Blaine began to lose all concept of time after Rachel, Mercedes, Sam, and Artie were forced to leave for the night when visiting hours were over. His thoughts became a jumbled mess, scrambled together by fear and exhaustion. It was somehow harder to bear the interminable wait until Kurt woke up because hed been in Kurts shoes before and knew the long road to recovery that inevitably lay ahead. Itd been three and a half years since Blaines first hospital stay, necessitated by an attack that bore far too many similarities to the one on Kurt, only Blaine hadnt been alone when hed been attacked. Hed had Joseph, his date to the Sadie Hawkins dance, not that it had mattered in the end. Theyd still been ambushed from behind and outnumbered two to one by huge, hulking football players who knocked them to the ground, beating them unconscious. Blaine hadnt been alone when the worst had happened but Kurt had been, and Blaine wasnt sure if hed ever be able to forgive himself for that.

To help calm down, Blaine took a slow, deep breath, then another, timing his inhales and exhales to the comforting beep of Kurts heart monitor. Rationally, Blaine knew Kurt was going to be alright. Hed been reassured, first by the doctor who stabilized him in the emergency room and then again by the nurse whod been checking his vital signs every thirty minutes. Even still, Kurt looked absolutely awful, his face a patchwork quilt of cuts and bruises, and Blaine worried that the psychological trauma would just as bad, if not worse, than the physical injuries. That had certainly been the case when Blaine had been the one lying in the hospital bed.

Blaine glanced at his phone, groaning a little under his breath when he realized itd only been four minutes since hed last checked the time. The minutes were ticking by at an agonizing pace and Blaine couldnt think, couldnt rest, couldnt be until Kurt was conscious and he could hold him and confirm with his own eyes and ears that he would truly be okay.

Blaine sighed, pushing up on one elbow and carefully unwinding his body from where it had been settled at Kurts side. He dropped a kiss to the small swath of unbruised skin on Kurts forehead before standing and stretching. He crossed the small room and was just reaching for the pitcher of water when he was startled by the sound of rustling blankets. His gaze immediately flew back to Kurt, who was shifting restlessly on the bed, his eyes still closed. Blaine was across the room in a second, perching on the edge of the bed and taking Kurts hand in his. Kurt whimpered quietly, the furrow between his eyebrows deepening as he winced.

Blaine slid a hand through Kurts hair, stroking gently. “Its okay, Kurt,” he whispered. “Im here. Youre okay.”

Kurts body stilled momentarily, but Blaine could still see his eyes moving rapidly beneath his eyelids. His right eye was puffy and a deep eggplant purple hue. Blaine worried Kurt wouldnt be able to open it without considerable pain. He squeezed Kurts hand, sighing gratefully as he felt Kurt give him a weak squeeze back.

Kurt swallowed hard, drew quavering breath, and slowly opened his eyes. His right eye would only open to a narrow slit but his left eye focused on him after a second, blinking back tears. “Blaine?” Kurt rasped out.

“Yeah sweetheart,” Blaine smiled, eyes welling with relief. He brought Kurts hand to his lip, kissing his bruised and scraped knuckles. “Im right here”

Kurts eyes were scanning the room as best they could now, his breathing a little harsher as he took in the IV pole, heart monitor, and assorted tubes and wires attached to him. After a second, he let out a pained grunt and his eyes slid shut again.

“Youre in the hospital,” Blaine explained, fingers stroking a steady rhythm against his temple. “The doctor said youre going to be fine. You just need to rest, okay? Do you need anything?”

“Water?” Kurt whispered, tongue darting out to wet his cracked lips.

“Of course,” Blaine breathed, reluctantly releasing his grasp on Kurts hand as he stood to retrieve a fresh glass of water and a straw. He carefully sat back down on the bed, taking extra care not to jar Kurts battered body. He held the straw to Kurts lips, waiting patiently while he took several long pulls. Kurt nodded, almost imperceptibly, when hed had enough water and Blaine placed the cup on the nightstand next to the bouquet of flowers Rachel and Mercedes had picked out from the hospital gift shop.

Kurt reached out blindly, fingers connecting with the sleeve of Blaines sweater, tugging him closer until he could lace his fingers with Blaines again.

“How are you doing, honey?” Blaine asked, stomach still a tight knot of tension.

“I dont know,” Kurt managed.

“Do you remember what happened?” he gently prompted.

Kurt frowned, clearly thinking hard. “I cant - I dont...”

“Shh Kurt, its alright,” Blaine interrupted. “Just breathe. You got knocked unconscious so its normal not to remember.” Once Kurts breathing slowed a bit, Blaine continued, trying to think of the least scary way to explain what sounded like a truly terrifying ordeal from what the cops and paramedics had managed to piece together. “You met Rachel for dinner, but she said you two got in a fight over her decision to drop out of NYADA. She left and I guess you decided to walk home alone.”

