Life Goes On

              Chapter 13 – Troubled Waters

Kurt is standing outside the apartment door feeling more nervous about opening this door than he did last night before he went on stage. Kurt looks at his watch and sees that it was 8:15 in the morning. He takes a deep breath, unlocks and opens the door and walks in. Kurt shuts the door and walks towards the kitchen then freezes instantly in his tracks and says, “Oh crap.” The apartment has been decorated with balloons and streamers. There are signs all over the walls made by Kurt's family and friends wishing him good luck and congratulations. He turns and sees a table filled with finger foods that are Kurt's favorite and a chocolate fountain that has been turned off because the melted chocolate has turned back into a solid. Also on the table are red and yellow roses and a cake that looks like Kurt. The cake has writing on it that says, ‘A star is born' and it hasn't even been cut yet. He looks all around the apartment again seeing everything that Blaine had done for him. Kurt slaps his hand against his face as he realizes what his family has done for him and he missed it. He sits down in a chair feeling very guilty, when he starts to hear someone talking.

“Come on girls, I'm hungry.” Blaine says as he leads the girls down the hall and stops suddenly when he sees Kurt. The girls see Kurt and scream, “Daddy,” as they run to him, hugging him tightly. “Come on girls we need to get going, I'm sure Daddy needs some sleep,” Blaine says as he heads towards the door. “Wait, where are you going? I just got here,” Kurt says disappointedly. Blaine looks at Kurt and says sharply, “Sorry Kurt, not our problem. We made plans for this morning if you remember. We are going out for breakfast, shopping for some new shoes, followed by some playtime in the park. Kurt, our lives are not going to be put on pause until you have time for us.” Blaine holds the door open while the girls walk out waving goodbye to Kurt. “Blaine, please don't be like this. I'm sorry, but I had to go.” Kurt says as the door shuts loudly. Kurt is stunned by what just happened. He decides that Blaine needs some space so he walks to his bedroom and decides to get some much needed sleep and strength before dealing with this issue when they get back.

Blaine enjoys his waffles and coffee while the girls eat blueberry pancakes with syrup and a glass of milk. He listens to the girls as they discuss their favorite television show, but his mind is elsewhere thinking about Kurt and the choices he seems to be making lately. They finish breakfast and walk out the door. They head towards Macy's to buy Emma a new pair of tennis shoes since her old ones are to small and squishing her toes. At the store Emma looks at all the different types of shoes and colors and seems to be getting overwhelmed by the number. Blaine makes it easier by limiting her choices between four different styles. Emma studies each style closely while Blaine holds Elizabeth on his lap. “What's the problem Emma, you look confused about something? Emma, they're only shoes, which style do you like best?” Blaine asks with a giggle because Emma looks so serious about this decision. “Papa, I just don't know which pair to choose because they need to go with all my outfits so I look good. I wonder which pair Daddy would pick. I know we could call Daddy and send him a picture of the shoes and see what he thinks?” Emma suggests with big puppy dog eyes that Blaine can't deny. “I guess we could but you need to remember that Daddy may be asleep and not answer the phone.” Blaine says as he takes a picture of the shoes and sends it to Kurt before he calls his cell phone. It rings a few times before a tired Kurt answers his phone. Blaine explains the situation to him and then hands the phone to Emma. They have quite a lengthy conversation about the shoes before she hands the phone back to Blaine. “Hey,” Blaine says. “She decided on the blue sparkly ones and Blaine, I know you are upset with me, but I appreciate you calling and letting me help. Are you heading to the park now?” Kurt wants to know. “Yes, we will probably be there in about 30 minutes,” Blaine replies. “Could I meet you there?” Kurt asks timidly. “It's your choice Kurt,” Blaine remarks in a sharp tone. “I need to go Kurt,” Blaine says as he ends the call. Kurt smiles and quickly moves to get ready.

After showering and getting dressed Kurt decides to make some snacks to take along with him to the park to share with his family. Kurt is heading out the door when his phone rings. “Kurt, congrats on your wonderful reviews for Happenings. You must be thrilled beyond words,” Stephanie says proudly. “I hate to interrupt you, but we need to make a decision about the website and it needs to be made now, so could you please come down to the office?” Stephanie begs. She senses Kurt is debating with himself so she adds, “I promise you it will take less than 30 minutes and then you are free to go.” Kurt rolls his eyes and takes a deep breath and says, “Alright, I'm on my way. But just so you know I'm only coming in to make the decision and then I am gone because I want to spend some time with my family today,” Kurt says. After ending the call he sets his phone down on the table and runs back to the bedroom to get his sunglasses from the pocket of his jacket. He grabs the snacks and is out the door.

