A/N: Well, this is the final chapter of the story. What happens next is up to you. Review, and let me know what scene/scenes you want me to write in the context of the timeline of the story and I will do my level best to write it. Still don't own Glee.
Malleable
Chapter 5: Adjustments
FutureSamPov
The blackness was not unfamiliar. I floated, once again, in darkness. Soon, I would see if it worked. The years of my life I poured into this experiment, the money spent on the hardware. All so I could attempt to find love with Kurt.
Rather selfish of me. I didn't deserve him. The person who would pour years of his life into self centered research did not deserve Kurt.
The dimension I was in began to alter itself slightly. I felt myself being reoriented as it shifted. Light poured in from an unknown source. It was different from the light that had assisted me in going back. This light had different hues to it, and swirled around me.
The light entered me. It wasn't a pleasant feeling. Akin to a brain freeze, it felt like a pressure in my head.
It got worse. The area I was in began spinning as it continued to alter. New memories began to be planted in my mind and my old memories began to be extracted. The pressure in my head increased. It felt like an awl was boring into both of my temples. The memories began to flow faster and faster. I didn't have the ability to process them due to the pain.
I closed my eyes against the pain and the effects of the spinning. The spinning began to slow, and the pressure inside my head eased up.
The universe bottomed out and I was deposited in an ungraceful heap on the floor. I opened my eyes. The generators were still creating massive amounts of electricity. They were overheating. I struggled to my feet and staggered over to my computer. I entered in the password and accessed my computer.
The screen came to life with a display of various photos. Kurt and I in Paris. Kissing in front of the Eiffel Tower. Our tenth anniversary. It worked! My god it worked!
The explosion of the first generator threw me back into the wall. It set off a chain reaction with the other generators beginning to go offline as well. The electricity began to ebb, but not before an arc of it blew up the computer I was standing at mere moments before.
Fire licked up the wall slowly as smoke began to choke the air. The sprinkler system finally kicked in. I crawled toward the door to the lab, reaching my hand up to the scanner to let me out. I attempted to get up by bracing myself against the wall, and slowly staggered down the hall, making my way toward the atrium.
I saw one of the fire alarm systems attached to the wall. I pulled it down, triggering the alarm that sounded through the building.
A few students were making their way out of the various labs that were in the building.
"Dr. Evans?" One of them called out. "Are you alright?"
I coughed heavily, struggling to take in a breath. Wheezing, I gasped, "Please, call an ambulance." before falling to the ground.
KurtPOV
"Mr. Evans, you have a phone call." My new assistant, Robert said.
"You can just call me Kurt, Robert. Who's calling?"
"A Dr. Halsted from MIT, he says it urgent."
"Transfer him in, please."
The phone beeped, signaling the incoming call. I picked up.
"Dr. Halsted."
"Kurt, Sam's at Massachusetts General. There was an accident in the lab this morning."
"What happened!"
"There was a fire in the lab, along with an explosion. Sam suffered some cracked ribs and a little bit of smoke inhalation. He should be ok though."
I let out a whoosh of air that I didn't realize I was keeping in. "Thank you for calling me Dr. Halsted. I'm going to head down to the hospital now. Have a good day."
"Not a problem Kurt. Goodbye." The line went dead.
I grabbed my keys and coat and exited my office. I walked over to Robert's area. "Robert, my husband is in the hospital. I'm going there, so you'll need to reschedule my meetings for today and tomorrow."
"Will do, boss."
I hurried out of the office and drove to Massachusetts General. I made my way to the admissions desk and found out that Sam was in room 4209. I took the elevator up to 4 and searched for the room.
The door was ajar, so I walked in. Sam had an oxygen mask on to deal with the smoke inhalation, and he was on an IV. The worst part about it was the hospital gown that he was "wearing". Positively criminal.
