Chapter 7

Two days later the frosty atmosphere that had filled the apartment was getting too much for Dani as she watched Sebastian and Rachel glare steadily at each other over bowls of Cheerio’s. Elliott sat nervously in the middle, ultimately on Sebastian’s side, gripping his hand tightly but ready to jump in wherever necessary. Sighing she left the kitchen to go wake her daughter up, only to be confronted in the living room with Kurt holding the still half asleep baby tightly to his hip.

“Oh erm, I was just coming to get her,” Dani muttered quietly, playing with the sleeves of her jumper clearly too big on her tiny frame as Kurt realised it had actually once upon a time been his own comfort jumper that had seemingly disappeared whilst Dani was pregnant. In reality, the actual owner of the baby blue Dalton jumper was the reason for the contention creeping into every seam of the household.

“Yeah, well, I figured she could come to work with me today that way I’ll know she’s not around anyone she doesn’t need to be around,” Kurt answered icily, Alice watching him with wide eyes as she sucked relentlessly on her binky, crying out and holding her arms out for Dani with a whimper.

“Kurt, cut it out for God’s sake you're scaring our daughter,” Dani snapped, striding over and snatching Alice out of Kurt's arms, hugging her tightly and whispering sweet nothings in the little girl’s ear as she relaxed into her mother’s touch, one tiny hand reaching up and curling around her ear playing gently with it, a sure sign that tiredness was still clouding every being of her. Kurt watched on suitably guiltily as Dani continued to comfort their daughter.

“Stop taking it out on us Kurt,” Dani murmured, glancing up and locking eyes with him, “We don’t deserve it, yes we love you, hell you are Alice’s favourite person in this entire universe. You don’t think that makes me so jealous it’s not even funny sometimes? But we also love Blaine to pieces and we don’t need this. It’s been two days of nothing but cold glares and snarky comments. Had I known what he was to you, then sure, I probably would have told you, but how was I supposed to know that he was the same boy who broke your heart in high school? You never even uttered his name. I know you can be a bitch Kurt, but I never thought that you’d turn into that person. Please just sort out whatever the hell is going around your head right now.”

Kurt shuffled slightly on the spot, glancing up cautiously at two of the most important people in his life. To his horror, for the first time in two days he could see the damage that he was actually doing. Alice was watching him cautiously, a hint of fear actually crossing her miniature features as she snuggled further into Dani’s shoulder. Dani meanwhile looked on the verge of breaking down, her eyes rimmed red and her bottom lip quivering. She looked so tiny and frail stood with Alice clinging to her as if her life depended on her that the rush of guilt surging through Kurt almost crippled him. “I need you Kurt. I just, I can’t lose anyone else.”

“I am so sorry,” He breathed out stepping forwards and wrapping his arms around his girls, thankful when Dani collapsed against him. “So, so sorry.”

Dani nodded slightly into his shoulder. “Yeah, I know, I am too for what it’s worth,” She whispered her voice breaking as he settled onto the couch, pulling both of his girls onto his lap.

“How about we have one of our ‘we’re anything but a normal family’ days today,” He muttered, feeling the need to try and pull them tighter to him still. “We can stay in pj’s all day and watch Disney and eat God awful foods, hmm? I already know that you’ve left Dora and her staff in charge of both coffee shops this week and it won’t physically kill me to have a day off.”

“That truly sounds amazing,” Dani sniffled, clutching the collar of Kurt's shirt, rubbing it gently between her fingers. “But first, you need to defuse the bomb that’s about to explode at any given minute in the kitchen i.e. the Rachel and Sebastian situation. That is also not to mention that you and I both know that there is no way that you’ll settle into a day of doing nothing until you find out what you're missing.”

“So fill me in.”

Dani pulled back to look directly into Kurt's eyes, Alice whining wearily at the momentary lack of contact. “Kurt, that’s not my place to say and you know it.”

Kurt sighed softly and nodded. “I suppose not. You have their address?”

Dani chewed on her lip carefully nodding her head as she reached over Kurt to grab the pen and paper sat on the arm of the couch and quickly scribbled the address down, tearing out the page and handing it to Kurt with wide eyes. “They only just got home this morning Kurt, so go easy ok?”

Kurt glanced at her slightly perplexed and scoffed vaguely, “Princess, with Santana easy is never an option.” Kissing the girls once more, he glanced to the kitchen and eased himself out from underneath them, shrugging on his coat and heading out into the warm spring air leaving baffled and nervous housemates behind.

“Oh, Porcelain. I didn’t think I’d ever see you here. Who broke Sebastian or Dani?” Santana sneered, turning abruptly and stalking into the apartment, leaving Kurt to shut the door and follow her to the kitchen table where she was currently sat trying, and failing miserably, to get some work done.

“What the fuck happened Santana? And why the hell didn’t you call me when whatever went down in his senior year did?”

“Damn, Pretty Boy swears, my, my, my we are all grown up now huh?”

“Damn it Santana!” He snapped, slamming his hands on the table, making her jump.

Santana glared, casting a worried look to Blaine’s room where the young man was still trying to sleep of the events of the past forty-eight hours. “I will ask you politely only once to shut your trap Hummel. Had you not stupidly believed the shit that that boy spewed to you seven years ago you would know exactly the hell that was currently going on. As it happens, I’m not entirely sure you deserve to know.”

Kurt paled drastically, sinking into one of the chairs next to Santana, “He-he d-didn't.”

