The Storm: Parenthood
Chapter 1
By Gayforkurt
Summary: Kurt and David Hummel-Karofsky have embarked on the most important part of their lives together – as parents. This is the story of their struggle to complete their family.
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Disclaimer: I own nothing but the OCs, as usual, although I wish it were not so.
Kurt Hummel-Karofsky ducked his head and guarded his eyes from the flash of the paparazzi's cameras. He was grateful for the feel of his husband's protective arm around his waist as he hurried down the steps, the precious bundle held securely in his arms.
The noise was outrageous and he could hear Xavier's voice yelling at someone to get out of the bloody way before he ran them down, his partner Julian sitting patiently beside him in the front seat. Kurt would have found the whole thing funny were it not for the fact that all the commotion was making the infant in his arms twitch.
As he settled into the back of the limousine, he moved the folds of the blanket away gently and stared down at the face he'd fallen in love with immediately. His son's tiny rosebud mouth was beginning to pucker up, his delicate yet slanted eyebrows tightening over grey eyes that stared moistly back up at him.
Kurt cooed to his baby and rocked him even as he felt David's large body slide into the back seat with him. The sudden cessation of the noise as the doors were closed made Kurt relax involuntarily and as he glanced back down he smiled. His son, too, who had been about to start mewling in distress, hiccupped once and then he pushed his tiny fist into his mouth.
The two men gazed down at their precious child, a child they had waited for and hoped for; a child that was genetically David's but irrevocably theirs.
"Dylan," Kurt whispered, his eyes dampening and he turned his blue-green gaze towards David. "I want us to name him Dylan, sweetie."
David pressed a kiss against Kurt's forehead and sniffed, nearly overcome by the sight of his gorgeous husband and their beautiful baby boy. "Yeah," he said, just as softly as Kurt had spoken, "and yes, we can still add our dad's names as well."
As the limousine moved away from the porte-cochere of the private clinic, faint flashes shone through the tinted glass and Kurt stared at all the people running alongside the vehicle. He still couldn't get his head around the fact that, simply because they had more money than they knew what to do with, people were fascinated by them and their business.
He looked back down at Dylan who had subsided into a light doze and then he glanced up at his husband. He grinned as he watched David stare down at the baby and he leaned over to drop a soft kiss against his cheek.
Dave smiled and looked at Kurt, one eyebrow raised. "What was that for? Not that I mind at all."
Kurt chuckled and then leaned back to snuggle against David's big warm body. "Can't a man kiss his husband simply because he's happy?" His eyes twinkled at David who, with one quick glance forward but noting that the privacy screen was up, leaned forward and took Kurt's lips in a long, slow kiss.
They only separated at the sound of a soft coo from their baby and they pulled apart to look down at the boy child. Again, one tiny fist was out of the blanket and was waving about. Kurt grasped it gently, fascinated by the tiny pink fingers with their paper-thin nails and then he leaned down to kiss the little hand.
David watched the two people who meant the most to him in the whole world and his heart swelled. His mind wandered to the long months that finally culminated with his little family here with him in the limousine.
Flashback – One Year Ago:
"Do you think we're doing the right thing, sweetie?"
Kurt and David were sitting in the downstairs office of their Park Avenue townhouse, sifting through the dossiers of the women they had chosen to be their surrogates.
David rubbed Kurt's neck with one large hand even as he flipped through a folder with the other. He stopped what he was doing to turn Kurt's face toward him gently with a hand beneath his chin.
"How do you mean, babe? We want kids and we can both adopt as well as use the surrogates. Why are you worried?" He pecked Kurt's soft pink lips and then sat back to let him reply.
Kurt sighed but smiled at his handsome husband, aka the youngest married billionaire and the love of Kurt's life.
"Don't mind me, it's just nerves. I'm actually leaning toward this one," and he pointed to the opened folder and the glossy photo from which a beautiful young woman was staring up at them. "It's just that, sometimes you hear these stories about women not wanting to hand over their babies, you know?"
David gathered him into his arms and hugged him, nuzzling the long smooth neck and wishing he knew how to banish Kurt's fears. He had actually thought about the same thing himself; he just hadn't wanted to bring it up and have Kurt worry about it.
Now he realised they'd been on the same wavelength so now he simply tried to calm him as best he knew how. He snuggled Kurt and when, after a while he felt him relax against him, he started talking.
