Lima, Ohio – April 2012

“Why havent you joined the choir at your school?” Andy asked Kurt.

“Ah...I dont do extra curriculars at my school, Andy. You know that,” Kurt said in dismay. He wasnt in a very good mood and answering the same questions he had argued with Andy about were not making him any less cranky.

“Im not suggesting you do anything after hours, I understand why you wouldnt want to be in the school after most people had left for the day. I am thinking you could take the show choir class with your friend, Mercedes. You told me she was your first friend at McKinley, right?”

“Yes. And she wont stop badgering me ever since she found out Im a countertenor,” Kurt sighed. The truth was that he would love to join the show choir, but he was afraid. Not of the everyday class, but of going on trips if they won. He wasnt even sure why he was so afraid of that -just that it was not something he could do.

“Hey, kid, quit thinking so loud. Youre disturbing me,” Andy said, feeling around and finding Kurts shoulder to poke. He still had the bandages on from his cataract surgery. “Now, tell your old friend why you cant go to the class?”

“Im scared. There, I said it, are you happy?”

“Not exactly, but its better. I had a dear friend once and he was afraid of so much...for his whole life. I protected him too much, maybe, but it felt right at the time. I dont know any more if it was the right thing to do – to allow him that, but its what happened for better or worse. Anyway, he never got over some things that happened in high school. Never. And I dont want that for you, Kurt. So, please indulge me in this one thing and join at the semester. Its just one class and you have to take a class anyway. What were you going to take?”

“Home Ec Three. Baking,” Kurt said, ready for the storm that he knew was coming via Andy.

“What the fuck, Kurt?” Andy said. Then he froze. “Oh, kid, Im sorry. I didnt mean to say that...”

Kurt laughed. “I say it myself sometimes.”

“Honestly, Kurt. You bake like Betty Crocker married the Pillsbury Dough Boy and had a kid. Why on earth would you take that class?” Andy asked.

“Easy A?”

“Please. What about our discussion on getting ready for college? You want the best classes on your transcript, right? So, I think we can agree that Baking is out,” Andy said, pushing up the bandage to try and scratch at his itchy eye. Kurt took his hand and gently pulled it away.

“None of that, Andy. You know what the doctor said.”

Andy sighed. It was so hard on him, hearing Kurts voice and knowing what he knew now. The young boy sounded so much like Buddy, it was like having his old friend back, plus it confused him at times.

“Say, Kurt... what about changing schools?” Andy asked.

“To where? Im in McKinleys district. There are other high schools, but you have to live in the district to go there. Anyway, why would they be any different than McKinley?” he asked.

“I hadnt thought of that,” Andy mumbled, his frustration with trying to help Kurt getting desperate. He knew Kurt needed a friend, and hed tried to be that...but he just didnt feel as if hed done enough.

“Whats your whole name, Kurt? I dont know if you ever told me,” Andy asked, suddenly curious.

“Kurt Elizabeth Hummel,” he said.

“Elizabeth?”

“Yeah, well, I changed it. When my mother died, I changed it and as soon as Im of age I will have it done legally,” Kurts look of defiance was lost on Andys bandaged eyes.

“What was it before?”

“Elijah. Dont I look like someone who could bring fire from the sky, raise the dead and travel in a whirlwind on a chariot pulled by flaming horses?” he asked.

Andy laughed. “Kurt, my dear friend, I would not bet against you on any of those.”

Kurt was laughing now, but hed always disliked his middle name – even though he knew his mother did it to appease his Catholic grandmother, naming him after the biblical prophet.

Andys hand went out, but he couldnt see, so he didnt know where exactly Kurt was. He started to bring it back to his side when a warm hand slid into his grip, fingers laced with his.

“Thanks, Andy, you dont know how much I appreciate your friendship,” Kurt said very softly, trying to rein in his emotions.

“Oh, Kurt, youre welcome – but your friendship means just as much to me,” he said, and in his heart he knew it was true. This boy was special to him. This boy was his own Buddy, come back to guide him to the next part of his life. He knew it in his bones and he wasnt wrong. He closed his eyes – even though the bandages still covered them – and thanked whomever was in charge because he missed Buddy. It was getting too hard to bear when Kurt strolled into his lonely life.

“Dad?” Kurt asked as he walked in the back door, hanging up his jacket and messenger bag.

