Warning: Character death...
After the New Year came, Kurt and Blaine couldn't have been happier. They were just perfect for each other. They had handled anything that the world threw at them, and planned on continuing that for as long as they were together. If only they had known what was about to come into their lives.
Kurt walked down the halls of the hospital just like he would on any normal day. The only difference was that when he looked into the waiting room, he never thought he would see the face of his brother, Finn.
"Finn?" Kurt asked, shocked. "What are you doing here?" he added running over to hug his brother.
"Oh, just here to see my little brother." Finn said with a laugh.
"You're only older than me by a month!" Kurt retorted.
"That still makes you my little brother." Finn teased.
"Whatever.' Kurt said with a roll of his eyes. "Come with me, I want you to meet someone." he told Finn as he pulled on his arm. Kurt found Blaine leaning on the nurse's station counter.
"Blaine." Kurt said to get his attention. Blaine turned around and smiled when he saw Kurt. "This is my brother, Finn." he told him.
"Oh nice to meet you." Blaine said extending his hand towards Finn.
"Finn, this is my boyfriend, Blaine." Kurt told Finn. Finn looked over at Kurt with this big smile on his face. He was clearly happy for his brother.
"So, Finn, what are you doing in town?" Blaine asked. "It's really nice to meet you. Kurt had told me so much about you."
"I just came down to talk to Kurt." Finn said. "We miss you back in Lima."
"I miss you guys too." Kurt said with half smile on his face. "I wish I had more time to actually come back and visit. Intern year is hell."
"Yeah, but we're getting through it." Blaine said while he gave Kurt a little shoulder bump. "I'll let you talk to your brother and I'll cover for you with my brother."
"Thank you." Kurt said giving him a kiss on the cheek before Blaine left. When Kurt looked back at his brother, he had a huge smirk on his face.
"He seems nice." Finn said.
"He is." Kurt replied. "I really care about him."
"I bet." Finn added, a smirk still across his face.
"Seriously, what is wrong with you?" Kurt asked with a laugh. "You're acting like more of a doofus than normal."
'Nothing, just happy that my baby brother is getting some." Finn replied with a laugh.
"That is not something you should be thinking about." Kurt moaned as he grimaced. "Come on, I'll buy you lunch if you promise not to talk about my sex life with me."
"Fine, but only because you're offering food." Finn laughed. Kurt rolled his eyes at his brother before leading him down to the cafeteria. They both grabbed some food before sitting down at a table in the corner of the cafeteria.
"So, why are you really here?" Kurt asked. "Looking to come to the super exciting New York? I love Lima, but you have to admit it can get pretty boring there." Finn didn't answer right away. He looked up and Kurt could just tell from the look in his eyes that someone was wrong. "What's wrong? Is is my dad? or..or Carole?" he asked frantically.
"No, they're both fine." Finn said. "But, I'm not." he sighed.
"What's wrong?" Kurt asked, stifling a sob in the back of his throat as he tried desperately not to cry.
"I have stage four pancreatic cancer." Finn told him. Kurt felt like his heart had dropped out of his body. Instantly, he was eight years old again when his mom was battling the same disease. All of the happiness that Kurt had in him, had left him as soon as the word "cancer" escaped from Finn's lips. "I had been having stomach pains, but I didn't think it was anything serious. By the time that I went to the doctor, there was nothing that they could do."
"You're such an idiot." Kurt cried. "I'm a doctor. I couldn't helped you. Why didn't you call me?"
"I really didn't know. I'm sorry Kurt." Finn said.
"How long do you have?" Kurt asked.
"Maybe a few weeks." Finn replied, his voice low as he tried to keep his own tears inside.
"No, I refuse to believe this." Kurt said. "I'm going to find something...something to give your more time and help you."
"Kurt, there is nothing to do!" Finn called after him as Kurt got up from the table and practically ran from the cafeteria. Kurt heard Finn calling to him, but he didn't stop. He went down to the research library and took a seat in front of one of the computers after grabbing every single book he could find on pancreatic cancer. Kurt was determined to give Finn any amount of time that he could. He could watch someone that he loved so much die like his mom had…
A woman lay in a hospital bed, her ears filled with the sound of a steady beep of heart monitor, but she couldn't hear it because of the intense pain that she felt throughout her whole body. She knew that this day would be here last. She could just feel it, but she was trying to be strong for her husband and for her son, the two loves of her life. She heard a knock on her door and saw her husband bring in her eight year old son.
Her husband had tears in his eyes and tried desperately to avoid his wife's gaze. It was just too hard for him to watch her die.
"Burt...can I just talk to Kurt alone?" She asked, her voice raspy as she tried to breathe. Burt nodded and led his son over to the chair next to his mother's bed.
"I'll be right outside." Burt told his wife and son before leaving the hospital room. Once he left, Kurt looked up at his mother's sick face. Her lips were chapped and bloody like they had been for days.
