AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Thanks for the reviews so far on this story! One of my readers requested a birthday party chapter, so I've come to deliver! Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 7: Don't Rain on My Parade

ARTIE

—

Lima, Ohio

March 2002

As Artie rolled over in his bed, he could see a sliver of light streaming through the gap in his curtains. He'd been too excited to sleep peacefully the night before and spent the long hours tossing and turning in his sheets. Seeing that it was bright outside now, he threw his comforter back and swung his legs over the side of his mattress, while simultaneously reaching for his glasses that had spent the night on his bedside table. Artie pushed the frames onto his face and slipped his fuzzy, dog-shaped slippers onto his feet before rushing to the window to see what was going on outside.

As he pushed back the curtain, Artie was overcome with glee. Overnight, it had snowed a significant amount– enough to create sizeable snowbanks that framed the freshly salted streets. The snow was still gently drifting down from the sky, and Artie couldn't contain his excitement. He turned eight today, and an unexpected early spring snowstorm was the best possible thing to wake up to.

"Mom! Dad! It's snowing!" Artie called as he bounded down the stairs and ran into the kitchen, full of energy at just seven-thirty in the morning.

"It is," Art Abrams laughed as he stood, holding three-year-old Ella on his hip, still clad in her footie pajamas with her brown hair messed up from her own eventful night of sleep. Art was about to set Ella down in her booster seat at the kitchen table so that she could enjoy her breakfast, but he took a detour in order to embrace his son first. "Happy birthday, Artie Man. Eight years old? Wow, you're getting old, huh?"

Art's job had him stationed in Florida from mid-February through March for spring training, but he'd gotten the weekend off to come back to Ohio so that he could be home with his family to celebrate Artie's birthday.

Artie grinned as he accepted the hug from his father and then one from his mother before finding his seat at the kitchen table.

"He's growing up right before our eyes," Nancy agreed as she set a plate with a stack of buttery chocolate chip pancakes in front of Artie and leaned down to plant a kiss on the top of his head. "What do you say to Artie, El?"

"Happy birfday, Awtie," Ella said in her little toddler voice, as she used her fingers to put bite-sized pieces of pancake in her mouth.

"Thanks," Artie replied as he took the first bite of his birthday breakfast. He enjoyed the feeling of extra excitement that was present in the air whenever it was anyone's birthday, but it was even more enjoyable when it was your own special day.

The aura of exhilaration that Artie was in caused him to hardly notice the way that Nancy and Art exchanged a wary glance.

"Artie, honey, the snow's coming down pretty hard…" Nancy Abrams said as she ran her fingers through his hair and down his back. "Daddy and I think it may be best to cancel your birthday party. Or, at the very least, postpone it to next weekend."

Artie's face fell as he swallowed the bite of his breakfast he'd just taken and looked up at his mother, sticking his lower lip out in a pout and shaking his head stubbornly.

"No! We can't! I've been looking forward to this since forever!"

Artie's birthday party was scheduled for one o'clock sharp at the new laser tag facility in the nearby city of Findlay, about forty minutes away. It had just opened up, and Artie was going to be the first of his friends to have his birthday party there. Everyone at school had been looking forward to this party; it was all anyone could talk about, and Artie was absolutely giddy.

"I know you have," Nancy assured him, rubbing her hand on his back before pulling him close to her side. "I know. But we can't do anything about the weather, and if it continues to snow like this for the rest of the day, the roads will be difficult for driving," she explained. "The laser tag place is pretty far. We wouldn't want anybody to get hurt on the way to your party, would we?"

Artie dropped his head and shook it sadly. Because, as much as he was looking forward to this party, he absolutely did not want anybody to get hurt on their way to celebrate him. That feeling would feel worse than a postponed party, he thought.

Suddenly, he wasn't very hungry for his special birthday breakfast anymore, even though he'd only taken three bites.

"I'm finished," He said in a small voice before setting his fork down and pushing his plate away from himself.

What had started off as pure juvenile excitement to see the beautiful snowy wonderland outside this morning, had since turned into an uncertain pit in his stomach.

Artie was still dressed in his Star Wars pajamas as he made his way into the living room to sit on the plush window seat beneath the bay window. He kneeled on the bench and pressed his face against the glass, still mesmerized by the way that the fat snowflakes seemed to dance as they fell. Even though the weather had the fate of his much-anticipated party hanging in the balance, Artie still couldn't help but feel like the pretty snow was an extra special birthday gift especially for him, sent straight from the universe itself.

