Kurt, Sam and Blaine took a cab to the hospital in the morning, all of them bleary eyed at the early hour.  Kurt thought that Blaine seemed to be holding it together fairly well, although he was understandably quiet.  "You okay?" Kurt asked him as they walked up to the buildings entrance, Blaine grasping his arm for support rather more tightly than normal.

"Yeah," he replied, not meeting his eyes.

Sam heard this exchange, and stopped them both with a hand on Blaines shoulder.  "Hey, dude, youre going to be fine."  He grabbed Blaine up into a tight hug.  "This is all going to be over in a few hours, and youll have all the ice cream you can eat."

Blaine laughed weakly, accepting Sams firm embrace and giving him a squeeze in return.  "Isnt that what you get when you have your tonsils out?"

"I dont know, ice creams awesome, everyone should get ice cream."

"Fair enough," Blaine said.  They continued on, the mood having lightened a little bit.

Blaines parents met them in the lobby.  Kurt was struck once again by what a good looking couple they were.  Tammy Anderson was about Blaines height, with a well-shaped bob of dark, straight hair.  She was as preppy as the day was long, decked out today in a pastel madras plaid skirt and a lime green sleeveless top with a matching sweater thrown over her shoulders.  Bill Anderson was a tad taller than Kurt, with dark curly hair.  He looked very much like Cooper (or vice versa, Kurt supposed) except for his slightly Asian features which he got from his mother, a striking Filipina woman Kurt had the pleasure to meet one Christmas.

The Andersons went first to Blaine, fussing over him briefly, before turning to Kurt.  "Its so nice to see you again," Tammy said sincerely, smiling at him.  "And New Yorks been good to you.  How handsome youve grown up to be, Kurt!"

Kurt blushed, not expecting the long lost friend treatment from Tammy, but he should have – he knew Blaine shared his good manners and genuine nature with his parents.  "Thank you, its good to see you too," he managed to get out. 

Bill held out his hand to shake Kurts, his smile mirroring his wifes.  "Sorry we couldnt take you boys out to eat last night, doctors orders, you know.  Rain check?"

"Of course."  Dinners out with the Andersons had been a regular event going back to when Kurt had first started at Dalton.  It was nice to think that they might happen again.

"Well, boys, thanks for bringing Blaine over.  We can take it from here," Tammy announced, taking Blaines overnight bag from Sam.  Kurt could see Blaine cringe, and Sam saw it too.

"No problem, Tammy, but were going to stick around, if thats okay with Blaine?"  Sam asked.  Tammy and Bill both swiveled their heads to look at Blaine, as if they had just been reminded that he was not an inanimate object. 

"Thanks, guys, Id like that." Blaine smiled.

Sam quickly grabbed Blaines arm and headed off to the elevators, leaving Kurt to make small talk with the Andersons.  "Sam certainly knows how to put me in my place, doesnt he," Tammy remarked fondly.  "I do like that boy.  So, Kurt, tell me what youre up to these days."

They were parted soon enough, however, as Blaine and his parents were whisked off to see the doctor, and Sam and Kurt settled down in the waiting room.  Kurt had brought some schoolwork, but he was having trouble concentrating on anything.  He found himself staring off into space when Blaines parents finally came out to join them. 

"Theyre taking him into surgery soon," Bill explained.  "It will be a few hours, or more, before we hear anything.  You should go down to the cafeteria, at least, get something to eat."

Kurt decided this was a good idea, to give Blaines parents some space if nothing else.  He and Sam found the cafeteria easily enough, but Kurt didnt really feel like eating.  Sam got a huge chocolate chip cookie and gave Kurt a piece, which he nibbled at and then set aside.  Somehow the hospital cafeteria was upsetting him even more than the rest of the place, filled not just with the regular waiting room inhabitants, who might be done with their waiting in a matter of hours, but with regular visitors who came day after day, made friends with the staff, knew exactly what kinds of muffins were fresh, because they had a friend or family member who was there for way too long.  Kurt thought to himself that he had spent far too much time in hospitals for someone who hadnt even graduated college yet.  Blaines surgery had better go well, so they could get him out of here and back to his apartment where hed be safe, not stuck in this bland, fluorescent light limbo.  Suddenly Blaines fear of something going wrong felt real to Kurt.  Blaine had been trapped in a place just like this for months; he had lost hope, and it had been a struggle for him to get it back.  No wonder he was so scared.

