AN: Sorry for the delay. Here is the last chapter!

On Thursday, Burt goes back to work. Finn stays home to do whatever it is Finn does during summer vacation. Carole and Kurt spend all day at the hospital again.

Kurt fluffs Blaine's pillows, rubs his back, feeds him soup, and finds the best shows on TV, even if Blaine is only awake enough to watch them for a few minutes here and there. It's easy to see how much Kurt loves his boyfriend.

Carole handles the steady stream of doctors and nurses with their information and their questions. She keeps tabs on what each pill, injection, and IV bag is and what it's supposed to do. She checks Blaine's forehead for fever in between visits from the nurse. She pats his arm and assures him that he's going to be just fine. She is, for all intents and purposes, Blaine's mother.

And Blaine seems kind of okay with that.

On Friday, Blaine's doctors decide that he's well enough to go home. He'll still have a couple weeks of recovery before he's feeling back to normal, but there's no need for him to be stuck in the hospital any longer.

There's a delay while they wait for the Andersons to receive the faxed discharge papers, sign, and return them, so Blaine isn't actually discharged until early evening.

The nurse takes out Blaine's IV, then hands Carole a stack of papers with home care instructions and a multitude of prescriptions. "We usually give these to the parents, but given the circumstances…" she trails off.

Carole nods and accepts the papers. "I'll take care of it. We'll take care of him."

The nurse smiles and pats Blaine's shoulder. "I know he's in good hands. Go ahead and get dressed, sweetie. Transport should be here in a few minutes, okay?"

Blaine nods. His neck still looks stiff and sore, but much better than it was. "Thank you for everything."

The nurse leaves, and Kurt retrieves Blaine's pajama pants and T-shirt. Carole's glad she thought to take them home and wash them. She helps Kurt get Blaine out of the hospital gown and into the clothes. When they're finished, Blaine sits on the edge of the bed with his legs dangling down, looking absolutely exhausted.

"Don't worry," Carole says. "You can go to bed as soon as we get home if you want."

Blaine smiles up at her. "That obvious, huh?"

She tousles his curls and smiles back. "Just a little bit."

Carole pulls the car up, and a hospital employee wheels Blaine out to the curb. They get him situated in the backseat next to Kurt.

"Let's get you home," Carole says, pulling away and happily leaving the hospital behind.

It's quiet in the backseat. Carole glances in the rearview mirror, and even though they've only been on the road for a few minutes, Blaine's eyes are closed and his head is on Kurt's shoulder. She smiles at the sight. "Is he out already?"

"Think so," Kurt says softly. They ride in silence, letting Blaine get the rest he obviously needs. They're almost home before Kurt speaks again. "Hey, Carole?"

"Yeah, hun?"

"Thank you. For being at the hospital. For taking care of Blaine."

"Oh, Kurt, you don't have to thank me."

"I know. But it means a lot to me to know that I have a stepmom who's not only there for my dad, but there for me and the important people in my life, too. So, thank you."

Carole's heart melts. "You're welcome, Kurt."

They pull into the driveway. Burt is home, tinkering with something in the garage. Carole hears Kurt trying to wake Blaine, tempting him with the comfortable bed and soft pillows waiting upstairs. Carole smiles at her husband as he approaches the car.

"How's he doing?"

"Tired, but better. Let's get him up to bed, then I'll go fill his prescriptions."

Burt nods and goes to help Kurt, who is pulling a very sleepy Blaine out of the car.

"Here," Burt says, standing next to Blaine. "Put your arm on my shoulders, kid. I got ya."

They walk slowly into the house, Burt on one side of Blaine, Kurt on the other. When they get inside, Finn dashes to the entryway.

"I thought I heard car doors. Hey, Blaine. Good to see you broke out of that place. How are you feeling?"

"Just tired," Blaine says. It's obvious by his voice just how true that is.

"Need help?" Finn asks.

Burt nods towards the stairs. "You want to follow behind us just in case he falls?"

Finn obeys. It takes them a while, but eventually they get Blaine into bed in the guest bedroom. He's pale and breathing hard.

"You okay?" Kurt asks.

"Yeah. Tired."

