The day drifted on, as Kurt and Blaine talked. Blaine relished everything that Kurt said, while Kurt's mind lingered on every word that Blaine said.

"It's almost 5 PM," The chestnut- haired boy frowned slightly, even though his body still felt high adrenaline. "Visiting hours are almost over."

"Ick," The raven-haired boy agreed, a curl bouncing in front of his eyes.

"We're still on for coffee next Saturday, though, right?" Kurt asked nervously, his eyes wide. He couldn't believe that he was actually asking to leave Green Meadows for a little while.

"Totally," Blaine confirmed with a small grin.

Kurt stood up from his spot at the cafeteria table, despite his heart's protest, knowing Green Meadow's strict visitor's rules.

Blaine followed and made his way to Kurt's side.

Slowly, the two boys strolled out of the cafeteria.

They arrived back at the front desk area where they started.

Kurt and Blaine were so close they could feel each other's body heat. Kurt could smell Blaine's aftershave and he took an extra breath in and allowed Blaine's apple- cinnamon scent to linger.

Blaine wondered if it was too soon to hug Kurt- not even romantically- Kurt just looked like he really needed a hug.

"See you next Saturday... are you ready to see why I practically have a coffee IV from the Lima Bean?"

"I'll be waiting for the request form from."

"Talk to you soon." Blaine smiled, sad that he had to leave, but aware that he had to be back home in time for family dinner and to do homework, on top of the visiting hours being over.

"You too… It was nice talking with someone from the outside world."

Blaine waved with energy and Kurt waved his fingers back with an awkward expression that could have been interpreted as a smile.

Tuesday morning after his pills, the woman who had come into his room the prior week to ask for Kurt's signature, walked in again with a clipboard in her arms and a felt-tip marker in her hand.

"Hey Kurt," the woman smiled.

"Hi."

"I got a call from a gentleman named Blaine Anderson this morning asking about a trip to Lima on Saturday. I know that you haven't been on day trips and haven't expressed interest in doing so, however, I would really like you to consider going. I think that it would be good for you to…"

"I'll go."

he woman's eyes widened in shock.

"I- I want to." The chestnut haired boy added.

The woman handed the teenager the clipboard and maker, with the cap stuck on the end. The boy signed the form and handed the clipboard back to the woman.

"You'll meet at the front desk where you met your visitor last week. You will sign a paper and sign out sheet, as will your guest saying that they are responsible for you. You will ask for your wallet with your ID and such from the front desk and they should have it ready for you. Then you are allowed to leave. You have to be back by 6PM. Do you have any questions?"

The chestnut haired boy's head swirled ever so slightly, not really believing that he agreed to leave Green Meadows even for a little while. He didn't want to go outside, he didn't want to leave the safe walls, he didn't want to face people, he didn't want to run into anyone who he used to know- he wished that he hadn't signed the paper. But he didn't want to take back on his word- and he didn't want to disappoint Blaine. The boy sighed.

"Thank you."

"Have fun this weekend." The woman waved as she hurried off.

Wednesday evening after dinner, the boy walked to the telephone booth. Fortunately, it was BINGO night in the cafeteria, so most people were finishing their dinner and putting chips on sheets. He sat down on the chair and picked up the phone.

The boy's fingers felt numb and they shook vigorously as he punched in each number, but they were also nimble, because he had been punching in that same exact phone number for years.

Ring.

Please don't answer.

Ring.

Please answer!

Ring.

No, Take that back!

Ring.

"Hello?"

"Hi."

"Kurt?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"Uh- how are you?"

"Okay."

"Is there- uh- are reason that you called? I heard that you requested to leave Green Meadows for the afternoon on Saturday… Who are you going with? Do you know anything about who you're going with?"

"It's with this guy named Blaine… He came to perform with a group of show choir kids from the Dalton Academy in Westchester."

"I'm not sure about this."

"I know you're not."

"I don't want this guy kidnapping you, drugging you, or trying to do anything to you."

"I know."

"Be safe, kid. If there's any sign of trouble- run. And remember those self- defense maneuvers. Just because you're a guy doesn't mean that there aren't dangers out there."

"I know, Dad." The words had come out of his mouth. He has issues with his dad, no doubt, but for some reason these words seemed to come out in a manor that seemed something like parental concern. Sometimes parental concern bugged Kurt. Since when since when did Burt care? But for some reason, he felt okay with it today.

"I'm signing off on this because I don't know what to do with you, Kurt. I swear to God I don't. If your mother were still here, she might. She got depressed too, you know. She might have been able to understand."

