Carole held the broken boy until his breathing evened out and his body slackened against hers. She carefully repositioned the sleeping boy against the pillows of the hospital bed and snuck out of the room quietly. As she walked out into the hospital corridor her eyes found Burt talking to Blaine’s doctor. She walked up behind him and put her hand into his.

“Is everything ok?” she asked looking up to the doctor.

“Turns out Blaine’s parents are out of town on business and won’t be home till the end of the month.” Burt answered with a frown.

“Is there anyone at his house?” Carole asked with concern.

“Not that we know of. I was just discussing that issue with Doctor Miller.” Burt replied.

“Burt we can’t let him go home, he can’t be alone.”

“I agree with you Mrs. Hummel, that is why Mr. Hummel and I were discussing the possibility of me releasing Blaine into your custody for the time being.” Dr. Miller said with a slight smile.

“Only if you are ok with it Carole.” Burt asked with hopeful eyes.

“Of course, in the morning I will take Blaine home and get him settled.” Carole said with a wary smile.
Burt kissed Carole softly, “Ok then its settled. Blaine will come stay with us.”

“Are you sure? Blaine’s injuries may not be extensive but I cannot ignore the possibility emotional damage that may have been inflicted due to trauma.” Doctor Miller said with a serious tone.

“Listen Doc, I don’t care what is wrong or not wrong with the kid. He needs a place to stay and we are going to give that to him.” Burt replied forcefully.

“Alright then, I will go work out the details.” Doctor Miller said as she nodded towards the couple and headed down the corridor.

Burt pulled Carole into a hug as the doctor turned the corner and went out of sight. “Blaine will be alright.” He said.“I know he will; now lets hope the same remains true for Kurt.” Carole said as tears pooled in her eyes once more.

As the couple embraced an older doctor approached them. “Mr. and Mrs. Hummel, I have some news about Kurt.”
Burt pulled away from Carole as he felt his heart catch in his throat.“Is he….” Burt’s voice faltered before he could utter the word that would destroy his world.

“Mr. Hummel, as you know we have been working very hard to stabilize Kurt’s vitals, luckily we were successful. Kurt is still in a coma, and attached to a ventilator but as of now he is turning the corner. If would like we are allowing family into the room to see him.” Burt could only nod as the doctor motioned them towards the elevator and pressed the button that would take them to the ICU floor.

“Now before we let you into see Kurt I do have some words of caution. You son has very extensive injuries. Not only does he have a multitude of broken bones including his ribs and collar bone, Kurt also suffered from third and fourth degree burns.”

“I don’t understand, I thought burns only had three degrees.” Burt said as the elevator doors opened and the trio walked out into the corridor.

“Most people think that, but fourth degree burns are burns that go beneath the skin and affect both muscle and nerves.” The doctor said. “Kurt will have to have surgery in a few weeks to repair the fourth degree burns that are on his chest and torso. Other than that his arms and legs are mostly affected with third degree burns but will not require surgery. There was also burn damage to his face and neckline that also caused some inhalation damage, thus the need for the ventilator.”

“I don’t really understand you doc, is my boy going to be ok?” Burt said taking off his baseball cap and rubbing his hands against his head.

“Your son will have a very long road of recovery, for now he is alive. But I am sorry I have no other good news. As I said before family is allowed in at the current moment but only for a small amount of time. Kurt is still very fragile medically and we don’t want to risk anything. I will give you both about ten minutes.” The doctor gave the Hummel a sad look and nodded towards the door to Kurt’s room.

“Are you ready for this?” Carole asked Burt, unsure if her husband was going to make it through this.

“He is my son Carole, I have to go see him.” Burt said as he opened the door and walked into the quiet room.
Carole gasped as the pair walked into the room. Burt swayed on his feet before collapsing onto a chair that was near the hospital bed. Burt burst into tears as he laid his head on the bed next to his son.

Carole stood in shock at the doorway as she looked towards the bed. Kurt’s face was covered in gauze that did little to hide the burns that she knew would leave everlasting scars. His body was still except for the forced breathes of life that were being provided by the ventilator. There was a thin white sheet covering Kurt from the chest down and Carole knew there was more damage beneath the stark whiteness. Carole walked numbly over to her husband who was shaking with sobs and began to weep as she gently grabbed Burt’s shoulder and buried her face into it.