"Oh my gosh, Blaine. Is everything okay?!"

Just a half-hour earlier, Kurt had picked up the phone to hear the barely audible croaking of Blaine on the other end. After a few attempts interrupted with bouts of overpowering coughing, Blaine was finally able to get across the point that his father was working late that night and that his mother was out of town, which meant that in his current feverish state, Blaine wouldn't be having dinner. Of course, Kurt immediately started getting ready to head over. It's my job to take care of my boyfriend when there's no one else for him to rely on, Kurt thought. On the way, he stopped by the grocery store to pick up a cup of freshly made chicken noodle soup, and then he hurried over to the Anderson's house as quickly as he could. From previous visits, Kurt knew that they kept a key under the flowerpot at the back entrance, enabling him to somewhat break in to his boyfriend's house.

Seconds ago, he had entered to find Blaine curled in the corner of the couch, covered in a blanket, staring at the television screen with a heart-wrenching look on his face. Oh, no! What happened? Dropping the soup on the table, Kurt was by his side in a moment. "What's wrong?" He was starting to panic, but then he saw what was on TV. When his eyes lingered on the screen for a moment, he caught a glimpse of some bloodied and emaciated animal lying on a metal table with tubes running into its mouth. What the…?

"What?" Kurt's voice had reached a high pitch as he whipped his head away from the screen. Why is he watching this? How can he watch this? Blaine opened his mouth as if to defend his choice of show, but all that came out was a dry, heaving cough that convulsed through his entire body.

Rushing over to the boy bent over with the force of his cough, Kurt gently rested his hand on Blaine's back. "Shhh…" Kurt rubbed soothing circles around his boyfriend's back. It's more important that he breathe than try to explain. "You don't have to try to talk. Just tell me where the controller is and I can turn the TV off." I don't know how much more of this heart breaking show I can watch.

Before Kurt even had a chance to begin scanning the room for the controller, Blaine had managed a "No" of protest. Does he even know what he's saying, Kurt wondered. It wasn't Kurt place to deem his boyfriend insane, but he couldn't help thinking that the fever was possibly causing some problems under those thick curls. Incredulously, Kurt began to ask, "Are you sure—" Mid-sentence, Blaine cut him off with a hoarse shushing sound.

"Just watch," the rasping boy said directed Kurt. Grimacing, Kurt knew that watching this injured animal was the last thing he wanted to do. However, he didn't grab the controller or leave the room. Instead, he just clasped Blaine's hand in his own and sat down. I came here to comfort him and make sure he was all right. I can't go running away from him just because of a television show. It's not going to be that bad, Kurt added on a small lie to his thoughts, trying to make himself stay.

Honestly, it was wretched. Somehow, Kurt couldn't drag his gaze away from the sad, wide eyes of the dying puppy on the metal table. The veterinarians were huddled around it, trying to pump breath into small lungs and keep the heart pumping blood. Then, one of them said that they couldn't find a pulse anymore, and Kurt could feel his eyes prick with tears.

Oh, God, no. No. No! That's not fair, it's just a puppy! Somehow, he had instantaneously grown attached to the animal that wasn't even tangible.

The narrators deep voice emanated from the speakers, "All of their troubles had been in vain." No!

Eyes glistening with sadness, Blaine squeezed down on Kurt's hand. Despite the tragic image on the screen, Kurt was still transfixed by the television. It can't be true, why would they show it on television otherwise? He didn't believe that, yet it was even harder to believe that the small animal hadn't been able to be saved. Everyone worked so hard… it can't just be dead.

Finally, as the background music on the television changed to a slow, sad song, he couldn't take it anymore. It wouldn't take this long for them to figure out that it was still alive. Tearing his eyes away from the screen, Kurt started sweeping his eyes around the room, looking for the controller, but Blaine stopped him.

"Please," the sick boy rasped. "Just watch." Of course, there was no way that Kurt could not listen to what Blaine was saying, especially seeing as how he was sick. Still, it doesn't make the image of the puppy dying on the television screen any more bearable. Holding his boyfriend's hand as tightly as he could, Kurt listened to the doctor's mumbled voices on the show as they tried to save the already dead puppy. Something in his heart broke a little bit, imagining what horrible things the dog had been through to cause it to die from emaciation and disease. Nothing or no one deserves to go through anything near that atrocious. Staring into the glazing eyes of the animal on the television, Kurt let a silent tear leak from the corner of his eye.

Wait… did it just blink? Suddenly, his heart was beating at a hummingbird's pace inside his chest at this animal that he had never know. I swear, there was just another blink! The next second, his observations were confirmed as a doctor practically repeated word for word the thoughts that had just raced through his mind.

It's still alive! Kurt wanted to sing out with joy, and he could feel a ridiculous grin splitting across his face. When he turned to the boy sitting next to him, Kurt figured that he must have looked similar to that. A beaming smile spread Blaine's sickness-chapped lips, and his eyes glistened with tears that had unexpectedly changed from heart-broken to delighted.

And instantly, Kurt knew why. He knew the reason that Blaine watched this show.

It was hope. No matter how bad things got, or how close to death the animals came, something chose to save them. Even if their futures were uncertain, or almost doubtful to exist at all, there was still a little spark that kept living. Despite his past, or what had happened to him, the puppy practically came back to life. Kurt couldn't help but think it was any less than a miracle.

In that moment, his heart swelled with the significance of what that one, slight animal had given him.

Hope.