"You know, I have a whole firm of lawyers somewhere around. I think all we can do is have the background checks be as thorough as possible to see what kind of person the surrogate is known to be and then we try to have everything above board and locked down tight, legally." He sighed and brushed the thick dark hair from his love's forehead. "I don't know what else we can do but trust that her integrity will lead her to do the right thing."
Kurt listened to David's steady heartbeat as well as his words and then, with a final big sigh he sat up to look at him. "You're right; I guess we just have to have faith."
They smiled at each other, leaned in at the same time for a soft kiss and then turned back to the folders spread out before them.
"So, what about her? Will she be the one?" Kurt's slender finger pointed to and then tapped the photograph of the woman he felt was the best of the final three.
David stared at the picture, taking in the wide green eyes that showed a kindness he hadn't expected and smiled at Kurt. He nodded, squeezed Kurt's shoulder gently and murmured, "If you feel good about it, I say – why not?"
The tension Kurt had barely acknowledged suddenly left his shoulders and he crossed his fingers, smiling back at his husband. "Let's do it."
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KDHK
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Three days later, Kurt, David and their attorneys were meeting with their prospective surrogate, Misha Grenfell, a secretary with a publishing firm. She had been advised to bring her own attorney who was an old family friend she'd told them. Kurt felt better almost immediately, knowing that someone was looking out for the young woman's interest.
He had a good feeling about her and they chatted for a bit while David and the lawyers hashed out the agreement. She told him she had been bitten by the writing bug, having worked with the firm for over six years and, as reclusive as she was, it appeared she had no love life to speak of.
She was very frank and open with Kurt and told him she'd thought about being a surrogate before but only applied to be one when a friend of hers had encouraged her. Misha was from a small family and had always felt she wasn't really cut out for motherhood but when a novel had come through her office almost a year ago outlining one particular couple's anguish over their struggles to have children, she had thought seriously about surrogacy.
"You can say it's my way to help," she smiled shyly at Kurt, blushing when she saw the grateful look in his stunning eyes.
Misha had been contacted by the surrogacy agency and when she'd gone in to see the director, a renowned pediatrician, the details of Kurt and David's situation had been revealed to her. She had had no problems with being a surrogate for a gay couple; on the contrary, she had indicated in her application that they were to be her primary preference so she was quite happy. Gay couples already had a hard time just trying to get society to accept their non-traditional union; her helping one was just a way to support the community, she explained.
Kurt nodded as he listened to Misha's intelligent and well-modulated comments, thanking every deity he could think of and finally, when she'd wound down, he touched her hand gently.
"You have no idea what this means to David and me, so thank you," he smiled widely, his cheeks flushing with happiness and then glanced over at David who had risen from his spot at the long conference table.
David had noticed Kurt and the young woman in deep conversation and when the lawyers had wrapped up everything they could think of, he excused himself and came over to join them.
"Hello, again, Ms. Grenfell, and thank you so much for doing this." He held out his hand and when she took it, she blushed and shook her head.
"Please, call me Misha; 'Ms. Grenfell' makes me feel like some old spinster-type," and they laughed, Kurt thinking that there was no way this beautiful young woman could be thought of so uncharitably.
David nodded. "Okay, well we are David and Kurt; we will be seeing a lot of each other for the next little while so… that's good."
Kurt looked at his husband proudly; David could be so suave yet low-key and it made something in Kurt squirm at how attractive he was.
Misha chuckled and agreed; really, this couple was so cute together, not to mention stunning. When her attorney had told her that she'd lucked out and that they were super wealthy, she hadn't known until she'd checked them out online that she was going to be the surrogate for a billionaire.
They chatted for a while and then the lawyers finally got back to them. They spent the next several minutes perusing the documents and signing where it was needed and finally, everything was set. The clinic's director, Dr. Gray, had told her that they would begin the procedure as soon as she was physically ready and now that all the i's had been dotted and the t's crossed, they could begin.
Kurt gave a nervous little chuckle and looked around the table. He knew there was no guarantee that everything would go off without a hitch the first time the procedure was done but he was praying inside with all his being that it would.
"Sweetheart, shall we take Misha out to lunch and continue chatting?" David knew that the more informal setting of a restaurant and the thought of excellent food would go a long way to relaxing Kurt so he hoped he would agree.
Kurt's eyes widened and he smiled in agreement before turning to Misha. "Would that be okay with you? We can drop you off afterwards at the clinic; Dr. Gray did say 1 p.m., right?"
Misha nodded. "Oh, yes, lunch would be great and yes, 1 p.m. is my check-in time."
