Kurt felt his body shake involuntarily as the sight before him fully registered and then his vision began to fade as he was mercifully delivered into blackness.

Blaine's fists were balled up at his sides, his torso shaking with barely suppressed rage. The need to strike out, to run, to hit someone, to hurt someone, anyone, the way his Kurt had been hurt was overwhelming. He felt as if he was about to crawl out of his skin. Blaine brought his hands up to his face, watching as they shook uncontrollably. Before he realized what he was doing, his hands swept across the table, knocking a box of Kleenex and an empty coffee cup to the ground. He grabbed a Good Housekeeping magazine, his shaking hands aching for something to do as he began to rip up the magazine page by page. The glossy pages made a satisfying sound as he ripped them to bits, but the repetitive action wasn't enough to quiet his mind which was still reeling from what he had seen.

Blaine could clearly picture the look that flashed across Kurt's face as he'd connected the dots, uttering a soft "oh" of surprise before his eyes rolled back and he passed out. Blaine had panicked, inconsolable at the thought of how scared Kurt was and how horrified he would be when he woke up. He'd tried everything he could think of to rouse Kurt, bringing his hands to Kurt's face, his hair, his hands and shouting, begging, and pleading with him. But Kurt did not respond and as Blaine grew increasingly hysterical, the nurse finally decided that he needed to leave and unceremoniously kicked him out of Kurt's room.

Burt had taken one look at Blaine before he was half led, half dragged to the empty surgical waiting room while Carole stayed behind to talk to the nurse and get an update on Kurt's condition. Once they reached the waiting room, Blaine slumped into the nearest chair, his head in his hands. Blaine could feel Burt's presence but he kept his head down and concentrated on not crying, not breaking down, and most of all not looking at Burt. Blaine was ashamed at how utterly he'd failed at helping Kurt. He'd gone back into the room with the intention of comforting Kurt, of being there for him, and he'd failed at even this. He'd told Burt that he could handle it, and he couldn't.

It had been enough that Blaine had to survey the damage from Kurt's recent surgery, his side a mess of bandages and tubes and gaping flesh. But for Kurt, the same Kurt that insisted on Blaine capturing spiders and releasing them outside so that he wouldn't hurt a living thing, to be suffering like he was...well, that was unbearable. Unacceptable. Kurt had been so unprepared for what he'd seen as he finally took in the large incision that replaced the three tiny holes he'd been promised by the surgeon initially.

Hell, Blaine was starting to realize just how much of a fool he had been to tell himself that he could handle this, all of it, in the first place. Being back here, in this hospital, was hard enough. From the moment Blaine had first stepped through the hospital doors, his senses had been assaulted with the sights, sounds, and smells of a place that he hadn't seen since that night, that awful night and the weeks of recovery that followed. For on that night, Blaine had no idea that an innocent date with a friend could cause such heartache. That it would cause such tragedy and loss. Instead of dancing with abandon with his best friend at the Sadie Hawkins Dance, Blaine had ended the night bleeding and broken, cradling the motionless form of his best friend in his arms. Because on that night, Blaine lost a lot more than several pints of blood along with his spleen. No, what Blaine had really lost was his security, his sense of self, and any self confidence he'd previously had. It has taken years for Blaine to finally feel like he could let his guard down with another person, to know that he could be vulnerable from time to time. Blaine concentrated on breathing deeply, in through his nose and out through his mouth, focusing all of his energy on remaining whole. He couldn't break down. Not here, not now of all places. But it was too late. Old feelings and memories were rushing back too fast and too soon, and it was just too damn much. Kurt was his rock, and Blaine was quickly learning how quickly things could deteriorate when he didn't have Kurt's quiet strength to rely on.