“Oh, hi, son!” Burts smile was bright and genuine. He missed coming home every day to Kurt in the kitchen, but he was glad the boy had found something that made him happy.

“I made tomato soup earlier and I thought we could have a nice salad and grilled cheese sandwiches for supper?” Kurt suggested.

“That sounds delicious, buddy, Ill go wash up and maybe I can help?”

“Sure, Dad.”

During supper, Kurt got up his nerve and asked his dad a question:

“I was wondering if we can go on a picnic tomorrow?” he asked. It was nearing the end of summer and he had an idea.

“Sure, Kurt. What brought this on? We havent had a picnic in years. Any idea where we might want to go?” he asked, grinning at Kurt.

“Not too far. Maybe the park outside town...Sanford Park? It isnt too crowded and they have good tables and the lake. I think it would be nice,” Kurt said, a little nervous. He was tapping his thumb on his fingernails, a habit he hadnt gotten rid of yet. Burt moved his hand over and touched Kurts hand, stopping the tapping.

“Okay, spill. What are you wanting to ask me?”

“I was wondering if I could bring a friend?” Kurt asked.

“Of course, Kurt. What? You have a boyfriend?” he asked, a bit more excited than he thought he would be at the thought of his son having his first boyfriend.

“No, Dad, not a boyfriend. Its someone I met at Kenton Manor Assisted Living. You remember I told you about Miss Brennas friend, Andy?” Kurt asked. “Well, Andy had cataract surgery and hes been feeling down. I thought getting out and away from the nursing home might cheer him up?”

“Sure, bud, we can do that, as long as he has permission or whatever from the people in charge,” he said.

“I can arrange that. I will go over first thing in the morning and find out what we need to do,” he said, smiling at his father.

~ ~ ~ KB ~ ~ ~

“And.....here we are!” Kurt said, telling Andy all the things to be seen from the window of the Navigator.

They got him out of the SUV and sitting at the picnic table, then Kurt set out the food on a bright tablecloth.

“Oh, that smells so good!” Andy said, grinning. He wasnt sure exactly where Kurt was, but hoped he was facing the right direction. “I used to come here with a Buddy of mine,” he said, his smile getting wider as he thought about it. “We would fish in the lake and eat the trout we caught. They used to stock this lake years ago, I dont know if they still do.”

“Yeah, I think so,” Burt said. He was beginning to like Andy. Hed had reservations at first, thinking it strange that an old man would make friends with a kid in school, but he had changed his mind. He cursed himself for always being so suspicious when it came to Kurt. Feeling guilty, he was going a bit overboard with being nice to Andy.

“Say, Kurt? Can you go back to the car and find my cane? I dont want to trip on the uneven path,” Andy said. Kurt quickly set out walking back.

“Burt?” Andy said. He could hear the man turn and assumed he was listening.

“I dont blame you for being a little wary about me being friends with Kurt, and I dont know if you have reason to believe it, but I do not wish him harm. He is safe with me. I had a very close friend who was like Kurt, and in his memory I could never do any harm to your son. He is so kind to me, reading to me, making me baked goods. He has a kind heart and I couldnt do anything to take that away,” Andy said.

“Thank you for saying that, Andy. I just...well, after losing his mother so early in life, he tends to cling to people and I worry. I hope you understand?” Burt asked.

“Yes, I do. I promise to be his friend. He needs me, Mr. Hummel.”

“Yeah, I can see he does. Okay. Now, lets get the food out!” Burt said, removing the container of potato salad from the basket.

“Would you like to walk around the lake?” Kurt asked after they had eaten.

“Maybe not today, son,” Burt said. “My knee is giving me fits again. I think Ill stay here and rest it.”

“Andy?” Kurt asked.

“I dont know if I can walk that far...but Im game to try,” Andy accepted.

Kurt walked over to help him to his feet. He put Andys hand on his elbow and tucked it in, ready to help if Andy felt unsteady on his feet. Andy smiled and thanked him.

“The fresh air...there is nothing as good as fresh air,” Andy said, enjoying the slow walk around the lake.

“I love to come here – even if going to a park sometimes reminds me of that day the bullies caught up with me. I still wonder about the big dog...I mean, he disappeared in the snap of my fingers. I only blinked my eyes and he was gone,” Kurt said.

“Oh, you might have mistaken the time, you said they threw you up against the backstop? You probably hit your head. I wouldnt give it any more thought,” Andy soothed him.

