Chapter 8

“Santana, God where’s your-”

“Last door at the end of the hall,” She interrupted watching him carefully. With one terse nod, Kurt was up out his chair and sprinting towards the bathroom, one hand clamped firmly over his mouth as he slammed the door behind him.

Santana winced and sighed softly as the heaving began. Standing from the table, she gathered the mugs and placed them in the sink, pulling out a glass and a packet of tablets from the overhead cupboard. Unscrewing a bottle of water she tipped it into the glass and popped one of the pills out of the packaging waiting for Kurt to emerge once more.

Fidgeting restlessly, she couldn’t stand the helplessness she felt as she glanced between the closed bathroom door and Blaine’s sealed bedroom door. Guilt and anger filled her as she tried to figure out who exactly was to blame for the events seven years ago. All of her answers, much to her annoyance, stemmed back to multiple guilt shared between Blaine for not telling Kurt the truth in the first place and Kurt for believing Blaine, although she was beginning to question the fault of the latter as she knew first hand how brilliant of an actor Blaine could be. Then of course there were the roles she herself, Burt, Carole, Sam, Britt and Mike had all played in the so called cover up. Every single one of them had known exactly what was going down and not a single one of them thought to tell Kurt what was really going on. She couldn’t help but wonder if this was the world’s way of punishing them all, making Blaine ill a second time. In her heart of hearts, she knew the two men that were currently mere metres away from one another were meant to be and with that thought rattling around her mind, she made it her exact mission to make sure that firstly Blaine got better again and secondly the two of them would end up sickeningly in love again because truth be told, Santana missed the corny lovesick side of Blaine at times and it seemed that both of them could use a break from heart ache at long last.

Kurt finally shuffled back into the room looking pale and clammy. “Well, that was a lovely freaking experience.”

“Knew you wouldn’t keep up the swearing,” Santana smirked, holding out the water and the tablet.

“What’s this?”

“An anti-sickness tablet,” Santana shrugged gently as Kurt studied it suspiciously. “Place it on your tongue and wait for it to dissolve. We have them in every room of the house so they’re on close hand for B, or those suffering a hangover. They taste like crap but work wonders.”

“Thanks,” Kurt murmured, tipping the tablet into his mouth and wincing at the taste as the two of them sunk back into their chairs once more.

Stretching a hand over the table, Santana waggled her fingers until Kurt snuck his hand into hers with a tiny laugh. “He’ll get better Kurt, he did last time and he will this time.”

“How do you know?” Kurt questioned quietly, his petrified large blue eyes searching Santana’s equally scared chocolate ones.

Santana shrugged slightly trying to rid the images of the seventeen year old Blaine in a hospital bed curled up amongst the white sheets looking paler than she had ever seen anyone look but with shocking purple and fading yellow bruises littering his skin. “Because he has to.”

“Sannie?” A child like voice whimpered behind them as Kurt whipped around and Santana lurched from her seat diving towards Blaine to keep his swaying figure upright. “What’s going on?” Blaine eyed Kurt warily, sliding his head onto Santana’s shoulder as the girl wrapped her arms tightly around his middle.

Santana glanced to Kurt eyes wide, unsure of what to say when the blue eyed man answered Blaine’s question for her. “I came to find out what’s really been going on for the last seven years Blaine.”

“Oh,” Blaine murmured nervously twitching as Santana rubbed a soothing hand up and down his back still aware that she was his biggest support.

Kurt chewed his lip softly, unsure what to say but when his eyes met Blaine’s a mutual understanding seemed to pass through the pair, Kurt blatantly interpreting Blaine’s need for him to be around in the depths of his miserable honey eyes. A slight incline of Kurt's head gave Blaine the hope that he needed for the day and Kurt couldn’t help but be left breathless at the dazzling smile that crossed the younger man’s face.

Sensing the tension leave the room, Santana grinned, reaching a hand up to yank at Blaine’s baby blue beanie currently perched on his head. “B, why in the world do you have your beanie on in the house?” Laughing she went to tug it off when Blaine’s hand shot up and grabbed at her wrist, a faint blush covering his features as he pulled away from her, favouring leaning against the counter.

