Kurt

            Kurt was woken from his deep, drug induced sleep from something shaking him slightly. Expecting to wake up seeing the hazel eyes he had seen in his dream, he was surprised to see the soft brown eyes belonging to his step-mother. Kurt blinked a few times, trying to fully wake up.

            “Kurt, honey, it’s time to go,” said Carole, sweetly.

“Carole?”  Kurt yawned and stretched, noting the heaviness of his left arm.

             “Oh, I fell asleep before they finished the cast,” said Kurt, shaking his head.

            “Blaine was the one in charge in keeping you sitting up. It was kind of like Weekend at Bernie’s,” said Caroline with a laugh. She was at Kurt’s bedside, taking out Kurt’s IV.

            Blaine…wait. Where is Blaine? Kurt looked around the room, looking for the presence of the curly-haired, gorgeous, Warbler.

            Caroline noticed Kurt looking around the room. She bent down closer to Kurt.

            “Blaine had to go home, hon. His mama was done surgery and the two of them came in together,” Caroline explained softly.

            “Oh…” Kurt’s heart sunk. He wouldn’t be able to say goodbye to Blaine, or even a thank you? As much as today had been horrible, it was made exceptionally better by meeting Blaine. Was he ever going to see Blaine again? He didn’t even get to give him his phone number. It felt like he and Kurt could be great friends and if he was lucky, maybe even more than that.

            I guess I could just add him on facebook, thought Kurt sadly. He wasn’t willing to let this friendship with Blaine go to waste, but Facebook? It just seemed so…stalker-ish.

            Carole heard Caroline mention Blaine’s name and suddenly remembered the note that Blaine had handed her to give to Kurt when he woke up.

            “Oh, Kurt, sweetie, Blaine left me a note to give to you before he left,” said Carole. She dug around in her purse for it, handing it to Kurt when she found it in the side pocket.

            “He left me a note?” Kurt could barely contain the smile that slapped itself on his face. Carole nodded at him, smiling. “What does it say?”

            “I don’t know, sweetheart. I didn’t read it. Why don’t you go ahead and open it right now. Finn and your dad went downstairs to fetch the car.”

            “Okay. I was wondering where everyone was!” Before Kurt could open Blaine’s note, Finn’s hulking frame appeared in the doorway.

            “Mom, Burt’s downstairs in the car waiting for us. Did you wake up Kurt? Oh!” Finn noticed Kurt sitting up straight in bed, his hair a little ruffled.

            Finn walked over to his mom and step brother. “You okay man?” he asked Kurt. Kurt noticed the hint of worry in Finn’s eyes.

            “Yeah, I’m okay. Thanks Finn.” Kurt smiled at him slightly. At first it had been a rough transition living with Finn, but ever since Burt and Carole had gotten married, Kurt and Finn were getting used to being brothers. They did disagree quite a bit, but ever since they had moved into the new house and stopped sharing a room, the number of disagreements lowered. They spent more time together just doing their homework in the kitchen, or watching movies. Sometimes Finn convinced Kurt to play a couple of round of Halo with him. Kurt would also never stop being appreciative for the newfound safety detail he found in Finn and the rest of the guys in Glee.

            “Ready to go Kurt?” asked Caroline, pushing a wheelchair towards his bedside.

            “Definitely,” Kurt replied. “But, um…Finn, do you think you could help me up? Last time I tried to do this I lost my balance because I couldn’t support myself on my left arm.”

            Finn nodded and immediately wrapped his arm under Kurt’s and helped him stand up. Before Finn helped Kurt sit in the wheelchair, he pulled him in a bear hug. Kurt let out a little “oof” as Finn wrapped his arms tightly around him. Kurt made sure to keep his casted arm out of the way and tentatively wrapped his good arm around his brother.

            Fifteen year old Kurt would have died had he gotten a hug from Finn Hudson, thought Kurt. Although, Kurt did have to admit this hug was indeed comforting, but more as a brotherly hug than anything else.

            Finn disentangled himself from Kurt and coughed. “Uh, sorry bro. I was just really worried about you, you know?”

            Kurt smiled and patted his step brother on the shoulder. “It’s okay Finn, I didn’t mind. It’s too bad you couldn’t protect me from an icy driveway.”

