Fic: I.C.U. (I See You)
Title: I.C.U. (I See You)
Rating: R for language
Pairing: None (Kurt centric)
Spoilers: Through Grilled Cheesus
Summary: In the ICU, Kurt makes a new friend.
Kurt sighed as he watched his friends disappear around a corner. He didn’t know why they couldn’t get it. The acupuncturist began pulling out the needles and suddenly Kurt realized that he couldn’t witness this. He excused himself, stepped outside the room realizing suddenly that he had no where to go. He slid down the wall outside of his father’s room, a tear sliding down his cheek when someone walked out of the room next to his dad’s. She looked down at him and sat down immediately next to him. She looked young, but older at the same time. She appeared like she might be about Kurt’s age, but he didn’t know who she was. She had a dark sadness in her eyes, though.
“It’s tough, I know.” she said. He couldn’t quite manage words, so he just nodded his agreement. “I’m sorry about what your friends did, that’s kind of tacky.” He looked up at her.
“It’s quiet in ICU and I get bored, so I listen to the conversations around me.” She shrugged, offering him a slight apologetic look.
“It’s okay, we were kind of loud.” he offered back wiping at the tears that he couldn’t stop. “As long as you don’t make me pray about it…”
She gave him a smile. “I don’t believe in God.” His head snapped up.
“Really?” he asked. “Why?”
“Well, I used to.” she said. “Then…” she trailed off and he suddenly realized just how personal and rude that question was. He was just so relieved to hear someone else say it.
“I’m sorry, you don’t have to answer that.” he backtracked.
“No, it’s okay.” She said. “One day, I came to the realization that, if there was a God, how horribly mean he was. If He could prevent these horrible things from happening, why didn’t He? I just decided that I’d rather believe that there wasn’t anyone there than that there was someone there who just didn’t care about me.” She sighed, heavily.
“Yeah, I get that.” He said, after a minute. “I’m Kurt.” He held out his hand to her and she shook it.
“Kurt…Burt and Kurt.” she said, smiling. “That’s cute.”
“How did you know my dad’s name?” he asked. She shrugged again.
“Like I said, it’s pretty quiet up here so when there’s a new admittance or a change, you can hear the people talking. I’m Kate.”
“My mom’s name was Katie.” he told her. She just looked at him for a minute, unsure if he planned to continue talking to her. “She died. It’s just me and my dad now.” He choked up again, under the realization that that statement might no longer be true.
“I get that.” she said, echoing his statement from a minute earlier. He suddenly realized that he had no idea who else was on this floor or why. He had been so wrapped up in his own problems. “That’s my mom’s room.” She said, nodding her head behind her at the room she had emerged from.
“What happened?” he asked. “I mean, if you want to talk about it.”
“About a month ago, she was in a really bad car crash. She’s been here ever since.” She said the words like she had rehearsed them, but he could hear the pain behind them. He reached out and grabbed her hand. “I haven’t spoken to my father in over five years and my little sister, well, she decided that this wasn’t a good enough reason to come home so I’m on my own.”
“That…really sucks.” Kurt said. “Do you go to McKinley High? I don’t remember seeing you around there.”
She let out a little laugh. “I did…about eight years ago.” She grinned. “I graduated in 2002.” He gawked at her for a minute.
“You don’t…look…” he struggled with what he was trying to say.
“It’s okay, no one ever thinks I’m as old as I am. I’m told that this will be a good thing in later years. Now, I still get carded at the movies.” She chuckled.
He laughed, too, realizing that it felt really good to laugh. “Most people think I’m younger than I am, too.”
They sat in companionable silence on the floor for a few minutes. “Look, this is probably going to sound stupid, but I’m starving and I could really use the company: would you want to come downstairs and get some dinner with me?” She finally asked.
Suddenly, Kurt felt guilty. Here was a woman, ten years his senior, asking him on the world’s most fucked up date. “I’m…” he started, cheeks blushing as he tried to figure out a way to let her down gently.
She laughed really loud then. “Gay. Yeah, I picked up on that. I’m gay, too, honey. I just meant for food and company.”
Then he felt really dumb and blushed harder. “Sure.” he muttered.
“Look, the way I see it, very few people understand what you’re going through. I’m one of them. We both have to eat, because starving yourself to stay vigil at the bedside, not a good idea, let me tell you. I think we could be friends, don’t you?” She asked him. He nodded yes. “I always wanted a little brother.” she winked.
“I always wanted a big sister.” He meant to make the words joking, but he always had wanted a sister and this girl he had met less than ten minutes ago already felt more like family than anyone in Glee Club (except, maybe Finn). “Sure, let’s get dinner.” He hesitated. “Let me go tell my dad first.” He half expected to be ridiculed for talking to a parent who couldn’t talk back. But Kate nodded.
“Yeah, I’ve got to tell my mom, too.” she agreed, heading to her own room. It was then that Kurt was struck by how true her words were. No matter how much they loved him or how well meaning they were, his friends couldn’t understand what he was going through. But it seemed that maybe Katie could. He stepped into his dad’s room and the acupuncturist was removing the last needle.
“He did well. I hope this helps.” She offers. Kurt smiles wanly at her.
“Thank you.” She nods and him and then leaves. Kurt picks up his father’s hand. “Hey Dad, I’m going to go downstairs and get a bite to eat with the daughter of the girl in the room next to yours. I’ve got my cell phone on me so…” he trailed off, leaning over his dad and kissing his forehead. “I love you, Dad.” he said.
As he stepped back into the hallway, Katie was already informing the nurses that they were running downstairs but to page or call them if there was any change to either of them. The nurse seemed to know and like Katie and she nodded her agreement. Upon seeing Kurt, Katie smiled and beckoned him over to the elevator. “You know, for a hospital, the food isn’t really too bad here.”