Kurt inhaled a sharp breath, recognition dawning on his features. “Oh,” he gasped, shutting his eyes. Blaine bit his lip as he watched a few tears leak from the corner of Kurts eye and gently wiped them away with his fingertip.

“You remember now?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Kurt sniffled. “I was trying to help. I couldnt just keep walking and let the same thing that happened to Russ happen again.”

“I know, baby. You were really brave.” Stupid, but brave, Blaine thought, but didnt say out loud. There was a part of him that wanted to scream at his fiance, because the reality was that Kurt couldve been killed. But he had a feeling that Kurt would get an earful from Burt once his flight landed and Blaine simply couldnt bear to even speak his worst fears aloud right now.

“Did the other guy make it?” Kurt asked in a quavering voice.

“Hes fine,” Blaine soothed, stroking Kurts damp cheek. “According to the paramedics who brought him in, you probably saved his life.”

“Really?”

“I swear,” Blaine answered.

Kurts eyes fluttered shut again and this time he couldnt bite back the distressed moan.

“Oh sweetheart,” Blaine winced sympathetically. “Are you in a lot of pain?”

“I – yeah,” Kurt murmured, squeezing Blaines hand tightly.

“Okay, Ill get the nurse,” Blaine said, reluctantly releasing his grip on Kurts hand.

“Wait,” Kurt gasped, reaching for Blaine. His hand landed on Blaines thigh and he grabbed a fistful of Blaines pants, holding on for dear life. “Dont leave, please.”

“Oh no, Im not,” Blaine rushed to reassure. He covered Kurts hand for a moment. “I wont leave. Im right here.”

But Kurt was still panicked, breathing unsteady, hitching breaths.

“Kurt, look at me,” Blaine directed, his voice low and soft. “Youre safe, okay? Im not going to let anything happen to you, I promise.” Blaine brushed a tear from Kurts cheek, waiting while his breathing slowed. “There you go,” he encouraged. “Baby, I just need to stand up for a second so I can grab the nurse call button, alright? Its on the other side of the bed. But Im not leaving.”

Kurt stared at Blaine for a long moment, eyes still wide with fear. At last, he nodded, reluctantly releasing his death grip on Blaine.

Blaine quickly located the call button and summoned the nurse. Every second they spent waiting was practically torture for Blaine since he could see how miserable Kurt was. Thankfully, the nurse arrived within minutes of being called, administering more morphine that she promised would provide fast relief and help Kurt get some more much needed rest.

Blaine smiled down at Kurt, watching his face go slack as the medicine began to kick in. “Feeling better, sweetheart?” he asked.

“Mbetter,” Kurt slurred, his eyes blinking slowly. “Glad youre here. Gonna be the bes husband ever.”

Blaine chuckled. “No, youre going to the best husband. Im happy to be the runner up.”

“Mmkay, sleepy now,” Kurt mumbled.

“Thats good, because you need to rest. Do you need anything else first though?”

“Cold.”

Blaine nodded, reaching for the spare blanket folded at the foot of the hospital bed. He unfurled it carefully, draping the soft fabric over Kurts body and pulling it up to his chin. Despite Kurts best efforts to the contrary, his eyes began to droop shut. “Sweet dreams,” Blaine whispered.

“Mnot sleepin,” Kurt grumbled. He struggled to drag his eyes open again, fixing Blaine with a pleading gaze. “Gotta stay, prmise?”

“I will, Kurt. I swear.” Kurt still looked skeptical, so Blaine carefully settled himself next to Kurt on the bed, taking his hand and lacing their fingers together. “Now close your eyes,” Blaine directed. And just like before, he opened his mouth and began to sing, his words a solemn vow hed been repeating again and again since the moment hed heard that Kurt had been attacked.

Nothings gonna harm you, not while Im around.
Nothings gonna harm you, no sir, not while Im around.

“That was you, earlier?” Kurt asked, his voice barely above a whisper. “Were you singing this song to me before?”

“Yeah, right after the doctor let me see you for the first time. He said you were unconscious though, so I didnt think you could hear me?”

“It was like a dream. I didnt think it was real, but I could hear the words and your voice and I felt safer somehow,” Kurt smiled in the darkness.

Blaine felt the remaining tension begin to leave his body. Rachel had been right. Kurt had known they were there all along.

Demons are prowling everywhere, nowadays,
Ill send em howling, 
I dont care, I got ways.

No ones gonna hurt you, 
No ones gonna dare.
Others can desert you, 
Not to worry, whistle, Ill be there.