He was asleep, and I didn't want to wake him up. Despite the mask, he looked so peaceful. He always did when he was asleep. There was a newspaper on the table in the room, so I took a look at the headlines. I was unsurprised to see Sam's father quoted in an article discussing the latest budget debate in Washington. Senator Edward Evans was two years into his 4th term as a senator from Ohio. He was attempting to kill, via amendment, a tax bill that would lower taxes primarily for the wealthy. Ed was offering amendments to lower tax rates on payroll taxes and those who would be considered middle class tax payers. I figured that between him, and Ohio's junior Senator, one Sue Sylvester, that they would get their way.
I set the paper down and turned back to look at Sam. Warm green eyes locked with my own. His hand went to take off the mask.
He coughed a little bit. "You're an angel out of heaven."
"So, what happened in the lab today?"
"Remember, back at McKinley High when your step brother tried to pressure us out of doing the duet together?"
"Yes, and you talked me out of it, what about it?"
"Well. . . that wouldn't have happened if I hadn't done what I did in the lab today."
I arched an eyebrow at him. He responded, "Time travel, Kurt. I went back to Lima and had a conversation with my younger self about the situation. He listened."
Ah. "Yeah, I remember you telling me about that on our honeymoon. Something to the effect that you risked the universe for me."
He hit the button that raised up the bed so he could sit up. "I haven't spoken with the doctors yet, but I think they'll keep you overnight."
"Well, in that case, I think we should have an Avatar marathon."
"The things I do for love. I'll bring the kids by after school. I reckon the hospital would be alright with me bringing in a couple of pizzas for dinner."
"I love you Kurt."
"I love you too, Sam."
"Sing for me?"
"Certainly, dear."
I decided to change it up, and sang a song in a lower register. Nat King Cole's song Love came to mind.
L is for the way you look at me
O is for the only one I see
V is very, very extraordinary
E is even more than anyone that you adore can
Love is all that I can give to you
Love is more than just a game for two
Two in love can make it
Take my heart and please don't break it
Love was made for me and you
It was a short song, not that it mattered to Sam. His smile lit up the room.
"I'm glad that I have a friendly audience."
"I could boo and heckle if you wanted."
"You could."
He paused momentarily. "So, I was thinking. . ."
"As a Nobel Prize winning scientist should. . . "
"I think I'm going to talk to the Dean and Dr. Halsted about reducing my workload on campus. I want to spend more time with the kids. I want to be able to be at Alec's debate tournaments. I want to be at Elizabeth's recitals, and I want to be at Michael's little league games. I want to be there for you as well. It probably won't be till the spring semester starts though."
"Yeah. We haven't spent this much time together during the day in forever. If you're not working, I am. You know how it is. We haven't watched Brittany's talk show in forever, and it's on now."
Sam laughed. "I'll turn it on."
He did and we tuned in to "It's Brittany!" Brittany was still herself, and would still catch people off guard with the most random questions or statements. It was an excellent way to waste an hour of your day.
One of the nurses brought in lunch for Sam. While he ate, the attending physician came in and confirmed the information that Dr. Halsted had given me over the phone. The afternoon passed slowly but I soon found myself picking up the kids from high school and elementary school. We went home and dropped off their school stuff before picking up a couple of pizzas and heading back to the hospital.
"I can't believe we're watching Avatar again." Alec said.
"Well, this weekend we can watch what you want." I replied.
"Ok dads."
We managed to get through the first two movies in the trilogy by the time visiting hours came to an end.
"I'll be here in the morning to pick you up. I love you Sam."
"I'll be waiting. I love you too."
The kids and I left the hospital and drove home. The Avatar movies weren't their cup of tea, so they were, for the most part, ready for bed when we got home. They got ready for, and went to bed. I went up to our bedroom and showered and did my moisturizing routine. Sleep eluded me though. I missed him.
I missed him even when we were in the same house together. He was always focused on his work. It stemmed from the experience in high school when his family was briefly homeless. He didn't want that to ever happen, so he was almost constantly working. He took on new projects at the drop of a hat. He would fly out of the country to conferences, or go work for the military doing contract work on weapons systems. There were times early in our marriage where I wouldn't hear from him for several weeks.
I was also guilty of the same. I was working to establish my reputation as a designer, which required me to fly around the world going to shows and work long hours with only my fabric samples.
