AUGUST 17th-18th, 1994, SEATTLE, WA
ON THE DAY before Frances Bean's second birthday, Kurt was released from rehab.
He had ended up staying for an extra two weeks, mainly for the purpose of extra precaution, but Lindy had had a feeling that this was only because Kurt was scared to rejoin the real world and disappoint everyone who he had given hope to. But even she was optimistic on the day that Kurt finally came home.
He had never looked so good in his life. He'd always been handsome of course, and devastatingly so, but his health was better than it had ever been. Not even when Lindy first met him had Kurt seemed so well and full of happiness. His desire to die, no matter how prominent it had been, had seemingly dissipated while he'd mulled over his existence in rehab.
Kim joined Lindy that day as they both went to the rehab facility to retrieve Kurt. Courtney had revamped her tour and taken Frances along with her, but Frances was due back that night with Jackie. This meant that only Kim and Lindy would be the only ones greeting Kurt's return, but Kim made for a great addition to the welcoming committee.
She was energized over the thought of seeing her newly rejuvenated brother, and even more overjoyed by Lindy's pregnancy. Lindy had entered a total pregnancy mode, with a huge round belly that stuck out far enough to make her waddle when she walked. Her knowledge of obstetrics told her that by now, the baby had reached the size of about a butternut squash, a thought that made her giggle.
Seven months of pregnancy had certainly been hard. Being alone had only made it harder. She'd dealt with nausea, swollen feet, backaches and beyond imaginable mood swings that left her feeling red-hot angry on some days and hysterically sad on others. Between Trae and Beth, and even Jack, she had had enough company to avoid complete solitude, but she'd come to the conclusion that all she really wanted was Kurt. And finally, she was about to have him again.
"I can't wait to know the gender," Kim enthused as she and Lindy pulled up to Kurt's facility. "I need to know if I'm having another niece or a nephew."
"Only two more months," Lindy smiled. Kurt's usual crowd of helpers awaited them both outside, and Lindy took the initiative to slip into a jacket that she was still capable of wrapping around her torso. She'd heard a rumor that news outlets had caught wind of Kurt's release from rehab that day, so lurking photographers were to be expected.
"Save nine months in your future schedule for me! I want you to be my surrogate if I ever meet the right woman," Kim joked as they climbed out of Lindy's car and into the circle of lingering bodyguards.
"Done," Lindy agreed, laughing as she ducked out of the car and shielded herself from her surroundings. The world would find out about Kurt Cobain's second child one day, but as Lindy had wished, that day would not come anytime soon.
Lindy and Kim entered the facility where Rosemary was, waiting for them inside.
"Oh good, you're early," Rosemary said with relief. "He's just been discharged —,"
Lindy stopped listening to Rosemary's debriefing almost immediately. She had become distracted by what was right in front of her, only a few feet down the hall and tentatively waiting to catch her eye.
When Lindy finally looked at Kurt, drinking in the sight of his health and prosperity, she felt the hardships of the last seven months melt away like snow under a beaming sun. Her face crumpled into a blinding smile and she ran, or at least she tried to run with the weight of her pregnant belly, until Kurt met her halfway in the hall and grabbed her into his arms.
He was back. Back for good, without even a hint of the notion that he'd ever leave again. She felt his hands slide down her back, one curving around her stomach as he kissed her mouth repeatedly with joy. It wasn't until she tasted the salt of her own tears that she realized she was crying — but then again, Kurt was crying too as he held Lindy against him, the only thing that put a physical barrier between them both being the rounded bump of their baby.
