Lights Will Guide You Home, Ch. 4/?
Media: Fic
Title: Lights Will Guide You Home
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers (if any): none that I'm aware of. We're pretty much just in the future now.
Warnings (if any): adoption, teenage pregnancy
Word Count: 3583 (yeah. I know.)
Summary: 13 years from now, Blaine and Kurt have made a fabulous life for themselves, but there's something missing...
Lights Will Guide You Home
Chapter 4
Blaine couldn't believe it was May already.
As boring as his and Kurt's life had seemed back in January when they first found out the happy news, it had gotten awfully busy awfully fast. He left for his book tour the morning after that amazing night when they found out Abby was having a girl. He was gone for 2 months, Kurt flying to meet him whenever possible (but never often enough). It had been hard - he hated touring like that, he was so sick of staring at the inside of Barnes & Noble stores that he could scream, but his publicist encouraged it, and it did give him opportunities to connect with his readers. That, he didn't mind as much.
But he was so glad to be home again. Home with Kurt, with his puppy, with his friends, talking about and preparing for the arrival of the baby.
And then in April, Kurt had surprised him with a “babymoon” trip to the Hermitage Bay Resort in Antigua. It had been the perfect trip - ten days alone with the love of his life in a cottage on a hillside overlooking the most beautiful ocean water that he had ever seen. Staff waiting on them hand and foot. Champagne and fresh fruit every morning. A couple's massage, an exciting zip-line day, swimming with stingrays. Making love Every. Single. Night. It was exactly what they needed, a time to reconnect after his months away and before they had a baby to demand all their attention.
And the baby. They'd kept in fairly close contact with Abby, though not quite as often as they'd wanted to amid all their traveling. She was now at 34 weeks gestation and adorable, perfectly round basketball belly and all. Things seemed to be on the upswing for her. She and her mother had made amends, and although Blaine was still not fond of the woman, he was happy to see her giving Abby some support. Micah was also back in the picture, and was being surprisingly mature about the situation for a teenage boy. Abby had asked him to be at the baby's delivery, and he'd agreed. Blaine and Kurt had talked with her and made a “hospital plan” as well - she would call them when she went into labor to let them know, and they would wait at home and come after the baby had been born. The baby would stay in her room with her (Abby said she wanted one night where she could hold and love on the baby), and they would stay in a hotel close to the hospital at night, and come back during the day to do paperwork and take their daughter home.
Things were going so, so well. Since January, Blaine had been tense, just waiting for someone to come and bump his nice little house of cards, and all would come tumbling down. Kurt had thrown all of himself into this, an unprecedented move for him. It was the first time Blaine had ever seen him jump headlong into something with such emotional consequences, and it made him scared and excited at the same time. Kurt normally wore armor so thick and heavy that Blaine himself occasionally had trouble breaking through, but with this baby, there were no holds barred. That baby had him at “It's a girl!” So he figured one of them had to hold back a bit. To be safe. Although it was completely out of character for him - Blaine was usually the head-first kind of guy, never thinking about emotional consequences - he'd taken it upon himself to be ever-so-slightly aloof. If disaster struck, he could be the strong one for once. He could support Kurt, pick up the pieces, like Kurt had always done for him. (Or maybe, his brain countered, it was to keep himself safe, because this time it was serious. This wasn't just some stupid performance in a Gap - it was a baby, a child, a life, and if something went wrong, well that sounded like a hell he wasn't sure if he'd ever come back from.)
But now … well, they were so close. Just 6 weeks, maybe even a little less than that, and they'd have a baby. Could he let loose, let the real Blaine Anderson out, get as thrilled about this as he wanted to be? Was that safe? He thought that maybe, just maybe, it was.
* * * * * * * *
Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh...
...And a collective sigh as the real-time image of a baby appeared on the screen.
Blaine and Kurt were back in an ultrasound room with Abby, only this time she was beaming and she couldn't see her toes past her ever-growing belly and her mother was there with them, smiling at the screen. Quite a turnaround in 17 weeks.
“Here she is, everybody,” Tori, the ultrasound tech said. “Meet … wait. Does she have a name yet?”
