"You've had quite the weekend, I take it," Dr. Anderson said as he scanned Kurt's chart.

"You'd think so, but apparently I was out cold for most of it."

The doctor looked up and laughed, and Kurt couldn't help but think how positively dreamy this man was. "Yes, I guess that's true," he amended. "On the bright side, though, everything seems to be looking up. The surgery went well, your levels are good, and your heart seems to be holding up nicely."

"...thank you."

Dr. Anderson chuckled again and looked back down at the chart. "Unfortunately, the surgery was extensive, so you'll need to stay here a few more days. And while we're expecting you to have a full recovery, you may experience some complications in the future. You won't be able to really exert your heart for at least a few months, which means no running, biking, or dancing, which, as I understand, is a hobby of yours." He smiled. Was he mocking Kurt?

"Uh... yeah."

It was only awkward for a fraction of a second before Dr. Anderson kept it flowing. "It's a shame, really, I know what a great workout that is. However, best case scenario, you'll be dancing and jogging and doing anything you would normally do in a matter of months."

"And worst case scenario?"

The doctor pressed his lips into a line. "We'll just have to cross that bridge if we come to it."

Kurt was skeptical. If there was even a chance of something serious, he wanted to know so he could be prepared. Were they afraid of scaring him? The thought pissed him off.

"Do you have any questions?"

Kurt opened his mouth to speak before being interrupted.

"Kurt! Oh my God, you look so much better. Really. You almost look like your normal self. Obviously with less hair product, but don't worry, I brought the basics for you." She began setting everything she was carrying down, including several bags and a 'get well soon' teddy bear, and handed Kurt his smoothie. "I didn't bring all of it, of course, there's no way I could possibly carry all of that, but the essentials are here. I also have your skin products. We all know you can't go more than a day without doing your nightly skin routine. And I also—"

"Thank you Rachel," Kurt cut her off. "I believe the doctor was saying something."

It was as if Rachel hadn't even noticed his presence until Kurt had brought it up. Her face lit up like a switch. "Oh, I am so sorry! I'm being rude. I'm Rachel Berry. You may know me from Funny Girl. I'm not in it any more, of course, but—"

"Rachel," Kurt warned.

Rachel's face fell. "I'm sorry. I'm doing it again, aren't I?" She turned towards Dr. Anderson. "I get on a spiel and then I start talking about me and I just... I'm trying to stop. I apologize."

Dr. Anderson grinned. "Not a problem at all. I was just about done here, anyway. Besides, I saw Funny Girl twice. You were stunning. I can't wait until your new show opens next month. I've already got tickets reserved for a preview."

Kurt's jaw dropped. Rachel was beaming.

"Now," he continued, "if neither of you have questions about Kurt's condition, I have some interns to corral." He rolled his eyes fondly before walking out the door.

Rachel turned to Kurt, eyes wide. "He—"

"Rachel..."

"He's perfect."

"Rachel, you are not going to hit on my doctor. You are not."

She pouted, reminding Kurt of when they met back in sophomore year. "But how do you know he wasn't hitting on me? No average straight man sees a Barbara Streisand classic revival twice and reserves tickets for any show that's in previews. That leaves two options; he's gay, or he has a thing for me."

Kurt shakes his head. "You know, sometimes I feel like you've come so far... And then you say things like that."

"You love me."

"Of course I do," he says with an eye roll. "Did you bring my iPad? I'm sure Isabelle is about to lose it without me. I'm the only one with access to the plans for next month's Art Gala."

"I called her yesterday to let her know you wouldn't be in this week," Rachel informs him. "She was gracious about it, of course, you know how she is. She did ask me to tell you to call her as soon as you were feeling well enough, though, just so she could make sure you were okay."

Kurt smiled. "I couldn't have asked for a better fairy godmother if I designed one myself."

The two spent the rest of the afternoon hate-watching reality tv. Rachel did her best to get comfortable on that god awful chair and Kurt tried to ignore the faint throbbing in his chest. When Paula came by with a round of pills, Rachel took that as her cue to leave. She promised to be back the next afternoon after rehearsal let out.

Kurt let the drugs pull him into a deep sleep and didn't wake up until the sun had already set.

"Oh, honey, I think he's waking up."

Even as groggy as he was, Kurt would always recognize that voice. He opened his eyes slowly and gave her a smile. "Hi, Carole."

"Hi, hon." She gave him the most maternal smile Kurt had ever seen and it cheered him up a bit.

"Hey, bud," a deep voice greeted, and Kurt smiled.

"Dad."

"Sorry we didn't get here sooner. Those clowns at the airport see a little snow and think it's the end of the world."

Kurt chuckled, waking up a bit. "It's fine, Dad, I was asleep until yesterday, anyway."

"Still." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "You should have had someone here when you woke up."

Kurt's face fell. Rachel's visit had done a pretty good job of distracting him, but he hadn't forgotten that he had yet to see his fianc�e.

"So I take it you heard about Aidan." Kurt's voice sounded pathetic even to him.

"Oh, honey, we're so sorry," Carole said, taking his hand in both of hers.