They walked slowly around the small lake, and Andy was tired by the time they got back. Kurt helped him into the vehicle and they headed home.

After dropping Burt at their house, Kurt drove Andy back to Kenton. He helped the man in to his room, stopped by the nurses station to sign him in, and then went back to find the nurse had already gotten him ready for bed.

“Gosh, I didnt know it was so late!” Kurt teased. It was barely 4:00.

“Oh, Kurt. I was just tired from the walk, so I asked that she let me nap for a while,” Andy said. Kurt went over to the bed and took Andys hand in his own warm ones.

“Thank you for going with us, you made the day so much more cheerful and bright. Goodnight, Andy,” Kurt said, leaning over. He kissed Andys forehead and put a hand on his shoulder. “Sweet dreams, my dear friend.”

“Thank you. Sweet dreams for you, too, Kurt.”

~ ~ ~ KB ~ ~ ~

“I hope I didnt wear him out too much,” Kurt said when he got home to his dad. He had a funny feeling in his stomach, a fear of some sort and he couldnt seem to shake it.

“Oh, I think hes fine. I could tell he was having a good time. So, when does he get the bandages off?” Burt asked.

“I dont know. Ill ask his nurse tomorrow. Im off to bed, Dad. Ill see you in the morning,” Kurt said and kissed his dads cheek.

~ ~ ~ KB~ ~ ~

Kenton Assisted Living Lima, Ohio

“When does Andy get his bandages off from the cataract surgery?” Kurt asked Judy the next day. She was Andys morning nurse.

“Cataract surgery? No, he didnt have cataract surgery. Who told you that?” she asked Kurt, looking at him strangely. He stood for a minute, then shook his head.

“I must be mistaken, I guess I assumed it because of his age,” Kurt said.

A call button sounded down the hallway and Judy left with her pill cart to bring someone their morning medications.

Kurt looked around both ways, seeing if any staff member was in the hallway in front of the nursing station. He knew that Sunday mornings there were less nurses on duty. He crept around the counter to the files and slid out Andys. There at the top was his name and room number. Kurt saw his real name was Blaine Devon Anderson. Hmmm. He opened the chart and leafed through the pages. Towards the end of the doctors notes were some from the hospital. No mention of cataracts. Instead, there was something worse: “Patient is now blind, cause: severe diabetes”. Further down the page were entries for other things: high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, and cardiomyopathy.

Kurt felt ill. He put the file back and held on to the wall. The world spun around him, leaving him small and helpless. He made his way to the bathroom, locking the door behind him and just made it to the toilet to empty his stomach contents, then slid to the floor.

No. It must be someone else...it could not be Andy. There, that was it. They must have changed rooms at some time and this Blaine guy was somewhere else. Andys chart must be somewhere else. Kurt got up, washed his face, combed his hair. He drank six paper cups of water. Feeling less shaky, he walked down the hall to Andys room where he was still in bed.

“Judy?” Andy asked, looking pitiful as he turned his head, trying to hear if someone were actually in the room with him. He looked scared and Kurt rushed over to him, putting his arms around his friend and holding his head to his chest.

“No, Andy...its me. Its Kurt,” he said, hoping that was what Andy wanted to hear.

He felt Andys muscles relax.

“Oh, Kurt. What time is it?”

“Eight. I came early today. Whats wrong, Andy?”

“Nothing. I was just having a vivid dream. I was dreaming of you I think..., Buddy...yeah, like it used to be in the apartment, Buddy...” Andy mumbled.

Kurt looked at him, but realized the man was not really coherent. He held him close, waiting for him to wake up all the way. After a while, Kurt was getting tired and finally sat down on the bed beside the old man and Andy snuggled into his side as if he belonged there.

“Thank God youre here, Buddy, I missed you,” he said, falling back asleep.

Kurt sat there for a very long time, stroking Andys forehead, down his temple. Andy was asleep, but when Kurt tried to get up he held on tight, seemingly desperate to keep him there. Kurt decided it must be important, so he got comfortable on the bed beside Andy and fell asleep, too.

~ ~ ~ KB ~ ~ ~

“Kurt?”

Kurt swam up from sleep, still tired and confused for a moment until he realized he was lying in Andys bed. Then it all came rushing back to him: the nurses station, the file, the words he wished he could erase from his mind. He sat up, shaking his head to clear it and saw Andy was sitting beside him.

