Well guys, we've reached the only episode of the season where Blaine's not there at all. For those of you who may not know... Darren Criss was in New York for three weeks playing J. Pierrepont Finch in 'How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying', so he was granted a little time off from Glee!

(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)

BLAINE

Blaine's heart was hammering in his chest as he walked through the doors of the hospital on the morning of his surgery.

This was his eye. If the surgery went wrong, he could go blind.

His eye was also hurting – he hadn't been able to take any pain medication since the night before because the doctor didn't want any in his system during the surgery – and the pain, while much less intense than it had been when the injury had first happened, made everything seem just a little bit worse.

As his mother signed them in and started filling out the necessary paperwork, Blaine sat down with Kurt.

"How're you feeling?" Kurt asked lightly, reaching out to and rub small, gentle circles on Blaine's back.

"Fine," Blaine lied.

Kurt was silent.

"Scared," Blaine admitted.

"I know," Kurt said. "But it's going to be okay, Blaine."

Blaine nodded. The rational part of his brain told him that Kurt was right; while no surgery was risk-free, he would probably be safe and sound at home in a few hours. But the rest of his brain was panicking. He wondered briefly if these were the last few minutes of his life. It was a strange feeling.

"Blaine Anderson?" a nurse came into the room to take him back for the operation. Blaine felt as if he might die of heart failure before he even made it to the room for the surgery as Kurt stood up with him and wrapped him into a tight hug. "See you soon," Kurt whispered in his ear.

Blaine couldn't answer; he wasn't sure if his voice would let any words out or if he would just start crying. So he just nodded and hugged both of his parents before he allowed the nurse to lead him away.

KURT

Kurt passed most of the time while Blaine was in surgery reading for his English class, but he occasionally chatted with Blaine's parents too. Blaine's mother even asked him a bit about NYADA, and Kurt tried not to get overly excited as he explained where he was in the application process.

When the nurse returned to tell them that the surgery had been a success, Kurt let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Blaine was really going to be okay.

Blaine's parents went back to see him, but Kurt stayed behind in the waiting room. He wasn't sure if Mr. and Mrs. Anderson thought he was intruding by being at the hospital in the first place, even if it had been Blaine's idea, so he didn't want to overstep further.

The Andersons re-emerged into the waiting room a few minutes later, and this time Blaine was with them. He was leaning heavily on his father, still recovering from the anesthesia, but he looked okay. He still had the eye patch.

"Hey," Blaine said weakly, and Kurt was secretly pleased when Blaine reached out for him. Mr. Anderson didn't object, so Kurt slipped his arm around Blaine's waist and Blaine leaned on him as they walked out the door.

"You survived," Kurt teased quietly as they sat down on a bench by the hospital entrance and Blaine's parents went to get the car.

Blaine nodded slowly. "Good," he said. He looked like he might fall asleep right there on the bench, so Kurt kept a steady grip on him. Blaine looked so innocent and sweet as his eyelashes fluttered as he attempted to stay awake that Kurt couldn't keep from smiling.

"I love you," he said quietly.

Blaine turned to look at him, and when he saw that Kurt was smiling he smiled in return.

"You too," he said. "Thanks for being here."

BLAINE

"... and he is so hot, oh my god," Kurt gushed about David Martinez.

Blaine groaned. "I hate my life," he pouted.

Kurt laughed and kissed Blaine's cheek as they snuggled together on Blaine's bed. They had put one of Finn's eye-patch friendly movies on, but it was mostly background noise as they had spent most of the afternoon talking.

"He's not as hot as you, though," Kurt offered.

"Shut up," Blaine whined, but he smiled in spite of his best attempts to look displeased.

He was feeling much better. The surgery a few days prior had gone well, and Blaine was happy that the pain was rapidly subsiding. He was still taking pain medication, but at a much lower dose than he had been prescribed immediately following the accident. At the rate that he was feeling better, Blaine hoped that he could wean himself off the medication starting at the end of the week.

But he was still missing school. It had been just over a week since his injury, but it felt like an eternity. Blaine was grateful that Kurt came to keep him company almost every day after school, but he was ready to get back to his life.

Kurt released his grip on Blaine's waist as Blaine sat up and pulled off his eye patch. He tossed it on the bedside table.

"Hey, you need that," Kurt commented.

"No," Blaine shook his head. "It's just to keep me from rubbing at my eye. While I'm fully awake it's not really necessary."

