"Do you think Blaine'll like it?"

"I hope he does. We worked our butts off on it." Tina stared down at the sheet music in her hands. "The problem is getting him here to see it."

Marley frowned.

"The school's handi-cap accessible, shouldn't --"

"I'm not talking about that." The Asian girl sighed. "I'm talking convincing him to come back."

Marley frowned.

"Why wouldn't he want to?" she asked.

Tina didn't answer.

--

"Dammit!"

"'S not my fault your poker face sucks." Blaine smirked as he reached for the pile of pretzel sticks that had been accumulating over by Cooper's cards.

This was easy. They were seated in close proximity at the dining table, Blaine in his wheel chair (reluctantly so, but he would rather be in it than spend another day on the couch or in his bed) and Cooper in one of the straight backed, wooden chairs that accompanied the dining furniture set.

"You've got to be kidding me. You don't even like pretzels!" Cooper said incredulously.

Blaine rolled his eyes.

"I don't." he grinned and stretched his hoodie, creating a small cup which he brushed the pretzels into. He then dumped them into the trash bag Cooper had rigged as their temporary trashcan...which already held a fair amount of garbage, purely from the junk food the boys hadn't even made a good dent in yet.

"Evil." Cooper muttered, looking longingly at the nearly empty bag of pretzels that lay on the table. "You know those are my favorite."

"I probably am -- and I've known that since I was six. New Year's Eve -- You ate an entire bowl on a dare from Uncle Danny."

Cooper smirked.

"And Dad was so pissed when I threw up in the sink afterward." he said proudly.

"Uncle Danny loved it." Blaine laughed, shoving his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. "He should come visit again."

"Well there is the annual Anderson Family dinner at Christmas." Blaine's smile faded a little. "I miss him."

"I do too, but you know Dad would kill him."

"He gave me a pink notebook. Most people would get over that after twelve years."

"This is Dad we're talking about." Cooper watched his brother reach up to pet at the head of Margaret Thatcher Dog, who was slung over his shoulder. Blaine had refused to leave the stuffed animal in his room when he'd gotten up for the morning.

"Coop, do you think I could --"

He shook his head.

"No, Blaine."

Blaine looked at him pleadingly.

"I just want to talk to him, Cooper. I-I have to."

The elder brother shook his head and stood up.

"It's been a week, Blaine. I think you need to wait a while." he paused. "I'll go get your medication. We need to leave in a couple hours -- meet with your therapist."

"I don't want to."

Cooper said nothing as he headed to the kitchen.

--

Kurt was lying on his bed, one hand playing idly with the comforter where it covered the other side of the bed.

Two days since it had happened, and Blaine was gone.

Blaine had cheated.

He was probably back in Ohio by now, practicing for Sectionals with the rest of New Directions.

The countertenor rolled onto his stomach, burying his face in his pillow. He just wanted to lie there the whole day, maybe pull out his laptop and watch My Fair Lady

His phone rang. Kurt almost didn't answer it, thinking it was Blaine. However, curiosity won and he picked it up, eyes widening when he read the contact info:

Dad.

He picked up immediately.

"Dad?"

"Kurt." he was surprised by the tired, tense tone of his father's voice. "Been trying to get a hold of you since yesterday, kid."

"I'm sorry. Phone was dead." He didn't want his father to know the real reason that he hadn't picked up his phone:. he was just too afraid it was Blaine calling to even pick up and check. "What's going on? Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine, bud...but you need to know -- Blaine isn't."

The brunette felt his heart sink. How could his father have -- ? Wait. He was still talking.

"Blaine was in a car accident on his way back from the airport." he paused. "He's in a coma."

He felt like he'd been punched in the gut. And Burt was talking about back injuries, a broken spinal column, and how if Blaine woke up, he'd most likely be in a wheel chair for the rest of his life.

This was all his fault.

They talked about everything.

Even last year with the whole issue of Chandler.
Why couldn't they have tried talking this over? Why hadn't he stopped Blaine from leaving?

A strangled sob left his lips as tears began to form in his eyes.

"Kurt, hey -- he's -- he'll wake up. He will. I promise."

"You don't know that." his son cried, curling in on himself. Somewhere behind him he heard Rachel asking what was going on. He ignored her. "Oh God it's all my fault --"

"It's not --"

"I'm sorry dad, I have to go," he choked out. "Call me if anything changes?"

"I will. Love you."

"I love you too."

Kurt hung up. Then he cried.

