Glee is back in 7 days! yay:)

Dancing Through Life

by-andthenIfound5dollars

A/N: And we have a baby girl! Warnings for all things that come with a new baby, as well as the legalities of surrogacy.

A few months before, when the three of them had sat down to figure out the birth plan, Kurt and Blaine had both asked Mel how she felt about breastfeeding. At the time, she had immediately agreed, without giving it a second thought. She knew all the benefits for the baby as well as for herself, and she had imagined it would feel like the most natural thing in the world. After all, she had advocated for women her entire life. The entire purpose of a woman's breast was to feed children. She absolutely understood this in theory.

In execution, the whole process felt…weird. It didn't really hurt; it was more of a tugging and pinching sensation than actual pain. It just felt foreign and odd.

"Uncomfortable," she finally realized and said out loud.

"Not that I'm not absolutely crazy about you, little one," Mel whispered to the beautiful bundle of brown hair and grey blue eyes that was currently attached to her right breast.

Little Miss had no name yet, probably because her daddies had been too preoccupied with taking turns holding and staring at her while Mel had shut her eyes and tried to relax.

The excitement of the delivery had finally died down a little and a nurse had come in about thirty minutes before to give Mel her first lesson in breast feeding. Kurt had used the opportunity to duck out and get the three of them some acceptable non-hospital food.

Blaine had stayed, trying to give Mel whatever support she needed, but had just slipped out to take a call from his dad. It was the first time Mel had been alone with the baby in the few hours since she was born.

She was completely exhausted. She was hungry and tired and still hurting on top of the soreness that was beginning to set in. The breast feeding was supposed to help her uterus contract to its normal state and she, for sure, could feel that starting. Twenty-five hours of labor, the last three of them intense enough to make her regret ever agreeing to do this.

But as she stared down at the baby girl for a few moments, trying to memorize all the lines and curves of her tiny face for a sketch she wanted to do when she was a little more awake...she took a tiny hand into her own and smiled. She may not be 'it was all worth it' yet, but she was definitely on her way.

The full head of dark hair the baby girl had been born with was already starting to curl around the striped cap the nurses had placed on her head to keep her warm. Her eyes were a baby grey-blue color, but Mel had a feeling they would soon change to soft honey hazel.

The little one yanked herself off and Mel tried to get her interested in eating again. Julie had told her it was possible she would be done pretty quickly after Mel switched sides, so mustering up strength she wasn't sure she had, she gingerly readjusted her nursing bra and attempted to balance the newborn so she could pull up her hospital gown. Her arm began to ache as she struggled to cover herself.

"Hey," Kurt called, walking through the door with two brown bags full of delicious smelling food. "You okay, need some help?" he asked, setting the bags down on the table.

"Yeah," Mel started, feeling a lump in her throat as she bit back tears. Why couldn't she get this?

Kurt didn't say anything about the welling of tears in Mel's eyes. He just snapped the buttons of her gown and squeezed her shoulder.

"Come on, I know you're starving," he told her. "I made sure they made your cheeseburger with extra pickles and mustard."

Kurt set Mel's food out for her and pushed the table over for her to reach.

"You're a saint," Mel told him, smiling through her unshed tears. "She just finished up. Blaine was here, but I guess his dad called and he stepped out."

Kurt slipped his arms under the baby and gently pulled her from Mel.

"Hi, sweet girl," he cooed softly as he sat down in the chair next to Mel's bed and kissed his daughter's cheek. "Yeah, I saw him on my way in." He rolled his eyes.

Mel was already digging into her food. The burger was sloppily put together and the fries were no more than lukewarm…but she hadn't eaten in over twenty eight hours and wasn't about to refuse anything at this point.

"Everything okay?" Mel asked.

"Oh you know, normal Papa Anderson coldness. I still can't believe people like Blaine and Cooper were raised in that house." Kurt crossed his legs and settled into a more comfortable position as he held the newborn close to his chest.

"He just wants him to care, you know?" Kurt asked, gently patting the baby's softly swaddled bottom before looking back up at Mel. "He just wants him to be excited because he is excited. He wants him to be happy because he is happy, and the man just can't give that to him. Well I mean, 'can't' isn't the right word. My dad doesn't have any problem sharing in my happiness, in OUR happiness." Kurt corrected himself as he smiled down at his armful of baby.

