January rolls around and school starts up again. Kurt and Blaine have a few weeks of much deserved peace and quiet, but things aren't so good for Finn. Carole had told Burt fairly early on in their relationship what had actually happened to Finn's dad. Burt knew at the time that the truth would have to come out eventually, but that didn't make the process any easier. Finn took the news horribly. Even once he'd seemed to move on, he was still acting really strange.

Ever since Blaine gave Kurt the promise ring, Burt had noticed that they never even bicker. The two boys are absolutely content with each other, which is why Burt is so surprised when they come home arguing one day.

"How often do you talk to him, Blaine? It sounds pretty often from what he was saying!"

"For goodness sake, Kurt, he was baiting you, you know that! I did add him on Facebook back when we first met and he claimed to want advice, so he must have just gotten my cell number off there!"

"Why are you not answering my question! I'm starting to wonder if you're hiding something!"

The boys are so wrapped up in their conversation that they don't notice Burt standing a few feet away, an incredulous look on his face.

"Kitchen table, anyone?" Burt asks, chuckling internally at the way the boys startle.

Once seated at the table, Burt can't help notice the tension between the two boys. Not only are they not sitting close enough to touch shoulders, they're both sending each other annoyed glances.

"So, who wants to start from the beginning?" Burt prompts.

"Blaine's been talking to another guy." Kurt says quickly, obviously going for shock value, as if trying to win Burt's side.

"Blaine, do you want to tell me about this guy?" Burt asks, trying not to laugh at the ridiculousness of the question. As if Blaine would actually be looking at other guys a month after giving Kurt a promise ring!

"He's a Warbler. I met him when I went to give them tickets for West Side Story. He was new so he wanted to chat. He, uh, said some things that made me uncomfortable, and I told him I had a boyfriend and definitely was not interested, but he's been pretty persistent." Blaine says in a calm voice, as if he's doing everything he can think of to keep the conversation from turning into a fight.

"He was the one that convinced us to go to the, uh, bar." Blaine adds, as an afterthought.

A guy that doesn't seem to want to take 'no' for answer and dragged two of Burt's under aged boys to a bar? Burt's starting to understand Kurt's hostility.

"So have you been talking with him?" Burt asks. He's hoping that Blaine's answer will be able to pacify Kurt.

"Not really." Blaine answers. "He texts me occasionally, and I'll reply, but very formally. Sometimes he calls, and I don't want to just hang up on him, so I'll say a quick 'hello' and then make an excuse. He called this morning and I told him that I couldn't talk because I was practicing for Regionals. He must have heard my music in the background, because when we saw him today, he said that it was such a good idea, the Warblers were going to do Michael Jackson, too."

Burt doesn't like the sound of this kid at all, and he gets both Kurt and Blaine's opinions. Burt can completely understand why Kurt wouldn't want Blaine to have any contact with this kid, but he also knows how deeply Blaine feels the need to please everyone and be polite and friendly to those he talks to, especially other Dalton students.

"Blaine, I get it, but this kid just sounds like bad news. Maybe you should delete him as a 'friend' from Facebook and block his number on your cell."

"Burt, he's harmless." Blaine protests. "He's just misguided in his efforts. I'll just be more careful not to say anything important when I'm talking to him."

Burt's learned over the year or so that he's known Blaine that when the kid's mind is made up, there's very little he can do to change it. This seems to be one of those times. Burt decides to let it go, and hopes to God that it won't come back to bite him later.

Sure enough, it does. Burt answers the home phone one evening to hear Kurt sobbing hysterically. Burt listens carefully, filling with concern as Kurt tells him that Finn's driving them to the hospital because Blaine got a slushie to the eye. Burt can actually hear Blaine whimpering in pain through the phone. He reminds Kurt to call Blaine's parents, and then tells his son that he'll be there soon.

Burt tells Carole what happened and they're at the hospital in less than twenty minutes. After asking a few questions, they learn that Blaine's been taken into urgent care. They turn a corner to find Kurt being restrained by Finn as a nurse tells them that they are going to have to wait in the room until the doctor finishes. Kurt is crying and thrashing in Finn's arms.

"What happened, Finn?" Burt asks, trying to understand what's going on so that he can help Kurt calm down.

