A/N Okay, so this chapter will cover the dedication of the Pierce-Lopez auditorium at the community center, and Christmas. Next chapter will cover Mercedes Wedding, and Kurt goes to Washington! I'm still not a hundred percent happy with this chapter, but I can't seem to figure out how to fix it.
This chapter is WAY longer than I expected!
Reviews would be appreciated!
…
Dedication
On the second Friday in December, Kurt was busy setting up his local congressional offices, where he would work from when not in Washington. That is to say, he was helping his dad move his stuff out so he could redecorate in his own style. Carole was there as well, but neither man would allow her to lift anything heavier than a bottle of water. She was now five months pregnant, and Kurt worried about her even more, especially since the shooting.
The bullet had grazed her rib, bruising it, and she'd required sixteen stitches. "You guys do know I'm not fragile, right?" She asked as they fussed over her. "Dr. Kat said I'm in perfect health, and the amnio came back clear, and everything is looking good for the baby as well. It's not going to strain me that much to lift a potted plant!"
"I know," Burt had said with a grin, "but I love fussing over you, and I know it still pains you when you lift things with your left arm. And yes, Dr. Kat said you were in great shape, but she also told you to take it easy!"
Kurt just smiled at his parents. "Okay, I think it's time for a lunch break! Do we want Breadstix, or are you in the mood for something more exotic?"
Before either of them could respond, his cell phone rang. He frowned when he saw the elementary school's number on the caller ID.
"Hello?"
"Hello, is this the parent or guardian of Burt Hummel Anderson?"
"Yes, I'm Kurt Hummel."
"Mr. Hummel, I'm sorry to bother you, I'm Barb Marshall, the substitute nurse at Neil Armstrong. Bee came into my office a little while ago at his teacher's urging. Apparently he was having trouble with his balance in class and fell when he stood up. He has a small bruise on his forehead from the fall, but I'm more concerned that he's running a mild fever, one hundred one point five, and it looks like he has a pretty bad ear infection. Would it be possible for you to come pick him up?"
"Of course," Kurt said, voice filled with worry. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes."
Burt and Carole were looking on with concern on their faces.
"What's wrong?" Carole asked.
"Bee lost his balance at school and fell. They think he has an ear infection."
"Did he hurt himself when he fell?" Burt asked.
"They said he has a little bruise, but it didn't sound serious," He said as he sent Blaine a text message. "I'll call you guys later and let you know what's going on."
"Give him a hug from us!" Carole said. Kurt nodded, hugging her on his way out.
…
Two hours later, Kurt was sitting in the lobby of the urgent care clinic with Bee sitting limply on his lap, rocking the boy, whose fever was steadily rising. He'd been told by the lady at the counter when he checked in that they would probably have a long wait, as they were extremely over run with flu patients, and half the staff was out sick. He'd asked her if it would be better for him to take Bee to the ER, but had been informed that the hospital was swamped as well.
"The flu this year has been worse than they expected," she said, sounding exhausted herself. "This year's virus seems to be immune to the shot, and seems to be spreading more quickly than anticipated. The best I can do is offer you a mask for the boy, to try and keep him from catching it as well."
Kurt had thanked her politely, and helped Bee put the mask on as they'd taken their seats. Blaine had texted him ten minutes ago that he'd gotten Nick to cover Glee rehearsal, and that he was on his way. Annie would pick Lizzie up from school and take her home, and she and Wes would fix dinner for her and the babies. Kurt had texted Santana to let them know that they wouldn't be at the friends' dinner that night, and asked her to spread the word.
Kurt looked up when the doors swished open, and his dark haired husband rushed in, brushing snowflakes from his shoulder. Kurt hadn't even realized it had started snowing.
"Hey!" Blaine said, slipping into the seat beside him and giving him a quick kiss before leaning in to examine his son. "How you doing, sweetheart?"
Bee just shrugged, his face paler than usual, and his usually bright blue eyes seeming dulled. Blaine leaned over and kissed his forehead, which seemed way too hot, just as a nurse called the boy's name.
She smiled kindly at them as she lead them back to an exam room. "I'm just going to get his vitals for now. It may still be a while before the doctor comes in. We just had one of our PA's pass out on us from dehydration and exhaustion.
Kurt nodded at her. "Bee had the flu a couple weeks ago, we all did. Bee got hit harder though. I've been trying to find a new pediatrician for him. Ours is retiring in May, and the earliest appointment we could get with him isn't until February."
The nurse smiled as she placed a thermometer in Bee's mouth and checked the boy's blood pressure. "Does he see Dr. Martin? He was my pediatrician for years when I was a kid, and now he's my daughter's doctor as well. I can't believe he is finally retiring."