            “Yeah, too bad,” replied Finn. He squeezed Kurt’s shoulders. Suddenly the two boys heard a sniffling sound behind them. They turned towards Carole, who was wiping her eyes and nose with a Kleenex.

            Both boys looked at her alarmed.  “Mom, you okay?” asked Finn.

            “Oh, yes, I’m fine. It’s just so sweet seeing you two like that. My two sons acting like brothers. It’s making me cry!”

Kurt’s heart did a little flip at the word, “sons”. It had been so long since Kurt’s mother passed away and he wasn’t used to a motherly figure in his life. It made him feel nice. He loved Carole, and he figured before long he would see Carole as his new mom.

            Carole helped Kurt put on his coat (the sleeves which thankfully fit over his cast) and his boots and helped him sit in the wheelchair. Kurt held onto his bag on his lap and Finn began to push him out of his room and towards the elevators. Kurt waved at Caroline from the chair and she came bustling over to say goodbye before he left.

            “Bye sweetheart! Be safe and take care of that arm for me, okay? I’ll see you in a couple of weeks, alright?”

Kurt looked at her confused, he wasn’t really aware of when he was supposed to be coming back for a check –up. And now that he thought about it, he really had no idea how to take care of his cast.

            Caroline noticed Kurt’s confused facial expression and quickly filled in that his parents had talked to Dr. Robinson while Kurt was asleep. He wrote down a whole list of instructions for Kurt and his parents about caring for the cast and he already booked a check-up appointment in a couple of weeks with the authorization of his dad. Caroline handed him some lime green sheets of paper with a long list of bullets along the page instructing cast care.

            “Just read the pages and you’ll be fine. Plus, your step-mom is a nurse, so I’m sure you’ll be well cared for.” Caroline smoothed a hand through Kurt’s silky hair before Finn swept Kurt into the newly arrived elevator.

            Finn pushed Kurt into the elevator. On the way down to the main floor, Kurt clutched tightly to the note in his hand (careful of crumpling it). He couldn’t wait to get home and dash to his room, close his door and lose himself in Blaine’s words. As Kurt, Finn and Carole approached the lobby, Kurt could see the well-worn flannel of his dad’s favourite winter coat. Burt was standing outside, leaning against the side of the car. Burt spotted his family through the windows, smiled and waved. Kurt felt an overwhelming sense of comfort as soon as he spotted his dad. As Finn pushed his wheelchair through the sliding doors and outside into the cold, Kurt tapped the toes of his boots on the foot pedals anxiously. He was eager to see his dad and get home.

            “There’s my boy!” exclaimed Burt, as Kurt and Finn approached.

            Kurt smiled widely at his father and waved. He looked up at Finn, “Can you help me up?”

            “Oh, uh, sure Kurt,” replied Finn. Again, he wrapped his arms around Kurt and helped to lift him out of the wheelchair. Kurt walked carefully over to his dad standing by the car and opened his arms wide for a hug. Burt quickly enveloped him in one of his famous bear hugs. Kurt inhaled the faint scent of motor oil and gasoline and the fabric softener Carole liked to use, the distinctive smell of his dad. Burt pressed a kiss into Kurt’s hair and Kurt hugged him tighter. It had been a while since he’d hugged his dad and he never really realized how much he missed being this close to him.

            “I’m so glad you’re okay, kiddo,” said Burt.

            “I’m glad you’re here, daddy.” Kurt flushed at the slip of his childhood name for his father. Kurt pulled away from the hug and his dad held him at arm’s length, inspecting Kurt for any signs of injury or distress. Burt let out an audible sigh of relieve, evidently pleased that his son was alright except for the cast on his arm.

            “I wouldn’t have thought you would pick black, Kurt,” said Burt, nodding towards his left arm.

            “Black accessorizes easily, Dad. I really had no other option. All the other colours made me want to puke.

As Kurt moved his arm, Burt noticed a flash of silver on the inside of Kurt’s forearm and made out the name Blaine in a boyish scrawl.

            “Looks like Blaine already signed your cast for you.”

Kurt wrinkled his nose at his Dad. “What? No he didn’t!” Kurt skimmed his eyes over the front of the cast, when his eye caught the same flash of silver that his dad noticed.

