The fourth day of Kurt’s coma, Mike doesn’t wake Blaine up to say good bye. Instead, Blaine comes to, clutching Kurt’s hand, his cheek pressed against the pillows. Blaine raises his head slowly, then notices Burt sitting there watching him. Blaine jerks up, dropping Kurt’s hand like it’s on fire. Burt chuckles, “Whoa. Easy kid, I don’t bite.” Blaine nods, still eyeing Kurt’s hand self consciously. Burt scratches his head, “You know, if you hold his hand in front of me, it’s not like I’ll set you on fire. Just do me a favor? When he wakes up, keep it PG around ole Papa.” Blaine coughed and spluttered, “Um--Burt--Sir. It’s not like---” Burt laughs, “Look kid. I’ve seen the look you get on your face. And I know my own kid. You’re obviously already in love with him, or on the fast track to being there. And I know that he saw something in you that made you worth saving.”
“This is crazy! I haven’t even talked to him yet! How could I be in love with him?!”
Burt grinned, “Kid, that’s the thing about love. It’s crazy. The more you love someone, the less sense anything makes.”
“Do you and Mike get together and discuss what mumbo jumbo bull you’re going to feed me while I freak out because I’m in love with a man I’ve only ever met once.”
“It’s not the amount of time you spend in one place, rather what you choose to do with your time there.”
“Wow, wildly unhelpful Mr. H.” Blaine can feel himself growing more edgy by the second. This is ridiculous. Not only is it unsafe and probably setting himself up for heartbreak. Because what if he wakes up an hates me? Or doesn’t remember? He’s gonna think I’m a total creeper. But it’s ludicrous.This kind of stuff only happens in some kind of twisted Nicholas Sparks novel. Beautiful guys don’t just randomly knock over curly haired men and save their life. And it’s just insane. It’s nuts to feel so strongly about someone you’ve never said two words to. It’s bonkers to care this much about a person.

And Blaine can feel that. Can feel it in his gut. If he thinks back truly to the moment he felt Kurt’s blood, he knows that that’s when he started caring. He remembers desperately wishing it was his own blood, but not out of guilt as he had previously thought. No, because for reasons unbeknownst to him, Blaine has fallen for this man irrevocably. And the thought of him being in any pain at all kills Blaine. The thought that he might not wake up. Kills Blaine. The thought that the man not like Blaine. Kills Blaine. The thought that the man could not even feel a thing for Blaine. Kills Blaine.

Burt clears his throat, pulling Blaine from his reverie.
Blaine looks up and Burt says, “It’s okay for you to love him you know.”
Blaine doesn’t reply, still stuck on the thought This is nuts. I’m mad. I’ve completely lost my mind. I can’t be in love with him.
“I can see it in your eyes. You feel nuts because you love him. You’re not nuts though, or crazy, or mad, or bonkers or whatever other synonym you can come up with.”
“Just a regular old mind reader over there aren’t you?”
“Look kid, cut the crap. If you love him, it’s not the end of the world. And honestly, I’m sure he’s gonna love you too. Be shocked if he didn’t already. He did what he did because he saw something in you.”
“The next person who says he ‘saw something’ in me is going to find out what it feels like when I do ‘The Bitch Stare of Doom.’ Unless they can tell me what the fuck it is?!”
“Kid, why don’t you take a walk? You’re obviously stressed out.”
“No. I’m not taking a walk.”
“Kid, look if you’re worried about Kurt, he’ll be fine. Mike said he probably won’t even wake up until tomorrow.”
“I am not taking a walk.”
“Why not?”
At that moment Mike takes the opportunity to walk in answered for Blaine, “Because the last time he took a walk, four people wound up with gunshot wounds.” Burt’s jaw dropped, “Oh, uh. Right. Sorry, kid.” Blaine shrugged, “It’s fine really. So Mike, what brings you here in the middle of the day?” Mike wrote a couple things down on a clipboard, “Needed to talk to Burt, here.” Burt scratched the top of his head under hit ball cap, “Yeah, what about?”
“Rachel said Claire is getting antsy about seeing her ‘Unca Kurt’ and wanted to know if she could come hang out here for a couple of hours.” Burt grinned, “I’m long overdue to see the little monster, where is she?” Mike smiled, “Downstairs, I’ll have one of the nurses bring her up.” Burt chuckled, “Thanks, Mike.” Mike waved him off and walked back out of the room.  Blaine raised an eyebrow, “So who’s Claire?”
“Rachel and Finn’s daughter.”
“Aw. I didn’t know they were married.”
“Yeah they got married just out of high school. We were all kind of against it at first, but hell, they’ve got a seven year old and two medical degrees between them, guess we were wrong.”
“What’s Claire like?”
“Well...she’s a very big presence. Short like her mom, but trust me, she will not let her presence go unnoticed. She loves to sing---” A door pops open and a little girl who’s like a mini-Rachel twirls in, singing, “And dance and paint and bake. Hi Papa!” Burt laughed hopping up to gather his granddaughter in a hug, “Hey baby, how’ve you been?” The little girl smiled, “Goood. How’ve you been? Momma said to make sure you been eatin’ good.” Burt chuckled, “Of course she did Claire.” The little girl rolled her eyes, “She said it’s ‘because we care about you.” Burt pulled the girl onto his lap and she immediately lost all of her giggling buoyancy, “Papa? What’s wrong with Unca Kurt?” Burt’s smile dropped into a deep frown, “Well baby, he...uh. Gosh I guess I have to tell her the whole story don’t I?”

