Kurt snuffled in his sleep and Blaine wondered if he had a cold coming on. Time for Mrs. Ginzbergs Chicken Soup, he thought as he slipped out of the bed, making sure Kurt stayed asleep. He stroked his boyfriends cheek just to see him smile.

Blaine put on his jeans and pulled a polo shirt over his head, smoothing it down as he toed into his loafers and picked up his cell, walking into the hallway and closing his door gently. He didnt want Kurt to wake up yet, he had things to do.

First he dialed the delicatessen and ordered a large container of chicken matzo ball soup and hot pastrami sandwiches. He added a Nicoise Salad for good measure. Then he sat on a bench in the hallway, knowing the next conversation would take a while. He called the hospital and asked for his brothers office.

“Hey, Susan, is Coop in?” he asked politely of his brothers secretary, who also happened to be Trents sister.

“He is, Blaine, you just caught him. He was headed home,” came her cheery voice. For the millionth time Blaine wondered when his brother would get a clue and ask Susan to go out with him. He knew she was in love with the grumpy doctor and Blaine really liked her. Well, one day, maybe, he thought as he waited for Cooper to answer.

“Dr. Anderson,” came Coopers voice.

“Its me. Listen, do you have a few minutes? I need to talk to you about something,” Blaine asked.

“You sound serious, Squirt. Is something wrong?” Coop asked.

“No...well, yes. Yesterday Kurt was caught alone in the hallway at school and got beaten up. I borrowed Trents car and got there as fast as I could – I called Burt first of course – and met them at the ER. Kurt is okay, but he got a concussion and the guy shattered his prosthesis. He sprained his wrist, too, so hes in a wheelchair until they can get him the new leg and his wrist heals,” Blaine said, feeling upset all over again.

“Where is he now?”

“In my dorm, asleep. Trent and I took him for a ride on Rocky today to get his mind off of it,” Blaine said. Cooper laughed.

“Is that old horse still alive? I remember him when Annie was a kid,” Coop said, remembering the eldest of Trents sisters.

“Yeppers. I think Kurt had a good time,” Blaine said. “I called his prosthetist first thing and theyre working on a new prosthesis now. Im worried about him, though. I had this idea, and Im pretty sold on making it happen, but I do want your opinion,” Blaine said, tapping his foot on the floor in nervous anticipation. He really wanted this to work and he knew Cooper could stop it if he disagreed.

“Whats that, kid?”

“I want Kurt to go to Dalton. I think hes in danger at McKinley. Its a public school with mediocre teachers and no discipline. Kurt is smart enough to keep up with Daltons curriculum and graduating from Dalton will get him into almost any college of his choice. I think if I talk to the Headmaster he might grant a scholarship. Our family has given so much to this school, I think Im safe calling in a favor for once.”

Cooper sat at his desk, thinking it over. It wasnt as if this was unexpected. He knew his little brother was in love with the boy hed rescued. Cooper liked Kurt, liked Burt, too. He knew Kurt was worth investing in, and he knew Kurt wouldnt make him regret it if Cooper arranged the help for him.

“Okay, Blaine. Ill back you. Do you want me to call Burt?” the doctor asked.

“No, I can do that. It was my idea after all,” Blaine said. “Thanks, Coop. Youre the best.”

“Yeah, dont forget that, Squirt. Now, do I have to buy your Beau a polo pony, too?” he joked.

Blaine laughed. “Nope. Thats what I”m getting him for his birthday.” And Blaine hung up. Cooper just sat there, looking at the cell phone. He rolled his eyes. He probably will, too, Cooper thought.

Getting up from his desk, Cooper walked through the secretarys office, stopping to kiss Susan and take her hand.

“Dinner at my house tonight?” he asked and Susan nodded, kissing him again.

Kurt woke up to the smell of hot delicious food. He knew it was chicken soup from Mrs. Ginzbergs right away. He turned over to rub the sleep from his eyes and saw Blaine setting the table. Blaine noticed Kurt waking up and came to sit on the bed next to him.

“Hey, Beau, did you rest well?” he asked, wondering if the cold was contagious. He kissed Kurts cheek, then sprinkled kisses down his neck, grinning as Kurt blushed. Kurts blushes were so adorable. “Im just getting supper on the table, are you hungry?”

“Starving. Can I help with supper?” Kurt asked, sitting up straighter and swinging his leg over the edge of the bed.

“No, its all ready. All I need to do is get you over there and its ready to eat. Do you want water or iced tea?” Blaine asked.

“Tea sounds good, thank you,” Kurt replied and got to the edge of the bed, swinging himself into the wheelchair and going the short distance to the table, pushing along with only one hand, his foot on the floor to guide him.

“Hey, you do that pretty well, cowboy. Youre not going to need me pretty soon, are you?” Blaine said, his lower lip sticking out.