Kurt looked skeptical, but he didn't object. Blaine settled back into Kurt's arms and grabbed one of his hands, interlacing their fingers.

"I miss school," he admitted. "I miss glee."

"We miss you, too," Kurt said. "Mr. Martinez is a nice distraction, but we still have no idea what we're doing for Regionals."

Blaine thought about that for a moment. It was something of a standard in New Directions: a last-minute decision on a set list for a competition.

"No wonder you didn't win at Nationals last year," he mumbled unhappily.

Kurt laughed. "Okay, which side of the bed did you climb out of this morning? Because I'm going to force you back to sleep so you can climb out on the other side when you wake up again."

Blaine sat up again and turned to face Kurt, ready to apologize or maybe argue. He wasn't sure.

Instead, he released Kurt's hand so he could grab Kurt's face in both of his hands and crush their lips together.

Kurt kissed him back, but when Blaine shifted to climb into Kurt's lap, Kurt put his hands out and held Blaine back.

"We can't," he argued.

Blaine forgot his mental note about not rolling his eyes, and was pleased when the action didn't feel nearly as strange as it had felt a week ago.

"I'm fine," he argued, gesturing with one hand at his injured eye. It looked perfectly normal. It didn't feel absolutely normal yet, but Blaine knew it would by the end of the week.

Kurt sat up straight, and Blaine could see the hesitation in his eyes.

"You're still on painkillers," Kurt argued.

Blaine shrugged.

Kurt looked like he was having an epic internal battle, and Blaine took the opportunity to reach out and grab Kurt's hand before falling over backward and pulling Kurt down on top of him. Kurt shifted so that he was straddling Blaine's hips and he leaned down to press a gentle kiss to Blaine's lips.

"Not while you're drugged," he said sternly.

"Kurt," Blaine said, "I'm on a small dose of painkillers, not some kind of incapacitating hallucinogen."

"No," Kurt said.

"I hate your ridiculous morals," Blaine pouted.

"You do not," Kurt teased, resting his arms on Blaine's chest to kiss him again.

"Today I do," Blaine amended.

Kurt kissed him a few more times, and Blaine gave in. It was nice, just lazily kissing. Anything else would have to wait for the following week.

KURT

"Hey, Dad," Kurt greeted as he came in the door later that evening. Everyone else must've been asleep, because the house was unusually quiet.

"Hey, Kurt," Burt replied. "Come sit down for a minute?"

Kurt sank into the chair next to his father.

"How's Blaine?" Burt asked.

"He's doing really well," Kurt explained. "If things stay on track, he should be able to come back to school next week."

Burt smiled. "That's great!" he said, nodding approvingly. "Poor kid probably wants to put this whole thing behind him."

Kurt could tell by the tone of Burt's voice that there was more to this conversation than Burt wondering how Blaine's eye was healing.

"And...?" Kurt pressed.

Burt sighed.

"Kurt," he said, "you know how much I love Blaine."

Kurt nodded.

Burt put his hands out in an apologetic gesture. "But maybe... well, I want you to spend a little time with some of your other friends."

"What?" Kurt asked, surprised.

"Look," Burt said, "I know you want to spend every second of every day with Blaine. And I'd bet my life he wants that too. But you've been at Blaine's house every single day since his accident."

"He's stuck in bed all day," Kurt replied. "I'm there to keep him company. And I bring his homework."

Burt nodded. "I know," he said, "and that's great, Kurt. But I just need to make sure you're not losing sight of the rest of your life."

"I –" Kurt started to argue, but he suddenly remembered that Rachel had asked him if he wanted to sleep over the following night. And he had declined.

Burt seemed to notice the acceptance in Kurt's face, because he laughed.

"Don't worry, Kurt," he said. "I'm not saying you can't see him. But, while he's stuck at home, I'm going to have to be the parent here and set a limit. Three days a week. Including weekends. The rest of your time needs to be spent here in Lima."

"I –" Kurt started to argue, but decided against it. Instead, he narrowed his eyes at his father. "Is this permanent?"

Burt shook his head. "No," he said. "Normally, you guys sort of... self-regulate. This is just until he's back at school and things return to normal."

Kurt sighed unhappily, but he didn't argue. He knew that, in trying to make sure that Blaine didn't feel alone, he had neglected his other friends.