Artie had always loved the winter, the snow especially. Everything from the way that the warmth of his breath was able to make clouds in the cold air, to the way that a big storm would shut down all of the roads in Lima and keep his family inside together– sometimes even for days on end. Artie adored it all, and just when everyone had thought that the harsh parts of winter were behind them and that spring was just around the corner, Mother Nature showed that she had other plans.

Artie was sitting there when he had what he considered to be the brightest, most brilliant idea in all his eight years– his two thousand nine hundred twenty-two days– of living.

What if, Artie thought, we didn't have to drive so far to celebrate? What if we held the party right here in town? What if the party wasn't held at the laser tag place at all? What if instead of willing the snow to stop, we embraced it?!

"Mommy! Daddy! I just had the greatest idea I've ever had in my whole life!" Artie exclaimed, running from the living room into the kitchen.

His parents were now sitting at the kitchen table drinking their coffees and paging through the Sunday morning paper. At some point, while Artie had been gazing out the window, Griffin had woken up and drowsily came downstairs for pancakes, and Ella was now sitting on the floor by his feet, grasping a Barbie doll in each hand. All four of the other Abrams family members directed their attention to Artie when he came racing into the room.

"Whoa, whoa, no running in the house, Arthur," Nancy reminded him as he came skidding to a stop. "Now, what's your great idea?"

"What if we didn't cancel my party, but we changed it?" Artie suggested before elaborating, using his hands to animatedly get his idea across. "You know, instead of going all the way to the laser tag place, what if we just went to the park? What if we called everyone and told them to bring their snow stuff and went sledding?! That way, nobody has to drive really far, and I can still have fun with all of my friends today!"
"Well, I don't see why not, if the snow lightens up in the next hour or so," Art Abrams commented, looking to his wife with a shrug as he glanced at the clock that hung on the wall. "It's still pretty early in the morning right now, bud. We'd have to give it some more time and see if the roads get a little clearer before we make a final decision, though."

"Yes, I suppose that can be arranged," Nancy said. "I'd just have to make sure that I'm able to get ahold of everyone's parents in time to alert them of the change of plans."

Artie clapped his hands together happily before throwing his arms around his mother's neck, then his father's. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He cheered.

While he had started the day giddy about the unexpected snowy gift he'd woken up to on his special day, Artie's attitude had switched quickly, and now he was crossing his fingers and toes and everything else he possibly could, hoping that the snow lightened up and staved off for a few hours in order to allow him to celebrate his birthday with his friends.

"I find it extremely hard to believe that you voluntarily had your birthday party in the snow," Sebastian interrupted Artie's story as the four soon-to-be siblings drove around in the dark. Griffin and Artie were up front, and Seb and Ella shared the backseat.

"I'm telling you, before my body started reacting poorly to extreme temperatures, I loved the cold," Artie insisted. "Especially snowstorms."

"Which is… comical, since for as long as I can remember, you turn into the Grinch whenever there's an inch of snow on the ground," Ella teased.

"Well, you try pushing your body weight through sticky cold substances sent straight from hell, and let me know what you think!" Artie retorted with a huff.

"Isn't hell supposed to be hot?" Ella quipped, her typical quick response punctuated with a smirk and arrogance that only a younger sister could possess.

"Whatever," Artie said, dismissing her with a wave of his hand. "I used to love all of the wintery things, but the following year I quickly learned that everything I used to love about the season had become the bane of my existence. With the biting temps and unexpected snow flurries, sometimes it seriously feels like the climate of northwest Ohio is out to personally victimize me."

The other three joined Artie in having a good laugh at that because, although Artie tended to be dramatic, he wasn't too far off.

"That's why I want to go somewhere warm– like Los Angeles or somewhere– for film school after I graduate. I know I'm over a year off from actually making a decision like that, but I can't wait to escape it all. But, for the purpose of this story, you should know that the version of Artie that existed pre-November twenty-fourth two thousand two loved making snow angels and building snowmen and everything. So, yes, I requested that we cancel my cool laser tag birthday party and relocate it to the local park that had a huge hill that was perfect for sledding."

Artie's wishing and hoping had paid off because the snow ceased about two hours prior to party time, giving the plows ample time to clear and salt the roads. When they got to the hill later that day, Artie could hardly contain his excitement. He jumped right out of the backseat of the car, already clad in his ski jacket, snow pants, heavy-duty boots, mittens, scarf, and hat.

They'd arrived at the park a little before one o'clock, hoping to be there before Artie's friends arrived. Art and Griffin were unloading the sleds out of the trunk as Nancy unbuckled Ella from her car seat.