“Ill always need you, silly goose. Always,” Kurt said, grabbing Blaines necktie and pulling him close to kiss. “Hey, dinner smells wonderful! Mrs. Ginzbergs soup?”

“Yes, and your favorite Nicoise Salad, too. I think you have an unhealthy love of olives, Beau, but I asked for extras anyway,” Blaine told him and Kurt grinned, kissing Blaines cheek as he took an olive from the serving plate.

“Is Trent coming to eat with us?” Kurt asked. Their friend often joined them for supper on the weekends.

“No, hes got a command performance at home tonight. I think Annies oldest is graduating and Trent offered to help her with her college applications. Nope, its just you and me tonight,” Blaine smiled. He thought that about half-way through the meal would be the best time to ask Kurt about transferring to Dalton.

They sat in companionable silence during dinner, eating the wonderful food, Kurt feeding Blaine a choice bit of pastrami and Blaine feeding him olives. They started the conversation with Blaine asking how Kurt was feeling.

“Im fine. I might be starting a bit of a cold -which I see you noticed because you got me chicken soup,” he grinned at Blaine.

“How are you going to do on Monday, going back to McKinley?” he asked and Kurt blanched. He did not want to think about it. It was difficult enough to attend that school, but in the wheelchair – which he couldnt even navigate properly with his wrist in a cast – he was dreading it.

“Im going to be fine. Im always fine, you know?” Kurt tried to brave it.

“No, you arent. I know most of the time your friends have your back, but Rachel knew you were vulnerable and she left you alone in that hallway. I have a few choice words for that girl. What happens next time?” Blaine said, not meaning to sound so forceful, but it did come out like that.

“Blaine, I was fine before I met you and Ill continue to be fine. Yes, I had an incident, but I cant let every little bump in the road dictate my whole life. I cant run scared, Blaine. It would be the end of me,” Kurt said, getting emotional. He hated looking weak in the eyes of anyone, and Blaine?...well, that was the worst.

“What would you say if I told you that you dont have to worry about it any more. That you dont have to go back there,” Blaine asked, taking Kurts hand in support.

“What are you talking about?” he asked. The thought of never having to go to McKinley again was too sweet to contemplate.

“The details arent worked out yet, but I think I can do something about it. How would you like to come here and attend Dalton with me?” Blaine asked, his eyes lighting up as he thought of all the time he could spend with Kurt.

“Dont tease me, Anderson. That would be a dream come true, but I wasnt born with a silver spoon in my mouth and thats the bottom line, isnt it? My dad cant afford the tuition, much less the room and board here,” Kurt sighed, “Damn it, he probably cant afford the uniform!” Kurt sat looking even more sad than he already did.

“Beau, I am talking with the Headmaster on Monday morning. My family has donated so much to this school, and I mean in the millions - I think they owe me. You can live with me in this dorm, so no extra expense there, youll just need to work hard to catch up on classes – and I know you can do that. Trent and I can help. So, what do you say?” Blaine asked.

Kurt just looked at him. Blaine had no idea how many days Kurt had sat and daydreamed of just that scenario while he tried to stay awake in another boring class at McKinley. He didnt want to think about it until it was certain because he couldnt have that ripped away from him after he thought it would happen.

“Have you talked to Dad about it?” Kurt asked.

“Not yet. I wanted to know if you liked the idea first. Im guessing thats a yes?” Blaine asked.

“Yes, Blaine. You know Id love it,” Kurt said.

“Then I”ll get the ball rolling. Now, eat your soup, I got cheesecake for dessert.”

That night as Blaine was falling asleep he felt Kurts hands reach around him.

“Bee?”

“Yeah, Beau?”

“Can you hold me? Im cold,” Kurt said quietly. Hed felt chilly all day and with riding the horse and all, he was overtired.

“Sure, baby. Come here,” Blaine coaxed, tugging Kurt close and kissing his hair. “Comfy?”

“Yeah. Thanks, Blaine. Thats better,” he said and closed his eyes.

Just as the clock turned midnight, Blaine woke up. He wasnt sure why, he was usually a pretty sound sleeper. He felt for Kurt, but the bed was empty. Sitting up, he spotted Kurt in his wheelchair on the other side of the room, curled into himself, his head in his hands.

“Hey, Beau, whats wrong?” he asked and Kurt jumped.

“Nothing. Go back to sleep. Im fine,” Kurt snapped.

Blaine laid back down, but kept his eyes on his boyfriend. Kurt turned the chair around so Blaine couldnt see him, but he could hear him sobbing.

Getting out of bed, Blaine walked over to Kurt. He picked him up out of the chair and sat down on the sofa, Kurt on his lap. Kissing his cheeks and running his hand through Kurts hair, he waited until the boy had gotten a hold of himself before speaking.

