Blaine called me 20 past midnight, "I can't sleep," he confessed. "By can't I mean I'm not trying."
"You have to sleep sometime, Blaine. What did you do to sleep last year?"
"Sleeping pills but they don't work anymore." Blaine said in a low voice. In the background I heard ocean sounds and his roommate Jeff snoring.
"Is there anything I can do from this end?" I asked.
"Tell me about your day," he suggested.
"I had dinner with Kellie, she says hi. Other then that I have been here all day." I said.
"What were you mad at this morning?"
"I won't hid anything from you Blaine," I said taking a breath before telling him, "your dad paid those guys to beat you up last night." I said very calmly feeling Blaine's sadness.
"That explains why my uncle looked at me like I was a ghost at Warbler practice. I wonder if that's why he stepped down as president."
"Well your dad skipped town, he's in California till the 16." I told him.
He snorted, "Oh wow,"
"What is it Blaine?"
"It probably doesn't matter anymore anyway but he promised he wouldn't miss this birthday. I don't know... some times the little moment we have feel real." Blaine sighed.
"Screw him, you don't need him." I said.
"Yeah," he was quiet for a moment, "when did Rachel and Quinn meet?" He asked abruptly.
"I have no idea."
"Oh Quinn told me she liked her and wanted to know if Rachel felt the same way, I didn't know either of them were Gay. Quinn said she was bi."
"Rachel likes blonds. That's it." I laughed hearing him muffle his chuckle as well.
"That'd be weird if they got together."
"How so?"
"My best friend dating yours, they will know more about us then we do."
"Yeah, that would be strange. How long have you known Quinn?" I asked.
"Since we could walk. Our mothers were in the same church and participated in the same clubs and our fathers played golf together. She moved in middle school to Lima but we kept in touch, dated till I moved to Dalton and I came out. But she was really nice and supportive of me." Blaine replied.
"She doesn't know about your dad does she?"
"No, that was the only secret I couldn't share. She's kind of an activist, about things like that I mean. She wants to be a social worker."
"Speaking of what you want to be, why a vet?"
"I love animals. Since I was young, once I found this turtle on the side of the rode after getting hit by a car; I nurse it back to health, that was the first one. Then I just progressively more interested, helping all the neighbor hood animals, and I lived close to the woods so sometimes I would play with the wild animals. Cooper would call me Snow White." he laughed softly. "Oh yeah, freshmen year at Dalton wanted us to pick a path so we can start early with our career choices and instead of feeling out the paper, I helped deliver Quinn's dog puppies." Blaine said making me laugh.
"Wow Blaine that is so sweet." I said. "Can I ask you about your uncle?"
"Yes?"
"What was that hat thing at the restaurant the other day?"
"Oh, its complicated. He was trying to be a FBI agent when I was growing up and it was the coolest thing so we'd play games to help my chances if I tried to get in. One of them was to count the hats in the room. He never got in but we always played the game. Now out of habit its the first thing I do when I walk into a restaurant or building." He explained followed closely by a yawn.
"I thought it was pretty cool." I commented, "you sleepy yet?"
"Nope," he said popping his 'p', "I had a cup of tea before I called but its not working either."
"you just need to relax." I chuckled. "Maybe I could tell you a bed time story."
"I love bedtime stories." Blaine said. I smiled and thought of a story to tell him.
"There once was this young princess who was hidden from the world all her life. On her 16th birthday she was presented to the kingdom she saw the world for the first time and she never wanted to be in her castle again. Then the marriage proposals came and the idea of waiting on some man the rest of her life disgusted her. So one day she decided to run. She stole her fathers maps, filled her head with encouraging words and ran."
"She got very far, running along the border of her kingdom sleeping in caves and ate the fruits of the trees. The solidarity was blissful until one night someone found her. He was faster then she ever expected possible. He asked what she was doing out of her castle. Running she responded. The creature of the night told her he'd help her run further and faster if she wanted she accepted but for a price. her appetite changed only craving the worriers sworn to protect her and she was forced to live in the shadows."
"Was she turned into a vampire?" Blaine whispered sleepily.
"Yes she was. And for years she lived in a cave, running was no longer fun, but lonely. She wanted to find something to run for. The land she lived in was being battled for and one night a wounded shoulder walked into her cave with no idea she lived there."
"There must have been something special about this soldier because she healed him and turned him. Though she was younger then him their relationship was like mother and son." I heard Blaine's soft snore and knew he was asleep.
I stayed on the phone all while he slept picturing he was in my arms. He moved around a lot and mumbled unintelligible things in to his pillow. His breathing labored and I felt him start to panic. "Blaine," I said into the phone doubting he could hear me. "Calm down sweetheart. Calm down," I said trying to change how he was feeling.
He was quiet for a long moment before picking up the phone, "Kurt?"
"Yes dear?" I said softly.
"You're still here." He said sounding partly sleep.
"I said I'd never leave you alone." He chuckled and yawned.
"Yeah, I'm going to get ready for school," he said around another yawn. "I'll see you tonight Kurt."
"Okay, I love you."
"I love you too."