“Don’t take it off.” Blaine laughed, one hand shakily reaching up to securely keep his beanie in place as he threw a playful glare at Santana, tiredness still evident in his expression.

“Bald patch?” She questioned her eyebrow soaring into her hairline as she interrogated him.

“Yeah,” He sighed groggily rubbing his hands down his face, Kurt watching closely as Santana’s face softened again.

“You're lucky you look good in beanies, B.”

“I look good in everything,” He smirked as both Kurt and Santana rolled their eyes good humoredly, “Here’s hoping the front curls will stay again. I like them sticking out of the front.” Smiling slightly, he reached up his still trembling hand to spring one of the few curls sticking out of the front of the beanie.

“Aah yes, at least part of the reason you stopped gelling your hair thanks be to God,” Santana rolled her eyes, nudging him as Blaine grinned faintly.

“Disney day?”

“For you, my dear? Anything.”

Blaine laughed softly, wrapping his arms round her in a bear hug that made her feel safe and secure no matter how weak Blaine’s grasp. “Want to stay Kurt?”

Kurt laughed a little, “I’d love that actually but I already promised Dani that we could have the exact same thing with Alice today.”

Santana smirked, pulling away from Blaine and tugging her phone from her pocket, shooting off several rapid texts. “Sorted, she’s bundling Alice up and heading over here to join in now that she knows World War Three hasn’t erupted.”

Kurt and Blaine gaped openly as Santana hummed gently to herself, pulling open cupboards and pulling out various snacks as she went along with cans of soda. Turning back to them, she laughed at their gormless expressions. “She didn’t mean between the two of you, she meant between me and Porcelain.”

The two men shared a quick grin. “Fair enough really I guess Satan,” Kurt shrugged as Santana nodded and Blaine simply laughed.

“Right well then Hummel, come help me load this shit into the living room. B go sit down because I swear to God if you end up back in the hospital this week, I will kill you personally.”

Blaine’s eyes widened and he scarpered into the living room slamming down onto one of the couches as Kurt mock saluted Santana and grabbed armfuls of sugary snacks before following him. “Here we go again,” Santana muttered with a roll of her eyes grabbing up the last of the snacks.

The three of them were steadily munching through a pack of gummy worms, waiting for Dani to turn up and discussing a time that Sam had managed to explode the microwave of an old flat back in Lima, much to Kurt's amusement as Santana and Blaine relayed the story to him, finishing with how Sam wound up with a lecture from his new colleagues at the local fire station where he had started working only three weeks prior.

Blaine sniggered as Santana finished the story before his eyes grew rapidly wide and he placed the gummy worm he had just bitten into back on a coaster. “Just a minute,” He muttered taking off up the corridor in the same direction Kurt had returned from only a half hour earlier.

Santana grimaced once more and made a round trip to the kitchen, grabbing the same supplies as earlier as Blaine stumbled back into the room, Kurt standing to steady him and help him collapse onto the couch once more. “I’m fine Kurt, really, but thank you,” He smiled wearily at the blue eyed man who simply nodded and sat back on the opposite couch, watching Santana thrust the water and anti-sickness tablet at Blaine. “I am just so freaking sick of being sick,” He sighed, letting his head fall to Santana’s shoulder once more, her arm wrapping around his shoulders, tugging him closer.

“Good days and bad days B, it’s just good days and bad days,” Santana whispered, caressing Blaine’s curls through the beanie to will him to sleep, knowing that it wouldn’t work as he was fighting sleep as though it was another deadly element in his life. Kurt watched Santana closely a sad expression flooding his features as he fought the jealousy burning in the pit of his stomach, as well as the feeling that it should’ve been his job to comfort Blaine throughout this.

“Sannie, stop trying to make me go to sleep,” Blaine whined, batting her hand away with a glare. “I’ve slept for the past two days, believe me I can stay up to eat junk food and watch Disney films with my peeps for a few hours.”

Santana scrunched up her nose in horror as Kurt doubled over laughing, Blaine simply grinning innocently. “On the one condition that you absolutely never, ever utter the word peeps again,” She muttered, moving to get the door at the sudden knocking.

