell. And I never want to see you for as long as I live."

"And I would also like to add," Kurt said, "You are the biggest coward to live on the face of the earth. Seriously, go to hell already."

Everyone in the room tried to suppress smiles and laughs as Kurt leaned back in his chair, rubbing circles into the back of Blaine's hand. The conference ended and they were led back into the room they had been waiting in before the whole thing started. Inside the room were Burt, Jason, and, surprisingly, Rachel and her dads.

"What are you doing here? I thought I told you not to come back until school was over!" Kurt exclaimed as his crutches clicked every time he hopped.

"We have a little surprise for the four of you." Tyler said as all the SWAT member came in and firmly shut the door behind them. "You know that we told you that you were going to be in here for another two weeks in the press conference but…" He looked and smiled at the adults who were taking keys out of their pockets. "Since Sarah and Carole are licensed doctor and nurse, the doctors agreed to discharge you early. This is a security measure, just in case Matthew decides to walk in and look for you; you four will far from here."

"Now," Jim took over. "Because we know that your houses are 'marked', so to say, on the news stations radars, you guys are actually going to a house no one will ever suspect that you guys are going to be staying in."

Rachel was bursting at the seams. "You're all going to my house!"

The four of them looked at her, surprised.

"Rachel," Kurt said, an eyebrow cocked up. "Can you even fit all of us in your house?"

"It's not going to be a problem." Leroy Berry said in a surprisingly musical voice. "We have two spare guest bedrooms and the basement you guys can res t in."

"And we've installed security cameras around the house so you guys are going to be safe." Rachel's African-American dad, Hiram, answered.

"Well, that's… good." Mari said, still a little shocked.

"But don't we still need the IVs? I thought we had to be on antibiotics for the rest of the two weeks and then still after?" Joey asked, bemused.

"Sarah and Carole have it all figured out. They'll bring in whatever drugs you guys need and give it to you at the house. That's why they're not here right now; they're busy setting up the necessary supplies at home." Hiram said. "And one of them will be with you guys at all times, just in case."

"And I'll drive you guys back here when it's time for your physical therapy." Burt smiled as all of them groaned just at the mention of physical therapy.

The five teenagers talked while everyone else figured out how to get them to Rachel's house. The SWAT team would be taking turns staying at Berry household in case Matthew did find out they were all staying there but they would only be taking turns for the two weeks in which the local police department would take over and make quite routine patrols on their street.

Blaine was silent the whole time, deep in thought. He had taken off his sunglasses and slipped on his regular glasses. Kurt held his hand the entire time, squeezing it gently when he saw that he was close to tears.

"Hey, this is good." Kurt said softly as he sat down in a chair next to him, his black air cast getting in the way. "This means we're getting out of here."

Blaine shuddered. "That means he might get to us." He said so only Kurt could hear.

"It's okay, we're going to be okay. The police are going to catch that bastard. I'm surprised they haven't put his picture on the front page of the newspaper everyday yet." Kurt said.

Blaine looked down and gave him a small smile.

Kurt smiled back and reached a hand up to cup Blaine's cheek. He could feel the places that Blaine missed while shaving clumsily that morning.

He leaned into his hand, closing his eyes. Blaine leaned sideways, twisting hoping his side wouldn't hurt in response to the movement.

Kurt twisted similarly and they kissed for the first time in what felt like months. He welcomed the touch of Blaine's soft lips, reacquainting himself with the feel.

"Ahem."

The both jumped apart in their chairs, wincing at the pain in their stomach. Jason looked at them, trying unsuccessfully to hide his smile.

"Sorry, Mr. Stryka." Kurt mumbled. Blaine blushed and looked down at his hands.

Jason rolled his eyes. "It's fine, boys. And Kurt, for the last time, call me Jason!" He said exasperated at the title. "It makes me feel old when you call me that."

Kurt stood up using his crutches as Burt walked behind Blaine, having finished signing the paperwork with Jason.

The door opened and in came Sarah and Carole with two wheelchairs. Carole smirked as she looked pointedly down at the chair in her hands.

