Aug. 27, 2012, 5:27 a.m.
A Fresh Start
A Fresh Start: Chapter 20
E - Words: 4,527 - Last Updated: Aug 27, 2012 Story: Complete - Chapters: 36/36 - Created: Aug 25, 2012 - Updated: Aug 27, 2012 1,421 0 1 1 0
"Why didn't you disclose this relationship to HR, Dr. Hummel?"
Kurt sat at his desk, glad that the piece of furniture hid his hands from view, as he was wringing them nervously. The last thing he needed was to seem nervous about this. They had done nothing wrong. "It's really a brand new development. We hadn't planned on advertising it to anyone until we knew for sure what was going on. I can assure you that I had every intention of informing you about the relationship between nurse Anderson and I. Unfortunately you received the complaint before I had the chance."
The representative from Human Resources who was sitting across from him only nodded, expressionless. He continued taking notes on his tablet while Kurt spoke. "Tell me about the circumstances that led up to the complaint, if you will."
While outwardly calm, he had forced himself to stop wringing his hands, Kurt's insides were completely twisted up in turmoil. (Is this for real? How much more crap will we have to deal with?) "There's not much to tell, from my perspective anyway. Under normal circumstances the nurses are only allowed to alter their schedules with a month's notice. Nurse Anderson, however, received a call only two days ago that his little girl needed to be scheduled for surgery on Friday. He expressed concern to me that he couldn't find anyone to take his shift. I talked to the scheduling supervisor, like I would have for anyone in that situation, and she changed things for him. Nurse Sarah Wilkins came to me later that day, asking if I could get her schedule changed too so that she could attend a concert. I told her that a concert did not fall under the same category in necessitating a schedule change and she got angry and came to you."
The man sat there, still expressionless, taking notes. Kurt wanted to scream. This was absolutely ridiculous. He was being punished for being in love and for a being a decent person.
"What about the other complaint she lodged?" The man looked up then, barely concealing a smile.
"Oh," Kurt blushed...
"Oh my god, Blaine! Oh... oh shit!..." Kurt was leaning back on the desk in his office, eyes closed, desperately trying to moan a little more softly.
Blaine was on his knees in front of the doctor, smiling at the pleasure he was causing. He would have liked to tell Kurt how amazing he looked, face flushed, lips parted, head thrown back... but his mouth was a little busy at the moment.
"Yes, oh yes! I'm gonna..." Kurt lurched forward slightly as he gripped the other man's hair with his hands.
"Dr. Hummel, can you sign... Oh my god!"
Kurt's eyes snapped open in shock at the girl's voice. Blaine choked, mid-swallow, trying to pull off quickly and accidentally biting down lightly in the process.
"Aaah!" Kurt gasped loudly in pain. The nip was so much worse than it normally would have been considering his sensitive state. He gripped Blaine's shoulders and actually pulled him closer as the man tried to stand and move away. Kurt shot him a look that said, 'If you move I'm kind of exposed here.' Blaine cringed, trying not to picture the expression on the girl's face, feeling utterly humiliated.
The other nurse was still standing there, seemingly in shock. "I, uh, I'm so sorry, I just need this release form signed..." she looked at the floor awkwardly.
"I'll be happy to sign that for you if you could please just give me a moment," Kurt choked out in a strained voice.
"Sure, yes, of course. I'm so sorry, doctor." The door slammed shut as the girl retreated as quickly as possible.
"I thought you locked the door!" Kurt gingerly tucked himself away as Blaine stood, wiping his mouth.
"You said YOU locked it!" Blaine shot back.
"No, I ASKED, 'Got the door?'"
"Oh, I thought you were making a statement." The nurse gave the doctor a sheepish look. They just looked at each other, then laughed.
"Okay, we are officially not smooth enough to pull off work sex." Kurt sighed at Blaine's claim, thinking that he was unfortunately right. "Um, I'm really sorry about biting you."
Kurt gave a little grunt of irritation at that, but couldn't help but grin at how ridiculous they were.
He turned and walked from the room with the tiniest limp.
Kurt sighed and sat back in his chair. "Look, I was with my boyfriend, on our lunch break, and we thought the door of my office was locked. I'm not claiming that it was my most shining moment at this hospital, but it was an honest mistake. Neither I, nor Blaine... nurse Anderson..., have any history of inappropriate behavior. In fact, we have close to perfect records in almost every aspect. I can only assure you again that neither this incident, or our relationship in general, has any affect on how I treat the staff here. All of the nurses are equal in my eyes and they will continue to stay that way. When someone has a legitimate family emergency I will do what I can to help them. When they want to blow off work to go to a concert I will not. It's as simple as that."
