Day 3- Beginning

Carole's face lit up as he walked in the room. "Kurt! What are you doing here!" She exclaimed, pulling him in for a hug.

He laughed as he returned the embrace, kissing his stepmother on the cheek in greeting. "Somebody left their dinner at home," he informed her pointedly, a glimmer in his eye. Kurt held up the bag, wiggling it around.

"Oh, you didn't have to, sweetie, I could have just gotten something from the cafeteria-"

"Dad insisted. Well, he was insisting on bringing it over himself, but he looked exhausted. So I gently reminded him that I'm only home for a little while, and I'll hardly get to see you at all...."

Carole chuckled. "That talked him out of it?"

Kurt shrugged. "That and Blaine distracted him with some football game."

She offered another grinning smile. "It's so nice to have the both of you home."

"Yeah," Kurt agreed. "It's nice to be around family."

"How's the child hunt going?"

Kurt scoffed. "We're trying to adopt. You make it sound like we're trying to kill them."

Carole chuckled. "Sorry, sweetie, poor choice of words I guess." Suddenly, a beep sounded, interrupting their conversation. "That's my pager, I'm needed in the ER."

Kurt frowned. "Do you think it's an emergency?"

"Well, it is called the emergency room for a reason, you know," she deadpanned. "But I'm not on call for the ER tonight. Something else must be going on. Come with me, let's check it out."

Kurt hesitated. "Are you sure I'm allowed-"

Carole nodded definitively. "You're my son, you're allowed to visit me. Now come," Kurt felt his heart twitch the way it always did when Carole called him her son. It almost made him uneasy...almost. It was silly, he should be used to it by now. He quickly followed her and she marched down the halls of the hospital, his long legs allowing him to keep up with her hurried pace.

Kurt hung back once they arrived in the ER. He didn't want to get in the way, after all. His mind flashed back to high school, when he had been rushed here, his father lying still in a bed. He shuddered. His dad was fine. Kurt shook himself, forcing himself to focus on the present. Carole walked over to the desk. "I just was paged?" she asked, the rest of her question masked by the commotion of a new arrival. The man at the desk nodded and muttered unheard words, pointing through a door. Carole gestured to him. "Come, this way."

"What's going on?"

"Safe haven baby," she replied, as if that was explanation enough. It wasn't.

"What?"

"Sorry, sweetie. It's a baby whose mother couldn't take care of it. They can leave them off at the hospital and they go into state care if no one claims them."

Kurt felt a lump forming in his throat, but he pushed it aside. "That's so sad. Why would they just give their kids up?"

Carole shrugged. "There are a lot of reasons. But it's usually the most desperate ones who leave them here. At least we have a place for them to turn to so that the babies can have a shot at finding someone who can take care of them. It's better they end up here than on someone's doorstep." Her eyes twinkled, "Look at what happened to Harry Potter." she ended, joking in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"I guess I understand,"

His step-mother smiled. "Do you want to see the baby?"

His eyes widened. "Can I?"

Carole laughed. "Of course, right through here." She swiped her ID badge, and the door clicked, ready for her to open it. Inside was what Kurt could only assume was a plastic bassinet. A tiny form was swaddled in pink blankets, wiggling slightly.

"Is it a girl?" he asked, almost breathless with sudden nerves.

Carole picked up a chart. "Yep, a beautiful, healthy little girl." She put the paperwork down and scooped up the child. Looking down at the baby fondly, she whispered, "Yes, we're talking about you, sweetie."

The girl made some cooing noises which made Kurt grin. He'd seen plenty of babies, more than ever since he and Blaine had been trying to adopt. But this little girl...she had stolen his heart and he'd only known her for about a minute. After a little while, she began to fuss in Carole's arms, seemingly immune to her words of comfort.

He didn't know what made him do it. Kurt stretched out his arms questioningly. "Can I try?"

A strange look passed over Carole's face. "Sure, honey, here you go," She handed over the baby, instructing him how to support her tiny weight.

