Kurt just couldn't understand what was wrong with his boyfriend.   Or his boyfriend's mother.

The shock of learning he had a parasitic twin seemed to have unhinged Blaine, who stubbornly insisted that he believed the newly discovered fetus could be his son or daughter, conceived by actual magic.  Anna's preposterous mythological suggestion had taken hold of Blaine … and there was no shaking it loose, not by Blaine's father, by Dr. Washington, or even by Kurt, all of whom pleaded without success for Blaine to see reason. Privately, Kurt worried that Blaine had suddenly lost his mind.

Dr. Washington thought so too, and brought in every psychiatrist with privileges at the hospital, hoping to keep Blaine in the hospital as a psychiatric patient, to be treated with psychotropic drugs until he regained his judgment. To Kurt's surprise, after the psychiatrists, one after the other, had interviewed Blaine at length, they all agreed: there were no symptoms of any dangerous mental illness to justify retaining Blaine against his will in the psychiatric unit of the hospital or medicating him over objection.  Without evidence that Blaine would harm himself or others, there was no basis to force treatment on him.

Increasingly frustrated, Hans and Dr. Washington turned next to the hospital's lawyer, a middle-aged woman in a rumpled suit named Margaret Myers, to file papers at court to force Blaine to accept treatment. Ms. Myers had agreed to meet with Dr. Washington, the Andersons and Kurt, who Blaine authorized to hear all of his medical information.  “I need someone on my side at that meeting,” he'd told Kurt; but while Kurt would always be on Blaine's side, he was increasingly worried by Blaine's mental state and physical well-being.

Sitting in the lawyer's office on the top floor of the hospital, he nervously twirled a lock of hair in his fingers.  Mr. and Mrs. Anderson were sitting awkwardly side by side, but Kurt knew they were completely opposed over Blaine's medical treatment and condition.  Finally, Ms. Myers came breezing in, slamming the door behind her and sitting at her desk, strewn with medical records and files.   She got right to the point.   “I've reviewed Blaine's files, including your consultation, Dr. Washington, and the psychiatrist reports.  It's clear I have no role here.  Even if Blaine is delusional, he isn't a danger to others, and not an immediate danger to himself, according to the psychiatrists here.  So he can't be forced to take psychiatric medication.”

“What about taking him to court to force him to have that thing removed?” Hans demanded.  

Ms. Myers sighed.  “This is Ohio.  No one can be forced by a court to have an abortion, it's part of the new abortion laws effective in 2014. Ohio Revised Code 2701.15,” she recited glibly, pulling a navy blue book with gold stamped letters on its cover from a series of similar books on the wall behind her.  She opened it and pointed to the section.

“It's not an abortion!” Hans exploded. “He's not pregnant!  The doctor said so!  If you won't take him to Court, I'll hire a lawyer and get this done myself.  There has to be a way to force him to get treatment for this … this condition!”

Remembering Blaine's plea that someone be his advocate in the meeting, Kurt reluctantly objected.  “Hans, no,” he said, looking at Anna.  “He's - - he's not ready.    He has to be the one to decide for himself. If you force him to have the procedure he'll hate you for it.”

“I'm willing to take that chance.  This is getting out of hand.  It's been a week now, farting around with all these specialists and psychiatrists.  That thing is growing, Dr. Washington, you said so yourself at the last ultrasound.”  He looked in frustration at his wife.  “Anna!  Back me up on this, please!”

Anna sighed unhappily.  “And Dr. Washington also said the baby is normal.  In every respect.  Blaine could continue to carry this child and, possibly, give birth by cesarean, for all anyone here knows.  It's his choice, and I don't believe he'd ever forgive us if we took that choice away against his will.”

Hans leaped up, sending his chair crashing to the floor, and shouted, “That's your answer to everything he does, isn't it, Anna?  He wants to go to private school and run away from his bullies.  You said, let him. Then the next year, he wants to change schools after we've already paid the deposit for his slot at Dalton, so he can play footsie with his boyfriend back at public school.  You say, it's his choice.  Not this time, Anna!  He's a child and we have to be the parents here!”

“He's the patient, and it's his body,” Ms. Myers cut in.  “This hospital won't take him to Court to force him to see things your way and have surgery against his will.  You do what you have to, we'll obey a court order if I'm wrong and you can get one, but I won't file papers without a legal basis.”

“If the fetus isn't viable, or it could be proven it's just that fetus in fetu thing, though, maybe it would make him decide for himself to get the treatment,” Kurt piped up, trying to calm the situation down.  “Is there anything else you can do to give him some proof, Doctor?”

Dr. Washington nodded.  “I think so.  And I think you're right about how to approach him.  Blaine's so entrenched in this idea of being pregnant, that forcing him to end what he sees as a pregnancy against his will would be traumatic.  He'd probably have to be physically restrained to be put under anesthesia.  It wouldn't be pretty.”

Kurt swallowed hard, feeling the tears starting up, at the thought of Blaine being tied down and chemically knocked out, then cut open against his wishes.  No.  That couldn't happen.  Blaine had to agree to it, he had to. He would have to come to his senses and see this was inevitable, he … he just had to.

