The show had been flawless. Absolutely flawless. He honestly couldn't remember being part of a production so smooth and easy. Even the backstage tension between Cameron and Jesse seemed to be forgotten onstage. They became the characters and set it all aside. When everyone, exhausted, finally had their fill of celebrating backstage, Cooper couldn't resist the urge to cut through the crowd to Cameron. He was flushed beneath the pancake make-up designed to look amazing onstage that always looked heavy and uncomfortable off. "Let me buy you a drink. Not the official one that I mentioned that first night, but... I still feel like celebrating. You up to it?"

Still glowing from the applause, Cameron did not think the night could have gone any better... Until a clearly delighted and proud Cooper approached him through the revelers. "Of course!" he exclaimed, his grin splitting his face in two. Cam's pulse fluttered, and he could feel a rush of warmth coloring his skin. The last time he'd enjoyed a rare drink, he'd overindulged and nearly gone to bed with a stranger. Tonight he would have to be careful. He liked Cooper far too much to have things end with a drunken fling. "Give me a sec to clean up, okay?" Dashing into his dressing room, Cam wasted no time in removing his stage make-up and changing out of his costume. He emerged to find Cooper waiting, and he flashed the other man an eager smile. "Ready?"

"Absolutely!" Cooper grinned right back and led the way out into the brisk night. "You were amazing," he gushed as they made their way down the street. "I knew you would be, but... wow!" Unable to hold back, Cooper slung an arm around the other man's shoulder and gave him an exuberant squeeze as they ducked down a side street to get to one of his favorite bars. The place was low key, sparsely populated, and had a surprisingly varied wine selection. "I knew it would be perfect. I knew that-"

"Aw, look, a couple of fairies."

Raucous laughter followed the comment, and Cooper froze in his tracks. The two men in front of them were obviously hammered already. Cooper took a tense moment to check their surroundings and felt his heart sink at the realization that they were painfully alone on the street. It was late and cold and most people were inside somewhere or in one of the more populated areas of the city. Shifting his arm from Cameron's shoulders, Cooper instead moved to stand in front of the other man. "We're not looking for any trouble, just grabbing a drink after a long day."

The larger of the two men snorted. "Not lookin' for trouble? Then you sick fucks shouldn't be cuddling on the damn street!" The man advanced, his smile anything but friendly.

Cooper held up his hands in a sign of supplication. "Look, we'll get going and-"

"Too late for that, fag." The smaller of the two drunks was the one who lunged forward first, though he stopped just short of a real attack. His eyes focused in on Cameron for the first time, and he smirked. "Maybe we'll see whatcha really like about that pretty little toy you got there. Got a mouth made for sucking dick."

"You're drunk, and you need to get home," Cooper grated out, only barely resisting the urge to punch the guy himself. Stupid as it was, he knew it would've felt really, really good. He turned to Cameron to urge the younger man to get moving and in that split second, Cooper felt the first punch land. It fell against his cheek, and Cooper stumbled into Cameron with the impact. He found his breath enough to give Cam a shove. "Call the cops," he instructed under his breath just in time to wheel around and barely avoid the next swing.

How the happiest night of his life could have gone so horribly wrong baffled Cameron. He felt his stomach lurch sickeningly as memories of how he and Kurt had been relentlessly tormented in high school flooded through his mind. When Cooper pushed him towards the door, he found himself torn over whether to try and protect the other man or running for his life in an effort to seek help. The sight of blood dripping from Cooper's mouth galvanized Cam into his action, and he sprinted up the street and scrambled to retrieve his cell phone. The 911 operator tried to keep him on the line as he waited for the police to arrive. But, when the drunken men rounded the corner laughing nastily to one another, he ended the call and ducked into the shadows until they'd gone. Then, he swallowed and hurried inside the bar... and Cam's heart stopped. Cooper laid in a broken and blooded heap on the asphault. "Oh, my god... no, no, no! Cooper!" His legs giving out beneath him, Cam dropped to his knees and tenderly cradled the other man's head in his lap. Tears flooded down his cheeks as the sound of sirens filled with air.

