Chapter Three:  Revelations

Monday October 20, 2031

“How is Jess?” Blaine asked when Kurt climbed into bed beside him. Almost a week had passed since Kurt had confronted Jess about her self-harm.

“She seems to be doing better,” Kurt replied, settling back against the pillows and pulling the covers up over his legs.

Kurt had informed Jess's parents about her self-harm. They had immediately found her a therapist. Kurt had also told the school administrators about the bullying. Without hard evidence, the girls were only warned about their behavior. Jess's teachers had been told to keep an eye on her and the guilty parties to make sure there were no further confrontations. If the bullying continued the perpetrators would be suspended.

“And how are you?” Blaine asked, wrapping his arms around Kurt and tugging him against his side.

“Me?” Kurt asked in surprise. “I'm fine.”

“I know this has been hard on you. But you should be proud. We got Cate the help she needed and thanks to you Jess is getting treatment too,” Blaine said with admiration.

“I still wish we had stopped them before they started,” Kurt admitted unhappily, resting his head on Blaine's shoulder.

“I do too but it won't do us any good to dwell on what we can't change.”

“I'm going to dwell on it either way,” Kurt said with a heavy sigh.

“Well, maybe I can distract you,” Blaine said, pushing back the covers. He ran his hands down Kurt's torso to where his boxer briefs began and tugged them down sensuously.

“You can certainly try,” Kurt said, lifting a hand up to Blaine's curls. He guided their mouths together, smiling into the kiss.

Kurt allowed himself to be distracted by the feeling of Blaine's hands on his skin and their bodies moving against each other. He didn't know what tomorrow would bring but for tonight he would love his husband and show him how much he appreciated his support.

K/B

Tuesday October 21, 2031

Kurt woke before his alarm went off the next morning. He shifted to check the time on his bedside clock. Blaine's arms tightened around him, pulling him back until their naked bodies were pressed flush together.

“Don't go,” Blaine murmured, pressing a kiss to the back of Kurt's neck.

“I'm not going anywhere yet, but we only have fifteen minutes,” Kurt replied as he settled back against Blaine's chest.

“I only need ten,” Blaine said as he rolled Kurt onto his back.

Kurt didn't try to stifle his laughter at his lover's comment. Blaine immediately attached his mouth to Kurt's sternum, where he knew he wouldn't be chastised for leaving a mark. Kurt pulled Blaine down on top of him; he was just trailing a hand down Blaine's spine to his ass when a cry pierced the otherwise silent room.

“Daddy! Papa!” Zach cried through the baby monitor.

Blaine groaned unhappily, rolling off of his husband. Kurt pushed himself up and leaned over Blaine to press a chaste kiss to his lips.

“It's just as well,” Kurt said sympathetically. “I told Jess the girls and I would pick her up this morning.”

“Remind me again, why did we decide to have kids?” Blaine teased as Zach called out again, this time solely for him.

“Hush you,” Kurt said, kissing him again with a smile. “I'll make it up to you tonight.”

“Promise?” Blaine asked, pushing back the covers and sliding out of bed.

Kurt's eyes swept over Blaine's naked body hungrily. Blaine grinned, pleased with how strongly he could affect Kurt after all these years.

“Promise,” Kurt parroted, watching as Blaine sauntered away to get dressed.

K/B

Jess arrived in the choir room before the twins after school. She joined Kurt in the storage room where he kept the school's sheet music. He greeted her with a smile as he continued sorting through different scores.

“How are you doing, Jess?” Kurt asked as he pulled out the score he was looking for.

“Fine,” Jess replied in the same automatic way Kurt had when he was indulging in self-harm. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, shutting the file cabinet and motioning for Jess to follow him.

“What's really going on? Have you been hurting yourself?” he asked, taking a seat on the piano bench.

“No,” Jess answered as she sat down beside him.

“That's great!” Kurt exclaimed as Jess confessed, “But I've wanted to.”

Kurt set the sheet music aside before turning to give Jess his full attention. She was pulling at the long sleeves of her white shirt uncomfortably. Kurt's heart ached for the young woman.

“Jess, that's completely normal. You're going to have urges. What's important is having the will power to ignore them and find other ways to cope. I know you probably don't want to hear it but you're actually very lucky. We caught this fairly early, not everyone gets help so quickly.”

“I don't feel lucky,” Jess said hopelessly. She dropped her head, allowing her dark brown curls to fall around her face, hiding her from view.

“I know,” Kurt said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “But as with any other illness, early detection is key. I had been cutting for four months before Papa found out and another month passed before I got professional help. By seeking treatment so quickly you have hopefully avoided many of the complications that I faced.”

“What do you mean ‘complications?'” Jess asked, finally pushing her hair back and meeting Kurt's cerulean eyes.

“I didn't seek help on my own accord. One morning in high school, Papa found me unconscious after I cut too deep. That's how my family found out I'd been hurting myself.”

Jess shifted her gaze from Kurt's exposed forearms to her own covered ones. “Is that when you went to rehab?”

The twins slipped into the room quietly. Kurt glanced over at them but continued the conversation with Jess. Cate and Chloe sat on the floor by the piano and listened to their father.

“I wish it had been,” Kurt admitted. “It would have saved me, Papa, and the rest of my family a lot of pain and heartache. Instead I started to see a therapist and was put on an antidepressant. I ended up in the emergency room for stitches twice more before I had no choice but to go to rehab.”

“What do you mean you didn't have a choice?” Jess asked. Cate and Chloe stayed silent, already knowing their father's past.

“When I was eighteen, I developed an eating disorder. By the time Papa found out I hadn't been eating for days and was malnourished. He dragged me to my therapist and I ended up running out during the session. I went home and cut myself so badly it was almost to the bone.”

Jess gasped in shock and her blue eyes widened but Kurt didn't pause for a second. Even now he hated talking about what he considered the worst mistake of his life. He knew if he stopped he might not be able to start again.

“By the time Papa and Uncle Finn found me I had lost a lot of blood, too much blood. I died in Papa's arms. He brought me back and kept me breathing until the paramedics got there. In the ambulance I had a heart attack. Papa had to watch as they revived me yet again. In the hospital they had to repair the nerves and tendons in my arms. But not before I had another heart attack. I was in a coma for a week. When I woke up and realized what I had done, what I had forced Papa to endure, I agreed to go to rehab. I haven't hurt myself since but I was still changed forever.

“When you have a heart attack, part of the heart muscle dies. I have to watch what I eat, exercise regularly but not to the point that will risk a relapse of anorexia, and I have to see a cardiologist. I've always been the youngest person in that waiting room. Eighteen-year-olds aren't supposed to have heart attacks or cardiology check-ups.

“And even though it's been twenty years, I have no feeling in the fingers of my left hand. I can't feel it when someone holds that hand; I can't feel the piano keys underneath my fingers. I was never able to experience the feeling of holding each of my daughter's hands as we walked down the street.

“I'm not trying to belittle what you've gone through, Jess. I just want you to know the risks involved with cutting and how much it cost me. Don't let it cost you the same way.”

“I won't,” Jess said with confidence.

Cate rose to her feet, pushing a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. She said, “I won't either.”

Kurt stood up with a smile.

“Come here, girls.”

He pulled Jess and Cate into a hug. When Chloe stayed seated he motioned with his hand until she joined the group. Jess and Cate shared a look. They knew they weren't out of the woods yet but they were both going to try their hardest to overcome self-injury. And with Kurt in their corner, Cate felt certain they would succeed.