He headed up stairs to check on his daughter and have a shower before dinner. Popping his head into her room as he passed, his daughter smiled from where she was sat watching a movie on her bed, the boy and his boyfriend at the hospital couldn’t have been older than his own daughter, Dr Lopez thought to himself as he carried on down to his own room for a shower.

“So, how was work darling?” Mrs Lopez asked over dinner that evening.

“Busy as usual, a young boy about your age Tanny was brought in after being attacked this morning,” Dr Lopez replied looking at his daughter.

“Really? What was his name?” his daughter asked concern momentarily flickering across her face before being replaced by her usual cool exterior as she returned to her pasta.

“Blaine, I don’t think he goes to your school though, Tanny.” The same look of concern appeared on her face, but this time even after her cool exterior returned Dr Lopez thought he could see the traces of worry in her eyes. “Oh, and sweetie don’t forget you volunteered to help in the children’s ward tomorrow, you can’t skip it again like you did last week.” His daughter looked up and nodded before returning to pushing the remaining pasta around her plate.

...

“Come on Kiddo, visiting hours are nearly over, we need to go home.” Burt Hummel said trying to convince his son to loosen the grip on his boyfriend’s hand, and go home for some food and sleep.

“No, Dad, can’t I stay! I don’t want to leave him! What if he wakes up in the night! I won’t be here!”

“Kurt you heard what the nurse said, with the pain medication he’s on its unlikely he’ll wake up during the night, and besides you need to sleep too! Then when you come back in the morning you won’t be tired.”

Kurt sighed, deep down he know his dad was never going to let him stay at the hospital overnight, and he really was tired. Just being in a hospital really drains a person. If he left now he’d sleep and eat to keep his dad happy then be back at Lima Memorial as soon as visiting hours started again. Relenting he pressed one last kiss to Blaine’s forehead before taking the jumper he was wearing off and placing it in Blaine’s arms before following his father out of the room.

When they reached his Navigator, Kurt realised just how tired the day had left him so curled up in the front seat and fell asleep almost in an instant as Burt drove them home, he didn’t even wake up when his phone rang or the many texts that followed that.

...

The next morning, Dr Lopez went into the kitchen to get a cup of coffee to find his daughter already fully dressed for the day but looking incredibly tired as though she had barely slept the night before. “Tanny?” he called but her eyes remained staring at the cup of coffee in her hands. “Are you okay sweetie? Santana?” he tried again.

“Hmm, what did you say?” she asked jumping slightly as she noticed his presence in the room.

“I said are you okay, you look exhausted!” he replied as he took the seat next to her at the table and pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear.

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine, I just didn’t sleep too well last night.” She answered with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. Dr Lopez continued analysing her face a moment longer before nodding and getting up to pour himself a cup of coffee.

“Don’t forget to eat something with that coffee, Tanny, and be ready to leave in half an hour.” Dr Lopez said as his daughter gave a small nod and went to the fridge.

...

“Dad! I’m going now, visiting hours open soon, and I want to be there when they do!” Kurt said rapidly to his Dad who had just entered the Hudmel kitchen still looking half asleep.

“Ok, Kiddo, you don’t look like you slept very much, are you tired?” Burt asked looking deeply at his son, who simply shrugged and shook his head. Burt sighed; at least he had managed to get Kurt to leave the hospital last night. “Also let Blaine know he’s coming back here when they discharge him today, I spoke to his mom last night and they’re trying to get a flight back as soon as they can.” He said patting his son on the arm as he rushed out the kitchen towards the door.

Leaving the kitchen Kurt finally checked his phone which he had neglected the day before, only to have three missed calls from Santana, and a handful of texts from her telling him to call her too. That’s weird he thought to himself, she probably was just having a fashion crisis for her ‘not date’ with Brittany he sighed rolling his eyes.

Kurt climbed into his Navigator deciding whether he should go straight to the hospital, or stop at the Lima Bean and get Blaine a medium drip and biscotti, because hospital coffee really sucked he thought to himself as he headed in the direction of their favourite coffee shop.

