Chapter 23 – Part 3

The front doors were unlocked. Of course it was dangerous to go through the front doors like invited guests but they took the risk and it worked just fine – there was nobody to be seen inside. People must have been having a Christmas dinner somewhere. Though the lack of security was still surprising.

Once they got in, Sugar turned left, Santana went right, and the others silently climbed the stairs. There Jeff and Tina separated from Sarah who went further up.

They all began to search.

<~*~>

“Please, you can’t leave me,” Kurt whispered, tears falling on Blaine’s face.

Mike was standing by the doors looking if anyone was coming. He took his phone ant sent a text to everyone.

Mike: We found Blaine in the basement.

“Kurt, we need to get out of here,” Finn whispered and tried to raise Kurt but the boy was reluctant.

Noah squatted and placed his two fingers by Blaine’s neck.

“Kurt, there is nothing we can do,” Noah said silently. Once Noah said it he scolded himself for the poor choice of words – Kurt started to shake. “No, I didn’t mean it. He is alive. The pulse if very weak but he is still here. We need to go if we want to save him.”

Kurt released a relieved sigh and stood up. He had no idea how he could still stand on his feet. He watched how Noah took his hoodie off and with the help of Finn started putting it on Blaine’s limp body but it didn’t seem that he saw anything.

Mike closed the doors, came closer and slapped him. “Kurt!” he whispered in an angry voice. “Listen to me. You need to pull yourself together. We need to take Blaine and get him out of here as quickly as possible, okay? We don’t have much time and neither has he.”

Kurt inhaled deeply and nodded. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

Finn looked up and measured the window with his eyes. “Okay, Mike, Noah, get out. Kurt and I will raise Blaine so you can pull him out. Then you will help us.”

They all nodded.

<~*~>

Santana was scared. She wasn’t ready for all the mess they were in. The girl even started questioning her choice to join the C.A.T.; she didn’t feel good enough to be there.

It’s only been a few months, what do you expect? she asked herself and tried to concentrate on finding Blaine. They had to do it. And Blaine had to be alive.

<~*~>

No need to worry. Mike is going to be fine. Blaine is going to be fine. We are all going to be fine. Just relax and do your job. We won’t let these fuckers take anyone away from us. Maybe these doors. No. Shit. He must be somewhere here. Come on, Blaine, where are you? We need you, boy. Oh shit, someone is coming. Hide.

Tina silently got into one of the rooms which she already knew was empty.

<~*~>

Jeff was working very quickly. Or maybe his part of the floor wasn’t very big because in no time he checked all the area. Nothing. He needed to find Tina and help her on her side of the floor.

Where is the whole security? Jeff asked himself. There must have been at least a few agents working on that mission. It was more unnerving than having to fight ten guards at one time.

He walked to the stairs and went the opposite direction where Tina had gone.

<~*~>

There was music coming from the room with closed doors. It must have been a dining room. People were celebrating Christmas. With the tree, presents… Sugar didn’t remember the last time she had had normal Christmas. She was always working. This year she was a supervisor and hoped to celebrate at least in the base. No such luck – she spent the whole day worrying and now she was sneaking around trying to find her friend and save his life. But she didn’t regret coming – now it was more important than anything else in the world.

The girl passed the doors and continued the search.

“Check on him,” she heard someone saying and quickly hid behind a big statue. She always liked buildings like that one – a lot of places to hide.

<~*~>

Sarah had a feeling that Blaine wasn’t in any of the upper floors. It was usual to lock people in basements. But she had to check just in case. You can never know how the head of a criminal works.

She was half way through the second floor when she felt a slight vibration in her pocket.

Mike: We found Blaine in the basement.

Sarah nodded to herself. She turned around and started walking slowly towards the stairs, texting at the same time but not looking at the phone.

Sarah: Get him out of there. Sugar, join them. Others, stay by the stairs to the basement to see that nobody comes.

She wanted to ask if Blaine was alive but it wasn’t time for a chat. They had to be quick.

