Waking up was strange. There was an unfamiliar hand holding his, but somehow it didn't feel wrong or alarming. In fact it felt incredibly safe and comfortable, not to mention the fact that he felt strangely rested. Yes, his upper body still ached like hell, and he still couldn't feel his legs, which was something that made his stomach turn into a massive ball of knots, but all in all he felt better than he had since he'd blacked out in the car right after the crash.

A small sigh left his lips as he slowly let his mind come back to full consciousness. The person next to him was Blaine, and he'd come in here last night at some point, to offer a friendly ear and some company. His heart swelled as he thought about that, because there had been nothing he'd needed more at the time than just talking to someone. Not about what had happened, because he wasn't really ready to go into any details on the events that lead up to being in the hospital, but about anything and everything else.

For a few hours, he could almost pretend that things were somewhat normal. Pretend that his life wasn't falling apart by the seams for a little while. It had been so nice, but he knew it couldn't last forever. His dad was in a coma, and he couldn't move his legs. Hell he couldn't even go to the bathroom on his own, which was the most embarrassing thing he'd ever experienced. The fuzzy warm feeling he'd had when he'd been waking up was leaving him quickly and his eyes slowly fluttered open, glancing around the room.

Blaine had a blanket over his shoulders, and if he had to guess, he'd bet Carole had been in here and made sure the boy wouldn't freeze. The boy looked peaceful, but Kurt knew he was bound to be achy and uncomfortable when he woke up. For a moment he considered waking him, but he looked so peaceful, with a soft smile on his lips, that he didn't have the heart to. Instead, he tried to curl up a little more, and shift around so he could hold the boy's hand a little more comfortably.

Silence filled the room aside from Blaine's breathing, and Kurt realized that listening to it was kind of soothing. Unfortunately it couldn't stop the knot from forming in his stomach as he desperately tried to wiggle his toes. The effort became more and more desperate as time moved on and eventually tears started to fall down his cheeks again. It wasn't going to work; he was never going to be able to walk again. Once his mind had settled into that panic mode it easily moved onto even darker thoughts. His dad wasn't going to wake up and he was going to be alone for the rest of his life.

The thoughts of never finding love had been with him for so long, and his mind had convinced him long ago that this was probably the way it was going to be. That had been okay though - he'd had his dad and that was everything he needed to believe in, their family and the fact that they'd always have each other. No, he wasn't naïve enough to think that his dad was going to be around for forever, but it had never occurred to him that something like this might happen.

His dad had always been so strong, his rock; it was like nothing could ruin the man that was his father. That illusion had been shattered the moment that heart attack had happened, and now? Kurt was here, awake and alive and his dad was lying in the other room in some sort of limbo between life and death, unable to move or speak and possibly never likely to wake up again. It was enough to make him want to scream.

It was hard to keep quiet, the sobs threatening to spill out loudly, but instead he managed to hold them back, his body violently shaking at each of them but no sound coming out. The only real sign that he was crying, aside from the tears soaking into the pillow, was the occasional sniffle leaving him. Despite himself, every now and then he'd glance up from the pillow to make sure Blaine was still there, even if the guy's hand was still holding onto his rather tightly.

After a while - Kurt wasn't sure how long - he could feel the hand on his tightening a little, and when he looked up Blaine was looking at him with a slightly sad smile on his face. It wasn't pity, which Kurt would have hated; it was just a genuine sadness that the boy seemed to feel for him. "Morning …" Kurt muttered quietly, his voice broken and a little hoarse as he spoke. The tears could easily be heard in his voice, but then again they weren't exactly a secret since they were rolling down his cheek.

"Morning. Kurt." Blaine said, trying not to sound like his entire body ached from the position he'd been sleeping in all night. His back ached, and his ribs felt like they were about to poke out of his chest. Every breath hurt and he was just sore all over. "Did you not sleep at all?" he asked worriedly, his voice a tiny whisper. "I'm sorry I fell asleep, I didn't come in here to leave you alone. I wanted to keep you company."

The small shake of Kurt's head was all it took for Blaine's worry to sky-rocket, because he really hadn't meant to fall asleep and leave the boy to his own miserable thoughts. "Oh no!" Kurt tried to say hastily, but his voice hitched and it was hard to get the words out. "I slept … I think I woke up somewhere around an hour ago?" His eyes fell shut for a moment and he tried to take a few deep breaths to calm himself down enough to where he'd at least be able to talk properly.

"You must be really uncomfortable ... sleeping in that chair, especially with your injuries." Kurt murmured and sent Blaine an apologetic smile. It wasn't hard to tell Blaine had been through something that had tossed his body around a lot. There were bruises covering every inch of visible skin, and Kurt was sure there was much more to it than what was visible with the guy as clothed as he was.

Blaine smiled and shook his head a little. "No, it's alright. I'll be fine, but we could ring for a nurse or something. See if they have some drugs for us? Not that I usually like taking any of that stuff, but some situations require it." he smiled, and Kurt was taken aback by just how gorgeous that smile really was. Yes, he'd seen the smile the night before, but he'd been so busy trying to forget about everything else that he hadn't really realized just how stunning it made the guy sitting next to him.

