Author's Note: Just letting you guys know, updates are definitely going to be slowing down. As of now they aren't because I have up to chapter 13 written and I just have to edit, but once I run out of prewritten chapters, it's going to slow majorly. Just started back to school a few days ago and have a few tests this week along with a band performance and a show audition and just bunches of crazy sprinkled in there. I'm also writing and preaching a sermon with a few friends for church next Sunday and will be working on that, so I'm going to be super busy. I'm going to try and update this as much as I can, but more likely than not, If I Should Have A Daughter will be updated more since the chapters are short and easy to spell check. Sorry guys, but most of you are in school, so I'm sure you understand. With all of that being said, thanks for reviews/alerts/favorites, especially those of you who review every chapter.
Enjoy.
Chapter 10 Part 2
Harry
"I'm home," I called into the house as I kicked my shoes off and headed inside. Dad(K) and Katy were both sitting at the table, looking extremely concerned. Maybe Katy forgot to tell them where I was, but that doesn't make sense because she looks concerned too. "What's going on?"
"Good question. We don't really know. All we know is something happened and your dad rushed out of here like the house was on fire," Dad said, looking more than just a little concerned. The phone rang before I could say anything, and Dad answered it before the first ring ended. "Hello? Oh hi Mercedes…What?"
Dad got up out of the chair he was sitting in and started pacing. That's not good. It means something bad definitely happened somewhere, but why would Mrs. Jones know about it?
"Oh God, is he okay?" Dad asked. "Dammit, why didn't Blaine tell me?" Katy and I both took this as a 'maybe we shouldn't be hearing this'. Dad almost never swears. We both hurried upstairs instead, going into Katy's room.
"What do you think that's all about?" I asked her.
"I think it has something to do with Michael. He was crying in Dad's classroom today," she said, looking worried. "Dad wouldn't tell me why, but he looked pretty miserable."
"Guys," Dad said, poking his head in Katy's door. "I have to go. Jackie's mom is picking me up."
"What's going on Dad?" I asked, looking at him. He hesitated for a second but nodded like he was making a quick decision.
"Michael attempted suicide," he said, flinching at the words. "I don't know why exactly but I think your dad does. I have a feeling he's going to need as much support as he can get, so I'm going to go over. You two should stay here."
Neither of us said anything as Dad ran downstairs to get into Mrs. Jones's car. A kid in the glee club tried to kill himself. I just saw him today and he seemed fine, a little quiet, but he's always quiet. What could've possibly happened that made him want to kill himself?
Katy
"This is a lame way to distract ourselves," I mumbled as I spun the spinner for Life. Harry didn't get to respond because we heard the back door slam.
"I can't believe you didn't tell me about this!" Daddy yelled from downstairs. Harry and I got up from our game and stood at the top of the staircase, listening.
"Kurt, I wasn't sure who Michael wanted to know," Dad said in defense. I could hear him kicking his shoes off as they hit the wood floor.
"We're both adults here Blaine, and if you even thought for a second that he was going to do something so extreme, you shouldn't have let him go home alone," Daddy said, tearing into Dad.
"I didn't know he was going to do that Kurt! Do you honestly think I would leave someone that seemed suicidal home alone? I went through that before Kurt. I knew what to look for. I had no idea," Dad defended. Harry and I both looked at each other. Neither of us knew that Dad had ever tried to kill himself. "At least he isn't hurt. Brittany came home just in time."
"Yeah, but what if she hadn't Blaine? What would you have done then when she came home and found her son dead in her bathtub?" Daddy yelled, sounding furious. "God Blaine, do you even think?"
"I was thinking Kurt! I was thinking of how I felt when I went through that, and how more than anything I just wanted people to leave me alone. I didn't want to get too in his face because then he wouldn't have anyone to talk to," Dad said, sounding more tired than angry.
"What about calling his parents? You didn't call Brittany or Artie? How would you feel if one of them was talking to our kids and knew one of them was suicidal and didn't tell us?" Daddy yelled, his voice squeaking like it does when he gets very angry.
"Kurt, you know this is an entirely different situation. Neither of our kids is gay, so they wouldn't have that secret to hold away from us. I wasn't going to out him if he wasn't ready," Dad said. Harry and I stared at each other again. Michael's gay?
"How is that any different than one of our kids having a bullying problem at school and trying to kill themselves from it? There isn't a differences Blaine! You should've called Brittany," Daddy said, slamming cabinets. He must be making dinner.
"Well, it's over now, so let's not fight about it," Dad said, defeated.