"You've got to be kidding me." Kurt and Joey said, flatly, at the same time.

"C'mon, Joey. You know the hospital protocols." Sarah said with a laugh.

Carole folded her arms, waiting for Kurt. "I promise Finn is out in the car and he's not coming anywhere close to you while in this."

"Until we get home." Kurt grumbled as he reluctantly sat in the chair, giving his crutches to Rachel.

"Okay, here's what going to happen." Julia pulled everyone's attention to her voice. "We're going to head out using the back door of the hospital, where they usually have their deliveries dropped off. Kurt, you're going with your parents; same with you Mairead. Joey's going with the Berry family and Blaine, you're coming with us in the SWAT van."

"That's not inconspicuous at all." Blaine said, rolling his eyes.

Everyone chuckled as they helped the four of them into light jackets. Rachel was already wearing hers and holding two pairs of crutches in her arms.

The four of them and everyone else followed a hospital representative in to several deserted hallways and out to the vehicles waiting. It took both Burt, Jason, and two SWAT members to help Kurt and Blaine into the car and the undercover black van; considering their stomachs and Blaine's casted leg and his weakened wrist.

Seeing all the news trucks parked around the hospital and reporters talking to their cameras at the front entrance, they had to wait for a little bit for the trucks to clear before they could head out to the highway. There were two undercover police cars with them, one in front and one in back for additional security.

Blaine fell asleep in the black van, looking out the black tinted windows got boring after the first five minutes. It seemed only two minutes when he last closed his eyes to when someone was shaking his shoulder. "What?" He grumbled, swinging an arm over his eyes.

"We're here." A gruff voice said. Blaine opened his eyes to see Burt in front of him. He lifted his head and squinted through his glasses at the bright light coming through the opened van doors. Both Burt and Tyler were in the van, the latter just coming through the other side of the vehicle. In the end, the three of the decided it was easier just for Tyler to carry Blaine into the house instead of getting him in the wheelchair; Aaron doing the same for Mari.

Hiram held the door open for everyone, watching as Kurt and Joey hobbled in on crutches and then Blaine and Mari in the SWAT members' arms. Rachel showed Joey to a room on the main level, Mairead to the basement, and then, to Burt's dismay, Kurt and Blaine in another room upstairs right next to her own.

Kurt sat on the edge of the dark blue sheeted mattress and took off his tie as his boyfriend was gently set down beside him. He propped his crutches against the wall and scooted carefully on his butt until he was about the same place on the bed as Blaine and laid down, pulling the blanket over the two of them.

Burt came in the room and sat on the end of the bed by their feet. "Ground rules guys." He said simply.

The two boys looked up and groaned, wanting to go to sleep. Not quite sitting up, they both looked at him.

He folded his arms. "I'm okay with you guys sharing a room and a bed and, like Finn, you keep the door open when you're both in the room; and no blasting rock music. That sound okay?" Burt said, cocking an eyebrow.

They both nodded wearily, not really caring about them as he patted their feet and walked to the doorway. Burt watched as his son lay back down on his side of the bed.

Kurt dropped his head on Blaine's shoulder, rolled halfway on his side so he was resting on his right arm, and mumbled something. Blaine uttered something back and soon, they were both asleep next to each other.

Burt smiled as he walked back in the room and tucked the blanket around the two of them. He closed the emerald green curtains to block out the setting sun and quietly bumped the back of the door to the wall before walking out.

Five in the evening

Joey had joined Mairead in the basement, both of them hooked up to their IV bags as they played, taking turns, on the Xbox Nick brought from home.

"You know you're not old enough to be playing this game, right?" Mari said as she watched him stab a guard through the throat with Ezio's hidden blade.

"But it's Assassin's Creed! It's a historical game. I'm still educating myself when I'm still playing." He said absentmindedly as he executed a pretty nice kill streak.

She rolled her eyes, and looked out the window at the setting orange sun. Mairead leaned her head into the back of the black faux leather sofa; it really was comfy with its overstuffed cushions.