Blaine sank into a waiting chair and squeezed his eyes shut trying to block out the memories that were burned into his brain. The sickening crunch of his attacker's fist connecting with his best friend's jaw. The tang of copper in his mouth from a bloodied lip. The anger and humiliation of the words that his attackers hurled as freely as their fists. The total breathlessness after taking a vicious kick to his side. The warmth and stickiness of the blood that flowed from Jared's head and onto Blaine's lap. And most of all, the total helplessness he'd felt at the injustice of it all. His attackers were simply given a slap on the wrist. They were never truly brought to justice for what they'd done, despite the fact that they'd very nearly killed Blaine and Jared. Worse still had been his parents' reaction. They'd insisted on telling everyone that Blaine had been mugged. His parents pulled him out of school, saying that he'd decided to go to boarding school to get a better education. And they refused to speak of that day, referring to it only as "Blaine's accident." But there had been nothing accidental about what had happened that day. Blaine knew it, Jared knew it, and his parents knew it. He'd been targeted simply for wanting to be himself, for not hiding who he really was. So his parents had tried to make him into someone else instead; someone that they could share amusing anecdotes about over lunch at the country club.

The worst part of the whole ordeal hadn't been the pain, although there had been quite a lot of that, especially in the first few weeks of his recovery. It had been how utterly alone he'd felt. Sure, his parents had rushed to the hospital when they heard the news, but after ensuring that he was going to live and making arrangements for a surgeon with the "right" credentials, they'd quickly gone back to living their own lives, leaving Blaine to mostly fend for himself. It hadn't been an easy recovery and he'd spent far too many sleepless nights at this same hospital, pacing the floors to keep from falling asleep and reliving the attack over and over again in his mind. That was why it was so important for Blaine to be there for Kurt, and why he was so angry with himself for failing to handle things better. He'd freaked out precisely because he remembered just how scary it was to wake up from major surgery in pain and disoriented and the thought of Kurt enduring even one tenth of what he'd gone through made Blaine's heart ache.

Blaine was pulled back to the present by a gentle hand on his shoulder. He reluctantly lifted his head, roughly wiping at his eyes before making eye contact with Burt. "You okay, kid? You need anything?" Burt asked gently.

"Oh no...I'm fine...I'm sorry about...all this," Blaine mumbled embarrassedly, looking around the room at the torn magazine pages, Kleenex, and coffee cups that he'd knocked over in a fit of frustration.

Burt took a seat next to Blaine, considering him carefully for several seconds before speaking. "It's okay, Blaine. I get it. This isn't easy on anyone at the moment. I think you could probably use a break though. I mean have you even slept since Kurt got sick?"

"No, but I'm honestly not even tired. I don't think I could sleep if I tried. I just...I want to be there for Kurt. I know I already messed things up once, but I'll do better next time. I promise," Blaine let out in a rush, still struggling to make eye contact with Burt.

"Hey now...kid, look at me, okay? There's something you need to hear," Burt said with conviction, awkwardly patting Blaine on the shoulder and waiting until Blaine finally returned his gaze reluctantly, chewing his lip with obvious guilt and anxiety.

"That's better," Burt began encouragingly. "Now listen to me, Blaine. You haven't messed anything up. You've been amazing. You've done more than Carole or I could ever ask or expect of anyone, okay? You found Kurt when he was sick and you got him to the hospital before it was too late. And what's more, you've been there for him the whole time. You kept him calm when Carole and I couldn't get here right away. And I know that none of those things were easy tasks. Trust me; I know all too well how stubborn Kurt can be, even when he's sick." Burt paused for a moment, studying Blaine's face to make sure he was taking in what he was saying. Blaine bit his lip and quickly brushed away a tear before making eye contact again, nodding slightly at Burt.

"Look kid, you need to give yourself a break now, okay? Kurt's going to be fine, but this isn't going to the quick and easy recovery we were all hoping for, you know? It's a marathon, not a sprint, and Kurt's going to need someone to be there for him when he's recuperating at home too. I know you want to be there for Kurt then, but if you really want to help him, you've got to take care of yourself too. You won't be any use to Kurt if you make yourself sick by not sleeping and carrying around too much stress. Do you understand what I'm saying here?"

Blaine nodded, his heart aching at the thought of what Kurt still had to endure. And while there was nothing Burt could say to convince Blaine that he hadn't failed Kurt already, there was a ring of truth to what he was saying about Blaine needing to take care of himself so that he could be there for Kurt later. But it was so hard for Blaine to focus on anything but the here and now and his fear of Kurt waking up alone or scared. Mostly because Blaine knew exactly how that felt and just how much it hurt.