Blaine was written in blocky print, with a smiley face. Kurt’s smile instantly grew bigger. He definitely didn’t expect Blaine to sign his cast. It was a nice surprise. Kurt traced over the blocky letters softly with his fingertips and remembered the note he had clutched in his hand.

            “Okay, let’s go home now,” he suggested. The note in his palm was itching to be read.

            Burt clapped him on the shoulder and agreed. The Hudson-Hummels climbed into the car and started slowly home, the snowy landscape lulling Kurt back to sleep.

            After a slow drive home, Kurt was finally home. He ached to get upstairs to his bedroom, put on his pajamas, perform his moisturizing routine and crawl under his duvet to read Blaine’s note. Unfortunately his plans were interrupted by the fact that he embarrassingly struggled to remove his jacket and boots and required the help of his dad.  And also the fact that he was absolutely starving. Carole whipped up a fast meal of tomato soup and grilled cheese. Normally Kurt wouldn’t settle for so many carbohydrates in one sitting, but he was quite hungry and the meal was comforting. Kurt excused himself from the table when he was finished and went upstairs to his bedroom. He was dying to change out of his skinny jeans and wash the hospital germs off his face.

            Kurt walked upstairs to his bedroom and went straight to his closet to fetch his coziest silk pajamas. As Kurt went to undress, he realized he was going to have a lot of difficulty trying to take his clothes off without using one wrist. He knew he still had the use of his fingers on his left hand, but his joints were stiff from barely using them all day and the cast impeded a lot of the movement he would use to undress. Huffing in frustration, Kurt managed to pull his simple gray cotton V-neck over his elbows, but his cast caught on the sleeve and his head and arms ended up in an uncomfortable cotton straight jacket of sorts. He was stuck.

            “STUPID, STUPID CAST. Why did this have to happen to me?” Kurt growled in frustration. He tried to wiggle himself out of the shirt but somehow ended up knocking something heavy to the ground that alerted Carole and Burt to his predicament. Through the cotton of the shirt, Kurt heard a muffled knock and calling of his name.

            “Can someone please come in and help me, I’m stuck!” Kurt shouted, trying to be clearly heard.

            Outside his door, Burt and Carole looked at each other, silently agreeing that Burt would precariously enter his son’s room to see what was going on. Burt opened to the door to see his son with his shirt caught over his arms and head, struggling to get out. Burt heard Carole laugh silently under her breath and Burt tried to keep a straight face as he went to help his son.

            “Stop wiggling for a second, I got you,” said Burt.

            “Dad, oh thank god. I was kind of worried I was going to suffocate there for a second,” said Kurt as Burt disentangled him from his shirt. Kurt flushed when he realized he was standing in front of his dad, shirtless and tried to cover up his chest.

            Burt shook his head in amusement. “Kurt. I’m your father. I changed your diapers and gave you a hundred baths when you were a little kid. Seriously.”

            “Sorry,” Kurt mumbled. “I guess I’m just self-conscious.”

            “Well, you have no need to bed,” said Burt, pointedly. “Now, do you need any more help?” Burt glanced at the skin-tight jeans his son was wearing. He figured there was no way in hell he’d be able to get those off on his own with his arm in a cast.

            Kurt sighed, resignedly. He knew it was better to ask for help than to end up embarrassingly caught up in his clothing and asking for help. It was embarrassing to be getting undressed in front of his dad, of all people. But he supposed it was better than someone like Finn.

            Burt took a step closer to Kurt, motioning to the buckle on Kurt’s belt and he gasped loudly and took a step away from his dad.

            “No way. I’ll do it,” said Kurt, defiantly. No way in hell was his dad getting near his crotch.

            Burt sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “Kurt, buddy, you have to let me help. I’m your dad. It’s not that big a deal.”

            “Just let me try and do it, okay Dad?” Burt nodded.

With one hand, Kurt managed to undo his belt buckle and the button and fly on his jeans. Tugging his insanely tight jeans with one hand would be a struggle in itself. Instead of taking an obscene about of time trying to slide his jeans down his legs, Kurt relented and allowed his dad to help him.

            Quickly and embarrassingly in Kurt’s case, Kurt was dressed in his pajamas, his dad’s clumsy fingers doing the buttons up on his shirt.

