Blaine.
I really need you to return my call.
Blaine, David just quit medical school.
Blaine, who had pulled his phone out of his pocket after the third text from Kurt, stood up. "I have to go."
Bob looked up from his computer. "Is everything okay?"
"With me, yes. Can I leave early?" Blaine was already grabbing his bag.
"Of course you can."
"I may not be in your class tomorrow afternoon."
"Are you sure you're okay?" Bob looked at him.
"My best friend dropped out of medical school or something. He's only got two semesters left after this one." Blaine put his bag on his shoulder.
"Don't worry about class or here. Just come when you're back. I'll email you the lecture notes and PowerPoint." Bob nodded.
"Thanks." Blaine rushed out to his car and called Wes.
"What?" Wes asked. Blaine could her loud wailing in the background.
"David apparently dropped out."
"Are you on your way home? What happened?"
"I don't know. Kurt texted me and I literally just left the internship. I'm on my way home."
"Scarlett is sick and Alicia won't be home for another two hours. Is Adrian at his internship?" Wes asked as Blaine started his car.
"No. he should have gotten out ten minutes ago. I'll see you in a few minutes."
"Should I call David?"
"He's not going to answer but you can try." Blaine hung up.
He did try David's phone and, as he'd predicted, David did not pick up. It did ring before going to voicemail so Blaine at least knew he hadn't shut his phone off. Not yet, at least.
Blaine made it home at the exact time Adrian did, pulling into the driveway before Adrian had gotten out of the car.
"Okay, Adrian, AJ will be home in an hour and a half. Wes and I need to get to New York City right now." Blaine didn't even shut his car off before getting out of it.
"Wait, what? What happened?"
"David may have dropped out of medical school. I don't know for sure."
"Are you taking Scarlett? What do I need to do?"
"Can you watch her?"
"Of course." Adrian followed Blaine into their house.
"I don't know what to do." Wes said over Scarlett's cries, looking at Blaine. "She's sick. I have to wait for Alicia to get here before I do anything."
"I've got it." Adrian came over and held out his arms.
"I'm not leaving you with her when she's like this." Wes shook his head.
"How long ago did she have the baby Tylenol?"
"It's been two hours." Wes said as Adrian took her. "Alicia will be back in an hour and a half, but can you tell her to try to wait until the six hour mark to give her the next dose? Her pediatrician said that is best for her."
"Yes. I've got it." Adrian nodded, very calm as Scarlett wailed—angrier that Wes was no longer holding her. "I will get her calmed down. I promise."
"There aren't any bottles made either. She woke up when I was about to. I'm so sorry."
"It's fine. Seriously. Go. She'll calm down." Adrian reassured Wes. "I'm good."
"I am not trying to rush you but you've got to come on, Wes. My car is still on and it's going to probably take four hours because we'll get there at rush hour." Blaine said.
"Oh, we're getting there quicker than that." Wes said, bending down and kissing Scarlett's too-red cheek. "I'm so sorry, Adrian. Thank you so much."
"Don't even thank me. Just go." Adrian waved him off.
"Okay, can you please tell me what's going on?" Wes asked as they left the house.
"I don't know exactly but David came home two hours into his shift. He didn't tell Kurt what happened or anything, but he was just like 'I quit med school' and went into his bedroom." Blaine got into the passenger seat. "Please don't wreck my car."
"Call him and put it on speaker." Wes hopped into the driver's seat and backed out of the driveway.
Blaine pushed David's phone number and it went straight to voicemail.
Apparently Blaine's call had reminded him his phone was still on… or something.
"I should have expected that." Wes sighed, driving ten miles over the speed limit—in the neighborhood.
"Are you trying to kill a small child?"
"First, no kids are out of school this early. Second, no." Wes said. "I am trying to get us there before his dad finds out."
"Oh my God. Derek will freak out." Blaine groaned and covered his face. "You can't just quit medical school, right?"
"That depends on if he's upset enough that he already went to NYU and dropped out. I'm hoping he's pissed and not upset. He usually turns his phone off when he's pissed so maybe we're okay." Wes pulled onto the highway. "Call Kurt. See what he says."
Blaine called Kurt, putting his phone on speaker phone again.
"Hey." Kurt said.
"What is going on?"
"I just got to campus. I don't know. He literally said 'I quit medical school' and went into his room. I wanted to stay but I've got a presentation in fifteen minutes. I didn't know what to do." Kurt sounded upset.
"No, you're fine. There's nothing you can really do anyway." Wes said. "Was he pissed? Was he upset?"
"I don't know. He literally said it like he was saying 'good morning' or something. I know he's supposed to be there until 7:00 tonight and obviously it's not 7:00."
"Do you have Eric's phone number?" Blaine asked.
"I do but he's not at work right now anyway. He took the day off to change his last name. I only know this because Alec told me. Eric probably doesn't even know David left yet."
"If his top intern left in the middle of a shift, he knows." Wes said. "Especially if he's off because now Eric will probably have to go in."
"I… I don't know. I'll ask Alec if he knows anything when I see him in a few minutes but… that's literally all it was. He said 'I quit medical school' and then calmly went into his room and shut the door. I wanted to ask more but I don't know him well enough for that… I just…"
"No. You're fine. Thanks for letting us know." Blaine sighed. "I guess I'll be seeing you in a few hours."
"I love you."
"I love you too, Kurt." Blaine hung up. "So…."
"I really don't like that he's being so calm about this." Wes moved into the left lane, going twenty miles over the speed limit.
"Wes…" Blaine said. "He's been having issues for the last year and a half… he's been really unhappy."
"In the ER, yes. He is killing it in pediatrics, though." Wes said. "If he throws away the last three years over an ER where he won't even work when he graduates… I mean, he's obviously not thinking clearly and he knows that because his phone is off. If he was thinking clearly, he would want to talk about it."
"At least this means his parents probably don't know yet?" Blaine asked. "We shouldn't tell them, right?"
"No. No. We may be able to talk him into going back. They don't need to know anything yet." Wes shook his head.
Blaine pushed 'call' on his phone.
Again, straight to voicemail.
"Ugh, David, why right now?" Wes groaned.
…
"Oh, God." David, who was sitting on his bed and staring at the wall, looked at Wes and Blaine. "What are you doing here?"
"So…" Blaine said, going over and sitting on the bed beside him. "You quit medical school?"
"I'm not doing it anymore. I'm sorry. I'm not. I don't care if I'm good at it. I cannot handle this, okay?" David looked Blaine in the eyes. "I'm not like you two who can just… I'm not like my dad. I can't do this anymore. I won't do it anymore."
Wes sat down on the bed on David's other side.
"I am so sick of the system letting down minorities, I am so sick of health insurances not paying for treatments people need, I'm so sick of having to sneak antibiotics to poor parents that can't afford to get it for their kids. It's not right. It isn't right. God, so many teenagers come in and they're in gangs. They're fucking thirteen. I was too afraid to even look at porn at thirteen and they are killing people. But nobody does anything. They end up dead or dying in an emergency room where some of the doctors don't even try as hard because of why they're brought in." David buried his head in his knees and groaned. "It's not right. What is going on in the world?"
Wes sighed, putting his hand on David's back.
"There is an oath that literally says 'I will not permit considerations of age, disease or disability, creed, ethnic origin, gender, nationality, political affiliation, race, sexual orientation, social standing or any other factor to intervene between my duty and my patient.' So why don't people try harder? Why are kids coming in with serious illnesses when, if health care was affordable, they would have gotten a z-pac and been sent on their way to get better? Can one of you please explain this to me?"
"I don't know." Blaine whispered.
"David…" Wes sighed.
"I shouldn't be doing this. I get too emotionally involved with my patients. I have literally taken antibiotics from the pharmacy and given them to parents without putting it on any record. Last week I saw somebody and didn't even write up a file because I knew the lady couldn't pay for any of it. And she's pregnant so in five months, she'll be back in again. And I would do it again."
"You shouldn't be doing that…" Blaine bit his lip.
"I know. That's the problem, Blaine." David said shortly. He then immediately said, "I'm sorry."
"It's okay." Blaine looked at Wes.
"Did you withdraw?" Wes asked.
"I just walked out. I didn't even say anything. I checked out the patients that I had and I left." David looked up at the ceiling.
"Listen…" Wes sighed. "I believe you when you say there are doctors who won't try as hard to take care of people or that police won't get involved and help when they should."
"Don't even add a 'but' to that." David looked at him.
"But there are more doctors that do the right thing. There are more doctors that probably bend the rules to help patients in need… but there are going to be people like that everywhere. No matter what any of us do… because people suck sometimes." Wes continued. "You're on the front lines of the worst of it, or at least one of the worst parts of it, and I know it's hard but the world needs people like you out there… even if it's just until school is over and then you go to a pediatric office."
"You're a really good doctor." Blaine said. "And you have a really big heart. You shouldn't give up on that because of a bad day."
David groaned, burying his head in his knees again. "I don't think I can do it again. I'm tired of homeless people dying and all of these kids coming in shot and…"
All three of them jumped when they heard banging on the door.
"What the fuck?" Wes asked.
David got up and opened the door to the apartment.
"Really, David? Really? You've got three months left of this semester and five months left of the next one and you walk out?"
