Fic: Hide and Seek Ch. 21/? Rated R
Title: Hide and Seek (Ch. 21/?)
Author: spookykat
Rating: R/T
Pairing: Klaine, mentions of other s3 canon pairings.
Word count: 1,488 for this chapter, approximately 36k overall so far
Warnings: Abduction, kidnapping, bondage in a non-smutty context, foul language, homophobic slurs, violence, blood and gore (but not terribly descriptive).
Summary: Sebastian promised the Warblers that if they made him Captain, he'd get them to Nationals. Unfortunately for Kurt, Sebastian intends to keep that promise.
Spoilers: Spoilers for Michael apply, also for Congressman!Burt
A/N: I'm choosing to ignore the fact that Sam lives with the Hudmels now, because this chapter was written before that bit of info was revealed. Also, the events of On My Way and beyond do not apply to this story.
Chapter 1
Chapter 20
Blaine was only viscerally aware of time and space passing. He barely thought to call his parents to tell them where he was going.
He told his mother in a rush what had happened, and added that they could ground him if they wanted, but Kurt was alive and in a hospital, and that’s where he needed to be.
To his surprise, all his mother had to say was “Which hospital?”
“Burt says he was in a hospital in Fort Wayne, Indiana.”
“Indiana! Blaine if you think you’re driving all that way at this time of night…”
He heard some typing in the background.
“Mom, I’m fine. I just really really need to go right now.”
“Which hospital?”
“Um…DuPont, I think?”
“You’ve waited almost a month. You can wait ten minutes. Now tell me where you are so I can pick you up and take you there. I really don’t want you alone right now, and I certainly don’t want you driving across state lines alone this time of night.”
And that was how Blaine found himself sitting in DuPont Hospital, hunched over in a chair in the waiting area between because they wouldn’t let him on the floor since they were still running tests with his mother awkwardly patting his hand in an attempt to be reassuring. Burt was hunched over filling out paper work, and that was to be expected. What he didn’t understand, though, was why Mike’s dad was filling out paper work across from him.
“I cannot believe my son was so careless!” Mr. Chang was ranting. “His mother and I did not raise him to be so foolish. I do not understand why law enforcement was not notified.”
“Mr. Chang,” Burt replied. “What your son and his friend did was stupid. But as far as I’m concerned, they’re heroes. Because of them, for the first time in a month, I’m in the same building as my kid, and that’s…” he scrubbed his face with his hand. “Well, it’s big. Huge.”
“Blaine!” Finn greeted. “Hey, dude. Thanks for comin’.”
Blaine shrugged as if to say “Where else would I be?” Blaine asked, then let out a shakey sigh, bracing himself for the answer.
“So…how is he?”
“We dunno,” Burt said with a heavy sigh.
“We’re still kinda waiting on a full report,” Finn supplied. “They didn’t really tell us much when we got here and we haven’t seen him yet ‘cause they were doing a bunch of tests and stuff.”
“What is Mike’s dad doing here?” Blaine asked in a hushed tone, jerking his head in the direction of the two older men.
“Oh! I don’t really have all the details yet, but according to the cops, Mike was trying to carry Kurt up some stairs when he got shot.”
“Wow,” was all Blaine could say to that. “I just…wow. Mike is going to get an awesome Christmas present from me this year. Somebody should call Tina. She should be here, too.”
“He wasn’t like, fatally wounded or anything,” Finn supplied. “He just grazed on his arm.”
“Yeah…still,” Blaine replied. “I just…it feels like someone should let her know. She’s going to wonder why Mike’s not at school tomorrow.”
“Do you know how long it’ll be?” Blaine’s mother spoke up for the first time, and all eyes were on her. “Before you all can see him? Kurt, I mean. I should tell my husband when to expect Blaine and myself back.”
Finn exchanged glances with Burt.
“Mom, if you need to go home, just go,” Blaine said. “But I’m staying here.”
“Yeah, one of us can take the kid home,” Burt agreed.
“That doesn’t answer my question,” she insisted.
“We dunno,” Burt repeated. “They called us and told us that he was here, and we’ve been here an hour, and nobody’s said anything since.”
“I mean, that could be a good thing,” Finn said. “They haven’t spoken to us yet because they’re busy keeping him alive and stuff.