            “Kurt, I know these next couple of weeks are going to be pretty difficult for you with that cast on your arm. Everything you do right now will be ten times harder than it would be normally. I broke my arm once and I could barely shower properly or get dressed. I didn’t even have a lotion and potion routines like you do twice a day and I thought it was difficult. Not to mention I’d be caught dead before I wore a pair of jeans like those.”

            Kurt sighed. He hadn’t quite come to terms yet with how he was going to deal with having his cast on.

“I know you won’t be the most comfortable with having someone help you out all the time, especially with dressing and stuff. I’m not saying you cut everything out because it’ll make your life easier, but maybe you’ll consider accepting that you’ll need a little more help? Or maybe stop wearing such complicated clothes for a little while.”

            “Dad, if you are insinuating that I switch to wearing drawstring pants, you can go ahead and plan my funeral because I’ll be caught dead before you ever see me in something like that,” said Kurt.

Kurt thought about his dad’s suggestion. Kurt was unwilling to adapt his wardrobe. He knew there were a few different options he could use, but either way, unless he did wear sweatpants, there still was going to be issues with the button/fly combo on all of his pants. If he thought about it, his moisturizing routine would take a lot longer than it normally would because he wouldn’t be able to use his wrist.

            This is going to be such a pain in the ass, he thought. I guess I’d better just let someone help me or everything I appreciate in life is going down the drain.

Kurt let out a loud sigh. “I guess I’ll have to let you guys help me. Are you sure that’s okay though dad? I mean, I can even admit to myself I’m kind of high maintenance.”

            Burt laughed. “I promise its fine Kurt.” Kurt looked a little wary of the whole situation. He had a flush high on his cheekbones. He was embarrassed that he had to ask help for basically everything from now until he got his cast off.

            “Okay, tell you what. I’ll come in and help you get dressed in the morning and at night and Carole can help you with your hair and skin stuff. She’s better at that stuff than I am, anyways. Plus, I think you guys could get to know each other a little more.”

Kurt nodded, visibly looking more relaxed at his dad’s suggestion. Burt clapped him on the shoulder and left the room, promising to send Carole up.

Kurt sat down at his vanity and waited for Carole to come up. He was kind of excited to share his tips and tricks for skin care with Carole. While he had already helped with her hair and clothes, her skin was still something that needed a little work if she wanted to keep a young, fresh look about her.

For what felt for the hundredth time since Carole handed it to him, Kurt’s thoughts drifted to Blaine and the note he personally wrote for Kurt. Kurt kind of wished Carole would hurry up so he could get in bed and read it.

As soon as he thought that, he heard a knock on his door, and Carole entered his room.

“Hi, Sweetie. Your dad sent me up to help.” Kurt looked at her sheepishly. “Oh, don’t give me that look Kurt, it’s fine. Plus I’m sure you’ll be willing to share some tips?” Kurt’s eyes brightened with her eagerness. He didn’t even need to suggest the plan to her! Kurt shifted down the bench he was sitting on to allow room for his step-mom.

“Before I forget, I brought the bottle of pills your doctor prescribed for you for the pain. How’s your wrist feeling right now?”

“Fine, I don’t think the other stuff has worn off yet.”

“Okay, well, just take one before you go to bed. These are powerful, so make sure you only take one every 6 hours. Now, let’s get started, shall well? Teach me your ways, Mr. Hummel.”

 As Kurt walked through the steps of his routine, he and Carole chit-chatted about Blaine as they both applied the products to their faces with each other’s help.

“So what did Blaine have to say, Kurt?”

Kurt flushed, “I haven’t had a chance to look at yet, unfortunately.”

“You really like him, don’t you?”

“Carole, don’t be silly,” huffed Kurt. “We’ve just met.”

“I don’t see how time is a factor here, Kurt. I’ve was talking with Blaine before you woke up and it looks like the two of you have some things in common. I think you both will get along very well. He’s cute, too. And quite the gentleman.”

“Yeah…” said Kurt, dreamily.

“Nothing’s wrong with having a crush, honey. If anything I can see the two of you becoming great friends.”

“Can I be honest with you Carole? I’m kind of scared, but excited at the same time.”

“And why’s that?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever met a boy who’s been so nice to me without any obligation to do so. I mean, he stayed with me the whole time I was there. He didn’t have to, but he did. He hugged me, Carole. He told me to look into his eyes when I was scared about getting the IV put in. What does that even mean?”

