The Starring Role

Chapter 17

Blaine's head pounded viciously as he rode in the ambulance. Nothing around him seemed real, almost like the air was made of syrup. The EMT barked orders at him, asking him to spell out his name, asked where he lived, and shone a flashlight in his eyes. He felt like shoving her away, but his head felt like it might explode. He was in no condition to be arguing. Everything around him swam in and out of focus. Every heartbeat that he felt went directly to his skull and he never felt more dizzy. The EMT was speaking loudly right next to him, but he had trouble hearing much at all. Maybe it was his focus, or maybe he just didn't care.

"K-Kurt," he managed.

"Sir, your I.D. says you're Blaine Anderson. Do you remember what happened?"

"No, where's Kurt?" asked Blaine. All he remembered was smiling at his love, then the world began spinning. He woke up when the police officers pulled him out from the cab that had apparently flipped over.

"We'll be at the hospital shortly, but can you please recite your name?"

Blaine complied to her. Maybe that would've gotten her to finally shut up.

"Can I please just have some pain meds?" he finally asked, no longer able to try and think past the pain.

She turned to her partner sitting behind her and mumbled something. Blaine only heard bits of the conversation.

"...seems alright...concussion due to...maybe some mild pain killers..."

Blaine flexed his fingers and brought his hand to his face. A bandage stuck to the corner of his forehead.

"Mr. Anderson, a shard of glass gave you a laceration. No permanent damage was done, just a loss of blood. You should be alright. How does the rest of your body feel?"

"Hurts," he mumbled. Blaine turned his head away from her, hoping she would get the message to shut the hell up.

Blaine let his hand fall to his side as he waited to get to the hospital. His only concern was for Kurt.

They arrived at the hospital and Blaine was asking about Kurt until they finally gave him some answers. The doctor checked on him and confirmed that nothing seemed to be too bad. The cut on his forehead would heal normally and his concussion would dissipate in two weeks time. He was definitely sore all over his body, but the pain medicine that they gave him seemed to ease that a little too. His head felt better, at least to the point where he could sit up straight without feeling like he was going to fall from dizziness.

"Where's Kurt Hummel? He was with me in the crash, where is he?" Blaine asked the nurse.

"Mr. Anderson, please calm down. Everything will be alright-"

"Where is he?" Blaine reiterated. "I need to know he's fine."

"He's going to be fine, sir," she said in a more relaxed tone. Obviously she was trying to calm him down.

"No, you don't understand. I won't be okay until I know he's fine. I need to see him with my own eyes. Please, let me see him." Blaine felt silly begging like a child, but he was going to be severely anxious until he knew everything would be fine.

"I'm sorry, I can't right now. Wait just a while longer and then we can see."

He grunted in displeasure and sat back in his seat as the nurse left. He felt much better, so what was the harm in letting him see Kurt? Blaine put his elbows on his lap, pressing his palms on his stinging eyes. Sleep would have to wait just a little while longer until he knew that Kurt was alright. There was no doubt that his nerves wouldn't let him sleep either.

The nurse came back in twenty minutes later with another pain pill. Blaine took it and put it between his teeth as she gave him some water.

"Can I see Kurt Hummel now?" he asked as he took a swig of water and tilted his head back.

"Mr. Anderson, I am not allowed to share that information with you," she said, a little bit of apology in her voice.

"Please, I need to see him. I'm the only person in Chicago that knows he's here. Please," he repeated.

She gave him a sympathetic look, then looked to the door to make sure no one was standing there.

"Give me ten minutes. I'll try to convince the doc to release you," she whispered. Blaine thanked her about twelve times before she left the room.

He stood up to pace around, only to curse himself for getting up too quickly. The room spun and he had to shut his eyes and hold onto the wall until he felt his body regain control.

Slow down, Anderson.

Blaine opened his eyes slowly, then took careful steps back and forth, biting his nails as he awaited the return of the nurse. There wasn't anything worse for Blaine than potentially losing Kurt. The thought made him sick to his stomach. He began breathing faster as he jumped to the worst possible conclusion.