Kurt sighed. What was he supposed to say? It's okay? It most certainly wasn't. It felt like his heart had been ripped out of his chest. Grimly, he remembered that, oh yeah, that had pretty much happened too. "I... It... How did you find out?"

His father sighed. "A nurse told us when they called to let us know what happened. I swear, if that punk thinks even for a second that he—"

"Burt," Carole chastised. She gave him the look and Kurt almost smiled. Almost.

Burt sighed. "Listen, kid, what I'm trying to say is, uh, we're really sorry. That sucks. A lot. But if you ask me, the guy was a creep. Weakest handshake I've ever felt, let me tell you—"

"Burt."

He sighed. "Anyway. I'm really sorry, and we're here for you."

Kurt did his best to smile graciously. "Thank you, Dad, it means a lot." There was a bit of an awkward pause before Kurt tried to change the subject. "So. How long are you guys in town for?"

Burt and Carole exchanged a look and Kurt suppressed a sigh. He really was glad to see them and wished he could spend more time with them outside of a hospital room.

"We're here until Wednesday," Carole lamented. "It would be longer but your father couldn't spend too much time away from the shop."

"It's packed like you wouldn't believe. You know how it gets in the winter."

Kurt nodded. "That's okay. I'm just glad you're having so much business. The doctors say I won't be in here for more than a few days anyway."

"Well, hey, that's good news!" Burt exclaimed. "And you've got Rachel taking care of you, right?"

"Yeah, Rachel's been great." Kurt did his best to smile. It wouldn't do any good to bring up her packed schedule. That would only make them worry. Besides, Rachel seemed to be doing much more than Kurt had ever expected of her. He'd need to take her out shopping after this was all behind them.

"Are you thirsty or anything? Do you want me to grab you some water?" Carole asked, slipping effortlessly into mom mode.

"No, I'm fine," Kurt assured her. Really, he was a bit thirsty, but it was nothing major.

"I'll see if I can track down a water for you," she told him, winking as she left the room.

Burt looked at him from the chair he occupied next to the bed. "You look good, kid. Much better than I was expecting. When I heard you were having open heart surgery..."

"Hey, now, none of that," Kurt insisted. "I'm fine. Now I'm just trying to enjoy your company while you're here." Burt smiled, and Kurt genuinely did try to be happy. He just couldn't fight the loneliness threatening to drown him.

...

That night, Kurt woke up with severe chest pains. He had all but kicked Burt and Carole out, insisting that he was fine and there was no reason for them to be sleeping in a hospital room. He was starting to rethink that as he pressed the nurse call button repeatedly.

Moments later, he wasn't greeted by a woman in scrubs but Dr. Anderson. Kurt would have been confused if he wasn't so paralyzed with pain.

"Hey, hey, shh, it's going to be okay," he soothed as he handed Kurt a pill. Kurt took it without a second thought. The pain began dissipating almost immediately. Dr. Anderson cocked his head as he surveyed Kurt. "Any better?"

"Yeah," Kurt groaned, "that helped."

The doctor's eyebrows knit together as he looked over the chart. Kurt hadn't noticed before but his eyebrows were shaped like triangles. Normally this would bother him, but somehow it worked perfectly on this man. "The nurses should have been giving you a higher dosage of pain medication," he stated, probably to himself. "I'll make a note of it." Kurt studied the man's face as he wrote, and very much liked his look of concentration. "Is there anything else I can do for you?" he asked with an easy smile.

"Why are you here?" Kurt blurted. He felt his face heat up instantly and wished he could take the words back completely. Dr. Anderson's face fell ever so slightly as he went to speak. "No, no, I didn't mean 'why are you here', I meant... well... What time is it?"

The doctor's mouth quirked the tiniest bit before he checked his watch. "1:34."

Kurt blinked in confusion. "But you were here at, what? Noon?"

Dr. Anderson smiled. "Yeah, our shifts are a bit crazy. Honestly, my shift ended a couple hours ago, but my surgery ran over." He shrugged.

"Oh." That made sense. "What kind of surgeon are you?"

"Cardiothoracic," he responded. His seemingly ever present smile faded a bit.

Kurt absently wondered why he looked sadder now, but it dawned on him. "You did my surgery." It wasn't a question.

"Yes."

Kurt should have figured that out sooner. Of all the people who had come in to check on him, this man had been the only doctor. Hell, maybe he had already told Kurt that he had performed the surgery but Kurt was so drugged up he couldn't remember.

"Well... thanks."

Dr. Anderson laughed, and Kurt was happy to see his cheery personality back. "I would say 'any time', but I think we would both prefer if your heart continued beating normally, don't you think?

Kurt smiled. "I'm going to have to agree with you."

They sat there smiling at each other for a moment before Dr. Anderson cleared his throat. "Well, I guess I should get going. I just wanted to check on you to make sure you were okay before I headed home."

Kurt couldn't help the slight blush that spread over his cheeks. He wasn't used to having people look after him, even if it was their job. "Well then I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Dr. Anderson."

The doctor smiled bigger than he had before. "Yes, you most certainly will."