“I think it means he liked you right from the start, honey,” said Carole, honestly.

“I’ve never had a boyfriend before, what if I mess everything up? What if he was just being nice and I’ve misinterpreted everything and I mess it up?”

“Kurt, give yourself a little credit here. I’m sure Blaine likes you just as much as you like him. You won’t mess it up. I’m glad he came into your life at the right time, honey. It’ll be nice for the both of you to have each other to lean on. I know McKinley isn’t the most accepting of gay people…”

“More like not at all,” grumbled Kurt.

Carole gave him a sympathetic look. “Just give it time, hang out, call each other, whatever. Things will fall into place eventually. Just don’t try to force it. I’ll let you be now though. Let you get to that note, finally.” She winked at him.

“Thanks for everything Carole, really.” She pressed a soft kiss to his forehead and squeezed his shoulder. “No problem, honey. Same time tomorrow night?”

“Ah, well...I actually do my moisturizing routine twice a day.”

“So tomorrow morning then? Even better.” Carole left, shutting Kurt’s door behind her. He couldn’t exactly put a name to the warm feeling in his chest, but he knew he felt a lot better about the situation with Blaine.

Before he went under the covers, Kurt took his medication like Carole said, put his iPhone next to him on his bedside table and turned on his lamp. He grabbed the note off his vanity and sunk under the covers, propping himself up on his pillows to read Blaine’s note. Kurt opened it and began to read through it carefully, as to not miss anything. By the end, Kurt was sporting an ear-reaching grin. Blaine wanted to hang out with him. Blaine wanted him to call or text him or whatever. Blaine wants to be friends with Kurt. Kurt almost burst out laughing from the euphoria of it all. Kurt snatched his iPhone off his bedside table and before he could type out a text message to the number written at the bottom of the page, it chimed with a new message from the same number.

Text: Hi Kurt! It’s Blaine. I hope it’s okay that I’m texting you. Your step-mom gave me your number before I left.

Text: I was just about to text you! Thank you for the note! I’d love to hang out some time:)

Text from Blaine: Awesome! How is your arm by the way?

Text: It’s doing alright, thanks. The dr. prescribed me some pills, so I’m not in any pain. Thankfully my phone has a touch screen or I’d be doomed.

Text from Blaine: Is it okay if I call you? I’d rather carry on a real conversation. Texting is so restrictive!

Kurt’s heart started to pound. Blaine wanted to call him? Although he spent most of the day with him today, Kurt was pretty nervous, but excited at the same time.

Text: Sure! :)

            Before long, the opening notes of Defying Gravity started to play from Kurt’s phone, indicating the incoming phone call from Blaine. Kurt swiped his index finger across the screen and accepted the call.

            “Hi Blaine!”

            “Hi, Kurt! Thanks for letting me call. I know it’s kind of late. But I really didn’t want to continue our conversation via text.”

            “It’s alright Blaine, it is kind of difficult to type with one hand, even with my touch screen. I’m glad you wrote me that note, Blaine. I was kind of sad to see you had left when I woke up.”

            Blaine groaned, “I know. I’m so sorry Kurt, I wanted to stay. But my mom was done her surgery and your family had just arrived anyways.”

            “Carole told me you stayed for the several hours I was unconscious. That was nice of you. Sorry I wasn’t better company!”

Blaine laughed, “That’s alright. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t wake up alone, which you didn’t.”

            “I’m sure I would have been fine, Blaine. You didn’t have to sit there for hours. Although I did see you entertained yourself by signing your name on my cast…”

            “Was that okay? I was trying to make it look inconspicuous! My best friend popped by with a sharpie. I guess Caroline told her the whole story of what was going on. I was actually visiting with her when Caroline sent me down to get you, and I kind of disappeared for several hours. I believe her exact words were, Did you get locked in the morgue or something?”

            “Your friend is in the hospital? I’m sorry, Blaine. Is she okay?”

            “I don’t know. She has cancer. She’s been on and off remission for as long as I’ve known her. We actually met at the hospital. Remember when I mentioned when I was a patient at the hospital before?”

“Yeah,” replied Kurt. He heard Blaine take a deep breath on the other end of the line.