“Hey,” Dani beamed, wheeling the pram into the room as Alice gurgled happily, Sebastian and Elliott following with soft smiles to Santana as they headed straight for the living room. “I hope it’s ok that I brought the pair of them, I think the hospital freaked Seb out more than he was willing to admit.” She sighed softly, unbuckling Alice and pulling her coat off before placing her on the floor, the baby glancing at her once before following her uncles, “And Elliott hasn’t left his side for days, I’m just so sick of them moping.”

“The more the merrier,” Santana grinned, wrapping her arms around Dani in a tight hug. “He’s doing ok though, really, he seems to be recovering fairly quickly now a certain blue eyed guy is in his eye line.”

Dani snickered, pulling away from the latina once more, “They're completely incorrigible aren’t they?”

“No kidding, my main priority is getting Blaine well, then we move on to getting them back together,” Santana smirked, pulling out her buzzing phone. “Oh goodie, we’re about to have a full house. Britt and Mike have half days on Thursday and they're favourite restaurant is full so they're just heading home and Sam had the early shift so he’s meeting them now to get a cab.”

“Hell yeah,” Dani laughed, “It’ll be nice to not think about anything for a while.”

“Are you two losers just standing here all day or are we watching Disney?” Sebastian queried from the doorway, Alice perched in his arms laughing to herself as she played with his watch, making it beep and light up for her own amusement as Sebastian pecked the top of her head gently.

Four hours later, and after some awkward reintroductions between Kurt, Brittany, Mike and Sam, the group had managed to get through two and a half Disney films and were munching on pizza, Alice choosing to sit between Blaine and Brittany and let them sneak her little bits of theirs, no matter how much the others tried to interfere.

An unexpected knock at the door interrupted the heated argument over which Disney princess was best, Blaine and Dani winning by a landslide with Jasmine as far as they were concerned. Brittany giggled slightly as everyone simply stared at the door, Alice included before she looked around all of the adults, the knocking starting up again.

“Well, everyone I know is in this room, so not it,” Blaine shrugged, grabbing a fresh slice of pizza and tearing off a tiny bit for Alice as the duo settled back against the sofa once more.

“You really do lead a sad existence don’t you?” Santana muttered, rolling her eyes as she went to open the door, laughter and conversation flowing easily once more.

“Hey, we erm, we heard that Blaine was discharged and we just wanted to see how he was doing?” Puck murmured nervously, Finn shuffling uncomfortably and Quinn simply smiling at Santana.

The young woman blinked in shock, opening the door further for them to walk in before closing it, smirking slightly as they all automatically pulled their coats off, throwing them across the back of the Alice’s pram and looking to her for direction. “They're all this way,” She whispered softly, noting their nervous dispositions as she led the way into the living room.

“Quinn!” Brittany squealed, leaping out of her chair, unsettling Alice who toppled onto her side, shooting a dirty look in Brittany’s direction as she dived on Quinn, wrapping her arms tightly around the blonde while Blaine pulled the baby back upright, chuckling softly. “We have so much to catch up on! I missed you, and I know Santana did too, but she’d never admit it of course.” Santana glared as Brittany led Quinn back over to the couch, flopping down beside Alice and pulling Quinn into the space beside her, chattering non stop as Quinn attempted to keep up with the bubbly blonde.

Puck and Finn still shuffled nervously by the doorway, both glancing to Blaine nervously. “How you doing little Dude?”

Blaine laughed softly, smiling at Finn, glad that he’d slipped straight back into a high school mantra with him.“Better than when the pair of you were last here. Thanks, you know for everything.”

“Just doing our jobs,” Puck nodded, sliding onto the arm of Kurt's chair.

“Yeah, well thanks,” Blaine blushed, turning his attention back to Finn, “And I am really, really sorry about the giant comment.”

Finn snorted, smiling his thanks to Sam as he pulled Dani into his lap, freeing up the space on the couch she had been occupying, no one noticing Kurt's raised eyebrow or soft smile as Sam whispered in Dani’s ear, making her laugh. “I got over that back in high school when you were drunk.”

Sniggering erupted amongst the room once more as Blaine blushed, helping Alice onto the floor as she rushed for Finn, arms wide. He bent slightly to scoop her up, flying her above his head as she shrieked with laughter, “Hello Ally Pally, what you up to monster munch?”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Kurt said, glancing at Puck, “Ok, I knew that you knew too, but why the hell didn’t you say anything?”