Burt looked up at Blaine, who startled. “Uh--what? Oh. I mean. Yeah, I think that’s best.” Burt eyed his granddaughter uneasily, “Well baby, there was a man. He was sick, but not like you and me get sick, there was something wrong with his brain and he didn’t think right. And so he picked up a gun---” The little girl crinkled her nose, “Momma says guns are bad.” Burt nodded thoughtfully, “Momma’s right. But anyway, this man, he did something bad. He walked through the hospital shooting people.” The girl squealed and buried her face in Burt’s neck, “Are they okay Papa? Please tell me they’re okay.” Burt sighed and stroked Claire’s back, “Yes baby. They’re all alright. But one of the people that got shot was your Uncle Kurt,” the girl started to cry and Burt rushed to reassure her, “But he’s alright. He’s fine. He just needs to sleep it off for awhile. Shh, sh, baby it’s okay. Uncle Kurt’s okay.” Claire wiped at her tears, “What happened to that man?! I wanna kill him.” Burt chuckled lightly at the threat coming off the seven year old’s tongue, “The police got him honey. Don’t worry. It’s alright.”

It took a little while, and several promises that Kurt was going to wake up, but eventually Claire extricated herself from being buried in her grandfather’s neck and twisted around to watch Kurt. She reached out to pet Kurt’s hand and that’s when she finally seemed to notice Blaine, “Who’re you?” Blaine stuttered, “Uh---I’m--um” The girl grinned, “You’re Unca Kurt’s boyfriend aren’t you? What’s your name? My name’s Claire.” Burt grinned pointedly at Blaine where Claire couldn’t see, “Well kiddo, I need to go to the restroom and see if one of the Nurses can take my blood pressure for me. Mind sittin’ tight for me?” Claire jumps up from Burt’s lap so he can stand, “Sure thing, Papa.” Burt claps Blaine on the shoulder on his way out, “Be back in a minute Blaine.” Blaine smiles nervously in response.

As the door closes, Clair climbs back in the chair Burt just vacated and plops down, “So, are you dating my Unca Kurt?” Blaine blushes to his roots, “Um---not exactly.” “Then why are you here,” Blaine would laugh at her no nonsense tone if he weren’t so intimidated by it. Intimidated? She’s seven! How is she intimidating?! Blaine swallows, “Um...it’s kind of complicated.” Claire crosses her arms, “Unca Kurt says nothing is complicated if you don’t let it be.” Blaine’s shoulders tensed up, “It’s kind of a long story.” The girl raised her eyebrows, “I’ve got a long time.” Blaine sighed, “I---I don’t really know your Uncle.” The girl nodded, “I guessed as much. So why are you here?”
“Well...it’s...I. You know what your Papa said? About the man with the gun?”
“Yes.”
“I...when the man shot....shot your Uncle, he had meant to shoot me. But your Uncle knocked me out of the way.”
“Oh. I wonder why, if you didn’t even know each other.”
“Your mom and Papa and everybody else keeps saying he ‘saw something’ in me. They just don’t know what,” He said bitterly. Claire nodded thoughtfully, “I know.” Blaine looked at her in bewilderment, “Huh?!” Claire shrugged, “I can see it. What Unca Kurt would have seen in you.” Blaine looked at the seven year old in disbelief, how could she know? When no one else could see it, why would she? Claire continued, “He would read me stories, about two people finding each other and falling in love. And I always asked him how you knew it was love...and he’d tell me. ‘When you love someone, you’re never truly without them. You’re tethered together. It’s like you can feel them.’ You love him don’t you?” It was barely even a question, Claire could already tell the answer, “Claire, it’s not that simple.” Claire huffed, “Don’t tell me that. I know you do.”
“I’ve never even talked to him!”
“But you feel it don’t you!”
Blaine sighed, there was no denying the inexplicable pull he felt towards Kurt. Only ever knowing him for five seconds, that five seconds was long enough for Kurt to save his life. Blaine unknowingly reaches out to squeeze Kurt’s hand. The second Blaine registers its soft, porcelain presence, his heart skips a beat. It’s as if a weight he didn’t even realize existed was lifted from his shoulders. Like just holding Kurt’s hand, being close to Kurt, knowing Kurt, can make everything just a little bit better. Blaine placing his hand in Kurt’s, feels like coming home. Finally Blaine answers the little girl quietly, “Yes. I feel it.” The girl squeals and claps her hands together, “Yay! Yay! Yay! When you marry him can I be your flower girl!?”

