Three Times The Hummel Verse

The Understudy

"Come on Auntie Shane! Come play with me!" Harper shouted gleefully as he ran through the back door into the kitchen. He smiled as he came to an abrupt stop in front of the kitchen island and glanced around at the four people standing around it.

Kurt was the first to acknowledge the young boy's presence. "Shhhh. The baby is sleeping in the other room, remember? Auntie Shane may not want to play right now sweetie. Having a new born makes adults more tired than usual."

Harper turned to look at Blaine with big sad puppy eyes. Blaine laughed and held his arms up in defence. "Woah buddy! Don't think for a second that I would ever dare go against Kurt like that, let along in front of him."

Carson smiled softly down at his nephew. "Well, how about we ask Auntie Shannon if she even wants to play?"

The excitement swelled back into the little boy's eyes as he turned towards the girl in question. "Auntie Shane, would you like to go outside and play with me?"

Shannon smiled warmly at the beautiful, curly haired boy in front of her. "I would love to. What do you want to play?"

Harper took a few seconds to think to himself. Suddenly, It was almost as if a light bulb had gone off. "Will you teach me how to play volleyball?"

Shannon's smile grew into a broad, toothy grin. "It would be my pleasure Mr. AnderHummel." She held out her hand and captured his as the two disappeared out the back door again.

Carson gazed after her, feeling nothing but pure love towards the woman he had married.

"So, how does it feel Dad?" Kurt asked teasingly as he gestured towards the other room.

Carson laughed happily. "It feels... right."

Blaine nodded as they all sat together in blissed silence. It wasn't too long before the back door swung open again, revealing a panic stricken Harper.

"Help! She fell in the yard! She is having trouble getting back up!" He said slightly breathless. Immediately, all three men were up and out the door running down the hill.

Shannon was crouched on the ground attempting to stand when they finally reached her. She had all of her weight on one leg and the other was suspended in the air.

"Shane! Are you okay? What happened!" Carson asked quickly as he moved to wrap his arms around her waist and steady her.

She had a few tears in her eyes but other than that she didn't seem too fazed by what had happened. "I rolled my ankle going after the ball. Why is it always the same ankle?" She spoke in a rather frustrated tone. She looked up at Kurt and Blaine who stood a little off to the side with Harper. "Kurt, can you please go to the closet in the spare room and fine me a brace and a pair of crutches? Blaine, can you go in the freezer and fine me an ice pack?"

Both boys stood there for a moment longer as they processed what they were being asked. Just as quickly as they had ran out of the house, they ran back inside.

"Carson, baby, can you help me into the house?" She asked a little softer. Carson knew how much she hated having to depend on others. She prided herself on her independence. He nodded slowly.

"Is it the same ankle as before?" He asked as he lifted her up off the ground and slowly helped her back towards the house. She nodded in response.

"It is always the same ankle." 

Very slowly, they moved through the kitchen and out towards the living room. Shane all but plopped down on the couch, emitting a low groan in the process.

Blaine was the first to reappear and he handed her the cold ice pack. "Thank you." She said gratefully. She wrapped the ice pack around her left ankle and set it back down on the couch.

Kurt was close behind him as he entered the room seconds later. In his hands he held two boxes and a set of long silver crutches. "I didn't know which brace you would want so I grabbed both of them."

She smiled as she took the boxes. "Thank you. One is to really keep your foot and ankle from moving and the other is to wear when its mostly recovered. It's a more soft brace that you can wear with shoes." She said as she opened one of the boxes and pulled out two hard pieces of plastic that seemed to have some foam on the inside. She began to wrap them around her ankle with some Velcro that was attached. When she was done she rested it back on the ice pack.

It was then that they all turned to find Harper stood in the doorway with a worried expression on his face. Shannon motioned him over to the couch beside her.

"Thank you for helping me Harper. You got me some help very fast." She said with a smile as the little boy went to sit beside her.

"Are you going to be okay?" He asked very quietly. Shannon nodded.

"All thanks to you buddy. You're my hero!" Harper smiled a little at that and looked down at her ankle. He then glanced back up at the crutches that leaned against the couch.

"How come you have all of this stuff?" He asked curiously.

"When I was in high school, I hurt my ankle just like this but a lot worse. I keep all of these things in case I ever hurt it again."

Harper nodded carefully. "Did you hurt it playing volleyball?"

"Yes, but I don't want you to be afraid to play Harper. Fear should never be the reason you decide not to do something." Shane looked into his eyes and tried to further expresser her point.

He was silent for a few moments before he finally spoke again. When he did, he surprised everyone in the room. "I'll play for you Auntie Shane. I can be your understudy."

Kurt chuckled a little. "Where did you learn that word sweetie?"

Harper smiled proudly up at his dads. "Aunt Rachel taught it to me. She has been teaching me words every time I spend the day with her."

Everyone laughed a little at the mention of Rachel. Harper proudly stood and smiled up at his family.

***

Sooooooo..... I hurt my ankle again. It inspired me to write this chapter so I guess at least one good thing came out of it. Sorry for the lack of updates, even on days that I seemingly have off, my family always plans something to do instead. I am drowning in lost time and I can not believe that the summer is half over already. Hopefully with this injury will give me a little free time.

Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment and vote if you enjoyed this chapter! <3