Kurt began to panic. "It's okay, you're going to be fine," Kurt said, his true emotion betraying his calm exterior. He wrapped his arms around Blaine, hoisting him into a sitting position. Without taking his hands off his boyfriend, Kurt scooted around to face the pained boy, his hands sliding down Blaine's arms to rest on his lower biceps. "Can you open your eye just for a second, Blaine?" Blaine let out a heartbreaking cry and shook his head no. Kurt had to blink back tears at his boyfriend's agony. "Please, Blaine. One second I promise."

Reluctantly, Blaine pulled his hands back from his eyes, Kurt's hands guiding them down as Blaine shook violently. Leaving his right eye closed, his hazel left eye looked desperately at Kurt. "It hurts," he cried.

"I know. Just let me look for one second. That's all, I promise." The eye already looked way too red and swollen just for red dye in it. "I'll count to three, open your eye then close it right back, okay?" said Kurt, pleading softly with Blaine. "One…" Blaine whimpered. "Two…three." Just as his eye opened, it shut again and the curly haired boy's hands clasped back to his face as he let out a moan of agony. Despite the speed at which he'd blinked, Kurt had seen enough. Blaine's eye was red and there was obvious swelling.

From a perch over his shoulder Kurt hadn't noticed had been taken, Finn spoke up, "Dude, someone needs to call nine-one-one," he said authoritatively. "I've seen loads of people get slushy in their eye and that's not what it looks like."

Blaine continued to cry out in pain as Kurt hovered over him. "No," protested Kurt, looking from Blaine to his stepbrother. "We're not that far from the hospital. We shouldn't wait for an ambulance. I'll take him in my car." Finn nodded. "Come on, Blaine, we need to go to the hospital," Kurt insisted. "Can you get up?"

"It hurts," he cried out.

"I know," said Kurt, trying to keep calm. "But you've got to get up. Can you do that? For me?"

Hesitantly, Blaine nodded and let Kurt help him to his feet. The taller boy wrapped an arm around his boyfriend's waist and led him towards his Navigator. Shuffling him into the car Kurt yelled a hurried goodbye to Finn and slid in the drivers seat.

He started the ignition and pulled out of the parking spot and started driving out of the parking structure. As he passed them, Kurt gave a sad little wave to the astonished New Directions and pressed the gas down, ripping out of the parking lot.

"Kurt," said Blaine pitifully, a sob escaping his throat. Turning a corner, Kurt glanced over at his pitiful looking boyfriend with a sad frown, his right hand leaving the steering wheel to rub Blaine's leg supportively. The rest of the short drive was blanketed by silence, only perturbed with little whining noises escaping Blaine's lips. At every stoplight Kurt stared over at his boyfriend sympathetically and rubbed his leg or arm.

Kurt's Navigator pulled up to the hospital and he quickly jumped out of the car and ran to Blaine's side. He helped the shorter boy out of the car and hurried him into the hospital. Seeing the distress, an E.R. nurse rushed over to them as soon as they walked through the door.

"What happened to him?" she asked, her arms cradling the air around Blaine, trying to shuffle the boys further inside the building.

"He got a slushy thrown at him. It got in his eye I think," said Kurt, his calm quickly dissolving. "He um…it…his eye was really red…" Kurt dissolved into a series of inaudible gasps and sounds.

"We'll take good care of him," said the nurse kindly, waving over an orderly with a wheel chair. The orderly, a man in his early thirties, came over, gently pulled Blaine out of Kurt's grasp and helped him into the chair. As the orderly pushed Blaine forwards, through a set of double doors, Kurt moved to follow but the nurse stopped him. "Are you family?" she asked. Kurt shook his head no. "Sorry, only family is allowed in. You can wait in the waiting room, sweetie," she said kindly. "How old is he?"

"Sixteen," sobbed Kurt.

"How can we contact his parents?" she asked.

"Um…he should have his phone on him. He keeps it in his jacket pocket always. His parents are his ICE contact on it," said Kurt, trying to sober up. He wiped a tear off his cheek.

"What's his name, by the way?"

"Blaine, Blaine Anderson," said Kurt another sob escaping him.

"And yours?

"Kurt Hummel," he responded quietly.

"Okay Kurt. Just sit in the waiting room and we'll tell you what we can as soon as we can," the nurse said before turning away. Kurt walked into the waiting room. He paced back and forth, running a hand through his light brown hair. He let out a deep breath he didn't realize he'd been holding but with it came a roaring wave of new sobs. After letting himself release the pent up sadness tinged with anger, he sobered himself up, sat down, and took out his phone.

Punching in the familiar number he held the white phone to his head. "Hello?" a gruff voice answered.

"Dad?" he said softly.

"Kurt, where are you?"

"I'm at the hospital," he said carefully.

"Why? What happened?"

"There was this…thing with the Warblers and Blaine got hurt," said Kurt.

"Is he okay?" Burt asked, worry heavy in his words.

"He's… I don't know."