Ms. Myers cut in, “And I can tell you the Courts won't order surgery unless it's a matter of serious physical harm or death to Blaine, even if your lawyer presents it as ordinary surgery, not an abortion. And from what I've seen in his chart, Blaine isn't in grave physical danger without the surgery right now, correct?”

Dr. Washington rubbed his eyes. “I can tell you that if that fetus keeps growing, and keeps making him ill, it could come to that.  But right now, no.  You're right. The nausea and vomiting are under reasonable control on medication and fluids and so far, his vital organs appear to be functioning and unimpeded by the fetal growth.  So I'd have to say no, it isn't an emergency at this point.  That may change in the future, but right now, let's try something else.”  He stood up and gestured to Anna and Hans.  “With your permission, I'm going to suggest another specialist to Blaine.”

Hans and Anna looked at each other.  As Hans nodded, Anna shook her head, murmuring, “I don't know.  I don't think it's right to pressure him  - -”

“That's not what I'm planning.  I just think we should give Blaine more facts to work with.  Shall we see Blaine now?”  Dr. Washington said.  

After saying goodbye to Ms. Myers, the group followed Dr. Washington upstairs and into Blaine's room.  Now that the nausea had subsided somewhat, Blaine was up and out of his bed, sitting in a chair reading, his picked-at lunch on the tray on a table beside him.  Kurt could see Blaine was holding a book on pregnancy, and gritted his teeth.

“Hello, Blaine,” Dr. Washington said brightly.  “How are we feeling today?”

Blaine looked at him through narrowed eyes.  “We're fine.  Actually, so fine that I think I can go home today.”

Dr. Washington pulled up a chair across from Blaine's.  “What's the rush?”

“I … just don't feel comfortable here, and I don't think I need to be in the hospital for treatment.  It's  pretty obvious you're just keeping me here looking for ways to keep this pregnancy from going forward. Or to prove I'm crazy.”  He put a bookmark in What to Expect When You're Expecting. “No offense but I want to establish with a different outpatient Ob-Gyn.”

“No offense taken, Blaine.  The thing is … I think you're right.  Your … pregnancy … is too unusual for my scope of practice.  I imagine it's out of the scope of most doctors' practice.  You can see why, can't you?”

Blaine nodded cautiously.  

“I've spoken to Dr. Kate Shelley about your case.  She's very interested.  She's a high-risk pregnancy specialist, and she'd like to come to examine you and run some tests.  I think you'd agree that for sake of your own health, and … and your baby, you should be examined and followed very closely by the most expert physicians possible, am I right?”

“Sure … okay.  I'll see another doctor, I guess.  Hopefully she'll have a more open mind.  Where is she coming from?  I'd like to Google her, know what I'm getting into.”

“That's reasonable.  She practices maternal-fetal medicine in Columbus.  She can be here toward the end of the week. Will you agree to stay inpatient until she can see you, and listen to what she has to say?  Even if she agrees with me that this fetus is simply your absorbed twin, and you have no chance of carrying it to term?”

Blaine flickered a suspicious glance around the room at Hans and Kurt, then back to the doctor.  “I'll listen … but you all have to understand, I won't have any surgery until someone can prove to me that … that this isn't my baby.”

“We understand your position, Blaine.  I'll call Dr. Shelley and let her know you're willing to see her.  Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, if you'll step outside so we can discuss the details?”

Blaine's mother leaned over and kissed him on the forehead.  “Try to finish your lunch, sweetheart.  I'll go talk to the doctor and be back soon.”

“Hang in there, buddy,” Hans said gruffly, punching Blaine on the shoulder.  

Blaine stiffened, rubbing his arm.  “Thanks, Dad.”  

The adults filed out and Blaine slumped in his chair, looking out the window and pointedly away from Kurt.

“Hey.  So.”  Kurt sat in the chair vacated by Dr. Washington, and slid it around next to Blaine.  “You'll never guess what's going on in glee club,” he said, hoping to interest Blaine in something outside of this bizarre situation.  “Mr. Schuester and Sue are feuding again.”

“I don't really care what those two idiots are doing, Kurt.  I have my own problems right now,” Blaine said grumpily, still staring away from Kurt, as if the wooded area behind the hospital held some intense interest for him.

“Okay, sheesh.  Just trying to make conversation.  Sorry.”  Kurt drummed his fingers on the arms of his chair and looked hungrily at Blaine's half-full lunch tray, and his eyes lit up at the sight of an untouched pudding cup.  He'd had lunch already, but …  “Can I have that?” he asked.  “Unless you were saving it.”

“Take it,” Blaine said, shooting a look at Kurt's waistline.  “Are those new pants?”

Kurt peeled the foil back from the top of the pudding cup and dove in.  “So what if they are?” he said through a mouthful of pudding.   Surely Blaine can't  tell … I've gone up a size and had to buy new pants?  He considered putting the dessert back, but he was so hungry. “You have a problem with me buying new clothes all of a sudden?”