"S'okay," Cooper managed though he knew that he didn't sound it, didn't feel and probably didn't look it either. At some point he'd felt a blinding flash of pain and then standing had become impossible - or would have if one of the guys hadn't been holding his arm to keep him on his feet. Even now his leg felt twisted and painful to the point where he didn't dare look. Knowing would be a lot worse. Of course it was hard to look anyway. Blood more or less obscured his vision entirely in one eye, but he could still see Cameron's tears and rallied, trying to soothe him again, "S'okay."

Soon a paramedic was kneeling next to him. "Sir, can you hear me?"

It was hard to focus, but Cooper managed a half-hearted nod, "Yeah..."

"That's good. Now we want you to stay awake. Just focus on me, alright?" When he got another nod, the man, a heavyset black man with kind eyes, began carefully checking the injuries. "Sir, do you remember what happened? There's a lot of blood here. What's hurting the most?"

Cooper took a second to think about that, "My knee... leg... uh... my... my side... I think..." He reached down, touching the side of his shirt and drew the fingers away to see blood coating them. "They... one of them... a knife, maybe?"

"I think so, sir, yes. Your friend's going to follow us to the hospital, Mister-"

"Cooper. Cooper Anderson," he managed. The man had said staying awake was important, and Cooper was trying hard to follow the order though it got harder with every passing second.

"Mr. Anderson, your friend's going to follow us, like I said. Is there anyone else who should be called?"

"M-my brothers." Cooper fumbled for his pocket only to find the EMT a step ahead, withdrawing his cell phone and handing it to Cameron. "Blaine... and... and Everett... call-"

"He'll take care of it, Mr. Anderson, don't worry." The man smiled warmly at Cameron. "We'll be heading to Mercy, straight to the ER. You okay with hailing a cab and calling his brothers en route?"

Cameron's vision blurred with tears, and he was shaking so badly that the cell phone almost slipped from his fingers. Only the scream of sirens as the ambulance departed shocked him into action. He opened the phone, scanned the list of names and started to dial Blaine Anderson. A picture appeared, and Cam felt his breath catch in his throat. It was the same man he'd met and gone home with not too long ago. //Brothers?// He scrolled down further and found Everett's name. The same picture. //Twins...// What were the odds that of all the people he could meet in a bar, it would turn out to be one of Cooper's siblings? That didn't matter, not now. Everett's number was ringing in his ear, and when the musician picked up, Cam choked on a deep sob of emotion as he frantically explained, "Cooper's been hurt. He's on his way to Mercy Hospital."

Everett lurched up off the couch where he'd been indulging in some mindless infomercial viewing after his gig. The voice only registered vaguely, a nagging sense of familiarity that Everett paid no mind. "Fuck! Shit, Mercy? I'll... yeah, I'll be there in ten. I'll call Blaine," he added as an afterthought before hurriedly dialing his brother's number and relating the same information while shoving his arms into a coat. Everett didn't think he'd ever been quite so demanding when it came to getting a cab. He all but stood in the middle of the street until someone stopped and then jumped in the back. The guy looked annoyed until Everett said his brother was in the hospital. The surly demeanor quickly dropped, and the man sped his way to the hospital as if his own life depended on it. Everett tipped him liberally when they pulled up to the curb before hurrying inside. He was so distracted that at first he barely noticed the familiar face in the middle of the ER. There was hardly anyone there - it was apparently a slow night - but in the midst of it all was someone he knew just a touch too well. "Cam?" Everett froze in place and looked utterly baffled. "You... you're the one who called me?"

Cameron, his eyes sore and puffy from crying, sniffled and glanced up when he heard Everett's voice. "Yes," he started in a tremulous voice. "I was just as surprised when I realized you were Cooper's brother." Cam had always been a strong person, but the stress of the evening had left him an emotional wreck. Without even thinking twice about it, he tumbled into Ev's arms and began to tearfully relate the horrible events that had transpired. "He was hurt so badly," he explained, "and the first thing he did was push me out of the way." The shoulder of Ev's shirt had quickly become damp with saltwater, and Cam eased out of the sudden embrace. "I... I thought things were different in New York. More... enlightented." He shrugged sadly. "But I guess it's the same everywhere."