"How is he?" Kurt stared desperately at his father across the table.

Burt shrugged.

"Honestly, we haven't heard from Cooper since Blaine was discharged. He was about the same when we left. Still asking about you." he studied his son's expression for a moment, then said, "I don't think it's a good idea for you to visit him."

The countertenor said nothing, simply staring down at the cup of coffee on the table in front of him.

"I feel like I need to." he said.

"Kurt --"

"You don't understand, Dad -- I have to know if he was telling the truth...about c-cheating on me." He fought to keep himself from vommitting; the word itself was just as horrible to comprehend as the possibility that Blaine had actually done it. "I promise that if he doesn't want to see me, I'll leave. I won't bother him."

Burt bit his lip, thoughtful.

"It's up to you," he said finally. "I can't force you not to see him...and I wouldn't anyway. Just --"

Kurt smiled.

"Thank you."

--

"Was wonderin' what kept you."

"Sorry...just ran late is all." pause. "You look nice, Eli."

"Who doesn't want to look good when hangin' out with a sexy thing like you, Blaine?"

The comment made him feel uncomfortable, but he shrugged it off. They were only going to watch movies. Just movies. He couldn't do this to Kurt. He couldn't cheat.

"C'mon in," Eli grinned at him, green eyes roving over his body. "I've got Guys and Dolls in the DVD player in the living room."

Just movies. Just movies with a friend.

That was all.

Blaine sat in the car, waiting while Cooper loaded his wheel chair into the trunk. They'd already met with his physical therapist for an evaluation of his injuries and the kind of exercises he'd need to keep his body functioning properly.

They were headed to speak with a psychiatrist that the hospital had recommended. The younger Anderson hadn't said a word.

"They said you can still box, you know. It'll keep your arm muscles in shape."

Nothing. Cooper sighed and started the engine.

It was going to be a long drive.

--

"I was with someone."

"It doesn't matter who it was with, what matters is that I was alone. I needed you and you weren't there."

"I'm sorry, Kurt. I really am."

"I think you better just wait for me outside." Kurt stared up at the Anderson house, eyes drifting down to the drive where a blue Mustang was parked. Blaine's green station wagon wasn't there -- it had been towed to Hummel Tire and Lube. Burt was doing the repairs, which Cooper was paying for.

He knew that the Mustang couldn't be Cooper's rental car -- but that still gave him no clue on who owned it. From the way Blaine had talked about his parents (briefly) Kurt hadn't taken them for the type of people to own a car like that.

Then the front door opened and he saw a man and a woman exit the house. The woman had long, dark hair (which Blaine had no doubt inherited), and the man had brown hair just like Cooper. Both were dressed impeccably in business attire.

And they appeared to be arguing.

"Look Lee, it's on him and Cooper. They made this mess, and they have to fix it."

"Cooper's not --"

"He accepts Blaine's -- problem." the man snapped. "Which means he contributes to it. He can pay off the hospital bill. I'm not bothering."

"Jack --"

"No! That's my final word on the subject. Let's go -- we're going to be late."

At that moment a small, gray Prius pulled into the driveway. Kurt saw Cooper get out, and Jack react -- badly.

"What the hell are you doing?!" he yelled. "Faxing me hospital bills and other expenses that the insurrance won't cover? Are you insane?"

"No, I'm looking out for my brother, something you obviously don't want to!" Cooper folded his arms. "Want to explain to me why the hell you decided to suddenly come back to Ohio?"

"Business meeting." his father responded coldly. "Not that it's any of your business."

"It is when Blaine ends up hurt and your head is so far up your ass with ignorance that you can't --"

"Watch your mouth!"

"I'm twenty-seven. That really doesn't work on me anymore, you asshole. At least pretend to care that your younger son is going to be permanently crippled for the rest of his life."

"I would if he'd get over his stupid --"

Cooper shook his head.

"Don't. Don't even go there. You know it's not a problem, and you know damn well --"

"Fine! If you care so much, you can pay it off, Cooper! I'm done -- done with both of you." Jack looked over at his wife. "Selena we're going to be late. Get in the car."Cooper waited until his parents were gone before walking down to Finn's truck. Finn rolled down the window so they could talk.

"How long have you two been here?" he asked, voice strained.

"Twenty minutes maybe." said Finn.

Cooper looked at Kurt.

"I'll talk to you inside. I get the feeling Blaine's freaking out and I need him to be calm if you're going to actually talk to him."

All Kurt could do was nod and hope Blaine would actually talk to him.