Burt had dropped him off, giving him a tight hug before he had left. "Call me if you need anything," he had said and Kurt could only nod, almost paralysed with fear.

Kurt had taken off the bandages and now donned a pair of black aviator sunglasses. The area around his eyes was still a little red but it was slowly disappearing. His eyes were not as irritated either, but the doctor had said it would take about 12 months to fully disappear.

Kurt followed the woman's footsteps as they walked. "I'm Mrs Hunter and I'll be your teacher until you are ready to join a class," she explained along the way.

"Ok," Kurt said quietly, his throat extremely dry.

"What's your dog's name?" Mrs. Hunter asked.

"This is Lucy," Kurt introduced.

"She's beautiful. Just in here." Lucy led Kurt into a room and to a chair. Kurt sat down carefully and Mrs. Hunter took a seat in front of him. "Now I know this must be daunting," she said softly. "But I'm here to help you, OK?"

Kurt nodded, biting his lip. "OK."

"I'll be here to teach you to read brail and help you catch up on work that you have missed," Mrs Hunter explained, "and to help you with anything you need. So, let's jump straight in."

Kurt spent the morning learning Braille. It was a slow, daunting and tiresome practice and one that Kurt didn't have much patience with. He was trying his hardest but it was a completely new language. Everything was brand new and without means of vision, learning was a lot harder. It was almost impossible to appreciate what you have until it was gone, and that was certainly the case with vision. A few times he almost screamed aloud in frustration when his brain refused to comprehend what his hands were trying to tell him. There was just so much to relearn and rehearse and repeat; by lunchtime he was exhausted.

"This was a really good start, Kurt," Mrs Hunter said encouragingly.

"Thank you," Kurt murmured.

"It's lunch now. How would you like to meet some of the others who will be in your class when you are ready?"

"Oh – I – yeah OK," Kurt agreed, voice wavering with uncertainty. Kurt reached out for Lucy's rein and gripped it tightly. Lucy was his life line and it felt like she was his only connection to the outside world at the moment. Lucy stood up, shaking her head and starting to lead Kurt out. Mrs. Hunter directed them to a large room where they would eat lunch. The chatter was loud to Kurt as he entered. His grip on Lucy's rein tightened.

Mrs. Hunter led him over to a table and gently sat him down. "Everyone, I want you to meet Kurt," she introduced.

"I'm Kate," said a girl to his left. He felt a hand be placed in his and smooth fingers trailing over his.

"I'm Kurt."

"This is Harry," Mrs Hunter said.

"Hey." The boy's voice was rough and gravelly.

"And this is Simone," she continued.

"Nice to meet you, Kurt," Simone greeted politely.

"Are you – are you all blind?" Kurt asked.

"Kate and Simone are," Harry answered. "I'm partially blind."

Kurt nodded and swallowed.

"How long have you been blind for?" Kate asked.

"About a week now," Kurt said quietly. He heard their intakes of breath and winced.

"Oh, sorry," Kate replied sheepishly. "Don't worry. You'll get used to it."

"I don't want to get used to it," Kurt mumbled, letting out a sigh.

"We've all been through this stage," Harry chuckled.

Kurt listened to their conversation but in some way, he felt separate. They had gotten a chance to get used to being blind. Accept it. Kurt hadn't. He felt a headache coming on and wanted nothing more than to go home.

"Alright, everyone. Back to class," a man called out across the room.

"See you later, Kurt," Simone said kindly.

"Yeah. Bye," Kurt replied and listened to them walk away.

"Ready to go back, Kurt?" Mrs Hunter asked, coming up to him.

"I – I have a headache," Kurt told her, shoulders tense. "Can I call my dad?"

"Of course," Mrs Hunter conceded quietly.

Kurt put his head in his arms as he waited for Mrs Hunter to call Burt. He didn't have to wait for long until Burt was gently touching his shoulder.

"Let's get you home," Burt said gently. Kurt stood up, grabbing Lucy and walking out with his father. Kurt was silent on the way home and Burt cast his son a worried look. When Burt parked, Kurt was out of the car in an instant. He let Lucy out and grabbed her rein, heading to the house. Burt hurried after him. Kurt immediately went to the living room and collapsed on the couch. Lucy lay down beside it and fixed Burt with a sad look. "I'll get you something for your headache," Burt said and went to the kitchen.

He came back with a glass of water and made Kurt sit up. Kurt sculled it quickly and rubbed his temples. With a sigh of exasperation, he threw the glasses away and rubbed his eyes with the heel of his palms.