Everett felt as if he'd been punched in the gut. It was too much. The idea of Cooper lying in a hospital bed had haunted him the whole way over, and hearing about it all only made it that much worse. "I-I'm gonna go to the desk... see if they'll tell me anything." They'd been closed lipped with Cameron since he wasn't family, but Everett only took a few shaky steps toward the nurse's desk when he found himself staring at Cam once again - except it wasn't. The young man in front of him didn't have a tear-stained face or bloodied clothes. He was wearing a fashionable sweater and dark washed jeans and though obviously distressed and without a jacket, seemed otherwise in excellent shape. Very unlike Cameron. Everett blinked slowly and watched as a deep blush colored the young man's cheeks.

Kurt couldn't help that his mind immediately went precisely where it shouldn't. Even shaken and upset, Everett was just as beautiful as his twin, though in a far more organic, easy way. Kurt's thoughts flashed at once to the video and how intoxicating he'd looked spread out beneath Finn. He swallowed hard and held out a hand, wondering why he'd badgered Finn into driving him. "Everett? I'm... I'm a friend of your brother's - of Blaine's. My name's Kurt, and... I'm sorry we're meeting like this-"

"Oh, god..." The pieces fell into place, and Everett wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. It hadn't been Cameron. That was why something had felt off. It hadn't been Cam in the video, it had been the man in front of him. He stared blankly at Kurt for several moments. "It was you in the... the video," he mumbled before thinking better of it.

Kurt's mouth fell open, though he was distracted in an instant by a bit of movement over Everett's shoulder. "Cam!" he cried out at once, eyes wide.

Cameron glanced up at the sound of his name, and he instantly felt his heart lurch inside of his chest when he recognized the owner of the voice. "Kurt?" he whispered, shocked and confused to see his brother here of all places. It had been such a long time since he had last seen or heard from his twin that a sudden whirlpool of emotions threatened to drag him down. He took a shaky step forward, his throat thickening as he wondered aloud, "What are you doing here? I--" Cam broke off as Finn joined, looking slightly out of breath and sheepish. While, behind his stepbrother followed another man... Everett's mirror image, only immaculately dressed as if he'd just stepped from the pages of Forbes.

Kurt looked back and couldn't help smiling at the sight of Blaine. "Cam, this is my boyfriend," he couldn't help blushing at the word, "Blaine. Blaine, this is Cameron." He looked back, biting his lip, suddenly nervous and uncertain of his reception. As his gaze moved over Cam, Kurt felt his heart sink. There was blood all over Cameron's shirt, and he surged forward without another thought, lifting his brother's hands, looking him over intently and searching for any sign that the blood belonged to him. "God, Cam, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay... it's... it's not mine," Cameron replied shakily. He lifted his sad gaze toward Blaine, not wanting to voice that the blood staining his clothing belonged to Cooper. "Cooper," he started again, choking back a fresh flood of tears. "I'm performing in his play. Tonight was opening night, and we went out to celebrate... and we were attacked by these gay bashers..." Cam shuddered, hugging himself at the terrible memory. "Cooper saved my life. If anything happens to him..."

"Hey, it's alright," Blaine said, draping a comforting arm over Cam's trembling shoulders. "None of this is your fault." He steered Kurt's twin over to a chair, gently urging Cam to take a seat. "How about some coffee?" he offered, straightening and heading off in an attempt to give the brothers a moment alone.

Kurt couldn't help but smile warmly at the other man. He slid an arm around Blaine and whispered, "You should talk to him. I know that you're mad at them, but... you're here for a reason. They're your brothers, and Everett looks pretty upset." And he honestly didn't know if talking to Finn was going to be the thing that finally calmed the other man down. "Talk to Ev. I'll do a Starbucks run in awhile if we need the boost," Kurt promised before sinking down into the chair next to Cam. As Blaine left, Kurt finally met Cameron's gaze again. "I'm so sorry. Not just... not just for all this, but for the past few months."

"You're sorry?" Cameron blinked fresh tears from his red, swollen eyes. "Kurt, I haven't seen you, let alone spoken to you in years. What happened? Did I do something wrong?" This really wasn't the time or place to get into whatever had caused the rift between them. But seeing Kurt again after all this time brought on a flood of emotion, which swirled and coalesced with the storm churned up by the attack on Cooper. Cam wanted answers, he needed them. When Kurt had effectively cut him off, it had been like having a limb severed. He reached over and grasped his brother's hand. "Please, Kurt. Tell me?"

