“Jermaine, are you okay?” asked Blaine.

Jermaine said nothing and remained motionless; his eyes darted between Grace and Blaine, his green eyes looked panicked.

“I’m going to get a doctor,” said Blaine, as he left and returned 10 minutes later, with a short, brown haired woman.

“Hello, Jermaine. Blink twice for yes and once for no, okay?” she said.

Jermaine blinked twice.

“Can you move?” she asked carefully.

Jermaine blinked once.

“Do you feel this?” she said, gently prodding his left leg.

Jermaine blinked twice.

“Okay,” she started a sad expression on her face, “I just need to have a quick word with Mr. Anderson… Will you follow me?”

“Uh, yeah,” said Blaine as he followed the nurse out into the hallway. “Is he going to be okay?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t have good news. I’m afraid he has Locked-in Syndrome, caused by a rupture in his basilar artery,” she said, in gaining a blank look from Blaine she added, “it’s the paralysis of all voluntary muscles. As he can still open his eyes, it is only partial; he’s going to have to move into a rehabilitation center, where he and his family can be cared for.”

“Will he- will he get better?” asked Blaine, although he probably already knew the answer.

“It’s unlikely. Not impossible though - two people have made full recoveries, but it’s very rare.”

“But he could?”

“Mr. Anderson,” she pressed, “it is very rare. 90% of the people who suffer don’t survive the first four months.”

Tears started to tumble down Blaine's face, staining his t-shirt.

“He can’t die, he needs to stay alive, he needs to get better.”

“I know it can be hard to lose a boyfriend in any circumstances… I’m sorry, Mr. Anderson, I don’t think you should get your hopes up… I am really sorry.”

~~~

Meanwhile

“Hey,” Carole chimed. “I’m off to work the night shift.”

“Hey, Carole?” said Kurt.

“Yes?” she asked quizzically, as she picked up her keys.

“Could you maybe pop into room 516 occasionally tonight? Blaine is there with his ex-boyfriend, and I just want to know that he’s okay, he seemed pretty shaken up about it.”

“Of course, Kurt,” she said pressing as soft kiss to his cheek before leaving.

~~~

“Okay, Grace,” said Blaine as he re-entered the room. He sat down next to her and told her what the doctor had just told him.

She cried, hugged Blaine, sobbed in to his chest; he cried too. Their vision was so clouded with tears that they didn’t notice the nurse standing at the door smiling at them. Once they had cried themselves out, Blaine told Grace to go get something to eat from the canteen giving her five dollars. She left the room and Blaine walked over to Jermaine who was still awake. Blaine knew he’d heard everything he’d just told Grace.

“JJ, are you okay?”

Jermaine blinked once.

“You’ll be okay, I promise you will get better, you have to.”

Jermaine blinked once again.

“But you can’t die, we won’t let you…”

Jermaine just stared at him.

“Please,” Blaine sobbed, “I don’t want to lose my best friend.”

Jermaine blinked once, a tear falling down his cheek. He felt so helpless, he couldn’t do anything, he couldn’t comfort the boy he loved, he couldn’t tell him everything was going to be okay, and even if he died everything would be okay. He couldn’t hold Blaine close, stroking his curls, telling him to be strong - that it wasn’t his fault. He couldn’t wipe away the tears that fell down Blaine's face, making him more beautiful; making him regret all the pain and suffering he’d caused the boy standing in front of him sobbing. He just had to lie there and watch as Blaine blamed this on himself, watch his heart break.

“I’ll miss you…lots.”

Jermaine blinked twice.

“Hey, JJ,” said Grace when she re-entered the room, her eyes still red and puffy. “I’ve missed you. I should have stopped dad that day… I’m sorry.”

Jermaine blinked once.

“No, I should have said something, I’m sorry, JJ, can you forgive me for doing that?”