"Hey, Artie! Wanna do a trial run before everyone gets here?" Griffin asked with a mischievous grin, handing Artie his sled. "Race you down to the bottom in three, two, one… go!"

Artie and Griffin each took a running start before using the power in their legs to push off the snowy surface, sailing down the hill face first like penguins. Artie grinned as the freezing air nipped at the exposed skin on his cheeks and nose and made his eyes water.

"Oh, I totally won!" Artie exclaimed as Griffin shook his head.

"Not a chance! I was down here, like, three full seconds before you."

Despite their banter, the brothers were all smiles as they began the arduous– and decidedly less thrilling– task of reclimbing the hill in all of their snow gear. By the time they got up to the top, little Ella was in tears.

"I want to go home!" Ella yelled, tears streaming down her cheeks as she sniffled.

Nancy was sitting on the bumper of their family's minivan as she held Ella on her lap, attempting to calm her down before any of their invitees got to the park. Art was standing nearby with one of her pink snow boots in his hands, shaking it upside down.

"Take me home now!" Ella wailed again.

"What's wrong, El?" Artie asked gently as the boys finished their trek and reached the top of the hill.

"She got some snow in her boot," Nancy explained, before mouthing the following statement so that the already fussy toddler wouldn't overhear: "And somebody missed her nap today."

Thinking fast, Artie bent down and scooped up a handful of snow with his gloves before promptly depositing it on his older brother's head. As expected, Ella's eyes widened and she was silent for a moment before she began to laugh. Catching onto Artie's game that was meant to boost their baby sister's mood, Griffin decided to play along too. But, of course, in his typical menacing big brother ways, he took the game a tad too far.

Griff leaned down and collected an armful of snow and dropped it in the hood of Artie's jacket. And before Artie knew it, his older brother had lifted his hood and set it over his hat.

Artie's jaw dropped as a chill ran up his spine as the cold, wet substance made contact with the skin on his neck and began to drip down his back, soaking the thermal shirt he wore under his jacket. Ella had fully dissolved into a fit of infectious giggles by then, and Griffin wore a smile that showed that he felt very little remorse for his actions. Artie couldn't retaliate in the way he wanted to, though, because his guests were beginning to arrive.

Finn Hudson and Noah Puckerman– who were always together– were first to get there, dropped off at the park by Finn's mom.

"Hey, Artie! Happy birthday!" Finn greeted him, always with the biggest smile on his face.

Artie liked Finn a lot. They'd been in the same class for two years now, and Finn always invited Artie to sit with him at lunch and play kickball with him at recess. While his best friend Noah was slightly less friendly, Finn always made Artie feel like he was welcome to play with them.

Finn nudged Noah just then, causing the other boy to speak up too.

"Yeah, happy birthday," He told Artie, not nearly as exuberant as Finn was. "I still think it would have been cool to play laser tag," He made sure to add, as if there was anything Artie could do about that now.

"Well, we can't do anything about the weather…" Artie told him, repeating the phrase his mother had used while talking to him earlier that morning. "But I'm just happy we got to have the party after all. Hey, want to do a three-way race down the hill?"

Just as Artie could have predicted, the adrenaline that came along with sledding down the hill had altered Noah's attitude about the party's change of plans. By the time the three boys had made it down the big hill and back up again, more of Artie's classmates had arrived.

As Artie grew nearer to the top and could see more clearly (he'd ditched his glasses for the day, worried that they may break if a particular ride down the hill got a little crazy), he could see Mercedes and Kurt– two of his best friends– waving at him. Artie excitedly waved back. Rachel and Becky– who didn't care much for the thrill of sledding– were off to the side on a flatter area of land, laying on their backs and making snow angels. Mike Chang, Rick Nelson, and Matt Rutherford had hurried over to Finn and Noah, joining them on another race down the hill. Brittany and Santana were working together to roll a big snowball that would go on to become the base of their snowman.

Artie had invited his entire class to celebrate his birthday with him because his naturally sociable and extroverted personality had resulted in him being friends with everybody. Even if he wasn't as outgoing, though, he still probably would have invited the whole class to his party, as he never wanted to exclude anyone or make them feel left out. It made his heart soar to see all of his friends having fun at his party, in their own special ways.

Artie immediately noticed Kurt's apprehensiveness about sledding, even after Mercedes had gone down the hill herself, using the pink inflatable snow tube she'd brought from home and shrieking with glee the whole way. Kurt had his arms wrapped around himself protectively, shifting his glance around the scenes, taking in the way that all of his classmates were having fun around him but making no effort to join in.