"Cam, no! Oh, no..." Kurt could feel tears filling his own eyes, and he reached for Cameron's hand to give it a warm squeeze. "You didn't do anything wrong, I did. I came out here thinking it was all going to come together and be so... so easy. I told you guys I had a job at the Gap, but..." It had been hard having Finn know, but Kurt couldn't meet Cameron's gaze at all as he added softly, "but what I've actually been doing is stripping. I've been taking my clothes off for money, and I didn't want anyone to know." The tears that rolled down Kurt's cheeks were tears of shame both for what he'd been doing and for all the lies he'd told.

Cameron felt his breath catch in his throat. At first he wasn't sure if he'd heard his brother correctly. //Kurt... stripping?// Somehow the image just didn't compute in his brain. But, when he saw the streams of saltwater raining down Kurt's cheeks, he knew it was true. He pulled his hand free of his twin's grasp, and stared at him for a long stretch of silence. Then, he found his voice again. "And, what? You didn't think I would understand? That I'm too impossible to confide in?" Hot anger pulsed through Cam as Kurt's reasons for pushing him away hit home. "Kurt, you're my brother. We've always been able to talk to each other about anything. Why couldn't you tell me about this?"

The anger in Cameron's voice made Kurt flinch, and he shook his head. "I... I didn't want you to know how bad it was." It was one thing failing, it was another thing altogether having the people he loved the most knowing he was a failure. Kurt wrapped his arms around himself and bit his lip before he added quietly, "I just thought that... that staying away was best. You were doing so well and... and..." And he didn't know what else to say. The truth was that every time things got worse - or even when they were better form time to time - he'd wanted to call Cameron. He'd wanted nothing more in the world than to spill every last detail to his twin the way they always had, but he hadn't let himself. He'd cut Cameron off completely, and as much as it hurt, he deserved the other man's anger and then some. "I'm sorry, Cam. It was stupid. I was... was ashamed and... I... should've... I should've told you..." The tears were falling freely now, but he forced himself to look up and see the anger flashing in Cameron's eyes. "I love you, and I'm so sorry..."

Cameron had never been able to stand the sight of Kurt crying. It was effectively his kryptonite, and he felt his anger toward his brother's actions weakening. For such a long time he'd tried to figure out why Kurt had pushed him away, cut him completely out of his life. Not only him, but the rest of his family. A part of him understood Kurt's shame, but Cam could not imagine isolating himself from those he loved. No matter what. "I love you, too," he said softly. "Hey..." Cam reached around Kurt's shoulders and drew him in closer. "We'll get through this, Kurt. Come on now... You're gonna mess up that pretty face." He gave his brother a gentle nudge, wanting to comfort him despite his conflicting emotions. "Besides, I'm probably going to break down all over again in a little bit. And I'm really going to need you."

Kurt looked up hopefully and slid an arm around Cameron's waist, ignoring how uncomfortable it was to try to be close on the awkwardly shaped plastic waiting room chairs. "You're right," he agreed, brushing the tears away and offering Cameron a faint smile. Just the possibility of things being fixed filled him with joy. Maybe Cam really could forgive him his stupidity someday. Kurt suggested gently, "I haven't had the chance to meet Cooper yet. Maybe you can tell me a little about him." Aside from knowing Blaine didn't much get along with his older brother, Kurt knew virtually nothing about the man - though he'd obviously made an impression on Cameron.

The mention of Cooper brought on a deep pang of guilt and worry. He had been all but helpless to do anything except run when Cooper propelled him forward out of harm's way. An involuntary shiver coursed over Cameron as he bit back a fresh flood of tears. "He's amazing, Kurt," he told his brother. "He wrote the play I'm performing in, producing and directing it too." A soft smile tugged at his lips, which was completely at odds with the distraught look in his eyes. "I think I'm falling for him, which makes all of this so much harder." Cam shook his head, reeling from the tragic turn of events. "Why doesn't someone come out and tell us something? This waiting is driving me crazy. I've prayed until I can't pray anymore."

Though Kurt hadn't ever put any stock in god, he was willing to put faith in anything that would make Cameron feel better. "I'm so sorry... those Anderson boys. Awfully addictive, aren't they?" Something struck him, and he tilted his head. "And you know Everett too? Did you two meet through Cooper?" It seemed best to keep Cam talking, to not let him focus on the wait and on what might be happening while they waited.

