And Baby Makes Three

Chapter 8

"Mr Schue, I'd like to say something before we start."

All heads turned in Blaine's direction when he spoke up from his seat at the back of the choir room.

He swallowed hard, avoiding the scornful gaze of Kitty as she took in his appearance; a loose sweater, and a pair of his most comfortable sweatpants, because he was pretty sure he'd gained about three extra pounds in two days and he felt it in the snug fit of the waistband. It was only sheer luck that they were elasticated.

"Sure, Blaine."

Slowly, as though treading through water, he went to the front of the room and faced his fellow Glee club members. Sam gave him a thumbs up when he caught his eye, but this didn't really help.

"I won't be competing with you guys at Regionals. I've had to pull out because of personal reasons." he said, wringing his hands in front of him nervously.

"Are you freaking serious?" Kitty burst out from somewhere over in the corner. "We have no chance of winning unless you sing a solo."

"Leave it, Kitty." Jake snapped. "Give the guy a break."

"I'll do the solo instead." Ryder offered.

"Are you sure about this, Blaine?" Mr Schue asked, confusion and apprehension on his face.

Blaine nodded. "It's something I'm going to have to do. I'm sorry and everything, but I'll still be there to cheer you on."

"Well, then, it's decided. Ryder, since you so kindly offered, you'll take his solo."

And that was that.
____________________________________

His mom was in the kitchen when he got home.

And unfortunately for him, she was busy cooking something in a large pan on the stove, the smell of which on the air was antagonizing his already volatile stomach, still queasy from lunchtime.

He'd have to make an excuse to go up to his room and stay there until it went away.

"You alright?"

It took a moment for him to register that his mom had spoken; she was looking at him curiously. Was his discomfort showing on his face?"

"Um, yeah." he said quickly. "I just...need to go to my room. Homework. Lots of homework."

"Well, dinner's at seven."

"Great."

He barely had time to throw his schoolbag onto the bed before he bolted into the bathroom across the hall, gagging, and collapsed with a thud that jarred his kneecaps in front of the toilet.

Blaine hated this, the horrible feeling that seemed to clamp on his insides and choke his throat as he coughed and heaved, what little there was in his stomach forcing itself up his burning throat.

He wished Kurt was here, to rub his back and shoulders and make him feel better, but since he wasn't, he'd have to sit there on the cool floor of the bathroom and wait it out.

He sat back on his knees, breathing hard. Maybe there was some green tea left in the kitchen that he could drink to help quell the intense nausea.

If not, perhaps it would be better if he went to lie down and sleep for a while until it eased. Quadratic equations and an essay on the representation of women in Hamletcould wait.

At least, it could wait a while longer.

The constant nausea was a reminder of exactly the situation he was in, the situation that he had got himself into, a reminder of the fact that eventually, he was going to have to tell the rest of his friends, and his parents - especially since he wouldn't be going to college anymore - and probably Miss Pillsbury, too, and the school nurse.

But in a little over a month, he'd be graduating from William McKinley High School forever, and that was a blessing in itself. From the calendar he made for himself, he'd be eighteen weeks pregnant when he graduated. That was four and a half months. He'd be a lot bigger then, his stomach round and pronounced and obvious, and he'd be lying if he said that the thought didn't scare him a little.

But he had Kurt, now. Kurt, who had promised to him that he would stay by him, whatever happened, now that both their lives were going to change.

And he had Sam, too, at McKinley. But he couldn't expect him to cover for him forever, he wouldn't place that burden on him.

Gingerly, he got up from the floor, using the rim of the toilet to support himself. The worst had abated; but he didn't want to take any risks. He suddenly also felt very tired, his body screaming for sleep.

Slouching back into his bedroom, he collapsed on top of the bed fully clothed, feeling relief in his back from the soft comfort of the duvet and mattress beneath his body. He was asleep almost immediately.
_____________________________________

Kurt was thinking about Blaine again, cellphone in his hand and finger hovering over Call.

Finding out that he was going to be a father had awakened something in him, a sort of a realization, that he had been holding off for a long time for fear of - well, that was just it. Fear.

He'd been afraid of telling Blaine what he really wanted because he was still afraid that something bad would happen again, only this time, he wasn't sure whether he still believed that. Not anymore.

It was like being stuck between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, he was worried that rushing into things now, when they were facing something so much more potent that just a break-up, might ruin their chances forever. On the other, if he didn'tact, if he continued to pull back from Blaine, he might miss his chance completely.

Either way, he risked losing him for the second time.

And he just didn't think he could handle going through that again.

Taking a deep breath, he pressed Call. It rang once, twice, three times. There was a scuffle and a thud, and then a sleepy voice came over the end of the line.

"Kurt?"

"Hi." He would have been embarrassed about how happy he sounded, how excited his voice was to his own ears, but at that point it didn't matter. "Did you get the date of your sonogram?"

"Oh, yeah." Blaine yawned. "It's - let me just check - it's April 27th. It's a Tuesday. Regionals is the week after that."

"Then it's a date."

"What's a date?" The innocence in Blaine's voice made Kurt's heart swell in his chest.

"I thought I told you. I'm coming with you to your next sonogram." Kurt said. "I want to see my baby."

"Our baby." Blaine mumbled, perhaps thinking that Kurt couldn't hear him, but he did.

"Yeah. Our baby." Wow, that sounds weird.

"Then it's a date."