“I can't believe it … but yes.  You're pregnant.”  Dr. Carter shifted awkwardly on his feet.  “Kurt.  Are you under the care of a physician for this … condition?”

Kurt remained lying on the exam table, staring up at the ceiling.  He felt surprisingly numb.  Perhaps because on some level, he'd known for a while now, but refused to acknowledge the truth.  He shook his head.  “No.  I haven't seen a doctor.”

“Well, you really need to.  Even in a … normal pregnancy, prenatal care is incredibly important.  I can't emphasize strongly enough that you must have a full workup.  From this limited exam, I don't see any adverse effects of the - - the pregnancy - - but - -”  Dr. Carter was breathless, and propped himself against the exam table by his hands for a moment before continuing shakily.  “I simply can't clear you for admission to NYADA without a full set of tests and - - “

“Dr. Carter!” The receptionist burst into the exam room.  “You need to come out to the waiting room, right now!  There's an emergency!”

Kurt caught his breath.  Only three people were in the waiting room.  Blaine was in the waiting room -

He leaped from the exam table and raced behind Dr. Carter out into the waiting area.  His eyes immediately found Blaine, and his heart sank.  Rachel was at his side stroking his hair soothingly, and Blaine was panting, his face was flushed, and his lips were tense with pain.  A nurse was kneeling in front of Blaine, taking his blood pressure.  Finn was sloshing water from the nearby water cooler into a paper cone cup, and onto the floor in his nervous haste to help.

“His pulse is over 120, and he was complaining about a headache and blurry vision,”  the nurse said, checking the cuff.  She looked at Dr. Carter with a grave expression.  “200/150”.  

“I'm s- s- sorry, Kurt!” Blaine was babbling.  “I'm sorry, Kurt.  I didn't want to - - to ruin the day - -”

“Call an ambulance,” Dr. Carter instructed the receptionist, who rushed behind the desk and picked up the phone.

“He's pregnant,” Finn blurted frantically from the corner, two cones of cold water uselessly dripping in his hands.   Dr. Carter's eyes widened again, but he simply nodded.  

“Lay him down on the floor,” the doctor ordered.   Desperate to help, Finn flung the two cups into a potted plant and raced over, picking tiny Blaine up bodily under his back and legs bridal-style, and lowered him to the floor with care.   Rachel pulled off her cardigan and pillowed Blaine's head tenderly, while Kurt held his hand and tried to reassure him silently, with a calm, loving look, that everything would be all right.

The receptionist shoved some medical equipment into Dr. Carter's hands.  He started unfurling a tube, and explained quickly, “I'm going to start an IV and push some normal saline to try to bring the blood pressure down.  Talk to him and keep him calm.”

“Kurt, I'm so sorry,” Blaine gasped.

Kurt smoothed his damp hair back, and shook his head, shushing him.  “There's nothing to be sorry for, sweetie!  Just rest quietly, okay?  It's all going to be okay, I promise.  I'm right here,” he said, forcing himself to smile as if he wasn't terrified beyond belief by the grim faces of the doctor and nurse.  He forced himself to stare into Blaine's eyes, willing him to stay calm, to be all right.  

The eyes that looked back at him were clouded with pain, pupils dilated.  “My head hurts so bad, Kurt.”  Blaine's voice was a hoarse whisper.  “- - you need to call Dr. Shelley - - find out what to do - -”

“Okay, honey, but let the doctor take care of you right now, okay?  And try to relax.  Breathe slowly, in and out, along with me, please …”

He held Blaine's gaze intently, squeezing his hand while the doctor started the IV and kept checking and re-checking Blaine's vital signs.  He found himself praying … to whom or what, he couldn't say … but the words kept spiraling in his mind, over and over.  Please let him be all right. Please let both of them be all right.