“Well, what happened was that I dared to ask I boy I like, who was also gay, to the Sadie Hawkins dance at my old school when I was 14. These jocks cornered us after the dance, when we were waiting for his dad to pick us up and the beat the living crap out of us. We were both in the hospital for a while with serious injuries.”

“Oh my god, Blaine…” said Kurt, concerned. “Are you okay?”

“Of course I am Kurt, I’m fine. It was a couple of years ago. I’m all healed up now. Plus, I transferred to Dalton, so no one can hurt me again. Dalton has an anti-bullying policy. Did you know that?”

“Does it really?” asked Kurt, with trepidation in his voice.

“Yes, it does. And it actually works. It’s not just there for show. Everyone is truly respectful of one another there. It’s great.”

“Wow…,” said Kurt. Kurt would have never thought such a thing would exist, especially in Ohio.

“Maybe you should talk to your dad about it, Kurt.”

“I can’t, Blaine. He doesn’t even know about half the stuff that’s gone on at McKinley. I’m too scared to tell him. I don’t want to get him all worried and stressed out. He’s sick, you know. He just had a heart attack a couple of months ago and I just don’t want to trigger anything…”

“I understand. But can you promise me something?”

“Sure, Blaine.”

“Promise me that you’ll at least talk to someone about it, whether it’s me, or your step-mom or your friends at school. Don’t keep everything bottled up Kurt, it’s not healthy. You know I’ll always be here to talk to. No matter what. I just want you to be okay.”

Tears sparked up in Kurt’s eyes. Blaine had yet again shocked him into tears with his kindness and generosity.

“I promise. But now can we change the subject?”

Over the course of a couple of hours, Kurt and Blaine talked about everything from Glee Club, to Vogue, to Broadway, to how embarrassing it was for Kurt to have his dad help dress him and how scared he was to try showering tomorrow. Blaine talked about the struggles he’s faced with his father and how his mother is never really around, but she tries to compensate for it by popping into Blaine’s life at unexpected times. Kurt talked about his mother’s death and his dad’s heart attack. He even briefly brushed over his crush on Finn and his struggles with trying to accept his new family. Eventually Kurt became so exhausted from his stressful day that he drifted off in the middle of the conversation with Blaine. As soon as Blaine noticed that Kurt fell asleep, he ended the call and wrote him a quick text.

Kurt stirred at the clinking noise of dishes being put away downstairs in the kitchen. He stretched his arms out over his head and winced at the pain present in his wrist.

Oh right, that happened, he thought. Kurt had actually slept fairly well last night despite the cast on his arms. He wasn’t entirely hopeful of sleeping that well for the rest of the time he has his cast on. The emotional day he had yesterday had tuckered him out, not to mention he was sure that the remaining effects of the medication he was given at the hospital helped him fall asleep as well. Kurt turned his upper body towards his right side, stretching his shoulders, when he noticed his iPhone sitting next to his head on his pillow. He wrinkled his eyebrows in confusion. Suddenly, Kurt remembered the events of last night and his phone call with Blaine.

“BLAINE,” he gasped loudly. “Shit, shit, shit. I must have fallen asleep when we were talking. Oh my god, what must he think of me now? Crap!”

Kurt sat up, after struggle for a minute and grabbed his phone. As he clicked the home button, a message from Blaine popped up on the screen, timed at 1:12am this morning.

Text from Blaine: Hey, sleepy head. Don’t worry about falling asleep. I know you had a long day. It was nice talking to you tonight. I’ll talk to you soon!

Oh, okay, thought Kurt, heart racing. He struggled to keep the bubble of euphoric laughter in his chest. Last night was really nice. I don’t think I’ve ever talked on the phone that long with somebody before. Kurt was surprised at his good mood so early on in the day. Normally he wasn’t such a morning person. Well, if he really thought about it, it took a lot for him to be in an especially good mood like he was this morning.

When was the last time I ever felt like this? Kurt ran through different scenarios in his head, not being able to point out anything in particular that inspired this kind of feeling. Except for maybe when Wicked came to Columbus and his Aunt bought him tickets for his birthday. They got a hotel room and stayed for the whole weekend and went shopping at all the really good malls after catching the show.