Great. She's not back. What's it been, like 15 minutes since she left? Oh...30 seconds. Calm yourself, Blaine! Worrying will get you nothing. Come on, come on...oh for fuck's sake, he's probably dead right now. He probably broke his neck and his lungs collapsed...that's the only possible outcome. This is why I can't have nice things! Jesus Christ, how long does it take to talk to the doctor?!

Blaine backed up against the wall and pinched the bridge of his nose as he took a calming breath. His head began pounding again, no thanks to the concussion. He sat back down and rubbed his face. His scruffy chin would probably be twice the length tomorrow from the stress, and his bouncing leg was doing nothing to alleviate it.

The nurse finally walked back in and Blaine shot up.

"Goddammit," he mumbled, grabbing his head and sitting back down slowly.

"Careful," said the nurse, rushing over to him. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah," he waved her off. "Where's Kurt?"

She gave him a clipboard of papers to sign off on.

"First you fill this out. It's your release forms, then you can go visit."

Blaine grumbled but he figured it was probably best if he get out of the room once and for all. He snatched the clipboard and began initialing here and signing there until all the colorful sheets were filled. The nurse gave him an impressed look when he handed it back to her, probably from signing so quickly.

"I direct and sign papers and paychecks for a living. I'm a professional," he said, getting up slowly and walking over to the door. Yeah, it was snotty, but he couldn't seem to care at the moment.

"Don't do any major physical activities anytime soon and don't go to sleep for another hour or two, okay?" she advised him. Blaine nodded and held onto the doorknob.

"Thank you. I appreciate your help," he said sincerely.

He walked into the hallway and searched the signs against the wall for Kurt's room. After turning down several halls and walking for what felt like an eternity, he finally found his room. Holy hell, they were in the same accident, did they have to space them on opposite ends of the hospital?

Blaine knocked on the door, unsure of what he would find. Luckily it wasn't the ICU, which was a positive sign in itself.

"Hello?" called Blaine as he opened the door and inched it open. Kurt lay on the bed, his head littered with cuts and scrapes, probably from the flying glass, stitches near his left temple. He was unconscious and a pained look was scrawled across his face. A sling held his arm in place which was placed on his belly. The sight tore something in Blaine. Seeing Kurt hurt was another reason that he couldn't stay away from him. His incessant need to care for him and make sure he's okay overpowered much of his will. Blaine took the few steps to the side of the bed and gently placed his hand on top of Kurt's that wasn't in the sling. His heart hammered in his chest as he worried about Kurt. What injuries did he have? Was he sedated?

Blaine rubbed small circles with his thumb on Kurt's soft skin, muttering "It'll be okay" to himself. He wasn't willing to lose Kurt again.

The door opened again and a nurse walked in briskly with a doctor, holding a clipboard. They caught sight of Blaine and paused, clearly not expecting anyone to be in the room.

"Sir, you can't be in here right now," the nurse said, walking to Blaine holding his elbow to guide him out of the room.

"No, I was in the wreck with him so-"

"I know, but we have to check his vitals and unless you're on his emergency contact list, you are not allowed in here without his consent," she motioned towards Kurt with her head.

"Can I at least know what's wrong?" pleaded Blaine. The doctor grabbed the nurse's shoulder and nodded at her when their eyes met. She stepped aside as the doctor explained.

"Mr. Hummel has been unconscious since the accident and has some broken ribs and a fractured elbow. It's clear that he has a concussion though we don't know how severe until he wakes up. His vitals are normal and we expect a full recovery from him, but we don't want to make any assumptions until he is conscious again. I'm sorry, but you'll have to step outside the room now."

Blaine nodded, clearly about to protest when a vibrating sound against hard wood caught his attention. He glanced over at the table and saw Kurt's phone blinking.

"Thank you, doctor," said Blaine as he went to the table and snatched the phone up, darting outside as he answered the telephone.

"Hello?"

"Uh...Kurt?" came Burt's voice.

"N-no. This is Blaine," he said nervously.

"Oh." Burt didn't sound a bit enthused. "Can I talk to Kurt?"

"Um...Burt, I've got to tell you something, but please don't freak out."