Jermaine blinked twice, fresh tears falling down his cheeks.

~~~
Meanwhile

Kurt was sitting trying to concentrate on the French homework he was working on but his mind kept drifting to Blaine, how that kiss felt so right, how he looked when he arrived after Jermaine had hit him. He wondered what Blaine was doing right now… he could see him sat by Jermaine’s bed just talking to him, Kurt knew Blaine wouldn’t leave the hospital until Jermaine woke up, because he ‘needed to apologise’.

Kurt’s phone buzzed and shook him from his thoughts.

Jermaine’s awake, Blaine and a girl were crying. I think Dr. Gruesen just talked to them about his condition- Carole

Thanks, Carole- Kurt

Kurt went back to his thoughts and decided to send Blaine a quick text.

~~~

When Jermaine had fallen asleep again Blaine and Grace sat in silence.

“Why don’t we go grab a coffee and a hot chocolate?” said Blaine holding out his hand to help Grace up.

Grace sat down at a table whilst Blaine bought the drinks.

“Jermaine is lucky to have a boyfriend like you, Blaine,” said Grace as she eyed up the mountain of whipped cream on her hot chocolate.

“Oh,” said Blaine sadly, his heart sinking slightly, “we’re not together anymore, we broke up yesterday, before his accident.”

Tears started rolling down his cheeks; Grace would surely hate him now, he broke up with her brother and then he had an accident.

“Oh, that sucks,” she said softly, “Why? If I may ask.”

“Oh um, well, your brother got a bit jealous of me being friendly with this other guy, I don’t want you to think any less of your brother, he’s normally a really nice guy, but he- he hit me, quite a few times, so I dumped him… Then- then he had his accident. It’s all my fault.”

“No, Blaine, it isn’t!” said Grace, soft but firmly. “This was an accident - no-one’s fault.”

“But if-”

“No! Blaine.”

“But-”

“No!” she said taking Blaine’s hand. “It’s not your fault, and Jermaine definitely wouldn’t want you to blame yourself.”

“I know but it is, I shouldn’t have let him drive in that state.”

“Blaine, stop it. JJ wouldn’t want this.”

“Fine.”

Blaine's phone buzzed. It was a text from Kurt.

Hey, Blaine, missed you in English today. Are you okay?-K

Blaine looked at his phone and smiled; Kurt had missed him. He owed Kurt an apology for how he yelled at him the other day.

“Someone special?” said Grace causing Blaine to blush.

“No, he’s a friend, the one JJ was jealous of actually.”

“You like him, don’t you?” asked Grace with a knowing smile.

“No! I just-” Blaine began but this was met with a stern glare from Grace. “Okay, yeah I do. Don’t think bad of me, please; I know I’ve just broken up with your brother but... I kind of really like this guy and I have no idea what to do. I kind of love both of them. That makes me seem like a user but I’m not I’m just- I’m just confused.”

“I will never think bad of you, Blaine. You’ve done more for Jermaine than you know… And you know that it would be difficult for you and Jermaine to date. He’d want you to move on.”

“Yeah but move on with Kurt? I don’t think he’d like that,” said Blaine, whilst his head and heart screamed ’but you would.’

“Blaine! He still loves and will always love you; he’s not going to be too happy to see you with anyone. Like when you were with Tom, he spent most of his time locked away in his room, drawing pictures you. He never liked to admit it but he had a very artsy side. He loved to sketch; he has a closet full of pictures of you…”

“Wow, really?” breathed Blaine, there was a whole other side to his ex-boyfriend that he had never seen.

“Yeah.”

“I guess you’re right about him not really wanting me to be with anyone else, but he would want me to move on. What should I do?

“I’d tell this other guy how you feel… Tell him that you like him?”

‘He already knows and he likes me too,’ Blaine thought

“Thanks, Grace, Jermaine is lucky to have a sister like you.”

“I know,” said Grace with a cheeky grin.

“Come on, it’s getting late, we should get some sleep,” said Blaine steering Grace back to Jermaine’s room.

They both settled down on the couch in the room and fell asleep.