"Because you, my love," Kurt told his daughter, "are something to be very, very excited about." He kissed her tiny little hand and smiled. He looked up in time to see Mel's eyes filling with tears again.

"Honey? What's wrong?" Kurt asked as Blaine stepped back in the room.

"It's just…you…and her…and…" Mel choked out, trying desperately to stop crying. What the Hell was wrong with her?

"Blaine, hug Mel. She is feeling a little emotional right now," Kurt told him.

"Hey," Blaine soothed, as he wrapped his arm around Mel's shoulder. "It's okay."

"Blaine, I'm sor…I'm sorry," Mel sobbed.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for," Blaine assured her, giving Kurt a bewildered look.

The nurses had told Kurt that with sleep deprivation, the trauma her body had endured, and the myriad of hormones coursing through her system, Mel might be pretty emotional for a while.

"It's okay sweetie," Kurt assured his friend, composing himself as he stood up.

"Yeah," Blaine agreed. He kissed Mel's forehead again and rubbed her back.

Trying not to disturb the precious baby that had fallen back to sleep in his arms, Kurt gently laid her in the hospital crib and carefully adjusted her blanket.

Blaine watched the interaction between his husband and his daughter as he continued rubbing Mel's upper back.

"Come on, honey," Kurt begged Mel as he turned around to face her. "Lie down and get some sleep, we'll wake you up when she needs to eat again."

Blaine nodded as Mel laid back and let Blaine cover her with the blanket. She sighed but was asleep within seconds.

"Is Mel okay?" Blaine asked as the two of them walked back to the couch and sat down.

Kurt sighed as he cuddled into Blaine's side and nodded, smiling as he met his lips against Blaine's. "She will be."

xoxo

An hour later, after both Kurt and Blaine had eaten their own burgers, their nurse, Julie, walked in.

"Hey daddies, how we doin'?" Julie asked quietly when she saw that Mel was fast asleep. Kurt was scrolling through the pictures they had taken after the baby was born, and Blaine was drowsing on the couch, the bassinette only inches away.

"We're great," Blaine smiled, sitting up. Kurt stood next to him, nodding and smiling at Julie as well.

"Awesome, awesome," Julie sang, checking on Mel's IV and lifting the blanket, doing a quick sight check, trying not to disturb the sleeping woman. Mel barely stirred when Julie lifted the blanket and Kurt laughed softly.

"Yeah, she sleeps like the dead."

Julie smiled as she washed her hands, put on gloves and went to check on the baby.

"Does this little princess have a name yet?" Julie asked while she checked her belly button site, reflexes, and coloring as the two dads looked on nervously.

Blaine groaned and set his head on Kurt's shoulder.

"No, not yet," Kurt answered. "We had one picked out, but it just doesn't fit her."

"That's understandable." Julie nodded as she wrapped the whimpering baby back up.

"You wanna go on a field trip?" she asked as she lifted the brake on the portable bassinet. "Let Melissa sleep while we go over a few things?"

The guys followed Julie down the hall toward the nursery, but actually walked a little farther to a room with multiple rocking chairs and changing tables. The room felt cozy, probably because there were no florescent lights, just a few lamps but looked as if it was kept pretty dark and quiet at night. Right now the room was empty, but there was space for more than just one or two sets of parents.

"What's this?" Kurt asked, his voice soft in the quiet room as Julie stopped in front of two cushy looking rocking chairs and put the brake on the bassinette.

"It's an extension of our nursery. A place where new parents can spend some time with their babies who might not have a need for an actual hospital room," Julie explained. "I thought we could use it for a little while, give Melissa some quiet."

Julie walked over to a sink, washed her hands and put on a fresh pair of gloves before walking back over to the nervous looking men. She smiled warmly at them and asked who wanted to go first.

"Umm, first for what?" Blaine asked, giving Kurt a bewildered look.

Julie started to laugh. "Sorry, sometimes I skip ahead and forget you can't actually read my mind," she joked, and both Kurt and Blaine cracked a smile.