"No Blaine, it isn't that easy. What else are you keeping from people? God I can't even look at you," Daddy said, his voice turning less angry and more disappointed. There was a beat, a second of hesitation before Dad said anything.
"You don't have to. I'm leaving," Dad said, picking up his shoes off the floor. "You know Kurt, that was one of the hardest things I've had to do as an adult, making the decision of what to do in that situation, and I thought since you're my husband, you'd at least support me and comfort me when I realized that I made a completely wrong decision. You're right, I would be furious if the tables had been turned and Brittany or Artie knew that one of our kids was having major emotional problems and wasn't telling someone, but all I could see was myself in this little, confused kid, and I thought I could help him. I guess I was wrong and I'm sorry," he ranted.
"Wait, Blaine," Daddy said. We listened to his footsteps walk over to Dad.
"I just need some air," he said, closing the back door. We could hear him start up the navigator and the garage door shut as he left.
"What should we do?" I whispered to Harry. Harry just got up and went downstairs. I followed behind him, not sure what we'd see when we came down here. Daddy was leaning against the counter, his head in one of his hands.
"Dad?" Harry said quietly, coming into the room. Daddy snapped out of it and went back into Dad mode.
"Hi kids. How was your day? Could you unload the dishwasher Harry?" he said, his voice going slightly cheerful, but not as much as usual. Harry went over and started unloading the dishwasher while I sat down at the counter.
"Where'd Dad go?" I asked as Daddy boiled noodles for dinner.
"He just needed some air. He'll be back later," Daddy said simply, not sounding as worried as he did when he told my dad to wait. We went through the motions of a normal Monday night, eating dinner together, chattering about what happened today, only trying to ignore the fact that Dad still wasn't home. Both Harry and I got ready for bed and were in our pajamas, staring at the clock that read 10:23 when Daddy started to get worried. We could hear him on the phone downstairs. "Blaine, Baby, I'm sorry for yelling and losing my temper. Please come home. I'm really sorry. Call me back."
Harry looked worried, but wasn't saying anything, just sitting in his bed, sketching his art assignment. I watched as he drew a Victorian lady in one of those dresses that looked like a fancy cake with the ruffles and the layers as the time went from 10:23 to 11:40. I was nodding off when I heard Daddy's voice again.
"Hello, have there been any accidents reported involving a black Navigator? No? Okay, thank you," I heard through Harry's air vent.
When 12:32 rolled around and Dad still wasn't home, I was nodding off while Harry kept sketching. The sound of his pencil against the paper became a rhythmic lullaby, making me fall asleep with my head in my arms on my brother's bed.
Harry
1:44. Still no Dad(B). Dad(K) came upstairs and opened my door, looking the most scared I have ever seen him in his life.
"Harry, have you heard from you dad?" he asked, probably hoping he'd texted me or something. I checked my phone.
"No," I said, putting my pencil down. "Is he okay?"
"I have no idea… Harry, put your sister in bed and go to sleep, okay? You two do have school in the morning," he said, turning back into father mode. I didn't fight him, just picked up my little sister and put her in her bedroom, then lied in my bed, staring at the ceiling and listening, glancing at the clock every so often. It was 2:29 when Dad called the police and filed a missing persons report. "His name is Blaine Hummel-Anderson. He's about 5'7, maybe 140 pounds, maybe. I'm not sure. Black curly hair, hazel eyes. He was wearing khaki pants and a blue striped button up shirt. I can't remember if he was wearing a tie. He's forty two years old."
At 3:53 Dad(K) cracked my door to check on me. I tried to pretend that I was asleep, but I knew I did a terrible job. He didn't let on that he knew I was awake, but let me lie there and pretend.
The phone rang at 4:36, and only got half way through the first ring before Dad picked it up. He was in our parents' room, which was right next to my room. I couldn't hear the conversation until Dad walked into the hallway, grabbing his coat out of the upstairs closet.
"Is he okay?" I heard him ask, his voice growing lower and gruffer with being tired. "Okay, I'll be there soon." He hung up with that person and dialed another. "Dad? Hi, I know it's really early in the morning. Blaine needs picked up at the hospital and I don't have a car." He listened to whatever Grandpa Burt was saying. "We had a fight so he went out and sometime while he was out he ran into some guys we went to high school with. The officer who called said they were drunk and beat him up pretty bad. Yeah, okay. I'll see you in a few."
My dad was beat up… Here he was, a forty year old adult, and people were still beating on him. It didn't help that he was small and had a little bite in him like me.