Wes and Blaine exited the room to see Eric, literally screaming at David. Blaine didn't even know it was possible for Eric to talk loudly, let alone scream at someone. He had a feeling Alec had never seen this either.
"I'm done." David said calmly.
"$250,000 and you're done? This close? Are you fucking serious?"
David didn't say anything.
"I put hours into training you, I made exceptions so you wouldn't be in the ER as much, I have gone to bat for you when you fuck up and do the wrong thing, and I fucking covered three days of shifts for you on top of my own when you went to Cambridge, and this is how you repay me? This is what you do?"
"I didn't do anything to you."
"You wasted my time. You wasted the nurses time, the other interns time, the hospitals time, the schools time. Not only did you waste time but now the other interns—who are just as fucking tired as you are— will have to cover your shifts until we get another intern to come in and take your place. But the person you really fucked over is me because I bent over backwards to keep you happy and to teach you everything that I could. And it was a waste!"
Wes went to say something.
"No." Blaine said. "That's Eric."
"I don't care who it is." Wes said.
"Just don't. Not yet."
"I'm sorry." David said after nearly two minutes of silence.
"You're sorry? I have to go to the Chief of Staff on my day off and explain why my top intern left his shift without even telling anybody and left first year interns by themselves. I get to explain why I ever put you in a position to do that. I get to go and take responsibility for your actions because I was stupid enough to think that you cared about this job and the patients as much as you act like you do. Or that you cared enough to make sure first year interns don't accidentally kill someone. I was stupid enough to put you in a position to be over first year interns. Thank you for making me look like an idiot. Really, thank you." Eric took a deep breath.
"I don't know what you want me to say. I can't do it anymore."
"Do you know how many of the ER nurses feel the same way as you? The other ER doctors? The surgeons that get called down but by the time they've made it down, the person has bled out on the table? Even the other interns? It fucking sucks but society is what it is and you help who you can and you fucking pray for the ones you can't or something. I don't know. But I do know you don't abandon a team of doctors and nurses without a word. A team that has stood behind you and supported you for almost three and a half years. You were almost fucking done. You abandoned every person you could have helped that walks through those doors. Forget it, David. I'll have your nurse friend clear out your locker—by the way, the whole department knows you're screwing each other. If you're going to put a nurse in a position like that, sleeping with a student, at least man up and put a title on it, you fucking dick." Eric turned to leave and then said, "You've got three hours to talk to the Chief of Emergency medicine before he leaves for the day and convince him that you're not worthless and to let you back into the program. Make your own decision. I don't even care anymore."
David let out a deep breath when the door closed.
"David…" Blaine said gently, going over to him. "It sounds like you can still go back…"
"I can't." David went and sat on the couch.
"This time next year you won't be in the hospital anymore." Wes said. "If you go and talk to the manager of emergency medicine or whoever…"
"Wes, I can't. I literally cannot." David's voice rose.
"He's right, though. You're so close to done… and you've talked about how much Eric has been there for you and has tried to keep you out of the ER…" Blaine bit his lip.
"I can't do it. I'm sorry I'm putting Eric in a really bad position, but I can't do it anymore."
"You've done it for over three years. You have one semester and some change left." Wes said. "And then you can do whatever you want with your doctorate."
"I don't want to do it anymore!"
"Yeah, right now you don't. What will you think of quitting in two hours when you calm down from this? Or two months from now when you're almost done with a medical degree and you can't do anything?" Wes asked. "If you finish the degree, your options widen. You really want to work with kids and you're so good at it… the way you held Scarlett when she was a new born and all of the stuff you showed Alicia and I…"
"Anybody can show you how to hold a baby, Wes." David sighed. "It doesn't take a medical degree."
"Yeah but can anybody start working at a family doctor's office next January when you graduate?"
"I'm not graduating." David said as there was a knock on the door. "Seriously, Eric—"
"What in the actual hell did you think you were doing?" They heard a female voice saying. "You need to go back to the hospital right now."
"Marcy, it's really not a good time."
"Well make it a good time because you're being an idiot. This is stupid, David. Really stupid. And you're going to regret it in 24 hours when you calm down. But in 24 hours you won't be able to fix it! You have to fix it now!"
"Marc—"
"Don't 'Marcy' me. I should make you call me Nurse Davis with how much of an idiot you're being. If I had a clipboard, I would hit you over the head with it."
Wes had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing out loud.
"I am not—"
"Yes. You are. You were an idiot when you left and you're an idiot right now saying you won't go and fix it. If you talk to the Chief, she will help you."
"I don't know if I want to fix it."
"You said you didn't know if you wanted to which means part of you wants to. You can always go fix it and if you still hate it, let them find someone else and then leave on good terms. Don't be stupid, David. You're being really stupid right now and you are going to regret this decision. I promise you that you will."
"Did Eric send you?" David sighed.
"I came myself because I'm worried about you! You left and didn't say anything! People were worried something happened to you! They had security checking rooms to make sure you weren't bleeding out on the floor or passed out somewhere!"
"I'm fine." David moved back into the apartment.
A very pretty woman followed him in. "You're not fi—well, you could have told me I was screaming at you in front of people."
"Please keep going." Blaine said. "Maybe he will listen to you."
"Look, I have like two minutes left or I'll be back late but you just—go talk to the Chief, David! Don't make hotheaded decisions in the heat of the moment. This isn't the time to have a temper. This is the time to go in with your tail between your legs and beg them to let you stay." She sighed. "I have to go."
Kurt came into the apartment.
"Do what you want." Marcy sighed and then left, saying a soft 'hello' to Kurt as she went.
"I'll be back." David said before exiting the apartment and letting the door close behind him.
"So…" Kurt looked at Blaine and Wes. "That's the girl he's having sex with."
…
"I wish he would hurry up. Scarlett's still got a fever. I don't want to be away from her right now." Wes said three hours later.
They hadn't heard anything from David—not that they would have, seeing as he'd left without his phone.
"You can go on and take the car. I'll see if Alex can take me home in the morning." Blaine said.
"Blaine, you can take mine. I don't even use it here. It sits in the garage until I come to see you."
"No, it's fine. I don't want to leave until I know he's okay." Wes sighed, sitting next to Kurt on the couch. "Thank you for telling us."
"Of course… Do you think he's trying to…?"
"Un-drop out of medical school? I hope so." Blaine sat down on Kurt's other side and put a hand on his thigh.
"Has he been acting weird or anything? More stressed out than usual?" Wes asked Kurt.
"No. He's been acting completely normal." Kurt shook his head.
"We drove all the way out here to try to talk him out of this, Eric came and literally screamed and cussed him out for fifteen minutes… and this pretty nurse comes in and he pretty much goes with his 'tail between his legs' –her words, not mine— within two minutes. Can you say whipped?" Wes said.
"I don't know if they're actually… together. But sometimes they get… together?" Kurt said it more as a question than a statement.
"They may as well be if they're not after that conversation. I don't think she would have taken a break from work to come and try to talk him into coming back if she doesn't really care about him." Blaine said. "If it was just sex, she probably wouldn't have come."
"Are we going to talk about how David landed somebody that pretty? I realize David is kind of attractive but damn." Wes said.
"Uh, David is really attractive." Blaine responded.
Kurt shook his head, trying not to laugh.
"Dana is going to love her." Wes said. "You know, if they ever get serious enough to meet her."
"Oh, she's met her." Kurt said.
"Wait, what?"
"David's parents came up a couple of weeks ago and they went out to dinner… with Marcy."
"Kurt, why don't you tell us these things?" Blaine asked, staring at him.
"I don't know. When I thought they were messing around I didn't feel bad talking about it, but I think they might actually really like each other." Kurt shrugged. "Sorry."
"You don't have to apologize." Blaine said.
"Yes, you do. We need to know all aspects of each other's lives." Wes said, tone serious.
Kurt rolled his eyes as the door to the apartment opened.
"Hey, David." Blaine stood.
"What happened?"
"I am suspended without pay and I got two write ups—one for leaving without telling anyone and one for leaving first year interns unattended. I go back to work on Friday… and get to work a double since Eric has to cover my shifts… meaning he'll be working twelve days in a row since he had to stay today in my place." David sighed, sitting down in one of the chairs. "I'm almost positive I got Eric into trouble. Both he and the Chief of Staff came in halfway between when I was talking to the Chief of Emergency Medicine. They both looked pissed."
"So, is everything is going to be okay?" Wes asked. "School wise?"
"I'm still employed there if that's what you mean. I don't know if it will affect my grades or not. I'm supposed to ask Eric about that." David let out a sarcastic laugh. "I'm not bringing that up any time soon."
"Eric's a good guy. I've known him for a while. He'll be fine. He understands." Blaine said as Kurt slipped out of the room.
"He's not very understanding right now. One of the interns inserted a central line after I left—which is how they even found out I was gone. She did it right but I'm sure he got chewed out about it. Which means I'll get chewed out about it. I'm not sure how fine he'll be seeing as I left and a med student went rogue." David groaned. "I probably shouldn't have gone back. I'm going to get shit from so many doctors and nurses now."
"People get mad and do stupid stuff at work all of the time." Wes said. "Did you leave first year interns alone? Yeah… but it doesn't sound like anything horrible happened."
"A first year intern putting in a central line in an ER exam room is actually horrible. I've only done seven and Eric was there for all of them except two. They're usually done in very sterile areas."