<~*~>

“Now carefully raise him,” Mike instructed.

Mike and Noah were already outside waiting for Finn and Kurt to pass Blaine to them. The boys raised him and the others took him. Kurt was thankful that Blaine wasn’t very heavy. If they needed to raise Finn they would be in more trouble.

“Half way,” Finn said and pushed harder.

“The light!” Noah alerted them.

Kurt turned around. Noah was right – there was a light coming from the corridor. They heard footsteps.

“Take Blaine,” Finn whispered hurriedly as Blaine was finally outside. “and carry him to the van. Lauren will take care of him; tell her to keep him as warm as possible. Kurt and I will hold whoever is coming. Come back because there may be a fight waiting for us.”

Mike nodded and took his gun out. Noah raised Blaine and soon they were out of sight. Kurt turned to face the person whose steps were louder with each second. They both took their guns out and got ready; Finn with determination by the doors, Kurt with shaking hands facing them.

<~*~>

Santana was the first to reach the stairs to the basement. She wanted to go downstairs and help the boys. No matter how scared she was she managed to talk herself into self-control. Her mind was racing but she didn’t allow the fear to take over.

She heard someone coming and she fought her heart had stopped. But it was only Sugar. She should have expected that – they all got Sarah’s command.

“Are you okay?” Sugar asked so quietly that Santana thought she might have imagined that. But Sugar’s questioning look was enough of a proof that she did ask the question. Santana nodded.

<~*~>

Jeff couldn’t find Tina. He knew he might have scared her.

Jeff: I was looking for you. You probably heard me. I will go downstairs. See you there.

<~*~>

The doors opened.

“So how are you do–” the man started with a smile but didn’t finish as he saw that there was nobody on the ground.

“Don’t move,” Kurt said coldly.

<~*~>

“What the fuck are you doing?” someone shouted.

Mike turned around and saw a man with a dog on a leash. He released the dog.

“Noah, run!” Mike shouted and positioned himself to face the animal.

<~*~>

“Sugar went downstairs,” Santana explained when Jeff and Sarah joined her.

“Where is Tina?” Sarah asked Jeff. The boy shrugged.

<~*~>

The man smiled at him and walked forward.

“He said, don’t move,” Finn raised the gun to the level of the man’s head. “It would be stupid not to listen.”

“Look, boys, I have no idea who–”

“You tortured him, didn’t you?” Kurt asked. He felt the anger boiling inside.

The man raised his arms in defence. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Oh you do,” Kurt smiled, eyes never leaving the man. “I wish I had more time to play with you. Unfortunately, we have to go. But before we do…”

Finn took the tape and put it on the man’s mouth. The man’s eyes grew wide when he saw Kurt attaching the silencer on his gun.

“You see, we don’t want you running around,” Kurt smiled again.

“Kurt,” Finn whispered. “There is rope. We can tie him up.”

Kurt shook his head. “No. Rope can be untied or cut. It would be safer if we simply… took care of his knees.”

The man tried to scream. There was one gun by his head, the other one was pointed towards his right knee.

<~*~>

“Lauren! It’s Noah; I’m with Blaine. He needs warmth,” the boy shouted as he got closer to the van.

The doors opened quickly and Lauren jumped out of the van. She opened the back doors.

“Get him in,” she instructed going to the front to start the engine. “There are blan–”

“You will have to take care of all that. I have to go back. They need me,” Noah said once he laid Blaine on the ground and got out.

Lauren nodded, quickly got inside, and closed the doors to keep the warmth in.

<~*~>

“So you are not alone. It will be fun, girl,” the man giggled.

The room wasn’t empty after all. Tina couldn’t believe she was fooled so easily. Concentrate. He doesn’t know you have a knife. You can get out of here, she thought.

“Let’s go,” the man said and pushed her through the doors. “Oh, I need to make a phone call.”

<~*~>

There was a group of people in the dining room. They were having a lovely dinner having no idea what was happening outside the room. Two men were sitting away from the others by the fireplace.

