Bleeding Heart - Chapter 2
[I don't own Glee or any of its characters.]
Later that night...
After dinner, Kurt slipped upstairs to change his sweater, having sloshed dirty dishwater all over himself while cleaning. "I'll be right back," he said quietly, leaving Blaine and Burt standing in the kitchen together, staring at the doorway after him.
They had started dinner talking about what happened after school, how long Blaine had this problem—"it's genetic"—which adults at school knew, which friends, but Blaine and Burt exchanged a glance that meant, "Don't scare Kurt." By the end of the meal, as they all helped washing dishes, the conversation had shifted dramatically back to normal fun things, Gaga's musical journey, New York, even Burt's shop, and everyone felt much lighter. Once Kurt left the room and it was just Blaine and Burt, though, all pretenses were dropped, and Blaine knew this was coming.
"So how serious is this, Blaine?" he started, his voice lowered. "I've had my fair share of heart problems and I want you to be straight with me. You're my son's boyfriend and I care about you."
Blaine had been ready for this and knew he couldn't lie to Burt.
"It can be pretty bad, sir," Blaine said quietly.
"For the last time, call me Burt. If there's a chance we might share the same cardiologist some day, that's the least you can do," he half-joked. Blaine chuckled, relaxing a little.
"Well, like I said before, with Long QT, management is basic, I just have to make sure I take my meds and I'm pretty much golden. If I ever get extremely stressed out though, things can get tricky, regardless of meds. For me, things have never escalated to the point where my doctors insist I need a pacemaker, but that's something that I may need in the future. Having Long QT means when I get worked up, my heart beats way faster than other people, so I have to take it easy, which can be really hard."
"But you've been managing it ok so far," Burt encouraged him in a fatherly way. "I'm proud of you, this can't be an easy thing to control at your age."
Blaine was taken aback, and nodded. "Thanks," he replied. Burt could see how this problem contributed to his early maturity. Blaine continued.
"I want you to know that I'm really safe with Kurt, and I never want to make him worry. That's why I hadn't told him. And I really appreciate you getting it, not a lot of people do."
Burt nodded. "You're probably right, but do me a favor. I know my son pretty well, and nothing makes him worry more than being kept in the dark. Trust me. Be honest with him. We all need people like Kurt to keep us strong even when we don't think we need it."
"Thanks, Burt."
"Of course, kiddo," he replied, and pulled him into a dad hug. Just then, Kurt peeled around the corner in a fuzzy gray sweater.
"Everything ok in here?" he asked gingerly. Burt and Blaine smiled back at him.
"Yeah, I was just telling Blaine here that if he wanted to spend the night that's a-ok with me. Just no funny-business," he lifted an eyebrow jokingly, but the boys knew he meant it.
Blaine joined Kurt across the kitchen and tugged his hand happily.
"Thanks, dad" "Thanks, Burt" they replied in sincere, albeit giddy, unison.
Burt shook his head, smiling, as he heard the boys tumble up the stairs and flip on Kurt's stereo. When he heard laughter coming through the floor above, he knew things would be ok. Staring at the ceiling, Burt pressed his palms together in a quick moment to send a thankful thought up to someone he hoped was listening.
Keep us safe, he prayed. Keep us healthy, together, happy.
He put the last plate away and headed back to the living room to catch he last few minutes of the news before nodding off in his chair.
In the dark bedroom, Blaine laid peacefully across Kurt's sheets, his chest rising and falling rhythmically, his hand resting gently over Kurt's heart. Kurt looked down at him and kissed the top of his head sweetly, moving ever so slightly to avoid waking him up. In the dark, Kurt's phone glowed brightly against his face, as he read all he could about Blaine's condition. The worst description was by far the one from Mayo Clinic:
"Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a heart rhythm disorder that can potentially cause fast, chaotic heartbeats. These rapid heartbeats may trigger a sudden fainting spell or seizure. In some cases, your heart may beat erratically for so long that it can cause sudden death."
Sudden death. Kurt dropped his phone when he read that one. Blaine stirred and Kurt pretended he was sleeping, but his phone glowed guiltily beside him. Blaine squinted up at Kurt's before snuggling deeper into him.
"Can't sleep?" he mumbled into Kurt's shoulder.
"Mmm," was all that he replied.
"Kurt," Blaine whispered.
"Yeah?" he whispered back.
"Thank you for loving me."
Both boys' chests swelled together as they smiled sleepily in the dark. Everyone's hearts seemed to be working just fine.