SEVEN

The beeping was irritating. I slowly blinked my eyes open, ready to roll over and abuse my alarm clock. But my eyes didn’t meet the soft grey of my ceiling but stark white tiles. My confusion didn’t last very long as I realised the bed was too uncomfortable, the smell wasn’t right and the beeping was too slowly and quiet to be my clock.

Hospital, I was in hospital. I knew the smell, it made me think of losing my Mother and nearly losing my Father, it wasn’t a good smell. Memories started to fill my head as I forced myself to work out why I was here. As I remembered the gunshot I felt pain flair up where the bullet had hit. I gasped, and it was that noise that drew the other occupant of the room’s attention to the fact that I was awake. My Dad stepped into my field of vision.

“Kurt, kid, you ok?” he asked, if I hadn’t been in so much pain I would of rolled my eyes at that question because if I was ok I wouldn’t be in hospital. As it was I decided to just go for short and simple.

“Hurts,” was all I could manage before my Dad reached behind me to hit the call button.

Nurses came rushing in, followed by a doctor who swiftly administered painkillers into the drip in my arm and then checked me over. Once they were and had left I rolled my head to side to face my Dad.

“Hi,” I said weakly, I was feeling tired again.

“Hi kiddo and glad you’re ok, or at least going to be. Those bastards did quite a number on you. Once you’re out of here we’re going to have a nice chat about you doing dumb stuff.”

“Like this was my fault,” I mumbled back grouchily.

“Well as I understand it you were safe with your own personal guard until you decided to just run off back to Ohio.”

“Sorry for trying to protect you,” I replied sulkily.

“Kid, that’s my job remember. I protect you.”

“Dad,” I sighed weakly.

“Ok, ok. I’m dropping this for now but we’re going back to this Kurt.”

We sat in silence for a little while before I realised that I had no idea how I even got here. Last I remembered I was being carried away from that room full of carnage by Warbler, but where was he. He didn’t just dump me in hospital then leave me. He’d said he loved me but as I thought about it I wondered what I would have done if someone who was about to die told me that they loved me. Had he lied so as not to break my heart before I died? I gasped again causing my Dad to start to hover once more.

“Does it still hurt?” he asked.

“No, just. The guy who was protecting me, do you know where he is?” I asked, tears in my eyes.

“Yeah, he’s in the café getting dinner with Carol. Poor kid’s a wreck, blaming himself, he looked like he thought I was gonna kill him when I turned up. Pretty sure the only reason you’re alive is because of him.”

“He’s still here?” I asked, my voice awed.

“Yeah weren’t you listening? Wouldn’t leave your side till I told him that him fainting wasn’t going to help you. What’s going on with you two?”

“I’m not sure; we’ve hardly had the ideal situation.”

We talked a little more about useless things, not focusing on the big questions. There was so much I didn’t know about what had happened but my Dad didn’t have the answers. I needed to talk to Warbler alone.

“Kurt?” Carol entered the room and hurried over to me, carefully bundling me up in a hug and kissing my forehead. “Oh sweetie, we were so worried,” she sniffed as she stepped back and sat on the edge of the bed, stroking the hair from my forehead. “The blonde’s nice,” she commented. My Dad snorted.

“No it’s not, you got your Mom’s hair so you’re forbidden dying it again.”

“Wasn’t planning too,” I muttered back but my eyes were fixed on the figure in the door way. Warbler stood there, leaning against the frame. He clearly had been seen too by a doctor as there were stitches just above his eye. He wore a fitted white shirt and black jeans. His curls hung limp, in desperate need for a wash. He eyes were sad but a soft smile was on his face as he looked at me.

“You know, I should get some food now,” my Dad said, standing up and reaching out to pat my shoulder, his hand didn’t come down as he seemed to realised he sat on my injured side, instead he awkwardly patted my forearm. Carol stood too. “I had better make sure he doesn’t eat the greasiest burger he can find.” She shot my Dad a knowing look.

“You better not Dad, salads are good,” I told him. He rolled his eyes with a chuckle then with one last kiss from Carol they were gone.

I looked back to Warbler where he stood, now inside the room by the door where he had stepped to let my parents leave.

“Not very subtle are they?” he said moving slowly towards my bed.

“Never have been,” I replied.

“I’m so sorry,” he said as he reached my side. I raised one eyebrow in surprise.

“For what, saving my life? Because that’s what you did.”

“If it wasn’t for me, that wouldn’t have happened to you.”

“No you’re right it wouldn’t. I’d have been shot in the head while I slept weeks ago,” I replied. He blinked and opened his mouth to try to argue but seemed to fail. He sat down on the edge of the bed, where Carol had been earlier.

“I’m glad you’re alive,” he said instead.

“Me too,” I sighed. We sat in silence. “Did you mean it?” I asked after a while. Warbler seemed to think for a second before answering.

“Of course I’m glad you’re alive,” he said with conviction. I laughed slightly, though it hurt.

“Not that dummy,” I said before sobering. “Did you mean it when you said you loved me?”

“Yes,” he answered without a moment’s hesitation. “Why’d you ask?”

“I was about to die, you might have been being nice.”

“I suppose, not sure what I would have done had I not loved you but I do so I told the truth.”

“I have no idea how this happened,” I said with a sigh. I could see the question on his face so I explained. “I don’t know anything about you; I didn’t even know your name till yesterday.”

“But you know it now,” he answered.

“I do,” I replied with a smile. “Blaine. It suits you you know.”

“Thanks,” he laughed.

“Kurt?”

“Yes?”

“Can I kiss you?”