"Do you need me to rub ice cubes on your lips mommy?" he asked. "They're chapped again."
"No, honey." the woman said to her son. "I need you to listen to mommy, okay?" she said. Kurt nodded. "Honey, you know that mommy is sick."
"Yes, you've been sick for a long time." Kurt said. "When are you coming home with me and daddy? I miss you."
"Angel, mommy isn't going to be coming home." the woman said, tears in her eyes. "Do you remember what happened to Grandma?" she asked.
"Grandma died." Kurt whimpered. "I don't want you to die. Mommy please don't leave me." Now, the woman could barely contain her emotions.
"Come lay with me." she commanded. Kurt, barely tall enough to climb on the bed himself, slowly got up on the bed, careful not to bump his mother. "Now, sweetie, I don't want to leave you, but mommy is in a lot of pain. Even if I won't be here physically with you, know that I will always be with you in here." she said pointing to her son's heart. "Know that I will always love you and watch over you from wherever I may go."
"I love you mommy." Kurt whimpered as he crawled onto his mother's stomach. As much as that hurt her, she didn't want to move him. Kurt laid his head on her chest and listened to the beating of her heart. The woman had signed a DNR. No more extraordinary measures. She was ready to go. Kurt lay on her chest for a long time and Burt came in too. He held her hand as her breathing got more and more laboured. Kurt wouldn't move from his mother's chest. As time went on, he felt her breathing get slower and slower until finally the mechanical motion of his mother's chest going up and down was gone. She was gone.
"I love you mommy." He whispered again still clutching on to mother for the last time.
As Kurt flipped through all of the books he had found and scoured the internet for articles to help, that memory was all he could think about. He couldn't let Finn go like that. It may have been peaceful for for his mother, but that memory haunted Kurt all of the time. He would never forget feeling his mother take her last breath. So, for now, he would just have to keep looking for a treatment to help Finn.
After Kurt had left the cafeteria, Finn didn't know where to find him. So, he wandered back to the ER where he found Blaine.
"Oh Blaine!" Finn called.
"Finn, where's Kurt?" Blaine asked.
"That's actually why I was coming to you." Finn replied. "I don't know where he is. I...I told him that I have stage four pancreatic cancer and he didn't take it well.
"Oh God… I'm so sorry." Blaine said apologetically.
"I've accepted it, but Kurt hasn't." Finn said. "His mom died of the same cancer. I would talk to him, but I don't know where he is."
"I'll go look for him and give it a try." Blaine said. "I'll bring him back if I find him."
"Thanks Blaine." Finn said before Blaine went off to find Kurt. Blaine had a few ideas where his boyfriend might be. Kurt didn't like to let any of his patients go and even though Blaine knew Finn's diagnosis was a death sentence, Kurt would never accept that. So, he went with his first guess which was the research library and was right. Kurt was hunched over a mountain of books and a laptop. Blaine went over to him and ran a gentle hand down his back.
"Honey, you should take a break." Blaine suggested.
"I can't." Kurt said not bothering to look up from his book. "I need to find a treatment."
"There is no treatment, sweetie. I'm so sorry." Blaine said.
"No! Don't say that!" Kurt yelled. "I won't give up! I've found something that could work, all Finn has to do is agree." he added. And just like that, Kurt was gone. Blaine quickly hurried after him as Kurt raced to find Finn. When they got to him, Kurt began to rambled and Blaine was positive that Finn had no idea what he was talking about.
"No surgery." Finn said calmly, obviously catching that word from Kurt's word vomit.
"Please, it could work." Kurt asked again.
"I've accepted that I'm going to die." Finn said.
'Well I haven't!" Kurt cried. "Do it for me? Please?" he begged. Finn, with tears in eyes, pulled his brother in for a hug.
"I'll do it. I'll do if for you." Finn said.
"Thank you. Thank you." Kurt sobbed into his brother's chest. He had a chance now. It was a small chance, but it was still a chance.
A week later after Burt and Carole had come up from Lima, Finn was prepped for surgery and ready to go. He had said his goodbyes and now it was time to go into the OR. Kurt had asked if Blaine would go and be in the OR since he couldn't and Blaine had told him yes. After being lifted onto the table, Finn grabbed onto Blaine's arm.
"Take care of my brother after I'm gone." Finn said.
"You're not gone yet." Blaine said. "This surgery could still work."
'We both know it's not. Promise me, that you'll take care of him." Finn said again. "Promise me."
"I promise." Blaine replied taking Finn's hand as the anesthesiologist administered the anesthesia and Finn fell asleep. Then, the surgery began. It was going well, until they hit a bleed in Finn's pancreas. His BP fell quickly and soon only the long steady beep of the heart monitor echoed through the OR. Finn was gone and at peace. His fight was over, but his family's fight with grief was only beginning.