"Good, Blaine. I want you to stop apologizing then, okay? Because you've done nothing wrong. Kurt's so lucky to have you to look after him. He wasn't safe at McKinley and you've made him feel safe, and more importantly, welcome at Dalton. That's no small thing, got it? And he's going to be just fine health-wise because you got him to the hospital in time. So I want you to do something for me, okay?" Burt asked.

Blaine looked expectantly to Burt, nodding his tacit consent before he even knew what he was being asked to do.

"Look kid, I want you to take a little time and get yourself together, okay?" Burt looked up to see Blaine opening his mouth, presumably to protest, so he held up a hand in warning. "Wait, wait, just listen. I know better than to ask you to go home and get some sleep or a shower, but from what the doctor told Carole a little bit ago, they gave Kurt a pretty strong sedative in addition to the pain medication, so he's going to be out for a while. I want you to go splash some water on your face, take some deep breaths, maybe go down to the cafeteria and get something to eat. Just take a break. Pull yourself together. Kurt won't even know you've been gone. Just keep your cell phone on and I'll text you once the doctors let us back in Kurt's room, okay?"

Blaine hesitated only momentarily before nodding. He was beyond relieved simply knowing that Kurt was resting comfortably, that he wasn't in pain or scared. He didn't want to be away from Kurt for long, but a few minutes to wash his face and get something to eat wouldn't be terrible. His stomach growled as if on cue, confirming what Burt had just asked of Blaine. "Okay," Blaine said simply. "I guess I could grab something to eat. But you'll call me if anything changes with Kurt?"

"I will, Blaine. Promise. Do you need some cash for the cafeteria to get lunch?" Burt asked, getting to his feet and slipping a hand into his back pocket for his wallet.

"No no, I got it," Blaine replied hastily. "Thank you though. Do you want me to get you or Carole anything to eat? Some coffee maybe?"

"I'm good for now, thanks," Burt responded. "I'll see you in a bit, okay? And Blaine, seriously take your time. Kurt's going to be asleep for hours."

Blaine was playing a fiftieth game of Angry Birds on his phone when he felt the warm hand in his shift slightly. Immediately, he dropped his phone to his lap, his game forgotten as he leaned forward, carefully studying his boyfriend's face as he slowly woke. A quick glance at the chair on the other side of the hospital bed confirmed that Burt was still asleep and so Blaine sat forward, speaking softly in an attempt to keep from waking Burt. It was obvious he was exhausted and Blaine was still doing his best to keep his promise to Kurt and do what he could to prevent Kurt's dad from putting his own somewhat fragile health in jeopardy.

Kurt slowly struggled towards the surface, his body feeling weighed down and heavy, but mostly numb, the angry burning pain in his side having been exchanged for a dull ache. Before he opened his eyes, he could feel Blaine's presence beside him. He scrubbed his free hand over his eyes and blinked dumbly in the wan afternoon light that streamed through a small window. Slowly, the blurriness faded until he could clearly make out the face hovering over his. Kurt's first thought was of just how exhausted and worried Blaine looked. Why was he so upset?

"Hey," Kurt started, his voice soft and scratchy. "Blaine?"

Blaine leaned forward, brushing Kurt's hair back from his forehead with his left hand while he continued to draw circles over Kurt's knuckles and the back of his hand with his right. "Hey sweetheart, how you feeling?" he asked gently, his eyes searching Kurt's face for any sign of pain or fear.

Kurt gave Blaine a wan smile. "I'm okay," he replied simply, his conscious mind still occupied with working out why Blaine looked so worried. And so sad. "What about you? Are you okay?"

Blaine let out at a harsh and surprised laugh, somewhere between a chuckle and a sob. "What? Yeah honey, I'm fine."

Kurt continued to look him over; still seeming unsatisfied with the response he'd been given. "Come here," Kurt requested, lifting his left hand shakily towards Blaine.

Blaine frowned slightly, looking confused, before leaning forward a bit more, resting his chin on the railing of Kurt's hospital bed. Immediately, Kurt's hand found his face, his thumb running over Blaine's cheek and underneath his eyes, tracing the outline of dark circles that Blaine had noticed earlier while washing his face. "You look worried," Kurt spoke, clearly a statement and not a question. His eyes widened as a thought occurred to him. "Is my dad okay?"