"Well nobody was hurt or died…?" Blaine said.
"What if I spend all the next three months working under Eric and he fails me?" David asked.
"He wouldn't do that." Blaine shook his head. "I know him outside of work… he wouldn't ruin your medical career over one mess up, okay? He's pissed and he should be, but he will get over it and he'll go back to teaching you and sticking up for you and talking and laughing with you. It will probably take some time—especially if he got into trouble— but it will be okay."
"I shouldn't have gone back and asked to stay in the program. I can't handle this."
"There are counselors in that hospital for doctors. Go talk to them." Wes said. "Tell them how angry you are about what you see, how you feel when authorities don't take it seriously… They can probably help you come up with a healthier way of thinking about it… or at least, a healthier way to react to it."
David looked up at the ceiling, not speaking.
Blaine sat by him, putting his chin on David's shoulder.
"What, Blaine?"
"Your girlfriend is pretty." Blaine grinned.
David halfheartedly pushed Blaine away. "She's not my girlfriend."
"I don't care what you call it but she's totally your girlfriend."
"Technically we aren't supposed to date. I'm a student." David sighed.
"Technically you shouldn't be in pediatrics as much as you are, but that hasn't stopped you." Wes pointed at him.
"You've got me there." David admitted.
"Well, how serious is it?"
"We have sex pretty often serious? I don't know. She did get dinner with me and my parents, though." David looked thoughtful.
"And?"
"And they really liked her."
"They never like your girlfriends." Blaine looked shocked.
"I know—she's not my girlfriend, though."
"So how much older is she?" Wes asked.
"Five years." David shrugged.
"Is she good in bed?"
"Oh my God. I'm not answering that question!"
"You just did in that answer. If she wasn't good, you would have admitted it." Blaine grinned.
"Kurt and I are going to have a discussion about not getting you two involved in my crises." David sighed.
Blaine rested his chin on David's shoulder. "I'm happy for you."
"Thanks, Blaine." David smiled a bit.
"I think you should take your time. Kurt and I didn't date right away and it's been… like seven years." Blaine pulled back.
"I'm okay, guys. It's getting late. Go home." David stood. "Thank you for coming, though. I love and appreciate you both."
"I would argue to stay longer but Scarlett's had a fever all day." Wes sighed.
"Why are you here?!" David asked. "She needs her daddy!"
"It never gets old hearing that." Wes grinned.
"Go. Seriously. I am fine. I will come down this Thursday or something, but don't worry about me. I'm going to go back to work Friday like a good boy, I'm going to try to get Eric to be my friend again, and everything will be peachy." David looked between them. "Thank you, though."
Blaine wrapped his arms around David. "Call me, you idiot."
"Okay, asshole." David smiled when Blaine pulled away. He then hugged Wes.
"You should call Maaarcy." Wes singsonged.
"We want to meet her. Actually meet her." Blaine added as he pulled his jacket on.
"You will soon. I promise." David said.
"Okay, I need to go and tell Kurt bye and I'll be back." Blaine left David and Wes alone and snuck into Kurt's room. "Hey."
"Hey." Kurt smiled, putting his tablet down and stretching out his hand.
"How's that going?" Blaine sat on the edge of the bed.
"Better. David gave me some exercises I could do to help… it's not a huge difference but it does help."
"Good." Blaine smiled. "I'm sorry I couldn't see you more."
"No. You were here for David. I told you because I knew he needed you guys." Kurt reassured him.
"Thank you… If you hadn't told us, he would probably be kicked out of the program."
"I think that was more Eric and Marcy's doing than mine." Kurt laughed a bit.
"If you hadn't gotten us here, David probably wouldn't have been as calm as he was when Eric got here. Well, you know he tends to run his mouth when he's upset." Blaine sighed.
"Yeah." Kurt nodded and smiled. "I'm just glad you all got here before Eric… and you got to meet Marcy. Well, see Marcy. Now you know she isn't a figment of my imagination."
Blaine leaned over, kissing the top of Kurt's head and then kissing him on the lips.
"I love you." Kurt's smile grew when they pulled away.
"I love you too. So much." Blaine stood. "Scarlett's sick, though, so we need to head back."
"Be careful." Kurt said.
"I will." Blaine smiled. "Hey, David said he's going to come over Thursday… since he obviously can't work. If you can afford to skip class on Friday, you should ride with him and I'll get you home on Sunday night."
"Okay." Kurt nodded. "I'll see if I can swing that."
Blaine, who had went out the doorway, leaned back into it. "Rest your wrist, okay? Give it the night."
"You sound like Doctor David." Kurt laughed. "I'll quit soon, I promise."
"I'll miss you." Blaine pouted a bit.
"I'll miss you more."
"Ready, Blaine?" Wes called.
"Coming, father." Blaine called back and then smiled brightly at Kurt. "I love you and I will see you on Friday at the latest but hopefully Thursday."
"You will."
"If you get there before I'm back, you can wait in bed for me." Blaine winked.
"Bye, Blaine." Kurt laughed again.
Blaine waved and disappeared.
Long Time Coming
"I saw that you were in class today… although you looked half asleep."
As if on cue, Blaine put his messenger bag next to his desk and yawned.
"How is your friend doing?"
"Suspended but still enrolled in school." Blaine said, taking a seat. "If he doesn't walk out again… which could be debatable. I don't know."
"If he went back yesterday, I don't think you need to worry about him." Bob said. "Yourself, however…"
"What?" Blaine asked, now looking very awake.
"You forgot to submit your paper last night."
"Shit."
"I'm just kidding. It's due tonight at midnight."
Blaine looked at Bob, expression unreadable.
"Sorry. I had to do it." Bob laughed.
"I would say something but you're my boss and it wouldn't be appropriate." Blaine huffed.
"I did the same thing to Adrian but he didn't skip a beat. He pulled out the syllabus to show me I was wrong." Bob laughed again.
"Why are you in such a good mood?" Blaine asked.
"I'm actually not. It was a really bad night." Bob looked thoughtful. "A very long, very bad night."
"What happened?" Blaine tilted his head.
"My seventeen year old was arrested last night for drunk driving… in my car… which he totaled." Bob sighed. "The one who is about to go to Columbia… you know, if he doesn't have a DUI on his record now."
"Oh, wow." Blaine's eyes widened. "Well, is he okay?"
"He is. The tree isn't… my car definitely isn't either which sucks because I've only had it for a year." Bob shrugged.
"He was arrested?" Blaine asked.
"Yeah. I got Matthew out of a sticky situation when he was fifteen so they're trying to return the favor. I don't know if they can yet… and honestly, I don't know if I even want them to." Bob sighed again.
"Well… teenagers do stupid things sometimes?" Blaine offered.
"Crashing into a tree going 35 miles per hour while drunk is past stupid."
"Driving drunk at all is stupid." Blaine agreed.
"Yeah." Bob nodded.
"What are you going to do?" Blaine asked.
"I'm going to go down with Matthew's father and talk to the DA after work… although part of me really wants to let him handle it by himself since apparently he's adult enough to drink and drive." Bob sighed. "But I know in three weeks I'll feel bad if I don't go down there and at least try… but what if he starts drinking all of the time and gets behind a wheel and kills himself? Or someone else?"
"Maybe he had a really, really bad night." Blaine said slowly.
"Does a bad night excuse that?"
"No… but some people make mistakes and they learn from it and they never do it again." Blaine pursed his lips together. "Should their whole adult life be marred by a stupid decision?"
Bob stared at him, not blinking. "You?"
"I didn't run into anything or wreck a car but I did… steal my best friend's car while intoxicated…"
Bob's eyes widened.
"They set up a road block to stop me… David's mom still laughs about me calling the officer that got me 'Super Trooper.'" Blaine didn't look Bob in the eye.
"You have to be lying. We do background checks." Bob said.
"Would Matt's thing show up in a background check?" Blaine tilted his head to the side.
Bob didn't say anything—Blaine had a point.
"It was… expunged…." Blaine took a deep breath. "My father did one thing for me at least, even if it was really to protect the family name."
"What were you thinking?" Bob asked.
"I obviously wasn't thinking. I was upset about something stupid— I honestly don't remember what about anymore. I made a rash decision and was very lucky to not have crashed a car into a tree… or another car."
"How old were you?"
"Old enough to have a driver's permit but young enough to not use it responsibly?" Blaine looked up. "I was sixteen."
"You?" Bob repeated. "Seriously? You?"
"Yes. Me. It didn't come up in the background check because it was expunged." Blaine finally looked him in the eye.
"Well… that was really stupid." Bob sighed.
"It was. I don't really drink anymore… I've turned into a lightweight actually." Blaine sighed. "The point is that your son did something stupid, but he probably regrets it right now… and if you're able to keep it off of his record, you should at least try that way when he goes in for his first real job, that doesn't show up in the background check."
Bob leaned forward. "Would you talk to him?"
"What?" Blaine asked, shocked.
"Seriously. Would you talk to him?"
"About stealing a vehicle and getting a DUI?"
"Yeah but could you leave out the grand theft auto part on your end?" Bob's expression was serious.
"I can't talk to your son about getting a DUI." Blaine looked at Bob like he was crazy.
"Yes, you can."
