Blaine was by Kurts side in a second, reaching to hold him, bring him some comfort. What he got was a punch to his stomach. It was lucky that Kurt was not fully awake because it hurt enough just being a random blow.

“Hey, Kurt! What the hell...” Blaine burst out before he regained his senses and made himself calm down. He sat a few feet from Kurt, wondering what the hell he was going to do now. Kurt was thrashing on the bed, looking as if he were still asleep but maybe having a nightmare?

“Kurt, can you hear me?” Blaine asked. Kurt just lay there, his chest going up and down as he hyperventilated. Blaine knew he wasnt really going to harm himself with just that – the worst he could do would be to feel dizzy and pass out. For a split second Blaine wished he would.

“Kurt. Do you know where you are?”

Kurt stopped thrashing and Blaine could see he was doing his best to lie still and collect himself. “Yeah, Im on this island with you,” he said, quietly. He had stopped breathing so heavily and turned his body away from Blaine.

Blaine moved to sit beside him and asked if he could touch him.

“Why?” Kurt asked.

“I just want to try to help you feel calmer. I wont do anything to hurt you, Kurt,” he said. Then he waited. Finally Kurt turned on his back.

“Okay,” he whispered. If Blaine hadnt been right next to the scared boy, he would never have heard it.

Blaine placed his hand gently on Kurts chest and rubbed small circles, going up towards his neck – which he skipped because most people are ticklish there. He placed his fingers on Kurts temples and rubbed, his soft warm hands making Kurts headache better. They stayed there for a while, Kurts eyes closed as Blaine gave him comforting touches to get him to stay calm.

“Now, tell me what happened,” Blaine suggested in a very soft voice and Kurt began to tell him about his fathers heart attack and his idea to take him on a vacation so he didnt have to think about his shop when he was too ill to go back yet. He told Blaine all about how happy he was that they could go, about the terrible shopping choices his dad made, making them both laugh as Kurt described the loud Hawaiian print shirts with Bermuda shorts and Birkenstocks with socks.

“I thought it would be the best thing for him, but he got sick again. We had to take him in a helicopter to St Thomas and then I had an anxiety attack apparently, although I dont really remember having one. It was confusing and I was so scared.”

“Tell me about that,” Blaines voice asked and Kurt stopped.

“What? Oh - dont I know your voice from somewhere?” Kurt asked, a puzzled look now crossing his face.

“Maybe. Where do you think you know me from?” he asked.

“Youre the voice at the hospital. Arent you? You were there and held me when I was so scared about my dad,” Kurt tried to turn his face to see Blaine, but of course he couldnt actually see him. Kurt let out a small grunt if frustration at that.

“Yes. I didnt recognize you at first, when you saved my life in the sea, but I did once we were on land. I didnt want to scare you any more than you already were, Kurt, so forgive me for not telling you, but Im glad you remembered,” Blaine said, continuing to rub Kurts temples.

“Youre a doctor. Did you see my dad? There were a few other people in the room. Which one was you?” Kurt asked.

  “I dont think you saw me. When I was helping you, your eyes were tight shut. By the time we got the medication into you, you were unconscious. I stayed with you for over an hour, but another emergency came in and I had to go to help a little girl. Your dad was with you by then, so I knew you would be okay. Im sorry I had to leave after promising to stay, I did try my best,” Blaine tried to explain, feeling somehow inadequate.

“Its okay, you made me feel safe. You did it again this morning...thank you, Dr....ah...”

“Well, its Anderson, but please call me Blaine. I much prefer it - were friends, arent we? Not just doctor and patient. Right?” Blaine wanted Kurt to be his friend. He didnt think too deeply about why he wanted this so much, he just did.

“Okay....Blaine.” Kurt said, not sure about calling a doctor by his first name, no matter that hed been calling him that since they landed on the island.

They sat quiet for a while, Kurt able to relax a bit more, enjoying the massage. His headache was almost gone.

“So, Doc, whats your professional opinion about my head? Why am I blind now?” Kurt asked, trying to sound nonchalant but Blaine could hear the anxiety underneath.

“Without diagnostic testing, there is no way to know for sure. I can hazard a guess, but it might not be accurate,” he said, worried that he might upset Kurt.

“Just a guess would be fine. Im not going to turn you into the AMA if youre wrong you know,” Kurt attempted to joke.