"One of the most important things to a newborn is to bond by touch. Doctors and nurses use gloves as much as possible so that the skin to skin contact is maintained by baby and parent," Julie explained. Kurt nodded. He remembered reading about this.

"We are going to do what's called a 'Kangaroo hold', so I need one of you to take off your shirt."

Blaine unbuttoned his shirt and sat down in one of the rocking chairs, while Julie had Kurt unwrap and undress their tiny baby girl.

Blaine smiled as Kurt gently laid their daughter in his arms. Julie showed him how to hold her; close and parallel to his chest, and Kurt wrapped a blanket around both of them so neither would get cold.

Julie told them she was going to give them some space and go check on Mel. She walked out just as Kurt pulled another rocking chair closer and sat down, his chin in his hand as he smiled at his husband.

Blaine leaned forward to set his lips on the top of the baby girl's hat covered head and closed his eyes as the two gently rocked. The baby squirmed around in his arms for a few minutes, but finally wore herself out and started to drift off against Blaine's bare chest.

After a few minutes, Blaine lifted his head and looked over at his husband. "I can feel her eyelashes," he cried softly.

Kurt smiled as he leaned over to gently kiss Blaine's bare shoulder. "They are long enough, I would say so. She needs a name, Blaine." Kurt sighed as he reached over and played with the hair on the back of Blaine's head. "And, you're right…she just doesn't look like an Olivia, it doesn't fit."

Blaine nodded as he leaned his head back. The baby had fallen back to sleep against him, a warm and comforting weight on his chest, and his husband rubbing his neck and threading his fingers through his hair was a sure way for him to relax enough to sleep.

"Blaine Devon, don't you dare fall asleep with our not-even-one-day-old child on your chest!" Kurt scolded as Blaine lifted his head and gave Kurt a sheepish smile.

"Sorry," he chuckled. "Okay, names…what were some of our favorites?"

xoxo

Mel woke up in a panic. Her room was dark; as dark as a hospital room can get, that is. Kurt and Blaine were nowhere to be seen, and neither was the bassinette.

"Oh god," she whispered, fear filling her body as she pressed the call button for a nurse.

They wouldn't leave without saying goodbye, no way would they leave without saying goodbye.

Her brain screamed at her to calm down, that there had to be a reasonable explanation...but her instincts told her the baby she had carried for nine months was gone and she needed to find her.

The doctor said she needed to stay overnight at least, she needed to have a bowel movement and they needed to check her post-birth weight loss in the morning. She's still here, she is still here.

Thankfully, Julie walked in before she could launch herself into a full blown panic attack.

"Hey, you are supposed to be resting," Julie chuckled good naturedly. "You haven't slept in almost 36 hours..." she trailed off after catching a glimpse of Mel's face.

"What's wrong?" she asked, picking up Mel's hand. "Your pulse is racing."

Mel bit back a sob as she finally croaked out, "Where are they?"

Julie's face fell as she rushed to assure Mel that everything was okay.

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry, I took all three of them to the nursery so you could get some quiet. Everyone is still here, everything is fine. I'm sorry."

Mel's gasped out a breath as tears spilled over her cheeks. Julie started rubbing a hand up and down her shoulder as Mel took deep breaths and willed her body to calm down.

"Okay...okay...okay," Mel told herself over and over again as Julie continued to rub her shoulder soothingly for a few quiet moments.

"Hey, I can go get them? Will that help, if I go get them and bring her back?"

Mel shook her head and leaned back against her pillows, closing her eyes, still a little shaky. "No, I'm okay...I just, I woke up and everyone was gone...I'm okay now."

"Are you sure?"

Mel shook her head and took a few more deep breaths. She is still here, everything is okay, and she is still here.

"I'm sure, and please don't tell them about my little freak out. They will rush back and..." Mel trailed off as Julie nodded, knowingly.

"It's okay, honey. I understand."

After Julie left, Mel laid back and took deep breaths, trying to time them with the rhythm of her slowing heart until she finally felt herself calm enough to fall back to sleep.

xoxo

After about an hour of deliberation, they were still nowhere on the name front. Julie walked in and interrupted a laughing argument of just naming her Maude and being done with it.