Blaine and the girls arrive at the park and head straight to the play area. They start at the swings with Blaine pushing Elizabeth and watches Emma pump her legs as she goes higher and higher while they sing Disney songs at the top of their lungs. When they tire of swinging Emma heads to the sandbox while Elizabeth heads to the big twisty slide. Blaine stands behind her as he closely watches as Elizabeth climbs the tall metal ladder to the top. Once Elizabeth is at the top Blaine quickly runs to the end of the slide to catch Elizabeth when she arrives at the bottom. She giggles happily and starts running back to the ladder to climb up and slide down again. This patter continued several times until Emma came over with her shoes off because they were full of sand. Blaine's helping her get the sand out of her shoes when he says, “Elizabeth, do not climb up that ladder until I get there.” Blaine is double knotting Emma's last shoe and says, “Okay girl you are ready to go.” Blaine helps Emma up when he hears, “Look at me Papa!” Elizabeth squeals and Blaine turns his head to see Elizabeth at the top of the ladder waving her hands as she squeals.  Then Blaine watches in horror as he sees his little girl lose her balance. She leans backwards and screams as she senses she is falling through the air. As she nears the ground her head and arm hit the ladder steps with a thud before she lands in a lump on the ground. Blaine runs to her calling her name. He sees her lying on the ground not moving or making a sound but he does see a puddle of blood forming under her head. He restrains himself from moving her and immediately calls 911 and pleads for their help. He follows their directions as some people who saw what happened come to help. He could see her back rise up and down so she is breathing and he could feel a pulse in her neck. Blaine finally hears a siren in the background knowing that help is coming. He just wished they were already here, helping his injured daughter.

Emma is staring at her sister with a scared face when a young woman walks up to her and crouches as she asks, “Is she your sister?” Emma eyes are wide and starting to fill with tears but answers, “Yup, she fell.”  The woman rubs Emma's back and says, “They're going to help her,” They watch a man direct the ambulance to the playground area. The paramedics exit the ambulance quickly and gather their equipment as they race over to the accidents scene. They start to immediately check Emma's vitals and access the situation as Blaine explains what happened. They attach a neck brace around her head and then they secure a board to her back before they slowly turn her over to continue assessing her injuries. They check her pupils, start an IV, and bandage the deep cut above her eye. They also notice the bruising and swelling on her left arm. They splint her arm as a precaution before getting her on the gurney and quickly into the ambulance. Blaine calls for Emma and they gather their belongings before jumping into the back of the ambulance along with Elizabeth.

“We're here Elizabeth,” Blaine says as he gently touches her leg that remains motionless while he holds Emma tightly in his lap. Blaine takes out his cell phone and calls Kurt. The phone rings, and rings, and rings, and rings before finally going to voice mail. Blaine leaves a voice mail. “Kurt, Elizabeth fell off the slide and is unconscious. We are in an ambulance heading to Mount Sinai Medical Center.” Blaine's voice breaks and becomes shaky as he adds, “Please hurry, she's hurt bad.” He ends the call and wonders to himself, “Where are you Kurt?”

Kurt and Stephanie are discussing their options about the website. They disagree on the best way to solve the problem. This 30 minute discussion has now turned into a 2 hour debate that they finally solve. With a decision made Kurt looks at his watch and realizes he has been there for 2 hours. He reaches for his phone but finds an empty pocket. When he feels an empty pocket he instantly remembers where he put his phone down. He wants to call Blaine to see if they are still in the park. He walks over to Stephanie's office phone that is on her desk and dials Blaine's cell phone.

The ambulance arrives at the hospital and a group of medical staff quickly remove Elizabeth and take her away to an exam room. Blaine is given papers to fill out. After completing the paperwork Blaine is told to sit in the waiting room for the Emergency Room patients and someone would be out soon with some information. Blaine hugs an upset Emma and tells her everything will be fine and not to worry, though he doesn't believe it. He takes out his phone but there are no texts or messages from Kurt. He calls Joey and Burt to let them know what has happened. Blaine feels his phone vibrate and he immediately pulls it out of his pocket and sees a number he doesn't recognize. “Hello?” Blaine says confused. “Blaine it's me,” Kurt says. “Kurt, where are you? Why aren't you here?” Blaine asks sternly. “I was called into the office to solve a problem. I'm finished now so I want to know if you are still at the park because I want to come and join you,” Kurt informs Blaine. “Have you listened to my voice-mail to you Kurt?” Blaine asks as his blood pressure starts to rise. “No, because I forgot my cell phone at home and in fact I‘m calling from the phone in Stephanie's office,” Kurt explains. “I'll tell you what Kurt, why don't you go listen to my voice mail that I left you over an hour ago and then you can decide what you want to do.” A furious Blaine says as he ends the call. Blaine puts his phone back into his pocket when he sees Joey, Burt, and Carol come rushing through the door.

Kurt looks at the phone not understanding what just happened when Stephanie returns and asks, “What's up, you look puzzled?” Kurt puts the phone down and answers, “I don't know. Apparently, Blaine called and left me a voice mail over an hour ago. I forgot my phone at home so I didn't get it. I need to go home,” Kurt says worriedly as he quickly walks out of Stephanie's office, heading home. He gets home as soon as possible. He grabs his phone off the table and sees he has a voice mail from Blaine and also his Father. Kurt listens to Blaine's voice mail and yells, “Oh my God, No, no, no, no!” He immediately grabs his keys and starts running out of the apartment door trying to call Blaine.