So…”
“So.” Blaine said, stuffing his hands in his pockets and shuffling his feet, because he didn’t know what else to do.
He was about to start a text to Tina when the doors swung open again.
“Bitches better bow!” Santana crowed with her arm flung in the crook of a stranger’s elbow. Next to her was an older Hispanic woman. “Next time I see you, Tall, Dark and Silent, it better not be to bail you out of jail. Now, who wants to hear the tale of how Auntie Tana saved the gay?”
“Matt!” Finn greeted, hugging him so tight Blaine was worried he was going to crack the poor guy’s rib. “You were in jail for this?”
“Not technically. Just brought in for questioning. Mrs. Lopez here is my legal eagle. She’s the real hero as far as I’m concerned.”
“I understand why you were afraid being African American would cause you more trouble, but still, Matthew, why you did not call the police…”
“So you’re Matt!” Blaine said. Then he hugged him, too. “Blaine, by the way,” he said when he pulled away.
“Um, hi?” Matt said. Now it was his turn to shuffle on his feet and look down at the ground as he felt all eyes on him.
“What you did...that was…you’re getting an even bigger Christmas present from me than Mike is. All I need is your address. And your last name would help, too.”
“From me, too, by the way,” Burt said, getting up for the first time. “I don’t know if I can ever repay you for what you did.”
“Um, Christmas presents really aren’t necessary,” Matt said, still looking at the floor. “It was stupid. We’re all just lucky Santana called 9-1-1, or it could’ve ended really differently.”
“Finally, someone recognizes,” Santana said. “So anyone want to fill me in?”
“We’re just waiting right now,” Finn said. “They’re doing tests. Mike was shot in the arm, but he’ll be fine.”
“And what about Kurt?” Santana rushed out. It was perhaps the first time Blaine had ever heard her use his actual name. It sounded odd coming from her lips.
“We don’t know yet, Santana,” Finn answered, worry etched in his expression like Blaine had never really seen before. He watched the elevators as if he was willing a doctor with answers for them to emerge from it.
“Seriously?” Santana ranted. “Do I have to do everything?! Which doctor do I need to fuck to get some fucking answers around here!”
That was the Santana Blaine knew.
“Santana! Watch your language!” her mother barked.
“Sorry Mami, you know I can’t be held responsible for my tongue right now.”
“I know you’re scared for your friends, Santana, and it’s one thing to talk like that around your friends, but there’s a time and place for everything, Mija.”
Santana rolled her eyes. “Please. I don’t even like Hummel and I barely know Chang. Why would I be…” her breath stopped as a red-headed woman emerged from the elevator.
“Are you Kurt Hummel’s family?”
The ones who weren’t standing (Burt and Mr. Chang) were on their feet now, and everyone stopped talking.
“I’m his father,” Burt said as he stood.
“He’s stabilized for the time being. His wrist is fractured, as well as one of his ribs. Also, the skin around his ankles particularly was beginning to show signs of infection, and we are treating it with antibiotics. He seems to have been severely malnourished as well as dehydrated. We can’t be sure how long it’s been since he ate or drank last, but we are giving him nutrients through a tube, as well as a saline solution intravenously. The dehydration, is, of course, complicating the healing process, so we need to address that first before we move forward with treatment.”
“But you can move forward, right?” Burt asked.
“He’s unresponsive at the moment, which is most likely due to the head injury he suffered just prior to being brought here. With head injuries, it’s never certain how they will effect any given patient, so I can’t really give you a time-frame when you can expect a recovery, although the X-Ray didn’t seem to indicate a major fracture, so it’s looking pretty good.”
“So what you’re saying is he’s in a coma?” Blaine asked.
The doctor nodded.
“So when can I see him?” Burt demanded.
“I’ll take you to him now,” she said.
Everyone began to file into the elevator, but she pressed the ‘open’ button.
“It’s after visiting hours and a crowd like this is not going to go over with the staff. Two a time, please.”
Finn exchange a glance with Blaine. “You should go, Dude. I need to call my mom and let her know what’s going on.”
Finn didn’t need to tell Blaine twice.
With a ding, the elevator doors closed, and Blaine couldn’t believe it.
It was over.
Kurt was back.
It was going to be okay.
It had to be.
Chapter 22