Kurt was halfway to the elevators when Sam caught up with him.  "Dude, what the hell?  Slow down."

Kurt turned and grabbed Sams arm.  "Sorry, but I just want to get back up there."  He kept walking, dragging Sam along with him.

Sam shrugged his arm away but followed Kurt, muttering something about letting a person finish his cookie.

When they returned to the waiting room the Andersons were sitting in the same place they had been when they left, talking quietly to each other.  Sam gave them a little wave but led Kurt over to some chairs on the other side of the room.  "Want to tell me what that was all about?"

"It wouldnt make any sense," Kurt said.  "I just got scared."

Sam stared at Kurt until he wanted to squirm, then leaned over and pulled Kurt into a hug. Kurt stiffened, but Sam held on, tightening his arms around his shoulders and patting him on the back.  "Hes gonna be fine, Kurt.  Just a few more hours, and youll see.  Its gonna be okay."  Kurt forced himself to relax, and moved his arms around Sam to return the hug with a brief squeeze.  Blaine was right, he thought, Sam was a good hugger.  Kurt moved back, catching Sam's concerned look.  He had to pull it together, this was not about him.  "Thanks, Sam.  I'll be fine."

----------

When Blaine woke up, his mother was next to him, a hand on his shoulder.  He could hear a doctor saying something, and his dad answering.  His mom leaned down and gave him a kiss on his forehead.  “It's all over, honey.  You did great.  Everything went well.”  He closed his eyes again.

The next time Blaine woke up, he was back in the hospital room where he had started the day.  His mother was reading in the chair nearby.  “Mom?”

“Blaine, you're awake.  How are you feeling?”  his mom asked.  A nurse interrupted them and poked around, asking him questions and taking his temperature.  She was explaining something to his mom, but he couldn't really focus on it.  He tried to touch his leg but there were blankets in the way, and it seemed like too much trouble to sort it out.

“Are Sam and Kurt here?” he croaked out. 

“They are.  They've been in the waiting room the whole time.”  His mom held a cup of water with a straw in it up to his mouth, and he took a few sips.  “Do you want me to go get them?  I think your dad went to find some better coffee.”

“Yeah,” Blaine nodded, letting his eyes close again. 

The next thing he knew he could smell Kurt's cologne and a gentle kiss was being pressed to his cheek.  He opened his eyes, and Kurt was there next to him, a concerned look on his face.  “Hi,” Kurt said shyly. 

“Hi,” Blaine replied.  He tried to reach out for Kurt but the i.v. was on that side.  Kurt saw what he was doing and put both his hands around his, careful not to jostle anything.  Blaine thought to himself that Kurt looked young, and decidedly un-Kurt like.  He realized that Kurt was wearing a gray “I heart NY” t-shirt like the ones his parents had given him and Sam yesterday.  “I like your shirt.”

Kurt smiled bashfully.  “Your parents had one for me, too.”  Blaine felt a rush of love for his mom for including Kurt.  He looked around to find his parents but they had apparently cleared out to give him some time with his friends.  Another good move on their part.  Maybe this whole talking to his parents about how he'd like things to go was actually effective.  Who knew.

Before he could ask where Sam was, he appeared on his other side, dragging a chair with him.  Sam gave Blaine an awkward hug, putting his hands on Blaine's shoulders and tucking his head up next to Blaine's for a moment, whispering in his ear, “it's okay now, dude.  It went really well.  It's different this time.”  Blaine relaxed, not even realizing he had been tense, and let himself just breathe into Sam's hair for a minute.  He closed his eyes, letting Sam and Kurt's quiet chatter flow over him.  At some point a nurse came and poked him some more, and his stomach growled.

