"I think we could be happy again."

"I'd like to try."

Kurt repeated Blaine's name over and over again as the hazel eyes fluttered until they grew accustomed to the light and opened.

"Blaine, Blaine," Kurt continued, refusing to take his eyes off of him while covering his hand in kisses. "I thought you weren't going to wake up. I thought- I thought…"

The younger man stared back at him, but didn't say anything. Simply regarded him like an interesting spectacle.

Kurt stopped kissing Blaine's hand when he didn't get any response, "Blaine? Come on, say something."

"I…" Blaine started, voice a bit crackly from the lack of use, "I'm sorry, I don't know who you are."

The floor dropped out from underneath Kurt.

He lowered the hands at his mouth as his eyes filled with tears. Blaine continued to look at him, squinting now, as if knowing he were familiar but not being able to place him.

"Please take that back," Kurt whispered, mostly to himself.

The younger man tugged his hand softly from Kurt's and looked around him at the pale green walls and beeping machines, realizing where he was, "What happened?"

Kurt felt everything inside him shut down. He felt his will start to crumble. He wanted to sit on the floor and cry. Instead, he said dejectedly, "I'll go find your doctor."

He walked out into the hallway and leaned against the wall for a moment, trying to steady himself. His husband didn't remember him. His husband had lost the last 18 years of memories with him. His husband didn't remember him.

Once he had gathered himself, holding the tears at bay, he held his head up and walked to the nurses' station.

The young woman sitting there looked up at the familiar face and smiled, "How may I help you, Kurt?"

"Blaine," Kurt started, clenching his fist, "Blaine's awake."

Her grin grew to a startling size and then flew off her face when she noticed Kurt wasn't returning it. "Oh, no," she worried, "He doesn't remember you? I'll call the doctor right away."

"Thanks," he sighed, turning to walk away.

"Kurt?" she called, "This isn't necessarily permanent."

He waved his hand at her as he moved back into the room.

Blaine looked up at his arrival and gave him a smile. Not any of the ones his Blaine would give him, this was the one he used when being polite to strangers. It was a touch warmer, laced with confusion, but it still wasn't his.

Kurt stopped a fair distance from the bed, "The doctor should be here soon."

"Thank you."

The older man gave in and walked closer, looking into Blaine's eyes. "Do you remember me?"

He watched and saw nothing spark in Blaine's eyes.

"No… no, I'm sorry, I don't."

Kurt nodded sadly and backed away from the bed, "Okay."

Dr. Roberts came strolling in at that moment, "Ah, Blaine, nice to see you awake."

The presence of the white doctor's coat put Blaine at ease. He settled more comfortably into the bed and listened as the doctor recounted the accident, the surgery, the coma. Kurt knew he should be listening, but he tuned it out. He'd heard everything too many times now, and the thought that even though his husband survived Kurt might never get him back was starting to hit. Like someone was using his heart as a punching bag.

He startled slightly when the doctor put his hand on his shoulder, speaking quiet enough for only him to hear, "Kurt?"

"Yeah?" he replied.

"I think you should head home for the night," Dr. Roberts suggested, "let Blaine get some rest."

Kurt looked over at Blaine and saw that, although he'd just woken, he did look tired. Kurt assumed that it must be exhausting waking and learning everything that had happened. An accident, a coma, memory loss.

"Yeah, okay," Kurt agreed, not having the energy to argue with him.

As he reached the door after grabbing his things, he heard Blaine's voice behind him, "What did you say your name was?

The older man glanced over his shoulder, sighed brokenly, "I didn't," and then left the room.

That night he went home and cried. Cried like he hadn't since the day of the accident. And when Maddy asked how Papa was doing, he cried through a fake smile and said that there was good news, but he couldn't share it yet.

Kurt went back the next day and walked into Blaine's room on autopilot. The younger man looked up from a book as he entered and turned confused again. Kurt stopped dead and realized that this wasn't the appropriate thing to do when someone doesn't know who you are.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have just–" Kurt started before being cut off.

"No, it's fine," Blaine laughed, lightening up, "I figured from the way you were kissing my hand that we at least knew each other before."

Kurt placed his things down in the chair beside the bed and walked closer, "How are you?"

Blaine closed his book and placed it on a small table beside him, "I'm alright. Can't remember a damn thing, but they say I'm in tip-top shape for having just woke up from a coma. They ran some memory exercises this morning, that didn't go so great."

Kurt tried to give Blaine a reassuring smile, but fell flat, whispering, "They told me to give up on you."

The curly headed man smiled softly, "But it looks like you didn't."

"Where did that get me?" he sighed miserably, sinking into the chair.