She frowned when she read the thermometer. "One hundred three point six. That's pretty high. I'll see if I can hurry the doctor along. In the meantime, I'll get him a pedialyte popsicle. See if you can get him to eat it."
She left the room, and returned a minute later with the frozen red tube. She opened it for them with the metzenbaum scissors she carried in her pocket, before leaving again.
Kurt sat on the bed beside Bee and tried to coax him to sit up and take a small piece of the cherry flavored ice. The boy was so weak and tired, he fell asleep after only a couple small bites. Blaine sat on the other side of him, and the two men cradled him between them as they hugged each other for comfort.
Despite the nurse's efforts to speed things along, it was almost forty five minutes later before a harried looking doctor finally entered the exam room. The man, who looked to be in his mid to late fifties, shook their hands.
"Hi, I'm Dr. Kassler, I'm a GP here. What's going on with this young man? What was his name, Burt?"
"Yes," Kurt said, his voice slightly higher pitched than usual from the stress. "But he prefers to be called Bee, like bumble bee. They said he lost his balance at school and bumped his head, and when he went to the nurse's office at school, she discovered he had a fever, and said it looked like he might have an ear infection."
The doctor nodded and began examining the auburn haired boy, who'd just woke up. After checking his ears, nose, and throat, and feeling his lymph nodes, the doctor picked up Bee's patient's file and began writing on it as he spoke.
"He definitely has an ear infection. I'll give you a prescription for antibiotics, and you can give him children's Tylenol for pain and fever. I'm going to refer you to Dr. Andrew's office for a follow up. Bee's lymph nodes are a little swollen, which could be nothing, or it could be a symptom of something more severe. I'm not a pediatrician, so I'll leave it up to him to figure that out. In the meantime, make sure Bee gets plenty of fluids, and lots of sleep."
They thanked him, shaking his hand, and once the nurse had brought them the printouts, they bundled their son up and headed home, stopping only to fill the prescription. It was too late in the evening to call the doctor's office to try and get an appointment, so they tucked Bee into bed, gave him some Tylenol and the antibiotic, got him to drink a few sips of pedialyte, and sang softly to him until he fell asleep once more.
Kurt was very worried about the boy as he went downstairs to get something to eat. Wes, Annie, and Lizzie had finished eating a while ago, along with Johnny, who had come over after Glee practice. They sat with the two men as they ate, though.
"Is Bee going to be okay?" Lizzie asked, concerned for her little brother.
"He'll be okay, I'm sure," Blaine said, smiling tiredly at their daughter.
After they ate, Kurt went to get the babies ready for bed while Blaine did the dishes. Wes and Annie sat in the living room with Lizzie, watching a show about wolves.
Johnny had offered to help Blaine with the dishes, and stood a couple feet away, sneaking glances at the older man every once in a while when he wasn't looking, and listening as Blaine talked about Bee, and the concert tomorrow night, but not really hearing a single word.
"Earth to Johnny!" Annie's voice cut in on the boy's thoughts.
He turned abruptly, almost dropping the plate he was drying, and hoped he wasn't blushing too much. "Sorry, mom. Did you say something?"
She smiled knowingly at the boy, but just shook her head. "I said it's time for us to head out. Good night, Blaine, I hope Bee will get better quickly. Give him lots of love from us!"
Blaine smiled and hugged her, oblivious to the embarrassment of the younger male. "Thanks Annie. Having you and Wes here to help out with the babies and Lizzie has been great. I don't know what we'd do without the two of you."
He walked the three of them out, waving as they drove off.
He got Lizzie ready for bed, and went to check on Bee, only to discover Kurt laying beside their son, sound asleep, with his arm wrapped tightly around the boy. He smiled, and leaned down to kiss both of them softly on their foreheads, before tucking the blanket around them, and heading down the hall to his own bed.
…
"What about your speech?" Blaine asked Saturday afternoon as he got ready for the dedication ceremony and concert that evening.
Kurt shrugged. "You can give it. I just don't want to leave Bee here with a babysitter. It's not fair to Wes and Annie to miss the concert. I'll stay home with the babies and Bee."
Bee's fever had dropped, but was still over one hundred and one. They had been giving him lots of fluids, and popsicles to help keep him from getting dehydrated, and to try and bring the fever down even more. It had helped, and while he had slept most of the day, he was now sitting up in bed, reading The Prisoner of Azkaban, with Chester curled up beside him.
"Are you sure?" Blaine asked, tying his dress shoes.
Kurt kissed him. "I'm sure. Besides, in a few weeks I'll be away in DC, and I won't get to see the kids every night, just on weekends. I want to spend as much time with them now as I can!"