“Okay, this is my best guess considering your symptoms and what you told me. I think that when you were struck with the flying debris, it hit your head hard enough to make your brain bleed. I think that it caused some blood to get into or around the nerve that governs your vision, your optic nerve. That would be explain why you werent blind immediately, your sight fading and blurring as the bleeding continued for a while and kept increasing the pressure on that nerve, eventually blocking it so much that it caused total blindness. It took time to bleed enough to block your vision. I think when we get back to civilization there could be a quick surgery to clear this up and youll see again. The other thing that might happen is that the blood will dissipate and you will gradually see again without any interference from the medical community,” Blaine said. He sighed, not wanting to tell Kurt the rest, but knowing the boy had the right to know. He took a deep breath and went on.

“Its also possible that it damaged the nerves enough that you will always be blind, but Im hoping that isnt the case.”

Kurt sat still, taking this all in. It sounded like good news, but he wasnt sure. He didnt really know Blaine or how good a doctor he was or even his specialty. Kurt wanted to believe him, he wanted it so badly.

“I also have something to tell you that might be good news. My cell is broken...it got waterlogged and I cant make calls. For some reason it kept the last transmission I got yesterday after I was swept off the ferry. Shall I read it to you?”

Kurt nodded.

To: Dr. B. Anderson: Re: Updates: patient status: Dawson, C. upgraded to fair; Hummel, B. upgraded to good and released; Speyer, J. guarded, trans to ICU.

“So, they let my dad out last night?” Kurt asked.

“Yes. He didnt have a heart attack, Kurt. Didnt they explain that to you?” Blaine asked.

“Yeah, but I was pretty upset after having been there for the first one. He was in a coma for three weeks that time. I was so scared,” Kurt whispered.

“I know. This time we got him on the right medication and he just needs to get back with his cardiologist where you live. I forgot, where is that?”

“Lima, Ohio.”

Blaine laughed.

“Whats so funny?” Kurt asked.

“I grew up a skip and a jump away from there. Im from Westerville.”

“Oh, Im so sorry. Wow, bad news – no wonder youre hanging around the Virgin Islands,” Kurt smirked.

“Hey, whats wrong with Westerville?” Blaine said, suddenly on the defensive for his hometown. Then he wondered why - he had hated living in Ohio. Hed moved to New York the minute he graduated.

“Well, for one thing its the home of our arch rivals, the Dalton Warblers. Theyre a...”

“Show Choir,” Blaine finished for him. Kurt sat with his mouth open for a moment, then got control of himself.

“How did you know that?”

“I was their lead singer for three years. We won Nationals those three years, Kurt. I am well aware of the Warblers,” he said with a laugh in his voice. “And you should be thankful, too. Your Dads cardiologist at the hospital in St Thomas was Wes Montgomery. He was a Warbler with me,” Blaine finished. Kurt grinned.

“Well, I guess well have to go easy on them at Regionals this year, right?” Kurt said, tongue firmly in cheek. Blaine hit him lightly on the shoulder.

“Oh, really? Youre in show choir?”

“The New Directions,” Kurt said proudly.

“The what?” Blaine asked, trying to recall a team with that name. “I thought Vocal Adrenaline was the choir from around there,” Blaine said.

“Oh, you wound me, Dr. Anderson! Actually, there probably wasnt another one from Lima when you were there – what was that, twenty years ago or so?”

Blaine choked. “How old do you think I am, Mr. Hummel?”

“If youre a doctor...well, much older than me!”

“Ill have you know I am only 27. I graduated early and went straight to pre-med at Columbia. So it was less than ten years,” Blaine said.

“Only ten?” Kurt laughed again. Blaine rolled his eyes and made a scoffing sound, giving Kurt a play fist to his upper arm. He giggled.

“I need to go get some dinner ready and drag that seagrape down to the shore for the signal fire.”

“Ill help. My headache is mostly gone and youre so short, you probably need help over those dunes, right?”

“Its about time you decided to pull your own weight,” Blaine said, trying to kid with Kurt, but without being able to see his face, Kurt misunderstood. He resolved to do something to make himself more useful.

“If its okay, I think I might just stay here for a while. Ill help you stack firewood or something when you get back,” Kurt said and turned to find his way back to the shelter.

Blaine looked at him with concern, he had seemed fine just a few minutes ago.

“Okay, well – rest if you can. Does your head still hurt?” Blaine asked.

“Yeah, where that gash is. I think if I just lie down for a while Ill be right as rain when you get back,” Kurt lied.

“All right,” Blaine said and walked down to the beach, his arms full of seagrape.

<+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+>

Kurt stumbled over the rocks but caught himself. He had always been graceful and it hadnt taken much time for him to find his new balance even with the blindness. He could walk on a straight, flat surface fairly well. Climbing on the rocks was proving to be a bit more difficult.