"Hey guys," Sarah called as she walked towards them. "Dinner time and then meds before you guys. Yes, you two have to drink the protein shakes." She said as they groaned. Sarah unhooked them and cleaned out their IV ports before walking up with them, helping Mari slowly walk up the stairs.

"Do I have to eat something? I'm not that hungry." She said quietly to her mom, as Joey hopped up the stairs on his crutches.

Sarah looked at her daughter. "Yes, you do. And all of the protein shake, Mairead." She said firmly but gently.

"But Mom, really, I'm not that hungry." She protested, placing her braced right foot on the first stair.

"No, you're eating something. You're still healing and you know as well as I do as to what happens when you don't get enough nutrients in your body."

"But Mom-"

"You are eating. End of story." Sarah snapped.

Mairead fell silent immediately, feeling ashamed and mad.

Sarah took a deep breath. "Sweetie, look at me."

Shaking her head, she tried to hold in her tears.

"Mairead."

She finally looked up, a tear rolling down her face. "I'm scared, Mom. I really don't want to eat anything." She whispered brokenly.

They had reached the hallway outside the kitchen and the connecting dining room. Mairead could smell the herb and buttered roasted chicken, or the equally seasoned tofu for Rachel and Kurt, and the aromatic garlic mashed potatoes through the closed door; her anxiety level grew like the beanstalk in the folk tale. Her traitorous stomach rumbled and she reached an arm around it to try and muffle the sound. Sarah stopped her before she could though.

"Mom, please. I honestly can't." More tears rolled down her face as her anxiety kept growing. "I'm going to get so fat. That smell, it's… poison. Please. Don't make me eat that." She pleaded, not realizing what she was saying. Her anxiety was speaking for her without her consent.

"I'm already ugly enough, the way I look. If I eat that, I'm going look even worse. Soon, no one's ever going to want to look at me. Not even a dog's going to look at me. Please, Mom, it's going to make me so fat!" Mairead shouted the last word, sobbing.

They both froze as someone opened the door and stepped though the doorway.

Rachel took in Mairead's red face with tear streaks and Sarah's hand holding Mairead's braced arm. "Are you guys okay out here? Dinner's ready." She asked softly.

Mairead turned the other way, showing her back to Rachel while crying silently. She couldn't bear to look at the pretty brunette girl and her perfect figure.

Sarah nodded swiftly. "We'll be fine. Go tell everyone else to eat, Mari and I will eat a little bit later."

Rachel nodded and with a last a look at Mari's bowed head and turned back as she walked back into the dining room; the breeze of the door closing wafting the odor of the food towards the mother and adopted daughter.

As soon as she heard the door click closed, Mairead threw herself in her mother's arms. "I'm sorry, Mom. I'm so sorry." She sobbed, not bothering to be quiet.

"Shh, it's okay. It's okay." Sarah shushed her, stroking her hair. She slowly guided them to Joey's bedroom with Mairead's arms around her mom; not caring that her shoulder was protesting with excruciating pain. Sitting her on the bed, she shut the door and locked it. Once Sarah sat down on the bed besides her, Mairead sobbed loudly into her mother's shirt.

The two of them sat there, the daughter crying out her stresses to her mother. Sarah made sure that she didn't hurt herself she started kick the side of the bottom of the bed with her braced leg. It made her heart hurt so much to see her daughter hurting so badly.

It wasn't until half an hour later until she started to calm down, silent tears now slowly coming down her face. Mairead sniffled a few times, feeling her mom's arms around her.

"Feel better?" Sarah asked quietly, tightening her arms minutely.

Mairead shrugged as she wiped her nose on her sweatshirt sleeve. Her stomach growled with the pang of hunger again.

"Mairead Chau Styka. You listen to me right now." She said firmly to her. "I didn't adopt an ugly, fat girl from Vietnam nearly seven years ago. I adopted a beautiful, amazing young woman of whom I'm proud to point out in a crowd and call her my daughter. Your father and I could never ask for anything more than what you are. You are beautiful, both inside and out. Screw whatever the world says, you are the one of the greatest things that could have happened to your father and I. We couldn't ask for anything else, even if we were offered the chance to rule the world, we would never ask for anything other than you."