The other man nodded. He had lost his amusement from earlier and had gone back to taking notes. "I think that's all I needed then. Thank you for your time, Dr. Hummel." He collected his things and stood to leave.
"So, what happens now?" Kurt questioned, feeling frustrated at the lack of response from the man.
"For the moment nothing." The HR rep gave the doctor a reassuring smile. "You're right, your record stands for itself and this girl is fairly new here. We have no reason to take her complaint as anything more than some immature grumbling." Kurt sighed in relief and nodded his thanks. "Just make sure that you are careful to not give your boyfriend preferential treatment. And doctor...?"
Kurt raised his eyebrows in question as he waited for the man to finish his sentence.
"Make sure the door is locked next time."
Kurt walked back into the E.R. feeling tense. He knew that everything was supposedly fine but he couldn't help but worry, and be mad at himself for the slip-up with his office door, and want to bitch-slap that spoiled little brat of a nurse. Blaine walked up to him with a concerned look.
"Are you okay? What was that meeting all about?" He started to place a hand on Kurt's waist, not noticing the girl just behind him, glaring at them over the top of a chart.
"Everthing's just fine, thank you." Kurt shrugged off Blaine's hand and spoke stiffly. "Please go check on Mrs. Johnson's pain level in room six." Blaine stepped away, clearly hurt. He knew that, for whatever reason, this wasn't the moment to discuss it though.
"Of course," he responded softly and moved down the hall.
The doctor felt terrible but knew there was nothing he could do right now. He satisfied himself instead with calling to the girl who was glaring at the back of Blaine's head and speaking to her sweetly.
"Sarah, the patient in room two has an impacted bowel and needs an enema. Please take care of that."
The little girl with Down Syndrome stared up at him with a smile from the exam table. "Why hello, Darla! I want to say I'm happy to see you, but being here means your sick and that definitely doesn't make me happy." Kurt took in the eight-year-old's wan appearance with concern. "What's going on today?"
"I don't feel good doctuh Hummel." Her small voice sounded a little pathetic, but she still gave him that ever present and dazzling smile. He smiled back sympathetically and patted her shoulder gently.
"Well, let's see if we can't make you feel better, okay?" She smiled even more brightly at this and took his hand in her tiny one. Kurt squeezed it back and glanced at Blaine who was handing over the girl's chart with a smile. Kurt was glad to see that he was apparently forgiven from earlier. He smiled back and took the chart in hand. "So what is going on then?" He turned to Darla's mom.
"She's just been off lately. Tired, poor appetite, looking pale. We figured it was just a cold or the flu but it's not going away."
"Hmmm, anything else? Anything at all, even if it seems small?" Kurt was concentrating on the chart as he spoke, trying to find anything that would point the way.
"No, not really. It's been business as usual besides her just being so tired." The girl's mom ran fingers through her daughter's hair lovingly. "Oh, she's had several nosebleeds lately, and they last longer than usual, but she gets those sometimes when the seasons change because her allergies make her so dry." The mom shrugged it off, showing that she didn't think they were connected.
Kurt's heart sank at that piece of information though. One glance at Blaine told him the nurse had put it together too. The doctor kept holding the little girl's hand and put on his best professional face. "Well, I have some thoughts but let's just start with running some tests and see what we find." He smiled reassuringly at the girl and went to do the same with the mom when he noticed that she and Blaine were giving each other concerned looks. He glanced at the nurse questioningly.
"Don't worry, we'll figure it out," Blaine told the mom with a squeeze of her hand then left the room with the doctor.
"What was that about?" Kurt asked once the door had shut behind them.
Blaine couldn't help but feel that his boyfriend's tone was a little accusatory and he was honestly bewildered by it. "Nothing, we were talking before you came into the room and she was telling me how their insurance has changed. They've stopped covering most of the family's basic costs, even routine tests and procedures. She's worried about the cost of whatever tests you'll run. She told me she almost went to the free clinic today, but Darla loves you so much as a doctor so they came here." Kurt felt his heart warm at this but his frustration was at the forefront right now.
