A/N So I finished writing this, and decided not to wait to post the rest of it. Hope you all enjoy!
Reviews always welcome!
CHAPTER FOUR
March, 2010
"You guys are insane," Rachel said Monday afternoon. She'd walked into the choir room to overhear Tina, Santana, and Artie talking nonsense about Kurt.
"You don't think it's odd that he drops everything when that pager goes off and disappears for at least an hour?" Tina asked.
Rachel rolled her eyes. "That doesn't mean he's a gigolo! Guys, he can't even say the word sex without turning beet red!"
"Keep your voice down! He could walk in any moment!" Artie said.
"Who, Kurt?" Puck asked as he joined them. "He's already gone. That pager went off just a couple minutes ago."
Santana snorted. "His Sugar Daddy must be demanding."
"Again, you guys are insane."
...
"And that is why you don't just put random objects in your mouth!" Kurt said as the four year old boy finally coughed up the fifty cent piece he'd choked on. Rae took the boy from him and began examining him to make sure there were no lingering effects.
"He's fine," they assured his mother. "You might want to follow up with your family doctor just to be sure, but he's breathing fine, and he was conscious the entire time."
She thanked them, and they headed back out to the truck.
"So," Rae said, "You were about to tell me how your dad's date last night went."
Kurt grinned. "I think it went well. He came home humming 'Some Enchanted Evening,' a dopey grin on his face."
"That's good. I hope everything works out for them. Got any plans for spring break? Yours starts in two weeks, doesn't it?"
Kurt nodded. "No plans yet. What about you?"
"I don't go on break until the week after you, but Sinead and I were going to head down to Columbus for a couple of days, visit a couple museums, maybe see a show."
"Sounds nice," Kurt said. "Maybe I'll hit the mall down there this weekend."
Rae smiled. "It's nice to have full staff again, and not be on call 24/7."
Kurt hummed in agreement. "I'm just glad we didn't get that flu. Ralph is still recuperating. Delores has been taking good care of him."
Rae laughed. "I wonder if those two will ever make it official."
"Allen51, what's your status?" The dispatcher requested over the radio.
"Allen51, available."
"Respond to call of disoriented man, outside the Ruler Foods, Elida Rd."
"Copy dispatch."
They flipped the sirens and lights on, and made a left turn. Within two minutes of the call, they arrived at the grocery store, but didn't see anyone who looked like they needed help. The store manager flagged them over.
"He's sitting down just inside the door here. He came in about ten minutes ago, seemed confused about why he was here. He walked out again, and passed out. Our baggers helped him back in."
Kurt checked the man's blood pressure, as Rae checked the pulse and respiration. "Do you smell that?" Rae asked.
"It smells faintly of alcohol," Kurt nodded. "He is clammy all over. Check for a med alert bracelet or necklace." He checked both wrists, while Rae checked around the neck. She found a chain and pulled it out of his shirt.
"He's diabetic," Rae confirmed, and picked up the radio to contact the hospital to get permission to start an IV with glucose. Once they got him set up with the IV and got him on the gurney, he began to come around a little. "Sir, do you know where you are?"
He blinked up at her, not seeming to understand the question. "Did you eat after taking your medicine today?" she tried again. He was still unable to respond. "Let's get him in the ambulance quickly. Either he's really hypoglycemic, or he doesn't speak English."
They loaded the man and Kurt monitored him as Rae drove. Just before they reached the ER entrance, the man seemed more coherent.
"What happened?"
Kurt smiled at him. "Did you take your insulin this morning?"
The man frowned, "Yes, my wife reminded me when I called her this morning."
"Mhmm, and did you eat anything afterwards?"
"Oh, crap. I get so forgetful sometimes. My wife is visiting her sister in Cincinnati this week, she's having a baby in a few days, so my wife went to help her get the nursery set up. I guess I forgot to eat lunch."
Kurt nodded. "Well, we're pulling up at the ER now. The doctors will take a look at you, make sure you get some food in you, and probably send you home by the end of the day. You might want to set an alarm clock to remind you to eat every few hours."
"I feel a little dumb," he said.
Kurt just smiled reassuringly. "It happens to the best of us."
…
"Can you pass me the saline solution?" Rae asked as they were restocking the ambulance on Thursday. Her partner didn't respond. "Kurt?" She nudged his shoulder.
"What? Oh, sorry. I'm kind of distracted."
"I can see that. What's going on?"
Kurt sighed. "You know how I set my dad up with Carole, that nurse?"
"Yeah. I thought you said things were going great with them."