"But I'm broken; I'm damaged, I'm stupid, I'm ugly, I'm fat, I'm-" She started, a new wave of tears threatening to spill over.

"No, you're not. Mairead, I love you. And it hurts me to see you say all of these attributes about you that are simply not true." Sarah said. "Your father and I couldn't be more proud of you no matter what you did, do, look, or whatever else. We love you. Nick loves you. Blaine loves you."

Mairead chuckled softly, despite her tears. "But Blaine's gay."

Sarah laughed. "So he is. Do you want me to bring him in here and ask?" She started to tickle her side.

"No, Mom, no!" She laughed a little breathlessly. Mairead wiped her face on her sleeves as Sarah kissed her forehead.

"Okay, I won't." Sarah said, smiling at her laughing face. "Feel better?" She asked.

Mairead shrugged, her face growing dark again. "A little."

"C'mon, let's go down and eat, hmm?" Sarah asked cautiously.

Her hands gripped her mom's arm quite hard. "Please, Mom?"

Sarah thought for a minute, thinking. "Here, why don't we wait until most everyone finished eating. We'll share a plate, okay? And then we'll see what happens afterwards. Instead of the protein shake, I'll make you a small milkshake. But then you need the shake tomorrow morning. Sound good to you?"

Mairead sniffled and wiped her nose on her sleeves, again. "I guess."

Sarah hugged her close to her body and kissed her on the forehead again. "I love you."

She gave a tiny smile. "I love you too, Mom."

The two of them stayed like that, Mairead leaning her head into the crook of Sarah's neck and shoulder while she rubbed her back soothingly.

Mairead was dozing lightly, exhausted from fighting back against her own body. Sarah woke her before going out of the room to check the population of the dining room. She dragged herself to her feet using the wall and her left hand and walked to the window seeing that there wasn't a mirror in the room. Forcing herself to look just at her eyes, cheek, and nose in the reflection, Mari saw the redness going down and her skin returning to its normal color tone. She took a deep breath, calming down again before her anxiety spiked up when she would have to go the dining room with her mom.

"Honey," Sarah inquired softly, coming in the door. Mari could faintly smell the food drifting in. "It's only Blaine and Carole in the dining room. I already made us a plate. Okay?"

Mari nodded slowly as she sat back down on the mattress, waiting for Sarah to bring over one of her two crutches she was using; her other shoulder couldn't stand the pressure of the crutches. She slipped her arm over the gray arm cushion and put her other arm around her mom's neck. The two walked out slowly to the dining room.

Blaine and Carole were laughing at a story about Finn when he was younger and got into a sack of flour. He was eating a bowl of the mashed potatoes with a smaller bowl of vegetable broth on the side. Giving her a smile, he looked considerably happier than he was in the hospital.

She gave him a watery smile in return, sitting across from them at the big polished wooden table. Mari barely listened as she waited nervously for her mom to return with the plate of food. Trying to keep her anxiety under control, she picked at the grains of wood in the table.

Sarah came back and placed a plate of food in front of her before she sat down by her side. Mairead braced herself before looking at the food. There were two drumsticks and a fairly sized piece of the breast of the chicken with flecks of dark green herbs on the surface; a sizable amount of the garlic mash potatoes with the pink skins mixed in; and a nice side of steamed carrots, yellow zucchini, and broccoli. Mari took in a deep breath, her eyes widening at the amount of food on the plate. Her body started to shake slightly as she smelled the food in front of her.

"Hey, remember, I'm eating too." Sarah whispered in her ear, hugging her around the shoulders.

Mairead nodded, still looking wide eyed at the food. Since she couldn't exactly handle a fork and knife, Sarah cut up the chicken breast into smaller pieces and pulled the meat off the drumsticks for her so that she would only have to spear them with the fork in her left hand. She clumsily held the utensil in her hand, not used to eating with her non-dominate hand. Hesitating, she held the fork over the first piece of chicken. Mari cautiously poked the prongs of the fork into the tender white meat until it hit the plate. She put the small morsel into her mouth while her conscious was screaming profanities at herself in her aching head. Trying not to think of the number of calories that little piece of chicken had, she focused on the brace on her hand as she chewed as slowly as she could.