Sam laughed.  “Do you ever get to eat anything in here?”

“His food tray really should have come by now,” the nurse replied, frowning.  She picked up his chart and looked at Blaine.  “You're cleared to eat almost anything, just small portions and nothing too heavy, if you want to send your friends down to the cafeteria to get something for you.  I hear they have pretty good ice cream there.”

“See?”  Sam said proudly.  “Ice cream.  I totally called it.”

Later that evening, everyone had taken turns going down to the cafeteria to eat dinner except for Blaine.  He did finally get some ice cream and a few fries Sam brought back up with him, along with some jello from the tray that eventually showed up.  Sam had found some action movie to watch, and Kurt was pretending to watch with him.  Blaine's parents looked tired, and even his mom had run out of small talk.

“It's late, guys, why don't you go back to the hotel,” Blaine suggested.  “I'm sure they'll let you back in tomorrow morning.”

“Ha, ha,” his mom said, coming over next to him.  “I know you're all grown up now and everything, but I don't want to leave you here by yourself.”

“I'll stay,” Kurt spoke up.  “I mean, if it's okay with Blaine, I'd like to stay.”  

The first words that almost fell out of Blaine's mouth were “you don't have to do that,” but then he looked at Kurt, standing tall, with one hand grasping the elbow of his other arm.  He seemed determined, Blaine thought, with a side of nervous, and Blaine realized that now was not the time to deflect Kurt's offer.  “I'd really like that,” Blaine said softly, catching Kurt's gaze.

“Well, then, let me check with the staff and let them know,” Bill said.  “I can't imagine they'll have any problem with it.” 

“Not once he's done talking to them, he won't,” Sam said to Blaine as Bill left the room. 

Tammy laughed.  “The Anderson men have great powers of persuasion,” she said, smiling.  “I've always said it's one part logic, three parts charm.”

“Or in Cooper's case, add a dose of smoke and mirrors,” Blaine joked.

Arrangements were made, and Bill and Tammy hugged Blaine good night and gathered their things to leave.  Sam and Kurt exchanged some kind of meaningful look, and Kurt joined the Andersons as they left, saying he'd walk them out.

“Wanted some private time with me?” Blaine joked.  But as Sam turned towards him, he realized he wasn't wrong.  “C'mere, Sam.”  Blaine pushed himself up and gave Sam a proper hug as he perched on the edge of the bed.  “Are you okay?”

Sam nodded against Blaine's shoulder.  “Yeah.  Just needed a hug.”

“Anytime.”  Blaine rubbed Sam's back.  “Rachel's at our place tonight, right?” 

Sam sat up, taking a deep breath.  “Yup.  She texted me a little while ago to see when I'd be home.  Apparently she thinks we're having a bonding night.  She mentioned something about a makeover?”

Blaine pushed Sam's long bangs out of his eyes.  While Sam never let his hair get back to the ridiculous length it had reached senior year, he didn't like it super-short, either.  “Just don't let her cut your hair.  Nail polish is fine, you can always take it off.  And if she goes for the mascara, make sure to take pictures.”

Sam laughed.  “Got it.”

“Hey, before you go, can you help me with something?”  Blaine wanted to change out of the hospital gown, but wasn't really sure how it was going to work.  Definitely a task better performed out of sight of his boyfriend, if he hoped to retain any dignity whatsoever when this mess was over.  Sam found his overnight bag and helped him put on a soft, navy sleep shirt and loose boxers.  Blaine immediately felt more human.  It didn't hurt that whatever pain medication he was on took away even his usual day to day pain, making it relatively easy to move his leg. 

“Careful there,” the nurse said, coming in to the room as Blaine was stretching his leg out.  “You don't want to overexert yourself.  It's not going to feel as good in the morning, I'm afraid.”  The nurse wanted him to try standing up, so she took one side and Sam the other, and Blaine gingerly slid off the bed.  “Looks like you've done this before?”  she asked Sam.