“Oh...I guess I fell asleep, Andy. Sorry,” Kurt apologized, getting off the bed and sitting quickly in the chair beside the bed.

“No problem. I was dreaming about you, and thought you had come to comfort me after I had a nightmare. I woke up to see I was right, you were right here with me. Thank you, Kurt,” Andy said, blushing a little bit.

“Can I ask you a personal question?”

“Sure, kid. What did you want to know?” Andy asked.

“What is your full name? I mean...you asked me the same question earlier,” Kurt said.

“Blaine Devon Anderson.”

“Oh, so Andy is short for Anderson?”

“Yeah, the guys at school used to call me that,” Andy told him.

“I guess there really isnt a nickname for Blaine, is there?” Kurt laughed.

“No. I wasnt named after someone who could hurl fire from the sky, but ….” Andy teased Kurt.

“Not all of us are great, some of us have greatness thrust upon us...” Kurt misquoted, giggling.

“You seem happy today, Kurt. What caused that?”

“I dont know. I was thinking about trying out for show choir, maybe,” Kurt revealed. He was trying very hard not to let what he had read about Andy get to him.

“Oh, that is wonderful, Kurt. I know you wont regret it for a moment. Wait until you win your first competition! There is nothing like that feeling, let me tell you.”

Kurt grinned and took Andys hand. He had thought quite a bit about how to help Andy, even small things that made life easier. He imagined that it would be hard not to see – unable to read or watch TV, but the things he thought he would miss the most was touch. Just a simple pat on the back or having a hand to hold might make a huge difference in the life of a person, so he resolved to hold Andys hand whenever it seemed appropriate.

“So, I know you wrote songs, what else did you do?” Kurt asked. Andy smiled.

“I sang, but never on stage. Just for friends and family. I loved it, but I lived in Westerville, Ohio – not exactly a Mecca for singers,” he said.

“Did that make you sad – not to have the opportunity to sing?” Kurt asked because Andy was holding his hand so tightly all of a sudden.

“No. I gave it up for love. My love had to be here in Ohio, so I just never left. My friend was more important to me than a singing career. Besides, I got to hear my songs on the radio all the time. I was very successful, you know,” Andy bragged a little.

“Tell me a few?” Kurt asked.

Andy rattled off about a dozen songs that Kurt had heard his father play on the oldies station, and quite a few he had heard himself.

“Wow, I had no idea! I am in the presence of a living legend,” he said, in awe of all the songs Andy had written.

“It was a living, and most of those were what made the singers careers. I was proud of that. It didnt seem to matter after a while – I could hear my music, I lived in a nice place with someone I loved. Who could ask for anything more?” Andy said, but the restlessness in his voice was evident. Kurt didnt know what to say. He held on to Andys hand and willed the man to feel some sort of comfort from it.

“Andy? Would you like me to bring you a guitar? I have one, but I havent learned to play it. We could sing some of your songs maybe?” Kurt offered. He hoped that wouldnt make Andy any sadder.

“Yeah, kid. Id like that. Maybe bring it next time,” Andy said and Kurt could hear how tired Andy was getting.

“Hey, I need to get home. Dad will wonder where Ive disappeared to,” Kurt said.

“Dont end a sentence with a preposition, Kurt. You would say Dad will think I disappeared, he will wonder where I am...okay?”

Kurt laughed. “Yes, I do know that. Thanks, Professor Andy,” he said, kidding the old man. Andy laughed.

“Okay, kid. Come see me soon. You cant imagine how much I look forward to seeing you, it means the whole world to me, Kurt. I mean that,” Andy said, but his voice sounded congested, as if he were crying.

Kurt didnt know what to say. Did he know he had heart problems? What did the doctors say? Kurt decided to ask his father for some advice as soon as he got home.

“You mean the same to me, Andy. Thank you for being my friend,” Kurt said, a single tear making its way down his face. He closed his eyes and the next thing he knew, he could feel Andys soft hand touching his cheek. Andy wiped the tear off with his thumb.

“Dont cry, Buddy. Im here for you,” he said.

Kurt stood up, not realizing that Andy was saying the name of his friend. He just thought it was a nickname like pal or kid. He leaned over and hugged Andy, who hugged him back with his shaking arms.

“Good bye for now, Andy. Ill be back tomorrow,” Kurt said and left, wiping more tears from his eyes.