Half an hour later, Kurt found himself signing in at reception, two coffees in hand and a couple of Blaine’s favourite biscotti, before rushing up to Blaine’s room on the first floor. A small smile played on Kurt’s lips as he entered the room to find Blaine in almost the same position as last night but with his hands curled tightly around the jumper Kurt ad left with him the previous evening.

Kurt placed the coffees on the table beside the bed and returned to the seat he reluctantly vacated the night before. Clasping Blaine’s hand in his own and smiling as Blaine’s grip tightened instinctively. Kurt had only been there for twenty minutes, sitting in silence taking in his boyfriend’s beautiful yet marred face, when Blaine began mumbling in his sleep, his grip on Kurt’s hand tightening as he began to wake up. Careful not to hurt him Kurt, brushed the few curls off Blaine’s forehead and stroked his hair smiling as Blaine opened his eyes, which lit up as he saw Kurt sitting there beside him.

“Good morning, beautiful.” Kurt said as he continued stroking Blaine’s hair. “I bought you coffee, and none of the hospital vending machine crap, real Lima Bean medium drip, just the way you like it.” Kurt continued as he passed the cup to Blaine.

“Mmm” Blaine hummed as he took a sip, a bit of colour returning to his paler than usual skin behind the bruises. “I missed you.” He rasped as he put the coffee back down and tried to sit up to give Kurt a kiss but wincing at the pain it caused.

“Oh, no, Blaine you shouldn’t move, you’re injured. Just sit still, let me go and find a nurse; they’ll be able to help with the pain.” Kurt rambled as he tried to make Blaine more comfortable before leaning forward to place a careful kiss on Blaine’s lips, which he responded to immediately.

It was that moment when Dr Lopez entered holding Blaine’s charts, a small smile playing on the corners of his mouth. “Good morning boys, I have to say I didn’t expect to see you here so early Kurt.” He said smiling at the pair.

“I didn’t want Blaine to think I’d abandon him in a hospital.” Kurt replied his eyes not moving from his boyfriend’s face.

“Okay then,” Dr Lopez said clapping his hands together. “I need to just check you over quickly Blaine, then; we’ll talk about discharging you later this afternoon.” He said as he began helping Blaine to sit forward without too much discomfort. “You can stay if Blaine is happy for you to Kurt, but it does look a lot worse than it is, so you may not want to.” Kurt nodded but stayed in his position by Blaine’s head, keeping a firm grip on Blaine’s hand the entire time.

...

A few hours later Kurt and Blaine were having a murmured conversation in Blaine’s room, when a huge yawn escaped Blaine’s mouth, his eyelids drooping slightly, as they had been for the past half hour.

“Blaine, sweetie, go to sleep I’ll be here when you wake up, I promise.” Kurt said smiling at his boyfriend. Only to receive a mumbled thank you and smile from Blaine who closed his eyes and drifted off almost immediately.

After watching Blaine sleeping for about twenty-five minutes Kurt’s stomach started to rumble. Looking at the clock on his phone he realised it was almost three and all he’d eaten that day were the two mouthfuls of cereal he had in his haste to get to the hospital that morning. Sighing, he debating whether he would be able to get some food, then gets back to Blaine before he woke up again. Eventually his hunger won over; quickly pressing a kiss on Blaine’s hairline he left the room and headed to the hospital cafeteria. Buying himself a small salad and a bottle of apple juice he made his way over to an empty table, trying to avoid the worry that had been sitting heavy in his chest since he got the phone call the previous day.

...

Santana smiled as she made her way down from the children’s ward to the hospital cafeteria. She’s never admit it but secretly she loved being able to make the children of Lima Memorial Hospital smile and feel better just by spending time with them. No one knew she volunteered her, not even Brittany, she loved it but it would ruin her reputation if anyone knew she was actually a caring person. The children had even helped keep her mind of the patient her Dad was caring for, Blaine, Kurt never replied to any of her calls or texts so she supposed it couldn’t have been his Blaine. But that didn’t stop the feeling of doubt and worry she had about the boy.

She queued up in the cafeteria paying for her salad and iced tea before scanning the room for a free table. As her eyes passed over patients and visitors in the room they landed on the one face she didn’t realise she was dreading seeing there. Kurt.