“More wine?” the man, the boss, asked the other man who was sitting next to him. “We have two things to celebrate. It’s Christmas and one more agent is about to die.”

The man smiled. “Isn’t it the perfect Christmas gift? The best of the best is dying right now.”

“And for this one you will be paid more than any other,” he said and his phone rang. “Sorry, I have to take this. Yes? Intruder? More than one? Okay, find them but don’t kill anyone.”

The other man looked at him curiously.

“You should probably go. Andrei, show him the way out through the kitchen.”

The guard came closer and waited for the two of them to say their goodbyes.

“I will contact you soon.”

“It’s always nice to work with you. Now go. Goodnight, Tom.”

“Goodnight.”

<~*~>

Kurt was about to shoot. That man tortured Blaine. He tortured the boy he loved. There was no pity, there was no sympathy.

“It will hurt a bit,” Kurt smiled and concentrated.

The man collapsed. Kurt looked up and saw Sugar standing behind the man’s body.

“You were taking too long,” she whispered. “Where is Blaine? And the others?”

“They got out,” Finn explained. “What’s happening upstairs?”

“I don’t know. There was only Santana by the stairs when I came here,” she explained.

They froze as they heard Mike voice. “Hurry up, we need to help him,” Finn said and got ready to help the others to climb through the window hole.

Kurt: Finn, Sugar, and I are leaving through the window. Noah and Mike are already out.

<~*~>

“They are all out. We need to get going,” Sarah said looking frantically around. “Where is Tina?”

“Looking for this one?” they heard the voice and saw Tina going downstairs. There was a man with a gun behind her. “Drop the guns.”

They did as he had asked.

<~*~>

The dog was wild. Mike’s hand that had been holding the gun was bleeding; the gun was nowhere to be seen. He tried to get rid of the dog but it was near impossible. The man came closer.

“We don’t like intruders here, you know,” he said. “Though thank you for making my evening a bit more interest–”

Mike heard two gun shots. Both the man and the dog collapsed on him. He saw three figures running towards him.

“How are you?” Sugar asked as they came close enough.

“Fine, just scratched a bit,” Mike said struggling to stand up. “Thanks. Help me move them.”

<~*~>

The van wasn’t warm enough. They didn’t have enough blankets. They were not prepared for that. Lauren ran to the other van to see what she could find there. She came back as quickly as she could, holding three thin blankets.

“Hey!” she heard before she could open the doors and turned around.

<~*~>

“Now slide them towards me,” the man instructed and waited for them to do it. “Good, very good. Turn around, hands on your heads.”

“Hey, jackass,” they all heard Noah’s voice. The man turned to look at the boy. The man was distracted.

Now or never, Tina thought and quickly took the knife out of the pocket by the calf. She hit without looking where the knife went. The throat.

<~*~>

“God, Coach Shannon you scared me,” Lauren exhaled. “What are you doing here?”

“Sarah told me to come. What’s going on?” the woman asked.

Lauren shook her head. “I don’t know. Noah brought Blaine and left. He didn’t tell me anything except to keep Blaine warm. But it’s impossible.”

Shannon nodded to herself. “Let’s move Blaine to my car. It’s smaller so it will be warmer inside. I will drive him to the base, you wait for the others. It will be faster.”

Lauren eyed the woman. “Give me the keys. I will drive.”

“Why?” the coach asked.

“I don’t trust anyone,” Lauren explained.

“Fair enough. Here are the keys,” she said handing the keys to the girl. “I will carry him.”

<~*~>

Tina didn’t say anything, she didn’t think anything. The man in front of her was dying and it was because of her.

“I got Kurt’s text that they are outside. Is anyone still here?” Noah asked quickly.

“No. We can go. Come on, someone will soon come to check what this fuss is about,” she urged them. “Noah, take Tina.”

Noah quickly went to Tina. “Let’s go,” he pulled her gently.

<~*~>

“Mike, go to the van; you need to stop the bleeding,” Finn said. “Kurt, go with him to check that he doesn’t collapse on his way.”

