"You can't do this," Blaine said, rolling his eyes. He shifted the baby up higher on his hip as he looked down at his husband on the couch. "We're going."
"I'll stay," Kurt said forcefully, looking up from his laptop like nothing was wrong. "You take him to the doctor, by the time you get back I'll have dinner ready. It's a win-win."
Blaine frowned, setting his squirmy son down on the floor. They weren't getting out the door anything soon.
It was nearing Halloween in New York City- the days were getting shorter, the leaves changing colors, and sickness slowly beginning to spread between snotty little kids and commuters tightly packed on the subway. October also meant Micah's six month well baby checkup with the pediatrician, and flu vaccines for Kurt and Blaine at the clinic next door.
It would have been a lot easier to get out the door, however, had Kurt cooperated. Blaine knew he was going to try and flake out, since he had an irrational fear of needles, the way most people clammed up around spiders or heights.
Blaine brought Kurt's shoes over to him. "Listen. It'll take three seconds, okay? I'll even cook once we get home. If you don't go and you get sick, you're on your own." Blaine was only half-joking, but after hearing the number of flu cases that wound up in the hospital every year, he didn't want to risk anything, not with a baby in the house this year.
Kurt begrudgingly put his shoes on. In the back of his mind, he knew Blaine was right. He knew the shot wasn't anything to be afraid of. He was a grown man, after all. He could talk himself into it the entire way there, but once the nurse swabbed his arm with the rubbing alcohol and uncapped the needle, it always went downhill from there.
"Do it for Micah," Blaine said, picking the baby back up and holding him near Kurt's face. "Look, you can't say no to him."
Kurt rolled his eyes this time. Their little boy was six months and growing quickly, his rosy cheeks and eyes identical to Kurt's. He took his son from Blaine's arms, kissing his face and settling him in his car seat, and they locked up the apartment for the afternoon.
Everything went great for the pediatrician appointment. Micah was right on track for his height and weight, and he was already rolling over, playing with toys, and always loved to be held. Kurt and Blaine loved him more than anything and were so proud of him, even though he didn't react well to any of the latest round of shots the doctor gave him.
Kurt had never made it through one of the appointments without crying, watching his tiny baby cry in pain from the needles. Blaine bounced Micah on his knee, able to soothe him quickly, even though he was likely to be cranky throughout the rest of the day.
Next up was Kurt and Blaine's turn, down a few flights in the mega hospital complex to their own doctor's office who offered walk-in flu vaccines for their patients.
Kurt could feel his hands start to sweat as they sat down. Just the thought of what was coming was enough to terrify him. Somehow, the dinky Halloween decorations in the waiting room weren't helping.
Blaine signed them in, keeping his fingers crossed for an experienced nurse who had dealt with anxious patients before, or better yet, one Blaine knew himself. He hadn't worked at the hospital extremely long, but he was getting to know his fair share of the different departments, including the family medicine doctors and nurses. At least the sooner it was over, the sooner they could get home.
"You're gonna owe me," Kurt said, crossing his arms as his husband came back and sat down. Blaine squeezed his hand, a useless attempt to relax him.
"Three seconds," Blaine repeated. "I'll make it up to you later. I'll watch that dumb Sound of Music thing that you bought."
"Watch it," Kurt warned, pointing a finger. After years of seeing the show live, the sing-along of Kurt's favorite movie had been made available to order online, and Blaine offering to watch it could quickly end an argument between them.
Kurt took the baby out of his car seat to distract himself from what was to come. Micah was dozing off, but they tried to keep him awake until his bedtime so he would sleep through the night better. The attempts usually worked, but the baby never failed to wake them up at six every morning, which usually put a slight damper on the weekends.
At long last, a nurse called both of their names, and Blaine and Kurt followed her back to a small room with a table for their vaccines.
"Who's first?" the young woman asked, glancing from Blaine to Kurt and back again. Blaine put the baby back in his car seat, trying to remember the woman's name… Alice.
