Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Chapter 28
Burt and Carole came to the hospital the next day. In the meantime, Mercedes had to go back to Sydney because of the concert, and Dani and Elliott decided to make a sightseeing tour in Darwin, dragging a reluctant Rachel with them to give the family some alone-time.
Carole rushed over to her son and hugged him tightly, tears were streaming down her face.
"Finn, I thought I had lost you…", she sobbed.
"No, I won't bite into the dust that easily, I promise, mom", Finn reassured her. "
I'm there, mom, I'm there…" Burt also hugged his stepson. "Please, don't scare us like that anymore, bud. I don't know whether my heart would be strong enough to lose another beloved person", he said with tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Burt, I won't do that again", Finn answered softly. Kurt stood beside them, feeling awkward.
Carole reached out for him.
"Oh Kurt, we should've believed you and Rachel when you said he was alive", she sobbed and took him into her arms as well.
Kurt smiled watery. Actually, it was Rachel who didn't stop believing until they found him. He felt bad because he had let her down and didn't believe her. He had been a horrible friend.
The small family was staying like that, holding each other in their arms. After a while, Burt dried his eyes with a handkerchief. "Now, enough of being emotional. We have to be happy that Finn is fine. How about we go to a fancy steakhouse after Finn is out of here, my treat", he said. "But there will only be salad for you, dad", Kurt said sternly. Burt pouted, but the others all laughed.
Finally, Carole addressed the elephant in the room. "How is that even possible? What exactly happened?", she asked the boys. Finn and Kurt paled. What were they going to do now?
Tell lies?
Or stick to the truth?
Kurt nervously cleared his throat. "Actually, there is something we need to tell you", he said, fiddling with his scarf. Finn threw him an alarmed glance. -Dude, what are you doing? Do you really think it's the right time to tell them the truth?- , he asked Kurt. -I'm tired of lying to my parents about an important part of my life, Finn. And how can you explain what happened? It's time to come clean with them, they deserve it-, Kurt answered. Finn sighed. -Fine, I trust you with that. Just…find the right words so that they don't freak out and send us to the next zoo. I'm not so keen on being put into a cage with kangaroos-, Finn thought nervously.
"Kurt? What do you want to tell us?", Burt asked his son, concerned. Kurt took a deep breath. That was the moment, after three years of keeping that secret. "In my senior year, something happened to me. One year later, Finn was dragged into this mess as well. The truth is, Finn and I are m…"
"Kurt", his dad cut him off. "We already know", Carole said softly. Finn's eyes widened. "Wait…what?", he called out. Burt chuckled. "Do you really think we are that dumb, kids?", he said.
Kurt just stared at them with an open mouth. "But…how?", he wondered. "Two years ago, when I was tidying up the attic, I noticed that some things from Elizabeth's box were missing", Carole recounted.
"Yes, and her diary was among those things. We did the math and contacted her three friends", Burt told them. "They told us everything that happened so far", Carole added. She and Burt exchanged glances – and started laughing.
"Boys, you were not as subtle as you thought you were", Carole giggled. "Do you remember when Kurt got sick and froze the living room?"
"Yes, or when he somehow lost his memories? And you tried to hide it from us? Come on", Burt laughed.
Kurt and Finn exchanged glances. -Is this a joke or something? Are they serious?-, Finn asked. -No, I'm afraid it isn't. Our parents were just making fun of us-, Kurt answered incredulously.
"Oh, and boys? We are aware that you can lead conversations in your heads, so please stop it now", Carole said and winked. -Oh, crap-, Finn thought. Burt leaned back on his chair. "Now that the cat is out of the bag, would you mind telling us what exactly happened? I'm dying to hear the full, true story", he said. Finn grimaced. "It's a long story, actually. Where do I begin?"
"We have enough time. Just start from the beginning", Burt suggested. Finn leaned back on his hospital bed. "It all started with the tsunami. You already know how I lifted the little girl into the rescue boat and bumped my head. After that, I…"
"You were in a coma for one year and eight months? That's impossible to survive without someone nursing you", Carole commented after Finn was done with the story. Kurt frowned. "I already asked Gwen how that's possible. She still doesn't know, but she is working on a theory", he said. "And the two kids who saved you, what are they again?", Burt asked, scratching his head. "Selkies, dad. They can turn into seals at will", Kurt explained. "Well…we are living in a crazy world, aren't we?", he mumbled, quirking his eyebrows. "Those friends of yours, they saved Finn. We probably should invite them for dinner or do something to thank them", Carole thought out loud. The others nodded in agreement.
Carole squeezed Finn's forearm which didn't have an IV. "I'm so glad you are back, Finn", she said and kissed him on the forehead. "Ouch. Mom, you just hurt me", Finn complained. Carole let go of Finn's hand. "There was a sting right there where you touched me." Burt looked around. "Do you have any other injuries, bud? Shall we get the nurse or a doctor? Kurt, go get someone", he said apprehensively. Carole cleared her throat. "I'm a nurse too, just for your information" she told the other three, took Finn's forearm and examined it.
"There is a tiny spot, like someone inserted a needle or something", she explained. "Where have I seen something like that before…", Burt mumbled, thoughtful. "Maybe a mosquito or something did that?", Kurt thought out loud. "No… that would be swollen or something, or there would be a pimple. No, that looks clean like…someone did it on purpose", Carole realized.
Burt clapped his hands. "Now, I remember. I also had something like that when I was comatose back then. The docs said they gave me an IV to nourish me and stuff…", he trailed off when realization dawned on him. "Someone nursed me all the time?", Finn said, stunned. "But who?"