"When you tell me not to freak out, chances are that I'll freak out. What the hell's the matter?" he asked, concern high in his voice.

"Kurt and I were on our way to the movies tonight when we got in an accident. We're at the hospital now and...Kurt's unconscious."

"What the hell?! Is he alright? Why wasn't I contacted about this?! When did this happen?" Burt's voice rose to a panic and he mumbled inaudible things. He glanced over at a wall with a clock on it. He only remembered looking at his phone before climbing into the cab.

"I wanna say it happened three hours ago." Why Burt was calling Kurt so late, he wouldn't know. Regardless, Blaine explained to him what the doctor had just told him and what he remembered from the accident.

"A concussion is still serious. I'm buying my plane ticket out there right now, hopefully I'll be there by the morning."

Blaine didn't want to argue with him. As a parent, he was probably very concerned about his only child with the slight possibility of losing another one of his family members. Still, Blaine reassured him that the doctor's outlook seemed positive and that none of them should really worry since he wasn't in the ICU. He also told Burt that he'd stay in the hospital until Kurt woke up and was released, no matter how long it took.

"You would do that?" asked Burt credulously.

"Of course I would," replied Blaine. It made him uneasy that Burt didn't think he would care for him.

"Burt...I know you don't trust me. And you have good reason not to. But I can guarantee that I'll be by Kurt's side from now on." Blaine hoped that Burt understood he meant that not just until he he heals.

There was a sigh at the other end of the line.

"My son obviously cares about you. More than anyone. Now, I don't know how you guys worked this thing out, and I'm sure Kurt will tell me everything sometime in the near future, or at least he better. But I want you to be sure about this. It broke my heart to see my kid so torn up over what happened, and I don't want it to happen again. I can't dictate who he dates and who he doesn't, but I will be damned if I see him go through it again. Please don't break him again."

Blaine's throat tightened and he had trouble speaking for a moment. Burt and Kurt had an unbelievable bond, and it made Blaine feel grateful that Kurt had someone so special he could rely on. Blaine never had that with his father, so it was moving to see that a father could care so much about his son.

"Burt, I promise. Kurt is such an honest, straightforward, gentle person and I love him for it. I want what's best for him, you know better than anyone how Kurt is. From now on, for however long we are together, I will never do anything to hurt him again...I guess now's a good time to tell you that my wife is pregnant."

There was a moment of silence before Burt quietly said, "I know."

"Oh...um...I will leave my wife. I'm only returning home to grab my stuff and then we're out of each other's hair. Whatever happens with us, with my ex and my future kid, Kurt said he would be there to support me. The least I can do for him is love him."

Burt sighed on the other end of the line and Blaine could tell he was trying to say something, though he was having a hard time formulating the words.

"Blaine, look. I get it. You built this entire life around yourself hiding what you really wanted and now that you can't keep it quiet, it's blowing up in your face. You've sacrificed so much already for my kid. Anyone who is willing to do that for my son is a hero in my eyes. You really love him, don't you?"

Blaine's eyes watered at the comment. It was one of the nicest things that anyone had said to him, especially coming from a father who cared so deeply about his son's life.

"More than anything," whispered Blaine, unconsciously looking at the door to Kurt's room.

"Good. I like to hear that. Just so you know...I'm still gonna keep an eye on you."

Blaine felt his cheeks blush with embarrassment. He deserved it, though. He'd probably do the same thing with his kid in the future if the same thing happened.

"I know."

"What happens when Kurt wakes up?"

"I was going to have Kurt stay with me until he gets well enough to fly back out to California. I walked away with much less damage than him, so I can take care of him."

"I appreciate it."

"Thank you. It really means so much to me that you trust me after all the terrible things I did to Kurt. It won't happen again." The words rung in his ears, and Blaine knew that he'd never uttered words so true. He would do anything for Kurt to be happy.

They hung up and Blaine sat back, dazed at how his life dramatically shifted in these past few months.