"We, uh, we were having a sing-off with the Warblers. We'd just about finished the song when that awful Sebastian guy tried to throw a slushie at Kurt. Blaine jumped in front of it, and it must have hit him in the eye because he started absolutely screaming. The Warblers ran off, and Blaine just seemed to be in more and more pain, so Tina said we should go to the hospital. They took Blaine back a moment or two ago. He was crying and yelling about needing Kurt, but they wouldn't let Kurt back with him."

Burt lets out a long sigh.

"Did you call his parents, Kurt?" Burt asks.

"Mhm." Kurt answers with a sniffle.

"And are they on their way?" Burt prompts.

"No." Kurt says, wiping his eyes. "They're at some kind of a conference in Pennsylvania. They said that they'd pack up and drive through the night, but they won't be here for hours yet."

"But I just don't understand," Carole says "You've gotten slushied plenty of times and nothing like this has ever happened."

"We all have good reflexes so we can shut our eyes in time." Finn suggests.

"I think Sebastian put something else in it." Kurt says, his eyes dark.

"What do you mean, Kurt?" Carole asks.

"I tried to wipe what I could away from his face when I was trying to see his eyes. But when I touched it, it was warm, not ice cold. I don't know what could do that to a slushie. It still had the chunks of ice in it, but it felt warm."

Burt's eyebrows narrow. What could that guy have done to the slushie? It was clearly meant to cause harm. Burt's heart sinks as he realizes that the harm was intended for Kurt, not Blaine. If Blaine hadn't taken the slushie for Kurt, how hurt would Kurt be right now?

The minutes pass slowly as they wait for news. Carole is now holding Kurt, who is crying softly into her shoulder. Suddenly, Burt remembers something important.

"Kurt? Did Blaine have - ? Was he remembering his attack?" Burt asks, his voice low.

Kurt nods, and turns to look at Burt

"Yeah, he was. He started crying and screaming to let him go, even when we weren't touching him. We couldn't get Finn or Sam or anyone to carry him because he got so violent. In the end, I had to carry him. I don't even know if he knew it was me, or if he just knew that I wasn't going to be able to overpower him. I heard the nurse say something about sedating him when they were taking him back."

It's exactly what Burt was concerned about. Nothing else is said as they wait, each person steadily growing more concerned as the clock ticks away. Eventually, a doctor comes out to give them news.

"Are you the family of Blaine Anderson?" She asks.

Burt doesn't bother to correct Kurt when he says "yes."

"You can go back to see him in just a minute or so. We've bandaged him up and given him some pain relievers and sedatives, so he's a little bit out of it. He's going to need to come back at the end of the week."

She pauses for a second. Burt resents her for it.

"Whatever it was that got in his eye, it did some damage. He's got a pretty deep scratch to his cornea, and we're going to have to operate to fix it."

Burt's family lets out a collective gasp, which from Kurt is more of a wail.

"He can go home with you tonight, and I'm going to give you an information package about some of the care he'll need until then, as well as some prescriptions he'll need. You can go back and see him now, two at a time."

It's silently agreed that Kurt and Burt will go back first. Burt gives Kurt a few minutes head start. When Burt walks into the small room, the scene that greets him is awful. Kurt is sitting on the edge of Blaine's bed, running his hand through Blaine's curls and he wipes tears from his own eyes. Blaine has a bandage covering his injured eye, which wraps the whole way around his head. His clothes are stained with what Burt realizes is not blood, mercifully, but a dark red slushie.

He crosses the cramped room and sits down in one of the visitor chairs.

"How are you doing, buddy?" Burt asks, hoping to not startle the boy.

"Burt?" Blaine says, his voice a hoarse whisper. "What're you doing 'ere?

Burt tries to ignore the way Blaine's words slur together.

"We're going to take you home soon, okay, bud? Your parents are on their way, but they won't be home for a while. We're going to stay with you until then."

"Okay." Blaine mumbles. "S'long as Kurt's here."

Blaine nuzzles a bit into the hand that Kurt has in his hair. Burt watches as Blaine's visible eye closes, and after a few moments, his breathing has evened out as he falls asleep.

Kurt gets up from his spot on the bed. He paces the length of the bed a few times, and then opens and closes his mouth.

"I – I'm gonna." And then he leaves the room.