            After freaking out about the events of last night for a couple minutes, Kurt took a deep breath, smiled and decided to go downstairs for breakfast. He could smell Carole’s famous homemade waffles and coffee brewing wafting from the kitchen. With a little difficulty, Kurt climbed out of bed and went downstairs. His dad and Carole were sitting at the kitchen table, drinking coffee out of well-worn mugs and reading different sections of the newspaper.

            “Morning Dad, Carole.”

            “Morning bud, sleep well?” asked his Dad.

            “Surprisingly yes,” said Kurt as he walked towards the coffee maker and grabbing a mug from the shelf above him.

            “You must have been pretty tired last night; it’s not like you to sleep so late.”

Kurt looked over at the digital clock on the microwave, which read 9:22am. He usually slept in until about 8am at the latest, so he was surprised he woke up so late.

            “Well, I was up late last night. Blaine called and we ended up talking for a couple of hours,” said Kurt, nonchalantly.

Burt and Carole gave each other knowing looks across the table.

            “What?”

            “Nothing, bud. You really like this Blaine kid, don’t you?”

Kurt blushed. “M-maybe?” Kurt stammered, embarrassed. Burt smirked at his son’s reaction.

            “Why don’t you sit down and have some breakfast, Kurt? I made lots. The eating machine hasn’t woken up yet, so I think you’re safe to enjoy a couple of waffles,” said Carole.

            Carole got up to fix him a plate and he sat down with his mug of coffee, searching for the fashion and entertainment section of the paper. As Carole sat down his plate in front of him, he thanked her profusely.

            “I’m pretty sure it would have taken ten times longer to fix that plate myself. Thanks Carole.”

            Kurt dug in to his breakfast, thankful that he didn’t break the wrist of his most dominant hand and browsed through the newspaper. Once he was finished, he went to stand up from his chair when he noticed that Burt and Carole were looking at him seriously.

            “What’s the matter?” asked Kurt confusedly.

            “Listen Kurt, me and Carole have been talking all morning about figuring out how to help you, uh…get ready in the morning and stuff.”

            “Okay…?” He really wasn’t sure at what his parents were getting at. Burt and Carole just looked at Kurt’s cast and then realization set in.

            “Oh…Oh!” Kurt felt the colour drain out of his face when he realized what his dad meant. “You mean like, helping me shower and stuff.”

            “Stop looking like I took your tiara collection away from you again, Kurt. Me and Carole are both willing to help you.”

            “Yeah, well…I’m not really sure if I’m willing to let you help me.”

            “Don’t be silly Kurt, there really isn’t any other way. Otherwise you’ll be taking half an hour long showers and I don’t think we could afford the increase in the water bill,” added Carole.

            “But…I’ll be naked.”

            “Just like the day you were born, and every single time I had to change your diapers,” said Burt.

            “I know but…”

            “Well, what if Carole helped you instead of me? Would that be less weird?” asked Burt.

            “I bathe patients at work all the time Kurt, it’s nothing I haven’t seen before,” added Carole.

            “Dude, it’s really not that big of a deal,” said Finn sleepily, as he walked into the kitchen. “When I dislocated my shoulder playing football, mom had to help me shower too. Plus, it’s not like you need her to help you completely, just with washing your hair and stuff. She gives good scalp massages like they do at the hairdresser.” Carole smiled at her son and pressed a kiss to his cheek as he sat down next to her with a plate piled with waffles.

            It was hard for Kurt to just sit back and accept the fact that he now needed to rely on other people to help him complete menial tasks, tasks in which he would occasionally be naked. He sighed and reluctantly agreed to let Carole help him. Kurt liked that the fact that she was a nurse made the whole situation a little better. Finn’s encouragement also put him at ease. If Finn could suffer through it and survived, then so could Kurt.

            “You’re sure this is okay with you Carole?”

            “Yes, Kurt. I promise. Stop asking me please, honey. It’s fine.” Kurt looked at her reluctantly, while she gave him a reassuring smile.

            Might as well get this over with, he thought, as he gathered up his towels and heading into his ensuite bathroom.

            Carole followed him into the bathroom, taking something out of a plastic package.

            “What is that?”

            “It’s a rubber cast cover. I picked it up from the hospital before we left. It’s pretty handy compared to using a plastic bag over the cast. Unfortunately, you won’t have any use of your fingers on your left hand. But that’s why I’m here,” said Carole.