"I… Why?"
"Because obviously I am too upset to talk to him about it. Every time I see him, I want to kill him." Bob sighed. "Not literally although I can understand why a parent would want to right now."
"And say what? 'Oh, hey, I got a DUI too. They had to set a road block for me because I was going 65 miles per hour in a 35 miles per hour zone. Wanna swap stories'?"
"65?!"
"Yep." Blaine sighed.
"Well of course I want you to talk to him because look at you now. You're going to graduate from Harvard Law in three or four months. Obviously, you made a really stupid decision, but it didn't ruin your life or your future."
"I… I mean… sure?" Blaine asked. "If you really want me to… it's not something I really talk about, though. I actually don't even think Kurt knows about that to be honest."
"Are you sure? Is that asking too much?" Bob asked.
"It's fine… I can talk to him."
"Great. Is tonight okay?"
Blaine laughed.
"What?" Bob's expression was serious.
"I have a paper due at midnight."
"For what class? I'll talk to the professor."
"Yours."
"Okay. You've got an extra 72 hours. I'll override the zero when you turn it in."
"Are you serious?" Blaine asked.
"Brady totaled my car and murdered a tree last night, Blaine. I am dead serious. If you would come over tonight and talk to him, I would really appreciate it. I'll even add time to your timesheet that way you get paid to do it."
"You don't have to add time to my timesheet. I'll do it for free." Blaine laughed. "But you can't be in the room… and you can't listen either."
"Great. You can come down police station with me tonight and then you can come home with me. You'll get to meet the lovely DA."
"If she helps you, you know you'll have to be nice to her, right?" Blaine tilted his head a bit.
"She is mean to me." Bob scoffed.
"Why is she mean to you?"
"Because I crushed her in her first big case… which was also my first big case. She's never let it go… which is fine by me because I get great satisfaction when I win against her." Bob shrugged. "The thing is, she actually has more overall wins that I do."
"You're still always talking about me I see." A woman who looked to be around the same age as Bob walked into his office and handed him a folder, not looking very pleased. "It's taken care of. Don't say I never did anything for you."
"Wait, what?" Bob looked up.
"Caldwell has taken everything out of the system and the paper file is locked up. I recommend you have a very serious talk with Brady and if it happens again, I've told Caldwell he is not to help you. Under any circumstances."
"I hadn't even talked to anyone yet. Thank you."
"I got a call from Caldwell at eleven o'clock last night. Thank his youngest son for hacking into the school's grading system eight years ago and you helping the lieutenant out… Besides, I know you'd do the same for me." She shrugged. "Plus, now you owe me one and I really enjoy that."
Bob's face fell as she walked out.
"I'm guessing that was the DA?" Blaine titled his head, trying really hard not to laugh.
"Damnit, Brady." Bob huffed. "I do not like owing people anything… especially her."
"On the bright side… you're moving to New York soon?"
"That's still seven months for her to hold it over my head, Blaine." Bob sighed, pulling out his cellphone and beginning to type a text message.
"So… you still want me to come tonight?" Blaine asked, standing.
"Yeah. I'll send you the address." Bob sighed again. "See you in an hour in class."
"See you."
…
"Dude, what was his house like? Is his entire family beautiful? Does he really have a Lexus LC?" Adrian asked.
"Wait, who has a Lexus LC?" Wes, who was laying on the floor in front of Scarlett who was having tummy time, looked up.
"I am sorry but I don't know what that means." Blaine said, tossing his bag down and sitting on the coffee table. "Hello to you all too."
"Hi, Blaine… do you enjoy sitting places where you shouldn't?" Adrian asked. "Yesterday you were on the counter by the sink."
"Oh, he loves to sit on anything he shouldn't." Wes said and then asked, "Do you know what anything about cars that aren't built like a Jeep?"
"I don't know why I would need to? I like my 'Jeep-y' cars." Blaine looked confused. "I used to have a lot of soccer stuff and I like being higher up… it gives the illusion I'm taller than I am when I'm driving."
Adrian held out his phone with a picture of a car, trying very hard to hold his laughter in at Blaine's comment.
'Yeah, that is it. Only his was a coupe." Blaine shrugged.
"Those start out at, like, $92,000." Wes gasped, leaning up to see the picture. "That is my dream car. What color was it?"
"This dark silver. Why?"
"I want to be him when I'm 45." Wes sighed. "Or now."
"I wonder if it will be his daily driver now that his usual car is smashed…" Adrian looked thoughtful.
"Yeah, I highly doubt that. It was in the garage and looked like it hadn't been driven much." Blaine shrugged again. "Hey, did you know that Matt nearly got expelled from high school because he hacked into the system and changed his Biology grade?"
"Oh yeah. He got into a couple of fights in high school too. I think Matt's dad and Bob are friends… probably because he got Matt out of so much trouble in high school." Adrian shrugged as if it wasn't news to him. "His brothers joke about it a lot… mostly to embarrass him in front of me."
AJ walked into the house. "What about your brothers?"
"Not mine. Matt's." Adrian said.
"Hey, did you ever end up talking to your dad?" AJ asked him.
"Yeah… It didn't go very well." Adrian admitted. "Apparently this weekend he's coming to Boston. This is what I get for running my mouth when I'm pissed, I guess."
"I thought you were waiting until you weren't pissed to talk to him?" Blaine asked.
"Well I thought I wasn't pissed until he started telling me why Matt wasn't right for me like he'd even given Matt a chance to get to know him… Then I ran my mouth and now Dad is convinced I'm in the middle of a life crisis… would have been nice if he'd noticed something was up with me about, oh, seven or eight years ago." Adrian sighed.
"Wait, did you say he's coming here?" AJ, who had picked Scarlett off the floor, looked at him.
"He wants to meet in Boston to 'talk.' Anyway, back to Bob. Was his house huge?"
"Adrian, seriously?" AJ scoffed. "That is all you're going to tell me?"
"If I talk about it I'm going to get pissed again. I would like to tell Matt calmly tonight so he doesn't get upset. He's been super momma bear even since I told him about Chad."
"He should be upset." AJ muttered as Wes took Scarlett from her and put her back onto the floor.
"Anyway, Blaine," Adrian said pointedly. "Was his house huge?"
"Not really." Blaine shrugged.
"Can I look it up on Zillow? What was the address?" Adrian asked eagerly as AJ left the room.
"No way, you creeper." Blaine gave Adrian a look.
"That did sound kind of creepy, didn't it?" Adrian shrugged. "Why did you go over there?"
"Bob's son stole his car last night, got drunk with some friends, and crashed it into a tree. He was pissed but I tried to defend his son and he caught on pretty fast that I may have done something similar." Blaine said. "Maybe I shouldn't have told you that. You didn't hear that."
"Look at you lifting up your head! You're so smart already!" Wes cooed and then looked up at them. "What?"
Blaine laughed.
"So… I'm assuming he didn't fire you?" Adrian said.
"No. He told me that it was incredibly stupid, but I think it did make him rethink that his son might have ruined his life. He asked me to come and talk to him… which I did. Teenagers do stupid stuff." Blaine checked his phone when it buzzed, hoping it was Kurt It was just a notification. "His oldest son looks exactly like him, though. I have a feeling he was there because of the car accident too."
"Ryan says his family is adorable."
"They kind of are." Blaine admitted. "And his parents live with them too. I got to meet them. His mom is so sweet and his dad is really funny."
"Hmm. I wonder why they live with him." Adrian looked confused.
"I don't know." Blaine lied.
"So, he's not, like, living in a mansion?"
"I mean… it's a big house but a lot of people live in it, so it makes sense. He's got four kids."
"Four?" Adrian asked.
"Yeah. They're all five or six years apart." Blaine nodded.
"I bet he's loaded with some of the cases he's won." Wes looked up from Scarlett. "I googled him."
"I'm sure they're well off." Blaine admitted. "But it was nothing like our houses growing up… although they probably could use the extra room."
"Is it a gated community?" Adrian asked.
"Nope. It is a normal community in a normal neighborhood." Blaine hopped up.
"How close is it to here?"
"No more answers for you." Blaine pointed at him. "I have some reading to do… and I'm going to call Kurt because I haven't heard his voice in two days."
"I'm not a creeper!" Adrian called as Blaine went upstairs. He then muttered, "Maybe I am creepy."
"Sure you aren't!" Blaine called back down before going into his room and closing the door. He was about to dial Kurt's number when Kurt called him. "Hey."
"Hey! How are you?" Kurt asked.
"I'm good. How are you?"
"I'm good. I just had dinner with Alec and Eric. Sorry it's so late."
"I only got home twenty minutes ago." Blaine reassured him. "How did Eric seem?"
"Really tired but otherwise completely normal. He didn't mention David or anything. Not that I thought he would… he isn't that kind of person." Kurt said. "Why did you get home so late?"
"Bob's family invited me over for dinner."
Technically, it was true. Mostly. They had given him dinner—and it had been delicious.
"That's good! I really want to meet him. I'm so happy that you've got somebody in Cambridge that you can talk to… and that you'll get to work under him!"
"You'll meet him eventually, I'm sure." Blaine laughed. "If not sooner, graduation. Apparently, the office closes during ceremony hours so the lawyers can go and see 'the babies' graduate… which is actually kind of sweet."
