A/N Hi All! Thank you again for all the responses to this story! I'm so happy you are enjoying it. I apologize to Ashley Fink (Lauren Zizes), I kind of cut her out of the story, but I'll bring her in later, maybe. Or maybe I'll include her in my other story.
I posted the first chapter of a new story too. It is called In Dreams He Came, so please check that out. It is rated M for mature themes.
As always, reviews are appreciated.
Setbacks
Thursday passed in a blur. The morning dawned clear and bright. School was remarkably drama free, unless you counted the usual relationship woes of one Finn Hudson, which always involved some kind of drama. Kurt and the Glee club ate lunch in the choir room that day, even though the atmosphere in the hallways carried a much warmer vibe than it had in the past. There was no need to borrow trouble.
Kurt made it through an entire day without feeling nauseous or falling asleep before his normal bedtime.
Friday morning, his alarm clock woke him up two hours earlier than usual. It was as he was eating his breakfast that he noticed the discomfort in his throat. He was having difficulty swallowing again. He drank some tea to try to sooth the pain, but even that didn't help. When he tried to speak, barely any sound came out. He tried to convince himself that he was just worried about what the doctor was going to say, but he was panicking inside. What if he lost his voice for good? What if he could never talk, let alone sing, again?
At ten o'clock, he, his Dad, and Mercedes were shown into an exam room. Kurt sat in a chair similar to one you'd find in a dentist's office. An assistant first asked a bunch of questions, most of which Burt had to answer for him.
Then the woman began feeling Kurt's throat, applying pressure at certain spots. He winced a couple of time. She then had Kurt open his mouth as wide as he could as she shined a light down his esophagus. After writing down several notes in his file, she left, saying the doctor would be in shortly.
About twenty minutes later, a short, round, balding man entered, wearing a white lab coat. He introduced himself as Dr. Remis. He began the examination by doing the exact same things the assistant had; feeling Kurt's throat and looking down inside with a light. He than took out what looked like a long thin tube with several wires coming out of one end.
He explained to those present that it was a miniature camera. He told them he was going to use it to examine Kurt's throat more closely. "You'll need to remain as still as possible, Kurt, understand?"
Kurt nodded. He held his mouth open, doing his best not to move. Mercedes held one hand, his Dad the other. Kurt couldn't see what was on the laptop screen the camera was projecting to, but Mercedes could.
"Are those his tonsils?" She asked quietly, not wanting to distract the doctor, but was rather curious.
The older man smiled kindly at her. "Yes. And just below that is the larynx." He paused the progression of the camera to take a picture of the area. After several minutes, and several more photographs of the inside of Kurt's throat, the camera was removed.
"So, Kurt, you are a singer?" He smiled at the boy as he nodded shyly. "Tenor?"
"Countertenor, actually," Mercedes replied for him, filled with pride for her friend.
"Remarkable, that is very rare. Well, I have good news and bad news, and a little more bad news. The good news is, the damage is not permanent. There is a couple of minor tears that will heal on their own. The bad news is, you aren't going to be able to sing until they are fully healed. At least another six to eight weeks."
"Six weeks? But Nationals are in four weeks!" Mercedes voiced what Kurt was thinking.
"What's the other bad news?" Burt asked.
"Kurt has an infection in his throat. Most likely strep. I'll have a nurse take a swab to confirm this, and I'll give you a prescription for antibiotics. I would like to see you back here in six weeks to check on the progress he is making."
On the drive home, Kurt and Mercedes rode in the back, with the dark skinned diva trying to make Kurt feel better.
"I know you're bummed about missing Nationals, but from the sound of it, you'll be good as new for Sectionals next year. And Nationals will be in Chicago, then."
Kurt smiled at his best friend, and hugged her. They arrived back in Lima about the time Glee was getting out. He asked his Dad if he could invite everyone over to let them know what the doctor said. He agreed, and Mercedes sent out a text to the New Directions.
Blaine was waiting when they got home. Kurt smiled a little sadly and hugged his boyfriend.
"What did they say?" He asked. Kurt just shrugged and croaked out that he'd tell everyone at the same time.
Forty five minutes later, all of New Directions and Blaine were sitting around the Hummel-Hudson living room, with Kurt and Mercedes standing before them.