“No, we have a few in mind, but we want to wait until we see her in person before we say for sure,” Kurt explained.
Blaine was transfixed by the image on the screen. “That's what she really looks like?”
“Yep,” Tori answered him. “That's the beauty of the 4D ultrasound - it basically acts like a window, and you can see straight through Abby's skin to exactly what's going on in there.”
“That is so incredible...” Blaine and Kurt were mesmerized.
“Mom? Are you okay? You're being really quiet,” Abby said, looking up at Mrs. Roberts.
“Yes darling, I'm fine. I just regret not being here before, when you found out she was a girl...” she trailed off, still feeling very guilty for the petty way she'd acted toward her daughter the first few months of her pregnancy.
“Oh, Mom, it's fine. All I care about is that you're here now.” She gave her mother's hand a squeeze, and their eyes turned back to the baby on the screen.
“So,” Tori continued, “You can see that she's got some hair already, and-”
“Awwwwww!” everybody exclaimed as the baby yawned, then brought her hand to her mouth and began sucking her thumb. Tori clicked some buttons on the ultrasound machine.
“Those are going to make some awesome pictures,” she said with a grin.
They all spent the next several minutes just gazing at the screen, amazed at how she moved. At one point, she opened her eyes, appearing to look straight at them.
Kurt squeezed Blaine's hand. He seemed so engaged lately - not that he hadn't cared before, he'd always been completely on board with all their plans, and so supportive of Abby, but there was something oddly hesitant in the way he spoke about the baby. It was like they'd done a role-reversal - Kurt had thrown himself into this whole experience, milking it for all it was worth, and Blaine was the one holding back. But the past several days, he'd been so completely enthralled with all things baby-related. He was like a kid in a candy shop when they finally did their baby registry two days before, and Kurt was glad. He loved seeing Blaine's eyes light up, the familiar passion and enthusiasm returning. He'd been a bit worried, but things seemed to be back to normal now.
“God, she's beautiful,” he heard Blaine murmur softly. Abby beamed at him from the bed. Kurt looked over toward her.
“I hope she looks like you.”
Tori then spoke up. “Can I say something? That might sound … slightly unprofessional?”
They nodded hesitantly. “I never do this, stick my nose in people's business, and I hope it doesn't offend you at all, because that is certainly not my intent, but I sort of know your general … arrangement. I just think it's really fantastic that you can all come together without any drama and celebrate because you all love the same baby. I see a surprisingly large amount of negativity in my job, and all of you … well, it's like a breath of fresh air,” she told them.
Blaine nodded. “It's really amazing to us how smoothly things have gone too. We couldn't ask for a better situation. I mean, I hate it for Abby because I know it's going to be harder on her than anyone, but it's nice because … well, obviously there are 2 dads here, and neither one of us will be replacing her as the mom. She'll be as involved or not involved as she feels comfortable, and we'll get the privilege of being parents. It's perfect, really.”
Mrs. Roberts remained quiet. She didn't quite agree with Blaine - the situation was definitely far from perfect. In no perfect world would her daughter have ended up pregnant at just 17. But it wasn't even that - it was this open adoption situation. Abby was all for it - she could have the best of both worlds, she told her mother. And the girl had certainly become very close to Blaine and Kurt - she was thankful for their support of her daughter, she had to admit. But the baby wasn't born yet, and she knew from experience how much hormones could skew things, knew the pull and power of a maternal instinct. She and her husband had pushed for this adoption, and she knew it, but lately she'd also wondered what it would be like to be a grandmother. She was too young, she knew that, but still... And this open adoption only made all that more confusing. But it wasn't her decision to make, they'd put that in Abby's hands, and so she kept mum on the subject and hoped that everything would work out for the best. And if it didn't - well, they'd deal with things as they came.
“Alright, well, I guess that about wraps things up,” Tori was saying. “I'll get two different sets of these pictures printed for you guys, and make a copy of the DVD, and then you'll be good to go.” She wiped the gel off of Abby's large belly, helped her into a sitting position, and walked out to get the pictures.
“Well, are you guys excited about tomorrow?” Abby turned to Mrs. Roberts. “Mom, their friends in Ohio are throwing them a baby shower!”