Before Cameron had a chance to answer, Blaine returned with the gift of coffee. Meeting his brother's boyfriend under these circumstances was awkward. However, Blaine moved on with the clear intention of giving him and Kurt more time alone. "No, I just happened to cross paths with Everett one night," Cam told Kurt, sipping at the flavored coffee and letting the warmth wash over him. "You'll never guess who my co-star in the play is... Jesse. Jesse St. James." He let this information sink in for a moment. Kurt had known how devastated he'd been when Jesse dumped him returned to his own school. If anyone would understand how he felt, then it was his twin. "So, I needed a drink... and you know I do not drink. That's when I ran into Everett. I think... he thought I was you."

Kurt's brow furrowed. He was suddenly struck with a very bad feeling about what might have happened with Finn and Ev. He looked up sharply at his stepbrother but Finn was obviously trying to offer what comfort he could to a distraught Ev, not to mention Blaine having joined them, and Kurt wasn't about to interrupt. "Maybe. Finn may have shown him a picture," Kurt allowed as vaguely as possible. There was really no point in Cameron knowing about the whole sordid affair. The first part of Cameron's confession struck him, and Kurt's eyes widened. "Jesse? The asshole who-" The sound of a nurse calling for Anderson broke the moment, and the brothers rose in tandem.

*****

"Ev," Finn started, fully expecting his ex to push him away, yell and order him to leave. "I'm sorry about your brother. When I heard, I... I couldn't just stay away."

For a moment Kurt was forgotten. Everett could feel his resolve faltering, and he wanted nothing more than to fall into Finn's arms and let himself be comforted. The night had been too much already, and there was still no word on how Cooper was doing. The only thing he'd managed to get out of anyone was a nurse saying he was being taken to surgery, and Everett found himself terrified. Blaine hadn't so much as said hello when he came in, and Everett couldn't stand losing to lose Cooper too. Though his eyes filled with tears, he managed to stand his ground. "You came with... with him." He glanced over, all the more confused as he saw Kurt talking to Cam and looking at Blaine with obvious affection.

Another deep pang of guilt sliced into Finn's heart. "Kurt and Blaine?" He glanced over his shoulder at his stepbrother and friend. Then, he turned back to Ev and explained, "They're dating." It pained him not to reach out to Everett, when it was clear the other man desperately needed comforting. But Finn held himself back, as he was unwilling to cross the line and hurt his ex further. "Blaine had stopped by to pick up Kurt when he got the call. I..." He faltered, knowing his words wouldn't help matters. "...I thought I could be here for you."

Everett's brow furrowed, and he turned to stare at Kurt and Blaine openly for a few seconds as if trying to comprehend what was going on or if Finn was telling him the truth. Slowly he looked back to the other man and gave a slight shake of his head. "I don't... I don't get it." His shoulders slumped, the effort of trying to keep it all together becoming far too much. He shoved his hands in his pockets, "I thought you were together. He was at... at your place, wasn't he?" Though he wasn't usually one to be delicate, he couldn't address the video directly, not for the moment. Just the thought of it hurt far too much on top of everything. Though he tried, Everett couldn't quite bring himself to meet Finn's gaze and finally wound up staring fixedly at the floor tiles instead. "Aren't you guys... a thing?"

Finn gaped at Everett, while realization dawned. "No... no, we're not a thing," he said, trying to catch Ev's eyes and failing miserably. "Kurt, he was living in this sorry-ass motel. I was afraid he would get his throat cut staying there, so... I offered to share my apartment." He leaned in closer, keeping his tone hushed. "Ev, I... I wanted to explain about... everything. I know this isn't the time to get into this, but... for what it's worth... I never meant to hurt you." It killed him not to be able to touch Ev, let alone embrace him and offer his support. Finn had no one but himself to blame. He's behaved monumentally stupidly even for him.

"He lives with you." Everett blinked slowly as if trying to understand what he'd heard. "I need... I need to know... who is he to you? Is he... were you guys together... before?" That wouldn't excuse the slip, the fact that Finn had slept with someone else, but it would make more sense. The second part was more awkward to ask, but Everett had to know. After seeing the way Blaine reacted to his own lack of forthrightness, he couldn't see his brother hurt more. "Does Blaine know?"