"I concur - painkillers do sound good right about now." He agreed, and couldn't help but to return the smile. It was like Blaine's grin lit up the room, and it was one of the most contagious smiles he'd ever seen. "They usually keep me pretty well topped off, but I guess they didn't want to wake us up or something. I think my stepmom has been in here, considering you're wearing one of the spare blankets." he added with a nod to Blaine's shoulders. "She really does care about everyone. It's sweet. I bet she was a little confused that I had company when she came in here though." His voice was filled with admiration for the woman.

Blaine laughed lightly, and then winced at the ache it caused in his ribcage. Kurt immediately frowned and looked at Blaine carefully. "You alright? I mean, obviously you're not, since you're in here and all, but that looked like it hurt." There was obvious concern in his voice as his eyes travelled across Blaine's form to make sure nothing was visibly wrong at the very least.

"No, I'm alright ... I have a few broken ribs, so laughing and you know, breathing, kind of hurts ... but I'll be fine." Blaine replied, and even managed another warm smile. This boy seemed too amazing to be true. He was obviously battered and bruised and yet here he was, trying to make Kurt feel better instead of being comfortable in his own hospital bed. "I'd move over and offer for you to lie down, but I can only really move so much on my own." he said regretfully, but at the same time he was already trying to push himself towards one side of the bed.

It wasn't meant as a weird or suggestive offer, and there was no hint of that in his tone. It was simply that he wanted Blaine to be more comfortable than he could ever be sitting in that horrible chair. It was an immense struggle to move, and it made the stitches in his side pull a little, this in turn causing his bruises to hurt all the more. "Hey, hey - no, don't ... you'll hurt yourself!" Blaine exclaimed as he watched Kurt struggle. "I'm alright, I promise!" he added hastily and placed a hand gently on Kurt's shoulder to try to stop him. "Please, Kurt - don't hurt yourself."

At that moment one of the nurses came into the room and her eyes widened at the sight of the two boys. "Mr. Anderson! What are you doing out of bed!? And Mr. Hummel, you really shouldn't be doing that. If you want to move, you should have called for some help." She wasn't trying to be bossy; the words were spoken with true concern. "Neither of you should be moving around - do you want to pull your stitches?" She scolded gently as she first fussed over Kurt and tried to help him move the way he'd wanted to. "Is that better?" She asked once he settled down against the pillows.

"Yeah ... I just wanted to let Blaine lie down if he wanted to." Kurt muttered apologetically before smiling gently at Blaine, who looked more than a little guilty in his seat. The nurse turned her attention to Blaine and shook her head slowly. "Mr. Anderson … what are you doing in here, huh? Didn't I tell you just yesterday that you need to get your rest?"

Blaine just looked increasingly remorseful as the woman spoke, but he offered her a tiny smile nonetheless. "Well … I couldn't sleep … and it sounded like Kurt might need some company. Maybe I wanted some company too - it gets really quiet around here when you can't sleep at night." He whispered, as if admitting this was somewhat difficult for him. Kurt decided it was a good idea to step into the conversation at this point. "I really did need the company, and he didn't bother me or anything." he hastily added with a genuine smile.

The nurse sighed for a moment, and surveyed the two boys. It was as calm and happy as she'd seen either of them since they'd arrived at the hospital - and yes, they both needed rest, but the question was whether or not they'd actually get any if they were allowed to hang out together. She paused, deep in thought, and the two boys could almost see the cogs turning in her head. "Alright. Well I'll need to talk with the doctor first, but I may have an idea ... or more of a suggestion, for you two. Here - let me help you onto the bed for now, Mr. Anderson. It may not be ideal, but it's better than you sitting all hunched up in that chair. Then I'll be back as soon as I know if my idea will work." She almost sounded excited, and that only helped to induce another smile on both boys' faces as she helped Blaine onto the bed.

"I hope you don't think this is too weird?" Kurt said quietly as the nurse left. "I mean, you could have declined the offer … not all guys are comfortable sharing a bed like this and all." His voice was very hesitant as he spoke. Blaine just chuckled and shook his head. "No, it's fine ... honestly, anyone who thinks it's weird sitting on a bed with someone else while fully-clothed is pretty childish." He replied as he shifted slightly to get more comfortable. "I'm glad you think so, because not many guys would agree with you." Kurt almost whispered in response. "Well, most guys are silly." Blaine replied as the two of them settled into talking about random topics once more, waiting for the nurse to come back.

OoOoOoOoOo

The nurse didn't come back for a while, and they sort-of assumed she'd forgotten about them. Not that they minded - they were having a pretty good time talking about music, fashion and other random things. However, eventually she did knock on the door with a bright smile on her face. "Well, I've talked to the doctor, and we both agreed that my suggestion may be a good idea. So I was thinking ... if the two of you insist on spending time together, maybe you might like to share a room? This one is a double, but it was made into a single room when you first came in because we needed to allow for some extra machines. Now that we no longer need those, the hospital could use the space - if the two of you are comfortable with that idea?" She offered, making sure her suggestion came from as practical an angle as possible. "We may have to bring an extra bed into this room soon in any case, and I'd much rather see patients share with someone they're comfortable with." she added hopefully.