Mercedes held his hand as she talked. "Kurt asked me to tell you all what is happening, because his throat hurts too much to talk. It's a good news bad news situation. The good news is, the damage is minor and will heal on it's own. Once it heals, Kurt should be able to sing again just fine."
All of his friends cheered and hugged him. Blaine held him as Mercedes continued. "Now comes the bad news, and it's a little bit of a double whammy. First, the doctor says that it will take six to eight weeks before he'll even be able to attempt to sing. Which means, Kurt won't be able to sing by Nationals." The group all began talking at once.
"What?" Finn asked, shocked.
"But that's not fair!" Tina cried. "He's what got us to Nationals in the first place!"
"This means we'll be short one member! Who is going to be our twelfth? That Cheerio we got to replace him for Sectionals broke her ankle last week!" This of course came from Rachel.
"What was the other part of the bad news?" Quinn asked.
Kurt cleared his throat to get their attention and managed to answer for himself. "I have an infection. They think it's strep. I have to take antibiotics."
Quinn and Tina hugged him again, this time in sympathy.
They ordered Pizzas, the usual Friday night dinner forgone for the moment. After they ate, Tina sat beside Kurt. "It really is unfair, I know how much you wanted to go to New York, and you really are the reason we won. We all know it."
Kurt hugged her, and smiled. "I'll get to go someday."
"Maybe you can still go with us." Mike sat up straighter. "I mean, everyone knows I don't really sing out there on the stage. My job is to dance and make you guys look good. We just need twelve warm bodies, right?"
The conversations stopped as everyone considered it. Kurt looked to Blaine, a glint of hope sparked in his eyes.
"We can check the rule book to be sure," Blaine began, a slow smile making its way to his lips, "But I'm pretty sure there isn't anything that says all twelve members have to sing, just be on stage."
…
After everyone else had left, Kurt and Blaine sat on the couch, cuddling. Blaine smiled softly. "Hey, before I forget, there was something I wanted to ask you."
Kurt crooked an eyebrow at him in question.
"You remember Nick and Jeff? Well, they'll be here in Lima tomorrow. It's Nick's Aunt's Birthday, so they'll be there in the afternoon for the party, and then they are spending the night with her. Jeff wanted to know if you and I wanted to go on a double date with them later in the evening. Nothing big, just burgers and a movie?"
Kurt looked skeptical, not because he didn't think he'd get along with Blaine's friends, but rather because of his throat. He voiced his concern to the dark haired boy.
"Well, do you think your Dad would mind if they came here for dinner and a video, then? They really want to get to know you. All my friends do, and eventually we'll hang out with all of them, but I figured I'd ease you into the insanity that is the Warblers."
Kurt smiled, and nodded. After checking with his Dad, Blaine sent Jeff a text message with the alternate plans, plus a little warning for the blond boy to be on his best behavior.
…
Blaine came over early the next day to help Kurt and Carole prepare dinner. They made a chilled gazpacho soup, with fresh baked bread and salad. There was a chocolate mousse for dessert.
By the time the two other boys arrived, Burt had gotten home from the garage cleaned up, and Finn had been coaxed from his room and into clean clothes. Blaine introduced the two new comers to everyone.
Nick smiled politely. "Thank you for letting us invade your home for the evening. We've been wanting to get to know Kurt better ever since Blaine told us about him."
"Yes," Jeff added. "We really only got to meet him briefly at the competition before he stole the show and knocked us out of any chance of going to Nationals this year."
Kurt and Finn laughed at this, and they all sat down to dinner.
"So are you two a couple?" Finn asked.
Jeff laughed. "Yeah, we've been together for almost five years now."
"Were you bullied at your old school like Blaine?" Burt asked. He'd learned of the other boy's torment while the two of them had talked before Kurt had been released from the hospital.
Nick shook his head no. "We were lucky. We went to a school that had a zero tolerance policy like Dalton's. We got taunted a little in jr. high, but that was the extent of it. Nothing near as bad as Blaine or Kurt went through."
Burt nodded. "And what about your folks? Are they okay with everything?"
"My parents were really supportive," Jeff answered. "They figured it was just a part of what makes me me, and said they wouldn't change it if they could. Nick wasn't quite so lucky."
The darker boy looked down at his soup "My parents didn't take the news well. They basically passed me off on different relatives as often as they could so they didn't have to deal with it. My Aunt Jean is great, though. She's my Mom's younger sister. When I'm not at Dalton, I usually stay with her, or my Cousin Jack, who lives in California."