The boy remembered his mother. He remembered the afternoons at the park with his mom; the cookies that she made when she had more energy than she knew what to do with. He remembered her singing with him and watching the Sound of Music when Burt had to put in late nights at the auto shop.

The boy also remembered the months when his father told him that his mom was going away for a while so that the doctors could fix her- he remembered how his father told him not to talk to his mom about where she had been because it was painful for her to think about.

The boy had a hard time distinguishing the events from a book that he had read or a movie that he had seen, until the doctor showed him his file. Then, he applied the information to what he thought he knew and the world made a lot more sense.

He thought about the events a lot, of course. He tried to use them to explain things about him. The doctors confirmed these thoughts even though Kurt never asked about them. The doctors never asked about them, either.

"I was wondering if you have touched my bank account or debit card since I was admitted to Green Meadows."

"I haven't. Money still goes in each week."

"Thanks. They're giving me my wallet back for the day on Saturday."

"Be safe, kid."

His father's echoed in his head as he hung up the phone.

The chestnut haired boy turned around and saw that there was a small line of three or four people behind him waiting to use the phone.

"Careful in the lobby, man." The chestnut haired boy looked up at a man with unruly, shoulder length hair and unshaven face. Kurt was equipped with a comeback, but he heard a woman screaming in the distance and simply nodded his head.

"No!" a high-pitched voice screamed. "Don't sedate me! She put me in here! I'm only freaking out because she freaked out first. Why isn't she in here? Why isn't she on the verge of being sedated? Don't lie to me."

"Ouch." He heard someone nearby murmur.

"Been there, man," He heard the man say. "It blows."

Although Kurt took a roundabout way, he still saw the reflection of a woman throwing her body against a wall as two strong nurses and a doctor stood by preparing a needle. Kurt had seen a similar scene several times before in his months at Green Meadows. Each time he saw the scene, he watched longer, his internal curiosity growing stronger. In way, he sympathized with the person being sedated. He knew that the needles hurt- they weren't ordinary needles- they were bigger and longer. He briefly remembered the time that he was sedated but managed to keep from dwelling too much on it- he wasn't able to handle his thoughts and emotions that came with the memory... He wasn't ready to confront them yet.

Kurt continued to his room and picked up his book, ready to escape his reality again.

For once in Kurt's memory he had something to look forward to. He went to his usual sessions with Dr. Jackie, he spoke up in group session, and even managed to put effort into his academic assignments- he felt a tiny boost of energy that made an enormous difference in everything.

Come Saturday, Kurt woke at 5:45 AM wide-awake and bright- eyed. His stomach tickled and felt full, despite being hungry.

Nurse Marie came in at exactly 8AM like she did every day and handed Kurt a little paper cup filled with his pills followed by a paper cup filled with water. The boy thanked the nurse and even offered her a small smile.

Then, he made his way to breakfast, a tiny, barely noticeable jolt in his step.

At breakfast, he could feel his foot shaking just a little.

Finally, at 8:55, Kurt tried to walk as slowly as he could (to pass the time) to the front desk, which was a lot harder than he had anticipated due to his unexpected excitement.

"Excuse me?" he asked, arriving at the front desk.

"Kurt! We've been expecting you!" One nurse exclaimed. "Let me go get Nurse Sandra- she'll go over everything with you... Nurse Sandra! Nurse Sandra!"

A stern looking nurse with a tight up- do and glasses perched on her nose looked down at Kurt. She looked like how Kurt had always imagined Professor McGonagall would look. The woman set a box down on the rounded, rubber- edged counter.

Nurse Sandra handed Kurt a packet of paper. "Usually, I don't approve of such uncoordinated and unconventional hospital- leave, but Doctor Jackie insisted that this would be the best for you, especially since none of our world- renowned therapy techniques seems to be working for you. Essentially, the paperwork says that you have to be back here by 6PM this evening, that your friend will be held responsible and legally liable if anything happens to you while you're out, and that you understand the terms and conditions of your visit and that you still need to go by standard rules while you are out. Please read and sign you signature next to all of the x's."

Kurt read and signed and it felt like a half an hour more than ten minutes.

Nurse Sandra looked into the box and pulled out a brown leather satchel.

"Here's your bag. Inside it is your wallet with your ID and debit card. I think that a pair of sunglasses are in there as well."

The nurse reached into her scrubs breast pocket and pulled out a small, slim, silver flip phone.