Things settled down after we decided to have a child via surrogate. Alec was our eldest, at 15. He took after me, in that he was more vivacious and outgoing. He was co-captain of the debate team.
After Alec was born, we decided to settle in Boston, where Sam could work doing research, and I could design. Boston was close enough to New York that I wasn't really away from the fashion scene, and by then I was established enough that I could miss some shows, or send my employees in my stead.
Three years later, we had another child via surrogate. Michael took after Sam in that he was the athlete, and comic book reader. The various strains that our marriage encountered affected him more than the others. He was sensitive, like both Sam and I, but he hadn't yet developed the means to bury his disappointments.
Our last child was Elizabeth. She was 8 and a cross between Sam and Rachel Berry. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Musically gifted, obviously, and not just vocally. Like Rachel, she lived for the performance, and like Sam, she could freeze out the rest of the world.
Most couples fought about having too little money. We fought because we had too much and he wanted or needed more.
In spite of all of that, we had many good memories. When it counted, he was there. He probably had missed 75% of Michaels' games last season, but he showed up for the playoffs and cheered the loudest when he caught a player out in the 9th inning.
He wasn't particularly good at following debate rounds, as the speakers tended to speak at an accelerated rate. He was good at putting the spotlight on arguments that could be useful to a judge who wasn't schooled in debate though.
When Sam gave his attention to you, you had him. Unfortunately, that wasn't often. He wasn't perfect, and I wasn't perfect. He seemed different though. Normally, he wouldn't be able to go more than a few moments without checking his phone for messages. He had spent a whole afternoon unconcerned about things, just enjoying himself. It was strange, after years of working non stop. I wondered if he was changing, and what those changes would hold for us. I fell asleep dwelling on the good memories, and the memories we would make in the future.
SamPOV
I awoke the next morning feeling relatively refreshed. Over night, I had a chance to reflect on the set of memories I had to deal with. It was troubling to see myself so obsessed with my work. Dr. Halsted was certainly more friendly to me, rather than the adversary that he previously was. It had to do with the fact that I cared about my work. I had hostages to fortune after all. Kurt, and the children.
I sighed deeply, forgetting about the damage to my ribs. Pain lanced through my body, setting me on edge. Things weren't perfect between Kurt and I. Which was disappointing. Even worse, was that I was a large contributor to that imperfection.
Over the years, I had become complacent with the gift that was my life. Rather, the Sam who I spoke to many years ago had become complacent. I was him, to be sure, and I had his memories, but I also retained the feelings of loneliness that I had dealt with for so long. Kurt seemed a bit taken aback with how I was yesterday, which I think was a crucial first step in attempting to reestablish a rapport with him, and work on our marriage. The phone on the table rang. I reached over and answered it.
"Good morning Mr. Evans. I was wondering if you wanted to order anything for breakfast?"
"I think I'll be getting out of here shortly, so I should be alright. Thanks though."
"You're welcome. Have a good day."
Looking up at the clock, I saw that it was 8:30. Kurt had dropped the kids off at school already, and was probably on his way here.
There was a light knock on the door. "Come in!"
A nurse entered the room. Her name tag read "Sheila."
"Hi, I'm just here to remove your IV and get you ready to get out of here." She said.
"That's good to hear. I was getting tired of being cooped up in here."
Sheila had me hold the gauze in place while she removed the tape holding the IV in place. I winced as the tape pulled at the hairs on my arm, and then winced a little more as I felt the needle go out of my arm. I pressed down and held the gauze in place.
As I was doing that, Kurt walked in. "I brought you some fresh clothes. Do you want to shower here, or at home?"
"Well, I was thinking home."
"Home it is then, Sam."
I went into the restroom, and changed out of my hospital wear into a polo and some jeans. The doctor came into the room as I was leaving the restroom with the information that pertained to my discharge from the hospital. There was a prescription for some painkillers, and a follow up appointment in two weeks for an x ray.