“Oh, that's lovely,” she said. “I hope you have a good time.”
“Thank you Mrs. Roberts. Actually, we've got a flight out of New York at 5:00 tonight, so we'll be able to spend some time with my family before the festivities tomorrow,” Kurt answered her.
Abby looked at Blaine. “What about your family? I've never heard you mention them before,” she said.
“Oh, Abby, well … My family isn't quite as - what's the word - accepting, I guess, of Kurt and me as the Hummels are.”
Her eyes grew sad. “You mean, they don't like it that you're gay.”
He sighed. “Yeah, that's basically the story.”
“Oh, Blaine...” tears sprang to her eyes, and she slid off the table and waddled over to him. She tried to give him a hug, but her belly stuck too far out from her body and she could barely get her arms around his neck. “I'm sorry. God, I've gotten huge.” Her voice broke, and she wiped her eyes. “Ugh, I'm sorry again. I swear. Hormones. I've been crying at everything this past week.”
“Hey, don't worry about it,” he said, giving her a much more effective side-hug. “Thanks for the concern.”
“So, is your family going to come and see the baby when Kurt's is?”
“Abby … I don't know how to say this, but...”
“I'll say it, then,” Kurt said, turning on the snark. “We haven't told Blaine's family about the baby, because they honestly wouldn't care to know. Telling them that we were adopting a baby would force them to admit that we are an actual couple in an actual relationship rather than just roommates, which is what they choose to believe, and what they tell all their friends. It would cause more trouble than it's worth. It would cause Blaine a lot more heartache than he deserves. And to be perfectly blunt-”
“When are you not?” Blaine said drily.
“-I personally don't want my child exposed to that kind of ignorance.”
“Oh,” came Abby's response. She suddenly realized how lucky she was - when she'd come home with awful news, her parents had been angry and disappointed and rightfully so, but even her mother at her angriest wouldn't have acted like that. “I'm sorry, Blaine, I didn't know. I didn't mean to bring it up.”
“It's okay. You couldn't have known. Let's just … can we not talk about this?”
And then Tori was back, pictures and DVDs in hand. The awkward silence was filled with oohs and ahhs at how cute the pictures had turned out, how cute the baby would be when she was born. And by the time they left the office 10 minutes later, the issue had been forgotten.
Almost.
“Blaine - are you okay?” Kurt asked.
“I'm fine.” His answer was short, not angry, but his point was made. I don't want to talk about this.
“Listen, I know it sucks, I hate it-” Kurt was cut off.
“I know. I know you're sorry, and I know that your family is doing everything they can to make up for the fact that mine isn't, and I know you would fix it if you could. We've been through this. But you can't fix it, and it is what it is, and it hurts me to think about it, so can we please just drop it?”
“Okay.” Kurt's voice was small.
Blaine sighed.
“God, Kurt, I'm sorry. I wasn't intending to sound that mean. It's just … not fair. And it never has been, and it never will be, and I can't dwell on it because it just makes it worse. So let's just go home, pack up, and go see your family. We'll have a good time with them. And we'll have a good time at the baby shower. And I'll just pretend like I don't have a family in Ohio at all. Hell, they probably aren't even there.”
Kurt took Blaine's hand in his, kissing his knuckles, then bringing it to his chest, over his heart.
Because sometimes, words just weren't enough.
* * * * * * * *
Three beaming faces met Kurt and Blaine at their gate. The men had expected Burt and Carole to be there, but Finn was a nice surprise - they didn't think he would be coming until the next day for the shower. After warm greetings and hugs all around, they headed back to the house for one of Carole's homemade meals.
They talked nonstop through dinner, catching up on everything they'd missed in the past few months. Over dessert (a special exception for a special occasion, Carole explained to Kurt, who still constantly worried about the condition of his father's heart), the conversation turned toward the baby. Carole and Burt were absolutely thrilled to be grandparents, they explained, even though it made them feel a lot older than they were supposed to be.
“And the offer still stands,” Burt said. “If you'll let us, we'd love to come and help with the baby after she comes home with you.”
“Dad, like I've said a gazillion times, of course you can come. We'd love to have you. And you too, Finn - you know you're welcome anytime. Although, after the baby, diaper duty is definitely part of the deal...”