He had known there were cliffs towards the north of the beach because Blaine had told him and it stood to reason that if there was a spring on this island, it would be somewhere up here.

He walked along, tapping the long piece of bamboo in front of him to make sure he didnt fall off the cliff, but like most teenagers he didnt stop to think that this was dangerous. It was very hot this afternoon and he had the foresight to take along a jar of water that Blaine had left for him. He stopped to take a small swig and wiped his mouth – although he had been so careful that there was no wasted water on his lips, it was habit.

He stopped every so often to listen, thinking there might be some small animals on the island – maybe a lizard or something he could bring back. He shook his head – how silly was that? He couldnt see to chase an animal. Maybe, though, if he could hear them moving they might lead him to water.

That might have seemed silly, but in the end it turned out to be at least partially true. He heard some birds chirping and followed them only to feel the stick hit the ground and then sink just a bit. He knelt down and felt water under his hands. Following the wetness, he could feel along the rocks until it was dry. The spring was coming up from the split behind the rocks and Kurt could feel it running over his hand. He knew it probably was a dumb thing to do, but he tasted the water.

It was cool and sweet and everything he ever imagined the fountain of youth would taste like. It was ambrosia. He was so excited that he wanted to share his discovery with the only other person he could, so he called out to Blaine.

There was no response and Kurt was suddenly afraid. How would Blaine find him? How far had he walked? It didnt seem like it was very far. Then another thought presented itself in his mind: how was he going to find his way back? And if he did, how could he tell Blaine where the spring was? He sat down, suddenly unhappy with himself. Why didnt he think this out before just jumping into it?

Sitting there on the hard rock, he thought he could hear something in the far distance. It might be Blaine, so he jumped up and started shouting as loudly as he could.

“Blaine! Blaine! Im here!”

“Where?” came the faint sound of Blaine from far away.

“On the top of some rocks! I think its north of the beach!” Kurt called.

“Kurt? Yell or something. I cant hear you,” Kurt heard even more faintly. Blaine seemed to be moving away, so Kurt decided to do something that would carry his voice farther.

He did it before he had given it much thought...he knew his singing voice was very high – he was a countertenor after all, so he sang out:

“Who will buy
This wonderful morning?
Such a sky
You never did see!

Who will tie
It up with a ribbon
And put it in a box for me?

So I could see it at my leisure
Whenever things go wrong
And I would keep it as a treasure
To last my whole life long.

Who will buy
This wonderful feeling?
Im so high
I swear I could fly

Me, oh my!
I dont want to lose it
So what am I to do
To keep the sky so blue?
There must be someone who will buy...”

Blaine was rushing through the trees, following Kurts voice. He broke through and saw up on the top of the rocks a fair distance away Kurt was standing, holding a bamboo stick and singing. He had a wonderful voice and it went booming all over the island, so sweet and clear. Blaine couldnt help but join in. He sang along as he rushed to catch up with Kurt.

“Who will buy
This wonderful morning?
Such a sky
You never did see!

Who will tie
It up with a ribbon
And put it in a box for me?

Therell never be a day so sunny,
It could not happen twice.
Where is the man with all the money?
Its cheap at half the price!

Who will buy
Who will buy
This wonderful feeling?
Im so high
I swear I could fly.
Me, oh my!
I dont want to lose it
So what am I to do
To keep the sky so blue?”

“Hey, Oliver! I know you said you sang in show choir, but that was amazing! I love your voice!” Blaine crowed, throwing his arms around Kurt.

Kurt was pushed off balance and struggled to keep from falling on the rocks by grasping Blaine around his neck and holding tight. Blaine realized the danger and held Kurt until he could regain his balance, then he relaxed his hold but didnt let go.

“Oh...sorry, I didnt mean to knock you over, Kurt, are you okay?” Blaine asked.

“Yeah...gosh, you are such a puppy, Blaine. Are you sure youre a doctor? I mean, arent doctors supposed to be calm, serious and sedate? Youre just a bundle of bouncing Tigger,” Kurt said without thinking.

“That was part of the problem, I just wasnt seen as serious enough and then when Brooke died...” he stopped. How had that slipped out? He changed gears, trying to cover up what hed said. “How did you get all the way up here? I had trouble navigating these rocks, how did you manage?”

Kurt heard the change in tone and guessed that Blaine didnt mean to mention the girl...Brooke? Well, he had things in his own past that he didnt want to share, so he cut Blaine some slack and ignored his slip-up.

“I wanted to be of some use, so I went looking for a water source or food or something. It was just serendipity that I came across this,” he smiled, bending down to scoop some of the cool water into his hands.

