Chapter Twenty-Nine

Cooper behind the driving wheel didn't seem to be the best idea as his panicked state didn't seem to dissipate and it showed in his driving. Cooper hadn't always been the safest driver. He always seemed to drive faster than the speed limit (and had somehow always avoided being caught) and tended to pay attention more to the radio playing than actually concentrating on the road. He'd often been found fiddling with the radio and then looking up to see that he was almost driving on the wrong side of the road.

This time Cooper was driving faster than ever and weaving between the different sides of the road as he deemed the drivers in front of him way too slow. Kurt was the only one wearing his seat belt, Blaine having strapped him in for safety though he himself didn't have his seatbelt done so that he could be close to Kurt to make sure that he was okay. Finn was in the front passenger seat, gripping either side of the chair tightly in order to keep himself from flying out of his seat. He shouted out directions to Cooper who had yet to get completely used to Lima in his time living there. Every so often Cooper would turn to look behind him at a very red-faced Kurt, just to check that he was doing okay. The trouble with him doing that was his eyes were taken off the road and the car often swerved dangerously, a couple of times Finn had had to grab the steering wheel.

How they were getting away with driving like that, none of them knew.

"Cooper! I swear to God if you kill us now, I'm going to kill you!" Blaine shouted at his brother after another particular nasty swerve. So his statement didn't make sense, but hopefully Cooper would get the point.

He didn't of course. Probably because Blaine didn't point at him while he said it.

Kurt didn't say anything about the driving, too preoccupied on trying to match Blaine's breathing, the techniques that he had been taught himself that had flown out of the window as soon as he had really needed them. He focused on Blaine alone, following his breathing and gripping his hand tightly when another contraction hit him. He had stopped his sobbing because it had only been working him up when he needed to calm down. The pain was still bad and getting worse but he was trying to manage it and trying to be brave.

Finn kept glancing back at his brother. He had never seen Kurt so, well, un-Kurt-like. Kurt always liked to appear to be perfect. Nice clothes, looking all put together and taking care of himself. The Kurt that Finn could see now was none of those things. He'd always imagined childbirth to be a beautiful thing. After all it was always said that bringing children into the world was a beautiful thing. This looked like the complete opposite of that. He was just glad that he would never have to experience it himself.

Blaine held onto Kurt tightly and whispered words of encouragement to him. He didn't know if they were helping but honestly he felt a bit useless about what to do. He couldn't do anything about the pain and he couldn't stop Kurt's labour. All he could do was try to make sure that Kurt was as comfortable as he could be and to keep himself calm so that he didn't upset Kurt.

But Blaine was far from calm. Their baby was making its way into the world earlier than planned. There was the fear that they weren't ready for this. They were hardly prepared back at the house and Blaine had no clue if either of them were going to be any good at being parents. A worse fear than that though was the fear that there might be something wrong with their baby. Why was Kicker coming early? Was there anything wrong? Would they be alright when they were finally born?

XXXX

When they finally arrived at the hospital a small amount of relief was felt by everyone. Blaine helped Kurt to the front desk and he stated what was going on to the receptionist as a nurse helped Kurt into a wheelchair. When Blaine explained that Kurt wasn't due yet they were quickly rushed away by a doctor leaving Finn and Cooper to stay in the waiting room, wondering what to do with themselves.

Now that they were there and there was no rush a sense of calm was felt by both the boys and then they remembered why they were there and that this wasn't supposed to be happening now and they felt... weird. Although Kurt was being seen to, the sense of urgency they both felt was still there and they had nothing they could do to get rid of the feeling. All they could do was wait and hope that everything was going okay and that Kurt and the baby would be fine.

They had been there ten minutes before Cooper slapped a hand to his forehead.

"We need to call our parents. Why do I always forget the important things?" Cooper practically growled at himself.

He whipped out his phone and dialled Melissa's mobile hoping that she would be available to answer. Luckily she was.

"Hey honey." Melissa light and loving tone sounded down the phone.

"Hey mum. I was just calling to tell you that you're probably going to be a grandma very soon." Cooper's voice tried to be light and jokey like always but he was still worried about Kurt.

"Wait. Cooper, what do you mean? Is Kurt...?"

"I've just driven them to the hospital. Blaine and he were whisked away pretty much as soon as we walked in the door. God, mum, it was terrifying." Melissa frowned at the small voice of her usually confident son.

"Coop?" She questioned.

"Kurt was so scared and all I could do was freak out. I'm older than all of them and I was the least helpful."

Melissa knew what this was really about. Cooper had always felt like he had let Blaine down. If he hadn't of left then maybe Blaine wouldn't have been a victim of child abuse, at least in his mind. Melissa knew that Blaine didn't blame Cooper for any of that but that did nothing for the guilt that the older brother felt. In Cooper's mind this was just another way that he had let Blaine down.