"Kurt, he's my stepbrother," Finn replied, feeling more than a little foolish for never telling Everett about his family to start with. "And, ah... yeah, Blaine knows." He stepped closer to Ev, again restraining himself from reaching out and touching the musician. "Look, we don't have to get into this right now. I don't even deserve to be talking to you. I just... I'll be here if you need someone, okay?"

"He lives with you." Everett blinked slowly as if trying to understand what he'd heard. "I need... I need to know... who is he to you? Is he... were you guys together... before?" That wouldn't excuse the slip, the fact that Finn had slept with someone else, but it would make more sense. The second part was more awkward to ask, but Everett had to know. After seeing the way Blaine reacted to his own lack of forthrightness, he couldn't see his brother hurt more. "Does Blaine know?"

"Kurt, he's my stepbrother," Finn replied, feeling more than a little foolish for never telling Everett about his family to start with. "And, ah... yeah, Blaine knows." He stepped closer to Ev, again restraining himself from reaching out and touching the musician. "Look, we don't have to get into this right now. I don't even deserve to be talking to you. I just... I'll be here if you need someone, okay?"

Ev still looked dazed and confused. He could barely put his thoughts in order at all, but he finally nodded. "Yeah. Thanks. It's... been kind of on the outs with Blaine and..." And he'd let a misunderstanding about Cameron keep him from answering any of Cooper's calls for days. Now he might never have the chance to apologize. "Wanna sit?" He was already ambling toward a row of chairs that were close to them but allowed for some distance between them and the others. Ev didn't know whether Blaine would welcome him or not, and he had no idea how to act around Kurt.

"Yeah, yes... please?" The situation was tense and awkward, but Finn thanked his lucky stars for the chance to reconnect with Everett. He didn't deserve it at all. And he hated the fact that the opportunity had presented itself because of a tragedy. "I've missed you, Ev," he said softly as he sat down beside him. "What happened between me and Kurt, it... well, it's a long story. And I know you probably don't want to hear about it." Finn shook his head, and taking a chance, reached over and gave Ev's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "We don't have to talk about that. I'm more worried about you. Are you gonna be okay?"

The touch was almost enough to kill the last of his defenses. Everett's eyes fell shut at the warmth of the touch, and he sighed. "I want to talk about it. Not... not now, but... I do. I was too mad before, but... we should talk." The longer he tried to go without Finn, the more he realized he couldn't stand to if there was any chance they could fix things. "Can we just pretend that... that we're.. I don't know... friends? Something?" He knew that he sounded desperate, but Everett needed something that would give him permission to curl up against Finn's side and take comfort in the other man the way he really wanted to.

"Yeah," Finn eagerly agreed. "Yeah, we can do that." He knew he was already pushing his luck with Everett. But, despite everything that had happened, he sincerely wanted to be a rock of support for the other man. Glancing down the hallway, Finn saw that Cameron and Kurt were in the midst of an intense conversation themselves. He could only imagine what was being said between his brothers, and he felt torn between Ev and lending support to the twins. But Ev was his priority, even if the musician might not want to speak to him again after today. "Has the doctor been out to talk to you?" he asked, certain that waiting to hear something could be worse than knowing.

Everett gave a sharp shake of his head. "I hadn't talked to anybody but Cam," he admitted, "and the nurse at the desk. She said they were still... still evaluating whatever the fuck that means." He swallowed and finally gave in to the temptation to rest his head on Finn's shoulder. The familiar warmth and the scent of the man's cologne washed over him, and Everett let himself forget about everything but the comfort that came with the sense memories. "Somebody should be out soon. He was awake when they brought him in, so that's gotta be a good sign, right?"

Finn couldn't have felt more terrible. He'd allowed his growing lust for Kurt to cloud his judgement, despite the fact he and Everett had toyed with the idea of enjoying a threesome. What he should have done was be open and honest with Ev from the start. Maybe then he might have avoided hurting him. "Yeah, that's definitely a good sign," he agreed, unconsciously caressing Ev's shoulder. "I'm sure they'll be out here with news in no time." //I hope.// About that time, there was a movement and Finn glanced up to see Blaine had returned carrying coffee. He paused at Kurt and Cameron before moving on toward them.