Emma is sitting next to Blaine and holding his arm tightly as they are waiting for some news about Elizabeth. Blaine explains what happened to the others as they sit waiting together for some news. Burt whispers into Carol's ear. “Where is Kurt? I called him but he didn't answer so I left a voice mail. Blaine's barely holding on. I hope we hear some good news soon and Kurt gets here.” The ER doors open and everyone watches as a man in scrubs says, “Elizabeth Hummel-Anderson.” Blaine and Emma stand quickly and walk towards the man, Emma never losing contact of Blaine's hand followed by the others. “Hi, I'm Dr. Michael Hall and I have been taking care of Elizabeth. Will you please follow me?” They all follow him into a small conference room. “How's my little girl Doctor?” Blaine begs just wanting some news. “Mr. Hummel-Anderson she took quite a serious fall. We have her stabilized but she is still unconscious. We just got her    x-rays back and they show that she has a concussion which is the main reason she has not woken up. Her brain does not appear to be swelling which is good. She has a skull fracture over her left eye where she hit her head but that should heal on its own. She has a deep cut over her left eye.  We have bandaged it for now but she may need surgery by a plastic surgeon after the swelling goes down. Her left arm is broken but it is a clean break so we will be casting it soon. I know that sounds like terrible news, but I feel confident that she will make a full recovery in time. She is going to be moved to ICU for observation until she regains consciousness and then she will be sent to the children's ward until she is released. I know I just told you a lot to digest. Do you have any questions?” Blaine looks at Carol for assurance that she understands what was said before he says, “I just have one question. Can I see my daughter?” Blaine asks. “Yes, you can see her but only for a few minutes though because they are going to be moving her soon,” Dr. Hall says as he motions for Blaine to follow him. Emma looks at Blaine but refuses to let go of Blaine's hand so they follow the doctor together to see Elizabeth while the others wait in the conference room until they return.

“Emma, are you okay? Do you want see Elizabeth or would you rather wait outside in the hall until I come back?” Blaine asks concerned about Emma's feelings. “I want to see Eliz. She is my little sister and I need to help her,” Emma says determined to be strong. “When did you become so grown up Little One?” Blaine stands and grabs Emma's hand as they walk together into Elizabeth's exam room in the ER. Looking at Elizabeth they see the IV that is attached to her right hand and an oxygen tube in her nose. Her head has a huge white bandage above her left eye where her head hit the metal ladder. Blaine gently kisses her forehead and whispers, “Hi Elizabeth, I love you Sweetie, you are going to be just fine.” He rubs her cheek wishing she would open her eyes. Blaine carefully lifts Emma up so she is sitting on Elizabeth's bed. Emma grabs Eliz's index finger and rubs it as she says, “Eliz, can you wake up please because I want to know you are okay. I love you.” Two orderlies walk in and say, “Excuse us but we need to move her to ICU. You can wait in the ICU waiting area. Someone from ICU will come and get you after she is settled into her room. You might want to go get something to eat because it might take about an hour.” The orderly says as they start gathering all of Elizabeth's records and things.

Blaine and Emma walk back to the conference room and tell Joey, Burt, and Carol that Elizabeth is being moved to ICU. They all headed to the cafeteria to get something to eat before going to the ICU waiting room. While everyone is eating Blaine texts Kurt to let him know where they are now and where they will be soon after eating. Kurt's phone buzzes as he gets to the Emergency doors at the Medical Center. He reads Blaine's text and quickly heads to the cafeteria to find Blaine and Emma. Kurt finally locates the cafeteria and scans the room until he sees them sitting at a green table in the back and rushes to them. “Hey, I'm glad I found you. How is Elizabeth?” Kurt asks as he kisses the top of Emma's head and looks at Blaine waiting for an answer. Kurt sees a tired Blaine and a look on his face that he has never seen before as Blaine begins to tell Kurt everything he has been told about Elizabeth's condition and prognosis. “We are heading to the ICU waiting room where they will get us when she is settled in her room,” Blaine concludes emotionless as he starts picking up the trash at the table. “What happened?” Kurt asks with curiosity. Blaine explains that Elizabeth was climbing the slide's ladder and she yelled for him to look. She let go of the railing, lost her balance, and leaned backwards causing her to fall to the ground and hitting her head and arm on the ladder. Concerned about his daughter a tired Kurt loses his self control and blurts out, “What were you doing? Why weren't you watching her?” Kurt immediately realizes the mistake he just made. Everyone looks at Kurt shocked to hear what he was inferring as Emma starts to cry. Blaine calmly stands and picks up Emma, holding her tightly he walks away not looking at Kurt.

“Blaine, Blaine, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it the way it sounded.” Joey and Carol go after Blaine while Burt motions for Kurt to sit down and calmly says, “Kurt I know you are upset, but that was uncalled for. For your information Blaine had been helping her up the ladder numerous times before she fell. He had told Elizabeth not to climb up the ladder just before she fell. The reason he didn't see her was because Emma had asked him to help her get some sand out of her shoes and he was retying her shoes. Congratulations Kurt, you more or less just told Blaine and Emma that they are at fault for Elizabeth falling and getting hurt even though she did something she was told not to, nice job.” Burt gets up and walks to the ICU waiting room while Kurt with tears in his eyes is sitting alone realizing he has hurt his family again.