Life Goes On

               Chapter 8 – Results of a Choice

Kurt catches Blaine before he falls to the floor. Kurt sits Blaine down on the chair and calls his name as he gently lifts his head. He looks at Blaine's face and sees tired eyes and a flushed face that is covered with sweat. Kurt puts the back of his hand against Blaine's forehead and instantly realizes that Blaine has a fever. “Blaine you are burning up. Why didn't you tell me you were sick?” Kurt asks his ill husband. “I'm sorry Kurt. I'm really sorry,” Blaine whispers.

Joey and Sally find the boys off stage. Joey helps Kurt get Blaine up and they carefully walk him to the back room so he can lie down on the couch for a while. Kurt and Joey are discussing what happened and deciding what to do before Kurt takes him home. While Kurt and Joey are talking Sally looks after Blaine. She checks his pulse which is slightly elevated and agrees with Kurt that he has a fever, how high she couldn't tell. “The girls, where are the girls? Joey you are supposed to be watching the girls, you promised.” Blaine said weakly as he tries to get up but feeling light headed he slowly lies back down. “Blaine, listen to me. Rachael and Santana took the girls and their toys back to your apartment. They are going to put the girls to bed and stay there with them until you get home. So don't worry about the girls. Right now you are the one we are worried about.” Joey says easing Blaine's concern when the manager of The Train Station rushes in concerned about Blaine. Kurt tries to explain what happened when Sally interrupts and says, “Excuse me sir, but can you bring us a glass and a pitcher of cold water because I am very concerned that part of Blaine's problem is he's severely dehydrated and we need to get some fluids into him immediately.”

The manager leaves quickly to get some water when Jasper rushes in and says, “Blaine, what happened? My boss is furious that I made him come to see such a bad performance and you walking off the stage.” Kurt turns and looks at Jasper and yells, “Are you blind? He is very sick and shouldn't even have been here tonight. The only reason he was here tonight was to audition for your boss. So get the hell out of here!” Jasper turns around and is heading out of the room when he stops and turns around and says, “Tell Blaine my boss is not going to sign off on the contract. Tell him I'm sorry it didn't work out and good luck in the future.” Joey stood up and walked towards Jasper and looked directly into his eyes and sternly said, “Get out and don't come back.” Jasper left and Joey shuts the door. Blaine lifts his arm and lays it over his eyes so no one can see the tears forming in his eyes.

“Kurt, I think you need to take him to a hospital or clinic. He is dehydrated and he may need some meds to recover properly.” Sally suggests with concern in her voice. The manager returns with some water which Blaine drinks slowly. A few minutes later they are helping Blaine get ready to the hospital. “The taxi is here,” the manager announces. As Kurt and Joey help Blaine up the manager says, “Give me a call when you are feeling better Blaine and then we will discuss your schedule.” Kurt gets in the taxi first and then assists Blaine as he struggles to get in. Finally, everyone is in the taxi and they quickly travel to the nearest hospital wanting to get some help for Blaine who is leaning against Kurt with his eyes closed.

A few minutes later they arrive at the nearby hospital. After registering with the intake nurse the four adults find themselves sitting on some blue plastic chairs outside the emergency room as they wait for Blaine's name to be called. Kurt has his arm around Blaine's shoulders as he leans against him with his eyes half open when they finally hear, ‘Blaine Hummel-Anderson.' Kurt stands and helps Blaine as they slowly follow the nurse. She takes them to an exam room. Kurt helps Blaine get onto the exam bed while the nurse gets a chart and begins to get Blaine's vitals. Blaine's blood pressure and pulse are normal but his temperature is 102.6 degrees. She asks Blaine what happened and he explains. “When did you start feeling ill?” she asks. Blaine is having trouble staying awake so she looks at Kurt. “I am not sure, the last couple of days. Our daughter just got over the flu and he was caring for her most of the time. ” Kurt answers but his heart feels like it has been stabbed because he realizes he didn't even notice Blaine was sick until he collapsed into his arms and thinks. “What kind of a husband have I been lately?” Blaine looks at the nurse and mumbles, “Tuesday.” Kurt thinks to himself, “Tuesday, it is now Saturday morning and I didn't even notice my husband wasn't feeling well for four days. What is wrong with you Kurt?” The nurse writes down the information and then asks, “What are your current symptoms Mr. Hummel-Anderson?” Blaine looks at her and says, “Throbbing headache, tired, sore throat, congested, runny nose, dizzy, light headed, and I just feel rotten all over. Other than that I am wonderful.” She smiles and says, “At least you still have a sense of humor. The doctor will be here in a few minutes and get you started on the road of feeling better.” She says as she leaves the room. Kurt sits down next to Blaine and holds his hand as Blaine slowly closes his eyes.