“Oh, wow...thats a godsend. If thats good water, were in luck. I mean, it doesnt rain here very often I dont think,” Blaine said, thankful Kurt hadnt asked about his statement about the girl.

“I...ah....tasted it,” Kurt admitted.

“Kurt, you should know better than that. Here, lets fill my jug and we can just boil it when we get back to camp. Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah. Can I...can I ask a favor?” Kurt wondered.

“Sure,” Blaine said, smiling at the bit of blush that colored Kurts cheeks. He had found himself watching Kurt openly and chastised himself because it wasnt very polite -whether Kurt knew he was doing it or not.

“Can I hold on to you to get back? Its hard to navigate on these rocks,” Kurt said.

“Of course.”

Kurt held out a hand and Blaine took it, moving it to his bicep so Kurt could follow along instead of being tugged. Blaine found himself smiling, Kurt was so cute. He was brave and seemed to be accepting his blindness more today. Blaine could only hope that he was right about the cause being blood in the nerve pathway so that it could be reversed as soon as they got back to civilization.

It turned out to be harder to go back to camp than it had been to get to the top of the cliff. Kurt stumbled a lot and was thankful that Blaine was with him to keep him from hurting himself more than was needed. Several times he might have really injured himself if not for Blaines steady arm and helping hand. They finally got back to camp and Kurt could smell something cooking.

“What is that smell? Im hungry just imagining what it could be,” Kurt said, following his nose closer to the fire pit.

“I found a tide pool with a trapped fish. I think it was a sunfish? Anyway, I caught it easily and put it on this banana leaf, then buried it in the coals of the fire. I saw some salt in the survival kit and put a tiny bit on it then wrapped it in some of the kelp I found yesterday. I hope it turns out to be okay. It sure smells good,” Blaine told the boy.

“I bet it will taste good with coconuts,” Kurt giggled. Blaines heart took a leap in his chest. Kurt was the cutest guy hed seen since he started medical school. Wait – he was also ten years younger than the doctor. Damn, Blaine chastised himself. Couldnt his hormones show some discretion?

They sat together by the fire, eating the fish and seaweed and drinking coconut water. Kurt looked very tired, his eyes had dark circles around them when Blaine changed the bandage. It was still cool in the evening, so Blaine looked over the clothes hed found in the duffel bags.

“I think these sailor shirts will fit you and maybe the bell bottom jeans as well,” Blaine said and Kurt gave him a glare. It was over his shoulder, but the man could well imagine how it would feel to have that directed right at him. “I know they arent exactly a fashion statement, Kurt, but its all we have. Unless you want to make a garment out of banana leaves with coconut shell buttons?”

Kurts face got red and he took in a deep breath, not knowing whether to laugh or huff off in a mood. He swallowed and gave a small chuckle. It was contagious, Blaine started giggling like a kid and Kurt laughed. He found he liked Blaines laugh – it was warm and good-hearted, not the cruel kind he had heard so often in the past few years. He subconsciously leaned closer to Blaine, wanting to have some kind of contact with him, just a hand on his shoulder or a brush of knees as they sat so close together. But Blaine must have been a little bit farther away than Kurt imagined because he didnt feel the contact.

“Ill just walk over behind the bushes to change to give you some privacy, Kurt,” Blaine said, placing the blue work shirt and jeans in Kurts hands. “Call out if you need help,” he said and Kurt heard him walking through the brush.

It was actually harder than he thought it would be to get himself dressed. He got his clothes off, then wondered if there were any boxers, but decided that even if there were, he didnt want to wear them. He tried to get the pants right, struggling to find the front – then thought maybe they were inside out. He finally put on the shirt and tried to button it, then went back to getting the pants on. He finally managed, finding that there was no zipper, just two rows of buttons. This guy must have been in the real Navy because Kurt was pretty sure that was standard issue.

Having achieved the buttoning of the fourteen buttons on the pants, he tried to do the shirt, but it was so frustrating he made an angry growl.

“Hows it coming, Kurt?” he heard Blaine ask from somewhere further away.

“I got the pants on, but I cant get the shirt buttoned. Can I get a little help?”

“Sure thing. Its a bit complicated, here...” Blaine walked over and unbuttoned the ones Kurt had tried. He pulled a bit to straighten the shirt and then began buttoning, his warm hands moving down Kurts chest as he did up the fasteners. Kurt let out a small sound as he felt Blaines fingers on his chest. Just that small sound from deep in his throat was enough for Blaine to feel a warmth coil in his abdomen, swirling around making him almost dizzy with sudden lust. He gritted his teeth and finished buttoning Kurts shirt.