“Dude, you know I've never changed a diaper before.” Even at 31, Finn occasionally graced them with the same eloquence of speech he had in high school.
“Well, bro, you know what they say … no time like the present!” Kurt said, knowing full-well that Finn would not be caught dead changing their baby's diaper anytime soon.
“So what's the plan for bringing this little baby home?” Carole asked. “When do you think the best time to be there would be?”
“Well, Abby's due date is June 21st,” Blaine told her. “So it'll be sometime around then. So far the working plan is that Abby will call us when she goes into labor, and send us updates on her progress and stuff, but we won't actually go to the hospital until after the baby has been born. Then we'll get to have some time alone with her. Abby will get to spend the nights that she's in the hospital with the baby, and we'll take her home from the hospital. I think new babies are usually there for like 2 days before they can go home.”
“So we were thinking that we'll call you when we hear that Abby's in labor, and maybe you could catch a flight the next day so you can be there when we bring her home. We want you guys to see her as a newborn,” Kurt finished.
Burt and Carole nodded.
“I'll do my best to be there, but I can't make any promises - sometimes it's hard to find a sub on really short notice,” Finn said. (Despite his intermittent verbal blunders, Finn had surprised them all by becoming a very dedicated high school history teacher and football coach. He taught in Columbus, a little over 2 hours away from where the Hummels lived. He loved his job, but he was lonely - he'd never been able to find a woman who could quite fill Rachel Berry's ballet flats, and he was kind-of still in love with her.)
“Totally understandable, man. You can come whenever you have a chance,” Blaine said.
The family finished off their special-occasion chocolate pie and headed into the living room to continue talking.
“Can I make a really stupid request?” Kurt asked as they all lay sprawled around on the couches.
“Anything you want,” Burt said.
“I know it's really hokey, and we're probably too old and I know Blaine and I are way too cool for this … but can we have game night? It'll be like old times...”
Family game night had become a tradition back when he, Finn and Blaine were still in high school, Carole's and Burt's attempt to have them all in the same place at the same time while Kurt was at Dalton. Blaine had an open invitation, and Finn sometimes brought whoever he was dating at the time. Even though Kurt had transferred back to McKinley and moved back home after a few months, game night became a permanent fixture in the Hummel household, one continuing throughout the boys' college years when they were home on breaks.
“Yeah, dude, great idea!” Finn exclaimed. Kurt raised his eyebrows, mildly surprised at the speed and enthusiasm of his step-brother's agreement. Times had changed, indeed.
“What do you want to play, babe?” Blaine asked, taking his hand.
“Well, my first choice would have been charades, but we don't have an even number for teams...” Kurt said thoughtfully.
“Who What Where,” Carole suggested. “It's been forever since we've played that!” Everyone immediately agreed to that idea - it was a hilarious, fun game to play. The basic premise of the game was this: one at a time, players picked 3 cards, a who, a what, and a where, and had to draw the scene (within a five-minute time frame) so that everyone else could guess what it was. Kurt was technically the best player because of his sketching experience, but because he could actually draw, his drawings tended to be the least entertaining. Their favorite drawing in the history of playing the game was Blaine's rendition of “Abraham Lincoln Taking a Bubble Bath in Las Vegas.” His Abraham Lincoln was mistaken for both Edgar Allan Poe and Vincent Van Gogh's self-portrait, and no one figured out the bubble bath part. They'd laughed so hard and enjoyed that night so much that they ended up framing the picture, and Burt and Carole had given it a place of honor on the mantle.
Burt went to get the game, and the rest of the family cleared the table off. Once everything was set up, Finn volunteered to go first. He drew his cards: Oprah Winfrey Pole Vaulting in Egypt, and with a flourish of pen, they started a night full of laughter and memories to be made.
After 2 hours of intense drawing, his face literally sore after laughing so hard, Blaine lay in bed cuddling with Kurt. He was thinking of families and what they meant, and how grateful he was for this one, when a song came to his mind. He wasn't sure where he'd heard it before, he didn't even remember that he knew it. But one line kept repeating itself over and over and over and rang true all the way through his heart.
This must be how it feels to have a home.
