When The Ship Docks

Chapter 5: Tearful Smiles

A light breeze passed through the infirmary, causing Kurt's arms to cover in goosebumps and his whole body to shiver at the feeling. But maybe it was just fear. Eerie silence filled the room, not at all comforting him while he sat vigil at his father's bedside like he had been since he was told the news. Carole and Finn were busy with their responsibilities as staff but luckily for Kurt his only responsibility was to play the piano during meal times, if he'd had a more time consuming job he wouldn't know what he would've done. He wouldn't have been able to concentrate, his mind would have just been in a constant panic all day until he could sit by his side.

Blaine hadn't visited either, he might not even know what happened. Kurt hadn't been able to see him since the previous night and therefore hadn't been able to tell him personally. Besides, if he did know he wouldn't be able to visit without it seeming suspicious. As far as everyone else knew, they'd just met briefly when Rachel had invited his family to join them at dinner.

Unsure of what he could do, he took out his sketchbook and began to sketch the scene in front of him, the despair obvious in every line.

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Dull sunlight slipped in through the gap in the burgundy curtains, causing a line of light to reach across the room and leaving the rest of the room in shadows. Staring at the ceiling, Blaine lay awake. A deep gut feeling had kept him from slumber, a feeling that something was horribly wrong. His mind explored the endless possibilities and made his panic slowly rise until it paralysed him. A soft click alerted him to Rachel's return, her delicate footsteps got closer until the doorknob of their room began to slowly turn. She quietly stepped into the room.

"I-I thought you'd be asleep," the girl stuttered upon realising she'd been caught, a look of fright clear on her features.

Blaine frowned and shook his head. "I couldn't."

Rachel nodded before quickly changing into her nightwear and climbing into bed next to him.

"What time is it?"

Rachel shrugged. "5am, maybe 6."

"Where were you?"

Rachel took a deep breath. "I was with a friend."

"Okay," he said after a few seconds of questioning curiosity. He sighed and got up from where he'd been laying.

"Where are you going?" Rachel asked, she'd only just gotten back to their room and now she was being left alone by her betrothed?

"Can't sleep the day away, can we?" He replied with a tone of false cheerfulness to his voice. He hastily got dressed into one of his more casual outfits and left to get an early breakfast.

Rachel sat on the queen sized bed, baffled by what had just occurred. She hadn't expected her return to go smoothly but here she was, alone after the situation going too smoothly. Did he just not care? Wasn't he at all worried about her? She groaned in frustration, of course she'd be courted with the one man on the planet who doesn't even bother to pretend they're in love. It's almost as if he goes out of his way to make it abundantly clear. She had to fix this, but how? She could go to Charles Anderson. No, this had to be better, it had to be perfect.

She began to ransack the room, rummaging through his drawers of belongings, emptying them on to the floor as she moved on to the next. Like in the drawers of his dresser, she took pieces of clothing from his wardrobe, she'd then discard it on the floor and move onto the next piece. She did this until a folded piece of paper fell from one of the pockets in the jacket he had been wearing yesterday.