“Kurt, I know it isnt nothing. You dont break down over nothing. Tell me whats going on. Did you have a nightmare?” Blaine asked.

“No. I have those all the time. No, its the ghost.....I cant do anything about it. It goes away for long periods of time, but it always comes back. Ive had all kinds of treatments and medicine for it, and I can stand it during the day when Im busy – but at night it keeps me from sleeping.”

“Wait..a ghost?” Blaine looked at Kurt to be sure he was serious.

“A phantom. Have you heard of phantom limb pain?” Kurt asked.

“Yes, Ive heard the term. It means your leg hurts even though its gone, right?”

“Yeah. Sometimes it just feels cold – like last night when I asked you to hold me? My phantom leg was cold and it makes the rest of me cold, too. It usually happens in cycles, first cold then tingling, itching, hot, then pain.”

“Oh, Beau, Im so sorry. Can I help?” Blaine asked.

“Maybe. It can help sometimes if I put a hot towel on the stump or if I can massage it,” he said.

“Okay, Ill go get you a nice hot towel. Take off your pajama pants for me, I”ll be right back,” Blaine told him.

Kurt struggled to get them off, then waited. He could see the steam coming from the bathroom, then Blaine was back, a wet towel in one hand, a dry one in the other. He spread the dry towel on the sofa, helped Kurt shift over on top of it, then folded the steaming one. Kurt had removed the stump sock and Blaine set the hot towel on the end of the stump.

“That okay, not too hot?” he asked.

“It feels good,” Kurt said, and Blaine put his arms around his boyfriend to hold him.

“Okay, how long do we do this? Do I need to bring more?”

“Only about ten minutes, that should do it. Are you up for massaging?”

“Yes, of course. I just hate that youre hurting. Do they know why this happens?” Blaine asked.

“Not exactly. Some doctors think the brains memory of pain is retained and is interpreted as pain. Ive tried a few medications that address that: mild anti-depressants, beta-blockers, even anti-convalescents. Narcotic pain medications sometimes work, but I hate that drugged feeling. I have a bottle of oxycodone, but I dont use it very often.”

“Maybe you could use one now?” Blaine asked, Kurt looked like he was in a lot of pain.

“Yeah, its in my bag,” Kurt said. Blaine went over and found the bottle, shaking out one white pill and giving it to Kurt.

“There are other treatments, but we didnt have the money to pay for the classes in things like meditation and biofeedback. I dont know if theyd work anyway. Mostly I just ride it out; its gone in a few days and usually wont come back for a month or more,” Kurt explained.

“There has to be something we can do. Ill look into biofeedback classes if you want to try it. Cooper will know where to find information on that,” Blaine said, trying to think of another alternative.

After sitting with the heated towel for twenty minutes, during which time Blaine changed towels twice, he helped Kurt back into bed. Digging through his bedside table drawers, he found a bottle of massage oil and poured some in his hand.

“Tell me if Im too rough, okay?” he warned and Kurt nodded. Blaine touched the residual leg, smearing the oil over the skin and then rubbing firmly but gently. He started at the groin where thigh met pelvis and worked his way down to the scar at the end of the stump. Kurt lay back with his hands over his face, anticipating more pain, but it actually felt good. Blaine was apprehensive about touching the stump, much less rubbing it, but Kurt seemed to like the gentle stimulation.

“Its going away, Bee. Honestly, it feels better already,” he said in wonder. He had been prepared to wait all night before it got better. That was the way it usually went. Since Kurts room was on the main floor of the house and Burts was upstairs, Kurt had been able to hide the problem from his father for quite a while now.

“Have you talked to your doctor about this?” Blaine asked.

“Not recently. What would be the point, after all? He wasnt able to fix it before,” Kurt said with anger in his voice.

“Maybe theyve improved the treatment? There is research done all the time, it wouldnt hurt to ask maybe?”

“Okay. I have a check-up next month. I have to have a PET scan every year. Ill ask then,” Kurt agreed reluctantly. He knew if he didnt agree that Blaine would go do it himself.

“What is a PET scan?” Blaine asked.

“Its a nuclear X-ray of sorts, its to detect cancer if it metastisizes. So far, after the amputation, Ive been clear, but you never know. Cancer is tricky sometimes, it goes into remission and then crops up again with no warning. Ive been clear for seven years, but they do it as a precaution.”

Blaine was blindsided by the feeling this simple statement invoked in him and knew he would have staggered to his knees if hed been standing. He hadnt even thought that a recurrence would be possible after something as drastic as an amputation. He didnt want Kurt to know how alarmed he was, but his arms circled his boyfriends body and held him close for a moment. Blaine got a hold of himself and leaned back again, successfully hiding his fear from Kurt.