"I can't wait to come and see you this weekend. I miss you so much! I feel so bad that I'm so crazy busy and we haven't been able to talk as much."
Blaine could practically hear Kurt's frown.
"Don't even apologize. Adrian and Matt have been so busy that they only see each other when they're asleep… and they live in the same city. It would probably be the same if we lived together." Blaine reassured him. "How are you, though? Did you get caught up?""
"Yeah." Kurt sighed. "But they keep adding more so it doesn't seem like it… this time tomorrow I'll probably be swamped again."
"If it makes you feel better, Adrian is in the philosophy law class and has to write a fifteen page paper…about something he knows nothing about… and he has a philosophy degree!" Blaine offered, changing into pajama pants and holding the phone between his shoulder and ear.
"That… makes me feel a lot better, actually." Kurt admitted. "That sucks."
"Right? Although he's good at bullshitting in essays and lectures when he doesn't know anything about the subject, so I'm sure he'll be okay." Blaine laughed and then sat at his desk, holding the phone to his ear again.
"Did you have a good day?"
"Yeah… I got a three day extension on one of Bob's assignments since I went to his house tonight."
"Wait… what?"
"Okay, so… he did invite me for dinner… but only because his seventeen year old did something really stupid…. And I kind of did the same thing when I was sixteen."
"Wait, what?" Kurt asked. "What did you do?"
"Stole David's car when I was very drunk… and was going thirty miles over the speed limit… so they had to put up a road block to get me?" Blaine winced.
"Oh, I knew about that." Kurt said, like he'd told Kurt he had gotten a papercut.
"How?"
"David told me… David's told me a lot of things you've done, actually. Anytime we're bored and can't come up with anything to talk about, he tells me something else." Kurt laughed.
"Wait, are you serious?" Blaine scoffed.
"Yeah. My favorite is probably hearing about when you drunk serenaded Thad… I feel kind of bad for him, though. Even at the Warbler Ball, he still had that look every time you would walk past."
"I think you need to move back into your old apartment immediately." Blaine said, not sounding pleased… at all.
"Come on. Finn could tell you so many stupid things I did before we knew each other."
"Finn doesn't have, like, three journals per school year." Blaine huffed. "What else did he tell you?"
Kurt laughed. "I don't know. Different stuff. All of it was mostly funny, though. If you don't want funny stories being told about you, you should have probably been the DD more."
"I am very annoyed with David right now… and you!"
"Don't be whiny." Kurt said. "The first time I ever got drunk I couldn't unlock the door by myself. I was using the wrong key. Dad opened the door and I literally threw up all over him. He had to throw away his favorite shoes and his favorite concert t-shirt."
"What?" Blaine laughed.
"Oh, yeah. He was so pissed. I actually don't think I've ever seen him more pissed. He was so angry he didn't even talk to me for three days." Kurt laughed. "And you know him. When he's pissed, you know it because he literally won't shut up about it."
"Damn."
"Yeah. I didn't even drive that night but he still took my car away for a month…." Kurt laughed again. "Until he realized he had to leave work early to get me from Glee practice once school started back up. I was supposed to be without it for two months."
"Okay. What else?"
"I don't think anything tops that one… but I did get a lovely talking to after he found you hung over in my bed." Kurt said thoughtfully. "However, once we started dating, I got a very long talk about drinking and making stupid decisions like bringing boys over…"
"See? Something stupid I did. Doesn't count."
Kurt laughed a bit. "I don't know. You'd have to ask Dad… he'd gladly tell you, too. Most of the stupid things I've done lately have all included Finn, Puck, and alcohol… and he doesn't really find out about those… usually. He did get pissed when he found out about my tattoo… which I got when I was drunk…"
"How often do you three drink?"
"Uhm… once a month maybe? Usually I don't get drunk, though. If I do, I always sleep over at Finn and Rachel's. Waking up hungover with a baby crying is reason enough to not get drunk."
"Once a month?"
"Why? How often do you drink?"
"I haven't had more than one drink at a time since the thing at the party the fall before last." Blaine admitted. "If I hadn't been so drunk it never would have gotten that far and it's just not worth all of that. I was so stupid that night. I was acting exactly like I did when I was sixteen and hooking up with random people."
"I love you." Kurt's voice was soft.
"I love you too." Blaine smiled. "Just don't judge me too much over the stuff I did back then."
"Never." Kurt promised. "Hey, is it okay if I come and stay with you this weekend?"
"Yes, please." Blaine's smile turned into a grin. "You don't even have to ask."
"I know, but I still will anyway. I've missed you a lot lately."
"Well in two days, you'll get to see me!" Blaine said excitedly. "I'll try to get as much reading done as I can so we can practice extracurricular activities."
Kurt laughed loudly. "Do you miss me or my body?"
"Both. Mostly you, though."
Kurt laughed again. "So, have you heard anything from David about how this week has gone?"
"No. Did something happen?"
"I don't know. The only time I've seen him, he's been asleep on the couch." Kurt asked. "I think tomorrow will be his first day off since he went back to the hospital."
"He could be sleeping at Marcy's place." Blaine said. "Have you heard anything about that?"
"No. She's not been here as far as I can tell."
"I hope they didn't… well, I guess they can't split up, but you know…"
"I don't think they've split up. They seem to really care about each other." Kurt reassured him. "Hey, listen, Kreacher needs to go outside so I'm going to let you go… but text me, okay? And call me when you get in bed?"
"Okay… you usually go to bed first, though."
"Not tonight." Kurt sighed a bit. "Just call me, okay?"
"I will. I love you, Kurt."
"I love you too, Blaine."
Long Time Coming
"What happened?" Blaine asked two days later.
"I—I don't know all of the details." AJ said, taking $50 out of Adrian's wallet and handing it to him. "He's pretty out of it and tired, but from what Matt said… When Adrian got to Boston, he was supposed to meet his dad outside of the airport and… Adrian's dad had brought his ex… the bad one. Thank you so much for going and getting the medicine for him."
"Wait, what?" Wes asked sharply.
"Adrian didn't know his ex was going to be there. It was just supposed to be his dad. Matt said he just—"
"Thank God Matt was there."
"He wasn't. I guess Adrian had a call card in his wallet. A police officer at the hospital found it in Adrian's wallet and—"
"What?!"
"If you two would let me finish, I could explain!" AJ said rather forcefully. "When Adrian saw him there, he immediately started hyperventilating and then he had an asthma attack and he didn't have an inhaler and he couldn't calm himself down so it turned into a severe asthma attack. Someone called 911 and the police showed up with the ambulance—they got there at the same time. Adrian told the police officer about the PPO and—Matt should be telling the rest of the police stuff. I don't know. They can't keep him but the arrested him."
"What about Adrian's dad?"
"He freaked the fuck out because he didn't know what happened. The other police officer wouldn't let him over there since Chad showed up with him. Like some attempt to make them get back together or something. It's disgusting." AJ said. "He went to the hospital and sat in the waiting room. While he was in there, Matt came in because he got the call while on duty. Adrian's dad tried to talk to him but he flashed his badge at a doctor without a word to Adrian's dad and they let him back into the ER."
"Well good." Blaine said, looking up when Matt came downstairs. "Hey."
"Hey." Matt looked at AJ. "He's asleep. Can you keep an eye on him?"
"Where are you going?" AJ asked.
"I'll be back by the time he wakes up. I'm going to the station." Matt said.
"To do what?" Wes asked.
"To pull his file."
"No." AJ shook her head. "No."
"I will be back before he wakes up." Matt repeated.
"He wants you up there with him! Not getting more pissed off by looking at his information and seeing pictures of Adrian like that, okay? Don't do that to Adrian."
"He won't know. I'll be back before he wakes up." Matt walked past her and out the door.
AJ took a deep breath. "I don't know what to do."
"You two should go in there and sit with Adrian in case he wakes up. I'll keep Scarlett as quiet as I can." Wes said.
"What if Matt does something stupid?"
"His dad and older brother work with him. They aren't going to let him do anything too stupid." Wes said reasonably. "If he goes in that pissed, they probably won't even let him on the computer."
"He's being stupid." AJ whispered.
"Yeah because Adrian was supposed to be meeting his dad and that guy was there too. He has a reason to be pissed." Wes said as the door opened.
"Matt, you came back." AJ let out a relived sigh.
Matt just went upstairs without saying anything, taking his utility belt off as he went up. He hadn't even taken it off yet, he'd been so focused on Adrian.
"Should I…?" AJ asked.
"I think you should give him a little bit to calm down." Wes said.
"I'll go check on him." Blaine said.
"Fine." AJ sighed as Scarlett started to cry. "Shit."
Blaine went upstairs and quietly opened Adrian's bedroom door. "Hey."
Matt, who was sitting at the foot of the bed, looked up with teary eyes. "Hey."
Blaine sat down on the floor in front of Adrian's bed, Indian style. "Want to talk?"
"They let him go. The officer that arrested him called me when I went to start my car." Matt sniffled a bit. "I don't know what to do."
Blaine moved, sitting next to him on the bed. "Let the Boston police deal with it. He'll have to show up in court for violating the PPO. Adrian might be able to take it further now that police officers saw him and saw Adrian's reaction."
Matt covered his mouth, shaking his head.
