Chapter 13

Blaine stormed into the house, not even bothering to take off his coat. Without stopping, he ran upstairs.

'Kurt?,' he called from the landing. He didn't care if his parents heard them; now everything that mattered was that Kurt needed him. And the cat could be out of the bag anyway, for all he knew.

The door to Cooper's room opened, revealing a red-eyed Kurt. There were still wet tracks on his cheeks and his lower lip was trembling. But before Blaine managed to reach him and hold him the way he clearly needed to be held, the Andersons emerged from the staircase, utterly bewildered. Mrs Anderson froze with her jaw dropped, her husband's eyes went from one boy to the other.

'What the hell is going on here?,' demanded Mrs Anderson, once she found her voice again.

'Kurt's been staying with us the last two weeks,' Blaine said, turning to his friend. 'What happened?'

Neither of them was now paying attention to Blaine's parents anymore.

'My Dad's in the hospital, he had a heart attack,' Kurt said in a weak voice. 'It's all my fault, Blaine.'

Fresh tears flooded Kurt's eyes, as Blaine caught him in a hug.

'It's not your fault, you couldn't have known.' He let Kurt out of his embrace, putting his hand on Kurt's shoulders. 'You want me to drive you?'

A lump rose in Kurt's throat, making it impossible for him to speak, so he only nodded, raising his eyes at Blaine, trying to communicate his gratefulness.

Blaine turned to his parents, whose astonishment was rising with every second they spent observing the interaction between their son and the strange boy. They felt as if they were watching a movie and the kids they saw were just actors, complete strangers on the other side of a glass screen.

'I'm taking the Chevy,' he told them.

Kurt reached behind him, dragging his suitcase out into the hall. Blaine scanned him thoroughly with his gaze.

'You sure?,' he asked.

'I'm sure.'

The only sound that filled the vintage Chevy throughout the almost two-hour drive to Lima was the loud humming of the engine, and occasionally by a sniffle from Kurt. Blaine kept on glancing at him from behind the wheel, deeply concerned about his friend.

There was no doubt Kurt loved his father and felt responsible for whatever happened to him. But Blaine could see, behind the tears, the sadness and the guilt, the fear that was beginning to creep into Kurt's features again. He could easily understand how scared Kurt must have been, and wished he could do anything to abate his anguish.

Blaine first spoke as they drove past the sign that said Lima, Population: 40,081, to ask Kurt for directions. Kurt responded in monosyllables, his voice barely audible over the rumble of the engine.

And as they drove further into Lima, passing more and more houses and streets, it was impossible for either of them to notice that some half of all the trees that lined the sidewalks were dotted with simple posters with a big caption that said Have you seen this boy? in bold capital letters. Despite their speed and the distance, Kurt recognized the photo as that from his school ID. The guilt that rushed through him almost made him puke all over Blaine's car.

Blaine noticed the posters as well, but decided against saying anything; Kurt was already distressed without him pointing it out.

'Do you want me to go in with you?,' Blaine asked, when they parked the car in the hospital lot.

Kurt turned his puffy eyes to him and nodded, his lips quivering.

Slowly, they scrambled out of the car and made their way to the main entrance. Kurt asked a nurse at the reception where to find his father in a very shaky voice, and the woman checked her computer and gave him the floor and room number with a sympathetic smile.

They went up the stairs and down the crowded corridors, Kurt glancing back every couple of minutes to see if Blaine was still there. And every time a wave of relief washed over him, when he saw his friend following him close behind.

Right before Blaine was sure they would turn into one of the rooms, Kurt stopped dead.

A familiar figure of a middle-aged woman and a balding doctor in a white coat over his blue scrubs were blocking the door to the room. It reminded him of Mercedes' words. Why was Finn's mother involved in all of this?

Carole Hudson caught a glimpse of movement in her peripheral vision and turned her head to her left. Her eyes became wide.

'Kurt!,' she exclaimed, crossing the meters that separated them and catching him into a hug, startling him. 'Your dad was so worried about you!'

Kurt shrugged out of the embrace, his discomfort increasing.

'How is he?,' he asked, dropping his gaze.

Carole's expression changed; relief replaced by sadness and worry.

'It was a heart attack. But he will be fine,' she added hastily. 'They have to do a… a procedure, but then he will be just fine.' She attempted to smile comfortingly, but the effect was quite miserable.

Sucking in a steadying breath, Kurt nodded in acknowledgement. He still felt guilty, but at least now he was knew he didn't drive his father to an early grave. So far, anyway.

'Why are you here?,' he demanded, throwing Carole off guard.

She averted her gaze, trying to put together a coherent answer. Kurt was right to be surprised, though. She had never spoken to Burt Hummel before that one afternoon three weeks ago, when she showed up at his doorstep, offering her help. Hearing the news of her son's friend's escape from home disturbed her deeply. She couldn't imagine something like that happening to her, being alone with the worry and guilt. And she also couldn't help but think there was something Finn wasn't telling her. A mixture of shame and remorse radiated from him whenever the name Hummel appeared in a conversation.

'I was… I was with your dad, when this happened. At the garage, I mean,' she said. 'He was so worried.' Her voice trailed off, as her eyes glazed over. This was almost as bewildering for Kurt as seeing her there at all.

After a moment's hesitation, he decided to ignore that.

'Can I see him?,' he asked, turning to the doctor.

'He's resting now, but you can sit by his bed and wait until he wakes up.'

Kurt nodded, and looked at Blaine. 'Thanks for the ride, Blaine. You don't have to stay with me, I'll be fine.' He tried to smile, but the result was sad and lopsided.

'No, I'll stay,' Blaine said, taking a step forward and then falling back a step again in uncertainty. 'Unless you don't want me to.'

'I just don't want to inconvenience you any further.' Kurt winced, remembering the Andersons' reaction to seeing him in their house. 'I'll be fine, really. You should go deal with your parents.'

Blaine wished he could stay with Kurt, but his friend was right; he had to explain things to his parents.

'Alright, but- Call me if you need me, okay?'

'I will.'

And having given Kurt one last comforting hug, Blaine left, glancing behind his back one more time to see Kurt entering his father's room.