"Here you go," Blaine said, passing Finn and Ev Starbucks cups. "No word yet?"

Everett took the cup and met his brother's gaze for a moment before shaking his head. Blaine was speaking to him, which seemed like a good sign, but Blaine had inherited their father's ability to wax over his real feelings to be socially appropriate - which meant he might still be furious. "No, they-"

"Anderson?" a firm voice called out from behind Blaine.

Ev was on his feet at once and moving with Blaine over to the blond woman who wore nurse's scrubs. There was blood on them, and Ev felt his stomach flip as they came to a stop in front of her. "We're his brothers."

The nurse gave a quick nod. "Of course. Mr. Anderson is in stable condition. He's got a couple of broken ribs, but the knife seemed to avoid any major organs, and we haven't found any internal bleeding. He also has a mild concussion. We'll be assessing further damage from that when he's able to remain conscious for longer periods." With the "good news" delivered, the petite blond's expression sobered slightly. "We're actually more worried about your brother's leg. The knee was badly damaged. He's being taken to surgery right now to see if we can repair some of the tearing so that it has the best possible chance of healing. Since it looks like there's a few of you here," she observed, having noted Cameron and Kurt as well as Finn hovering in the background to be filled in, "it might be easiest for you to wait here. I'm afraid that once he's in recovery, it will still be family only for visitation until he's in his own room. Do you have any questions?"

Worried and relieved all at once, Ev shook his head and looked over at Blaine. He wanted badly to reach for his brother's hand but didn't dare.

"Thank you," Blaine told the nurse, his expression stoic even if he felt privately relieved. He and Cooper were seemingly destined to always be at odds with one another. But Blaine never wished him any ill-will. He turned to catch Kurt's gaze, and couldn't help but notice that his boyfriend's twin seemed on the verge of collapsing. As the nurse departed, Blaine urged Cameron to take a seat again. "We don't all have to stay here," he said, glancing between the assembled group of men. "Why don't we take your brother home, and he--"

"No, I'm staying," Cameron broke in. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going anywhere until I can see Cooper." Tears spilled down his cheeks unbidden. "He saved my life..." Another violent shudder, and Cam hugged himself in an effort to block out the memory of the attack.

"What about you?" Finn asked Everett. "Do you want to stay? I..." he faltered, unsure if he was pushing things or not. "I could stay with you."

Kurt wrapped an arm around Cameron's shoulders, anchoring himself to his twin ant showing without a doubt that he wasn't going anywhere. He'd managed to let his twin down over and over - he wouldn't do it again. Not ever if he could help it. He looked over at Blaine and found that his face was still a wall. Whether he was handling it well or not Kurt could barely guess since he'd done everything he could to show no emotion whatsoever. Reaching out, he took one of his boyfriend's hands as well and raised his eyebrows slightly in inquiry.

Blaine returned Kurt's questioning look with a gentle squeeze of his hand. He had no intention of divulging his true feelings toward Cooper in front of everyone. He hated his older brother for so many reasons--too many to get into with mixed company. In all honesty, Blaine was putting in an appearance for their father, who would want him to be here despite everything that had happened.

"I need to sit back down," Cameron announced, weary and relieved all at the same time. He sank into the waiting chair, still gripping the coffee tightly in both hands. Glancing at Kurt, he managed a soft smile. "Thanks... thanks for staying here with me." Although he and his brother had a hell of a lot to work out between them, Cam felt monumentally grateful for Kurt's presence.

Everett nodded and swallowed hard. "Yeah. Please?" He knew it was pathetic to cling to his ex like a lifeline, but he needed someone. Whatever happened between them once he'd had some sleep and gotten over the shock, Everett appreciated the fact that Finn was there and trying. He found Cameron's reaction to the news strangely affecting but was glad that Kurt seemed to be taking care of him. Ev barely had the energy to keep himself together. Swallowing, he turned, pressing his face against Finn's chest and looping his arms around the other man's waist. "I just really want him to be okay," he confessed quietly.

"He will be," Finn assured Everett, embracing him warmly. Being quite taller than the other man, it was easy for him to tilt his chin down and press a soft kiss to the top of Ev's dark, wildly curly head. Finn knew he had already crossed several lines tonight. But Ev needed him, and until the other man said otherwise, Finn would continue to offer his support.