"Yeah, really great. Until she introduced my dad to her son. Now he hangs out with Finn all the time. I barely see him anymore. It's like, now he has the son he's always wanted, and he's pretty much forgotten me."
"I'm sure Burt hasn't forgotten about you. He's not that type of man."
Kurt snorted. "Yeah, so it's just my imagination that every other word out of his mouth lately has been Finn? 'Finn and I are going to the Reds game next weekend.' 'Finn caught a five pound bass yesterday!' 'Finn walked on water and he's so amazing!'"
"Come on, Kurt, your dad wouldn't say that."
"I just feel like I'm losing him, Rae."
She pulled him into a hug. "You'll never lose him, Kurt. He'll always be there when you need him."
…
They were all staring at him when he walked into Glee rehearsal Monday afternoon. Maybe it was just his clothes. He was too upset about what was going on between Finn and his dad to care.
"Uh, Kurt?" Mr. Schue said, sounding concerned, even as several students in the back row huddled together and began whispering. "Is there something you want to talk about?"
"Why would you think that?" Kurt sat down, adjusting the baseball cap on his head. So, everyone was staring at him. Big deal. He had the right to dress any way he wanted.
…
Rae was not amused when she saw Kurt that afternoon.. "Kurt, what are you doing?"
Kurt just looked at her in confusion. "Responding to the call? What is it this time?"
"Man fell off a skateboard. Now what in hell are you wearing?"
"Clothes."
"Damn it, Kurt, you aren't crawling back into the closet, are you? You know you're the only reason I got up the courage to tell my family!"
Kurt let out a sigh and punched his door. "I can't lose my dad, Rae! He's all I've got!"
Rae looked really disappointed in him as they got in the ambulance and pulled out.
The rest of the week, Rae would barely look at him, and he was becoming more and more miserable. Plus, his attempts to get his dad's attention weren't working. It all came to a head on Friday when he confronted his dad. He realized how ridiculous he was being. He and his dad hung out the rest of the night, and Kurt called Rae to apologize to her as well.
…
"How was your weekend?" Rae asked Monday afternoon. McKinley's spring break was in full bloom. They were at the station for the monthly inspection and general cleaning. Kurt had already scrubbed down the outside of the ambulance and was polishing it by the time she'd arrived, since she'd had an exam that day.
"It was fun. Mercedes, Quinn and I went down to Columbus to shop on Saturday, and then I went up to Toledo with dad yesterday to check out a car show. That got a little weird when we ran into Rachel and Jesse St. James at the diner we stopped in for lunch. That creep is up to something, I'm sure."
Rae laughed, just as their radio went off. "Allen51, report of man stung by bee, possible allergic reaction. Fifteen oh six, Edgewood Dr."
"Allen51, Copy," Kurt responded as he climbed into the driver's seat. They pulled up at the address, and Kurt frowned. The place looked familiar, but he was in such a hurry, he couldn't think why. From the backyard, he heard someone calling out frantically.
"Fire Department!" Rae called back.
"Please! Daddy can't breathe!"
Kurt almost froze in his tracks. He knew that voice.
"Rachel?" he said, coming around the corner to the back of the house.
Sure enough, there was Rachel, fussing over LeRoy Berry, who was slumped in a lawn chair. Rae immediately knelt beside the older man, checking his pulse and respiration. "How long ago was he stung?"
Rachel was so distraught, she hadn't even noticed Kurt yet. "Um, about ten, fifteen minutes ago?"
"Has he ever had an allergic reaction to being stung before?"
"I don't know, I don't remember him ever being stung before! Oh, I wish dad was here! He had to Fly to New Orleans on business this morning! He would know!"
"Rachel," Kurt said, startling her. "Calm down, everything is going to be okay."
"Kurt? What are you doing here?"
"Working. I'm a volunteer firefighter/EMT. That's why I've been carrying a pager."
"I knew you weren't a gigolo!" Rachel exclaimed.
"What?"
"You guys can talk about it later," Rae called out. "Kurt, I need the medbox!"
Frowning, Kurt moved forward and knelt beside her, opening the medbox and IV kit. He got a better look at Mr. Berry. He was conscious, but his breathing was labored. His face was swollen and somewhat ashen in color, and he was having difficulty responding to their questions.
They got an IV started, got an O2 mask on him, gave him an Epi, and got him loaded into the ambulance. Rachel rode with them to the ER, bombarding Kurt with questions the entire time.
Once the Epi began to work, LeRoy recovered quickly, and was sent home later that evening. Kurt was still reeling from the revelation that his fellow Glee members would actually think he was a gigolo!
…
April, 2010
"What's got your panties in a twist?" Ralph asked Wednesday morning after they returned from a fire and were hanging the hoses to dry.