"Cooper, don't do this. Your brother still needs you. He's about to be a father and he's going to need his big brother. You haven't let either of them down."

Cooper sniffled. "Can you please come to the hospital now?"

"I'll be right over." Melissa promised.

They said their goodbyes and Cooper turned to look at Finn. "My mum's on her way."

Finn nodded at Cooper. "Guess I have the harder job of telling my mum and Burt. This is going to launch Burt into full papa-bear mode."

XXXX

Carole answered immediately when she saw Finn's name on her phone. If things were going well then no one would have any reason to ring them and Finn wasn't the kind of kid to just call someone for a chat. "Finn?"

"Mum. It's Kurt."

"What's the matter?" Carole asked instantly, he question catching the attention of Burt straight away.

"He's having the baby. He started having the contractions and we got him to the hospital but it doesn't look like the baby is going to be waiting for anything."

"Alright sweetie. We'll be there as soon as possible." Carole said, trying to remain calm for Burt who was eyeing her for information.

"Okay, see you later mum." Finn hung up the phone and Carole turned to Burt.

"Is Kurt okay?" He asked instantly.

"Burt, he's in labour."

The blood rushed from Burt's face and his eyes widened. This was literally the one thing that he had been worried about. That he wouldn't be there for Kurt when he needed him the most. He was probably going to miss the birth of his first grandchild.

"Burt, please stay calm. Your heart." Carole gently reminded, her voice soft and steady, practiced from all the years that she had been a nurse.

"Come on. Let's get home. They'll need us." They said their goodbyes to Carole's sister and headed for the car. Burt insisted on driving as he was more willing to break the speed limit in order to get back as quickly as possible.

XXXX

"Burt and mum are on their way here." Finn told Cooper. "Man, why does this have to be now?" Finn fell into a wait room chair, leaning back into it with a yawn.

"It's the way of the world. Things always go to shit when it's the worst possible time for it to happen." Cooper said. He was slowly getting his nerves back together after all the panicking he had done. Yeah he was still worried about what could be happening with his little brother and Kurt but they were in the best place for anything that could be wrong.

They both went quiet for a few minutes, the usual hospital hustle and bustle going on around them still. Phones were ringing, people were talking and sick people were groaning. Finn had always associated hospitals with sick people and dying. He hadn't really thought of it as a place where babies were born and where life kind of began.

"So, you excited to become an uncle?" Cooper asked Finn in the tense atmosphere.

They'd been so relaxed together earlier when they were playing video games but now things seemed stunted between them. They had been trying to bond with each other. It had been difficult with the large age gap between them but video games was bringing them together.

A grin lit up the boy's face. "Oh yeah! I never thought that I would ever be an uncle, being an only child and all that but now? This is one of the best things to ever happen to me."

"I'm excited too." Cooper admitted. "I didn't think I'd be an uncle this soon but I guess I always thought I'd be one, most people tend to have children."

"We'll probably be competing against each other for the spot of favourite uncle, won't we?"

"Oh, definitely." Cooper laughed.

"I won't be giving up the title without a fight." Finn promised and both the boys chuckled.

A few minutes later Melissa came rushing through the doors. She spotted Finn and Cooper and hurried over to them. "Are you boys alright? Do you know anything about Kurt?"

Cooper stood up and hugged his mother. "We're all good mum. No news yet but they've only really just gone in."

"How were they both?"

"Kurt was... well he was in a lot of pain and Blaine managed to stay somewhat level-headed."

"Well someone had to be." Finn muttered, obviously angry at himself.

"I'm proud of you boys. You did what you could and I'm sure Kurt will be thankful to you when this is all over."

Cooper shrugged, doubtful that that would be the case.

"What are we supposed to do now?"

Melissa sighed, knowing how long labour could take and knowing they wouldn't be given any information until the baby was born. "For now we wait. Blaine will probably come out and get us when the baby is here."

Both Finn and Cooper let out massive sighs and sunk into their chairs again.

XXXX

Carole could feel the tension rolling off of Burt as he drove them towards home. This was the one thing that he didn't want to happen while they were away. Carole felt a little guilty. She knew it wasn't her fault but if it wasn't at her insistence then they wouldn't have been so far away from home. She just never would have imagined that the baby would be coming early, there hadn't really been any signs, so the labour must have come on very suddenly, probably scaring all the boys. She couldn't imagine what Kurt was going through. Yes, she had had a baby and gone through labour but the circumstances were completely different from Kurt. The boys were so young but they had certainly done a lot of growing up over the past few months.