[Chapter 5]
Title: Lights Will Guide You Home
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers (if any): none that I'm aware of. We're pretty much just in the future now.
Warnings (if any): adoption, teenage pregnancy
Word Count: 3583 (yeah. I know.)
Summary: 13 years from now, Blaine and Kurt have made a fabulous life for themselves, but there's something missing...
Lights Will Guide You Home
Chapter 4
Blaine couldn't believe it was May already.
As boring as his and Kurt's life had seemed back in January when they first found out the happy news, it had gotten awfully busy awfully fast. He left for his book tour the morning after that amazing night when they found out Abby was having a girl. He was gone for 2 months, Kurt flying to meet him whenever possible (but never often enough). It had been hard - he hated touring like that, he was so sick of staring at the inside of Barnes & Noble stores that he could scream, but his publicist encouraged it, and it did give him opportunities to connect with his readers. That, he didn't mind as much.
But he was so glad to be home again. Home with Kurt, with his puppy, with his friends, talking about and preparing for the arrival of the baby.
And then in April, Kurt had surprised him with a “babymoon” trip to the Hermitage Bay Resort in Antigua. It had been the perfect trip - ten days alone with the love of his life in a cottage on a hillside overlooking the most beautiful ocean water that he had ever seen. Staff waiting on them hand and foot. Champagne and fresh fruit every morning. A couple's massage, an exciting zip-line day, swimming with stingrays. Making love Every. Single. Night. It was exactly what they needed, a time to reconnect after his months away and before they had a baby to demand all their attention.
And the baby. They'd kept in fairly close contact with Abby, though not quite as often as they'd wanted to amid all their traveling. She was now at 34 weeks gestation and adorable, perfectly round basketball belly and all. Things seemed to be on the upswing for her. She and her mother had made amends, and although Blaine was still not fond of the woman, he was happy to see her giving Abby some support. Micah was also back in the picture, and was being surprisingly mature about the situation for a teenage boy. Abby had asked him to be at the baby's delivery, and he'd agreed. Blaine and Kurt had talked with her and made a “hospital plan” as well - she would call them when she went into labor to let them know, and they would wait at home and come after the baby had been born. The baby would stay in her room with her (Abby said she wanted one night where she could hold and love on the baby), and they would stay in a hotel close to the hospital at night, and come back during the day to do paperwork and take their daughter home.
Things were going so, so well. Since January, Blaine had been tense, just waiting for someone to come and bump his nice little house of cards, and all would come tumbling down. Kurt had thrown all of himself into this, an unprecedented move for him. It was the first time Blaine had ever seen him jump headlong into something with such emotional consequences, and it made him scared and excited at the same time. Kurt normally wore armor so thick and heavy that Blaine himself occasionally had trouble breaking through, but with this baby, there were no holds barred. That baby had him at “It's a girl!” So he figured one of them had to hold back a bit. To be safe. Although it was completely out of character for him - Blaine was usually the head-first kind of guy, never thinking about emotional consequences - he'd taken it upon himself to be ever-so-slightly aloof. If disaster struck, he could be the strong one for once. He could support Kurt, pick up the pieces, like Kurt had always done for him. (Or maybe, his brain countered, it was to keep himself safe, because this time it was serious. This wasn't just some stupid performance in a Gap - it was a baby, a child, a life, and if something went wrong, well that sounded like a hell he wasn't sure if he'd ever come back from.)
But now … well, they were so close. Just 6 weeks, maybe even a little less than that, and they'd have a baby. Could he let loose, let the real Blaine Anderson out, get as thrilled about this as he wanted to be? Was that safe? He thought that maybe, just maybe, it was.
* * * * * * * *
Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh...
...And a collective sigh as the real-time image of a baby appeared on the screen.
Blaine and Kurt were back in an ultrasound room with Abby, only this time she was beaming and she couldn't see her toes past her ever-growing belly and her mother was there with them, smiling at the screen. Quite a turnaround in 17 weeks.
“Here she is, everybody,” Tori, the ultrasound tech said. “Meet … wait. Does she have a name yet?”
“No, we have a few in mind, but we want to wait until we see her in person before we say for sure,” Kurt explained.
