The first hours after he wakes up are a blur. Nurses and doctors come and go, checking his iv drip, reading and rereading his chart, shining lights in his eyes and checking an endless list of bodily functions and reflexes. Blaine is still by his side, a comforting presence in the sea of white coats and pastel scrubs. It’s nice that he hasn’t abandoned Kurt as soon as it’s clear he’s going to make a full recovery. Then again, Blaine is the sort of person who helps a complete stranger get to the hospital, even when that stranger is being incredibly unhelpful and feverish. Of course, Blaine staying might also have something to do with the fact that Kurt hasn’t let go of his hand once since he regained consciousness. When Kurt asks him if he’s alright to stay at the hospital, if he doesn’t have somewhere to be, Blaine merely winks and says, “Oh, I couldn’t leave you now. I’ve seen your butt, after all, and I always feel that creates a certain special bond.”
Kurt is still blushing when the nurse comes back (he keeps thinking about butt bonds, and now he may actually have to bleach his brain), and she gives him a worried look and checks his temperature to make sure he’s not running a fever, muttering about infections. When she’s positive he’s doing fine, she gets a too-knowing look on her face, reminds them that this is a hospital “so no funny business, boys”, before disappearing again. If Kurt’s cheeks get any hotter, he reckons they’ll melt straight off his face. Blaine simply looks amused, the bastard.
Apart from his annoying cheerfulness, Blaine is a good bedside companion. Kurt is nauseous from the anaesthetics, and Blaine rubs his back in comforting circles when he throws up in the bedpan a nurse handed him after taking one look at Kurt’s green face. He gets him a glass of water so he can wash out his mouth afterwards, and Kurt kind of wants to kiss him for that, because his mouth tastes like something furry curled up and died in there. Then he makes him lie back down, fluffs up the pillows and tucks the blankets around him. He still doesn’t let go of Kurt’s hand (which makes the fluffing and tucking a bit awkward, but Kurt’s not complaining), and his thumb is stroking over his knuckles in a slow, steady pattern, and Kurt doesn’t even think he’s aware he’s doing it.

There’s a knock on the doorframe, and the motherly nurse bustles in, Rachel and Isabelle tight on her heels.
Rachel is very pale, and Isabelle’s face is lined with worry, but they both light up when Kurt sends them a weak, confused smile.
“How did you know I was here?”
“Oh, I called them,” Blaine says, still doing that sweep-sweep-sweep across his knuckles. “Or, your boss called your phone, which I answered, and then afterwards I called your emergency contacts. Rachel and-“
“And my dad?”
“Yeah. I promised to call again with an update when you were awake, so I’ll do that now and give you three some privacy.” He stands up, and Kurt has to force himself not to reach for his hand again.
“You-you’ll still be here afterwards?” Kurt asks in a small voice, and Blaine nods, smiles warmly, and leaves the room.
The door barely closes behind him before Rachel is at the side of the bed, wide-eyed, and clutching Kurt’s hand in hers. It takes some explaining of the situation in very calm tones before she’ll believe that he’s not, in fact, at death’s door, and she won’t have to give up her dreams and devote her life to caring for him. Frankly, Kurt thinks he would probably go insane a week into such a scheme. He remembers all too well the cold incident of ’11, and is not too keen on a repeat performance. Luckily, Rachel calms down enough to ask to see his stitches, but when faced with the vaguely bloody bandage, her nerve fails her, and Isabelle cuts in to save them both. They talk about a recovery period, how he might work from home if Isabelle thinks his designs will need further tweaking, and when that’s all settled, she regales them with the gory tale of when she had her tonsils removed. Finally, the talk turns to Blaine, when Rachel leans in and says in a horrible stage whisper, “So. Blaine, huh? Is he… a friend?”
Kurt’s cheeks and ears burn, but answers as stoically as he can. He tells them how the subway station was closed, so he ended up taking the bus – and Rachel coos at his admission that Blaine all but carried him into the emergency room because he could hardly walk. They both laugh out loud when he tells them about the twirling and the gown and what Blaine must have seen.
“Wow, Kurt. You do realise that you now have the best story to tell people when they ask you how you met?” Rachel sniggers.
“And he is gorgeous!” gushes Isabelle.
Kurt is spared having to answer, because at that moment, Blaine comes back, looking a little sheepish, Kurt’s phone clutched in his hand. He smiles at Kurt, whose stomach does a swoop that has nothing to do with his appendix or anaesthetics.
“Your dad sends his love and wants you to call as soon as you can. He also said to, and this is a direct quote: ‘never do that again, Kurt, or he’s getting on a plane, no matter what you or his doctor say about his heart’. Oh, and Carole says hi, too.”

Rachel and Isabelle only stay a short while after that, and then it’s just Kurt and Blaine again, and it should be awkward, except they have somehow ended up discussing music and theatre, and it turns out Blaine is as passionate about Wicked and Rent as Kurt is, plays both the violin and the piano (and Kurt has to take a moment to make sure he doesn’t squeal or sigh or something equally embarrassing when Blaine tells him).They talk and talk and talk until the nurse comes to inform them that visiting hours are over for everybody but family. She leaves them with a kind smile.
“Don’t worry, honey. Your boyfriend can come visit you again tomorrow.”
Kurt looks down on the blankets in horror and mumbles, “I didn’t-I didn’t say you were my… I don’t know why she thinks…”
He expects Blaine to laugh it off, make some light-hearted remark and then say goodbye. Instead, there’s a hand on his, and when he looks up, Blaine looks him straight in the eyes and says, “I’ll be back tomorrow, okay?” and then leans in and pecks him on the cheek. Kurt can only nod.

The next day, Blaine greets him with a large bouquet of flowers.