Blaine returned the kiss, and hugged him. "I'm going to miss you every night when you are gone, too. Skype won't be the same."
They held each other for several minutes, sharing occasional kisses, but just happy being in each other's arms.
…
Blaine smiled at the crowd waiting to enter the new auditorium, as Santana and Brittany stood beside him. "Thank you all for coming out in this snowy weather. I know you were expecting to see my husband, Kurt up here cutting the ribbon, but our oldest son is home sick, and Kurt stayed home to be with him. Kurt and I would like to thank each and everyone of you who have helped make this addition to the community center come to life. This community has grown so much over the last several years, not just in population, but in acceptance and understanding. It's one of the reasons Kurt and I chose to move back here.
"We'd like to dedicate this auditorium to you, and hope it brings you joy. Without further ado, I gladly open the Pierce-Lopez auditorium to the public." He and the two women all snipped the ribbon at the same time, smiling, and shaking hands with the assembled crowd as they entered the building.
The choir from the jr. high performed first, bringing the audience to tears with their beautiful versions of Away in a Manger, Oh Little Town of Bethlehem, and Go Tell it on the Mountain. Titan Chorale then performed Its the Messiah, followed by Do You Hear What I Hear, and God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.
Duly Noted and High Jynx had both been decimated by the flu, with several of their members being too ill to perform, so they had opted to combine ranks, and stunned the audience with The Hallelujah Chorus. The Troubletones had also been flawless in their performance. Finally, New Directions took the stage.
They Opened with Pretty Little Baby Child, followed by The Friendly Beasts. Tianna had then sang a solo of O Holy Night, followed Johnny's solo, Mary, Did You Know. They were then joined by all the other choirs to close the show with Peter Hollens' December Song.
It was the perfect concert to get them all in the Christmas mood.
…
Monday, Kurt called Dr. Andrews' office to make an appointment for Bee. They had an opening that afternoon, since a patient had just called in to cancel. Bee had stayed home that day. He no longer had a fever, but his balance was still off, and his ear still hurt.
Kurt and Bee arrived at Dr. Andrew's office just after lunch, and after filling out all the new patient paperwork, were escorted back to an exam room, where the nurse, Missy, asked them all the standard questions as she checked Bee's vitals.
"I love your name, by the way," Missy said, smiling at Bee. "I call my niece Honeybee. Her full name is Honoria Beatrice, which she hates. I warned my brother when they found out they were having a girl not to give her such an old fashioned name, that she would grow up to resent it, but apparently it was his husband's grandmother's name."
Bee smiled weakly at her. "I'm named after my grandpa Burt. It's an okay name, but people call me Bee so we don't get mixed up."
She smiled back at him as she finished making her notes. "Dr. Andrews will be in in just a few minutes. It was really nice meeting you, Bee!"
They ended up only waiting about a minute before the doctor arrived. He was in his late thirties, early forties, and looked like he never stopped smiling.
"Mr. Hummel, it's nice to meet you. And this must be Bee." He shook both of their hands, and then sat down on the stool beside the exam bed. "I've got your file from the urgent care doctor. You were seen for an ear infection, correct?"
Bee nodded.
"How does it feel today? Still sore?"
Bee nodded again.
"Okay, let's take a look at it, shall we? I'm going to look in the ear that doesn't hurt first, okay?"
Bee leaned into Daddy for comfort as the other man examine his right ear, and then his left.
"It's still very inflamed. The right ear is a little swollen as well, but not as severe as the left. I'll give you a prescription for ear drops for both ears, to go along with the oral antibiotic. That should help with the pain and the balance problems.
"Dr. Kassler also mentioned that your lymph nodes were swollen as well. Do you mind if I touch your throat and belly?"
Bee shrugged.
The older male first probed under Bee's ears and along his jaw and down the side of his throat. "Can you lay down for me?" Kurt moved so Bee could lay down, and the doctor raised his shirt and pressed on various parts of his abdomen. Kurt noticed that something flickered across the doctor's face, but the man was a professional at hiding his emotions.
"Bee, can you put your arms up over your head for me for a moment? I want to check under your arms."
Bee did as instructed, and the doctor ran his hands over his armpits. "Okay, you can put your arms down now. There is definitely some swelling, and that is concerning me. I'd like to draw some blood samples and send them to specialty lab for testing. It may take a few weeks to get the results back."
Kurt was frowning. "What's wrong?"
The doctor crossed his arms over his chest. "It's possible that it's just an infection in his lymph nodes, in which case, the antibiotics should take care of it. But there is a chance that it could be something more serious, such as a pituitary disease, among other possibilities. I read your family medical history, Mr. Hummel, but do you know anything of the biological mother's family history? Such as thyroid disease, lymphoma, or cancer?"