"Dani mentioned that humans were not able to dive that deep, where they found you, so we can cross them out", Kurt reasoned. "So, there was another mermaid around? Why didn't she or he show up?", Finn asked, disappointed. He would like to know who took care of him and thank him or her for that. "We don't know, honey. But maybe that person had a good reason", Carole answered.
-One year and nine months earlier-
Sebastian and Hunter jumped into the moonpool of Cairns, Australia and resurfaced when their tails appeared. Sebastian frowned. "What is it, darling?", Hunter asked his boyfriend and pecked him. "I don't know…I somehow have a déjà-vu whenever that happens" After the two of them changed because they wanted to do some research for Hunter's university- project, Sebastian started to dream sequences that seemed…familiar. Like an episode in a series he had seen before. Sebastian shook his head. He didn't want to stress his boyfriend with his problems. "But forget it, it's not that important", he said, kissing his boyfriend. Hunter sighed. "You see, I still feel bad after what I've done to the Warblers back then. I am a monster", he whispered. Sebastian took him in his arms. "No, you are not. That's why you wanted to start studying medicine to help other people. We can both start over here in Australia, and you had a good start. You are on top of your class and soon, you are going to be the best doctor the world has ever seen", he mumbled lovingly. "You are not bad yourself, Smythe", Hunter whispered. "You will send the bad people into jail, just like your dad." Sebastian's smile was forced. Hunter thought that he was an angel or something. But boy, he was so wrong. He leaned back on the edge of the moonpool. "Hey, we are here to forget everything about our dark pasts, right? A new beginning here in Australia. Good that our parents are stinking rich to afford that", Sebastian laughed, changing the topic. Before Hunter could say anything, Sebastian let go of the edge. "Race you!", he exclaimed and submerged. Hunter rolled his eyes, laughing. "I'm going to win, Smythe!", he shouted and followed suit.
The two boyfriends sped through the ocean, not realizing they were swimming further away from the coast. Hunter stopped in his tracks after having seen something. He dove further down, Sebastian followed him, frowning. There was a guy on the ground. But not just any guy. Sebastian gasped and bubbles escaped his mouth. Finn Hudson? He was like them? Hunter examined him, realizing that an anchor was trapping the unconscious merman. Then, he gasped when he spotted a nasty looking bruise on the back of his head. He knew that kind of injury. During his studies, he had assisted some doctors when they treated comatose patients. Finn must be in a coma or something. And he looked so pale and famished. He needed help, and he needed it now. Hunter tugged Sebastian by the arm and motioned him to swim to the surface. "What the heck is up with Hudson?", Sebastian wanted to know. "He is in a coma, and he really needs help.", Hunter told him. "Then what are we waiting for? We need to bring him to a hospital!", Sebastian said. Hunter shook his head. "That would be too risky. If the doctors find out what he is, it only will be a matter of time for them to find out that we are like him. If that happens, we are screwed as well" Sebastian nodded. He had seen enough Sci-Fi and Supernatural movies to know what happened to people like them. "Okay, and what are we going to do, now?", Sebastian asked him. "We need to leave him down there, otherwise, humans could find him. I will try to get some things from the hospital where I do my internship. Those people trust me, so they gave me almost all keys. You stay with him and I will swim back." Sebastian nodded and Hunter dove back in, speeding back to the shore.
From that day on, Sebastian and Hunter took care of Finn, bringing him closer to the Australian coast, but not too close, nourishing him with a portable, waterproof PIV Hunter stole from the hospital, and taking turns to give him a mouth-to-mouth once per day. They decided not to free him from the anchor because he could float to the surface and wash ashore. The students were both grateful that they didn't live at home, otherwise, their parents would grow suspicious because of their daily absence. "When will he wake up?", Sebastian asked Hunter when they once again were in the moonpool. "According to my calculations, Finn's brain activity gets higher day by day. He is going to wake up soon, of that I'm sure", he reassured his boyfriend. "And what if he doesn't? What if he dies?", Sebastian said anxiously. Hunter shook his head. "That won't happen, okay?", he said, determined and tugged Sebastian's arm. "We should go to him now. I have to change the needle of the PIV, that's why I removed it" Sebastian nodded. "Good, we need to make sure he doesn't die", he whispered under his breath. "Did you say anything, Seb?", Hunter asked. He shook his head. "Let's go."
When the two of them arrived at the spot where Finn was hidden, they saw him, awake and swimming away with two seals. Hunter motioned Sebastian to follow them. The trio swam to a small island, Hunter and Sebastian stayed in the water far away from the shore. They gasped when the two seals turned into humans. "What the hmpf…!" Hunter quickly covered Sebastian's mouth. "Shht! We need to be quiet or else, they could see us", the other merman whispered. "And what are we going to do, now?", Sebastian asked. Hunter looked over to the three people. They were laughing and chatting amicably. He sighed, a little sad. "We are going to leave, Seb. Our work is done", he decided. He had expected Sebastian to protest, but he just nodded in agreement. "That seems reasonable. Those guys will help him" Hunter quirked his eyebrows. "You agree? Why?", he said, not believing his ears. Sebastian sighed deeply. "Let's say, I have a dark past with his stepbrother. I did some horrible things to him, and I can't even remember them. I think Finn doesn't want to have anything to do with me…", he mumbled. Hunter patted his shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. We all make mistakes, that's what makes us human…well…more or less…", he frowned when he looked down his straw-colored tail. "Let's get going, okay? We can go to your favorite bar or something. Other than in the US, you are allowed to drink something even if you are twenty", Hunter tried to lighten the mood. Sebastian sighed, but followed suit when Hunter submerged and sped away.
-End of Flashback-
A/N: So Burt and Carole knew the boys' secret!
And Sebastian and Hunter found Finn and saved his life... You didn't see that coming, right? :P