 “We pulled rock, paper, scissors for it,” Puck shrugged innocently, motioning to Finn and reaching out to grab a slice of Dani’s pizza as she glared at him.

“Well now it’s a party,” Santana smirked, sniggering slightly as Sebastian burst into full blown laughter.

“You two are far to much alike,” Kurt and Blaine both muttered at the same time, glancing at each other and blushing slightly.

Sam laughed, wrapping his arms around Dani tightly, “Speaking of those who are far too much alike.” Feeling the weight of both Blaine and Kurt's glares, the blonde squeaked and buried his head in the crook of Dani’s neck.

“Aww, we missed our April fools party,” Blaine whined a pout covering his face as his roommates all breathed a sigh of relief.

“The one good thing with you being ill this year, we got away with April fools not happening for once,” Mike muttered, rolling his eyes with a fond smile.

“Just means I’ll get you doubly bad next year Mikey boy. Such a damn shame that I couldn’t have been ill like the day before then I would’ve been released on April fools. Stupid April the second,” Blaine stuck his tongue out laughing quietly.

The shrill beeping made everyone jump as Blaine sighed and pulled out a little bottle of medication. Feeling all eyes on him, he blushed steadily as he unscrewed the cap and quickly downed two, stealing Brittany’s coffee to wash them down.

“Ok, what the hell was that?” Quinn asked, still looking stunned.

“Steroids,” Blaine sighed, leaning back against the couch once more and rubbing his hands over his eyes, smiling as he watched Alice try to pull herself onto the couch beside him. Placing a hand on the small of her back, he steadied her gently as she crawled into his lap, babbling incessantly and handing him a small stuffed duck.

“Why do you take them?”

“They work with the chemo to kill the cancer cells,” Mike answered walking back into the room as he uncapped his water.

“Most people only take them a couple days a month,” Brittany nodded knowingly, dropping back into the space between Blaine and Quinn, playing with Alice’s hands as the baby giggled.

“But Blainers here has to be a freaking stubborn one,” Sam continued pointedly throwing Blaine a look as he threw a soft basketball at Sebastian, one arm still wrapped around Dani.

“So instead of a couple times a month, he takes them twice per week, Mondays and Thursdays at six pm sharp,” Santana finished.

“Well, isn’t it nice to know that one of the side affects is making me magical so I can clearly talk without opening my mouth,” Blaine muttered sarcastically, watching Alice watch him with her big blue eyes as a small grin crept up her face.

“Yep,” She squealed, clapping her hands and rolling into Blaine’s chest as the room dissolved into laughter.

“Which form do you actually have Blaine? If you don’t mind me asking of course,” Elliott reddened, fiddling slightly with the sleeve of Sebastian’s red jumper.

“Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia,” Seven voices answered together, Blaine turning to glare at Santana, Brittany, Sam, Mike, Dani and Sebastian as Finn and Puck cracked up laughing.

“And apparently I’m still a freaking magician,” Blaine fumed, calming a wriggling Alice by simply turning her so that the baby was lying flat against his chest, one hand clenching his t-shirt right above his heart and the other curling up into his beanie, her head resting against his shoulder and her eyes fluttering drowsily as she sucked contently on the binky Quinn had just given her.

Kurt watched closely, a small smile on his face as he remembered how good Blaine was with kids, “Want me to take her?”

Blaine glanced down to Alice and then back across to Kurt, his own smile flowing naturally across his face, “Nah, we’re good. Unless you want to take her.”

“Nope, my necks been damaged enough thanks to lying in a funny position with her, now it’s your turn.”

Blaine laughed quietly, careful not to dislodge Alice as he moved his head to kiss her temple gently, one hand rubbing steady circles into her back and the other clutched protectively around her knees, the baby’s eyelids fluttering more rapidly as she drifted further and further into a dream world. “Yeah, well she makes me feel normal actually having someone rely on me rather than me be stuck relying on them.”

The room quietened instantly and Quinn took the opportunity to start up ‘The Lion King’, most of the occupants glancing somewhat nervously amongst one another, Kurt's eyes trained solely on Blaine and his daughter.