"Mel woke up and pumped a little for you, and then we combined it with some early formula so we know exactly how much this little one is getting," she explained, smiling as Kurt stood up to help Blaine with the baby so she could be changed before her feeding.

"How is she?" Blaine asked, standing up and stretching. "Mel, I mean."

"Fine, she pumped and fell back to sleep. After we get this little one fed, you guys could probably go home for a few hours, get one last night of sleep before you take her home in the morning."

Blaine looked at Kurt over the changing table. Neither of them wanted to leave and knew nobody would get any sleep if they did.

"Okay, how about a compromise," Julie offered when she saw the apprehension on both of their faces. "We take this one to the nursery until her next feeding, and you two go sleep in Mel's room. The couch folds down and so do the chairs. I can grab some linens for you."

Kurt settled down into the rocking chair to feed his daughter the bottle and gave Blaine another look before Julie spoke up again.

"Look, I know it's probably not what you want, but this first night, it's really important to rest. You will be glad for the few hours of sleep, I promise."

Kurt thought for a moment, all the books had said exactly what Julie was saying…and they would just be down the hall. They had both been awake for over 35 hours now, with just stolen naps here and there while Mel had been in labor. He finally nodded, knowing it was best.

Thirty minutes later the two were curled up on the fold out couch, fast asleep while Mel slept soundly in the bed a few feet away.

xoxo

Kurt woke early the next morning with the sun shining in his face and a serious crick in his neck. He sat up, rubbing the back of his neck to try to work out some of the soreness.

"There's your Papa," he heard Mel say. She was sitting up, their daughter in her arms, very happily eating her breakfast. "Hiya handsome."

"Hey," he croaked, clearing his throat as he stood up and walked over to the bed to kiss her forehead. "How long have you been awake?"

"About twenty minutes, it's early still. I told the nurse not to wake you."

Kurt nodded as he adjusted the blanket Mel had been using to cover both of them for a little privacy.

"Are you okay? Can I get you anything?" he asked as Mel leaned over so he could sit next to her on the bed.

"Nope, I asked the nurse for some grape juice and ice water…other than that," Mel shrugged.

The two sat in silence for the next several minutes as the baby finished, Kurt sitting quietly as Mel stared down at the baby to keep her interested in eating.

"Does this poor child have a name yet?" she asked after carefully transferring the baby to his arms to be burped.

"I think we may have finally came up with one we both like last night, but then we fell asleep. So let me check with Blaine when he wakes up," Kurt answered, settling down in the chair.

Mel laughed quietly as she leaned back against the pillows and watched Kurt talk softly to his baby girl as he patted and rubbed her back to burp her.

Another comfortable quiet settled over the room as Kurt rocked the baby back to sleep, Mel watching them with a soft smile on her face.

"Wanna know something funny?" he asked, suddenly breaking the reverie they had both settled into.

"Always," she answered, lifting her head and grinning.

"Blaine rolls off of beds he's not slept in before."

"What?!" she asked, laughing softly and he nodded.

"Yeah," Kurt chuckled. "The first time he fell asleep in my bed, when we were still dating, I left to go to the bathroom and he rolled off the bed, butt naked," he laughed, shaking his head with the memory.

Mel covered her mouth with her hand.

"My dad had come home and he came running up the stairs thinking someone had fallen and was seriously hurt. Blaine rolled under the bed so he wouldn't find him."

"Oh man," she cried, laughing still.

"It took forever to convince my dad it had been me so he would go back downstairs." He laughed out loud thinking about Blaine under his bed, naked and shivering.

"It wasn't that funny," Blaine moaned from behind him as he woke himself up. "And I don't do it anymore."

"You did it when we were in Napa last year," Kurt reminded him, giggling as Blaine huffed to the bathroom and stuck out his tongue at his husband before shutting the door.

"It's so funny," he mouthed to Mel who was still laughing quietly.

A nurse came in with Mel's water and juice then, so Kurt placed the baby back down in the bassinet and took their overnight bag into the bathroom to freshen up as well.

Dr. Robbins came in about thirty minutes later with Dr. Andrews, the on call pediatrician, while Blaine was at the cafe down on the third floor getting breakfast for all three of them.