Burt isn't sure whether to leave Blaine and follow him, or to stay with Blaine and trust that Carole could handle Kurt. With a sigh, he gets to his feet and walks to the door of the small room. He peeks out into the hallway. He sees Carole talking to Kurt in a way that looks extremely maternal. Burt's glad. He sits back down at Blaine's bedside.

As much as Blaine had been reliving his attack, Kurt is probably reliving losing his mom and nearly losing Burt a year or so before. The kid had spent way too much time beside hospital beds.

Staring at Blaine's tiny, sheet-covered frame, Burt can't help but think about the last time Blaine was in the hospital. That time, the red stain on his clothes would actually have been blood. He wonders if Blaine's parents were there that time, or if Blaine was all alone.

Burt's thoughts are interrupted when Finn comes in. He stands awkwardly at the foot of the bed for a few moments, before moving to sit by the window.

"They really love each other, Kurt and Blaine, don't they?" Finn asks.

"Yup."

"And they can get married now, right?" Finn continues.

Burt's not sure he likes where this is going.

"Well, in a handful of states. Not in Ohio, anyway."

"But they love each other." Finn says again.

"Yup." Burt repeats.

"So why shouldn't they be able to get married?" Finn says, a confused look on his face.

Burt can't help but chuckle.

"Beats me, sport."

Carole appears at the door, angling her head to the hallway. Burt gets the hint, and gets up to leave the room, patting Finn on the shoulder as he goes.

"Kurt needs help with all of the paperwork. He's on the phone with Blaine's dad, but it's still a bit of a mess." Carole smiles at Burt. He gives her a swift kiss on a cheek and heads over to the nurses' station.

"You know what I'm thinking?" she calls gently.

"You bet I do." Burt replies, not even looking back.

It's an inside joke between the two of them. He'd started going out with Carole in the spring two years ago, and just a few months later he had his awful heart attack. The day that he woke up, Carole was there to see him. Apparently, she'd been sitting at his bedside waiting for him to wake up, almost as anxious as Kurt had been. There were a few long moments of Burt assuring her that he'd never scare her like that again (an empty promise, but he'd already realized he'd promise Carole anything). And then, Carole said the line that they had since quoted at each other way to often:

"I really don't think I'd put up with this shit for anyone else."

As harsh as it sounds, it's more of a promise: no matter how bad things get, I'll get through it because you're worth it to me. They started saying that to each other so often, like the time that the washer overflowed and flooded the basement, that they didn't even have to say the phrase anymore to know the other was thinking it.

It takes way too long to complete the forms, but at least it gives them something to do while they wait for Blaine to be discharged. The doctor comes back with all the information and describes to Kurt how to administer the eye drops and change the bandaging. After getting everything sorted, it's finally time to leave around midnight.

Kurt wheels Blaine out to the parking lot, but Blaine allows Burt to lift him into the car. Finn finds a blanket in the back to lie over Blaine, and Kurt's eyes soften in gratitude at the gesture. They drive to Blaine's house and Burt ignores the practiced ease with which Kurt enters the key code for the garage. They help Blaine into his bedroom, and wait outside the door while Kurt changes Blaine into his pyjamas. There's a silent agreement that Kurt will stay with Blaine, even once the boy's parents are home. Burt's already writing his excuse note from school in his head.

Finn heads to the living room to watch TV, but Carole and Burt stay in Blaine's room. They sit in his arm chairs, and Kurt sits on the bed, Blaine's head in his lap. They've been instructed to give Blaine the pain killers on schedule, even if he's not feeling pain, but they haven't been home too long when the sedation wears off. Any hopes that Burt might have had of a nap are destroyed when Blaine wakes up from his doze, thrashing and screaming. Burt watches, frozen to his chair as Kurt pulls Blaine into his arms, rocking him as his screams die down. There's no doubt in Burt's mind that Kurt has done this before when Blaine's woken up with nightmares.

But after a few moments, Blaine starts mumbling, and the words he speaks are awful.

"Friends, Kurt! How could – it hurts – they're supposed – Warblers – always loyal."

It's not about the Sadie Hawkins attack anymore; it's about the fact that it was his friends that had done this to him. It's one thing to be attacked by homophobic bullies, strangers, really, but being hurt by his friends?