"How'd he get hurt?" asked Burt.

"He…he got slushy in his eye," said Kurt lamely. "His eye…I think he's really hurt. They won't let me in with him."

Burt sighed heavily. He really cared about his son's boyfriend; he was a good kid. "Are you okay, Kurt? Do you want me to come down there?"

"No…it's fine. I'll be fine once I know Blaine is okay."

"Well, then, the only thing you can do is wait." Kurt made a sound of acknowledgement. "Call me and give me an update soon, okay?"

"Yeah, sure dad," he said distractedly before hanging up the phone. Silently he sat in the waiting room, tapping the screen of his phone with the pad of his thumb absentmindedly.

Kurt watched as the Andersons strode through the entrance and calmly walked up to the desk, asking for their son. Neither noticed their son's hysterical boyfriend in the waiting room as they were shuffled in through the door Kurt was barred from. Putting his head in his hands, Kurt blocked out the world for a few minutes. He stayed like that, focusing on breathing and staying calm until a soft hand touched his shoulder.

The tired boy jumped in surprise and looked up to see the same nurse he'd talked to before. "He's been asking for you," she said softly. Kurt looked at her, hope in his eyes before standing abruptly. She gestured for him to follow, and then led him through the double doors.

Kurt tried to compose himself fully as he strode down the hall. Blaine needs me, he thought. Get yourself together, Hummel. The nurse kindly pointed him through a door and nodded. With a deep breath, Kurt stepped through the entryway and came face to face with his boyfriend. Seeing Kurt, Blaine's face lit up and he smiled softly. As Kurt walked further into the room, the Andersons slid out into the hall.

Blaine looked pale. His usually olive skin barely contrasted the white of the sheets he lay on. His right eye was covered with a black eye patch and his hair was still matted down by the sticky slushy. The slushy had been cleaned off his face and a hospital gown had replaced his clothes. Heartbroken by the sight in front of him, Kurt resisted the urge to break down. His dapper, strong boyfriend looked weak, defeated, and small, sitting up in the hospital bed.

"Hey," said Kurt softly, pulling a chair up to Blaine's bed. "My little pirate."

"Hey," he replied quietly. Kurt sat and took his hand, softly rubbing his thumb over the back of it.

"How are you? What'd the doctor say?" asked Kurt, worry lacing his words.

"I have a deep scratch on my right cornea," said Blaine. "I'll need surgery."

"Oh Blaine," Kurt sighed, squeezing the other boy's hand.

"I'm guessing this usually doesn't happen with slushies," he said with a humorless laugh.

"No. That…that…" Kurt became quickly flustered with anger but forced it back down his gullet. "That asshole did something to it."

"I can't believe the Warblers just…stood by and let him do that," said Blaine hollowly. "Then they just…walked away."

Kurt couldn't find the words to say to comfort Blaine. It was impossible that these Warblers were the same ones he'd sang with a year before. Even though they didn't think the slushy was for Blaine, Kurt felt hurt that the guys he called his friends would let Sebastian do it. Instead of speaking, Kurt just squeezed Blaine's hand and brought it to his lips. Blaine smiled as his boyfriend pressed his lips to the back of his hand.

"I could loose the vision in my right eye. The doctor said it's not a big chance but there is still a chance," Blaine said nervously.

"It's going to be okay."

"You still going to love me even if I can't see in my right eye?" he asked, a little teasingly but with serious insecurities bubbling to the surface.

"Shut up," said Kurt, almost hurt that his boyfriend would ask. "Of course I will, Blaine, I'll always love you." Both glazed over the mutual fear that they'd break up when Kurt moved to New York at the end of the year. Kurt meant it. He'd love Blaine forever. First love lasted. "But we won't have to find out because you are going to be just fine." He smiled and patted Blaine's thigh with his free hand.

A small smile crept onto Blaine's lips. "I love you too. If you ever decide to get fat or you stop dressing like you do now, I'll still love you."

Giggles gushed in Kurt's chest as he smiled at his boyfriend. "Good to know," he chuckled. They grew quiet for a moment just relishing in the feeling of mutual love. "You pushed me out of the way…you stood in front of the slushy for me, Blaine," said Kurt in astonishment.

"Of course I did."

"I mean…why? I've been slushied dozens of times."

"Well, now, you have someone to push you out of the way." Blaine smiled. "Kurt, as soon as I saw Sebastian pulling that red cup out of the paper bag as he looked at you menacingly, something just snapped in me. 'Stop him from hurting Kurt,' it said. So," he shrugged, "I did. And I'd do it again."

Tears pooled in Kurt's eyes as he looked into Blaine's left eye. "And the best boyfriend award goes to…" he smiled, leaning forwards to kiss Blaine. The kiss was light, just a quick thank you.

"It's not a big deal."

"Yes it is. Now shut up and let me marvel at how amazing my boyfriend is."

"Okay," said Blaine, with a breathy laugh.

"Seriously though, thank you, Blaine."