"This is a pay-as-you go phone set up for patients leaving the facility. It has just been charged fully. If there are any emergencies, do not hesitate to call it. If you lose it, the charge will show up on your patient bill."

Kurt accepted the phone and slipped in in the tiny pocket in his satchel. The chestnut haired boy turned around to see a curly raven-haired boy standing there in a pair of designer jeans, shiny black shoes, and a red Dalton sweatshirt (but Kurt could see a dress shirt peaking out from underneath).

"Kurt!" Blaine called as the two met halfway.

"There's a no touching policy outside of immediate family." Kurt whispered to Blaine.

Blaine nodded and frowned.

"Mr. Anderson," Nurse Sandra looked at the young visitor. "I have some papers for you to sign!

Blaine walked over to the Nurse. "Sure, what do you need me to sign?"

"Read through these forms and sign next to the x's."

Kurt watched as Blaine signed the papers. He looked at the way Blaine's eyes squinted at the papers and his mouth frowned when reading certain things. He saw that Blaine had a perfect, cursive signature.

"Could I please have a copy?" Blaine asked.

"Of course." Nurse Sandra disappeared.

"Not many people actually read and ask for copies of documents..." Kurt commented, then quickly added, "Not that it's a bad thing!"

"My dad's a lawyer," Blaine explained.

"Ahh." Kurt nodded, as Nurse Sandra handed Blaine a stack of still- warm papers stapled in the corner.

"Thank you, ma'am." Blaine accepted the packet, and then turned to Kurt. "You ready?" he asked.

Kurt nodded.

The two boys turned towards the elevator and Blaine hit the down button. Kurt wasn't sure that he would be able to feel it. His entire body stiffened in protest to leaving the building that had become his fortress in the time that he had spent in it.

The elevator dinged and Kurt jumped.

As the door slid open, Blaine looked over to make sure that the other boy was okay- but he didn't ask- he wasn't sure if that was an appropriate thing to say.

Blaine stepped on first and Kurt followed, walking with tiny, penguin-like steps.

No words were spoken- Kurt could have talked about a thousand different things- but no words came to mind he felt so frozen in place.

Finally, after what felt like ten minutes, but was closer to 30 seconds, the elevator dinged again.

Kurt was off before Blaine could blink and Blaine could follow.

Kurt looked around- the lobby looked familiar, but also funny. It smelled clean like antiseptic and less like copper, which the floor that he lived on always smelt like.

Blaine made his way over to a desk and smiled to the receptionist, who handed him a clipboard. Blaine signed the paper and handed it back to the receptionist.

Blaine turned around and looked at Kurt. "Are you ready for the best coffee that you've ever tasted?" he challenged teasingly, trying to break the uncomfortable science.

"Totally." Kurt agreed, as a Buzzzzzzzzzzzzz sound happened when they arrived at the door. It was the nurse behind the counter pressing the unlock button for the door.

Kurt jumped again. This time, he grabbed Blaine's hand on his way down.

Both boys looked down at their entwined fingers and blushed.

"Umm… Sorry…" Kurt said, but didn't move his fingers.

"It's okay." Blaine replied.

The chestnut- haired noted how warm and callused the raven-haired boy's hand felt against his own cool, soft hands.

Together, the two boys walked through the automatic doors as they slid open with a gasp.

A sweet pollen, freshly mowed grass smell overwhelmed the chestnut- haired boy's lungs. Birds emitted high- pitched squeaks and air blew into his ears. A slightly- humid wing blew against his face. A smiling, warm sun beamed onto his skin. It felt a little funny. Not bad, though. Actually, the chestnut- haired boy kind of liked it.

Reluctantly, the chestnut boy released the other boy's hand. Kurt noted how Blaine tried to continue holding his hand for a moment longer, but he soon forgot the extra-long touch.

Blaine let Kurt to a parking lot in front of the building. The lot was mostly empty aside from the cars that must have belonged to the staff and a few Saturday visitors arrived early. The two boys even passed a woman crying in the car. They didn't say anything, but Kurt nodded with understanding.

Blaine stopped at a 2010 red mini cooper sport convertible. Kurt praised himself for being able to identify the car and it's features even after not seeing a car for months.

"It's very you." Kurt commented.

Blaine laughed with a grin.

"Thanks. It was a gift from my dad on my sixteenth birthday."

Blaine unlocked the passengers side and held the door open for Kurt.

Kurt swooped in gracefully.

Then, Blaine went over to the driver's side and ducked in- but with nowhere near the grace that Kurt had.

And with that, the two teenagers were off to coffee.