Kurt's eyes widened a little. The idea of rooming with some random person didn't appeal to him at all, but at the same time he certainly didn't want to make Blaine feel uncomfortable or pushed into it by seeming too excited, so instead he stayed quiet, biting the inside of his lip.

Blaine glanced over at Kurt, smiling at the sight of him clearly holding back his own opinion. "Well, that doesn't sound like such a bad idea to me - that is, if Kurt would like it?" His voice was gentle and caring, not a hint of hesitation or forcefulness, just genuine concern that Kurt had to want it too for this to work. "I …" Kurt whispered almost inaudibly. "I'd like that too. It'd be nice to have someone to talk to, and if I have to have a room-mate I'd much rather it be Blaine than some stranger I've never talked to." he added, still in barely a whisper, but the nurse smiled and nodded in response.

"Great! I'll get the ball rolling on that then, and we'll get Blaine's bed settled in here some time today. Sooner rather than later!" She beamed at them before heading off to get things started, and Kurt looked to Blaine with a gentle smile.

"Are you sure you're comfortable with this? I mean, I wouldn't want you to move in here just because it was suggested ... if you don't want to." He asked, and his voice was so filled with hope that it almost broke Blaine's heart. "I'm really fine with it. I've had my best night and morning for days, and I like your company. So I don't see why this isn't a good idea." Blaine replied, letting out a muffled yawn. Sure he'd slept well, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to be a little tired still. It was probably because his body was spending so much energy on trying to heal itself.

OoOoOoOoOo

A few more hours passed, and a bed was rolled into the room for Blaine. The two of them settled down into their own beds and continued talking about anything and everything. Neither of them brought up the reason for the other being in the hospital, both feeling like that was something they'd talk about when they were ready for it. When visiting hours finally began, Mercedes made her way into the room. She didn't knock, because she hadn't wanted to wake Kurt if he'd been sleeping, and her eyes widened as they landed on Blaine. "Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't know Kurt shared a room now!" she exclaimed, hurrying over to Kurt's bedside and taking a seat in the chair Blaine had spent all night in.

"I brought your homework." She told Kurt apologetically while pulling out some books and notepads from her bag. "The teachers say to take your time though, there is no rush. They just wanted me to bring it in case you thought it was a good thing to keep yourself occupied with." Judging by the wrinkle of her nose, Mercedes clearly didn't think that was a good way to spend your time no matter what the situation was.

Kurt just laughed warmly at his best friend's gesture. "Thanks 'Cedes." He said quietly, glancing over and smiling at Blaine. "'Cedes, this is Blaine. He's my new room-mate while I'm here." He said, making a I'm-more-than-okay-with-this face. Mercedes smiled and walked over to gently take Blaine's hand. "Nice to meet you Blaine. I'm Mercedes - I'm a friend of Kurt's from school." She explained, throwing Kurt a questioning look followed by one that clearly stated 'He's hot!'.

Kurt felt a blush rise in his cheeks, but he couldn't help but to think she was right. She'd of course know that he agreed by the blush, and she sent him a wink before turning to Blaine. "You don't go to McKinley, do you? I don't remember seeing you around the halls." she asked, as though it was the most natural question in the world. "Oh, um … no, I don't go to McKinley, but this was still the closest hospital to where I ... got injured." he said, clearly keen to keep the story a little vague. Kurt's warning glance to Mercedes told her not to push it and she simply smiled.

"Well, it seems to me like Kurt got himself a pretty good room-mate ... I know for a fact that he thought it was kind of lonely in here." She said, and Kurt blushed some more, throwing her another nervous look. "Oh! Everyone from New Directions says 'hi', Kurt - and they all hope you get better soon. Rachel said she'd stop by a little later, and I think Tina and Mike wanted to do the same. You're okay for some visitors, right? I told them I'd ask, just in case you didn't want everyone running in and out of here every two seconds."

Kurt just nodded with another warm smile. "Yeah, that's fine. I would love to have some visitors, as long as Blaine here doesn't mind so many people coming and going today." He enquired as he looked over to Blaine. There was a sad smile on the boy's lips, but he shook his head. "Of course I don't mind if you have some visitors, Kurt. If the rest of your friends are as nice as Mercedes, I'm sure it won't be a problem." The response sounded as sad in Kurt's ears as the smile appeared. "Alright, well you can tell them they're welcome to come visit any time then. Actually, you can tell the whole group that if you want ... I'll be sure to let everyone know when I've had enough for the day." He reassured Mercedes who was failing to hide her worried frown. "'Cedes, I'll be fine - really." He whispered and reached out to squeeze her hand.

The statement sounded false even to his ears, or maybe it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself as much as he was trying to convince her. Mercedes didn't make a comment on the matter though, and Kurt was grateful. They all settled down and eventually Blaine joined the conversation, which mostly revolved around the New Directions and the dramas going on in the Glee club, as well as the songs they were singing. Music seemed to be one of Blaine's passions, and Kurt was glad that he wasn't left out as they chatted. He also noted that throughout the whole day, Blaine never received a single visit from anyone.

-TBC-