"… wanted to know if you love her." Her mom said to the boy across the table, snapping her attention up.

Blaine laughed as Mari swallowed the bite unconsciously and choked on the intake of breath. Sarah and Carole cracked up as she coughed and took a sip of water. "Mom! I… You…!"

Sarah smiled, partly because she succeeded in making her daughter eat and then simultaneously embarrassing her in front of her best friend. "Well, I said I would ask him if you weren't." She said mischievously as she ate a forkful of chicken.

"I think we should leave them to this conversation alone, don't you think so, Sarah?" Carole suggested, her eyes twinkling.

"Gladly." Sarah grinned as she watched Mari cover her face with one hand. She glanced discreetly down at the plate; she barely ate anything other than a bite of chicken and a piece of zucchini, leaving the rest to her daughter and hoping to the high heavens she would eat it all. "We'll both be in the kitchen if you need us."

The two women stood up and walked out of the dining room and into the kitchen, closing the door behind them. Carole got to work on getting the medication bottles out for each of the four while Sarah went in search of a blender and milkshake ingredients.

"Sarah," Carole started after she finished putting the pills for each teenager in four small paper cups. "What happened with Mairead? We could all hear you two outside the dining room."

Sarah sighed after she tapped the ice cream scoop on the edge of the blender, letting the frozen treat splash into the whole milk and Oreos. "Mairead suffered from anorexia when Jason and I first adopted her. She had had it for two years before we sent her to a treatment center." She said simply.

Carole gasped, not expecting her answer. "How is she now?"

"She's doing… better. As well as anyone can with this. You know how much psychological damage this can wreak on someone, Carole." Sarah sighed, putting another scoop of the vanilla ice cream in the blender before putting the lid on. "She has her bad days, like just now. Mari calls it the 'demon' talking when she doesn't want to eat." She turned on the blender, watching the Oreos coloring the mixture gray.

"If I can ask without being too intrusive," Carole asked, her tone respectful. "How much weight did she lose before being treated?"

Sarah shrugged. "It's fine. She lost about forty pounds off of her then ninety two pound frame. She's about the same height as she is now, if you can imagine that."

"Fifty pounds." Carole breathed out, her mind imagining how the Vietnamese girl must have looked.

"Yeah. She was about forty-eight pounds at her first weigh in right before being admitted. She had bone problems and her skin was cracked. Her heart was so dangerously close to failing because of the lack of nutrients." Sarah said sadly as she poured the milkshake into a tall glass. "She always kept saying she ate a big lunch. Add in bullying and loneliness and you have a lethal mix. Not to mention her speech therapy and history when we adopted her."

"Speech therapy? She didn't need ESL?" Carole asked, confused. She knew that Mairead was adopted in fifth grade but was puzzled by her lack of an accent.

"She came to me and Jason speaking English quite well in Vietnam. Much better than the orphanage officials actually, almost as if it was her first language other than Vietnamese. She never did explain how she learned it, though. But she still did need the therapy to correct some of her more major impediments. The Vietnamese language doesn't have the TH, L, or J sounds." Sarah said matter-of-factly.

The door opened; Sarah sucked in a breath, hoping it wasn't her daughter coming in. It was Kurt, actually. He looked a little ruffled, having just woken up.

"Blaine told me there was food in here. It smells really good, too." Kurt said, yawning. He hobbled in on his crutches to the stove.

"Well, of course there's food in here, silly." Carole smiled. "Here, I'll help." She said as he tried to balance on his crutches while holding a plate and scooping up mashed potatoes.

"Kurt, don't eat too much. It's almost time for all of you to take your meds." Sarah told him as she put the blender jug in the sink.

He nodded as he talked his step mom through what he wanted on his plate. All three of them went out to the dining room where Blaine and Mari were still eating and laughing. Sarah's heart soared as she saw her daughter's plate was nearly empty.