"Stop," he said lightly with a blush. They sat quietly for a minute. Kurt brushed his thumb over Blaine's hand absentmindedly as they sat, staring into each other's eyes, or eye.

"You're a lot better then you were when I brought you in," noted Kurt.

"I'm blitzing on painkillers," he grinned. "I haven't reached sloppy silly or loopy yet."

"Too bad I'm probably going to miss that that," Kurt pouted teasingly. Blaine rolled his eye but it turned out like an awkward shift because the other eye was immobile. "Oh no. You can't roll your eyes at me," teased Kurt.

"Shut up," pouted Blaine. "I'm seriously injured."

"We've got to start discharging Blaine," said a male nurse flatly, interrupting the conversation.

Kurt looked to Blaine and frowned. "I'll come see you tomorrow after school, okay?"

He nodded. "Okay."

"Love you," said Kurt, standing and leaning in to kiss his boyfriend. Ignoring the nurse in the room, they kissed softly, smiles on both of their faces.

"Love you too, Kurt. So much."

He dropped the shorter boy's hand and started walking out of the room. With one final smile over his shoulder, Kurt left and headed towards the exit.

XXX

A while later, Kurt stepped tiredly though the doors of his house. "Kurt? Buddy, is that you?" yelled Burt.

"Yeah, dad," he responded. Kurt followed the sound of his father's voice into the living room where he found his father sitting on the couch, watching television.

"How's Blaine?" he asked immediately as his son came into his field of view. Kurt walked further into the room and sat next to his father on the couch, resting his head on the older man's shoulder.

"He has to have surgery," Kurt said sadly.

"From getting a slushy thrown at him?" asked Burt. "Haven't you been slushied before?"

"Yeah. But that…asshole put something in it." Kurt tried desperately to bridle the fiery anger that coursed through him.

"Who?"

"This kid from Dalton, Sebastian."

"Was he there when you went there?"

Kurt shook his head no. "He's new. He met Blaine when Blaine visited a few weeks ago and he's been going after him ever since."

Burt looked at his son in confusion. "Then why would he slushy him?"

"It was meant for me," muttered Kurt, looked up at his father. "Blaine shoved me out of the way."

Burt looked at his son, astonished. He couldn't believe what an amazing person Kurt had found. Even if the kid didn't know that there was something in it, taking the slushy for Kurt was incredibly selfless and loving. He'd always liked Blaine a lot and thought he was great for Kurt but this put him on a whole new level. "Well, I want to thank him next time I see him," said Burt.

Kurt nodded against his father's shoulder. He sat, with his head resting on Burt's shoulder for a few minutes. Knowing how upset his son was, Burt threw an arm over Kurt's shoulders and pulled him closer. Minutes later, he heard sobs escaping the thin boy next to him. "Kurt?" Burt pushed his son up to see tears streaming down his son's red face. "What's wrong?"

"He was screaming in…agony," sobbed Kurt. "I…I was so scared. It broke my heart to pieces it…I…" Sobs overtook Kurt and he broke down. Burt slid his arms around his son, cradling him to his chest.

"He'll be fine," Burt assured him.

"He's having surgery," moaned Kurt. "He could loose the sight in his right eye." Burt didn't know how to respond so he just squeezed Kurt comfortingly. Hospitals always caused a lot of stress, especially for Kurt, so he realized his son just needed to let it out. Slowly, Kurt's pain turned to anger and he tried to quench it but he just had to let some of it out. "I just want to hurt that…smirky little… meerkat… asshole!"

As anger boiled in Kurt, he moved away from his father, standing up to pace. "He's just an ass hole. And the Warblers! Not all of them did it but I can't believe they let him do that, even if it wasn't aimed at Blaine! I was a Warbler too! It was supposed to be once a Warbler, always a Warbler."

"None of them tried to stop him?" asked Burt. The Warblers' actions surprised him. Dalton was supposed to have a no bullying policy and Kurt gushed for hours about how accepting the Warblers were, how they all high fived him when he started. Now, they were standing by as someone tried to slushy one of their own.

"Nope. Then when Blaine was…" Kurt paused, gulping painfully, "lying on the ground screaming in pain…they walked away."

Astonishment overtook Burt as he watched his son pace back and forth. "Sit down," insisted Burt, waving his son over.

Kurt slunk into the space next to his father and tried to lower his racing heart. He breathed deeply for a moment, regaining his composure. "It's all my fault though…He wouldn't have been hurt if it wasn't for me," he said in despair.

"Now, you're just being stupid," said Burt, not unkindly. With red eyes Kurt looked up at his father. "Look, kid. Blaine pushed you out of the way because he loves you. If he didn't expect to get so hurt, he still did it. I for one couldn't be more grateful."

After a quiet pause of contemplation, Kurt spoke again, "Okay. I should go to sleep. Long day."

"Okay."

"If he comes down, will you tell Finn what happened for me?"

The older man nodded. "Sure, bud."

"Good night dad," he said and stood up.

"G'night, Kurt."