Part Two
Rating: R for language
Pairing: None (Kurt centric)
Spoilers: Through Grilled Cheesus
Summary: In the ICU, Kurt makes a new friend.
Kurt sighed as he watched his friends disappear around a corner. He didn’t know why they couldn’t get it. The acupuncturist began pulling out the needles and suddenly Kurt realized that he couldn’t witness this. He excused himself, stepped outside the room realizing suddenly that he had no where to go. He slid down the wall outside of his father’s room, a tear sliding down his cheek when someone walked out of the room next to his dad’s. She looked down at him and sat down immediately next to him. She looked young, but older at the same time. She appeared like she might be about Kurt’s age, but he didn’t know who she was. She had a dark sadness in her eyes, though.
“It’s tough, I know.” she said. He couldn’t quite manage words, so he just nodded his agreement. “I’m sorry about what your friends did, that’s kind of tacky.” He looked up at her.
“It’s quiet in ICU and I get bored, so I listen to the conversations around me.” She shrugged, offering him a slight apologetic look.
“It’s okay, we were kind of loud.” he offered back wiping at the tears that he couldn’t stop. “As long as you don’t make me pray about it…”
She gave him a smile. “I don’t believe in God.” His head snapped up.
“Really?” he asked. “Why?”
“Well, I used to.” she said. “Then…” she trailed off and he suddenly realized just how personal and rude that question was. He was just so relieved to hear someone else say it.
“I’m sorry, you don’t have to answer that.” he backtracked.
“No, it’s okay.” She said. “One day, I came to the realization that, if there was a God, how horribly mean he was. If He could prevent these horrible things from happening, why didn’t He? I just decided that I’d rather believe that there wasn’t anyone there than that there was someone there who just didn’t care about me.” She sighed, heavily.
“Yeah, I get that.” He said, after a minute. “I’m Kurt.” He held out his hand to her and she shook it.
“Kurt…Burt and Kurt.” she said, smiling. “That’s cute.”
“How did you know my dad’s name?” he asked. She shrugged again.
“Like I said, it’s pretty quiet up here so when there’s a new admittance or a change, you can hear the people talking. I’m Kate.”
“My mom’s name was Katie.” he told her. She just looked at him for a minute, unsure if he planned to continue talking to her. “She died. It’s just me and my dad now.” He choked up again, under the realization that that statement might no longer be true.
“I get that.” she said, echoing his statement from a minute earlier. He suddenly realized that he had no idea who else was on this floor or why. He had been so wrapped up in his own problems. “That’s my mom’s room.” She said, nodding her head behind her at the room she had emerged from.
“What happened?” he asked. “I mean, if you want to talk about it.”
“About a month ago, she was in a really bad car crash. She’s been here ever since.” She said the words like she had rehearsed them, but he could hear the pain behind them. He reached out and grabbed her hand. “I haven’t spoken to my father in over five years and my little sister, well, she decided that this wasn’t a good enough reason to come home so I’m on my own.”
“That…really sucks.” Kurt said. “Do you go to McKinley High? I don’t remember seeing you around there.”
She let out a little laugh. “I did…about eight years ago.” She grinned. “I graduated in 2002.” He gawked at her for a minute.
“You don’t…look…” he struggled with what he was trying to say.
“It’s okay, no one ever thinks I’m as old as I am. I’m told that this will be a good thing in later years. Now, I still get carded at the movies.” She chuckled.
He laughed, too, realizing that it felt really good to laugh. “Most people think I’m younger than I am, too.”
They sat in companionable silence on the floor for a few minutes. “Look, this is probably going to sound stupid, but I’m starving and I could really use the company: would you want to come downstairs and get some dinner with me?” She finally asked.
Suddenly, Kurt felt guilty. Here was a woman, ten years his senior, asking him on the world’s most fucked up date. “I’m…” he started, cheeks blushing as he tried to figure out a way to let her down gently.
She laughed really loud then. “Gay. Yeah, I picked up on that. I’m gay, too, honey. I just meant for food and company.”
Then he felt really dumb and blushed harder. “Sure.” he muttered.
“Look, the way I see it, very few people understand what you’re going through. I’m one of them. We both have to eat, because starving yourself to stay vigil at the bedside, not a good idea, let me tell you. I think we could be friends, don’t you?” She asked him. He nodded yes. “I always wanted a little brother.” she winked.
“I always wanted a big sister.” He meant to make the words joking, but he always had wanted a sister and this girl he had met less than ten minutes ago already felt more like family than anyone in Glee Club (except, maybe Finn). “Sure, let’s get dinner.” He hesitated. “Let me go tell my dad first.” He half expected to be ridiculed for talking to a parent who couldn’t talk back. But Kate nodded.
“Yeah, I’ve got to tell my mom, too.” she agreed, heading to her own room. It was then that Kurt was struck by how true her words were. No matter how much they loved him or how well meaning they were, his friends couldn’t understand what he was going through. But it seemed that maybe Katie could. He stepped into his dad’s room and the acupuncturist was removing the last needle.
“He did well. I hope this helps.” She offers. Kurt smiles wanly at her.
“Thank you.” She nods and him and then leaves. Kurt picks up his father’s hand. “Hey Dad, I’m going to go downstairs and get a bite to eat with the daughter of the girl in the room next to yours. I’ve got my cell phone on me so…” he trailed off, leaning over his dad and kissing his forehead. “I love you, Dad.” he said.
As he stepped back into the hallway, Katie was already informing the nurses that they were running downstairs but to page or call them if there was any change to either of them. The nurse seemed to know and like Katie and she nodded her agreement. Upon seeing Kurt, Katie smiled and beckoned him over to the elevator. “You know, for a hospital, the food isn’t really too bad here.”
Part Two