Luckily, the traffic didn't seem to be too bad on the way back and the roads were unusually clear meaning that Burt felt he could go a little over the speed limit in order to get to Kurt sooner. He was panicking, he would willingly admit that. His grandchild would be being born prematurely, just like Kurt had been. With Kurt's birth there had been quite a few complications and he didn't want that to be the same for Kurt's baby. If it was the case he knew that Kurt would need him and he would never forgive himself for not being there for his son when he needed him the most.

"Burt, please calm down. We want to get back in one piece and you know Kurt wouldn't want you rushing around like this with your heart the way it is."

Burt spared a glance over to his wife. "We have to get back Carole."

Carole put a hand on his shoulder and rubbed gently. "I know. And we will. But we won't be there for Kurt at all if you accidentally wrap this car round a tree."

Burt didn't look happy at Carole's comment but he lowered his speed slightly. "Aren't you worried?"

"Of course I am but there isn't much we can do right now. And when we get to the hospital we won't be able to see Kurt until the baby is actually here so it's best for us to stay calm and trust that the doctors know what they're doing."

Carole looked down to the buzzing phone in her lap alerting her to another text from Finn which were now much more calm and not in capital letters. This one told her that Melissa had gotten to the hospital and was waiting with the boys, further lessening her worry. She informed Burt of the update in the situation and he seemed to calm down a little more because at least now there was a proper adult at the hospital.

They were now about half an hour away from Lima Memorial Hospital or with the way that Burt was still speeding, it would be more like twenty minutes. Carole just couldn't wait to be out of the car and she hoped that once they were in the hospital that Burt would relax a bit more.

XXXX

Blaine was back in the hospital room that Kurt had been first brought to before he had been rushed into surgery. He was waiting for a nurse to bring the baby through and couldn't wait to have more than the brief glimpse that he'd gotten in the operating theatre. All he had really seen was a small red face, with eyes that were tightly squeezed shut. A high pitched, shrill cry had filled the room before the baby was quickly taken away to make sure that everything was okay, what with it being a premature birth.

Pacing the room, Blaine worried that this long wait meant that something was wrong. He needed to know and he needed to know now! If anything were to have happened to Kurt or the baby he would never be able to forgive himself. He shouldn't have stormed away from Kurt the way that he had. The door opened and a nurse walked in with his baby, wrapped in a soft, white blanket. The nurse had a big smile on her face and he knew, he knew, that their little Kicker was okay. He hurried over to the nurse, hearing the words that she was saying but not really registering them. All he wanted to do was finally be able to hold their baby.

Finally the nurse gently handed the baby to Blaine and he was able to get a proper look at the face that he had seen earlier. The face was still red and the eyes were squinting trying to adjust to the light in the room. But honestly, it was the most perfect thing that Blaine had ever seen. He felt his eyes moisten and blur a little. He hastily squeezed his eyes trying to dispel the tears before they blocked the view of this most beautiful thing he had ever beheld.

It felt like everything that had happened to him had been for this moment. This made up for every hurt that he'd endured. Blaine vowed, right there and then, that nothing would ever harm this precious gift that he'd been given. He would protect his family with his life and they would never have to fear any the dangers that the world might present them with.

The baby's eyes finally opened up fully to take in the world that they had just been born into. Tears threatened Blaine again as he saw familiar blue eyes looking up at him in wonder. He had never been able to resist these eyes, not since the day he had first looked into Kurt's and saw them looking back at him, and definitely not now. Blaine couldn't wait for Kurt to get back into the room so that he'd be able to see the baby that had been living inside of him for the past thirty-six weeks.

The baby wiggled a little in Blaine's arms, making him let out a small chuckle. "You want to see your daddy too, huh? He'll be here soon, I promise."

XXXX

Kurt was wheeled back into the room. He looked tired but he had a smile on his face. He looked curiously at the bundle in Blaine's arms, knowing that it was their baby and desperately wondering about every little detail.

"Can I..." Kurt cleared his throat a little. "Can I, please?" He motioned to the baby.

"Of course." Blaine hurried over to the bed and handed the baby over to Kurt. The pair looked beautiful together.

"Boy or girl?" Kurt asked, staring into the matching eyes that were looking up at him with a confused gaze.

"A little boy."

"We have a son?" Blaine could hear the tears in Kurt's voice.

"Yeah, a son." Blaine breathed the word with reverence.

They both just stared at the little boy. Kurt was stunned at how this tiny little baby had been inside of him. He'd been carrying this little boy around and keeping him safe. Now he was here in the world for everyone to see. And he was perfect.

"Are you still sure about his name?" Blaine asked.

Kurt looked up at him and grinned. "Yes."

Blaine settled next to Kurt so that the tired boy could lean against him. He gazed down at the baby who had once again shut his eyes.

"Our little Joey Hummel." Blaine said proudly.

"Hummel-Anderson." Kurt corrected.