Blaine was transfixed by the image on the screen. “That's what she really looks like?”
“Yep,” Tori answered him. “That's the beauty of the 4D ultrasound - it basically acts like a window, and you can see straight through Abby's skin to exactly what's going on in there.”
“That is so incredible...” Blaine and Kurt were mesmerized.
“Mom? Are you okay? You're being really quiet,” Abby said, looking up at Mrs. Roberts.
“Yes darling, I'm fine. I just regret not being here before, when you found out she was a girl...” she trailed off, still feeling very guilty for the petty way she'd acted toward her daughter the first few months of her pregnancy.
“Oh, Mom, it's fine. All I care about is that you're here now.” She gave her mother's hand a squeeze, and their eyes turned back to the baby on the screen.
“So,” Tori continued, “You can see that she's got some hair already, and-”
“Awwwwww!” everybody exclaimed as the baby yawned, then brought her hand to her mouth and began sucking her thumb. Tori clicked some buttons on the ultrasound machine.
“Those are going to make some awesome pictures,” she said with a grin.
They all spent the next several minutes just gazing at the screen, amazed at how she moved. At one point, she opened her eyes, appearing to look straight at them.
Kurt squeezed Blaine's hand. He seemed so engaged lately - not that he hadn't cared before, he'd always been completely on board with all their plans, and so supportive of Abby, but there was something oddly hesitant in the way he spoke about the baby. It was like they'd done a role-reversal - Kurt had thrown himself into this whole experience, milking it for all it was worth, and Blaine was the one holding back. But the past several days, he'd been so completely enthralled with all things baby-related. He was like a kid in a candy shop when they finally did their baby registry two days before, and Kurt was glad. He loved seeing Blaine's eyes light up, the familiar passion and enthusiasm returning. He'd been a bit worried, but things seemed to be back to normal now.
“God, she's beautiful,” he heard Blaine murmur softly. Abby beamed at him from the bed. Kurt looked over toward her.
“I hope she looks like you.”
Tori then spoke up. “Can I say something? That might sound … slightly unprofessional?”
They nodded hesitantly. “I never do this, stick my nose in people's business, and I hope it doesn't offend you at all, because that is certainly not my intent, but I sort of know your general … arrangement. I just think it's really fantastic that you can all come together without any drama and celebrate because you all love the same baby. I see a surprisingly large amount of negativity in my job, and all of you … well, it's like a breath of fresh air,” she told them.
Blaine nodded. “It's really amazing to us how smoothly things have gone too. We couldn't ask for a better situation. I mean, I hate it for Abby because I know it's going to be harder on her than anyone, but it's nice because … well, obviously there are 2 dads here, and neither one of us will be replacing her as the mom. She'll be as involved or not involved as she feels comfortable, and we'll get the privilege of being parents. It's perfect, really.”
Mrs. Roberts remained quiet. She didn't quite agree with Blaine - the situation was definitely far from perfect. In no perfect world would her daughter have ended up pregnant at just 17. But it wasn't even that - it was this open adoption situation. Abby was all for it - she could have the best of both worlds, she told her mother. And the girl had certainly become very close to Blaine and Kurt - she was thankful for their support of her daughter, she had to admit. But the baby wasn't born yet, and she knew from experience how much hormones could skew things, knew the pull and power of a maternal instinct. She and her husband had pushed for this adoption, and she knew it, but lately she'd also wondered what it would be like to be a grandmother. She was too young, she knew that, but still... And this open adoption only made all that more confusing. But it wasn't her decision to make, they'd put that in Abby's hands, and so she kept mum on the subject and hoped that everything would work out for the best. And if it didn't - well, they'd deal with things as they came.
“Alright, well, I guess that about wraps things up,” Tori was saying. “I'll get two different sets of these pictures printed for you guys, and make a copy of the DVD, and then you'll be good to go.” She wiped the gel off of Abby's large belly, helped her into a sitting position, and walked out to get the pictures.
“Well, are you guys excited about tomorrow?” Abby turned to Mrs. Roberts. “Mom, their friends in Ohio are throwing them a baby shower!”
“Oh, that's lovely,” she said. “I hope you have a good time.”