"Good man," Burt said, reaching over to clasp Kurt's shoulder. "And it's okay if you tell Blaine that I am making you stay home some. Parents," he faux-whined.

"Goodnight, Dad," Kurt acknowledged as Burt left the room.

When he was alone, Kurt pulled out his phone and sent Rachel a text message.

Does that sleepover offer tomorrow night still stand?

Yes! Rachel replied almost immediately. Mercedes will be there, too!

Kurt laughed. Okay, he replied. I'm in.

KURT

As he sat on Rachel's bed the following evening with Rachel and Mercedes, Kurt admitted to himself that maybe his father knew what he was talking about. It hadn't felt like a burden going to Blaine's house every day, but it was nice to do something different. Blaine had made plans to have some of his friends from Dalton over, so Kurt felt like maybe this new schedule would be good for both of them. And Blaine would be back to school in about a week, anyway, so things would soon be back to normal.

Kurt, Rachel, and Mercedes had decided on a Twilight Saga marathon, and Kurt was content to spend the entire evening eating and mindlessly watching the films with the two girls.

"How's a girl with no ass supposed to choose between the juiced-up wolf and the depressed vampire?" Mercedes wondered as they watched. "She's into both of them."

"Oh, come on, Mercedes," Rachel said. "She just knows."

"What if they both make her feel amazing in different ways?" Mercedes asked.

"No, you don't get to choose when it comes to true love," Rachel replied. "True love chooses you. And you better be certain when it comes to marriage, because marriage is a promise and it lasts for forever."

"Ladies," Kurt interrupted, "I appreciate you spending time with me while Blaine recovers, but why are you being so weird and serious? Our periods don't come until the end of the month."

To his surprise, Rachel scooted to the center of the bed and turned off the television. Kurt protested briefly, but Rachel turned to face them and Kurt decided that maybe a little gossip would be more fun than the movie.

"Can you guys keep a secret?" Rachel asked.

Neither Kurt nor Mercedes answered, but Rachel seemed to take their silence as a "yes". She tugged on her necklace and pulled a diamond ring from under her shirt.

"Rachel," Mercedes said slowly, "what the hell is that?"

"It's an engagement ring," Rachel explained.

Kurt felt like his brain had just been twisted around in his head. An engagement ring? "Shut up!" he exclaimed.

"Finn proposed," Rachel explained happily.

"And what did you say?" Mercedes demanded.

"I said yes!" Rachel replied, clutching the ring to her chest.

"Rachel, have you lost your damn mind?" Mercedes asked, and Kurt was glad that he wasn't the only one feeling incredulous about Rachel's announcement.

"I love Finn!" Rachel tried to justify her decision. "I really, really love him."

"Well what about NYADA?" Kurt accused. He couldn't stop thinking about her little breakdown when she thought she wasn't going to be a NYADA finalist... all I have here is my boyfriend. Kurt was not ready to let Rachel give up on her dreams because Finn made her feel good when she was vulnerable.

"It's still gonna happen!" Rachel responded. "I have dreams for a huge life for myself, okay? Some of which include, you know, a little bit of struggle until I can make all of my dreams come true... they'll be great anecdotes for the Jimmy Kimmel show. We'll call them my 'top Ramen weeks'."

Neither Kurt nor Mercedes had anything to say to that, so Rachel continued.

"But in every single one of my dreams, okay, struggling or not... there he is," she said. "Finn. Look, I know that I'm going to be with Finn for the rest of my life as much as I know that I am going to be a huge star one day."

Kurt couldn't think of a proper way to express all the things that he was feeling.

"So you promise not to tell anyone?" Rachel asked.

"Okay, I'm going home right now to yell at Finn, because this is insane," Kurt said as his brain and his mouth started to sync up again. Maybe he could convince Finn that he and Rachel were both completely insane.

"That is not fair, Kurt!" Rachel said, pushing him back as he tried to stand up. "I mean, what would you do if Blaine proposed to you today?"

Oh.

Kurt thought of the handmade bow tie ring that Blaine had given him for Christmas. A promise. A promise to one day upgrade the ring to an engagement ring and eventually a wedding ring.

He hadn't told anyone. He displayed the colorful little ring in his room, and he told anyone who asked that Blaine made it for him, but he always left out the "and it's a promise ring" part.