"I'll do it," Blaine offered, taking off his jacket. "You look familiar. I'm Dr. Anderson from the emergency department."
Alice the nurse smiled. "I thought I recognized you. Your baby is adorable."
Blaine thanked her, making Kurt watch while he took his shot in stride, even though the pinch admittedly wasn't pleasant.
"Come on," he said in Kurt's ear as the nurse prepared his shot. "Then we get to go home. I'm right here."
Kurt froze, his feet refusing to step any closer. His throat felt dry, and he vaguely felt his hands trembling.
"This guy isn't as fond of needles," Blaine explained to Alice, trying to laugh it off.
She smiled sympathetically, putting on a new set of gloves. "That's alright. Kurt Hummel, is it? That's what your files say."
Kurt nodded, the lump in his throat too big to speak actual words.
"Come on," Blaine repeated, softer this time. He learned early on he couldn't act frustrated, or else Kurt would just shut down more. "It'll be over in under a minute."
Blaine managed to get Kurt to shuffle a few steps closer. He unzipped his own jacket, fingers trembling harder, and Alice rolled up his sleeve for him.
"You'll barely feel it," she promised.
Kurt didn't remember the exact series of events, but it was the smell of the rubbing alcohol that triggered him. He yanked his arm away and tried to get his jacket back on until Blaine stopped him, grabbing both of his hands.
Admittedly, Blaine was getting more and more frustrated. The baby was fussing in his seat, the subways were going to be crowded with people getting off work, and Blaine just wanted to get home and eat some dinner. When he saw Kurt's face, though, the innocent fear that had overtaken him, he felt more empathy, just wanting his husband to not be frightened by something he had to face.
"I'm sorry," Alice apologized behind them. "Can I try again, Mr. Hummel?"
Blaine appreciated her patience. There were multiple other people in the waiting room that they were likely holding up, but she hadn't gotten angry or annoyed, like some of the nurses in Kurt's past.
"One more time," Blaine said, wiping away one stray tear from Kurt's face. "What if I did it?" Blaine turned to Alice, surprised by the ingenuity of his own idea. "Could I-"
The nurse seemed to be thinking. "I don't see a reason why not, since you work for this hospital system… is that okay with you, Mr. Hummel?"
Kurt nodded immediately, and a quiet "yes" escaped his lips. The nurse seemed nice enough, but what if she screwed up and made him bleed from his arm? The shots always left him feeling sore the next day, too.
"Let's do it, then," Blaine said, not about to spare anymore time. He got gloves of his own, and Kurt seemed to calm some.
"I'm sorry," he said to the nurse, who had stepped aside. He didn't want to offend her. He didn't want to be there anymore.
She smiled warmly. "No worries. You're not even the worst one I've seen. I got bit once. By a twenty-five year old."
When Blaine saw Kurt smile, he assumed they were in the clear. Grabbing Kurt's upper arm in his hand, Blaine could still feel how tense he was. "Relax, Kurt," he said. "You can't jerk away again."
Kurt bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut, a tiny whimper escaping his lips, but the pinch he dreaded never came.
"Are you going to do it?" Kurt asked, looking on with confusion as Blaine rolled his sleeve down for him.
"I already did." Blaine threw the used syringe into the appropriate container and washed his hands. "What did I tell you?"
Kurt's cheeks turned slightly red. In hindsight, he always thought his fear was stupid. It was just a little needle. His infant son had put up less of a fight getting his vaccines.
"You two are free to go, then," Alice said cheerfully. "See you around, Dr. Anderson."
Blaine smiled back at the woman, even though he was extremely grateful to be leaving the hospital. They were home free… until the next year. Even when Blaine found himself watching sing-along Sound of Music later that night, he still considered himself a pretty lucky man.
Author's Notes:
What a cute prompt! I love these guys. I'm working on something super angsty, so stay tuned...