There is absolute silence as the words sink in.
Kurt is suddenly acutely aware that he is still clutching Mrs Anderson’s hand and lets go immediately. When his brain finally catches up (he blames exhaustion and diesel fumes), he scrabbles for words to explain, to deny, but only manages a too-deep inhalation that sends him hacking and coughing again. Nurse Sugar rushes over and gently guides him down in the chair again. She strokes his back in slow, warm circles and gives him an understanding smile. Then she turns to the still-shocked Anderson family and says, in a pleasant tone.
“Kurt inhaled a lot of smoke and diesel fumes, so he’s a little dizzy and probably can’t talk much right now, but I will be happy to answer any questions you may have. I was there when your son was brought in, and his fianc�, of course,” she winks at Kurt, “so I heard from the paramedics what happened.”
Kurt wants to interrupt, to tell them that, judging by the fact that the very first thing she told them was completely crazy, believing her would be a bad idea, but his lungs feel full of wool and his throat might as well be on fire. He concentrates on breathing instead. Hopefully someone will come along and take away the crazy nurse soon.
Next to him, Nurse Sugar prattles on about head wounds and oncoming trains, and there is a chorus of horrified gasps.
“But he’s alright, isn’t he?” Mr Anderson demands. “The train didn’t hit him? I mean, they would have told us if he…”
No, no, the train didn’t hit him,” Nurse Sugar assures him. “Kurt took care of that.”
Four Anderson heads turn to look at him and Kurt can feel the heat rise in his cheeks, much to his chagrin. He tries to speak again, but only manages a weak wheeze. The old lady looks at him beseechingly, but he can only shrug and nod.
“Then what happened?” Mrs Anderson asks. She’s staring at Nurse Sugar, transfixed, clutching her husband’s hand.
“Well, the train couldn’t stop in time, so Kurt jumped down and pulled your son to safety. They got the whole thing on the surveillance cameras, too, and a security guard came down and called for an ambulance. It was so lucky Kurt was there, otherwise who knows what would’ve happened. Kurt saved your son’s life.”
It’s silent again, but this time it doesn’t feel as if something’s about to explode. Kurt can’t quite work up the nerves to look up from where he’s been staring at his interlocked fingers, but suddenly there’s a small, warm hand on his shoulder, and he can’t help it; he glances up and right into the old lady’s face. Up close, she looks closer to ninety than seventy, but her eyes are sparkling, and her face is kind. She squeezes his shoulder a little and leans forward, and then he’s being hugged with remarkable strength for such a little old woman.
“Welcome to the family,” she says into his hair, and the words shake him like nothing else has.

After that, it turns into some sort of fevered Oliver Twist fantasy. Kurt is passed from embrace to embrace, like a long lost son, tears are shed and deities are thanked.
Kurt is introduced to Mr Anderson, “Nigel, son, call me Nigel”, who has his own law firm, but is thinking about retiring soon, and who tries to hide the way his eyes water when they look at Cooper, and to Mrs Anderson, Veronica, who works with various charities, and who can’t seem to stop clutching her husband’s hand, or Cooper’s. The old lady turns out to be Cooper’s grandmother Edith, “but call me Grandma, sweetie; everybody does”, who lives with them. Her hearing’s not the best, but she beams at Kurt like he just saved her grandson’s life, which, well…
The young man, who has been very quiet until now, introduces himself as Blaine, Cooper’s younger brother. He’s very polite, only a year younger than Kurt, and goes to law school.
“We can’t all be like the golden son and take to the stage,” he says with a small smile. “So I’m going into the family business.” His father gives him an affectionate punch in the shoulder. It’s all so nice and homey, and Kurt feels like he’s drowning in warmth from this family that doesn’t belong to him. He thinks about the best way to explain Nurse Sugar’s mistake, that he’s not actually engaged to Cooper, that he doesn’t even know him, but he has another coughing fit and Nurse Sugar leads him out for a check-up before he manages to get a single word out.
She holds her cold, cold stethoscope to his chest, listening to his lungs, then has him breathe oxygen from a plastic mask until his lungs stop feeling like he’s smoked an entire tobacconist’s shop, and he’s no longer dizzy. Then she starts cleaning the scrapes on his hands and elbows and Kurt finally finds his voice.
“Why did you tell them I was his fianc�?”
Her face scrunches up in concern.
“I’m sorry, honey, I thought they already knew. I didn’t mean to… well, to say it like that. But it’s good, right? I mean, now they know, and they don’t seem against it at all. They loved you, so you don’t have to worry about them not approving.” She pats his cheek.