“How does it feel now, Beau? Did the heat help?” Blaine asked, watching Kurts face.

“The pain is much better, thank you, Bee,” Kurt whispered into Blaines ear as he cuddled close. “But all this massaging...Im pretty sure that if you move a few inches to the right....”

“No, Kurt. You need to go to sleep. You told me yourself that youre tired from all the riding today,” Blaine objected, although he didnt stop stroking Kurts leg. He was still freaked out at the thought that Kurt might be fragile enough to have the cancer come back.

“Speaking of riding...” Kurt laughed.

“You just have sex on the brain tonight, Beau. Whats up with that?”

“When dont you have sex on your mind?”

“Point taken. Now, turn over and go to sleep,” Blaine said, not meaning it, of course.

Kurt rolled over, but pushed his butt into Blaines groin and wiggled. Blaine giggled.

“Oh, feeling better are you?” he asked.

“And better all the time. What are you going to do about it?” Kurt asked, feigning innocence.

“Oh, Beau...I love a challenge,” Blaine said, scooting closer and rutting against Kurts shapely backside. Kurt let out a little whimper.

Blaine turned Kurt over, bringing Kurt face to face and kissing the boy with all of his heart. Blaine had wanted to stop himself from getting too attached to Kurt in the beginning. He was worried that Kurt would think he was being insincere, that he was just trying to just get in his pants. Well, if the truth were known, he did want to get there one day, but he wanted more. He wanted Kurt long term, to have a relationship with for as long as they could. Blaine had admitted to himself that he was in love with Kurt and the thought of not having him for the rest of his life was scary. This whole thing was scary.

“What do you want, Beau?”

“You.”

“Yes, but what do you want me to do?” Blaine asked, loving it when Kurt told him exactly what he wanted.

Kurt kissed Blaines neck, skimming his lips over the tender skin, trying not to moan as he thought of all the things he wanted to share with Blaine.

“Suck me,” he whispered, “and Ill suck you at the same time.”

Blaine felt his blood rush down to pool in his pelvis, the heat collecting in his belly as his head began to swim.

“Okay, baby,” he agreed and pulled back the sheets to turn in the bed. He removed the pajamas he was wearing as Kurt did the same, then settled on his side. He took Kurts erection in hand and wet his lips, licking the tip at first to start, then sliding down his cock as far as he could reach. He swirled his tongue in circles around the circumference, sucking lightly to start. It was good, but not as good as it was a few seconds later when Kurt took Blaine into his own mouth.

Neither could speak, but they were anything but quiet. Blaines head was still dizzy, getting more so as he let himself just go, no restraint, and give Kurt the best blowjob he could. He was trying to concentrate on what he was doing, which was hard considering his brain was short-circuiting with pleasure, and Kurt was squirming around. Kurt finally settled, drawing him further in with mild sucking, the friction pulling back, then engulfing him again. Kurts hands were kneading his cheeks, stroking and rubbing when suddenly there was a finger slowly circling his entrance. Blaine gasped, not expecting his shy boyfriend to go there, but obviously hed found some lube and was intent on making this a blowjob to remember.

Blaine stopped sucking, he was afraid of biting down or something while he lost his mind with the intense feeling of the slick finger and the amazing sucking, licking, attention to his cock. Faster than he could even imagine, he was moaning to Kurt that he was close when the heat traveled through his belly, his muscles stiff and unforgiving as the finger breached his ring of muscle only to find that sweet, sweet spot and he erupted like a volcano. Kurt tried so hard to keep him in his mouth, but Blaine was moving too much and Kurt let go.

A few long minutes later, Blaine opened his eyes. His cheek and neck were covered with warm, sticky semen and Kurt was trying to wash it off.

“Hey, its fine, Beau. Here, give me the cloth,” Blaine managed to say. He cleaned himself off and sat up. “Wow, Kurt. Ahhh....that was unexpected.”

“Im sorry about your face...I didnt get any in your eye, did I?” he asked, his face red – whether from blushing or from sex Blaine wasnt sure.

“Its okay, but I think I owe you a blowjob...” Blaine smiled and Kurt smiled back.

“Ah, no...when you made that noise and you came – well, I couldnt help it. Im sorry I got it all over your face, Bee,” Kurt said, turning pink.

“Where...?” Blaine started to ask about the lube but Kurt interrupted.

“Your drawer in the nightstand. I keep mine there and I thought...and it was within reach...didnt you like it?”

“Yes, I liked it...I think youre digesting the proof of that right now,” Blaine joked and Kurts face got three shades redder. Then he started to laugh. Blaine joined him and they cuddled together, arms around each other as they laughed.

“Lets hit the shower, Beau, then we can get some sleep. Your dad called when you were sleeping earlier and invited us to dinner tomorrow.”