"Harry? I know you're awake," Dad said, peeking his head in my room. I sat up and looked at him.
"Is Dad okay?" I asked, clicking on my lamp. I could now see the huge bags under Dad's eyes and how his hand was shaking while he was holding the door open.
"I hope so," Dad answered, swallowing. "Listen, I have to go to the hospital to pick him up. I might not be back in time to get you both off to school, so Grandpa Burt is going to drop me off at the hospital and come back to be with you two, okay?"
"Yeah," I said, rubbing my eyes. It was almost five. I had to wake up in an hour for school.
"Just get some sleep Harry, and don't worry about sleeping in. If you do, you'll just be late for school," Dad said, walking into my room and giving me a tight hug. "Just get some rest, okay?"
"Yeah," I answered, too tired to come up with other things to say. Dad clicked my lamp off and shut my door, putting me in darkness again. Out of pure exhaustion, I finally fell asleep.
Katy
"Grandpa Burt, what are you doing here?" I asked when I came downstairs for breakfast and found my grandpa drinking coffee and reading the paper.
"Hey Scout!" he said in his gruff grandpa voice that reminded me of summer fishing trips and spending time in his mechanic garage when we would visit. "Your dad had to run out, so I'm here to get you to school."
My stomach sunk to the floor. Dad didn't come home? What'd I miss when I fell asleep and why didn't anyone wake me up?
"Is everything okay?" I asked. He put his paper down and gave me a smile.
"Yeah, it's all under control Kiddo. Just get ready for school like you normally do. Your dad said not to wake Harry up since he was up late, so it might just be you and me," he said, drinking some more of his coffee. I nodded, getting orange juice from the refrigerator and fruit loops. I normally don't eat Dad's junk cereal, but today was an exception. I was worried and I was going to eat that worry.
I poured myself a bowl of fruit loops and poured the orange juice over it, poking it around as my appetite started to disappear. What if Dad was in an accident or something? What if he's in surgery this very second or in the morgue?
I stared at my overly colorful breakfast, feeling sick. All I could imagine was the video we had to watch in health class with the kids drinking and driving and getting in a car accident with all the blood and guts and someone's brain was splattered on the road. It made me want to puke. So, I just dumped my cereal down the garbage disposal and went upstairs to get dressed.
For once, I didn't really pay much attention to what I put on, just threw something on and brushed my hair and teeth before coming back downstairs and staring at the ceiling. I really just wanted my dads to come home.
As if there was a wishing star that happened to speed past our house, the back door opened up and there were both of my dads. Daddy was helping Dad through the door, holding his crutches in one arm and wrapping his other arm around his waist. My dad looked like an absolute mess. He had a cast that went all the way up to his thigh on his right leg and had a big black eye on his left eye. His hair was all crazy looking and in general he looked exhausted. I hurried over to them and took the crutches off of Daddy so he could help Dad in.
"You called the school, right Dad?" Daddy asked grandpa.
"Sure did," he said, looking up at my dads like it was nothing. "Need help getting him upstairs?"
"No, he's going in the living room for now. Is Harry still sleeping?" Daddy asked, helping Dad get into the living room and onto the couch.
"Yup. When I called the school I told them that he was going to be coming in later," Grandpa answered, looking over at the clock. "We've gotta get going soon Scout. Go grab anything you might need."
More than anything, I wanted to skip school. Everything just felt so weird after yesterday with Michael and my dad, but I knew I wouldn't be able to get away with it because I did sleep and my dad was weird about us staying home from school, so I grabbed my backpack and followed Grandpa Burt to his truck. Once we were heading down the street, he cleared his throat.
"Katy, I know you feel like a lot has been put on your plate. You've been at this school a little over a month and already it's a lot different than New York, but I want you to know that your dads and I are both really proud of how you and your brother have been handling this," Grandpa Burt said, still staring at the road.
"I just don't understand why we moved here when they knew that it was this bad," I mumbled into my book bag.
"I think they thought that things might've gotten better. Gay marriage is recognized here now, so they might've thought that meant people changed, but either way Katy, don't let things like this get you down. You're part Hummel-"
"And no one pushes the Hummels around," I finished, remembering Daddy telling me that once. "I know Grandpa."
"Things will simmer down once everyone gets use to it," he said reassuringly. "Now go have a good day of school, and don't worry about any of this. Just focus on school."
"Thanks Grandpa," I said, hopping out of his truck and heading to the high school. All that day I used that tactic, only focusing on school, and it actually worked. It made it seem like nothing was wrong, which felt great. If only it was actually true.