“Please do,” I replied smiling. He kissed me softly, holding his body away from mine so only our lips were touching, I appreciated that. I had just been shot.

“Get the hell off of him,” a new voice rang out loudly in my little room, I felt myself react to the familiar voice, anger boiled up inside me as Blaine pulled away from me to look at the newcomer.

“Who the hell are you?” he asked, his voice low with the threat in it.

“Stefan Gardener, Kurt’s boyfriend.” I scowled at that.

“I don’t think- “ Blaine started but I cut him off.

“Shut up Blaine,” I said. He looked back at me, hurt showing in his eyes. I felt guilty; my anger at my cheating ex-boss had been aimed at the wrong person. I gently twined my fingers with Blaine’s and squeezed his hand to reassure him.  I directed my attention back at Stefan. “Where do you get off, I’m not your boyfriend, apparently I never was, just you’re bit on the side.”

“That’s not true Kurt, I love you.”

“Not enough to leave your husband.”

“I have left him.”

“Really, or did he leave you when he found out you were cheating on him.”

“It doesn’t matter, what matters is I’m getting a divorce, so we can be together Kurt. You can come back to work, everything can go back to normal, I’ve missed you.” He stepped towards the bed and Blaine shifted, standing up. Stefan eyed him. “Who is this?” he asked, his voice suddenly cold.

“None of your business, in fact none of my life is your business. I’m not coming back to work for you, I’m not going to date you and I am certainly not in love with you anymore.”

“Kurt, it hasn’t been that long. You can’t fall in and out of love that easily. We can still fix this.”

“Who are you to tell me who to love? I. Don’t. Love. You. In fact I love him,” I pulled on Blaine’s hand slightly bringing him back down onto the bed. “I’ve moved on. Now leave.”

Stefan’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Blaine and I. From my position on the bed I couldn’t fully see Blaine’s expression but I was sure he smiled after I announced that I loved him. I glared right back at Stefan.

“Fine,” he snapped before addressing Blaine. “I don’t know who you are, but enjoy the little slut before he changes his mind and finds someone else. Maybe when he finds someone rich enough he’ll settle.” With that Stefan turned on his heel and started to leave.

“Mr Gardener?” Blaine said, standing up and slipping his hand out of mine. I almost whined because I didn’t need him to be calling the bastard back, I needed him to be holding me and telling me he didn’t believe a word Stefan had said because that had hurt.

“What?” Stefan snapped rudely.

“It’s lucky for you that we met in a hospital,” Blaine commented calmly.

“Why?” Stefan managed to ask before Blaine’s fist connected with his face. I winced as I saw him go down. Blaine grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him up, pressing him into the wall.

“I better not see you again; you better not go near Kurt. Now go sort out your eye then go home and contemplate how you just lost the best thing in your life and when you look in the mirror at that bruise you can think about the man who is so happy you screwed up your life because he got the most amazing person either you or I have ever met all to himself.” With that Blaine let Stefan go, who glared at him furiously.

“I’m going to report you for GBH.”

“You better leave or you’ll see GBH,” Blaine spat back at him. With one last glare Stefan was gone.

“You punched him,” I gasped out as Blaine turned back to me.

“Yeah, wanted to do that since you first told me about him.”

“Seriously?”

“He deserved more for hurting you.”

“You’re amazing but you can’t punch someone every time they hurt me.”

“I know, I don’t really like violence, I just happen to be good at it.”

“Come here,” I said, pulling him down for a kiss.

“It’s true what I said, you are the most amazing person I’ve ever met,” he said, lips so close they brushed mine as he spoke.

“Likewise, now less talking more kissing,” I replied, grinning as he pressed his lips back to mine.

“All right you two,” my Dad said as he walked back into the room. We both groaned at the interruption and Blaine pressed his head into the pillow above my good shoulder for a second before sitting up. “Don’t look at me like that, you’ve had plenty of alone time kid,” my Dad said in answer to my scowl.

“Most of which was Stefan insulting me and getting punched,” I replied.

“Stefan was here?” Dad asked as he sat in the chair he’d been in earlier, Carol seating herself in one next to it.

“Yeah, Blaine punched him though.” My Dad turned to Blaine.

“You hit him?” I watched as Blaine gulped under my Dad’s scrutiny.

“He insulted Kurt and I got angry, not that I hit people a lot, well outside of my job I mean…” he trailed off.

“Relax kid, you saved me from doing it myself.”

“You two, violence is not the answer,” I scolded.

“No but it sure made me feel better,” Blaine answered and my Dad laughed. When he had stopped he fixed Blaine with an unreadable look.

“I like you Blaine but I got to admit, I’m not a real fan of Kurt dating someone in your line of work.” I tried not to get too excited about the mention of dating, though I was screaming like a teenage girl inside. I too was not so keen on Blaine’s job, though it was how I met him, I didn’t want to lose him.

“Actually, I wouldn’t worry about that. I worked for a special branch of the FBI but it’s been shut down now, a failed experiment as it were. I’m technically out of a job.”

“Well won’t you just join another part of the FBI?” Carol asked. Blaine shrugged.

“I don’t really want too, I’ll be grateful for what that job bought me,” he smiled at me and I smiled back, “but the quiet life sounds good now.”

“Well it’s going to very quiet if we’re both unemployed,” I replied.

“You won’t be for long,” he reassured me.

I looked at him. I was in hospital healing from a gunshot, a stabbing and a beating. I was jobless and hadn’t actually established what my relationship was with this man but as I looked at him I felt calm.

“We’ll make it,” I said.

“Yeah we will,” he replied softly.