A/N So, another baby arrives! We'll meet some of the cast of the Somewhere, Ohio movie, and a star is born! I'm so thankful to everyone who has stuck with this story for the last couple of years, even when I fell so far behind on it. You are all amazing!
Reviews are always Welcome!
...
The Cast
Kurt couldn't tell who was panicking more, Cooper, who was babbling about not being ready yet, or the TSA agent who had come to see what the commotion was. The agent was practically shouting at the tiny woman lying on the floor in baggage claim that she absolutely could not have a baby in the airport, that an ambulance was on the way, and just wait until it got there.
Kurt took a step back, holding tightly to Kathy in his arms. His sweet, never confrontational, TINY sister in law had a look on her face as she glared at the TSA agent that was almost demonic as she told him exactly where he could go and what to do when he got there.
"This baby is coming now!" she declared.
The crowd around them in the luggage claim all seemed fascinated by the drama. Kurt decided to step in, passing Kathy to Blaine, who was already holding Mattie's hand, while Lizzie held Audy and Bee clung to Phin's hand.
"Okay, ladies and gentlemen, let's clear some room, please." He turned to the TSA agent. "I know this place has a medical facility. Have you contacted them? Tried getting a nurse or doctor out here?"
The man looked rather green as Lisa let out a grunt of pain as another contraction hit. "They're on their way, but they are completely on the other side of the airport."
Kurt let out a sigh. "Can you at least get on the intercom and see if there is a doctor or nurse in the immediate area?"
The agent looked defeated, as another contraction hit. "It's my first day on the job! I don't know how to do that!"
Kurt closed his eyes and counted to ten. "Use your radio, for god's sake!"
The man scrambled away clutching at his radio. Kurt let out another sigh and turned back to where Lisa was panting heavily on the ground.
"How close are the contractions now?" he asked softly, kneeling beside her.
"Less than two minutes," she managed to get out through gritted teeth.
Kurt smiled at her. "You're doing a good job, honey. Hopefully someone will be here soon to help."
She shook her head. "He's coming now, Kurt!"
Cooper winced as she squeezed his hand so tight he thought he felt the cartilage give out. Kurt frowned. That definitely had not been two minutes since the last contraction. He doubted it had even been a minute.
"Excuse me, someone said you needed a doctor?" a voice said from behind Blaine. They turned to look at the woman, who looked to be in her late sixties, early seventies.
"Yes, my sister in law is in active labor," Kurt said. "Her name is Lisa."
The woman smiled kindly as she moved closer to take in the scene. "I'm Martha Hilgard, a registered nurse. Let's see what's going on, shall we?"
She knelt by Lisa's feet. "Would one of you gentlemen please lend me your coat?"
Kurt quickly stripped his jacket off and handed it to her. "Thank you," she said, and draped the coat over Lisa's knees to provide a modicum of privacy as she examined Lisa's cervix. "The head is already half out. This baby is eager to face the world, aren't they?"
Cooper, who had been unusually silent since his wife had nearly crushed his hand, looked up at her. "We just told my little brother what we were going to name him, and suddenly she's in labor!"
Blaine let out a little giggle. "He heard his name. I guess this is his answer."
"I need to push!" Lisa said, gasping for air.
"Okay, mamma, let's do this," Martha said. "One of you move to her head and help support her."
Kurt repositioned himself, as Lisa had a death grip on Cooper's hand still.
"Are you ready? Push!" She counted to ten as Lisa pushed as hard as she could. "Okay, relax, take a deep breath. Is this your first child?"
Lisa shook her head no. "We have a daughter. She just turned six last week." she tensed as she felt another contraction building.
"Push whenever you're ready," Martha encouraged. Again she counted as Lisa pushed. "Great job. One more big push and he'll be out. Take a deep breath, let it out, and when you're ready, we'll push one more time."
A moment later, the airport echoed with the sound of the newborn crying. The crowd around them cheered and clapped, as the paramedics and airport medical staff finally arrived.
...
Despite being nearly a month early, Richard Blaine Anderson was a healthy seven and a half pounds. His coloring was a little off, and they had him on oxygen, but other than that, the doctor said he was in good health.
Kurt had driven Cooper's car to the hospital, as his brother in law rode in the ambulance with his wife, and Blaine followed in the rental van. Grandma Gale and Katie had met them there. They all got a pleasant surprise when Martha stopped by the hospital to check on Lisa and little Richie and discovered that she and Maggie Gale served in the same nursing unit during Vietnam.