“But–”

“I know you want to help but Mike needs someone. Sugar and I will be more useful inside. Sorry but it’s true. Besides, you will be able to take care of Blaine.”

Blaine. Yeah, he had to go to see Blaine.

Mike stood up with the help of Finn and tried to go but fell. “Shit, my leg.”

Finn helped him again. Kurt came quickly. “Arm on my shoulders,” he instructed and took Mike by his waist.

They started walking to different directions when the front doors opened. Five people were running towards them.

“It’s the others,” Sugar said once she recognised the figures.

“Is everyone here?” Sarah asked them, counting everyone. “Fine, let’s go.”

Finn ran towards Mike and Kurt. He grabbed Mike by his other side.

<~*~>

“You can do it,” Lauren told the car. “Faster, baby.”

She was driving too fast, especially for winter. She knew it but they didn’t have much time. Every second counted. The girl glanced at them monitor – the police was nowhere to be seen. She speeded up.

<~*~>

“Shannon?” Sarah asked once she saw the woman.

“Hi. Lauren took Blaine to the base with my car,” she explained before anyone could ask anything. “Get in. I will drive.”

“I will let everyone know that they can go in,” Sarah said and they all went into their vans in the same groups as before.

Tina hugged Mike tightly; he caressed her back with the arm that hadn’t been injured. Noah eyed the girl with concern. Santana looked at her hands. Nobody spoke a word on the way back.

Kurt didn’t cry anymore. Blaine was safe. He was on the way to the base. He had to stay strong. Finn pulled him closer. Sugar and Jeff exchanged a concerned look. They knew that the night was still not over. Nobody spoke a word on the way back.

<~*~>

“Where is he?” Kurt asked once he saw Lauren waiting for them in the hall.

“The hospital wing,” she said and pointed the direction even though it wasn’t necessary.

<~*~>

“He is very weak,” the doctor said. “We are keeping him warm. But I don’t want you to get your hopes up. We… don’t know how long he is going to live.”

Kurt felt like the walls started closing around him.

“What do you mean?” he heard Jeff asking.

“His brains decided to shut. He is in coma but given how weak he is… Just be ready for the worst.”

Kurt felt Jeff’s hand sliding into his.

<~*~>

Kurt and Jeff spent the night by Blaine’s side. It was very warm in the ward but they couldn’t really feel it. In the morning a nurse came and removed the blanket.

“What are you doing?” Jeff asked angrily. “He needs warmth.”

The nurse sighed. “I need to take care of the wounds,” she showed them the ointment and started working with it roughly.

“Hey, give it to me,” Kurt snapped and grabbed the ointment.

Kurt made sure he was as gentle as possible; he didn’t want to hurt Blaine even though the boy couldn’t feel anything.

“I have to go,” Jeff said suddenly and left after looking at his best friend one more time.

<~*~>

Mike wanted to talk to Jeff. He knew the boy was freaking out. He knew better so he didn’t even bother to look for him in his apartment. Jeff wasn’t in the Blaine’s ward either; Kurt told him he had left in the morning. Mike knew only one more place where he could be. He found the other boy there.

Jeff was hitting the keyboard with his fists; the buttons were falling on the ground.

“I must find something… There must be something I can do!” Mike saw that Jeff was losing it. “There must be…”

Mike didn’t say anything, just came closer to the boy and pulled him into a hug.

“There must be…” Jeff sobbed, hitting Mike’s chest. “I can’t lose him. God, please, not him...”

<~*~>

It’s been four days. No changes.

Santana, Sugar, Noah, Jeff, Tina, Mike, Finn, and Rachel, who came back two days after Christmas, were in the library. They all decided to give Kurt and Blaine as much privacy as possible.

They were sitting by two big tables. There were a lot of books around; some opened, some closed. The third table contained the books that had been looked at. The fourth had a big pile of books to go through.

Tom came in and saw them. “What are you all doing here?”