I signed the relevant paperwork and we left the hospital. Our arms dangled close to each other as we walked toward the car. On impulse, I linked hands with Kurt. He turned toward me with a smile on his face.
"Something must have gotten knocked loose in that accident."
"Something like that."
Kurt unlocked the doors and we both got in. He drove us to the pharmacy where we had filled the prescription and made our way home.
"General Richardson from the Pentagon called this morning. Said he was trying to get a hold of you but your phone was going straight to voicemail."
"Hmmm. Must have been damaged in the lab fire. I'll have to get a new one later this week. Did he say what he wanted?"
"Not to me, but I imagine he wants the brilliant Sam Evans to work on another project."
"I guess I'll give him a call."
"His information is on the whiteboard in the kitchen."
I went to the kitchen and brought the whiteboard into the living room. I picked up the phone and dialed the number provided.
"This is General Richardson."
"General. Dr. Sam Evans, I understand you've been trying to get a hold of me?"
"Evans! That's correct. We have a project that we need a person like you for, that starts this weekend."
"Sir, I just got out of the hospital. Bad accident in my lab. I'm afraid I have to decline. Can I recommend someone?"
"If you must." he said, rather tersely.
"Dr. Max Halsted is my department chair, but I think he'd be up for some work like that. If not, he could probably recommend someone to work on it."
"Well, alright. I suppose there will be other projects that you can work with us on."
"Actually. . . about that. . ."
"Hmm?"
"I'm going to be curbing the amount of work I do each year. I'm teaching a full load of classes, in addition to publishing requirements by the university. I'm probably going to end up cutting back on the work I do for the government."
"That's unfortunate. Well. . . we can't force you to work for us." General Richardson said in a tone that indicated that he wished that he could.
"Indeed. Perhaps when the project is nearing completion I can come in and see if there are any improvements to be made. That would take significantly less time out of my schedule."
"Alright. Just email me Dr. Halsted's information, and I'll contact him."
"Will do. Have a good day, General."
Click.
"You've never turned him down before." Kurt said from behind me.
I looked over my shoulder at him. "Well, I did just get out of the hospital. Plus I meant what I said about reducing my workload."
"It's one thing to hear you say it."
"I know. I'm trying though. I just. . .want to be worthy of you again. I want to be there for the kids more than I am now."
"Sam. You always were worthy of me."
I walked over to him and let one of my hands caress his cheek. "Kurt. . .I haven't been showing you that though. And that's what is important."
He leaned into my touch. "You probably should call Dr. Halsted up."
"Yeah, I should do that." I went back over to the phone and dialed his office number. I got his voicemail.
"Max, this is Sam. General Richardson over at DARPA wanted me to come in for a project. Unfortunately, I had to decline because I just got out of the hospital this morning. I recommended you for the project. If you're unavailable, do you think you could recommend someone else for it? Also, I was wondering about cutting the seminar from next semester? It's not very well attended, and there's not much interest. Could you email me?"
I went to the office that we shared and grabbed my laptop, bringing it to the living room. I logged in, and emailed General Richardson Max's contact information. I set the laptop down on the coffee table and turned toward Kurt.
"Wanna watch some TV, or a movie?"
"Sure Sam."
I put Chicago into the UMD player and waited for Kurt to join me. My computer pinged, indicating that I had an email. Dr. Halsted had emailed me back. I read over the email and he indicated that cutting the seminar was acceptable. He also wanted to know about what happened in the lab. I replied that it was an attempt to prove that Time Travel was actually possible, and that the experiment was a failure, and that the data was a total loss. I indicated my willingness to chair the endowment fund raising committee in December to reimburse the school for the cost of the damages.
Kurt came in and sat down on the couch with me. I leaned back, using him as my pillow. He laughed a little and lightly began running his fingers through my hair. His other arm wrapped lightly around me, bringing me closer to him.
"So, I managed to trim my spring schedule. I won't volunteer myself for summer classes this year, so I was thinking that we could have the kids visit my parents, or yours and we could go to Paris for a couple of weeks, if that's ok with you?"
His kiss was all the answer I needed.