But it wasn't an engagement ring, Kurt reminded himself. He and Blaine both knew that they didn't need to be officially engaged or married to stick together. It was just a physical representation of the commitment they already had. No pressure.

Rachel's point still stung a little bit, though.

"So will you please keep my secret?" Rachel asked again.

"Aren't you scared you're making the wrong choice?" Mercedes asked gently.

"Look, I know that I have the right person," Rachel said. "The scary part was just... choosing to know it."

Kurt and Mercedes were both silent, and Rachel clearly felt uncomfortable with their lack of encouragement because she was suddenly defensive. "I'm engaged to Finn," she said firmly, pointing a finger at both of them. "And if you two don't like it you can leave."

Kurt turned to look at Mercedes, and they both burst into laughter.

"It's not funny!" Rachel pouted loudly.

It wasn't funny, but Kurt couldn't stop laughing. It was just so insane.

Rachel, still sitting in the center of the bed, crossed her arms and ignored her friends until they managed to get their laughter under control.

"Okay," Mercedes giggled, "we're sorry."

"Only about laughing," Kurt amended.

Rachel rolled her eyes and abruptly changed the subject.

"So, what about you and Sam?" she asked Mercedes.

"There is no 'me and Sam'," Mercedes said sourly.

"He's clearly into you," Rachel said authoritatively. "And you're clearly into him. So what's the problem?"

"I'm not sure I'm interested in relationship advice from you right now," Mercedes replied.

Kurt let his head fall back against the headboard. "You two are such messes," he chided.

"How is it that you, of all three of us, are in the best relationship?" Mercedes whined.

"I beg your pardon!" Kurt pretended to be offended. "It is not a competition."

"True," Mercedes sighed.

"But if it were," Kurt said lightly, "I'd be winning."

Mercedes hit him with a pillow, and Kurt jumped off the bed to avoid Rachel's projectile – the entire bowl of popcorn.

"Now be quiet," Kurt scolded as he climbed back onto the bed and brushed the spilled popcorn onto the floor for Rachel to deal with later. "I want to finish the movie."

KURT

"... and the boots are fabulous!" Kurt told Blaine on the phone a few days later. "I'll bring them next time I come. They're difficult to walk in, but sometimes you have to give up comfort in the name of fashion."

"I can't wait to get back," Blaine said wistfully. "Have Rachel and Finn told anyone else?"

Kurt had told him about Rachel and Finn's engagement the morning after the sleepover, but had sworn him to secrecy.

"I don't think so," Kurt said.

"Have you talked to Finn about it yet?" Blaine asked.

Kurt shook his head, even though Blaine couldn't see him. "Not yet," he admitted. "But that's where I'm going now."

"He'll hear you out," Blaine reassured him. "Just... be nice."

"Are you saying I'm not always nice?" Kurt teased.

"I'm not saying anything," Blaine said lightly.

Kurt sighed. "I got some college brochures from Ms. Pillsbury," he explained. "I'm going to attempt the 'you're better than this' approach before the 'you're out of your mind' approach."

"See?" Blaine laughed. "That's nice."

"I learned from the best," Kurt grinned. "Now, if you'll excuse me... I've got to go knock some sense into my step-brother.

KURT

"Hey, dude," Finn greeted Kurt from one of the weight lifting benches as Kurt entered the locker room. "Wanna lift some?"

"No thanks," Kurt said. "I've never really understood the whole process. Plus, I do the Tracy Anderson Method in the comfort and privacy of my own bedroom."

"Huh," Finn acknowledged.

"Why don't you pick up these?" Kurt suggested, placing a stack of college brochures beside Finn. "They're from Ms. Pillsbury."

"College brochures," Finn noticed. "And we've got... Fordham, NYU, Adelphi."

"That one's in Long Island," Kurt explained. "Yeah, there's a train station right next to the campus... right into Manhattan. And I think they have a football team. I think they all have musical theater programs, too."

And they're all near Rachel, Kurt added silently.

"That's sweet, dude," Finn said, "but, you know, college isn't for everyone."

"Neither is marriage," Kurt replied immediately.

That got Finn's attention.

"I can't believe she told you," Finn huffed.

"I can't believe you didn't," Kurt responded. "We're supposed to be brothers."

"Look," Finn said, "I didn't want to put you in an awkward position with Burt, okay? I don't want him to know yet."

"Hey, you think something you have to keep from everyone you love might not be the best idea in the first place?" Kurt replied.