Carole reached over and patted the boy on the shoulder. "Well, you are both welcome to visit us any time you like."
Both boys smiled gratefully. They continued to eat dinner, and the conversation moved on to sports. Nick and Blaine both liked football, while Jeff was a baseball fan. He was good naturedly booed by Finn when he admitted he was a Cubs fan.
By the time dessert was served, they had moved on to the subject of Glee clubs. Finn was the one who mentioned the possibility of Kurt still going to Nationals, even if he couldn't sing. Both Nick and Jeff wished him luck, hoping that the fair skinned boy would get the chance to see New York.
After dinner, Burt and Carole went upstairs while the five boys settled in the living room to watch a video. After a short debate, they agreed on a comedy that had done well in the theaters that Finn and Nick hadn't seen yet. The ones who had already seen it made fun of the characters, and cracked everyone up more than the movie itself, especially when Jeff did a flawless impression of the female lead making a fool of herself in the middle of a wedding reception.
Once the video was over, they continued talking, laughing, and even had a short impromptu singing competition between Nick and Finn after they'd learned that Nick had auditioned for the Warblers with Can't Fight This Feeling, the same song Mr. Schue had over heard Finn singing in the showers. The competition had had the other boys laughing so hard because it turned into the two competing to see who could make the most outlandish faces while belting out the song.
When it was time for the three Dalton boys to leave, both Finn and Kurt walked them out. Finn shook hands with Nick and Jeff, then went in to get ready for bed.
"This has been fun. We should do this again sometime," Jeff commented.
"Yeah, maybe go on a real double date at some point, too,: Nick added.
Kurt nodded his agreement. He hugged the other two boys, and then turned to Blaine. They hugged and kissed. Blaine said he'd text Kurt the next day, and they agreed to meet for coffee on Monday after school.
…
Monday seemed to go by in a rush for Kurt. He'd made it though to lunch with out any problems. He sat in the courtyard with Artie, Tina, Mike, and Sam. He had a French quiz that afternoon, and another in Calculus, and then it was time for Glee club. Everyone was eager to hear what Mr. Schuester would say about letting Kurt go to Nationals with them, even if he couldn't sing.
"There's nothing in the rule book against it. But you'll have to work twice as hard on your dancing. "
The room broke out in cheers.
…
The next week and a half seemed to pass in a blink of the eye. The good news is, the strep throat cleared up, and he was once again able to speak in a more normal voice, and his ability to swallow was getting better, he no longer had to dice his food up into small bites.
Before Kurt realized it, the morning of the hearing had arrived. Kurt wore a dark blue suit, with his clockwork bow tie brooch, his hair perfectly coiffed. Blaine met them at the courthouse, also wearing a suit, although his was black, and for once he wasn't wearing a tie of any type.
Kurt was very nervous. This would be the first time he had seen Karofsky since that night. They waited outside the courtroom. Nine o'clock came and went, and no one had come out to get them. Burt was pacing the floor. Nine thirty passed. Nine forty five.
Suddenly Angela McBride came out of the courtroom, looking a little upset. "Mr. Hummel, I'm so sorry to keep you waiting, but there's been a development in the case. The defense has requested a psych evaluation on the accused."
"What does that mean?" Burt demanded.
"It means they are going to play the mental health card," she replied bitterly. "They only sprung the news on me this morning. Apparently they've been trying to convince the defendant to see a mental health professional and have him declared mentally unstable, as they believe that is the only way they can avoid their client being found guilty. He only agreed to go for it last night."
Kurt was shaking. "You mean they are going to try and get him off by saying he wasn't in control of his mental state at the time?"
"First they'll try and have him declared unfit to stand trial. If that fails, then, sadly yes, they will try to claim temporary insanity or something of the ilk."
"So what happens now?" Blaine asked.
"The judge has to allow the request for the evaluation, or the defense can claim that their client wasn't treated fairly. So the defense will find a psychiatrist that will agree with their claim that Mr. Karofsky is unfit do to unstable mental health, and we'll counter it with experts of our own. Depending which side is more believable, the judge will rule on whether to proceed to trial."
"And what happens if they say he's crazy as loon?" Burt growled.
"Then he'll be remanded to a mental facility until such time as he is deemed competant to return to civilization,"
"In other words," Kurt said, "He'll walk away without paying for his crime."
