Chapter Text
Blaine holds Micah in his arms, sitting on the child-sized hospital bed and aching for his hurting son. They had decided to do this after they worried about Micah’s socialization skills, and mainly his safety. After one long year of debating what to do – to leave Micah solely in the community he was born with, or to attempt to drag him into the hearing world – they decided as parents, they did not feel secure enough.
So they had gotten Micah a cochlear implant. It was in his right ear. His one-year-old son didn’t know what was happening, and Blaine couldn’t help but feel a little guilty. He had read and watched everything he could – accounts from deaf parents with hearing children, hearing parents with deaf children, documentaries about hearing families and the Deaf community’s debate over cochlear implants. He knew that a lot of Deaf people didn’t approve of cochlear implants, especially when it was not the child’s choice. But in the end, they had decided they had to do what was best for their son. And in their case, Micah needed to be able to hear.
Still, they would sign with him, Blaine and Kurt promised one another that they would try and let Micah be part of both communities, if he wanted. It was his choice. When he was older, if he decided to get another implant, it would be his choice. But Kurt, especially, worried so much. What if Micah wandered away at the store, or the market? There would be no way to find him if he couldn’t communicate with anyone, and couldn’t hear a blaring PA telling him to come to wherever lost little boys and girls gathered. And Blaine and Kurt, try as they might, could not learn an entire language in a year. They needed to be able to speak to Micah, to teach him things, and they didn’t know how to do that solely in sign. And so, the decision was made.
He wondered if they were being selfish, but at the same time, he knew they was doing what needed to happen for their family. But right now, when Micah is curled in his lap, whimpering sadly and Blaine holding his tiny wrist gently to make sure he doesn't bat at the bandages on his head, he can't help but ache for his son. It doesn't matter if this was the right choice or not, just now. Right now, Micah is hurting, and Blaine needs to comfort him.
Kurt comes into the room from the hallway where he's been talking to Burt on the phone. He sits next to Blaine.
“I know we’ve been over this a lot,” Blaine starts. “But… I just… Hope we made the right choice.”
Kurt nods. They've debated for months despite some of their friends telling them to leave their son deaf would be abuse. Kurt holds out his arms and Blaine transfers Micah into Kurt’s lap. Micah whines before settling against Kurt’s chest, burying his small head in Kurt’s shirt.
“It’s gonna be okay,” Kurt says quietly. “We’re not… fixing him like Brittany said. It’s just doing what’s best… for us, so we can do the best for him.”
Blaine leans against Kurt’s shoulder, closing his eyes. Despite the cutting hospital smell on their clothes and Micah and the air, he still detects Kurt’s scent, reassuring him. “Yeah,” Blaine breathes out. “Yeah, okay.”