"Oh man, insurance issues again." He rubbed his eyes, pushing his glasses up onto his forehead, a sure sign he was either irritated or tired. Blaine placed a hand on his arm in a soothing manner, rubbing it lightly. Kurt leaned into it for a moment before remembering the whole fiasco from earlier. "I'm going to need you to be more professional while we're at the hospital, please." Kurt knew the moment the sentence left his mouth that it was cold and harsh. The clear look of betrayal in Blaine's eyes nearly undid him. (Please don't be mad, I'll explain everything when we're home and alone!) He tried to convey what he was thinking with a look, but the nurse had already stepped away, eyes downcast.
"I apologize. I wasn't trying to be unprofessional." He looked back up but his eyes were cold and distant now, imitating how Kurt had just treated him. Kurt knew he deserved it. He simply nodded in response, knowing he wasn't free to do or say anything to truly comfort his boyfriend.
"Let's get a blood panel then and go from there." He looked at Blaine expectantly and was surprised when the nurse just looked at him with narrowed eyes and didn't move. "Did you need something else?"
"No, I'm just wondering how you managed to forget the conversation we had, not thirty seconds ago, about the family's insurance problems?" Kurt froze. He had always gotten along very well with the nursing staff and was far from being known as hard to work with. He had never had a nurse talk to him this way. None would have dared to. He now knew that their personal relationship was, indeed, getting in the way of their professional one. The very thing he had assured the HR rep would not happen. To make matters worse, Sarah was now only feet away and openly watching them, taking in every word.
"If you want to continue working in this hospital you will watch how you address me." They glared at each other coldly.
"I'm sorry, doctor." Blaine emphasized the word 'doctor' with exaggerated formality. "What do you suggest I tell the mom when they have medical bills they can't pay because of the tests we ordered, even after they told us about their situation."
"I think that for right now you should just do your job and trust that I know how to do mine." Silence echoed through the hall as more people realized that a confrontation was happening and slowed in their work to listen. "Am I making myself clear, Nurse Anderson?"
Kurt thought that Blaine's eyes would surely burn holes right through him. "Yes, Dr. Hummel."
They avoided each other as much as possible throughout the rest of the afternoon. They had to work together when it came time to release Darla, saying that her results would be in by tomorrow. Mother and daughter watched in confusion as Blaine refused to meet Kurt's gaze while in the room and stalked out without a word the moment his work was done.
By the end of the day, Kurt was beyond nervous. He was feeling terrible and panicky about the way he had treated Blaine. Sure, he'd had a curve ball thrown at him today that had caused him legitimate concern, but Blaine had known nothing about it. Kurt could have, at the very least, pulled the nurse into his office and explained briefly. He had been so concerned with appearances though that his boyfriend's feelings had gone out the window. It was so unlike the doctor to act this way, and therefore why Blaine was so unbelievably hurt.
It wasn't just that though. Kurt felt sick to his stomach, knowing that he had acted just like Alex when he'd pulled the 'I'm the one in charge' crap. Domineering, aloof, uncaring of the other man's feelings... or at least in appearance. Hadn't Blaine told him, back when they had first gotten together, that Kurt was worlds part from Alex in his head? The doctor feared that this was no longer the case.
He went into the locker room to get his things and meet Blaine, or so he thought. After taking a quick shower and changing his clothes he realized he had yet to see him. He went out to reception and asked Simone if she had seen his boyfriend. She responded nervously, having had a front row seat for their earlier altercation.
"He asked me if he could take off a little early." She responded slowly. "He said he had some personal business to take care of." Kurt nodded and swallowed hard.
"Thanks, Simone." He turned to leave but stopped when he felt a hand on his arm.
"Listen Kurt, I'm sorry if I'm overstepping but I just want to say something." He looked at her in surprise. The nurses always called him doctor, not Kurt. "I don't know what's going on with you guys, but don't let it ruin everything, okay? I've worked with you for the last three years and I've never seen you as happy as when you're together." Kurt just looked back, not sure what to say. He wasn't much for sharing his personal life with his co-workers, but it was awfully nice to hear something encouraging about their relationship after the day he'd had. "Just don't give up. You guys are meant to be." Kurt swallowed away the lump in his throat for the second time since talking to her and nodded. (Here's hoping!)
He hopped into the cab he had called and pulled out his cell to call Carole. He supposed he could have gotten a ride from someone, but he just wanted to be alone right now. They had driven in together, as usual, and Blaine had left in his car without a word to Kurt. The doctor had tried the nurse's cell but there was no answer. He knew that Blaine still had his apartment. Kurt figured that he had probably picked up Addy and gone there for the night to get some space.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Carole, I'm sorry I'm running late. There were some complications at the hospital tonight." (Well, that's at least mostly true.)