“Not at all,” Blaine said.  “To the contrary.  I'm really glad to see your appetite's still so good, and I don't mind sitting here doing nothing except getting sick, while you go shopping.”

Annoyed at Blaine's unusual snide attitude, Kurt licked the spoon deliberately, then ran a finger around the inside of the empty cup and licked that too.  “If you want your nausea to go away, there's a way to do that. The doctors have told you a thousand times, this isn't a pregnancy, and there's no point in prolonging this situation - -”

“Don't start that again, Kurt, okay?  I know you don't support me in this.  Message received.”

Kurt tossed the empty cup on Blaine's tray and fought off the urge to ask if he could have half of the turkey sandwich Blaine had tried to eat for lunch.  He was about to snark back at Blaine, but he noticed his boyfriend swiping tears away surreptitiously with the edge of his hospital gown sleeve, and his heart melted.  He reached out and rubbed Blaine's neck gently.  “I'm sorry, honey.  I don't know what to say anymore,” he said sadly.  “I'm trying to be supportive, I really am, but your health is my first concern.  I'm so worried about you.  That's the only reason I want you to follow the doctors' advice and get better as soon as possible.”

The tears were flowing freely now, and Blaine turned and buried his face in Kurt's shoulder.  “I'm sorry I'm being such an asshole, but I'm so tired and sick, and … God, Kurt, please … please forgive me …  I need you to be here for me. I need to have you on my side.  If I go through with this … if I have this baby.  I - - I'm going to be a freak show.  I'll probably have to drop out of school.  I'm terrified of what's going to happen to me, what people are going to say …” he choked, dissolving in sobs.  “I need to know you'll still love me even if my dad and the rest of the world is against me on this.”

“I'll always love you, no matter what,” Kurt whispered as he held him, stroking his back and humming soothingly.  When the tears slowed, he pointed out, gently, hoping to appeal to Blaine's sense of logic, “But Blaine, what you said about the world accepting — your “baby” — that's … kind of the point, isn't it?  Let's just assume for a minute — just for argument sake, that you're right that you're … pregnant.  Okay?” he stroked Blaine's hand patiently, gazing into his eyes as Blaine rested his head against his shoulder.

Blaine held his gaze, listening.  

Encouraged, Kurt continued, speaking as kindly as he could, “Even if it were true that this is your baby, and even if you could carry it to term, your life would basically be over at school, if you went through with a pregnancy.  And the ‘baby', well, what kind of life would he have?  How would people react to a baby who was born from, I don't know, spontaneous generation or budding or … ‘magic' if that's what you think this is, to a man, and - -”  

Blaine pushed away from Kurt's embrace and stood up unsteadily, turning to the window.  “You can go now.”

Kurt felt the frustration rising again.  “What?  What do you mean?  I was just saying what you said five minutes ago!” he protested.  “And it's the truth!”  Suddenly, Kurt was exhausted, by the situation, by the long weeks of worry and now the obstinacy of his boyfriend who simply refused to accept reality.  “Why won't you listen to reason, Blaine?  All of us are worried about you, and love you!  We just want you to get the help you need!  What on earth are you trying to prove?” he shouted, furious tears rising up mutinously.  

Before Blaine could reply, his mother was in the doorway.  “I heard shouting,” Anna said as came in, looking worried. “You two weren't having an argument, were you?”

“Kurt was just leaving,” Blaine said, his voice strained.

Kurt bit his lip as he watched Anna help a pale, shaky Blaine back to bed. His anger drained away as quickly as it had risen up, and he felt ashamed.  Blaine was going through a tough time, and probably all those pregnancy hormones the doctors said that fetus thing was churning up didn't help. Hell, he was on edge himself lately …. snapping at his father and friends, now Blaine, feeling like he could tear his hair out at any minute… it must be the worry and stress that was getting to him.  Between Blaine's illness and waiting to hear from NYADA, he was under a lot of strain.  

That must be it.  He was getting so tired and irritable, it must be stress.

He realized that he needed to get a grip, back off of Blaine, and just be there for him. When Dr. Shelley came, surely she'd convince Blaine, somehow, that this was not a real pregnancy. Let her be the bad cop, the heavy. That shouldn't be Kurt's role … he was there to support Blaine no matter what, as his lover and friend, and he had to make sure Blaine knew he'd be there for him, always.  Blaine needed him, even if he was being irrational right now.  This approach was only backing Blaine farther into a corner at this point, making him even more stubborn, and this whole horrible situation was just coming between him and the boy he loved.

“Honey … I - - I'm sorry,” he managed.  “I shouldn't have raised my voice.  I'm just concerned about you, that's all.  I love you so much.  You know that, don't you?”  He leaned over the bed, smoothing Blaine's hair back, and looked into his eyes.  “Just promise me you'll keep an open mind when Dr. Shelley comes?”

“I will if you do,” Blaine responded, holding his gaze.

Kurt sighed and leaned over to kiss Blaine's lips softly.  “Okay,” he said unwillingly. “I promise.”