"All Adrian needs right now is you sitting with him. That's all he wants." Baine whispered.
"It's not enough." Matt took a deep breath and wiped his eyes. "I'm so pissed. His dad tried to apologize to me."
"What did you say?"
"Nothing. I walked right past him and back into the ER. How in the hell does he get off trying to apologize to me? He needs to be apologizing to Adrian."
Blaine put his hand on Matt's back, rubbing up and down.
"I need someone to tell me what to do."
"What you're doing. Sitting here with him." Blaine watched Matt wipe his eyes again.
"I want to see the file but AJ's right. The pictures from when Adrian pressed charges will be there and I can't… I don't know what I would do if I saw them. I would probably want to kill the guy and someone with a badge and gun does not need to feel that way about anyone."
Blaine continued running his hand up and down Matt's back, trying to calm him down.
"How can anyone do that to anybody? But especially Adrian. He's so kind."
"I don't know." Blaine whispered. "Maybe his parents… I mean, the police had to tell his dad about the PPO."
"His dad is such an idiot. Oh my God. I can't handle this right now." Matt took a deep breath. "I don't know what to do."
"Be with Adrian. That's all he wants. He doesn't want you to look at files or look this guy up or anything. He just wants his partner with him." Blaine said.
"It doesn't feel like enough."
"It's not about what's enough for you right now. It's about what's enough for Adrian."
Matt covered his face, shoulders beginning to shake.
Blaine pulled him into a hug. "Shh, it's okay. He's okay. He'll be fine."
Matt shook his head into Blaine's arm.
"Yes. Shh. He's okay. He's going to be fine."
Matt leaned against Blaine for a good fifteen minutes before the bedroom door opened.
"Matt, where's the prescription for the nebulizer and medicine? I'm going to go get it." Wes asked gently when Matt looked up.
Matt stood, wiping his face on his uniform sleeve, and then pulled the two slips of paper out of his pocket. "Thank you."
Wes squeezed his arm. "Can I get you anything?"
"No. Thank you." Matt took a deep breath.
"I'll be right back." Wes said, meeting Blaine's eyes.
"We're fine." Blaine reassured him. Handing Wes the money AJ had handed him.
Wes nodded and left, closing the door behind him.
"Sorry." Matt sniffed.
"Don't apologize." Blaine stood. "Listen… as long as he has you, he's going to be happy. I know today was really scary for him—and you. But you two are about to start this beautiful life together and that is what he needs. He needs his partner and the life you two are going to have."
"Yeah." Matt forced a smile. "Thank you."
"Don't look him up, Matt. Don't let yourself go there. There is literally no good that can come from that." Blaine sighed.
"I won't." Matt swallowed. "Can you sit in here with me for a bit longer"?
"Yeah." Blaine nodded, typing out a quick text to Kurt and then sitting at Adrian's desk chair.
AJ came in, Scarlett in her arms. "Oh, Matt…"
"I'm fine." Matt sniffed.
AJ went over, ruffling his hair. "You should give him that ring to cheer him up."
Matt laughed a bit. "Not yet. I've got a plan."
AJ bent down, kissing the top of his head. "Can I get you anything?"
"I'm fine, thanks." Matt took a deep breath. "I need to not look like a mess when Wes gets back. I'll have to wake him up to do the nebulizer thing."
"Go change out of your uniform and wash your face." AJ said. "Blaine and I will sit with him."
Scarlett gurgled.
"Her too."
Matt forced a smile and then went into the bathroom to change and wash his face.
Long Time Coming
"Are you sure it's okay if I… stay here? I can go home." Kurt asked a couple of days later. "Or you can come with me?"
"No, it's fine." Blaine reassured Kurt.
"He probably doesn't want all kinds of random people walking around."
"You're not random, Kurt."
Kurt looked behind him, seeing Adrian in his pajamas and his hair a mess. "Are you sure? I really don't mind."
"Please stay. It's embarrassing enough without everyone having to change their routines. Plus, there's such a cute baby here to play with." Adrian smiled.
Matt came in the front door in 'normal people' clothes and a Panera bag in his hands. "So, I didn't know what everyone else wanted and they gave me all of this free food so… help?"
Adrian eagerly took his soup from Matt. "You are the best thing since string cheese."
"Okay then." Matt put the bag on the coffee table, grinning at Adrian. "It would have been more of a compliment of you'd said brie though."
"This is probably $60 worth of bread and food." Blaine looked into the bag.
"They know Matt likes his bread." Adrian grinned, sitting on the couch between Kurt and Blaine.
"Yeah, well, I work out for three hours seven days a week. I'm allowed to eat bread." Matt shrugged, sitting in one of the chairs.
"Seven days a week? Three hours a day?" Blaine stared at him.
"Yep. I'm actually in SWAT training and you have to be super fit… so I exercise a lot to make up for the bad crap I eat."
"I thought you were thinking of going back to school. Wait. What exactly is SWAT?"
"Special Weapons and Tactics. You know, riot control, hostage rescue, counter-terrorist operations, WMD operations—"
"What's that?" Blaine asked.
"Weapons of mass destruction. Also barricaded facilities and perimeter security." Matt shrugged. "In other words, the cool stuff."
Adrian nearly choked on the water he was swallowing.
"That does actually sound really cool."
"Yeah and if I made it, I could make triple what I make now." Matt looked thoughtful. "Which would be awesome."
"Did you say hostage rescue, weapons of mass destruction, and counter-terrorist stuff?" Adrian asked.
"Yep. Usually when I go to training stuff, it's stuff like that." Matt nodded.
"That would be ridiculously cool… but really dangerous." Adrian said.
"What's cool and dangerous?" Wes asked, coming into the room with Scarlett.
"Matt is in SWAT training." Kurt said.
"So you could be a sniper?" Wes asked.
"I wish. My eyesight isn't good enough for that and they won't let me do Lasik. Honestly, though, I don't have enough experience to even really consider joining the SWAT team now. People are usually in law several years before they do that… my mom is really banking on me not wanting to do it anymore by the time I have enough experience."
"Honestly I hope you do too." Adrian admitted.
Matt hopped up. "Did you eat all of it already?"
"I guess I've got my appetite back." Adrian shrugged a bit and then yawned.
Matt hopped out, pulling out another bowl of soup from the bag.
"Just marry me now." Adrian gasped, pulling the lid off of the bowl.
Matt let out a loud laugh. "You aren't the one with a ring."
"You brought food!" AJ rushed into the room. "Matt, if he doesn't accept your proposal, I do."
"I heard that!" Wes called from the other room while he looked for a pacifier.
"Nope. He's my sexy police officer." Adrian coughed a bit and let out a content sigh. "Who brings me Panera soup. Kurt, he's been to Panera three times since yesterday morning."
"It's all he's wanted." Matt shrugged, looking sheepish.
"That's sweet." Kurt smiled.
"So, how are you? How's school? How's life?" Adrian asked as though he had conversations with Kurt all the time.
"The last three months are going to kill me." Kurt admitted, pulling a piece off a roll Blaine had grabbed.
"Ugh." Adrian groaned. "Me too. Can we fast forward time?"
"I wish." Kurt sighed a bit and looked at Blaine, who smiled at him. "Can I get you anything to drink? You look like you don't feel very good."
"I'm fine—mostly tired." Adrian reassured him. "It's been four days since I had the asthma attack. It sucks that I missed three days' worth of classes, though."
"Did you go to the doctor?" Kurt asked.
"Yeah and they put me on some heavier medicine. I have an appointment this evening to see if I can go back to school Monday actually." Adrian nodded.
"Are you taking yourself?" Kurt looked concerned
Matt raised his hand.
"He's taken off five days. Sunday he's abandoning me, though." Adrian smiled.
"If I hadn't gone to Boulder a couple of weeks ago I could have had more time off." Matt sighed a bit.
"You went to his hometown?" Kurt gasped.
"Oh, it was horrible." Matt said before he could get too excited. "I don't think they liked me very much. They said no."
Kurt looked between Adrian and Matt. "Oh no."
"Oh, yes." Matt nodded.
"It's 2019. Who needs permission for that anyway?" Adrian coughed a bit and took a sip of his drink.
"You look like you're about to fall asleep sitting up." Matt went over quickly.
"I'm not even tired. I'm fine." Adrian protested as Matt eased him up.
"No. We're going to lay down until you have to take a shower for your doctor appointment." Matt's voice was firm—probably close to the tone he used at work.
"See you later, Kurt. The warden is here." Adrian smiled.
"I find that highly offensive." Kurt heard Matt say as they went up the stairs.
Kurt waited until he heard the bedroom door closed and then said, "What happened to him?!"
"Matt went to Boulder to ask for permission to propose to Adrian. Adrian's parents said no because they are still in love with Adrian's old ex who was abusive." AJ said, coming back in. "So the poor puppy comes home and Adrian finds out and yells at his dad. His dad decides to bring the ex, who he doesn't know was abusive, to I guess show Adrian that they can rekindle their love. Adrian pretty much has a severe asthma attack when he sees the ex… and now Matt is an overprotective puppy. A really cute one."
"Did Matt kill the ex?" Kurt asked.
"No. Matt was working. Adrian met his dad in Boston since that's where he flew into. Matt didn't know about it until a police officer opened Adrian's wallet at the hospital and found a call card with Matt's information. Matt hasn't left his side for more than an hour since Wednesday morning." AJ sighed. "Adrian's dad is such a clueless idiot."