Blaine looked momentarily hurt. "I'm sorry I don't remember you," he said, "but I'm alive. If we knew each other, then, isn't that something?"

Kurt looked to the side, ashamed that he'd presented himself that way. He was so glad that Blaine was awake and healthy, but the man he loved no longer loved him. Because he couldn't remember it.

"You don't remember anything?" Kurt questioned.

The younger man scratched at his blanket, "Some things are familiar, but I can't quite place them."

Kurt quickly brushed the tear that had begun to roll down his cheek, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have… I'm so happy that you're awake Blaine, you have no idea. But I… I just can't do this right now." He stood up and walked towards the door.

"Did I love you?" Blaine asked, his face appearing thoughtful. Like he was trying to figure out a hard puzzle.

Kurt stopped and turned, staring into Blaine's eyes. He nodded through the tears and before he could see Blaine's reaction, left.

Although he knew what an emotional mess he was, and how it wouldn't help, Kurt went back to the hospital the next day. Blaine was reading again, and Kurt smiled when he noted that it was Blaine's favourite.

Blaine smiled when he walked in, more warmly than before, and said, "I can't greet you, I don't know your name."

Kurt set his lips and shook his head, quietly saying, "Not right now."

The younger man shrugged and put his book down. He sighed after a few moments at Kurt's silence. "… How long was I gone?"

"5 months, 23 days, and 7 hours," Kurt replied instantly. The time had been ticking away in his skin while he waited for Blaine to wake.

They stared at each other for a little while until Blaine picked the book back up and waved it at Kurt, "Have you read this?"

Kurt smiled, recalling reading it to him about a month ago, "Recently, yes."

They talked for some time about the book and found themselves laughing often. Kurt could see his husband in the man in the bed, even if Blaine couldn't. All he needed was his memories.

After some time, Kurt couldn't keep it in. "What kinds of things are familiar?" he asked, referring to the statement from the day before.

Blaine chewed his lower lip for a second, staring into blue eyes, before responding, "You."

Kurt's heart warmed. There was that at least. If they couldn't go back, maybe they could start over.

Blaine looked down, "There's a picture of you and a little girl in my wallet."

The older man joined his gaze and looked at the blanket, sighing, "I know."

"Is she yours?"

"Yes."

"Is she mine?" There was a small hope in Blaine's voice.

Silence. Then, "Yes."

It was quiet as Blaine processed this.

Kurt laughed without humour, "I keep hoping that I'll wake up and things will be like they were."

Blaine looked at him with an intense expression, "I wish for that, too."

"I should go," Kurt said, grabbing for his things.

The younger man leaned out of the bed and grabbed his hand, "Please don't."

The room was quiet as the air changed around them, suddenly tenser but more important.

Kurt stopped and looked at the hand in his. He squeezed slightly at the familiar weight. He brought it up to his face and rested his cheek on the back of Blaine's palm. "I love you," he whispered, squeezing his eyes against the tears.

"Were we happy?" Blaine asked, removing his hand to touch Kurt's face, who had shifted to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Yes. We were," he replied, leaning into the touch. It felt so good to pretend. To pretend that the bed was theirs at home and this was any other night. That the hand on his skin meant that he loved him, and not that Blaine was just learning him.

"I loved you." The words came out of Blaine's mouth sounding more in the present than they were stated, and Kurt wanted to cry.

"If… if you wanted, we could try again," Kurt suggested softly, "I think we could be happy again."

Blaine smiled, "I'd like to try."

Kurt shifted closer on the bed, and Blaine grabbed his hand with his free one, keeping the other on Kurt's cheek.

"When I asked about getting my memories back," Blaine started, "they told me that I needed something really familiar. I needed something that feels like home. Then I might get my memories back. You... you feel like home."

Kurt squeezed his hand.

"I loved you, I know that," Blaine expressed, "Not because you told me, I knew it before then. Before my eyes even opened. I could feel it."

Blaine ran his thumb over Kurt's bottom lip, who trembled at the action.

"It's like… I know you, but I don't. I must have really loved you, because my brain doesn't remember you, but I think my heart and soul do. And I think I could love you again."

He leaned in then, and Kurt knew he should back away, but he couldn't. He felt himself being pulled in. When their lips touched it was like all the pieces of the puzzle fit back in place. Anything that the crash had upended was righted again. It felt like home. It felt like love.

When they broke apart, the simply sat there and looked into each other's eyes. Kurt watched as the hazel started to shine, as if a cloud was lifting.

"…Kurt."

The older man let out a silent sob, beginning to cry, and a grin took over his face. Reaching up he stroked a hand across Blaine's cheek.

"There you are, I've been looking for you forever."