A few hours passed by and Blaine sat outside of Kurt's room, lightly sleeping in the uncomfortable chair. His head leaned against the wall and he jerked awake when his head fell forward. The doctor still wouldn't allow Blaine in the room and he was frustrated beyond belief. He knew that Kurt was being well taken care of but it still didn't make him any less sure until he could see Kurt awake with his own eyes.

Blaine was dozing off again, barely noticing the sounds of the busy hospital around him when someone shook him gently. He jerked awake, adrenaline pumping suddenly through his body as a nurse stepped back.

"Sorry," apologized Blaine immediately. "I'm a little jumpy." The nurse smiled gently at him. "It's alright," she said. "You're Blaine Anderson, right?"

Blaine nodded.

"Mr. Hummel is awake and has asked to see you."

Relief flooded him in overwhelming waves. He stood up fast, clutching at his aching head.

"I will never learn," he muttered as the world stopped spinning. Remembering that he had a concussion was going to get difficult to get used to.

Blaine darted to the door after thanking the nurse and poked his head in.

"Kurt?"

Kurt looked up and smiled at Blaine. He finally released his breath as he swung the door open fully and walked inside, rushing over to the bed to engulf Kurt in a passionate kiss. Kurt groaned with what Blaine thought was relief as well. After moaning again more painfully, Blaine finally released him.

"Sorry, sorry," said Blaine, only leaning back a few inches, worry flashing across his face.

"It's okay," said Kurt, his eyes shut tight with obvious pain as he shifted in the bed. "I'm glad to see you're okay, too." Blaine chuckled with nervous laughter. Even after seeing that Kurt was alright, he was still a bit anxious.

"Is everything alright? Are you okay?"

Kurt nodded. "Everything's alright. Doctor says that I just need to rest and I'll be back to normal in no time. I just hope it's quick. I've just got a few broken things."

Blaine backed up and held his hands away from Kurt. "That doesn't sound okay. It sounds painful."

Kurt chuckled, then winced again. "Yeah, it is. But it's going to be fine."

"How bad is the concussion?"

"It's only a mild concussion. The doctor said I should be fine, I just need to take it easy. No permanent damage."

Blaine relaxed at the words, feeling the tension ease from his shoulders. If he could only wrap Kurt up and hold him for eternity, he'd feel much better.

A knock came from the door and the doctor walked in to check on Kurt. They smiled brightly at them as the nurse checked all his vitals, the doctor checking things off on her clipboard before speaking to them.

"You guys are very lucky to be here with the injuries you have."

"Doctor, what exactly happened?" asked Kurt. "All I remember was jerking around and then passing out."

Blaine nodded in agreement. The EMT's explained to him what had happened in the ambulance but he wasn't paying attention because of his worry for Kurt.

"A car pulled out into the intersection as you guys were crossing it and hit the driver's side, which was the side you were on," she pointed to Kurt. "That's why you're more beat up than this one," she gestured towards Blaine. "You guys spun in a circle causing the whiplash, and the driver overcorrected the spin by turning the wheel too far, which was what caused the car to flip. Lucky for you both, the cab driver wasn't going too fast, and he responded in the correct way...just a little too correct."

Blaine nodded, truly grateful for getting out of there alive.

"I'm giving you some strong pain meds, Mr. Hummel, and I want you to get plenty of rest. Your neck will be very stiff for a while, but with time off and no major physical activity, you should be back to normal soon. It'll be common for your chest to hurt with deep breaths until your ribs heal completely, so don't worry."

She signed off on a prescription and handed it to Kurt with a kind smile.

"Thank you, doctor," said Kurt stiffly, attempting to sit up in his chair. He gasped again and Blaine held out his hands, ready to help Kurt with anything that happened.

"Something tells me it's going to be hard for you to sit around doing nothing," said the doctor cheerfully.

Blaine only chuckled as Kurt rolled his eyes at them.

Kurt stirred in his sleep, feeling the warm covers on him and Blaine's body pressed against his back. Their hands were clasped at Kurt's chest and he brought them up carefully to avoid hurting his aching side, deeply inhaling Blaine's scent. God, how he missed those incredible arms that wrapped around him. It had been two days since Kurt had been released from the hospital and Blaine attended to his every need. It had been a little bit difficult for him to stay in bed for so long without doing much of anything, but his broken ribs restricted him from doing much. Luckily, the pain pills helped sedate him from time to time so he wasn't completely losing useful time. Having Blaine around was also a definite plus.