"He didn't know, though. I mean, it's stupid to bring an ex to rekindle a relationship but if his dad had known what Chad had done, he never would have done that." Blaine said.
"Adrian doesn't go home anymore. He did undergrad with me and ever since we left the summer before Harvard, he has been back once… and that was because his grandma died." AJ told Kurt.
"I remember that." Blaine nodded.
"Adrian needs a hug." Kurt said after several seconds. "Is he okay?"
"He's fine." AJ reassured Kurt. "He's in good spirits, so he's good. I'm a bit more worried about Matt. He's so pissed off. He's acting fine when he's with Adrian but when he's not, you can tell he's really upset… and I'm afraid he's going to try to look up Chad's file when he goes back to work on Sunday."
"He told me he wasn't going to." Blaine said.
"I know he did but I'm afraid he's going to anyway. There will be some really bad pictures of Adrian in that guy's file and Adrian would flip his shit if he found out Matt had seen them." AJ sighed.
"Adrian needs more hugs." Kurt frowned.
"He's fine. He says he looks worse than he feels and he usually doesn't sugar coat when he's sick or having asthma issues. I think Matt's being a bit too protective with the whole making him lay down thing, but I also think Adrian's enjoying the attention." AJ reassured him and then added, "He is always open to hugs though."
"Where is Wes?" Blaine randomly asked.
"He was supposed to be changing Scarlett and coming down. I'm not sure." AJ shrugged. "They probably fell asleep. It's the cutest thing, Kurt. She'll fall asleep on his chest and he's got a hand on her back to hold her in place and then he falls asleep."
"Aww, Wes." Kurt smiled.
"He's a good daddy." AJ smiled. "Okay, I'll leave you two alone. Don't talk about sad things!"
"We won't." Blaine promised as she headed upstairs.
"Wow…" Kurt said.
"I know. It's been four tough days." Blaine nodded.
"Do you think Adrian's really okay?" Kurt asked.
"I mean, I do. We talked about it a little bit yesterday and then he started joking about Bob's class. He's literally assigning three page papers every two weeks based off the lectures so people will let him get through it without asking a ton of questions. It's kind of ridiculous."
"It's been two months. Do they really keep interrupting?"
"Yeah. I mean, it has gotten a lot better. The first three weeks were really bad about it." Blaine shrugged. "It sucks, though, because he's really good at lecturing and having actual class related discussions. Some of us in the class want him to teach us and not just hear stories... and he doesn't even really like to talk about his cases that much."
"He must be awesome if they're that interested."
"He is… and he lets me ask the stupidest questions at work and will talk to me for an hour about literally nothing." Blaine laughed. "But what's up with you?"
"Nothing exciting." Kurt scooted closer to Blaine now that Adrian wasn't sitting between them. "I mean, I have been meeting new people at work and I've gotten to watch some real work. The supervisor I'm going to work for is really nice too but she's a lot younger than I thought she would be."
"Ooh, a she?" Blaine asked. "I don't know why I didn't think it would be a woman, though."
"Men designers usually get more recognition." Kurt shrugged. "She's really nice, though. I think it's going to be great… I mean, I can't know for sure until I'm actually doing real work but I have a really good feeling about it."
"Do you think you'll ever get to actually meet Marc?"
"I mean, my supervisor only has two supervisors below Marc… so I probably will." Kurt winced a bit. "Maybe."
Blaine literally wrapped his arms around Kurt and then fell into him with his whole body. "Marc Jacobs is the third supervisor over you! What in the actual hell?! Why didn't you tell me?!"
"I didn't know until yesterday and I'm still wondering if it's a dream." Kurt admitted.
"I asked and you said nothing exciting. Seriously?!" Blaine laughed.
Kurt pushed Blaine off him gently and smiled. "I love you and I cannot wait to live with you again."
Blaine smiled at him. "Three months. Twelve weeks. Ninety two days. That last one is a rough estimate."
Kurt smiled and kissed him again. "Ninety one."
"Is it bad that I'm more excited to get to live with you again than I am to graduate law school?" Blaine asked, scrunching his nose up.
"If it is, I'm in the same boat as you. I just… am so excited. It's hard to put into words. Soon if you aren't with me, I can go into the next room and you'll be there… or meet you for lunches. "God, I can't quit smiling every time I think about how we're going to get to live together and neither of us will have to travel. We can just work and come home and be without hours of driving."
"We should do something." Blaine stood up. "Let's get out of here and take a walk or go walk around a mall or… anything."
"Okay." Kurt let Blaine pull him up. "What do you want to do?"
"I honestly don't care but I do know what I want to do when we get back." Blaine smirked, putting his hands on Kurt's waist.
"You have such a one track mind." Kurt laughed and pulled back. "Show me Harvard. You haven't actually taken me to it."
"School? You want me to go to school?" Blaine let out an exaggerated sigh.
"Yep. I want to see it. This thing that has come between us."
…
"It's just… the one building?" Kurt asked forty minutes later, tilting his head.
"Technically, no." Blaine said, waving at someone who was walking by. "But I've barely been in any of the other buildings… unless you count the library in Langdell Hall."
"Hauser Hall." Kurt read and then teasingly said, "This is the building that tore us apart."
Blaine laughed, wrapping an arm around Kurt's waist. "I can't show you the inside of this building because it's only open from 6 to 5 during the week but I can show you where Adrian and I study all the time. The library is open until nine."
"Okay!" Kurt nodded eagerly.
"There are actually a couple of 'sound zones.' Quiet zone rooms you can't talk in. Collaboration zones are for groups—mostly study groups, but you still have to be quiet. And a 'phone zone' which I think is hilarious." Blaine explained.
"Do people stick to the zones?"
"Yeah. If you don't, they'll ask you to leave. Adrian got us kicked out of the Reading Room once." Blaine laughed as they walked in.
"This is huge."
"Yeah. Adrian and I usually study on the third floor. There are actual study rooms available after hours and a conference room. People still have to be fairly quiet but you probably won't get kicked out of it." Blaine took him to the third floor. "This is where Adrian and I usually come. We go to the far corner because… sometimes we get distracted."
Kurt laughed quietly. "Can you eat?"
"Usually snacks or small things everywhere but two rooms."
"I'm surprised there aren't more people here."
"Midterms are over so I think everyone is catching up on sleep." Blaine plopped down in a chair. "It's kind of extra, isn't it?"
"The school is the literal definition of extra." Kurt sat by him.
"True facts." Blaine sighed and looked around. "It's so crazy that there's less than two months left of this."
Kurt smiled.
"For you too! Well, you get out like two weeks before I do." Blaine smiled back. "I'm jealous."
"You start a few weeks after we do." Kurt pointed out, leaning his head against Blaine's. "I have to warn you that on Thursday, Dad and Carole plan to surprise you here… I'll be coming too."
Blaine sat up straight, grinning. "Really?"
"Yeah. Carole wants to see everything before you graduate. She's really excited."
"Aww. Well, that makes me happy."
"They already know you've got the internship and then class until three, but they want to meet you for lunch and then hang out. After, they'll come back with me and I'll show Carole Parsons on Friday. I know your Wednesdays are pretty packed."
"Yeah. As of next month, though, Bob isn't going to let me work Wednesdays anymore."
"Oh?"
"He usually has court all day anyway, or at least until two or three, so all I do is my homework or sort through papers that can wait until Thursday morning." Blaine shrugged. "They're pretty much paying Adrian and I for twenty hours each week regardless of if we come in for the whole time or not."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Adrian got paid his full week last week even though he's been at home." Blaine nodded. "And any time I leave early, Bob still pays me like I was there. Honestly, we don't even get twenty hours probably… even less than what we do because when it's slow, we work on reading."
"That's really nice of them." Kurt said.
"That or Ryan's too lazy to look at our actual timesheets. It's been that way ever since we accepted the promotion and moving to New York." Blaine laughed a bit.
"I really want to meet Bob."
"I want you to. He's great… and he and his wife went through what we're going through now." Blaine said.
"Yeah, I remember you telling me that." Kurt nodded. "Thank you for showing me this."
"I didn't show you much." Blaine hopped up. "Maybe Thursday I can bring you back and show you the actual lecture rooms and classrooms."
"I would like that." Kurt stood and wrapped his arm around Blaine's waist. "Now you've seen Parsons and I've seen Harvard."
"Yeah!" Blaine nodded. "Are you hungry?"
"What do you want to eat?" Kurt laughed as they made it out of the library.
"Pizza? Please?" Blaine looked hopeful.
"Okay." Kurt nodded.
Long Time Coming
"Harvard Law is so small." Carole was saying as Kurt made it back to their table.
"I know. I thought it would be huge." Burt said. "When he showed me the year before last, I couldn't believe it."
"The university is huge." Blaine shrugged, smiling when Kurt sat next to him and squeezed his thigh. "There's not a ton of students so I think being more concentrated in a few buildings works well. Plus, some buildings that aren't full of classrooms have lecture halls."
"The year before last, I got to see a mock trial. Not a lot of it." Burt said.
