Like he vaporized.

Blaine was gone.

Kurt was like a caged animal, pacing, checking for openings, looking for ways out of the situation. Desperation radiated off of him. Everyone tried to talk to him, tried to come up with solutions or distractions but none of that mattered. He had to keep moving, thoughts and plans tearing though his head so that he couldn't sleep couldn't eat and all because he understood a few things they did not.

The first was that Blaine was still not able to take care of himself and was very unlikely to ask anyone for help. The second was that being essentially thrown away by his father would be weighing heavily on his boyfriend who Kurt felt certain would discuss this with no one but him.

The third was that if he stopped rushing, stopped looking for solutions he would begin to think about what losing Blaine meant to him and he could not face the crushing thought of being alone again. Whenever he started to lose heart he would imagine Blaine's hand holding his, close his eyes and remember what it felt like to be pulled into his arms, to feel Blaine's hungry lips chasing and capturing his. It worked until it didn't, at first soothing him but then beginning an ache that started in his chest and radiated outward until it consumed him completely.

Kurt enlisted the help of the only person he knew who could focus on a task as completely as he could. Rachel showed up with paper and 15 different color coding pens and highlighters. "Okay, tell me exactly what Mr. Anderson told Finn."

"He said Blaine was away indefinitely, that he went somewhere that would fix him right up."

"Okay, so Blaine is somewhere that his father believes will 'fix' him, which given his injuries could be physical rehab hospital, or given how his dad feels about your relationship could be somewhere to try to shake the gay out of him. I talked to my dads and they said that depending on how far Mr. Anderson is willing to go there are actual places out there that will take gay teens in and try to brainwash them into believing they aren't gay."

She stops here to gauge Kurt's reaction. "I mean, I find that unspeakable but do you think he'd go that far?"

Kurt's eyes were far away. "Maybe." His fears for Blaine quadrupled.

They started with physical rehabilitation centers, the easiest for them to stomach. Kurt would search the internet; Rachel would list the center on a sheet of paper along with its phone number then call the center and ask to speak with Blaine, ready to identify herself as his mother if pressed. None of the centers within a 50 mile radius would admit to having a patient named Blaine Anderson. Each one she tried unsuccessfully got highlighted in green.

"What now?"

Kurt googled gay rehab Ohio but all it brought up was alcohol and drug addiction rehab centers that work with gay people. He sighed loudly; his eyes were closing at the computer.

"We're going to find him. I promise." She touched his arm.

"I mean, I know he's going to turn up eventually but I'm scared about what shape he'll be in when he does. He doesn't let people in very easily."

"Maybe that will help him, depending on where he is. You know he's fighting to find a way to get back to you too."

Kurt just looked down.

"You do know that right?" Rachel urged.

"I know he loves me. I don't know if he has fight in him anymore. I don't want him to give up, on us, but on mostly on himself. His dad really knows how to push his buttons and God only knows what he said to him before he sent him away."

"Psych hospitals."

"I'm sorry?"

"Let's check psych hospitals." She didn't elaborate, she didn't need to.

50 mile radius, nothing.

Rachel stayed awhile, they brainstormed but nothing felt right. She hugged Kurt goodbye, her heart breaking for him.

He went through the motions for his family, pushing the food around his plate at dinner, sitting in front of the television after, yawning and stretching at his earliest opportunity and heading up to his room. He never carried his phone anymore, barely looked at it since they took Blaine away from him but out of habit picked it up as he got into bed. This is when they would talk each night; his heart was heavy with the want inside him.

The message light flashed indicating he had voicemail. He looked at his missed calls and didn't recognize the number.
He hit the voicemail button, punched in his code expecting Mercedes lost another phone and needed to give him her new number. The tiniest part of him was begging for it to be Blaine, but mostly he didn't dare to hope.

"Damn it. Baby where are you? Honey, I love you. I'm in Columbus in a psychiatric hospital, They won't let me call you, my dad told them you …forced yourself on me and brain washed me into thinking I'm gay. I'm borrowing someone's phone, I don't know when I can call again, please try to see me or call me or something, but don't tell them who you are, or send Finn, my dad forbade them from letting me see anyone from your family. Kurt, honey I love you, I need you. Please find a way."

And he was gone. It was after midnight, too late to call back. Kurt sat on his bed and wept for the first time since he went missing, listening to Blaine's words again and again. Columbus, 100 miles away, he and Rachel were on the right track but weren't looking far enough.

He finally lay down and whispered into the night, "Don't worry Blaine, first thing tomorrow I'm on my way."