“But how did you…” Kurt begins.
“How did I know you were engaged?” And that is not what Kurt was going to say at all. He was thinking more along the lines of asking how she could possibly think that it would be a good idea to lie like that to a family already in shock. He might even have suggested she seek professional help.
Nurse Sugar smiles.
“You told us when they brought you in. You were dazed from those fumes and lack of oxygen, but you were still clinging to him and talking about how you were going to marry him. It was very sweet.”
Kurt starts sweating. He must have been fantasising out loud, but he can’t remember anything from the arrival at the hospital, so he must have been really out of it.
Nurse Sugar sees his distress and rubs his back again in that soothing way she has.
“Don’t worry,” she says, “I know it must have been really scary seeing Cooper like that, but you haven’t lost him. He’s still here, and when he wakes up, he’s still going to love you, and then he’s going to marry you. It’ll be alright.”
For a moment, Kurt can see it; the bustling, busy preparations, the beautiful ceremony, the tears of happiness, and the family he will belong to. It’s such an appealing picture that he has to shake his head, because it’s a misunderstanding now, but he has to clear it up before it becomes a lie.
He hops down from the examination table and strides through the open door. Luckily, Cooper’s room is only a few doors down, so it’s easy to find, but when he gets there, there’s a commotion and another nurse is examining Grandma, listening to her heart, checking her pulse, while Veronica is frantically searching through her bag. Nigel is clutching Grandma’s hand and shooting rapid-fire questions at the nurse in his booming voice. Kurt stops dead at the sight, caught between wanting to hide and wanting to run away. Then there’s a friendly hand on his arm and he turns around to see Blaine.
“Grandma has a heart condition,” he explains, nodding towards her. “She takes medication, and it’s under control, but she can’t get too excited or upset, or it might set it off. Coop almost dying and ending up in hospital was a bit too much for her.” He must see the fear in Kurt’s eyes, because he smiles and squeezes his arm.
“Don’t worry. She’s going to be alright. This is just a little hiccup; she’s had much worse. Plus, you know,” he gestures around them, “she’s in a hospital full of doctors. Couldn’t have found a better place for a hiccup than here.”
Kurt smiles against his will. The commotion has died down, and Grandma’s sitting up on the spare hospital bed, the colour back in her cheeks. Blaine leads him out through the door and sits down on the floor, patting the space beside him in invitation until Kurt gives in and plops down next to him.
“To be honest,” Blaine continues, after a little while, “I think she would have been a lot worse if not for you.”
“Me?” Kurt is so confused.
“Yes. She is very fond of Cooper, and I think she worries about him a lot. She doesn’t let on, but I think she’s been hoping he’d find someone to settle down with, someone who can ground him and take care of him when he needs it. You know how he can be a bit all over the place, run a little wild. And it doesn’t help that he’s starting to get bigger roles, getting recognised. She worries that celebrity life will isolate him, get to him, you know? He’s already had his heart broken once by someone who was only after him for his money. What happens when he’s not only rich, but also famous?”
Blaine is looking so earnest, so concerned, that Kurt can’t help but think that they’re probably his worries as well as Grandma’s.
“But now he’s found you,” Blaine continues,” and you’re obviously a good person, so she doesn’t have to worry so much.”
Kurt doesn’t know what to say.
“And don’t get me wrong; she’s definitely not happy about him keeping it secret from us, and it can’t have been easy for you, either. Unless you’re not out to your family?”
Kurt shakes his head. “No, I’m out. I’ve been out since high school.” He very carefully doesn’t say that it wouldn’t matter either way, because he doesn’t have any family left.
Blaine smiles, but there’s a sad tinge to it.
“Well, then I guess he kept it secret because he had to, for his career. His manager is always telling him to… Never mind.” He shakes his head, as if to dispel an unpleasant notion. “It doesn’t matter. Cooper’s got you now, and you’ve got us. And Grandma’s really happy – we’re all really happy about that. So, in a way, by being here, you really saved two lives today.”
Kurt feels the responsibility settle like a heavy weight in his stomach. If he tells them now that it’s a mistake, that he’s not Cooper’s fianc�, he might as well point a gun at Grandma. And he just can’t be responsible for the death of a sweet old lady, who gave him the first proper family hug he’s had since he was sixteen.
He can’t tell them.
Instead, he smiles at Blaine and tells himself it’s going to be alright.