“I’ll take him San,” Kurt whispered, leaning over and lifting a sleeping Alice from Blaine’s grasp, handing her to Brittany before leaning down once more. Placing one arm under Blaine’s legs and the other securely around his back, Kurt pulled him away from where he had bent sideways onto Santana and lifted him carefully, eyeballing Santana once more.

“Third door on the left,” She mumbled, the entire room watching them closely as Blaine subconsciously turned into Kurt, his face buried in the crook of his neck. Kurt gulped softly, nodded once and taking off down the corridor, ignoring the eyes staring after him.

“Well shit,” Sebastian breathed out, everyone swiveling to look at him, “I mean it was freaking obvious that the morons were still in love but jeeze I never thought anyone could be so freaking oblivious.”

A murmur of agreement passed around the room, Elliott squeezing Sebastian’s side tightly with a chuckle, the brunette snuggling deeper into his side, closing his eyes to gently to listen to Elliott’s heartbeat as everyone’s attention turned back to ‘The Lion King’ once more.

“Sweet dreams B,” Kurt whispered, pulling the cover carefully over Blaine’s frail body.

“Wait!” A breathy voice called just as Kurt grabbed the door handle, “Kurt please.”

Kurt closed his eyes in pain and took a deep steadying breath, turning around and leaning on the door as he drowned in the large amber eyes watching him guardedly from the bed. “I thought you were sleeping.”

“I was and then all of the warmth disappeared.” Blaine smiled weakly, leaning back heavily on the cushions as he continued to eye Kurt closely, “Santana’s like a radiator and you were never much different. I, on the other hand, resemble nothing better than a freezer these days.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me the truth?”

“I didn’t want to hurt you Kurt.”

“Yes, because telling me that you were with someone made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside,” Kurt muttered sarcastically, guilt settling in as he watched the pain flood Blaine’s features. “Sorry.”

“Which was worse thinking I’d cheated or knowing I was dying?”

“Either way B, I was going to lose you.”

Blaine sighed softly, his broken eyes studying Kurt endlessly, “Touché.”

Blaine yawned widely and glanced at Kurt through half lidded drowsy eyes, the blue eyed man still stood rigid against the door. “Kurt?” He slurred sleepily and instantly Kurt was by his side, crouching by the bed.

“What’s up B?” He whispered, anything louder feeling too loud for the quiet of the room, the only sound the slight murmuring from down the hallway.

“Just for now, can we forget? Cane we pretend that nothing ever happened? Will you hold me?” Blaine babbled groggily.

Silently, Kurt climbed over Blaine onto the bed and pulled Blaine backwards against his chest, the shorter man rolling over so his head was tucked neatly into the crook of Kurt's neck. “Yeah, B, just for a little while, whatever you want.”

“Please can you sing to me?”

Kurt exhaled softly, trying to think of a song, the words leaving his lips before he’d even had time to think his choice through properly, pulling Blaine eve tighter against his chest as the lyrics flowed naturally.

And you ask me what I want this year

And I try to make this kind and clear

Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days

Cuz I don't need boxes wrapped in strings

And desire and love and empty things

Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days

So take these words

And sing out loud

Cuz everyone is forgiven now

Cuz tonight's the night the world begins again

And it's someplace simple where we could live

And something only you can give

And thats faith and trust and peace while we're alive

And the one poor child that saved this world

And there's 10 million more who probably could

If we all just stopped and said a prayer for them

So take these words

And sing out loud

Cuz everyone is forgiven now

Cuz tonight's the night the world begins again

I wish everyone was loved tonight

And somehow stop this endless fight

Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days

So take these words

And sing out loud

Cuz everyone is forgiven now

Cuz tonight's the night the world begins again

Cuz tonight's the night the world begins again

 “I love you,” Blaine whispered in his almost unconscious form, burrowing closer to Kurt under the blankets.

“I love you too,” Kurt croaked, the tears now flowing from his eyes landing on the top of Blaine’s head. He watched the ill man scrunch up his nose in his sleep as one of the tears fell onto it. Kurt hummed tunelessly, stroking the back of Blaine’s beanie and pulling him closer, pressing a light kiss to his forehead as Blaine’s slightly stuttering breathing lulled him to sleep himself.