"Careful," Burt warned, prising Kurt's hands away from his face. Kurt let out a frustrated noise. "I'll get the cream. Don't rub it," Burt instructed firmly and Kurt nodded. Burt quickly grabbed it and came back, applying it to the irritated area.

"I'll be down stairs," Kurt said quietly when Burt was done and stood up, feeling his way to his bedroom.

Lucy followed after him and Burt sighed. He was surprised that Kurt had lasted this long without breaking down but he had known that it was on its way. Steeling himself, he headed downstairs as quietly as he could and his heart broke when he heard sobs. He went to the bed and sat down on the edge. He put a pillow on his lap and laid Kurt's head on it, like he used to do when Kurt was a kid, and gently stroked his hair like his mother used to.

Kurt sobbed and allowed his hair to be stroked – a testament of how frustrated and upset he was – and cried. A few tears dripped down Burt's cheeks as he listened to his son cry but he needed to stay strong for Kurt. He could break down later in the privacy in his room without the fear of Kurt hearing. Kurt eventually cried himself to sleep. His eyes would be sore and irritated when he woke up but he needed to get it out of his system.

Burt gently lifted Kurt and laid him back down, tucking him in. Lucy curled up by the edge of the bed and Burt patted her head. He quietly left the room and headed upstairs. He went to the kitchen and got himself a drink. He would rather have a beer but he didn't need Kurt worrying about his health on top of everything else.

The ringing of the phone suddenly sounded and Burt snatched it up quickly. He listened intently for any indication that Kurt had woken but heard none.

"Hello?" Burt grunted into the phone.

"Hello Burt, it's Blaine. How are you?" Blaine asked politely.

"Hey, Blaine. I'm good," Burt said. Blaine had impressed him – a hard thing to do when it came to his son.

"Good to hear. I was wondering if I could speak to Kurt," Blaine asked.

"He had a rough day today," Burt answered truthfully. "First day of his new school."

"Is everything OK? He didn't get bullied did he?" Blaine demanded.

"No kid. I think it was a bit much to take in," Burt replied carefully. "He's asleep at the moment."

"I won't bother him then," Blaine sounded disappointed. "When he wakes up can you tell him I called?"

"Yeah, no problem," Burt smiled into the phone. It was good to have someone looking out for Kurt.

"Have a good evening, Burt," Blaine said.

"You too," Burt replied, hanging up. He set the phone down and unplugged it. If it was an emergency they could get him on his mobile. His son was his top priority.

When Kurt woke up, he felt worse than when he had fallen asleep. Emotionally he felt better but physically he ached. His eyes were sore and he could only assume puffy and red. He sat up and heard Lucy shift beside the bed.

His fingers brushed something soft and Kurt reached out, wrapping his hands around it. He smiled when he realised that it was the bear that Blaine had given to him when he visited the hospital.

He scooted himself to the edge of the bed and set his feet down.

"Come here, Lucy," Kurt called softly, voice hoarse with the lack of use. He heard Lucy get to her feet and pad over to him. Kurt grabbed her rein and let her lead him up the stairs.

"You're awake," Burt said in surprise as Kurt entered the living room. Burt took in his red eyes and picked up the cream from the coffee table. He also noticed that Kurt was holding the teddy bear Blaine had given him.

Kurt sat down on the couch beside Burt. "Hey."

"I'll put some more cream on your eyes," Burt said and Kurt flinched slightly at the coolness of the cream but it was welcomed as it soothed the irritation. "Feeling better?"

"Yes. Thank you, Dad," Kurt smiled softly.

Burt just smiled and withdrew his hand. "Blaine called while you were asleep," Burt told him and Kurt visibly perked up. "Told me to tell you."

"How was he?" Kurt asked.

"Good and by the sounds of it eager to see you," Burt said and watched as Kurt's cheeks turned pink.

"He just a friend," Kurt assured him.

"By the way he looks at you, I say not for much longer," Burt grunted.

"How does he look at me?" Kurt asked, confused.

"The way I look at Carol and the way I looked at your mum," Burt explained gently and Kurt's breath hitched. Burt's heart broke to think that Kurt would never be able to see how Blaine looked at him.

"Oh," he breathed.

"Rice OK for dinner?" Burt asked, sitting up.

"Rice is fine," Kurt agreed. His voice sound far away, his mind clearly fixed on Blaine.

Burt chuckled and headed to the kitchen. Before beginning to cook he got Lucy her food which she eagerly ate – but not before licking Burt's fingers in thanks. Kurt joined him in the kitchen, feeling his way around with Burt's help. He was happy to help give his son something to keep his mind off the day's events.