                                                    ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Kurt sat with his head bowed over his clasped hands in the waiting room at the maternal-fetal unit at the hospital.   So many doctors had been in and out of Blaine's room, buzzing around and holding conferences and asking a million questions.  Blaine was their own personal freak show, it seemed, and all of them were fascinated and thrilled to observe what they naively believed was a one-of-a-kind medical marvel.  Little did they know that Blaine was no longer unique, and a matching freak was seated a few yards away.  Kurt pressed a hand over his belly, feeling the fluttering that he'd been in denial about for weeks.  He still couldn't quite process his own news, and the one person in the world who would know what he was going through, the one person he wanted to confide in and who had the greatest right to know before anyone else … was unable to hear it.  He was alone in this, and would be alone until Blaine was stabilized.

Though Kurt had no one to talk to about his pregnancy, he wasn't entirely alone, of course.  Finn and Rachel were nervously pacing around him, but he was so overwhelmed and exhausted he could only sit slumped in his chair, too drained, both by his own secret and the terrible fear for his husband and … one of his babies, to talk to them or even to cry.

Looking up, he saw more support was on the way, and the sight raised mixed emotions.  His parents, and Blaine's, were stepping off the elevator and heading toward him … along with Blaine's Ohio doctor, Dr. Shelley.  Kurt frowned … he had notified Dr. Shelley to have Blaine's records faxed to the unit, but he hadn't expected Dr. Shelley to show up here in person.  

Glancing toward Blaine's door, he saw the hospital's Chief of Obstetrics, a British man in his mid forties who had a dazzling resume and had risen rapidly to his high position in this major metropolitan hospital due to immense talent - at least, so the nurses here had assured him.  

“Where's my baby?” Anna cried out, running up to Kurt.  Her eyes were bright red and she was scrubbing ineffectually at her tear-stained face with a crumpled wad of toilet paper.  Kurt hugged her and whispered, “They're doing everything they can, Anna - -”

Dr. Ryan stepped forward and extended his hand.  “Mrs. Anderson?  I'm Dr. Ryan, the Chief of Obstetrics here.  I've been handling your son's case - - “

Looking nervous, Dr. Shelley spoke up, her tone uncomfortably loud and unmistakably possessive of the very special case she had been following for the last months.  “I'm Dr. Shelley, Blaine's regular obstetrician.  I've applied for temporary privileges here, and once they're approved, I plan to take over his care again, so - -”

“Well, that would be up to Blaine and his husband, Dr. Shelley,” Dr. Ryan interrupted.  “I have to wonder if that's appropriate given your … dubious judgment in allowing Blaine to travel in his condition.  His blood pressure has been inching up at every visit, judging from the records your office faxed - -”

Dr. Shelley flared angrily, “Now just hold on, doctor - -”

“Wait a minute.  Husband?” Hans spluttered, drowning out Dr. Shelley's protests.  “Kurt!  Did you tell these people you and Blaine are married?  Why would you do that?”

“Because we got married this morning,” Kurt said.  All four parents began talking at once, and Finn took the opportunity to pipe up, “And so did Rachel and I.” Carole gasped in shock, triggering a new avalanche of reproaches from the four adults.  

Kurt cut all of them off.  “Listen.:  He bitch-glared at his parents and in-laws.  “You can get upset about the weddings later.”  He stared at Dr. Shelley and Dr. Ryan in turn.  “And the two of you doctors can fight about which one of you is going to get famous from the first pregnant man on your own time.  Right now - -” his voice cracked.  “Right now we need to talk aboutBlaine and our baby, please, Dr. Ryan, what's happening?”   

“Well, as you know, his blood pressure rose dangerously this afternoon, and along with the headaches and dizziness, we have to worry about the possibility of preeclampsia, which can lead to extremely dangerous complications for both Blaine and the baby.  The tests we've run on the baby were perfectly normal.  The blood pressure has come down, but it's still on the higher side of normal.  I want him kept on bed rest to keep his blood pressure stable, until the baby is mature enough to be delivered.”