Finn had disappeared for a minute, but returns with a bottle of water. "Here," he says, uncapping it and handing it to Blaine.

Carole smiles and pats Finn's cheek. "Thank you, honey."

Blaine takes a few sips and his breathing returns to normal.

"Is that bed more comfortable than the hospital bed?" Burt asks.

"You have no idea," Blaine says with a smile.

"You should get some sleep," Carole says. "I'm going to go fill your prescriptions. Can I get you anything else while I'm out?"

"No, thank you."

"C'mon, Kurt," Burt says. "Let Blaine rest. If you need us, just yell, okay?"

"Actually…can Kurt stay?" Blaine asks. "I just…"

"Sure," Burt interrupts before Blaine can finish. "As long as the door is open and you promise to rest."

"Promise," Blaine echoes.

"Thanks, Dad." Kurt takes a seat on the bed next to Blaine.

Carol e makes sure Blaine is tucked in and notices that his eyes are already falling shut. "Sleep well, Blaine." She smiles at Kurt, then follows Burt and Finn out of the room. She wraps her arm around her husband's waist. "I'm so glad he's okay."

Burt leans over and kisses the top of her head. "Me too."

When she returns from the pharmacy, both Kurt and Blaine are sound asleep on the guest bed, Kurt's arm draped protectively around Blaine's waist.

Carole can't help but smile.

Kurt wakes in the middle of the night and realizes that his dad and Carole let him stay in the guest bedroom for the night. Sure, the door is wide open and Blaine's far too sick to do even think of doing anything, but it's still nice to be curled up next to him.

He feels Blaine stir. He listens for the deep, heavy breathing of sleep but doesn't hear it. "Blaine?" he whispers.

"Yeah." Blaine rolls onto his back.

"Why are you awake? Are you okay?" Kurt automatically pulls a hand out from under the covers to feel Blaine's forehead. It's cool and dry.

"I'm fine," he responds softly.

"Does your head hurt?"

"Not too bad."

Kurt rolls onto his side and toys with one Blaine's curls. "Then why aren't you asleep?"

"Just thinking."

"About what?"

Blaine sighs. "My parents come back today."

This is a fact that Kurt has been trying to avoid thinking about. "I know."

"I have to go home."

"Unless we kidnap you or something. I mean, you're at Dalton most of the year anyway. Would your parents really notice if you were gone the rest of the year, too?"

"Kurt," Blaine says, and edge of disapproval to his tone.

"Sorry. I just...like having you here."

Blaine laughs. "If you've enjoyed the past week, you have pretty low standards."

Kurt snuggles a little closer. "I like spending time with you no matter what. If that time excludes you being sick and in the hospital, that's just icing on the cake."

"You're sweet," Blaine says, leaning over and gently kissing Kurt's lips. "You know, my parents are going out of town again in a few weeks. Maybe we can have a re-do then?"

"Really?" Kurt asks.

"Yeah. I promise not to get sick again. We can go shopping, cook, go to dinner and a movie."

Kurt smiles because even though he's glad he and his family were there for Blaine, he is still kind of disappointed that their plans fell through, and the idea of trying those plans again is appealing. "Maybe we actually will go mini-golfing. Or ice skating. You can hold my hand so I won't fall."

"I like how you assume that I know how to skate," Blaine says with a laugh.

They continue talking and laughing, planning the perfect, if slightly silly, week. A few minutes later, the light in the hallway goes on and Carole appears in the doorway.

"Hi Carole," Kurt says. He inches away from Blaine, but only a little.

"What are you two doing up?" she asks. She comes into the room and turns on a lamp.

"Just talking," Blaine says.

"Well, I'm glad you're awake because it's time for your medicine. How are you feeling?" She checks his forehead as well.

"My head hurts some. Not too bad."

"One pain pill or two?" Carole asks.

"One."

Carole takes pills out of a few bottles and hands them to Blaine along with some water.

"Thank you," he says.

"You're welcome. Can I get you anything else? Anything to eat or drink?"

Blaine starts to say that he's fine, but Kurt gets an idea and stops him. "Blaine, before you answer that, you should know that Carole makes the world's best French toast, and I happen to know that it tastes best in the middle of the night."