"The nurses have told me she is eating pretty well, and while I would have liked her to have a few more ounces on, I think you guys could take her home today after you fill out her birth certificate information and we have the nurses give her a bath," Dr Andrews decided, checking her belly button and reflexes, and then looking down at her chart where a nurse had recorded her vitals and weight that morning.

"Make sure you make an appointment with her pediatrician in the next few days, just to make sure she is steadily gaining weight," she instructed as Blaine walked in with a bag of muffins and three coffees.

Kurt nodded as Blaine approached them, shook Dr. Andrews' hand and told her they had made an appointment for Friday afternoon.

"Perfect," the doctor declared, shaking both of their hands again and wishing them the best of luck before Dr. Robbins spoke up, shooing the three of them out the door so she could do a pelvic exam on Mel.

The day nurse, Cara, came in after her exam to give the baby a bath while Kurt and Blaine looked on nervously. Once she was clean and dressed, wrapped up again in the blankets Kurt and Blaine had brought from home, Mel suddenly found herself alone in the room with the baby. Blaine had run to the car to get the stroller and carseat, and Kurt had stepped out to take a quick call from Isabelle.

Mel smiled as she lifted the tiny bundle of baby from the bassinet next to her bed and cradled her in her arms.

"Well kid, looks like it's just you and me for a few minutes."

She eased herself back into bed and stared down at the sleeping face. Her throat started to close up as she scrunched her face and kissed the baby's soft, sweet smelling forehead.

"In a little bit, your daddies are gonna come back, and then they are gonna take you home...and I..." she paused to get a little control over herself. "I won't be there."

Mel bit her lip and sighed, finally allowing a few tears to roll down her face.

"But I promise, I will never, ever, be far away from you."

She fought to control herself and say what she needed to say. This was harder than she ever thought it was going to be, and if Kurt or Blaine came back and saw her like this, she was afraid they wouldn't leave...and she needed them to leave. She needed a little distance for a while. But she needed to say this first.

"Even if I'm not just a few floors away...I will never be more than a phone call, or a cab ride..." her voice trailed off again as the baby yawned and croaked out a few little noises.

Mel laughed as she used her free hand to wipe her face. "I love you, little one...and that will never, ever, ever change. Okay?"

She bowed her head again to press her lips against the space between the sweet baby's eyebrows.

"Ever."

xoxo

They only had to wait another twenty minutes or so, after Blaine came back with the car seat, for someone from the birth certificate office to come up and notarize her forms. Kurt stood in the background as he watched Blaine and Mel sign the birth certificate.

Almost immediately, Kurt handed over the forms Mel had signed over two months ago with their lawyer, relinquishing her rights as the baby's parent.

He had e-mailed their lawyer that morning, informing her the hospital would be releasing the baby that day. She had immediately e-mailed him back, saying she would be in contact with the hospital's social worker; and that once he handed over the court ordered form, they would be able to take her home. She also offered them heartfelt congratulations and told him she would be in touch when she had more news of, what she called, the Parental Proceedings that would send them her official birth certificate. The one with both of their names on it.

xoxo

An hour later, Sophia Elizabeth Anderson-Hummel was released from the hospital, her discharge papers safely tucked into her diaper bag and the black and white going home outfit snug on her body.

"I love it," Mel announced, nursing Sophia one last time while Kurt and Blaine packed everything up. "How did you come up with it?"

"Last night. We were talking about her dark hair and big eyes with long eyelashes," Kurt answered. "Blaine said something about Sophia Loren and it just kinda, stuck with us."

"We wanted something that flowed with Elizabeth and it sounded so pretty, we looked at her and knew," Blaine smiled.

"Plus, Sophia was my favorite Golden Girl," Kurt added with a smirk and Mel giggled. "And I've always loved the name Sophie."

Mel carefully pulled the baby from her shoulder and looked down at her. "It fits her, she looks like a Sophie."

Blaine smiled and nodded as he slipped his hands under his daughter. He kissed her cheek before buckling her into the waiting car seat/stroller combo.

"It sure does," he agreed as he covered her with a soft green blanket.

"The nurses told me you guys have already been using formula along with the breast milk?" Mel grimaced as she scooted to the edge of her hospital bed and Kurt turned around.