"Are you sure?" Blaine knew that often if two people weren't married they would only go with the one name.

"He's both of ours." Kurt insisted. "And besides, that'll be our name when we get married anyway." Blaine blushed, the thought of being married to Kurt actually crossing his mind. Yeah, he definitely wanted that one day.

"So is he okay? I mean he was born early and he's so tiny." Kurt remarked, his voice full of worry.

"He's perfectly healthy. I guess he just wanted out."

Kurt smiled. "He's an impatient one, like his papa."

They both fell quiet, both of them just watching Joey as he settled to sleep in Kurt's arms. Gently their fingertips ran over his skin, feeling how soft it was.

"I'm sorry about earlier, Kurt." Blaine said his voice full of regret.

"Please don't be." Kurt said, turning his attention onto Blaine. "It wasn't your fault and you're here now with us. That's all that matters."

Blaine knew to let it go in front of Kurt but he also knew that he would be spending his time trying to make up for today. If he had been unlucky then he might have missed the birth of his son and Kurt would have been left with either Finn or Cooper, neither of which knew what they were doing.

"Do we know if Cooper or Finn called our parents?" Kurt asked.

"No clue. I've been a bit preoccupied." Blaine smiled at the tiny bundle again.

"Hopefully they did."

"Do you want me to go and check?"

Before Blaine could move off the bed Kurt was shaking his head. "Let's just look at him for a bit more, okay?"

"Sounds perfect."

XXXX

Burt practically ran through the hospital doors, leaving an out of breath Carole behind him. Spotting Melissa and the boys, he went over to them.

"Is there any news?" He asked immediately.

Melissa shook her head.

Finn shot past them to his mum and grabbed her in a hug. He didn't say anything but Carole knew he needed this. He was so terrified for Kurt and there was nothing he could do, nothing any of them could do but wait. Melissa ushered Burt into a chair as he panted harshly. She knew about his heart problems and knew that he needed to calm down. The drive back must have been a very stressful one. She couldn't even imagine what must have been running through their minds as they made the long drive home.

"How long have they been in there?" Carole asked.

"A few hours." Cooper replied.

Carole, being a nurse at this hospital herself, went up to the reception to see if she could get any information from any of her friends that were working tonight.

"Hey Carole! I thought you were off this weekend?" The receptionist asked.

"I was. Burt and I were in Columbus for my sister's birthday but my step-son went into labour. I was wondering if you'd be able to tell me anything. None of us have heard any news yet and we're all pretty worried. He wasn't even due yet."

The receptionist looked sympathetic. "I'll find out what I can for you."

"Thank you. Honestly, thank you so much." Carole made her way back to the impatient group.

"Anything?" Burt asked, his eyes hopeful.

Carole shook her head and watched as that hopeful look in Burt's eyes dimmed.

"God, I can't take much more of this waiting. I need to know that our boys are alright and that our little grand-baby is here and okay." Melissa sighed with impatience.

XXXX

Blaine walked through to the main reception where he knew at least Finn and Cooper would be waiting. As soon as he walked out he saw that everyone was there waiting and he couldn't help but grin. They all looked so worried and he didn't want to keep them waiting any longer.

Blaine approached the group, the smile on his face couldn't be wiped clear.

"Oh, Blaine honey!" Melissa stood up and wrapped her arms around her son. He gripped her tightly relishing the comfort of his mother after what had been a rather crazy day.

"Please tell me you have some good news for us." Burt pleaded.

"Kurt and the baby are perfectly fine. Both of them are perfect." Everyone that had been waiting let out a breath of relief. That was all they had wanted to know, that everything was okay.

"So what's the gender? I've been dying to know this whole pregnancy!" Finn said, his voice giddy with excitement.

"It's a boy!" Blaine cried happily.

He received pats on the back and hugs of congratulations from everyone. Burt and Melissa had teary eyes that they were hastily trying to wipe.

"Can we go and see them?" Burt asked.

Blaine smiled."Of course. I came to get you."

The crowd followed Blaine back to the room that Kurt was in, all of them eager to finally meet the baby. When they entered the room they saw Kurt on the bed, staring down at the baby resting in his lap. He looked tired but happier than any of them had ever seen him. He turned his head to look at his visitors a smile on his face and helped |Blaine to beckon them into the room.

"So I hear I've got my first grandson." Burt said, taking his place at Kurt's side.

Kurt nodded. "I'd like everybody to meet Joey Hummel-Anderson."

Everyone gathered around the bed to get a closer look at him. Just as everyone had managed to squeeze in, Joey opened his eyes and stared up at all of them with his big blue eyes.

"Yeah, no one is ever going to be able to resist him." Burt laughed. He pulled Kurt into his side and kissed his forehead. "I'm proud of you kid. So damn proud."