Burt had come to visit Kurt the morning after they were released, and they both had immediately apologized to each other. Kurt repeated over and over that he didn't mean to put his dad in the situation he did, and that he really did value his opinion. The only reason he lashed out was because he wasn't being supportive and he took it out on him. It was wrong of him to treat his father like that after all they've been through.

"I was wrong, too, buddy," Burt had said, patting Kurt's knee as he lay in the hotel bed. "I know that you know what you're doing. You're an adult and you can make your own decisions, and I'm sorry for being overprotective. I can't help it. I'm your dad."

"I know. I love you, Dad. Let's not go through that again."

"Love you, too, bud."

Kurt smiled fondly, incredibly grateful for all of the wonderful people in his life. He and Blaine had also talked about what Burt said to him. Blaine seemed a little bashful saying it, but Kurt felt his heart swell with pride at the two of them. It had all worked out without Kurt even being conscious, and if his father was willing to make amends with Blaine, then Burt really trusted the both of them.

Burt admitted to calling Kurt late at night because he felt considerably guilty after their argument. Like Kurt, he couldn't handle having unresolved fights with his loved ones, something that seemed to carry over genetically to him.

Blaine stirred behind him, and Kurt gently turned onto his back, hissing as the ache in his chest increased. Blaine sat up instantly, removing his hands from Kurt and asking if he was okay. Kurt nodded as the pain subsided a bit.

"I really hate seeing you in pain," said Blaine. Kurt shrugged. "I can't be protected all the time, Blaine. I'm a tough cookie though. I'll survive," he smiled. Even with the help of the pain pills, it still ached a little for him to move. Blaine leaned down and kissed him, a smile planted on his face.

"You're my tough cookie though," he breathed against his lips.

"Eat me," Kurt smiled.

"My pleasure, cookie."

Kurt let out a soft chuckle, playfully calling Blaine an asshole.

"It's hard to restrain myself from taking advantage of you with all of this spare hotel time," said Blaine mischievously.

"You're telling me," countered Kurt. "I get so damn dizzy and loose from the pills, I've had to control myself more times these two days than the past nine months."

Blaine chuckled and propped himself onto his elbow, drawing lines on Kurt's arm with his finger.

"Once your ribs heal, you're mine," Blaine said possessively. Kurt's stomach fluttered. His ribs couldn't heal fast enough.

Blaine laid back down and scooted closer to Kurt, clasping their hands together. He wanted Blaine to hold him, but it would hurt too much to adjust.

"You really scared me," muttered Blaine. "Even after I knew you were going to be alright, I still was worried."

Kurt leaned his head so his cheek settled on Blaine's fluffy hair. "I know. But I'm alright now." He felt Blaine shudder next to him.

Kurt had been battling with his emotions for the past two days. With nothing to distract him, it gave him an awful lot of time to think through things when he wasn't asleep. Blaine was so incredibly brave and wonderful. It amazed him just how much he changed in the past few months. But he knew without a doubt just exactly what he wanted.

"I scared me, too," said Kurt.

"Why?" asked Blaine curiously.

"When I woke up, I was completely confused. I didn't remember much of anything before the accident, and waking up in a hospital bed kinda freaks you out. I kept asking for you and the doctor told me to wait until they could check me before you came in. I...was afraid you were gone and that really put things in perspective."

There was a bit of silence and Kurt felt Blaine tense against him.

"What's the perspective?" asked Blaine cautiously.

"Blaine, it scared me that when I woke up and finally realized where I was, my first thought was of you. I didn't care how hurt I was, I just needed to know you were okay. It scares me how much I care about you. I want you, Blaine. No one else." It didn't matter how scared he was, though. Kurt had made the decision long before he could admit to himself that he loved Blaine. No matter how much it terrified him, he found comfort in Blaine, and that was enough for him.