“But - my hospital - -” Dr.Shelley started, but Kurt cut her off.

“Blaine obviously can't be moved or fly back to Ohio, not until he and the baby are out of danger.  I'm sorry, Dr. Shelley, but Blaine stays put.”

“Can we see him?” Anna pleaded.  

“Just for a little while.  We need him to stay calm,” Dr. Ryan cautioned. “And not a big crowd, please.”

Kurt nodded, and turned to Hans.  “You can only go in if you promise not to say anything to upset him.  So … maybe it'd be safest if you just stick to “I love you” and “Hope you feel better soon,” got it?”

“Who do you think you are, talking to me that way?” Hans seethed.  “I'm Blaine's father - -”

“And I'm Blaine's husband, and if you want to see him, you'll follow my ground rules.  Nobody says anything negative or upsetting, or they're banned from visiting, do I make myself clear?”

Burt grinned and pushed his hat back on his head, sitting down in a nearby chair.  

“Let's just go in. He's all alone in there,” Anna pleaded, pulling on her husband's arm.

Kurt filed in with his new in-laws close behind, into Blaine's room.  Blaine was in his hospital bed, surrounded by a heart monitor, with a blood pressure cuff, IV and fetal monitor attached and beeping busily.  He looked small in the large bed, and exhausted.  His face lit up as Kurt came in.

“I'm sorry, I don't have any flowers or balloons, I feel like a terrible husband,” Kurt murmured, sitting on the edge of the bed.  

“You're the best husband in the world,” Blaine smiled back.  “I don't need any presents as long as I can see you.  Dr. Ryan says I have to stay here until I have the baby.  I'm sorry - - It'll be so expensive, a big New York Hospital - -”

Kurt saw the numbers on the monitor click up from 125/75 to 130/80.  He forced a smile to his face and managed a slight laugh.  “Stop saying you're sorry.  It's not your fault, and it'll be fine.  The administrators already talked to me and your insurance will cover all the costs of your stay, it's all been cleared.  I got it in writing, too,” he added, handing Blaine the insurance clearances.  He was relieved to see Blaine's face relax slightly as he glanced over the paperwork.  

“Well, that's a lucky break.  Thanks for having such great insurance, Dad,” Blaine said sheepishly, smiling at his father.  

To Kurt's surprise, Hans was crying silently.  Biting his lip and smearing a hand across his eyes, he said tremulously,“I just want you to be okay, son. And - and the baby.  Whatever the doctors say either of you need, you'll have it, I promise.”

“Just rest, okay, sweetheart.  Take care of yourself, that's the most important thing,” Anna added.

“I'm trying to.  But can you make sure Kurt here takes care of  himself too?  No offense, Kurt, but … you look exhausted.  And really pale.  Are you okay?”

Kurt stared at Blaine for a moment, longing to tell him the truth. No, I'm not okay.  I'm pregnant and you're sick and I don't know what to fucking do next.

He chose his words carefully.  There would be no lies, even if he couldn't tell the whole truth. “I'm just … it was a bit of a scare, today.  I couldn't take it if anything bad happened to you.”  He got into the bed with Blaine and curled an arm around his chest.

Kurt saw the relief spread over Blaine's trusting face. “It won't.  These are the best doctors in the world and I'll be getting round-the-clock care.  And hey!  Silver lining!  I'll be in New York, so we'll still be able to see each other every day while you go to NYADA!  Yay, right?”

Kurt smiled tightly and leaned over to kiss Blaine's cheek.

Behind Blaine's head, the machine flashed - 120/70 - as Blaine shut his eyes contentedly and drifted to sleep, holding Kurt's arm like a teddy bear against his chest.  Blaine wanted to believe, so he did, and Kurt certainly understood that after the last few months. He'd never kept a secret like this from Blaine before, but it didn't matter.  All that mattered was keeping those numbers on the monitor low, no matter how many secrets he had to keep, or what he had to do.