"Don't get down on me about this, dude," Finn retorted. "Rachel's, like, the only good thing I've got going in my life right now."

That was it. Kurt had imagined that a general lack of self-esteem was probably what brought on the sudden proposal. It was certainly what prompted Rachel to accept.

"No she isn't, Finn" Kurt argued. "Look, I get you've had a rough year with finding out who your dad really is and losing the scholarship. But you're a star, Finn. Just as bright as Rachel. You just don't believe in yourself."

"Yeah, well, the proof's in the pudding," Finn said. "And my pudding pretty much sucks."

"Look, I'm not telling you that you shouldn't marry Rachel," Kurt clarified. "I love her, despite all her crazy, and I think you would be lucky to marry her. One day. But I don't want you just to turn yourself into nothing but the guy who holds her purse on the red carpet!"

"I'm getting to the point in my life where I kinda need to be honest with myself about who I am," Finn said.

"And who is that?" Kurt asked.

"Not you," Finn said softly. "Not Rachel."

Kurt remembered being in the room full of NYADA applicants. It was easy to feel common and boring when you were surrounded by people who were also talented. Finn needed to remember that he had interesting things to offer the world.

"That's the point, Finn," Kurt replied. "There are plenty of us, trust me. The one thing glee clubs and theater programs don't have is the hot, straight football player who can sing and sort-of dance. You're unique, Finn. And I can't see this proposal thing as anything else but you giving up on yourself."

"No, no it's not," Finn said immediately before stopping to think about it for a moment. "Well, at least I don't think it is."

It was, Kurt thought. It was what this was all about.

"Your time isn't up, Finn," Kurt told him. "It's just beginning."

Not wanting to press the issue further after a mostly successful pep talk, Kurt turned to leave.

"Hey Kurt?" Finn called after him as he walked to the door. Kurt turned back to look at him. "Thanks."

The acknowledgement gave Kurt some hope as he turned and left the locker room. Maybe Finn would get his confidence back and the pair would realize that waiting to make their engagement official wasn't such a bad idea.

KURT

Kurt went to see Blaine at the end of the week. And he found that, after a few days apart, they had a lot to talk about. Blaine told Kurt about his time with some of the Warblers when they had come over earlier in the week, and Kurt told Blaine about Santana's duet with Mr. Martinez and Mr. Schu's horrible performance. Kurt gave Blaine all the details about Tina, who had been stuck at home all week with the flu but was finally starting to feel better, and Blaine gave Kurt a play-by-play of his first real trip outside of his house since his accident: a trip with his parents for ice cream the night before.

"I'm still bitter that I didn't get to meet Mr. Martinez, though," Blaine sighed as he finished the story. "He sounds awesome."

"He's is," Kurt grinned, bouncing lightly on the bed. "And oh, on that note... guess what?"

"What?" Blaine asked, taking a long drink of his water.

"Mr. Martinez is taking over as McKinley's Spanish teacher."

Blaine nearly choked to death on his drink, and Kurt laughed until he felt like he might throw up.

"You are such a liar!" Blaine whined when he managed to stop coughing.

"It's not a lie!" Kurt giggled. "I'm serious."

Blaine studied him for a moment until he was satisfied that Kurt was telling the truth.

"Oh god," he said. Kurt nodded, barely managing to stifle another round of laughter.

"But wait," Blaine realized, "they fired Mr. Schuester?"

Kurt shook his head. "No," he explained, "he's taking Mrs. Hagberg's history class."

Blaine frowned. "Is he qualified to teach history?"

Kurt shrugged, and Blaine scrunched his nose in disapproval.

They discussed the shortcomings of Ohio's public schools for a while until Kurt realized that he needed to get home.

"See you this week?" he asked, hoping that Blaine would have some insight as to whether or not he would be able to return to school.

"I'm going to the doctor on Monday during the day," Blaine reminded him. "So we'll see. I'll see you on Tuesday evening, regardless," Blaine winked.

Kurt kissed him and hopped off the bed.

"Valentine's Day... your favorite holiday," he teased, blowing a dramatic kiss as he ran out the door to escape Blaine's retaliation.

It's really too bad that Blaine wasn't around to meet David Martinez... but yeah, I'm just going to pretend that Blaine takes Spanish so he'll meet him eventually and he gets to stare at him every day in class. ;)

Up next... 'Heart'!