Blaine sat up slowly, looking at Kurt with a smile in his eyes.

"You mean that?" he asked.

Kurt nodded. "I do."

Blaine embraced him in a long, languid kiss that sent sparks down to Kurt's toes. He sighed happily against his soft lips as he ran his hands into the bouncy curls, caressing them gently. They finally parted and Blaine pressed his forehead against Kurt's, staring longingly into his eyes.

"I love you," said Kurt softly.

"I love you, too," replied Blaine with a gentle smile.

Blaine's phone rung loudly on the nightstand and the two jumped in surprise after the intimate moment. They both rubbed at their heads as the sudden jerk caused their heads to pound.

Blaine reached over to the nightstand and answered his phone with a disgruntled "hello."

Blaine suddenly sat up in his bed cocking his head to the side.

"Excuse me?!"

Kurt stared at Blaine's back intently. Something was obviously going on, and he just wished he would be healed already so he didn't have to lay so useless on the bed.

"Uh...wow, that's...insane."

Kurt squirmed in the bed, deciding to sit up regardless of the pain.

"And you're sure about this?"

Blaine was silent for a minute as whoever on the other line ranted. Kurt wiggled his feet underneath the covers, anxious to know what was going on.

"Oh, well that's...a huge relief. Thank you, I guess. For letting me know. No, no, don't apologize, we were both doing that...uh-huh...I guess so, then. Take care. Bye."

Blaine ended the call and deflated.

"Huh."

Kurt couldn't resist asking. "Who was that? What happened? What's going on? What aren't you telling me?" Blaine chuckled as he turned around to face Kurt, his face full of shock and...glee?

"That was Roy," he said credulously.

"Who is this Roy?" asked Kurt, taken aback.

"He's the guy Lindsey cheated on me with." Kurt felt his heart race.

"Yeah?"

"Apparently, Lindsey is not pregnant."

"What?!" shrieked Kurt. "Why did he call you? What did he say? I knew that bitch was up to something," said Kurt. The pain meds he took earlier that morning were still in effect, and he had trouble keeping a filter on his mouth.

"Uh, Lindsey is insane. Plain and simple. She apparently ran to Roy after I'd left and told him everything that happened between us, including that she lied about the pregnancy. He's apparently so sick of her bullshit and manipulation that he left her because he couldn't deal with someone so controlling."

Kurt felt his heart jump in excitement. He could see the tension melting off of Blaine.

"And he called you to get back at her?" asked Kurt.

"Something like that," said Blaine, the smile on his face broadening. "She's not pregnant. Kurt, she's not pregnant," he bursted into laughter, the sound bubbling around the room. Kurt couldn't help but laugh in return.

"You're completely sure?" asked Kurt.

"As sure as I can be! Roy said he stole my number from her phone to tell me everything."

"Blaine, you don't think this is another one of her tricks, right?"

Blaine settled down in the bed. "I...guess I can't be too sure. The guys seemed like he was seriously fed up with her. I guess only time will tell. If she doesn't even show within the next few months..."

"Or if nine months pass and no baby?" suggested Kurt.

"All the better," said Blaine brightly. "I wouldn't put it past Lindsey to lie about a pregnancy to keep me around. But it didn't work, so it makes sense that she ran to Roy about it. Oh my god! This is...crazy!"

"Babe, that's incredible!" said Kurt. Blaine laughed again, euphoria hitting him hard. Things were falling into place, and Kurt couldn't help but revel in the happiness that Blaine emitted. Their futures seemed much more easily attainable now that the main obstacles were pushed aside, and Kurt couldn't help himself. Everything would be okay, and deep down, he knew it really would be.

Blaine crawled over to him excitedly and placed a firm kiss on Kurt's lips.

"Kurt, everything's okay. We'll be okay," he smiled, seeming to extract Kurt's thought from his head.

"We will be," said Kurt, cupping Blaine's cheek. "I love you," he tacked on.

"I love you, too."

For the first time in a very, very long time, Blaine felt at ease and comfortable, certain of his future and no longer scared of himself or anyone else, and he had no one else to thank but his incredible boyfriend.