Chapter Fifteen

When Kurt awoke in the middle of the night, he was a little surprised. He rolled over in his bed and tried to drift off once more, doing his best to write it off as simply being the new house. After all, it had only been a little over a week. He and Aiden were still rapidly adjusting.

Then, he heard a noise. His heart and stomach dropped, recognizing the sound all too well. He quickly threw off his blankets and padded down the hallway.

"Aiden?" he asked softly, making his way into his son's room and sitting down at the edge of his bed. The glow from his nightlight confirmed his fears when he saw his little boy curled up and crying. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

"My—my tummy," Aiden said between sniffles, and Kurt furrowed his brow.

"Is it worse?" he asked worriedly, his heart pounding as Aiden nodded. Kurt stood, trying to steady his head. "We're going to fix that," he said, doing his best to keep a calm voice. "I'm going to carry you, okay?" Aiden nodded and Kurt scooped up his son in his arms. He'd never felt so tiny and fragile to him before.

The twenty-minute drive to the hospital seemed to take hours. And then, suddenly Kurt was sitting in the room with Aiden, who had at last drifted off to sleep. He was still clutching his son's hand, desperately waiting for someone to tell him what was wrong.

"Mr. Hummel?" Kurt's head snapped up, looking worriedly at the doctor returning.

"Is he—"

"He'll be fine," the other man said in a reassuring tone. "However, we were hoping that we could start surgery as soon as possible—"

"Surgery?" Kurt asked in a tight voice, his grip on Aiden's hand tightening.

"Your son has appendicitis," the doctor told him. "If we don't operate—"

"No, I understand," Kurt told him quickly, nodding wearily. "I don't... I don't suppose I can stay with him?"

The doctor sighed and shook his head. "I'm afraid not."

Again, Kurt nodded, looking at his son hopelessly as a few attendants filed into the room. The doctor turned to one of the nurses, murmuring something to her. She nodded quickly and approached Kurt with a kind, gentle smile.

"Mr. Hummel, I'll take you back out to the waiting room," she told him, and he nodded, pressing a quick kiss to his son's forehead before letting the young woman lead him from the room. "Is there anything I can do for you?" she asked. Kurt shook his head immediately. Then, he stopped.

"Actually, could... could you call Carole Hummel?" he asked. "She works in pediatrics. I—I just—"

"Of course, dear," the nurse said, offering a warm smile. "We don't allow cellphones in here, but if you like, you can step right outside and make a call to your spouse. I promise I'll come find you the moment anything happens with your son."

Kurt nodded absently, taking a deep breath and unearthing his phone from his jacket pocket as he stepped outside. He sunk onto a bench, staring at the phone, suddenly angry at his fleeting moment of stupidity. Who did he think he was going to call?

He shoved his phone away once more, burying his face in his hands. It was fine for him to think like that. It was natural, it really was. His son was sick and he wanted to call the boy's other father about it. It was normal.

He looked out at the parking lot, hugging himself tightly. He could wait for Carole and his dad. He was sure they wouldn't be too long. Then, he licked his lips, narrowing his eyes. Perhaps he had someone else he could call after all.

Once more he pulled out his phone, quickly flipping through his contacts before hitting the call button.

"Kurt?" Blaine's voice was groggy, and Kurt felt a pang of guilt for waking the other man up.

"Hey," he said lamely.

"What's going on?" Blaine asked.

"I... I'm at the hospital," Kurt told him.

He heard Blaine's breath hitch. "Is everything okay?" he asked immediately. "Are—are you all right?"

"I'm fine," he assured him. "It's Aiden. I woke up and he was crying because of his stomach, and... I rushed him here, and they said it's appendicitis. They're operating right now."

"I'll be right there," Blaine said quickly. "Lemme just take Ella to the neighbor's house, and I'll be there." There was a pause. "Need me to stay on the line?" he asked.

"No," Kurt quickly assured him. "It's fine, I just..." He sighed. "Thank you, Blaine."

"Any time," Blaine responded. "I'll be there in less than ten minutes."

Kurt remained outside after hanging up. Moments later, the nurse came looking for him, offering a sobered smile, and asked him to fill out a few more papers while he waited, which he did so absent-mindedly. He couldn't concentrate. He could barely even think.

Then, he heard the familiar shuffling of feet, and he glanced up as Blaine was approaching, his hands stuffed deep in his pockets, his scarf wrapped around his neck. Blaine's eyes met Kurt's for a brief moment, and he quickened his pace as he ducked his head against the wind once more. Kurt shakily got to his feet.

Immediately he was enveloped by the warmth of Blaine's arms. He let himself relax into the touch, feeling calm for the first time in hours.

"You're freezing," Blaine breathed into his ear. "Come on, inside..." Kurt nodded vaguely as Blaine took his arm in his, leading him back through the doors. Blaine took the clipboard from Kurt and handed it to an attendant who took it, nodding, before leading Kurt to a chair. "Let me get you a coffee," he said softly, and Kurt nodded again. He was back in moments, pressing the warm cup into Kurt's icy hands.

"Thanks," Kurt murmured.

Blaine nodded, taking the seat beside him. "He'll be fine," he breathed out. "I promise."

"I know," Kurt responded. "I know he will, he... he has to be." He let out a tiny laugh. "You know, when I was younger, less than a year after my mom died, I fell out of a tree I was climbing. I broke my arm, ended up with a scar on my neck... I guess this is how my dad felt." He sucked in a breath, looking down at his hands. "I'm so glad that Alex didn't... didn't suffer," he said. "With my mom, and then my dad's heart attack... if he'd been in a hospital, I... I have no idea what I would have done."

Blaine nodded once again, and took the other man in his arms, whispering constant reassurances.

It seemed as though little time passed before Burt and Carole arrived, offering the same assurances and promises that things would be all right. Blaine didn't release Kurt for a moment, his arms tightly around him as the four of them spoke softly, until at last Burt and Carole settled themselves across from the two men.

Burt shifted himself in the uncomfortable waiting room chair, watching as Blaine's hand traveled up and down's Kurt arm. He narrowed his eyes slightly and leaned over to Carole.

"I know it probably isn't the time," he said in a hushed tone, "but is somethin' goin' on there?"

Carole looked up from her magazine, gazing at Kurt and Blaine for a moment before returning her attention to her reading. "You're right dear, this isn't the time."

Burt let out a rough sigh. "He's my son—"

Carole took his hand in hers. "And his son is in the hospital," she reminded him. "Now isn't the time." She gave him a smile. "Besides, he's an adult, dear."

Burt mumbled something under his breath that sounded like, 'still my kid', and Carole chuckled, shaking her head.

"Mr. Hummel?" Four pairs of eyes looked up at the young woman, and Kurt felt his heart stop. Had something gone wrong? He wasn't even sure how much time had passed, how long he'd been sitting there waiting... She offered a slight smile. "Everything fine. We're moving him out of surgery now. I thought you might like to be there when he wakes up."

Kurt nodded desperately, pulling away slightly from Blaine's grasp before following the woman out of sight.

Blaine let out a sigh of relief, visibly relaxing, leaning back into his chair. Carole smiled at him as Burt muttered something about grabbing them some coffee. Her husband disappeared, and she took the seat that had been vacated by Kurt, next to Blaine. He sat up a little straighter and offered her a tired smile.

"Thank you," she said.

"I didn't do anything," he told her, and she smiled softly.

"I'm sure Kurt would beg to differ," she responded simply.