Kurt was trying not to panic. "We used a donor egg. The woman was anonymous, but her medical history was in the file. I can get it for you if you need it."
The doctor nodded. "It may come in handy. In the meantime, I'll have someone come in and draw those samples, and get that prescription for you. Try not to worry too much. It's probable that there is nothing seriously wrong, but it's always better to be safe than sorry."
Kurt nodded, and thanked the man, scooping Bee into his arms to cradle him as soon as the door closed.
…
Bee stayed home again on Tuesday, but felt well enough to go back to school on Wednesday. Kurt had tried not to let the worry get to him, but Blaine could see it was taking its toll on him.
"Come on, honey, let's not borrow trouble," Blaine said as they were getting ready for bed Friday night. "Isn't that what you said about Carole's pregnancy? The doctor said it's probably nothing to worry about."
"But he said it could be something really bad!" Kurt said, holding back tears.
"Yes, and if it is, we'll deal with whatever it is when we know for sure. Until then, let's just celebrate the holidays with the kids, and enjoy Rachel and Jesse's visit. And then we'll spend a few days in Hawaii, watch your best friend get married, and be thankful for all the good things in our lives."
Kurt took a deep breath, let out a little hiccuping sob, and then hugged the shorter man. "You're right! I'm sorry!"
Blaine held him tightly. "No need to apologize. You've always been the worrier when it comes to people's health, I get it. That's one of the things that I love about you, you care so much. But you have to think about your own health too. You're going to drive yourself into another anxiety attack."
Kurt took another shuddering breath, and let it out slowly. "When did you get so smart?" He teased the darker man.
"When I married you. Smartest thing I've ever done." Blaine grinned and kissed him. "It's officially Christmas vacation, no school for two and a half weeks. Let's enjoy this time with our family, and not worry about anything beyond our control, Okay?"
Kurt kissed him back. "Okay."
…
Rachel and Jesse arrived in Lima on the twenty third. They were staying with her dad, Leroy. Although Jesse was Catholic, they had agreed to raise their children in the Jewish faith, and so didn't celebrate Christmas in the traditional manner, but they did exchange gifts, in the spirit of the season, as Rachel said.
After the St. James joined them for Christmas Eve dinner, Kurt, Blaine, and all of their friends and children gathered for a celebration at the community center. Sam and Julia's one month old baby was passed around, while Kurt and Blaine's youngest, Rachel's daughter, Marley's one year old daughter, and Tina and Artie's twin girls, who turned one that day, kept all the adults on their toes trying to keep them from crawling or walking off or getting into too much mischief.
All the kids were excited to open their presents. Everyone loved the outfits Kurt had picked out for the kids under the age of twelve. Lizzie was super excited for the science kit she'd received. She'd been elected president of the science club this year, and they were already working on a huge project for the all state science fair in the spring, a machine that could either float on top of rivers or lay across the surface of smaller streams to remove trash and filter out contaminants.
Bee had gotten a new lens and lighting kit for his camera, and had been happily taking pictures of everyone. He was ineligible to enter the photography contest this year, since he'd already won the previous year, but Mr. Green had been helping Bee make a collection of photographs to be turned into a coffee table book. If it turned out good enough, Mr. Green thought Bee might be able to get it professionally published, and might even earn royalties from it.
Ke'Andre thanked Kurt for the professional quality makeup kit. The fourteen year old boy had developed a fascination with drag queens, and Kurt had told him that if he was going to dress up, he refused to let him look like some cheap Tammy Faye Baker knock off. "If you are going to go for it, do it with style and class!"
After the party, they headed home and put the kids to bed. Kurt was relieved to see how much better Bee seemed to be feeling, and felt some of the dred he'd been feeling fall away.
They spent Christmas morning home with the kids opening presents, before going to Burt and Carole's house for dinner, where there were even more presents to open. Burt handed Kurt a package.
"I wanted you to have this before you head off to DC," Burt said, as Kurt opened the carefully wrapped package. Inside was a book, bound in a cedar box. "I know you don't believe in God, but this was your mom's bible. I thought you might like to use it at your swearing in."
Kurt felt a lump in his throat. "Thanks, dad. I'd like that!" He hugged the older male.
"She'd be very proud of you, you know. Not just for this, but for everything you are and everything you've done."
Kurt smiled as tears glistened in his eyes. "I know. But only because I had you for the perfect example."
…
A/N Google Cedar Bible Cover to get an idea of the gift Burt gave Kurt. My Mom used to have one, and I always loved opening it up and smelling the beautiful smell of cedar.