A doctor enters the room and Kurt nudges Blaine so he will open his eyes. “Hi, I am Dr. Lansing and it looks like you don't feel well. Let me check you out and then I'll tell you what I think.” He starts by listening to Blaine's lungs and can hear the congestion. He looks at the chart and says, “Mr. Hummel-Anderson you are a pretty sick individual. First off you are severely dehydrated so we are going to get you hooked up to an IV and pump some fluid into you. That should help you feel a little better pretty quickly. Next it sounds like you may have bronchitis which could lead to pneumonia if you are not careful. So I will be prescribing you meds to tackle the bronchitis. I don't want you outside for any extended amount of time for at least a week. If you don't follow these orders I can guarantee you will be back here within a week. Do you understand?” Kurt looks at Blaine and answers, “Yes, he will follow those orders and I you I will make sure of it.” Kurt smiles as he rubs Blaine's hand lovingly. “Alright, you are going to rest here for an hour or so while I will get someone to start the IV and give you some meds. After you get hydrated and start feeling better you will be released. Do you have any questions or concerns before I leave?” the doctor asks. The boys say “no,” so the doctor leaves and Kurt and Blaine are alone. “I'm going to go let Joey and Sally know what the doctor said and tell them to go home. I'll be back in a few minutes so why don't you close your eyes and rest.” Kurt tells Blaine and then he gently kisses his forehead before he leaves.

Blaine closes his eyes then opens then quickly as he hears a nurse come in to start the IV and give him some meds. She gets the IV started and makes sure it is working properly and tells Blaine it will take about an hour to empty the bag and then he will be discharged. She completes her work and leaves as Blaine's eyes fall closed. He wants to sleep but instead his brain is reliving the events of the last 24 hours. He keeps hearing Jasper's words that his boss isn't going to sign off on the contract because of his poor performance. He feels like his dream has burst and his heart aches from the disappointment. His unknown music future concerns him deeply as he feels he has let his family down.

Blaine wakes to see Kurt smiling at him. Kurt moves closer and grabs Blaine's hand but Blaine avoids looking at Kurt's eyes because he feels ashamed and sad. “I am so glad I can take you home as soon as you are feeling better.” Kurt says as he rubs the top of Blaine's hand. Blaine looks at their hands and softly says, “I'm sorry Kurt, I screwed everything up. All the work and time I spent practicing was for nothing. It was a waste.” Blaine closes his eyes but a tear finds its way down his cheek anyway. “Blaine sweetie, don't you dare think that. You are very sick and you should have never been forced to perform tonight. You did everything humanly possible. So I don't want to hear any apologizes from you. If someone needs to apologize it should be me. I should have noticed that you were not feeling well and working too hard balancing the kids, home, and me. I have been so focused on me I couldn't see what was going with you and the girls and I am so sorry. You and the girls are the most important things in my life and I got blinded by my career dreams, but not any more though. I promise you Blaine, that is going to change as soon as I get you home.” Kurt pledges to Blaine as he kisses his cheek.

The nurse walks in and looks at the IV bag and sees that it is empty. “How are you feeling now?” he asks as she checks his vitals. “I am feeling better than when I arrived.” Blaine says as he tries to sit up. “Your vitals look good,” she says as she starts taking out the IV. “I just need you to sign this release and you are ready to go. Make sure you follow the directions the doctor told you. Any questions or concerns before you leave?” The nurse asks and the boys shake their heads no. Blaine signs the release as Kurt takes the meds. Blaine gets his coat on and Kurt stays by his side as they leave the ER. Kurt hails a cab and they get home safe and sound.

They quietly enter the apartment and Kurt makes Blaine goes straight to their bedroom and change into his pajamas and get into bed. Kurt decides to wake Rachael and Santana, to let them know they are home and they can go home if they want. They decide to leave so Kurt calls a cab for them. He thanks them for their help and tells them to be careful getting home. After they leave he goes and checks on the girls and sees they are sound asleep and didn't even wake up when he and Blaine returned. Finally he went to his bedroom to find Blaine sleeping but restless because of his coughing. Kurt quietly changed and got into bed. He looks at Blaine and thinks about all the sacrifices Blaine has made recently for his family and him and how his dream was shattered tonight, while he has only been concerned about working for vogue.com and helping to plan a fashion show and being in a Broadway play. His dreams are coming true while Blaine's are falling apart. “Tomorrow, I am going to have to tell him about getting a promotion and getting closer to my fashion dream.” Kurt wonders to himself. “What will you think Blaine when you hear about it? Will you be happy for me or upset? Will this affect our relationship in a bad way?” Kurt adjusts the covers and gives Blaine a gentle kiss on the cheek as he wraps his arms around Blaine and snuggles up close, wondering what tomorrow will bring.