Kurt glared at the fire engine. "Apparently my so called friends think I am some kind of sex fiend or something! They've apparently been talking about me behind my back. And if that isn't bad enough, Tina seems to be under the impression that you are my Sugar Daddy!"
"Me?" Ralph chuckled.
"Yeah. Remember that day at the Lima Bean? They apparently didn't notice the other half dozen firefighters there, and Rae was in the bathroom, so assumed you and I were there as a 'couple.' I thought they knew me better than that! Why are you laughing?"
Ralph had a mischievous glint in his eye. "Sounds to me like you ought to teach them a lesson."
That got Kurt's attention. He raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms over his chest. "What did you have in mind?"
…
It was a week later that they set their plan in motion. They'd been back from spring break for two days now, when Kurt had a very early wake up call, and spent two hours fighting a fire. He had no time to go home and clean up, let alone change his clothes, so Ralph decided it was the perfect time to drop Kurt off at school.
Kurt could see Rachel standing outside with a few of the other kids from Glee as Ralph turned into the drive at the front of the school. He couldn't hear what she was saying but from the looks of it, she appeared to be arguing with the other three.
"Wonder what that's about," he muttered to himself.
Ralph smirked. "Should we give them a show?"
Kurt laughed, "Okay, but don't go too over the top."
"Wait a second," Ralph said when Kurt reached for the door handle. The older man got out and moved around the old beat up pick up he drove, and opened Kurt's door for him, and then made a fuss over Kurt's clothes. "You should have let me iron these first."
"And make me late for school? I thought you actually cared about my education," Kurt responded, tone slightly flirty.
"I thought I had been teaching you real good," Ralph said with a wink, and a smack on Kurt's backside.
"Mm, yes, but I can't graduate with A's in sugar." Kurt glanced over towards the school as if just noticing the others standing there. "Oh, hi! Gramps was just dropping me off. We kind of lost track of time."
Rachel, Santana, Tina and Puck all stood there with mouths agape as Kurt grabbed his backpack out of Ralph's truck, and waved goodbye to the older man, who winked and blew him a kiss.
Once they'd gotten over their initial shock and Kurt had disappeared into the school, Santana muttered something only Puck could hear. "He calls his sugar daddy Gramps?"
…
"Kurt?" Rachel said a little later, when she caught him alone between classes. "What was that this morning?"
Kurt giggled. "Gramps is one of the volunteer firefighters. After I told him what the kids in Glee have been thinking of me, he decided to play along, and teach them a lesson."
"So, there's nothing going on between you two? Why was he dropping you off at school so early?"
"We had a fire call this morning. I just barely had time to get back to the station and shower, so Gramps, or Ralph, offered to drop me off at school." Kurt glanced up and down the hall before saying anything else. "Ralph is straight, he's totally in love with the evening dispatcher, Delores, and I have it on good authority he's planning to pop the question on her birthday next month."
Rachel smiled at that. "That's so sweet! True love always finds each other, even at their age." Kurt stopped at his locker to switch out his books.
"Look, Rachel, please don't tell anyone else. Mercedes and Quinn already know, and they're in on this little revenge plot. They're going to give the others a little fuel for the fire, so to speak."
"Can I help?" Rachel asked. "I'm an amazing actress, you know!"
Kurt glanced around again, and then flagged Mercedes over. "Rachel's in. Fill her in on the plot."
…
"Hey, Blaine, wait up!" Wes and David called out Friday afternoon. Dalton was about to go on spring break, and many of the boys had already left early. Blaine stopped and turned to the two junior councilmen.
"What's up, guys? I'm kind of in a hurry. I'm meeting my parents at the airport. We're going to Florida for the week."
"We just wanted to tell you in person," David said.
Blaine was confused. "Tell me what?"
Wes smiled. "The council has decided to give you a solo for the Summer Fair Concert at the end of the semester. You'll be allowed to choose your song, pending approval, of course."
"Congratulations, Blaine. No Freshman has ever earned the honor."
"Wow, guys, I don't know what to say." Blaine smiled at them.
"You deserve it," Wes said. "You've improved so much since the beginning of the school year, and you've maintained a four point oh average."
He shook their hands, and was grinning as he got into his car. He was so happy, he sang along with the radio all the way to the airport.
…
His pager went off in Glee that afternoon. Mr. Schue just rolled his eyes and nodded as Kurt gathered his things. Kurt knew Sue had informed his teachers of his job, and they'd begrudgingly accepted his frequent departures. Mr. Schue had even admitted that he admired Kurt for what he was doing, but thought the boy was taking on too much.