"What? Yes of course, Kurt. See, he's snoring away over there," Blaine rushed to reassure; gesturing towards Burt's sleeping form.

"Well, what are you worrying about then? Is there something new wrong with me? Do I have to have more surgery?" Kurt asked urgently.

"No, no honey," Blaine soothed. "Everything's fine, baby. I promise. I'm not worried. Just tired, okay?"

Kurt studied his boyfriend's face carefully before shaking his head, dissatisfied. "No Blaine, there's something going on. Something you're not telling me. It's written all over your face. Just talk to me, what's got you so worked up?"

Blaine sighed heavily, frustrated. This was not how things were meant to be going. He was meant to be reassuring Kurt, not the other way around. And he wasn't that worried, not really. He just couldn't help but think about what had happened earlier. Kurt seemed better, more solid than he had been then, but he also didn't seem to remember what had happened. And Blaine couldn't help the nameless dread that was building at the thought that there might be a repeat of earlier. But he couldn't see way out of the current scenario. He'd have to ask Kurt about earlier. And all Blaine could hope for was that he could support Kurt as he'd been unable to before.

"Kurt, look at me, okay? I'm fine. I guess I'm still worrying about you. But I don't have any reason to be, really. I just want you to be okay." Blaine took a deep breath before continuing. "And I guess this morning was tough. I just don't like seeing you hurting. Do you remember earlier? When the nurse was changing your bandages?" Blaine trailed off, chewing on the inside of his lip as he watched Kurt's face carefully for any sign of recognition.

Kurt's face was blank for a second, confused. Everything since he'd arrived at the hospital was one big blur. He remembered snippets really. Sounds, sensations, blurry sights. This morning he'd been... Suddenly, a memory flooded back. The burning pain in his side. The pressure as the nurse shifted things, feeling as if she was re-arranging his insides. The steady warmth of Blaine's hand in his, squeezing tightly. And then several images flashed through Kurt's mind, unbidden. He remembered the look of shock and worry on Blaine's face. He remembered following Blaine's gaze, desperate to see what had so unnerved him. And then thankfully, only the briefest flash of the mess at his side materialized. Blood-stained bandages and tubes that Kurt hadn't been able to make sense of in his exhausted and panicked state. The memory was followed by only darkness.

Kurt looked up to Blaine. There was that expression again. The worry that seemed to practically radiate from Blaine as if the mere image was physically painful to him. "Oh," Kurt spoke simply. "Yeah, I...I remember."

Blaine's hand was back on Kurt's face and in his hair, stroking gently as he looked down at him, still seeming as if he was waiting for Kurt to explode at any second. Blaine nodded, his eyes searching Kurt's face before he spoke. "And...are you...are you okay, Kurt? I know it's a lot to deal with all at once. I just don't want you to be scared or feel like you are alone in this. Any of this. Because you're not, you know? You have me. You'll always have me."

"I know," Kurt said almost immediately. "I know, Blaine. And I'm not scared. I'm just..." Kurt paused for a moment, trying to find the right words. "I'm just confused, I guess. I thought I wasn't supposed to have a scar. And what I can remember of the incision was pretty gross. It looked like it was going to leave a scar. A big one. Am I right?"

Blaine sighed. "Honestly? Yeah, it's going to leave a scar. But not a huge one. And it's not gross. You could never be gross. The scar will fade with time. You'll see." Blaine's eyes brightened as an idea occurred to him. "Oh, you know what? I can show you. Did I ever tell you about the time I had to get 15 stitches?"

Kurt shook his head, surprised. His eyes widened even more as Blaine suddenly lifted up the hem of his shirt, exposing a small, thin white scar just below his ribcage on his left side. Kurt reached out a hand, tracing his fingers over the small scar.

"I've never noticed that before," Kurt replied. "When did that happen?"

"Beginning of my freshman year," Blaine replied. "And what did I tell you? You can barely see it any more. Yours will fade too, I promise. There's stuff you can put on it to help it fade faster. Vitamin E, I think."