"What do you mean, sweetie? Blaine was here to pick up the kids over an hour ago?"
Kurt just sat there with mouth gaping for a moment before remembering that he was on the phone and needed to respond. "O-oh, okay. Y-yeah. We just had a crazy few hours at the E.R. and didn't have a chance to talk before he left. Just... uh... miscommunications. You know." He stumbled through his response, hoping that what he said was plausible.
"Alright, honey. Well, you sound tired. Go home and sleep, okay?" Carole sounded like she didn't completely believe him, but knew enough to let it go.
"Um, mom? Did he seem like he was okay to you? Like I said, we just had a rough time at the hospital. There was this sick little girl... he was upset about her..." he trailed off lamely, knowing she would see right through his half-truths.
Carole hesitated, knowing he only called her mom directly when he was feeling vulnerable. "He seemed just fine. Tired, maybe, like you, but nothing out of the ordinary. Are YOU doing okay?"
"Yeah, I'm good. Just tired, like you said. Ready for some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow?" Kurt was suddenly in a hurry to get home.
"You go get that sleep then, sweetie. Goodnight."
(So, he picked up Elliott along with Addy and he seemed fine... ) Kurt rested his head back and closed his eyes. He had no idea what to think.
The cab pulled into his driveway ten minutes later and he was happy to see the lights on in the house. Not that he thought Blaine would go anywhere without telling him while he had Elly, but this had been a fairly unpredictable day.
He paid the driver and headed up the front walk, feeling unbelievably apprehensive. He opened the door to see Blaine sitting on the edge of the couch, waiting for him. The house was incredibly quiet. There was a packed bag by Blaine's feet. (Oh shit.)
Kurt opened his mouth to speak. He was trying to find something to say that could possibly change the other man's mind so that he wouldn't leave, so that he wouldn't create a gaping hole in the world Kurt had just recently deemed as perfect. Before he had a chance to even try though, Blaine was on his feet, pushing him back against the door and attacking his mouth with kisses. Shock poured through him as he let the other man take complete control. Blaine's tongue entered his mouth with force and swirled around to taste all of him. Needy hands grabbed at his body, trying to both pull him closer and hold him against the wall in dominance. Kurt had never seen Blaine like this. He loved it... but he still had no idea what it meant. Was this goodbye? He couldn't stand the thought. He gently pushed the curly haired man back and gazed into his eyes.
"What..."
"I'm not doing it again, Kurt." Blaine pushed the doctor back up against the wall once more and started sucking on the other man's neck savagely. Kurt was sure he would be covered in hickeys tomorrow. He couldn't have cared less.
"Not going to do what, honey?" Kurt asked breathlessly, knowing that they really needed to talk but not wanting the incredible pleasure he was feeling to stop.
Blaine faltered at the word 'honey.' He stopped his assault on Kurt's neck and just nuzzled into the crook there instead. His hands that had been groping everywhere, just trying to feel, came around the other man in a desperate embrace, as if he was afraid to let go.
Kurt stood there in shock once more, convinced that he had seen every emotion this man was capable of in the last twelve hours.
"We need to talk." Kurt gently pushed his boyfriend back again and looked in his eyes. "Not that I'm not enjoying this sudden desire you have to completely dominate me, but there are some things I need to say and I can tell that you definitely have some things on your mind too."
Blaine nodded, "You're right, I do have a lot to say, and you need to hear it." He pulled Kurt over to the couch and sat him down, taking the doctor's hands in his own. "I know that something happened today. Something made you treat me the way you did at the hospital." Kurt looked at him guiltily and opened his mouth to speak. Blaine held up his hand to stop him from talking. "I want to hear what you have to say, I really do, but I am talking right now and you're going to hear me out. Understand?" Kurt nodded dumbly, completely unsure of what to expect. "Like I was saying, I know you didn't treat me that way for no reason at all. The man I was with today is not the man I've come to know. I know that you still love me, despite how you acted." Kurt nodded quickly, uncertain if he was allowed to speak yet, and leaned in to kiss his boyfriend. Blaine stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "Don't get me wrong. I am unbelievably pissed at you." Kurt swallowed hard and nodded once again.
Blaine stood and began to pace anxiously. Kurt just watched feeling more confused by the minute. "When Alex and I were together this kind of thing happened all the time. He was an ass, I would get pissed, we would fight and then not talk for days." Kurt hung his head, hearing the very thing he feared from his boyfriend's lips. Suddenly Blaine was next to him again, gripping his hands. "I'm not doing it again, Kurt."