"Really? I do love French toast…"

Carole shakes her head, smiling and rolling her eyes. "I'll go heat up the griddle."

As Carole heads downstairs, Kurt kisses his boyfriend. "Love you."

Blaine smiles. "Love you, too."

Blaine is curled up on the couch next to Kurt, watching TV. His suitcase is already packed and sitting by the door. Because of his exhaustion and the lingering stiffness in his neck, he's in no shape to drive home. His parents will be here any minute to pick him up.

Sure enough, the doorbell rings right on time. Blaine pulls himself out of Kurt's arms and into a seated position.

"Got it," Burt says, heading to the front door.

"Don't go," Kurt pleads, one more time.

Blaine sighs and kisses Kurt. "As soon as I can drive and actually stay awake, we'll have date night, okay? And until then you can call or text me as much as you want."

Kurt sighs. "It'll have to do."

Burt appears in the living room, followed closely by Blaine's mother. Of course, her hair, make-up, and outfit are all perfect. It's impossible to tell that she's just been on a plane for a ridiculously long time.

"Hi, Mom," Blaine says. "This is my friend, Kurt." He thinks Kurt tenses at the word "friend," but he can't be sure.

"Hello, Mrs. Anderson," Kurt says.

"Hello, Kurt. Blaine. Sweetheart, how are you?"

"I'm fine," Blaine answers.

"He's doing better now," Burt adds, "but he was pretty sick. Gave us all quite a scare."

"Well, I apologize for any inconvenience he caused," his mother says. "With a little rest, I'm sure Blaine will be back on his feet in no time."

"Actually," Carole says as she joins them, carrying all of Blaine's medications and home care instructions, "the doctors said it could be a few weeks before he's feeling back to normal. He's still on several medications and will need to follow up with his doctor sometime next week."

Blaine's mother looks slightly ill at ease when Carole hands her the papers and pill bottles. "Right. Well, Blaine, I'm sure you can sort all of this out. Right?"

Instead of responding, Blaine asks, "Where's Dad?"

"He went straight from the airport to the office with John. Some kind of emergency. You understand," she says with charming smile. "Will it be all right if we pick up Blaine's car tomorrow or Monday?"

"Sure," Burt answers. "Anytime."

"Thank you. Ready to go, sweetheart?"

Blaine nods and stands. He gives Kurt a quick, very non-boyfriend-like hug. "Thank you, Kurt. I'll talk to you later?"

Kurt nods. Blaine tries not to notice how sad he looks. Blaine wants to hug him for real. To kiss him. But he won't. He can't.

Instead, he approaches Carole, who pulls him in for a tight hug before he can think twice about it.

"You take care of yourself, okay?" she says. "Rest and feel better soon. I'll be checking up on you."

"Okay. Thank you for everything. Really."

"You're welcome, Blaine." When she pulls away, Blaine notices tears in her eyes. She puts an arm around Kurt's shoulders.

Next, Blaine turns to Burt. "Mr. Hummel," he says, extending a hand for a handshake. Burt scoffs and hugs him instead. "Thank you," Blaine says into Burt's shoulder.

"You're welcome here anytime, kid. Call us if you need anything, okay?"

Blaine nods and picks up his suitcase. His mother gives a polite but insincere "thank you," and starts walking toward the car. Blaine gives one last smile to Kurt and Carole, then follows her out the door.

He knew leaving Kurt at the end of the week wouldn't be easy, but he had no idea that going home would be this hard.

He puts his suitcase in the backseat and climbs into the passenger seat. He's exhausted, but he's not sure if it's physical exhaustion from walking out to the car or emotional exhaustion from saying goodbye. As his mom pulls away, he waves to Kurt, who is watching from the window.

Blaine clears his throat to fight back tears. "So, Mom, how was your trip?" He knows he doesn't actually sound interested, but she doesn't seem to mind.

"Oh, it was lovely. Your father had to work a lot, but there were a few other wives there, and we spent the time sight-seeing. We got to see…"

As his mom continues talking, Blaine stops listening.

Instead, he counts down the days to his parents' next trip and wonders how he got the best boyfriend and the best second family in the world…

AN: Thank you very much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this story!