"Yes. So don't stress about it, okay? Whenever you have some, send it our way but don't worry if you don't have any to give us," Kurt insisted, rubbing his hand up and down her arm.

"And if you decide you don't want to do it anymore, that's fine," Blaine added, as he put the bags into the stroller's undercarriage. "Whatever you are comfortable with," he finished, smiling at his friend.

Mel nodded. "It just hasn't really come in yet so there isn't much to give. As soon as it does, it's yours. I lose the weight faster if I continue breastfeeding," she added with a wink and a smile.

Kurt and Blaine both laughed with her and nodded.

"Alright, I'll send a messenger to pick up whatever you have," Kurt said. "You get discharged tomorrow morning, right?"

Mel nodded.

"And you're sure you won't let one of us pick you up?" Blaine pleaded for perhaps the thousandth time since they had worked out the birth plan over a month ago.

Mel rolled her eyes and shook her head. "No. I called Leah and she said she would come and get me if I needed her to. I'll be fine."

"Okay, I'm sending a car for you. DO NOT take the subway…or a cab, Melissa Grace," Kurt threatened sternly as Mel rolled her eyes.

Kurt's expression softened. "Mel, promise me you will take the car."

"I promise, jeez." she mumbled, nudging his shoulder.

"Okay, good. You should have more than enough food for the next few weeks, but if you need anything else, call us and we'll go out and get it for you. I'll come and check on you tomorrow afternoon," Kurt promised as Blaine stood up.

"You absolutely will not, stay home and take care of your daughter. I will be fine. I'll come see you guys," Mel argued, standing up and Blaine pulled her into a hug.

Blaine just held his friend carefully for a few moments, before whispering a broken, "Thank you so much Mel. I don't think we could ever thank you enough for what you have done for us."

Mel squeezed Blaine and kissed his cheek.

"You're going to be an amazing dad, Blaine…you already are," she whispered quietly to him, and he whimpered.

Blaine pulled away slightly, and then pulled her back in for an extra squeeze and kiss on the cheek. She brushed the tears from his face and turned to Kurt.

"Get back in bed and rest," he ordered, his tears threatening to choke him. "And so help me god, Melissa...take care of yourself…" he trailed off as he pulled her into a tight hug.

"I will," Mel promised quietly as a single tear rolled down her face.

"Love you," Kurt murmured into her hair, rubbing his hand across her back.

"Love you." She gave him one last squeeze before letting go and climbing back into bed.

"I'll call you tonight," Kurt told her. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, kissed her forehead and whispered a quiet 'thank you'.

Blaine stepped over and hugged her one more time, before he took Kurt's hand.

They both looked back once more and waved before they pulled the door shut behind them.

Mel leaned back against her pillows and let the emotion she had been trying to hold back all morning wash over her.

She cried, and blamed it on the hormones. She cried, and blamed it on the pure and absolute joy of seeing her two best friends so happy. She cried because the tiny human she had carried under her heart for nine months wasn't here, but would never be gone.

She cried because she had been present for, and a part of, a miracle named Sophia Elizabeth. And Sophia would never, ever be short on love, attention, and support.

She laughed…because Kurt and Blaine had no idea what they were in for the next few days, months, years.

Then, Mel slept.

xoxo

Kurt couldn't really hold Blaine's hand while he pushed the stroller, so he settled for keeping his hand on the small of his husband's back as they walked through the hospital and down to the parking garage.

Blaine used the remote to unlock the car and pop the trunk as they walked up. He loaded the bags and folded stroller into the trunk, while Kurt snapped the car seat into the safety harness in the backseat. He pulled the blanket away from Sophie's face and sat down next to her as Blaine slipped into the driver's seat.

They chatted about the fastest, least amount of traffic way home while the car heated up. Blaine took a deep breath and said a silent prayer to get them home safe.

After a few honks at his slow driving and one very loud "FUCK" after someone cut him off, Blaine pulled into a parking spot a little way from their building.

"Good job, honey," Kurt praised as Blaine turned the ignition and took a deep breath.

Blaine turned around and smiled.

"Ready?" he asked and Kurt smiled.

"Ready."