(This is it. He's breaking up with me.) "Please don't leave. I'm so sorry. You have no idea how sorry. I can explain what happened. I know it doesn't excuse it and you can be as mad as you want for as long as you want. Please... just give me a chance..." his rambling was stopped by a kiss on the lips.
"I'm not going anywhere, honey. That was my point actually." Blaine held Kurt's face in his hands and looked at him intently. "Every time Alex and I did this we would grow further apart. Fight after fight... things never got better. They would only come to a standstill and we would wait for the next opportunity to bring up everything we were still mad about." Kurt sagged in relief, finally starting to grasp what his boyfriend was trying to say. "I'm not doing it again. Not with you. We need to be better than that."
They collapsed into each others arms then, just holding one another and enjoying the feeling. Finally Blaine pulled back and wiped the tears that had formed in his eyes. "It's not that I don't think we should ever fight. Fighting can be healthy, as long as you do it fairly, but Alex and I never fought fair. We would always be way too mad for that. I CANNOT go through that again." His voice cracked at this.
"We won't. That isn't us. I promise you." Kurt took the other man's face in his hands now, caressing his cheeks lovingly. "I can't tell you how glad I am that you shared this with me. I knew right away that I had messed up so badly and acted just like Alex used to." Blaine started to protest but it was Kurt's turn to stop him. "You don't have to make me feel better, I know it's true. I can promise you though that there was a reason, crummy as it was. I love you so, so very much, Blaine! I will never be like Alex, not truly like him anyway. I'm gonna mess up sometimes but I will always make it right. I promise you!"
Blaine laughed lightly out of relief and happiness, "I know, baby, I know. I love you too, Kurt." The doctor just looked at his boyfriend in awe. This was the first time Blaine had told him he loved him.
"So, I have two questions for you." Kurt sighed in relief as he wiped at his eyes and sniffed. He sat back on the couch, pulling the other man close.
"Shoot." Blaine curled up into the doctor's side, wrapping an arm around his waist.
"First off, if you're not leaving then how come there's a packed bag on the floor?"
"I'M not leaving. WE'RE leaving." Kurt just looked at him in confusion. "After I left the hospital I was so pissed that I debated just going to my apartment for the night with Addy, just for a little space."
"I was afraid you were going to do that."
"Yeah, well... when I got to Carole's though I realized I could never do that to Elliott. I couldn't pick up Addy and leave him there, wondering why I didn't take him too. We've become a permanent fixture in each others lives, Kurt. A permanent and comforting fixture for our kids. We can't just jerk that away from them if we have a fight." Kurt was overwhelmed by his boyfriend's thoughtfulness and snuggled him even closer. "So, that's when I decided that things were going to be different for us. I surprised the kids with happy meals, took them over the Jeff and Nick's where they will spend the night and be taken over to Carole's in the morning..."
"Ah, that was my next question actually. The house is so quiet I thought maybe you'd drugged them," Kurt interrupted with a grin. Blaine just rolled his eyes.
"ANYwaaay... I then booked us a suite at the Marriott by the hospital. I remembered when you mentioned how nice it sounded to get away. We don't have to work until tomorrow night so we're going to spend all of tonight and tomorrow..." out of nowhere he flung himself over to straddle his boyfriend and attacked the other man's neck and face with kisses, "fighting and having make-up sex."
He found that little spot in the crook of Kurt's neck that was so sensitive and sucked hard, "..and having more make-up sex."
He moved down and lifted up Kurt's shirt and lapped his tongue over one of the nipples he found there before suddenly latching on and sucking hard, "... and maybe even have some good old fashioned, 'pound my boyfriend into the mattress just because I can' sex." He murmured against Kurt's skin. Gasping loudly, Kurt clutched Blaine to him, thinking he might possibly pass out from the sudden and intense pleasure.
"You're the best fucking boyfriend in the entire universe! Um, do you think... Oh my god... that we could possibly... gnahhh, are you trying to kill me?... Uh, can we have regular sex just once, here on the couch, before we leave for the hotel to fight and then have make-up sex?" The doctor finished speaking in a rush, quickly losing control of his faculties.
"I think that is entirely possible."
Comments
i almost died when i read the impacted bowel part! great stuff!! lmao! im also glad they made up so quickly. i died a little inside when the scene at the hospital occured. lol yes, im a bit melodramatic.