Kurt doesn't have any words of comfort for Blaine, tears running down his own cheeks. He just holds Blaine tighter to him, whispering to him that he'll be okay, that Kurt loves him. Burt's not surprised that it doesn't seem to help.

The more that Blaine wakes up, the more the sleep and sedation leave him, the more upset he is. Burt's genuinely wondering whether to run to the pharmacy to get a sleeping pill for the boy. He just watches and listens until Blaine says something that scares him.

"Kurt, I just. Kurt. Please. I want to cut so bad. Just this once. I need it. Kurt, please. Please."

Kurt turns to look at Burt, his eyes wide with the fear that Burt feels. Luckily, Carole responds faster than Burt can. In the blink of an eye, Carole has her arms around Kurt and Blaine both, sandwiching Blaine between herself and Kurt.

"Blaine, I know you're upset. I can't imagine how hurt you must be feeling right now. But we are not going to let you hurt yourself. We love you Blaine, and we want you to be healthy and happy and safe. I know that you feel like you need to cut right now to cope, but you don't. You don't need to hurt yourself to deal with this. We're all here to help you get through this, no matter what you need to do. Just let it out. Go ahead and feel angry, Blaine, you really deserve to. If you feel so angry that you could scream, go ahead and scream. We might even scream with you, because we're really angry, too. Just let it out, Blaine. Let out whatever you're feeling."

Blaine twists in his seat and angles his head to press it against Carole's shoulder.

"They were friends." He whispers weakly.

Kurt rubs Blaine's back, and Carole strokes Blaine's hair.

"I know, sweetie, I know."

"They were there for me when no one else was." Blaine's voice is getting stronger now.

"THEY WERE THERE FOR KURT WHEN NO ONE ELSE WAS!" And then suddenly, Blaine's screaming. Burt considers covering his ears against the noise, but thinks that would send the wrong message. "HOW COULD THEY DO THAT TO HIM! HOW COULD THEY TRY TO HURT KURT LIKE THAT! THEY KNOW HOW MUCH HE WENT THROUGH AT MCKINLEY. KURT TOLD THEM ABOUT HOW MUCH THE SLUSHIES HURT! HOW COULD THEY DO THAT TO HIM!"

Burt can't believe it. After everything he's gone through, Blaine is angry because the Warblers tried to hurt Kurt. Wrapped up in gauze and pumped with painkillers, Blaine is still thinking about Kurt before himself.

Blaine's holding his head now, gasping from the exertion of yelling. Perhaps the shouting wasn't a good idea.

"It just hurts so much." Blaine mumbles. Carole helps him lie back down.

"Why does everyone hate me, Kurt?" Blaine finally says, his voice so quiet that Burt has to lean forward to hear it.

"I had to leave my high school because of bullies. The Warblers just betrayed me. No one at McKinley likes me. Why can't I have friends?"

Fresh tears appear on Kurt's face.

"I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you. I love you so much Blaine Anderson, don't you ever forget that."

Kurt repeats his mantra, but Burt's not sure how much good it does. Blaine has tired himself out enough that with his last few words, he'd fallen back to sleep. Still, Kurt continues repeating the phrase, over and over. He repeats it until it's just a hoarse whisper, and then he falls asleep, too, still holding Blaine to his chest.

Neither Carole nor Burt say anything. After all, what could they possibly say?

Burt figures he must have dozed off for a while, because he jolts awake when he hears the rumbling of the garage door opening, signalling the return of Blaine's parents. Kurt's asleep beside Blaine on top of his blankets. Carole helps Burt to his feet and they leave Blaine's room together.

Burt had never really met Blaine's parents before, despite their sons being together for nearly a year. This meeting didn't prove to reveal much about their character to him. They dropped their bags at the front door, from which they hurried straight to their son's room, barely even taking in the strangers in their entry hall. Burt and Carole followed them, and watched from the doorway as the couple leaned over Blaine's bed to inspect him.

It was only after seemingly deciding that he would be okay, that they addressed Burt and Carole. Burt got them to sit down at their kitchen table. He gave them all of the information the doctor had, as well as a number for them to call if they had any questions. They were thankful and polite, and Burt couldn't help but think it, really quite bland.