Kurt nodded, thinking. "But it's still going to look gross for a while, isn't it? I don't want to repulse you."

"What?" Blaine asked, horrified. "No, no Kurt. You could never repulse me. Ever. You are perfect and beautiful to me. No matter what, okay?"

Kurt smiled a little, looking relieved. "Are you sure about that? I have a vague recollection of throwing up on you in the middle of the night. That wasn't repulsive?"

"Of course not, Kurt. I was honored that you chose to throw up on me. Seriously, it was an honor," Blaine said, completely sincere.

"You are ridiculous," Kurt spoke, smiling fondly. "So that's all you aren't telling me? Just that I'm going to have a gnarly scar?"

"I don't know that gnarly is the word I'd use, but yeah. That's it. Well, there is one other thing, I guess. But it's more about me than you," Blaine started, suddenly nervous.

Kurt nodded, squeezing Blaine's hand as an encouragement to continue.

"I feel like...I should," Blaine started haltingly. He took a deep breath before starting again. "I want to apologize to you. I didn't handle things earlier very well. I knew you wanted me with you for that. Hell, you asked me to stay. And instead of making things better, I freaked out and made things worse for you. And for that, I'm really sor-"

Before Blaine could continue, Kurt cut him, shaking his head vehemently. "Blaine what? Are you kidding me? Honey, you have nothing to apologize for. You've been perfect. Like boyfriend of the year material. Seriously, I'm going to nominate you for some kind of award after this is all over. Maybe a medal of some kind? Or a trophy? I'll get back to you on that," Kurt rambled, momentarily losing his train of thought.

"Anyways, what was I saying? Oh yes, I was saying that you are crazy. Seriously Blaine. You need to cut yourself a little slack," Kurt admonished.

"No seriously, Kurt. I know what that feels like. I know how scary it is to be alone after something like that. I wasn't there for you."

"Blaine, I passed out, didn't I? I don't remember a thing after that, so if I was alone, I certainly didn't know it. When I woke up, you were right here. Every time I've woken up so far you've been right beside me. And that's all I need, okay? So can you do me a favor and stop torturing yourself over some imagined event that I don't even remember?" Kurt asked, pleadingly.

Blaine dropped his head to his hand, rubbing a hand over his face and swiping at what looked like tears before looking up to Kurt and nodding. "Okay Kurt. For you, anything."

"Good," Kurt replied, more than a little relieved and surprised at the outpouring of emotion from Blaine. He tried to imagine how he'd feel if their roles were reversed. If he'd been the one watching Blaine miserable and in pain. Having surgery. Passing out. Kurt shivered at the thought of it, deciding that his position was probably the easier of the two in the balance of things. But thinking about Blaine as a patient triggered a memory of something Blaine had said earlier, and suddenly Kurt was curious.

"Blaine? What did you mean when you said you knew what it felt like? That you knew how scary it was to wake up alone? How'd you end up needing fifteen stitches? Did something happen?"

Blaine sighed heavily again, clearly not wanting to talk about his previous experience. But he was helpless to deny Kurt anything, especially now. "Yeah, it's all from the same...uh injury. It was the beginning of my freshmen year of high school, right before I switched to Dalton. I was out at public school but there was only one other guy who was out besides me. He was my best friend actually. Anyways, we decided to go to some stupid Sadie Hawkins dance together and uhh...afterwards, some guys found us and beat the shit out of us. So that's it, basically."

Kurt inhaled a sharp intake, wincing slightly as the sudden movement jarred his side. He squeezed Blaine's hand in what he hoped was a reassuring manner and slowly lifted his hand to Blaine's left side, placing it over the spot where he'd seen Blaine's scar minutes earlier. "Is that how you got your scar? You said that you ended up with fifteen stitches, Blaine. What did they do? Did someone stab you or...?" Kurt trailed off, too horrified at the thought to complete the season.

"No, no," Blaine rushed to respond, his eyes dark and fixed on the wall as he continued his story. "Nothing like that. A few of the guys got some kicks in while I was down and I guess they managed to rupture my spleen. So I was rushed to the hospital...this hospital actually and I had to have surgery. They removed my spleen. So that's what the scar is from."