"What are you guys talking about?" Kurt asked as he hopped over to a chair by Blaine's side. Carole set the plate down in front of him.

"Just about Jeff and Nick setting the chemistry lab on fire a few weeks ago." Blaine said smiling as he scraped the bottom of his bowl with the metal spoon.

"Oh my God. I swear those two need straitjackets." Kurt rolled his eyes as he picked up his fork.

Mairead laughed, her fork scooping up mashed potatoes. She ate them while listening to Kurt rant about the two Warblers.

Sarah watched as she ate, feeling proud. She set the milkshake down in front of her and kissed her on the forehead before retreating back into the kitchen.

Carole and Sarah made small talk as the three teenagers ate in the next room. The door opened again and this time, Mairead came in with her plate in hand. Her face completely devoid of emotion. "Mom?" She asked in small voice. "I… I can't…"

"Yes, you can, sweetheart. You did it. You ate it all." She cupped her face in her hands, looking at her suddenly tear filled eyes.

"I'm sor-"

"No, you're not. I know you aren't sorry. I'm proud of you. I love you." Sarah hugged her as Carole took the plate out of Mari's hand.

Mairead hugged back, feeling a sense of accomplishment yet a very, very small twang of disappointment. She stayed in her mother's arms for a moment, trying to control her tears.

"Why don't you go back in there and finish your milkshake, hmm? Carole and I'll be back in there soon. I have to go and find Joey before we give you your meds for the night."

"The night? What time is it?" She asked, taken back at how much time had passed.

"It's nearly nine. You guys need the meds before you go to sleep." Sarah said as she tucked a strand of Mari's hair behind her ear.

Mari cocked an eyebrow up, looking incredulous. "Seriously?"

Sarah laughed a little. "Yup." She said warmly. "Go and finish the milkshake, honey. I'll be there in a bit." She gave her another kiss on the forehead.

Mairead smiled wryly. "Oh, fine."

Kurt and Blaine hobbled back up to their bedroom, feeling warm and full from the food they just consumed. They lay down, feeling the effects of the meds they just took.

"Ugh, I feel like I've just been sleeping all day." Kurt said, lying on his back with his arms splayed out like a snow angel.

"I think we both have." Blaine told him as he slowly raised his casted leg up onto the bed before lying down beside Kurt. "Considering that we had a press conference today and got to come here, I think that warrants a day of sleep."

"Or two."

Blaine laughed gently. "Or two, indeed."

The two lay there, half drowsing as they enjoyed each other's company. Blaine laid on his side and placed a hand on Kurt's chest, avoiding the bump of the gauze bandage under Kurt's silk pajama top. "We totally have to get to doing homework tomorrow. It's not going to be good for either of us if we fail and our GPAs drop." Blaine said slowly.

Kurt groaned faintly. "Great. Not to mention Rachel's going crazy with rehearsing for the New Directions fundraiser concert. Which she invited the both us. If you want to go, of course."

Blaine could hear the longing in his voice at watching his old glee club performing without him. "Why wouldn't I? But only if you come with me."

Kurt turned his head to the side to face the curly haired Warbler. He smiled as Blaine's face mirrored his own, both of their eyes threatening to close from the meds taking effect. "We'll talk tomorrow. You need sleep."

Blaine smiled back. "So do you. I love you." He leaned in for a kiss on Kurt's red lips.

"I love you, too." Kurt said once they broke apart. He shifted his arm comfortably under Blaine's neck and around his shoulder, leaning his head into his curly hair.

Blaine hummed in response as he moved closer to Kurt and snuggled into his side, his hand still on Kurt's chest.

Kurt could feel him rapidly falling asleep. He quietly murmured his modified lyrics from Just The Way You Are until he fell asleep next to him.

Carole walked into her step-son's room, expecting him to still be up and talking with Blaine. But instead, she discovered the two of them sleeping, Kurt hugging Blaine to his side.

She smiled as she covered them with the blanket which had slipped to the floor. Turning off the lights, she took one last look before leaving to go home.