"That was the first years but it is kind of cool… until you see the third years and what they do looks like nothing." Blaine looked thoughtful. "That sounded worse than it was meant to. You just learn a lot in the three years is all. Honestly, though, I am so ready to be done. I want a sleep schedule where I get… you know, maybe 7 hours of sleep at night? Not even the full 8. That's asking too much, though, according to my planner."
Burt chuckled. "You knew we were coming, didn't you?"
"Not at all." Blaine lied.
"I didn't want him to stay late at his internship or something… or go out to eat before we got to him." Kurt admitted.
"It's super sweet, though. Thank you all." Blaine smiled.
"We haven't made it up to see you three kids up here enough. It's just so far away." Burt sighed. "It's hard to get that much time away from the garage."
"I wish we could get out here more too." Carole nodded. "I'm so excited I finally got to see Cambridge and Harvard, though. It's beautiful."
"It is." Blaine nodded. "New York is a lot more exciting, though. Apart from the schools, Cambridge doesn't have a whole lot."
"It's also a lot louder."
"Blaine!"
Blaine looked up and around when he heard his name. He then saw Ryan coming up to him. "Hey!"
"Is this your family? Blaine is great." Ryan said. "All of the receptionists love him and we're all super excited to have him officially working next year. You must be Kurt!"
"Hi." Kurt waved, smiling.
"Bob is going to die. You didn't see us here though, okay?"
"Bob's here?" Blaine perked up. "Why don't I see you here?"
"He will be—yeah, there he is. Hang on. He would kill me if he found out your family was here and I didn't tell him." Ryan went to get Bob, but Bob had noticed him and was already on the way.
"So much for a place no one would be at, huh?" Bob asked.
"Well you sure didn't have any suggestions." Ryan gave him a pointed look.
Bob shook Blaine's shoulder a bit. "It seems like I just saw you."
"That is because you did an hour ago." Blaine laughed. "This is Kurt, his dad Burt, and his step mother Carole."
"I bet you two love him, don't you?" Bob grinned.
"Very much so." Carole smiled.
"He's a great kid. He's family." Burt nodded.
"The office loves Blaine too. Nobody ever has a negative thing to say about him." Bob said and then turned to Kurt. "I've heard a lot about you. Are you excited for him to come to New York?"
"Very." Kurt smiled and squeezed Blaine's thigh a bit.
"You two are very bad at picking places where we don't know anybody." Tammy Jo walked up.
"Bob's pick."
"My pick?" Bob gave Ryan a look (Blaine tried really hard not to laugh) and then said, "This is Blaine's family."
"Oh my God, he's the sweetest thing and he's so smart." Tammy Jo smiled. "I'm kind of sad he's going to New York with Bob. Bob always gets the best people, though, so I'm not surprised."
"I get lucky every once in a while." Bob laughed.
"We definitely agree with all of the great things you all have said about him. We've known him since he was seventeen and he was the same way then too." Burt said.
"Well he doesn't believe he's half as good as everyone else knows he is, but he'll prove himself wrong here in a year or two." Bob said. "I'm excited for it."
"What is the top secret meeting about?" Blaine asked Bob.
"Jeff." Ryan chirped.
"Oh, just come right out and say it." Tammy Jo scoffed. "Super professional, Ryan."
"Like Blaine didn't already figure it out anyway." Bob said and then went to shake Kurt, Burt and Carole's hands. "It was so nice to meet you. If I don't see you again before his graduation, I will definitely see you all then."
"It was so good to meet you!" Carole beamed.
"It was really nice to meet you, Kurt. Blaine, I'll see you bright and early in the morning if I make it out of this alive." Bob shook Blaine's shoulder again and walked away with Tammy Jo and Ryan.
"So… that's obviously my boss." Blaine said sheepishly.
"I love him." Kurt said. "Oh my God."
"He was very cute."
Burt gave Carole a look.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know he would be that young." Carole didn't look sorry in the least.
"He looks like he could be a downright ass when he wants to be." Burt said. "I bet he's a good lawyer."
"Yeah. He's kind of known for cursing on live TV, so the press leaves him alone." Blaine laughed. "He is really good, though. He nails most of his cases. He's the third top lawyer in the state. The other two are, like, fifteen years older than him"
"Oh, wow." Burt looked impressed.
"Oh my God, Blaine. He's totally obsessed with you." Kurt said.
"He's not obsessed with me." Blaine laughed.
"He sees your potential." Burt said. "He was very excited to talk about you."
Blaine looked a little embarrassed, taking a sip of his water.
"So, who is Jeff?" Kurt asked.
"Okay, so Bob and Tammy Jo are two of the three owners of CMJ. Jeff is the other one but he kind of sucks and just makes a bunch of money from the place without contributing anything. He's kind of an idiot… Bob's words, not mine. I've never really had a conversation with him." Blaine explained. "But apparently yesterday he and Bob got into an… altercation. It sounded like it got physical or almost got physical. So that's probably what they're talking about."
"I don't think I would want to be in a physical altercation with him." Burt snorted. "And the other guy?"
"Oh, he's worked with Bob since he was an intern, like, fifteen years ago? He's going to New York City too. He does a lot of the stuff Jeff should do and they take his opinion very seriously because of that. He does a lot. Bob's dad is sick and whenever Bob is out with him, Ryan covers his stuff. They don't act like it at work, but I think they're pretty close. Funny thing is Ryan's name does start with a J too so a lot of people think he's one of the owners…"
"And Ryan is…. Uh…" Burt gestured with his hands.
"Yes. He and his partner have two kids." Blaine nodded.
"Is Bob…?"
"No. He's got four kids and he thinks there might be another one on the way. Something about cherry tomatoes or something. I'm not sure but he said he'd know for sure by tonight." Blaine shrugged. "If she is pregnant, though, it's funny because his oldest son just had a baby a month or so ago."
"They must have started young. He doesn't look old enough to have a grandchild." Carole said.
"Yeah, they did." Blaine nodded. "He's really great, though… and he's so patient with my nonstop questions."
"Well that's how you learn, kid." Burt grinned.
"You're honestly right because I feel like I learn a lot talking to him." Blaine said. "He lectures my criminal law class too."
"Doesn't that mean he has, like, three degrees in law?" Kurt asked. "Since he teaches?"
"Yeah, he's got three so he technically is a Doctor of Juridical Science. He still goes to conferences all the time and stuff too even though he has a doctorate." Blaine explained. "Tammy Jo has the same degrees too and goes to a lot of the same conferences… but not at the same time. One of the two of them have to be there at all times… supposedly."
"That's nice and all but I can't get over how young he is." Carole said.
"Oh, come on." Burt scoffed. "I'm right here."
"He's actually older than you." Blaine chirped.
"You are not helping, Blaine." Burt said, giving him the same look that he'd given Carole after Bob had walked away.
"Carole, do they look like they're arguing?" Blaine asked since Carole was able to see them.
"Actually, the woman looks annoyed and the guys are laughing at something." Carole laughed. "I can understand her pain."
Burt gave their waitress his card and then looked at Kurt and Blaine. "Well, when are you two moving into this place?"
"Beginning of June. I graduate on the 29th of May I think. Or the 28th." Blaine looked thoughtful.
"What, you're picking up your diploma and moving out two days later?" Burt chuckled. "You two must miss each other a lot."
"Dad, you don't even know. It's almost worse because not only is it so close, but our free time and busy times are swapped. When I have nothing to do, he's in a class. When he has nothing to do, I'm at the internship." Kurt looked frustrated.
"Soon you two will be back together." Carole smiled. "Kurt, when do you have to be out?"
"Literally whenever. David will only let me give him $100 rent and will only let me pay the water bill." Kurt shrugged.
"Are you on the lease?"
"Actually, no. Technically his parents are on the lease… which is why he won't let me pay him… and he's got another semester of medical school left after we graduate."
"And he will officially have an MD after his name." Blaine added excitedly. "I'm so ready for this. I'm actually more ready for him to graduate than I am for me."
Carole laughed.
"No, he's working his butt off. He literally works full time at the hospital and part time at a pediatrics office." Blaine said.
"He works seven days a week. Last week he had a Tuesday off at both and he had no idea what to do with himself." Kurt laughed. "He just sent me gifs all day."
"Me too. Did he send you the one with the kangaroo?"
"No." Kurt shook his head.
Blaine literally gasped and pulled out his phone. "I cried laughing… in the middle of Bob's office. Luckily he hadn't made it in from court yet because he would have really judged me."
"And you're about to graduate from Harvard Law?" Burt chuckled.
"Hold on. You'll understand when you see it." Blaine held a finger up and then handed his phone to Kurt.
"Oh my God. That is so stupid." Kurt passed it to Burt and Carole.
"I know. That's why it's so great. I want to cry again just thinking about it." Blaine said, causing Burt to laugh at him.
"Okay, let's get out of here. We've got to get Blaine home and then a long drive back to Kurt's place." Burt stood, taking his card out of the tray the waitress had brought back with his receipt.
"But, seriously, Kurt… you don't even find it a little bit funny?" Blaine asked, catching up to Kurt who had walked towards the exit.
"If I say I think it's funny, will you let me have the bigger closet in the new apartment?" Kurt smiled sweetly.
"We both know you're going to get it anyway." Blaine sighed.
"Then yes. It's hilarious." Kurt smiled sweetly and then opened the door to the backseat. "After you."