"Oh honey," Kurt clucked, stroking the back of Blaine's hand, noticing how it shook the slightest bit as he talked about the horrors done to him. "I had no idea... I know you said you'd been bullied but...Jesus Blaine. And why didn't you tell me this was the same hospital? That's got to bring back a lot of bad memories, huh?"

Blaine shook his head, already regretting his decision to tell Kurt about what had happened to him. While it was such a relief to get things off his chest, to verbalize the thoughts and feelings that had been knocking around in head for years now, he couldn't help but notice how the dynamic between Kurt and he had shifted. Suddenly, it was Kurt soothing him and not the other way around even though it was Kurt who was currently lying in the hospital bed.

"It was hard at the time," Blaine acknowledged before continuing. "But it's been a long time now. I'm fine, Kurt. Being here isn't that hard, honestly."

Kurt shook his head, obviously unconvinced. "And you said...earlier...you said something about knowing what it felt like to be alone? But surely your parents were here, right? After everything that happened to you?"

Blaine laughed at this, the sound harsh and bitter in a way that chilled Kurt to his very core, reminding him again of just what an enigma, a cipher Blaine Anderson still was to him, even after all this time. "Sorry but no, not really. I mean, my parents showed up when they were summoned to the hospital by the police. But once they'd figured out that I was going to live and passed over the insurance card and made sure I was getting a private room and a good surgeon, they didn't really stick around. They sent flowers and my mom would come once a day, but she'd stay for 10 minutes if I was lucky. It probably didn't help that they'd been told by the cops exactly why I'd been so brutally attacked. They aren't the biggest fans of who I am. It's more about who they wish I was with them. Especially with my dad. But yeah, it wasn't the easiest recovery. I had some broken ribs too and a concussion, so I was here for nine, almost ten days. And most of the time it was just me and the nurses."

Kurt shook his head, speechless with rage at Blaine's parents. No one should have to go through something like that alone. The thought of Blaine, completely on his own and hurting, was enough to make Kurt's heart break, just a bit. And while Blaine's earlier guilt had been completely irrational, Kurt was starting to understand why Blaine had gotten so worked up.

"I'm so sorry, honey. And don't take this the wrong way, but your parents? They're assholes for that," Kurt breathed, watching Blaine's face carefully, trying to gauge his reaction.

Blaine let out a surprised chuckle at that, a somewhat genuine smile briefly crossing his face for the first time since he'd found Kurt on the floor of the bathroom almost two days earlier. "Uh yeah, I guess you could say that. I mean, they're not all bad, especially my mom. But it was a pretty dick move, I'd have to agree. But you know what? I don't regret the experience. It made me who I am today. It brought me to Dalton and brought me to you. That was a big part of the reason why I talked to you in the first place. Because everything I'd been feeling as a freshman was written all over your face that day. And I wanted to help. And for probably the first time in my life, I actually felt like I had something of value to offer. Is that crazy?"

Kurt surged forward, pressing his lips gently to Blaine's, sighing with frustration as he moves were thwarted by the oxygen canula secured to his nose and the breathlessness that the small movement caused. He sank back against the pillows, catching his breath for a moment before responding. "Sorry, I just...I've been wanting to do that for a while now. And no, that's not crazy. Well, yes it is crazy in the sense of you believing that was the first time you had something of value to offer. But not crazy in how you felt after meeting me. I fell for you almost immediately for the same reason. From the moment we sat down for coffee that first time, I knew you got it in a way that no one else ever had. When you texted me "courage," that wasn't just a sweet gesture. It was a lifeline for me, Blaine. You have no idea. Like I said, you should be expecting your boyfriend of the year award any day now. I never could've made it through the whole Karofsky thing or the last couple of days without you. Don't ever doubt that, okay?"

Blaine smiled, his eyes prickling with unshed tears at the warmth in Kurt's voice. He felt as if a two ton weight had been lifted from his shoulders with Kurt's words. He smiled down at Kurt, stroking his cheek gently as he tried to communicate everything he was thinking and feeling through his expression.