Blaine quirks an eyebrow, “Whoa there. Hold your horses. Doesn’t he have to like me too?” Claire rolled her eyes, “He does silly.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I know him.”
“We’ve never even spoken.”
“He loves you anyway.”
“You can’t know that.”
Claire is about to protest when a strawberry blond woman walks in, “Claire sweetie, it’s time to go. Momma said Auntie Mercedes is taking you home tonight.” Claire hopped up and kissed Kurt’s forehead, “Alright. Be there in a minute Rosie. By Unca Kurt.” Before following the nurse, Claire comes over to where Blaine’s sitting, “Bye, Blaine,” Claire wraps her arms around his neck, “Tell Papa I love him.” With that she leaves.

Blaine once again finds himself alone in Kurt’s room. Only then does it dawn on him that he hasn’t actually left the room for days. He’d stuck to using the in room toilet. Ended up texting Cooper that he was fine. That he’d be in touch. Mike and Burt kept bringing him food, so he never had to get up for that. At the end of each day, Tina would bring him a spare set of scrubs. In fact, Blaine was pretty sure he didn’t remember what it felt like to wear his own clothes, or do normal stuff. He certainly was glad that he’d already informed his assistant that he’d be absent for the next two weeks and that he should only be bothered if the the business was in danger of going under.

Blaine sighed deeply and brought Kurt’s hand to his lips. Blaine kissed each of Kurt’s knuckles, marveling at how soft the man’s hands were. “Is she right,” Blaine wondered aloud, “Did you really feel that pull towards me?” Blaine feels like an idiot for talking to a sleeping person, “Because I feel a pull towards you. It’s nuts. It’s crazy. I should probably be committed for it. But I feel like I might die if you wake up and were just being noble. I might go insane if I don’t get to be with you now.” Blaine shut his eyes and leaned his forehead on his and Kurt’s hands.

Blaine sits there quietly.
Until the silence becomes too much for Blaine to handle.
And he does the only thing he can think of.
He sings.

There’s a place in your heart, Nobody’s been
Take me there.
Things nobody knows. Not even your friends.
Take me there.
Tell me bout your momma, your daddy, your home town, show me around.
I wanna see it all, don’t leave anything out.

I wanna know, everything about you
And I wanna go, down every road you been
Where your hopes and dreams and wishes live
Where you keep the rest of your life hid
I wanna know the boy behind that pretty stare
Take me there.

Blaine sings quietly, so that the only person that could hear would be Kurt. If he were awake. God, Blaine wishes he was awake. Blaine’s suddenly consumed with an overwhelming need to know everything about Kurt. He needs to know more than the superficial details that Burt was able to give him. More than his favorite color. More than his passion for clothes. More than where he went to college. Where he did his residency. Blaine wants to know if he’s ever been love. If he sleeps with the blinds open or closed. If when he laughs, his nose crinkles. If his high school career was as hard as his own. If he has a tattoo. If he’s ticklish. Blaine wants to know everything.

I wanna know, everything about you.
And I wanna go, down every road you've been.
Where your hopes and dreams and wishes live, where you keep the rest of your life hid.
I wanna know the girl behind that pretty stare.
Take me there.

I wanna roll down mainstreet.
I wanna know your hopes and your dreams.
Take me, take me there.
Yeah.

With the last line of the song, Blaine breathes, “I wanna know you Kurt Hummel. I’d do anything to know what makes someone take a bullet for a stranger.”