Artie noticed the way that Kurt had become a little bit quieter and more withdrawn since his mom had passed away back when they were in first grade, but Artie tried to show Kurt that he was still there for him, as any good friend would be. Artie knew that Kurt was maybe a little different from the other boys in their class. He didn't care about sports or Pokémon. He was a little more feminine, and sometimes when Artie went over to his house for playdates, Kurt wanted to have tea parties or make up dance routines. All of that was okay with Artie. Because he had a little sister, Artie liked to think of himself as one of the best tea party guests in Ohio, and truthfully, he liked to dance too. Especially to Michael Jackson's music.

"Hey, Kurt," Artie said, approaching his timid friend. "Do you want to go sledding with me?"

Kurt hesitated for a second before shaking his head.

"The hill is really big."

"Well, we can go down together, if you'd like," Artie offered. "My sled's big enough for two. I'll sit in the front, and you can sit behind me. I promise it's not so scary when you're in the back. You can even hold onto me, if you want to."

Kurt still looked a little uncertain, but he gingerly sat on the back of Artie's sled. He must have decided that he'd give it a try, in the spirit of it being Artie's birthday and all. He also probably trusted that his best friend wouldn't do anything to intentionally embarrass him or make him feel uncomfortable.

Artie was excited that Kurt had taken him up on his offer because he could hear Kurt's giggles and screams of delight in his ear the whole way down to the bottom. After he ripped off the Band-Aid and went down the hill once, Kurt was no longer afraid, opting to join Mercedes on her next run.

Artie had allowed Griffin to invite some of his friends to the party too, so the older boys were racing down the snowy mountain at speeds that the second graders could not even comprehend as they watched in awe. Even Ella looked like she was having fun now, having found a playmate in Brittany's younger sister. The parents stood around all bundled up at the top of the hill, smiling and chatting as the kids ran up and down in the snow like little Energizer bunnies.

At some point, while all of the kids were occupied, Art had snuck away to the nearby Dunkin' Donuts to pick up hot cocoa and glazed doughnuts for the children to share in place of cake and ice cream. When he returned, he produced a couple of portable Boxes O' Joe containers of hot cocoa, and the children began to clamor and crowd around the trunk of his car as the treats were distributed.

As everyone sang 'Happy Birthday' to him, Artie couldn't suppress the ginormous grin on his face. Even though he didn't wake up that day imagining that this was how his party would play out, he didn't have any regrets. Sometimes impromptu plans were the best plans of all, he learned.

After he blew out the candle his father had stuck into his doughnut, Artie had just one declaration:

"This is the best birthday ever!"

"Hey, Artie?" Sebastian asked from the back seat. He sounded nervous; like he wasn't sure if he was allowed to voice the question that was weighing on his mind. "Can I ask you… something personal?"

Artie glanced in the rearview mirror, so that he could see the other boy's face without turning around, and nodded. Then, realizing that Seb probably couldn't see him very well in the dark, Artie spoke up. "Uh, yeah, sure."

"How long did it take you to be okay with… talking about your life from before-before you got hurt?"

Artie wasn't sure what he was expecting Sebastian to ask, but that surely wasn't it. He was caught off guard and didn't quite know how to respond. "Oh. Um…"

"It's just that I noticed that it seems to be so easy for you. Talking about those days. I-I only ask because talking about my mom is still the hardest thing in the world for me," Sebastian explained, and Artie watched in the mirror as his Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed hard. "To the point that… I think you guys are the first ones I've ever actually described her to. In detail, I mean. About what she was like. Who she was as a person and as a mom. And I think I want to start talking about her more… but it's just painful."

"I get that," Artie assured him, looking over his shoulder to flash him a supportive half smile. Ella and Griffin remained silent, knowing that they didn't have anything to offer to this conversation, but also themselves interested in what Artie's response would be. "It used to really bother me, talking about all of this. Remembering the way that life was before everything was hard. But each year it gets a little easier. Each year it hurts less. That probably sounds cliché. I think the last few years– since I got to high school– have been the easiest yet. Maybe that's because I've matured, maybe it's because I feel really supported by the people around me, I'm not sure. But it won't always be as hard as it may feel right now."

"Does it ever stop hurting?"

That was a loaded question. Because trauma– both mental and physical– has a funny way of affecting different people. As much as Artie never liked others to see him as anything other than his usual peppy, happy self, he'd always known that his siblings were a safe place to let his guard down. And Sebastian was included in that group now, too. And if Sebastian wanted honesty, he was going to get just that.