Kurt noticed how several members of the club immediately began whispering among themselves as he left, and he could only laugh softly to himself.
He was at the station two minutes later, and for once, beat Rae there. He took the information from the dispatcher, accidental stabbing. He was waiting in the driver's seat when Rae arrived. She was looking very upset about something, but indicated for him to just drive.
They arrived at the address to find a woman with a towel wrapped around her left hand, sitting on the front porch.
"Fire department EMT, ma'am," Kurt said as he knelt beside her. "What happened?"
"I was pruning my rose bush, and lost my balance, and accidentally stabbed myself with the shears."
Kurt carefully unwrapped the towel to examine the cut. "Yeah, that looks pretty nasty. What caused you to lose your balance? You didn't get dizzy or light headed, did you?"
The woman shook her head. "The neighbour's cat startled me. I didn't notice him sleeping under the rosebushes, and I guess I stepped on his tail.
"Okay, I'm going to clean this up and rewrap it for you. While I am getting my supplies, I want you to hold it over your head to slow the bleeding.
Rae passed him the supplies. She'd been mostly quiet since she'd arrived at the station. He wanted to ask her about it, but couldn't do anything as they treated the patient. He finished applying the bandage, and checked her vitals to make sure she was okay.
"You'll need a doctor to look at that as soon as possible. Do you want to ride to the ER with us, or do you have someone who can drive you?"
"My husband will be home any minute," she said, smiling gratefully at him.
He smiled back at her. "Okay, just don't wait too long to get in. Have you had a tetanus shot in the last ten years?"
"Yes, two years ago."
"Good," Kurt said, as a black Mazda pulled into the drive beside the ambulance. "Is that your husband?"
The woman nodded. "Okay, we'll leave you in his capable hands."
He and Rae packed up their equipment as the husband bundled the woman into their car. Kurt waited until they were almost back to the station before he spoke. "Do you want to tell me what's wrong?"
Rae let out a sigh. "Sinead's parents are in town, visiting from Alabama. Apparently, Sinead never told them she was dating me."
"Let me guess, they're homophobes."
"Oh, no. They have nothing against their daughter being a lesbian."
"Then what is the problem?"
"They don't mind their daughter dating women. Just not black women, apparently. They called me the n word."
"Oh my god! What did Sinead do?"
"She got angry at them, but they threatened to cut off her college money and send her back to Ireland to live with her grandparents if she didn't break up with me."
"She wouldn't do that to you!"
"No, but now they are keeping her locked away in their hotel room until they can make arrangements to send her away."
"That's illegal, they can't do that!"
"I know, but Sinead is too scared of what her parents will do if she goes to the police. Her dad is some big shot lawyer or something."
Kurt was shaking his head as he parked the ambulance in the station bay. "She's an adult, they can't keep her locked away. It's kidnapping."
"I know, I just don't know what to do!" Rae was sobbing now. Kurt pulled her into a hug.
"Rae?" The voice came from the break room door, and both Kurt and Rae spun around in surprise.
"Sinead?" Rae said, rushing forward to hug the other girl. "How did you get away?"
Sinead was crying too. "I told my dad that if he didn't let me go, I would have him arrested for kidnapping. He threatened to have commitment papers drawn up so he could claim I was crazy. So I told him if he tried that, I'd tell them how he cheats on his taxes. He let me go, but they are cutting off my college fund. This semester is already paid for, but I don't know what I'm going to do after that."
Rae hugged her tighter. "We'll figure it out, babe. Just don't worry about that."
"I'm so sorry they treated you that way. I didn't realize they were that bad. I never would have put you through that if I had known."
"I know, sweetheart, I know. I don't blame you."
Kurt patted them both on the back. "I'm heading home for dinner, give you two some time to talk."
He left the two women and drove himself home. He was startled to find Carole there when he arrived.
"Hi, I hope you don't mind, your dad invited me to dinner tonight."
"Oh, no, I don't mind. Where is he?"
"He ran to the store real quick, you were out of chives. I was going to make chicken Kiev."
Kurt was surprised that she was going to cook. "That sounds good."
There was an awkward pause as Carole pounded out the chicken breasts in preparation for dinner.
"You know, Kurt, Finn came home with this really bizarre story the other afternoon. He told me several members of your Glee club seem to think there is something elicit going on with you."
Kurt laughed. "You mean the fact that they seem to think I'm some kind of gigolo? I know what they are saying, and no, it's not true. I've been letting them think what they want for now, but I have plans to teach them a lesson about assuming things."
She smiled kindly at him. "Okay, just don't let it get too out of hand. You don't want this to ruin your reputation later in life."