They were okay with letting Kurt stay, not even batting an eye when Burt suggested it under the explanation of Kurt knowing how to administer the drops and change Blaine's bandages. The Andersons walked them to the door when they'd woken Finn and got him ready to go. Mr. Anderson shook Burt's hand and thanked him again, and then they were on their way home. Burt couldn't explain it, but he felt so wrong leaving.

Burt didn't see much of Kurt for the next few days. Burt only let him take the one day off, but every moments that Kurt wasn't at school, he was at Blaine's. Kurt would call occasionally to say that Blaine was doing fine, but never much more than that. One afternoon, Burt checks the mail, and he sees an envelope with those five letters that matter so much to Kurt. N-Y-A-D-A. Kurt needs good news right about now. Burt genuinely considers opening it for Kurt. Giving it to him if it's an acceptance and just burning it if it's a rejection. He realizes he can't do that, so he heads straight to McKinley. He gets Mr. Schue to pull Kurt out of class, and, naturally, Kurt panics, thinking that Blaine had taken a turn for the worse.

Instead, it's the letter. Burt watches Kurt's eyes widen as he reads the return address. Burt tries to remind Kurt that a 'no' is not the end of the world, but in the end it doesn't matter – Kurt is a NYADA finalist. Burt would have been proud of Kurt even if he hadn't gotten in, but this is just incredible. Burt jumps around and hugs Kurt and can't even remember a time where he'd been more excited or hopeful. Kurt's dreams are coming true, simple as that.

"Who's gonna tell Blaine, you gotta let me do it!" The words are out of Burt's mouth before he even thinks them.

It's decided that Kurt will finish his day of school, and then Burt will drive them over to Blaine's. The hours pass slowly, and Burt gets to the school twenty minutes before the bell because he just can't wait any longer. The bell rings, and Burt thinks four seconds pass before Kurt flies out of the building, sprints to the car, jumps into the passenger seat and yells "Go! Go, go, go!"

"What did you steal?" Burt asks.

They laugh like it's the funniest thing they had ever heard. And it's not that funny, not really. Burt briefly wonders if they're becoming hysterical. They haven't had much to laugh about this week, and suddenly, they have good news. Burt thinks they've earned a few minutes of craziness.

They're still giggling when they pull into Blaine's driveway. Blaine's mom answers the door. She's not at all surprised to see Kurt, Burt notices, but she is surprised to see Burt. They offer a hurried explanation before heading to Blaine's room. Kurt knocks softly before barging into the room.

Blaine's sitting up in his bed, looking much, much better than the last time Burt saw him. His bandaging is now reduced to just a simple eye patch. He's got a magazine spread out on his lap and he's sipping a cup of tea.

"Hey Kurt, how was school?" Blaine says, and then he notices Burt. "Burt! What are you doing here?"

Burt feels pleased that Blaine sounds happy to see him.

"We've got some good news!" Burt says quickly, unable to draw it out as Kurt suggested.

Blaine looks at them, a strange look on his face, almost as if he doesn't understand the phrase "good news."

"Dad brought me a letter at school today." Kurt begins, moving over to sit beside Blaine.

"Yeah?" Blaine says. He seems unable to see how this could be good news.

"Here." Kurt interrupts, handing Blaine the letter. "Just read it for yourself."

Blaine opens the envelope, unfolding the letter and as he smooths it out, his jaw drops.

"NYADA? Does this? Are you?" Blaine reads the letter. "YOU'RE A FINALIST?!"

Kurt can only nod, as tears have filled his eyes. Burt is positively beaming watching the scene.

Blaine lets out a massive whoop, which becomes several screams of phrases like "I told you you'd get in!" and "I'm so proud of you!" and "New York, Kurt!"

Blaine's mom appears at the door, and with a stern glance convinces Kurt to try to calm Blaine down. When Burt leaves after a few minutes, he tells himself that it's to let the two boys celebrate together, but that's not the whole reason. Sitting in Blaine's bedroom, it's impossible for Burt to not thinking about the night of Blaine's injury, how much pain he was in and how he depressed he became.

As Burt says goodbye to Blaine's mom, he hopes to himself that Blaine's joy at Kurt's news will not be replaced with greater sadness. After all, Kurt going off to New York is Kurt leaving Blaine. A frown appears on Burt's face as he considers this. Would the two boys be able to survive a full year apart?