"The bad days come in waves, as I'm sure you know by now. And you just make room for the hurt, along with everything else going on in your life," Artie said truthfully, still looking over his shoulder so that he and Seb could hold eye contact in the darkened vehicle.

"The funny thing is, it's a lot easier for me to reflect on the days before my injury– when I was able-bodied– than it is for me to think back on the times just after it happened," Artie shared. "I think it's just because it's easy to recall the perfect, happy memories from before for what they were, instead of trying to find the pockets of positivity and light in those really dark times just after. Especially because I was so scared and confused during those days."

Artie's hands were resting on his legs, and he was aware that he was drumming his fingers on his knees. It was a habit he'd developed some time ago for when he was stressed and needed to fidget with something.

"And, on top of that, I think sometimes it's harder for other people to revisit the memories of when I could walk than it is for me. I like to remind myself that I'm surrounded by people who love me and that's why it's sometimes hard for them. Because they just want to see me happy– which I am– but I think everyone assumes that if we talk about the way things used to be, I'll break down and it'll be uncomfortable."

Artie sighed, and as he took a moment to collect his thoughts, he noticed the silence in the truck and appreciated the way that his three siblings were allowing him his unexpected opportunity to express the emotions he'd felt for a long time but hadn't realized he wanted to share.

"But, you know, it's been nine years. I've lived life longer in this chair than I ever lived without it. I've adjusted. Eventually, I realized that my disability is only a bad thing if I chose to look at it that way. And I love my life as it is now, so revisiting those older memories isn't all that emotional for me." He shrugged. "This is the life the universe handed me, and I can either embrace it, or dwell in the past forever, and I don't want to do that. Because that's not me. I'm not a sad person. I'm still a normal guy. This is just my life."

Artie could feel himself going off on a tangent and straying further and further from Sebastian's original inquiry. It was a bad habit he had– the inability to stop talking– especially when he was nervous or uncomfortable, as he often was when discussing aspects of his disability.

"That was long-winded, but the short answer to your question is that it definitely took a while to get to the point I'm at today. I do think our situations are different, though," Artie reminded him. "You know, because, yes, my life changed forever that day, but losing the use of your legs isn't the same as losing a person you loved. Losing a parent is a different kind of pain altogether, I assume, because that's not something you can just move on from. And I can't begin to imagine the heartache that comes with something like that."

"It's definitely… a lot," Sebastian replied with a sad laugh. Artie looked over his shoulder again when he heard Sebastian's voice crack. Though they were only separated by a few feet, it may as well have been miles. Up until this point, Artie had been a little wary where Sebastian was concerned, but right now was different. He just wanted to hug him.

"I do think that when you feel ready– and no rush on that, because grief is hard, I know– you should try talking about her more," Artie suggested gently. "Not only because it gets easier the more you do it, but because she sounded incredible. Everything you've told us about her… She was very lucky to be your mom, Sebastian, and I'm sure she knew that, even though she was only here for a short time."

"The world deserves to know her and how amazing she was," Ella added, and Griffin nodded silently as he drove, keeping his eyes on the road.

"I'm afraid that if I talk about her, I'll start crying… and I don't think I'll ever stop."

The other boy's face was illuminated by the glow of a street lamp, and Artie could see that his mouth was twitching and that his eyes had filled with tears. Ella had noticed this too, and slipped her hand into Sebastian's and squeezed it to show her support since Artie couldn't adequately comfort him from his spot in the passenger seat.

"It'll be hard at first, no doubt about that, but she's worth it. Do everything on your own timeline, though. There's no rush," Artie reminded him. "And whenever you'd like to talk about her, you can always come to any of us. I'm a good listener. Most of the time. You said so yourself, remember?"

Sebastian nodded, glancing up to meet Artie's eyes and muster a grateful smile. Artie was just glad that he could help somehow. He knew grief well and wasn't afraid to share what he'd learned from his own experiences.

As the first night of their parent-mandated 'sibling bonding weekend' drew to a close, Artie couldn't help but think that maybe this idea wasn't so bad after all. It may have been exactly what they needed in order to best understand each other and ease any and all tension between the four of them, and Artie had a hunch that the feeling was mutual. He supposed he should know better by now than to doubt one of Nancy Abrams' ideas.

I loved getting to include little snippets of what some of the Glee characters were like when they were little! I know that technically Becky graduated with Artie in 2013, so she probably wouldn't have been in his second grade class, but she did say on the show once that she and Artie have known each other since kindergarten, so I ran with that! Hope you liked it, and if you did, please leave a review!