"And Blaine? Thank you for telling me your story. About what happened after the Sadie Hawkins dance. I know it wasn't easy for you to talk about it, but it means so much that you shared it with me. I feel like I know you better now. And I just want you to know..." Kurt began, trying and failing to stifle a loud yawn. He winced minutely at the tug to his side. It wasn't painful exactly. At least not painful in the way that everything had been hours earlier. Just sore. Kurt could feel the weight of the medications numb most of the pain thankfully, leaving behind only a heaviness and creeping exhaustion.

"Jus' want you t'know..." Kurt repeated, his words slurring together more obviously now due to his growing fatigue. "You can talk to me...'bout anything, 'kay? Anytime. I wanna know how you are feeling. I love you...so-ooo much, 'kay?" he finished sleepily.

Blaine smiled, his heart swelling with love for his boyfriend. Things had been so hard for the past day and a half, but it was plain to see now that the experience had only brought them closer together. Simply hearing the words "I love you" from Kurt felt like a small miracle. But Blaine could also see that Kurt was fading, noticing the slight winces that had grown more frequent over the past fifteen minutes as well the droop of Kurt's eyelids as he fought to stay awake.

"I do know that, Kurt. Thanks honey. And I love you too. You know that, right?" Blaine spoke, smiling as he began to stroke Kurt's hair again, watching fondly as he let out a contented sigh, his eyes slipping closed briefly and involuntarily.

"Mmhmm," was Kurt's murmured reply, sighing contentedly as Blaine started stroking his hair, his fingers whispering against his scalp in a soothing rhythm.

"Alright baby, it's time for you to get some rest, okay? But first, do you need anything? Are you hurting? I can call the nurse. It's probably time for your next dose of pain medicine," Blaine directed, his hands automatically reaching for the small box that controlled Kurt's bed and contained the nurse call button.

"No," Kurt mumbled. "I'm doing okay, pain wise. Whatever medicine they gave me after I passed out did the trick. My side barely hurts. I'm jus' tired."

"That's good, sweetheart. I'm glad you're not hurting. Just tell me if that changes okay? Carole was saying that it's best to take your medicine at the first sign of pain before it gets really bad like it was this morning. I guess it works better that way," Blaine reported. "But you definitely need to get some rest. Just close your eyes. I'll be here when you wake up. I promise."

Kurt nodded absently, his eyes having already trailed shut. He hummed a vague sound of acknowledgement before taking a deep breath, letting the heaviness of his body pull him under. He was drifting somewhere between sleep and wakefulness when a sudden thought caused him to drag his eyes open, looking to Blaine determinedly.

"What is it, Kurt? Do you need something?" Blaine asked worriedly.

"No, no, I just need you to do me a favor," Kurt replied.

"Okay, sure. What do you need?" Blaine replied, curious.

"Mmmhm, for starters, scoot your chair closer. You are entirely too far away," Kurt commanded.

Blaine fought the urge to roll his eyes, looking down to the no more than 8 inches between his chair and Kurt's bed. But instead of protesting, He simply scooted his chair forward until it was pressed firmly against the head of Kurt's hospital bed. "Okay, now what?" he asked.

"Now can you move this bedrail down?" he asked, gesturing to the rail between him and Blaine. Blaine nodded and quickly depressed a lever, sliding the bedrail down, removing the last barrier between himself and Kurt.

Kurt patted the edge of his pillow nearest Blaine, waiting patiently until Blaine shifted forward, tucking his feet up into the chair and laying his head on the edge of Kurt's bed next to Kurt's on their now shared pillow.

Kurt smiled, transferring Blaine's hand from his right over to his left hand. Next, Kurt brought his right hand to Blaine's head, carding his fingers through Blaine's curls. Blaine sighed in contentment as Kurt had done only minutes earlier at the soothing sensation.

"Blaine baby, I want you to close your eyes too, okay? I promise I'll take a nap, but only if you take one too. Because honestly, the circles under your eyes are getting so dark that no amount of concealer or eye cream is going to hide the bags," Kurt commanded.

Blaine let out a soft chuckle, allowing his eyes to drift shut. Because right now? Right now he was home. Kurt was his home. And that was enough.