“Thank you Mrs. Roberts. Actually, we've got a flight out of New York at 5:00 tonight, so we'll be able to spend some time with my family before the festivities tomorrow,” Kurt answered her.
Abby looked at Blaine. “What about your family? I've never heard you mention them before,” she said.
“Oh, Abby, well … My family isn't quite as - what's the word - accepting, I guess, of Kurt and me as the Hummels are.”
Her eyes grew sad. “You mean, they don't like it that you're gay.”
He sighed. “Yeah, that's basically the story.”
“Oh, Blaine...” tears sprang to her eyes, and she slid off the table and waddled over to him. She tried to give him a hug, but her belly stuck too far out from her body and she could barely get her arms around his neck. “I'm sorry. God, I've gotten huge.” Her voice broke, and she wiped her eyes. “Ugh, I'm sorry again. I swear. Hormones. I've been crying at everything this past week.”
“Hey, don't worry about it,” he said, giving her a much more effective side-hug. “Thanks for the concern.”
“So, is your family going to come and see the baby when Kurt's is?”
“Abby … I don't know how to say this, but...”
“I'll say it, then,” Kurt said, turning on the snark. “We haven't told Blaine's family about the baby, because they honestly wouldn't care to know. Telling them that we were adopting a baby would force them to admit that we are an actual couple in an actual relationship rather than just roommates, which is what they choose to believe, and what they tell all their friends. It would cause more trouble than it's worth. It would cause Blaine a lot more heartache than he deserves. And to be perfectly blunt-”
“When are you not?” Blaine said drily.
“-I personally don't want my child exposed to that kind of ignorance.”
“Oh,” came Abby's response. She suddenly realized how lucky she was - when she'd come home with awful news, her parents had been angry and disappointed and rightfully so, but even her mother at her angriest wouldn't have acted like that. “I'm sorry, Blaine, I didn't know. I didn't mean to bring it up.”
“It's okay. You couldn't have known. Let's just … can we not talk about this?”
And then Tori was back, pictures and DVDs in hand. The awkward silence was filled with oohs and ahhs at how cute the pictures had turned out, how cute the baby would be when she was born. And by the time they left the office 10 minutes later, the issue had been forgotten.
Almost.
“Blaine - are you okay?” Kurt asked.
“I'm fine.” His answer was short, not angry, but his point was made. I don't want to talk about this.
“Listen, I know it sucks, I hate it-” Kurt was cut off.
“I know. I know you're sorry, and I know that your family is doing everything they can to make up for the fact that mine isn't, and I know you would fix it if you could. We've been through this. But you can't fix it, and it is what it is, and it hurts me to think about it, so can we please just drop it?”
“Okay.” Kurt's voice was small.
Blaine sighed.
“God, Kurt, I'm sorry. I wasn't intending to sound that mean. It's just … not fair. And it never has been, and it never will be, and I can't dwell on it because it just makes it worse. So let's just go home, pack up, and go see your family. We'll have a good time with them. And we'll have a good time at the baby shower. And I'll just pretend like I don't have a family in Ohio at all. Hell, they probably aren't even there.”
Kurt took Blaine's hand in his, kissing his knuckles, then bringing it to his chest, over his heart.
Because sometimes, words just weren't enough.
* * * * * * * *
Three beaming faces met Kurt and Blaine at their gate. The men had expected Burt and Carole to be there, but Finn was a nice surprise - they didn't think he would be coming until the next day for the shower. After warm greetings and hugs all around, they headed back to the house for one of Carole's homemade meals.
They talked nonstop through dinner, catching up on everything they'd missed in the past few months. Over dessert (a special exception for a special occasion, Carole explained to Kurt, who still constantly worried about the condition of his father's heart), the conversation turned toward the baby. Carole and Burt were absolutely thrilled to be grandparents, they explained, even though it made them feel a lot older than they were supposed to be.
“And the offer still stands,” Burt said. “If you'll let us, we'd love to come and help with the baby after she comes home with you.”
“Dad, like I've said a gazillion times, of course you can come. We'd love to have you. And you too, Finn - you know you're welcome anytime. Although, after the baby, diaper duty is definitely part of the deal...”