“I'm a pro,” Sam agreed, anchoring Blaine's arm over his shoulder and grasping him firmly around the waist.  "Want to wash up?” he asked, indicating the bathroom.

“You can help him there and back, but no more for tonight.  Call me if you need me,” the nurse said, writing something on Blaine's chart and then leaving the room.

“Ready for this?”  Blaine nodded, and leaned heavily on Sam.  He felt wobbly and off balance, but somehow they made it to the bathroom.  Sam left Blaine sitting on edge of the toilet while he got his toiletry bag, and then hauled Blaine back up to use the sink, standing next to him while he quickly washed his face.  “You don't look so good,” he commented as Blaine started to brush his teeth, grabbing him around the waist and lowering him back down.  Blaine felt a little dizzy, but it passed as he rested his head against Sam. 

Finally Blaine straightened up and chuckled at Sam, squatting on the floor next to him in the tiny bathroom.  “You're really a good friend, Sam.”

“You kidding?  This is nothing.  Soon you're going to have to, you know, use the facilities.”   Sam raised his eyebrows at him and pointed at the toilet.

“That, I am doing myself.”

----------

Down in the lobby with Blaine's parents, Kurt could no longer ignore the elephant that had been lurking in the hospital room all day.  “I'm sorry,” he blurted out, as they turned to say good night to him.

“What for?”  Bill asked, surprised.

Kurt wrung his hands and took a deep breath.  “For not being there for Blaine.  For leaving him when he needed me.”

“Oh, Kurt,” Tammy sighed.  “The situation you two were in would have challenged even the most stable marriage.  I know you both had the best intentions, but you were so young, and everything was brand new.”

“But you must think I'm a terrible person, to do that to Blaine.”

“You're not a terrible person, Kurt,” Bill said.  “And you didn't do anything to Blaine.  You were dealing with some pretty tough stuff yourself.”

“Kurt, come here a minute.”  Tammy turned towards a bench by the door, and Kurt followed her and sat down, not sure what else to say.  “I hope you know that we would support Blaine in whatever he chooses to do.  And when he told us about your engagement, we supported him in that.  But we couldn't help but wonder if it was too soon.”  She glanced at Bill, who nodded.  “I'm not going to say that what happened was for the best, because there was nothing good about what happened that day.  You and your family know that better than anyone.  But consider the possibility that you and Blaine might end up with a stronger relationship that you might have had otherwise.”  She smiled and gave Kurt an encouraging look.  “Blaine tells me things are going well?”

“Yeah, I think they are,” Kurt replied, feeling a smile tugging at his cheeks despite himself.

“Then trust yourselves to figure out the future, and try not to worry too much about the past.”  Tammy was gazing at him with her big brown eyes, so much like Blaine's at times that it was uncanny.

“Okay,” Kurt said, smiling broadly now.  “Okay.”

----------

By the time Kurt returned to the room Blaine was back in bed, tucked under the sheet, and feeling a little less like he was going to pass out. 

“Everything okay?”  Kurt asked.

“We had an exciting trip to the bathroom.   I took video and everything.” Sam joked.

“Very funny,” Blaine said.

Sam found his backpack in the corner and pulled it on, then came over and gave Blaine a quick hug.  “See you in the morning, dude.”  He turned to Kurt.  “Take care of him, okay?”

Blaine smiled, touched once again by the concern Sam always showed him.  “I'm fine, Sam.  Go home and play with Rachel.”  The looks both Sam and Kurt gave him at that were priceless.  “That is not what I meant.”

Suddenly Sam bounced back over to Blaine, looking happier than he had all day.  “I almost forgot.”  He held his hand up, and Blaine obediently high-fived him.  “Blam!”

Any private conversation Blaine hoped to have with Kurt was put off for a few more minutes when the nurse came by to check on him.  Satisfied that he hadn't done any damage to his stitches with his trip across the room, she finally left them with a warning that she'd be stopping by every two to three hours during the night to check his vitals.