“Cheat on you?” Santana asked wryly watching Kurt nod not trusting his mouth to form words. “Course not that boy was like a lovesick freaking puppy even with the distance and the loneliness I doubt he ever would've.” Santana’s face softened as she looked to the broken man in front of her, “He was trying to protect you Kurt in case the worst actually did happen I would assume, he was still tiny then and his Dad was freakishly huge by comparison. You know what Blaine’s always been like. He puts others before himself most of all he puts you above all else.”

“Oh god what have I done,” Kurt whimpered, wrapping his arms around his middle and leaning towards the table.

“Not a lot of good,” Santana sighed softly, getting up and pressing a comforting hand to the back of his neck, rubbing it gently, “But there is a lot you can fix Kurt, although I will say it takes two to tango. Blaine made just as many mistakes as you did, for one, he should’ve trusted you to make up your own mind.” Glancing up as the kettle started to whistle, Santana simply looked at Kurt who nodded slowly. “Alright, get me the milk out of the fridge then, we have extra milky, extra sugary tea here,” She laughed softly, pulling three mugs down from the shelf.

Handing Kurt one of the mugs, Santana held up her finger in a ‘one moment’ gesture and quickly headed off down the corridor next to the kitchen, rapping lightly on a door and entering without waiting for an answer. Kurt sniffled slightly and leaned backwards onto the cooker, trying to imagine what could have gone so wrong so quickly all those years ago. Santana pointed to the table and silently took the mug of tea that Kurt offered as he sunk into the chair opposite, watching her inquisitively.

“It was bad Kurt, it was so, so bad. He was just so ill, and then, then he tried to,” She broke off with a choked sob and Kurt felt his hand move automatically to cover hers on the table, feeling a rush of empathy and shock that the girl who had always had such a strong defence was so easily broken by what had happened.

“The butler, Carson, he found him. If it wasn’t for Carson, I don’t think our Blainers would be here right now…he was lying in a pool of his own blood,” Santana’s voice cracked further and Kurt’s hand flew to his mouth, eyes wide with unshed tears. “He cut, Kurt, God he tried to hurt himself and none of us even saw the warning signs, none of us saw what was going on in his life. It was three weeks after I dropped out of Kentucky from what I remember, so I think it would be about six weeks after the two of you had ‘the break up’.” Santana used her fingers to quote ‘the break up’, making Kurt frown slightly before her hand reached back out to take hold of his once more.

“When they got him to the hospital, they found bruises on just about every inch of him. Part of it was the illness, but in reality his father had been at it for months…and Blaine, my stupid, sweet, adorable little hobbit, he lied for them. He kept covering for them after all of the torture that they put him through. He was supposed to be their baby Kurt and they were practically torturing him.” Santana and Kurt were both crying by this point, neither able to understand why any of it had had to happen. “It was only three years ago that he finally got up the courage to agree to prosecute them, and then that turned into one hell of a year given the allegations that flew back and forth and the court appearances, and God I thought we were going to lose him again.” Santana tightened her grip on Kurt's hand, reaching out her other hand to draw any warmth she could from Kurt, as a cold seemed to stream through her body. Her eyes flickered over the wood grain of the table, trying to figure out where to go next in the story of the year from hell as it had been dubbed around their apartment.

“He moved in with Britt and her parents, they were still registered foster parents from when Britt was a kid, for the rest of his senior year, and he saw your Dad everyday. Your Dad took him to all of his hospital appointments every time he needed them and sat with him through all of the treatment, even when it made him crabby and angry. He was on your families medical insurance after all I guess, but I think personally that it was just that your Dad really does care deeply for Blaine. B even saw your Dad when you were home for the holidays and Summer which is why I was always so angry at you for doing nothing, but I guess now that you just didn’t know.” One glance to Kurt's puzzled, wet eyes confirmed her suspicions and Santana took a deep breath before continuing her story.

“After their graduation the three of us and Sam moved in together and Mike joined us after he decided Chicago wasn’t for him. We stayed in Lima so that Blaine could continue his treatment and I suppose we just got settled, tied down by jobs and college at OSU. Then a year ago we decided to move here. Blainers had just got an awesome apprenticeship at one of the top hotels in the city.”

“Sadly working there proved too much in the end what with his relapse and all. Which is why he took the job with Dani I guess, flexibility and all, and I got a promotion, so we all moved out here together.” She chuckled darkly, a hopeless look flooding her eyes,

“He’d been all clear since he was twenty but then six months ago, it was back and now…I just don’t know what to do anymore. It’s why we’re so close, we’re family pure and simple and I won’t let anyone, and I mean anyone, hurt any of them so you damn well better be sure about this Porcelain.”

“Wait, what’s this illness? I never knew any of that though. Oh God Santana what did I do?” Kurt whispered the tears that filled his eyes now overflowing down his cheeks for the second time that week.

“He never told you,” Santana murmured, eyes widening in astonishment, as more tears of her own flooded into them, a sudden realisation sending shockwaves through everything she thought was true. “I knew he hadn’t told you about his parents but, fuck Hummel, I thought he’d told you about…crap, Kurt I am so, so sorry.”

Kurt simply shook his head, confused as to where this was going and why Santana suddenly seemed like he wasn’t the one at fault as he watched her gnaw on her bottom lip, obviously battling a severe conflict in her own head. When she took a shaky breath and looked at him with a determined expression, Kurt hardened himself, petrified of what he would hear.

“Kurt, Blaine had and has leukaemia.”

And just like that, Kurt Hummel’s world fell apart.