“Dude, you know I've never changed a diaper before.” Even at 31, Finn occasionally graced them with the same eloquence of speech he had in high school.
“Well, bro, you know what they say … no time like the present!” Kurt said, knowing full-well that Finn would not be caught dead changing their baby's diaper anytime soon.
“So what's the plan for bringing this little baby home?” Carole asked. “When do you think the best time to be there would be?”
“Well, Abby's due date is June 21st,” Blaine told her. “So it'll be sometime around then. So far the working plan is that Abby will call us when she goes into labor, and send us updates on her progress and stuff, but we won't actually go to the hospital until after the baby has been born. Then we'll get to have some time alone with her. Abby will get to spend the nights that she's in the hospital with the baby, and we'll take her home from the hospital. I think new babies are usually there for like 2 days before they can go home.”
“So we were thinking that we'll call you when we hear that Abby's in labor, and maybe you could catch a flight the next day so you can be there when we bring her home. We want you guys to see her as a newborn,” Kurt finished.
Burt and Carole nodded.
“I'll do my best to be there, but I can't make any promises - sometimes it's hard to find a sub on really short notice,” Finn said. (Despite his intermittent verbal blunders, Finn had surprised them all by becoming a very dedicated high school history teacher and football coach. He taught in Columbus, a little over 2 hours away from where the Hummels lived. He loved his job, but he was lonely - he'd never been able to find a woman who could quite fill Rachel Berry's ballet flats, and he was kind-of still in love with her.)
“Totally understandable, man. You can come whenever you have a chance,” Blaine said.
The family finished off their special-occasion chocolate pie and headed into the living room to continue talking.
“Can I make a really stupid request?” Kurt asked as they all lay sprawled around on the couches.
“Anything you want,” Burt said.
“I know it's really hokey, and we're probably too old and I know Blaine and I are way too cool for this … but can we have game night? It'll be like old times...”
Family game night had become a tradition back when he, Finn and Blaine were still in high school, Carole's and Burt's attempt to have them all in the same place at the same time while Kurt was at Dalton. Blaine had an open invitation, and Finn sometimes brought whoever he was dating at the time. Even though Kurt had transferred back to McKinley and moved back home after a few months, game night became a permanent fixture in the Hummel household, one continuing throughout the boys' college years when they were home on breaks.
“Yeah, dude, great idea!” Finn exclaimed. Kurt raised his eyebrows, mildly surprised at the speed and enthusiasm of his step-brother's agreement. Times had changed, indeed.
“What do you want to play, babe?” Blaine asked, taking his hand.
“Well, my first choice would have been charades, but we don't have an even number for teams...” Kurt said thoughtfully.
“Who What Where,” Carole suggested. “It's been forever since we've played that!” Everyone immediately agreed to that idea - it was a hilarious, fun game to play. The basic premise of the game was this: one at a time, players picked 3 cards, a who, a what, and a where, and had to draw the scene (within a five-minute time frame) so that everyone else could guess what it was. Kurt was technically the best player because of his sketching experience, but because he could actually draw, his drawings tended to be the least entertaining. Their favorite drawing in the history of playing the game was Blaine's rendition of “Abraham Lincoln Taking a Bubble Bath in Las Vegas.” His Abraham Lincoln was mistaken for both Edgar Allan Poe and Vincent Van Gogh's self-portrait, and no one figured out the bubble bath part. They'd laughed so hard and enjoyed that night so much that they ended up framing the picture, and Burt and Carole had given it a place of honor on the mantle.
Burt went to get the game, and the rest of the family cleared the table off. Once everything was set up, Finn volunteered to go first. He drew his cards: Oprah Winfrey Pole Vaulting in Egypt, and with a flourish of pen, they started a night full of laughter and memories to be made.
After 2 hours of intense drawing, his face literally sore after laughing so hard, Blaine lay in bed cuddling with Kurt. He was thinking of families and what they meant, and how grateful he was for this one, when a song came to his mind. He wasn't sure where he'd heard it before, he didn't even remember that he knew it. But one line kept repeating itself over and over and over and rang true all the way through his heart.
This must be how it feels to have a home.
[Chapter 5]