“What the doctors should be doing,” Tina answered coldly. Mike squeezed her knee under the table.

“Our doctors know this stuff by heart,” Tom said. “There is nothing you can do.”

Tina stood up slowly.

“Now you listen to me. We will stay here for as long as we want. And we will do whatever it takes to make Blaine better. He is one of us and we wouldn’t deserve to be called his friends if we didn’t do everything we can. So how about you shut the fuck up and leave us alone to do what doctors should be doing?”

Tom eyed her for a moment but left without another word.

Mike looked at the girl, shock evident in his face. “You are scary.”

The girl pecked his cheek, sat down, and continued reading.

<~*~>

“It’s the New Year’s Eve, baby,” Kurt told Blaine who was still unconscious. “I wanted it to be special. I could have never imagined it would be like this. I thought that at least you would be able to hear me.”

Tears started running down his cheeks.

“I have to tell you one thing,” Kurt said looking at the clock on the wall. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. “I love you. Happy New Year.”

Kurt wiped the tears and kissed Blaine’s lips.

<~*~>

It was the second of January. It had been more than a weak. No changes. The doctor said that they were lucky Blaine was still alive. But they all knew Blaine was a fighter. He just couldn’t give up.

“Kurt, you have to eat something,” Finn insisted. “And you need to get out of here even though not for long.”

Kurt didn’t respond, just hold onto Blaine’s hand tighter.

Finn sighed. “I will bring you something,” he said and left.

How couldn’t Finn understand that he couldn’t leave? What if when he leaves, Blaine wakes up? What if–

Kurt felt a very light squeeze oh his hand which was holding Blaine’s. Kurt looked at the boy quickly.

“K-Kurt,” was all Blaine could say at that moment.

“Oh my god, Blaine, you’re okay, you’re going to be fine. I was so worried but everything is going to be okay now. You’re so strong, you will get through this. It’s going to be fine. Oh my god, I’m so happy to see you awake. I love you so much,” Kurt said quickly feeling that any second Blaine could go back to sleep.

“Anderson… Last name… Anderson…” the dark haired boy said and drifted off to his dreamless sleep.

<~*~>

Slowly Blaine came back to consciousness. He remembered he had woken up a few times but for a very short time and he couldn’t remember anything from those times as if a fog covered everything.

The boy tried to focus on his senses; he knew he was in a hospital and wanted to know the damage done to his body. But the first thing he could feel was a hand on his. A familiar scent filled his lungs and he slowly opened his eyes. Of course Kurt was there. He was beautiful as always but looked exhausted and Blaine felt guilty because he was a reason of it. He had to fix it.

Blaine stared at him for a few moments and as if Kurt could feel it he opened his eyes and saw Blaine who was looking affectionately at him.

“Hey,” Blaine smiled and Kurt realized it wasn’t one of those other times that Blaine had woken up. Now he was really awake, not only his body but his mind also.

“How are you feeling? I will go ask a nurse to come,” he said standing up.

“Stay,” Blaine pleaded grabbing Kurt’s hand and the boy sat down. They stayed like that for a moment.

“I’m sorry,” they both said at the same time and chuckled at the coincidence.

“You have nothing to be sorry about, Kurt. I made you worried; I scared you as well. I didn’t mean it. I don’t want you to suffer because of me but I caused it. I’m so so sorry,” Blaine said, his voice harsh.

“Stop it, Blaine. It’s my fault you got caught. I should have ended to phone call earlier. And I’ll be fine as soon as you are.”

Blaine opened his mouth to say something but stopped himself. He couldn’t tell Kurt he loved him.

“Blaine–”

“Kiss me.”

“Won’t it hurt you?”

“Your kiss? It could never hurt me.”

Kurt smiled in reply and leaned closer. He gave Blaine a chaste kiss on his swollen lips and heard the monitor suddenly beeping faster. The boy backed away and looked into Blaine’s eyes that in less than a second were full of concern.

“Kurt?”

“Yes, baby?”

“Why can’t I feel my legs?”