They all trooped out of the conference room and headed towards the lift, David hanging back for a minute to have a last word with his attorneys. Kurt and Misha chatted as they waited and when he joined them, David let them know he had a standing reservation at a famous eatery.
Misha shivered at the thought of not only getting to hobnob with the rich and the famous, but at the thought that she was going to be linked to them in a most intimate way very soon.
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KDHK
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Dave had them driven to one of the most upscale restaurants in New York, on West 42nd Street, that was presided over a by chef whose face and name were as well-known as his food. They dined on summer market salad, yellowfin tuna tartare, wagyu beef carpaccio followed by entrées of roasted free range chicken and black angus beef tenderloin.
Kurt and David delved more into Misha's childhood, laughing at some of her tales of being her school's favourite bookworm. When Kurt swooned over the deliciously decadent dessert he'd ordered – Chocolate Sformato, which was a baked chocolate pudding that was topped with Amaretto-infused whipped cream and almond shavings – she let him know of her own love-hate relationship with chocolate.
That was the beginning of Kurt and David's relationship with the mother of their prospective children and Kurt for one was extremely happy.
When they escorted Misha to the clinic, Kurt hugged her in gratitude, whispering a few words to her before he and David left her in the hands of the clinicians. They had every confidence that things would go well and they returned to their home, optimistic about their plans for the first time in a good while.
Unfortunately, the first procedure didn't take but the second one did and when Dr. Gray had called with the news, Kurt had broken down and cried. Dave had been hard put to keep it together himself and when he and Kurt got a chance to speak with Misha, he had had to wipe away a furtive tear.
Dave had never thought he would have children; even when he had been almost engaged to one of the most poisonous women on the planet, he had not really given it a thought. Deep down he had not seen himself marrying her, much less having children with her.
When he had fallen in love with Kurt all those years ago, it still had not been a serious thought because he hadn't even met the beautiful singer. Finally, when they had reached the point in a tumultuous relationship that finally saw Kurt admitting his love for him, the thought of children had seemed like too much of a good thing. He'd finally got Kurt; to ask for more would have seemed greedy.
However, loving Kurt the way he did, there was no way he could imagine them together without children. He knew he was blessed to have the beautiful diva as his own and when Kurt had brought up the idea of children, Dave had been the happiest man on the planet.
Now, years after finally accepting the fact that he was gay and not just bisexual, he was married to the sexiest, most talented man he'd ever met and about to become parents with him. David Hummel-Karofsky was, indeed, blessed.
The following months saw them busily redesigning and furnishing one of the rooms in their Manhattan townhouse as a nursery fit for a prince. Kurt was giddy with happiness and the folks at the various stores in the city knew to assign an associate to him whenever they saw his limo pull up.
Kurt had a very definite idea how he wanted that nursery furnished and he wasn't about to let any interior decorator get their hands on it. A few times he consulted with Carole and even ran ideas by both David and Mercedes but he did pretty much everything himself.
When he was finally satisfied – well, almost – he revealed his handiwork to David who was suitably impressed. Kurt had wonderful taste in everything and David didn't stint in his praise.
One thing bothered Dave during the whole time Misha was pregnant though and his mind kept harking back to their earlier conversation the day they had made their final selection. For sanity's sake, though, he didn't mention his fears to Kurt and simply watched him bustling about happily, preparing their home for their baby's arrival.
Finally, when Misha had called to say she was having contractions and that they should meet her at the clinic, Dave had relayed the information to Kurt in a daze. Thankfully, though, Kurt had been prepared for that moment and called ahead to the florists nearest the clinic and ordered a bouquet of the biggest, fattest roses and box of chocolate truffles that he could get.
Dave had ordered and collected a special gift of a diamond bracelet for Misha and, arming himself with it, he and Kurt hurried to the clinic to await their own precious gift.
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End Flashback
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David gazed out at the passing scenery, his mind moving ahead to the surprise he had waiting for Kurt back at their townhouse. He had made it a personal goal to always pamper Kurt, to shower him with gifts, surprise trips – anything that would make Kurt look at him as if he personally had hung the moon and stars. When Kurt had told him he wanted a baby who had his golden eyes and slanted eyebrows, David had been speechless.
Now, here they were, driving home through the afternoon traffic with their son and back at the house… well, Kurt would just be blown away.
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TBC
A/N: So, here we are again and I hope you enjoyed the first instalment of my favourite series. I'd love to hear what you all think about this story as I have the greatest pleasure writing about my favourite couple.
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