And Baby Makes Three

Chapter 28

“Are you sure you’re okay, honey? Is there anything I can get for you?”

Blaine waved away Carole’s concerns with a shake of his head. “It’s alright. I’m fine, really. I just need to stay off my feet for a while.”

Which was true. His feet had become very swollen seemingly overnight, and it was painful to walk. He half-wished that Kurt was there to rub his feet and sore ankles, but he was in New York, negotiating leave from NYADA so that he could be there when the baby came. 

It was only seven weeks away. 

“Well, if you’re sure. If you change your mind, just give me a shout, okay?”

Blaine nodded, and Carole drifted back into the kitchen. She meant well, but he had a feeling that Kurt had told her to keep an eye on him while he was in New York, 

He stretched himself out along the couch in the Hudson-Hummel living room, his back propped against the arm of the couch with two cushions. His feet were balanced on a third cushion at the other end. Even from this angle he could see how puffy they were, and experimentally wiggled his toes to try and get the blood flowing and help bring the swelling down. 

It was strange how much he missed Kurt. It was silly, really, since he’d only be gone for a few days and he’d only the previous afternoon, but he missed him already. He supposed that he’d become so used to having him around, having him so close, that any kind of absence would feel wrong. 

But it was important that Kurt had gone. It was for their sake that he was going to be away, and their baby’s sake. And it was only for a few days. He’d gone much longer without him before - but he immediately pulled himself away from those memories. It still stung, even after all this time, to remember what that had been like. 

Don’t think about it, he told himself firmly. It’s all over now. You're both moving into a new chapter in your lives. 

His hands went almost instantly to his stomach, rubbing over his shirt and feeling the baby move - almost imperceptibly now, because there wasn’t really much space anymore for it to move, but he could still feel it under his palms, responding to his touch. It reminded him even more forcefully of Kurt, and he tried to push away the longing that began to burn in his chest.

Just a few more days, he told himself over and over again, just a few more days.
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Kurt hated being made to wait.

The discussion with student administration had gone well, he’d thought; they’d seemed to be sympathetic to his situation and eager to make an arrangement that suited him. Carmen Tibideaux had remained silent throughout the discussion, making notes on a pad as she turned her head occasionally in the direct of whoever happened to be speaking. 

And how he had to wait, because they were talking privately with Ms. Tibideaux in the administration office and sooner or later they would come out and hand out his fate. 

Maybe he was being a little over-dramatic. But he so, so desperately wanted to make this work and he wanted - no, he needed - this to go well. If nothing could be done, and he’d be forced to go back to school, he wasn’t sure how he was going to explain it to Blaine that he wouldn’t be able to be with him for the end of his pregnancy or the birth of their child.