“There!” he announced, glad to have it over with...and yet, Kurts skin was soft and warm and Blaine liked touching it. He turned away and walked back to the fire, stirring it up and adding a few more big pieces of driftwood, trying to get the feeling of touching Kurt out of his mind.

“It feels so good to have on clean clothes. I guess we can wash these tomorrow,” Kurt said, blushing a little as he thought of the feel of Blaines hands on his shirt. “I think I better get to bed – is it nighttime?” Kurt asked. It felt cooler, but he wasnt sure. It was hard to determine the time with the sun covered with clouds.

“Here, lets sit for a while if you want to,” Blaine offered, reaching for Kurts hand.

“Okay, what time do you think it is?”

“The sun is just setting, so not too late. But its been a hard day, we can go to sleep if you want to. Im pretty tired.”

They sat together on the log, not touching but close enough that Blaine could feel the warmth of Kurts leg so close to his.

“Blaine?” Kurt asked, his voice just above a whisper. Hes wanted to ask this for a long time but wasnt sure how to address it. He sighed and moved with restless energy before he said it again. Maybe Blaine had moved away?

“Blaine?” he asked again, just a bit louder.

Blaine was listening, but his attention was on Kurts face, so beautiful bathed in the last of the suns rays. It looked golden and perfect and Blaines gut wrenched again for just a second as he felt an emotion hed never felt before. Could he be falling for this teenager?

Then he remembered that Kurt had called his name twice.

“Sorry – I was off gathering wool. What did you need?” Blaine asked. He couldnt take his eyes from Kurts face.

“I was wondering if...well, if it isnt any trouble, could you tell me what the sunset looks like?”

Blaine had mentioned the sunset yesterday but his description was quick and not very colorful.

“The sun is just now halfway down, and it is a bright reddish orange. Pink streaks are filling the rest of the western sky. The colors are reflected on the water, as if there were two suns colliding and bursting with red and orange and dark pink rays. Closer to the beach the water is a dark royal blue and calm. I can hardly see a ripple from here, although I can hear the water hitting the rocks. I think it is the most beautiful thing Ive ever seen...” he said, but the last remark wasnt about the sunset. Blaine closed his eyes, the amazing sight of the boy in front of him so taboo that he couldnt look any more.

“Is it still there?” Kurt asked, trying to recall if he had seen the sunset when he was with his dad on St John. He might have, but he didnt remember.

“No, it set. The sky is still pink and red, just a few streaks of orange left. It wont be long before its dark. I can see the moon is just a sliver tonight and I can see the stars starting to twinkle in the east. I think the coming of night here is much more spectacular than it is in Ohio,” Blaine said and Kurt smiled. He got up and made his way to the blanket over the trench and soft leaves, lying down. He could hear Blaine shifting on the log, then getting up to add some wood to the fire and come into the shelter.

“Goodnight, Kurt,” he said.

“Goodnight, Blaine. Ill see you in the morning.” He said it without thinking, but the thought that he might never actually see Blaine – or anything else – made him sigh with sadness and close his eyes. Blaine had forgotten to take off his bandages and Kurt didnt want to disturb him to do it now. They rolled over facing away from the other man and started to fall asleep.

As soon as Blaines breath was slow and even, Kurt decided he must be asleep and he relaxed, letting the tears hed been holding back flow down his cheeks. They wet the bandage and it was uncomfortable, so Kurt tried to untie the knot and take it off, but it proved impossible.

After a few minutes of this, Kurt felt fingers working the knot loose and his tears fell faster, his body trembling with the effort to stop crying, but it only served to make it worse. Suddenly there were warm arms holding him close and an even warmer body pressed behind him. It was a comfort and he lost his resolve to be aloof. He shuffled down under the blanket, turning towards the warmth and snuggled close to Blaine, sniffing as the tears slowed. He felt Blaines fingertips brush the tears from his face and then there was humming – Brahms lullaby. He couldnt help but smile a tiny bit to himself as he recalled his father humming that very song to him when he was a small boy.

“Do you want to tell me about whats troubling you, Kurt?” Blaines voice came, so close he felt Blaines warm breath as it tickled his ear.

“No....not tonight. Can you...is it okay if you just hold me for a while? Im missing my dad,” Kurt asked in a whisper. He didnt want to ask, didnt want to need anyone – but the truth was that he did need someone and Blaine was so warm....Kurt nuzzled his nose into Blaines neck and closed his eyes assured that Blaine would hold him all night. He was asleep in moments.