“Bet you're regretting your decision to sleep over now,” Blaine said lightly.

“Not for a minute,” Kurt replied, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.  “Let me change, and I'll be right back.”  Kurt grabbed his messenger bag and headed into the bathroom.

Guess he planned ahead, Blaine thought.  He closed his eyes, suddenly feeling very tired.

When he opened them again, the room was dim.  A different nurse was checking his chart, and talking quietly with Kurt. 

“Kurt?” 

“Hey there,” Kurt said, coming over to him and putting a hand on his shoulder.  “You fell asleep.  It's after midnight now.”

Blaine was confused, and his leg was aching.  The nurse pulled the sheet aside and was doing something to the bandage on his thigh.  “It hurts,” he said.

The nurse answered him calmly.  “I'm sorry, dear.  Your meds are wearing off, and you're not due for more for a little while.  How bad is it?”

Blaine considered that in order to figure that out, he'd have to move his leg, which seemed like a bad idea.  “It's just sort of throbbing, when I don't move it,” he said.  He shifted his leg a little, and a sharp pain shot through him.  He squeezed his eyes shut.  “It really hurts.”

“I can tell,” the nurse agreed.  “Let me see if I can get you something sooner, to help you sleep.”

Once she had left, Kurt pulled his chair up as close as he could get to Blaine, and gently laid his head down on his shoulder, his arm lightly resting across his chest.  “I wish I could do something to help.”

Blaine took Kurt's hand from where it rested on his chest and took it in his.  “You are.”  He lay there for a few minutes, feeling Kurt's breath against his neck, and rubbing his thumb along his wrist.  “Kurt?”

“Yeah?”

This is what he had been hoping to talk to Kurt about earlier, before he fell asleep for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.  “What did the doctor say?  I couldn't really focus, and I didn't want to ask with everyone here.”  Not that his parents didn't know, of course, but it was one thing for the doctor to tell them, and another to have them staring at him when they explained whatever his next round of torture was going to be.

Kurt sat up, careful not to jostle him.  “You really didn't hear?”

Blaine shook his head, trying not to assume that this meant bad news.

“It's good, Blaine, really good.”  Kurt's brow furrowed as he tried to remember exactly what the surgeon's report had been.  “They were able to do what they wanted to do with minimal interruption of the muscle – that's not exactly how he said it, but I think that's what he meant, that they didn't have to cut you up too much-“

Blaine winced, and Kurt did too.  “Sorry.  But I guess that's important as far as your recovery time.  He also said that what they saw was worse than they had expected, but because of where it was or something, they could still do whatever it was they needed to do, and that you would have a  moderate to significant reduction in your pain level, and this would likely lead to increased mobility.”

Blaine felt light headed, even though he was lying down.  “Really?  He said ‘moderate to significant reduction' in pain?”

“Really.  I don't remember all of his exact words, but I remember those.   I can't believe you didn't know, Blaine.  I thought that's why you were so relaxed this afternoon.”  Kurt traced his finger along Blaine's hairline, pushing a curl off his forehead. 

“No, I think that was the pain meds,” Blaine laughed, then grimaced as the motion moved his leg.  “So this pain, right now, is just from the operation?”

“I think so.”  Kurt carefully sat up off the bed, and took his phone out of his bag.  “Tell me your questions, and we'll write them down, so we can ask the doctor tomorrow morning.  I can't believe they didn't make sure you understood what was going on.”  He scrolled until he got to the page he was looking for.  “I hate doctors,” he murmured under his breath.

Blaine let it all spill out, all his questions and fears, and Kurt's thumbs moved rapidly over his screen, recording them all.  When Blaine ran out of questions, his eyes drifted closed.  He felt Kurt gently lean down against his chest again, his face buried in his neck.  “Kurt?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you for being here.”

He felt Kurt's breath hitch, and Kurt's hand reach for his.  “I love you, Blaine.”

“I love you too.”