            Kurt nodded and turned the water on in the shower. “Can you help with my buttons, Carole? I can probably get my pants off on my own, but I need help with these,” said Kurt, pointing to his pajama shirt.

            Carole worked quickly to un-do all the buttons. After she slid the shirt off Kurt’s shoulders, she tugged the rubber cover over Kurt’s cast and made sure it was sealed properly.

            “Um…could you turn around please?” asked Kurt, flushing bright red. There was no way in hell he’d let his step-mom see him completely naked. No freaking way.

            Carole laughed and turned around while Kurt pulled his pants and underwear down with one hand. It took a little longer than usual, but Kurt found it wasn’t as difficult as he thought it would be. Carole was humming the tune of one of the random Mellencamp tunes his father tended to blast during his road trips behind him as he turned and stepped carefully into the tub. The intense water pressure of the special shower head he begged his dad to install in his new bathroom instantly soothed his tense muscles and relieved some of his stress and anxiety. He heard Carole pull his desk chair into the bathroom and set it near the tub.

Over the next twenty minutes, Kurt and Carole worked as a team to make Kurt’s showering as less awkward as possible. They passed back and forth a loofah and Kurt’s favourite warm vanilla sugar body wash. She encouraged him to sit near the edge of the tub (promising not to peek) and gave Kurt the best shampoo and conditioner massage he’s ever had in his life. After he dried himself off and covered himself in a robe, the pair seated themselves at Kurt’s vanity and performed their now shared moisturizing routine. Carole helped pick out a comfortable outfit for a relaxing day at home (That wouldn’t leave him struggling for a lot of help if he needed to use the bathroom or something, he was embarrassed just thinking of certain situations): a simple, white cotton V-neck, the cardigan Carole knit for him for Christmas made with the softest, warmest gray wool Kurt has ever felt and black lacquered wooden toggles and knit loops inlaid instead of buttons (that surprisingly fit over his cast), a blue ombre scarf wrapped around his neck and his coziest black yoga pants. He decided against styling his hair properly today, not willing to go through the unrelenting frustration that was soon to come as he attempted to style his hair one handed once school started again.

After Kurt thanked Carole with a warm hug for helping him, Kurt settled on his bed with his iPhone and issue of Vogue UK that was stuffed in his stocking. Kurt flipped through the pages, marking whatever sparked his interest with little blue post-its, scribbling notes on them as he went. While he did try to focus slowly on his magazine, Kurt’s concentration kept drifting over to his iPhone, willing a text from Blaine to pop up.

It was New Year’s Eve and while no official plans had been made, Kurt usually went over to Mercedes’ house to watch the cheesy Dick Clark pre-show before the ball dropped in Time’s Square. Finn had left after breakfast to go to Puck’s for a sleepover. Kurt wasn’t in the mood to get all dressed up and he wasn’t feeling quite like himself at the moment. Not to mention the distant throbbing in is wrist refused to go away, even after taking another pain pill. Kurt was feeling a little lonely and was yearning for the chance to have another easy conversation with Blaine.

Maybe I should just call him, he thought. Kurt fought with himself mentally for a good 15 minutes before he finally just decided to call his new friend instead of agonizing over the appropriate times to communicate with a new friend. Hummels wait for no one, he decided as he tapped the “call” icon.

With every ring, Kurt got increasingly nervous. Maybe he has plans with his friends today, he thought, gloomily. Eventually Kurt hit Blaine’s voicemail, his silly message putting a little smile on Kurt’s face. He sighed and went back to his magazine, feeling a little sorry for himself. To perk himself up a little he placed his iPod on his docking system and cranked the volume on his Wicked soundtrack, desperate to make what seemed like the beginnings of a miserable day, not so miserable.

Later on, as Kurt was singing along loudly to Popular and still flipping through Vogue, the distant sound of knocking came from downstairs. Kurt paused quickly to figure out if they had a guest. He couldn’t hear any extra voices, so he continued to sing along from one of his favourite songs from the musical when someone knocked on his bedroom door.

“Come in!” he called out.

When the door opened, Kurt looked up to find Blaine dressed in what looked like a cashmere Kelly Green sweater and dark wash jeans. His curls were a little wild from the wind and his cheeks were pink.

“Hi, Kurt!” he greeted excited.

He wasn’t exaggerating when he said he almost fell off the bed.