"Hey baby girl," he whispered, pulling her up into a hug, planting a gentle kiss on her tiny little head. "There's no need to cry. You're safe now. There's a lot of really nice people here who are going to take care of you, okay?" The girl stopped crying, and looked at him abstractly. She was still so young, she didn't know how to smile yet, but Kurt swore that her lips turned up just a little. Calm began to fall over her features.

"I think she likes your voice." Carole informed him, a small smile on her face too.

"Is that right?" He smiled down at the baby in his arms. "Do you like my voice, baby girl?" He frowned. "Does she have a name?"

Carole shook her head. "No, there was no documentation with her. We'll give her one before she goes to the Department of Children and Families." Kurt felt a pang in his chest. He never wanted to let this little girl go. He suddenly realized he had found what they had been looking for.

"I think she looks like a Hope," he whispered. "Hope Elizabeth,"

"Well then," Carole replied, writing something down. "I think she has a name now."

Kurt looked up quickly. "Seriously?"

Carole nodded. "I think it fits." Hope reach one of her pudgy hands out, grabbing one of Kurt's fingers. "I think she approves too."

Kurt hesitated, knowing the disappointment that could follow as soon as he spoke the words that were begging to be set free. "Do you think we'd be able to adopt her?"

Carole sighed and his heart sank. He knew it had to be too good to be true. "I don't know sweetie. But I have to get her up to the nursery now. I'll walk you out." He nodded as Carole took Hope from his arms, feeling a pang at the sudden loss. He followed the pair out of the room and up a few flights of stairs until they were in a lobby. "Well, I've got to get this little bundle of joy upstairs." She kissed him on the cheek. "Goodnight, sweetie. See you tomorrow. And I'll talk to DCF, see if I can put in a good word for the two of you."

Warmth ran through Kurt's veins and he let out a breath he had no idea he was holding. "Thanks, Carole. Goodnight."

He gave the sleepy baby's hand a little squeeze before he left, desperately hoping that it would not be the last time he saw the little girl. Her tired eyes flickered open at his touch, meeting his gaze. The second he got outside, his phone was out, punching the speed dial button that connected to Blaine's phone. It rang once, twice, before he heard his husband's voice.

"Hey, Sweetie, you headed home?"

"Yeah,"

He could almost hear the frown. "Is everything alright?"

"Blaine, I think I found her."

"Who?"

"Our daughter."

*#*#*#*#*#*#*

Kurt grabbed Blaine's hand as if he was the only thing keeping him afloat. It wasn't so far from the truth. They were meeting with the DCF officer for one last time, the one last time that would determine if Hope would be theirs.

Mr. Stevens, the officer, walked in, shaking both of their hands. "Let's get right to this," he began, taking a seat across from them at his desk, smiling. "Now, normally this process would take a bit more time. However, the state of New York has already determined that you two are fit to be competent parents, and our check has determined the same thing." He picked up a paper and a pen, sliding it towards them. "All you have to do is sign. Any questions?"

"Will it be a problem that we'll be taking her out of state? We're only in Ohio visiting family, we'll be in New York most of the time." Blaine asked, squeezing Kurt's hand.

Mr. Stevens shook his head. "Not at all. The New York branch will check in, like they would had you adopted in state. This is actually more common than you would think."

Blaine nodded. "Can we see her?"

"Certainly." The officer picked up his phone, muttering something into the receiver. A minute later the door to the office opened, and a woman entered, Hope in her arms.

Kurt could feel his heart pounding as he laid eyes on the little girl. It had only been a week since he'd last seen her, but she was already so big. They had already missed so much. He didn't want to miss any more. The woman placed Hope in Blaine's arms. Kurt's heart fluttered even more when he saw the way Blaine looked at her, a look full of pure joy and adoration. Gosh, this girl was going to be spoiled rotten.

Kurt looked over at his husband, reality beginning to sink in. "Well, what do you think?"

Blaine grinned, leaning down to give their little girl a kiss on the forehead. "Let's start our family."