Lisa was released that evening, but they decided to keep Richie overnight, just to monitor his oxygen levels.
They all met back up at Cooper and Lisa's house, although the Hummel Andersons were actually renting the house next door for the duration of their stay. Once they got Lisa settled in her favorite chair, and the little ones settled down for a nap, Kurt offered to go pick up something for dinner for everyone.
"Not exactly the welcome I had planned for you all," Lisa teased.
Kurt just smiled at her. "Don't worry about it, sweetie. It was a wonderful welcome."
He called in their order before he left to pick up the Chinese food, and they spent the evening just enjoying the company.
…
Thursday, Kurt and Blaine had a meeting with Matt, Artie, and the other producers and the casting director. They left the little ones in the capable hands of Maggie Gale, but decided to bring Lizzie and Bee with them, not wanting to over-stress Lisa, or the new baby, who Cooper would be picking up midday.
They arrived at the studio and were given a golf cart tour before being dropped off for their meeting. Kurt and Blaine were talking with Artie, while Matt conferred with one of the other producers as they waited for the casting director. Bee and Lizzie were sitting at a table in the waiting area, watching a video on Bee's laptop.
A middle aged woman entered the room, and stopped when she noticed the kids sitting there. "Oh my gosh, you found him!" she exclaimed, drawing the others' attention. "He's perfect!"
"I'm sorry?" Kurt said in confusion.
"Isn't he here for the part of little Kris?" She asked, pointing at Bee.
"Uh, no, that's my son, Bee," Kurt said, moving to stand next to the boy. "I thought you'd already cast little Kris?"
She shook her head, a pinched expression on her face. "The boy we originally were going to cast turned out to be a spoiled little brat, and his mother was no better, making so many demands before she'd sign the contract. Besides, I never really thought he fit the part, anyway. So we cut him. I've been searching through every talent agent in the country for someone who just screams the part, and didn't find anyone, until now."
"You think Bee fits the part?" Blaine asked.
"He matches the description to a T, and he's the right age. Can he sing?"
Bee looked up at Kurt, who smiled down at him. "He sings, but he's a little shy. What do you say, wigglebutt? You want to try out for the movie? You'll get to be in it with dad, and you'll get to sing part of one of your favorite songs, Growing Up Me."
Blaine smiled at him as well. "And you'll be playing daddy when he was your age! Wouldn't that be cool?"
Bee squirmed a little. "I could try, I guess."
Matt grinned. "Let's move into the conference room, and he can sing for us."
They got set up, and Blaine and Kurt knelt in front of their son. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
Bee shrugged. "I'll try, but I don't know how good I'll be."
Blaine smiled and hugged him. "Just do your best, baby. That's all anyone can ask for."
Kurt hugged him as well, before they took their seats, and then all eyes were on the eight year old. He closed his eyes, and took a deep breath before he began to sing. When he finished, everyone was cheering for him, and he smiled, proud of himself.
"I think we have our little Kris!" Matt said. "And Lizzie can be an extra as well. If that's okay with you guys?" He asked Kurt and Blaine.
Lizzie was bouncing on her toes. "Please? Please? Please?"
Kurt laughed. "Okay."
"Great," Artie said. "We just need to get them SAG cards, and we'll be all set."
…
Johnny arrived the next day, along with the rest of the cast for the table reading. Johnny and Blaine weren't the only two members of the original Broadway cast to be reprising their roles. Annabelle Scott, who played Raquel Barber, and Charlotte Mayweather, who played Mercy Jackson were also in the cast, as were several of the dancers and most of the chorus.
The table reading went really well, the old cast and the new melding well, and everyone was delighted when Bee was introduced as little Kris. In the play, there had only been jr. high Kris and high school Kris, but the producers had asked Kurt to add in an even younger version of the character specifically for that song sequence for the movie, thinking it would give the character even more depth.
Johnny, Bee, and the actor cast to play jr. high Kris, Mark Gideon, stood up to sing the song, and it brought tears to everyone's eyes. But what really made Blaine smile was when Johnny sang the duet with Joe Jacobson, who would be playing Blaise, Kris' boyfriend in the second half of the show. Blaine and Kurt exchanged a look as they spotted the blush on Johnny's cheeks as the two boys interacted, and later, after the reading was over, saw the two boys laughing and talking, and standing rather close together.
Blaine hoped things would work out between the two of them. Johnny deserved to have someone who could make him happy.
