Nothing quite takes away the feeling of invincibility like an injury on the battlefield. As for the soldiers themselves, he'd seen hundreds of them. Some came to him bleeding profusely, others missing limbs--destroyed on the spot. But they all had one thing in common, they didn't deserve to be where they were. And every time Kurt saw them, he felt a little more broken.�
Iraq was not a forgiving place for soldiers. Everyday brought more injured, and the sight was frankly disheartening to even the strongest of minds. �Everyday he would tend to them, change dressings, administer medication, comfort their wandering minds. �Everyday brought him one day closer to the end of his service time.�
Kurt Hummel was a 25 year-old army nurse. He had served with his unit in Iraq for two years now, and even though the war there was ending, the medical camp still received the injured from Afghanistan and surrounding areas.�
But no longer would he be there to see the unspeakable. Today, he was going home. �It was finally over.�
Kurt was neither the first, nor would he be the last of the soldiers relieved of their service, returning for a well-deserved welcome. The day couldn't come faster, he was going home.�
He knew that although he would no longer be on the battlefield, the experiences he acquired would stay with him--one does not forget such memories so easily. Kurt knew he would spend the rest of his life connected in some way to his time here, contributing perhaps, indirectly. �Even so, he knew it was the people he had met that touched him the most. People who seemed happy where they were, with what they were doing, not caring about themselves, but feeling proud that they could serve their country in any way. Kurt himself never saw the appeal of this life--Sure, chivalry was romantic in movies, but the gore of real-life combat was enough to send anyone running in the opposite direction.�
He had paused his intent to develop his career, �but now, with the completion of his duties, he could pursue his dreams, the ones he had put on hold because he didn't want to put an extra burden upon his father's shoulders. A car repair shop brought in money, but not enough to support him while he waited for his freelance designing carrier to pick up.�
Kurt had made the decision to join the army in order to support any further education of his promptly after finishing high school. Using Carole as inspiration, he decided to become a nurse, hoping to bring some happiness to those who gave up so much. �The salary he had earned these last two years would provide a nest egg for him while he drew the path for the rest of his life.�
Kurt was lost amongst his musings while he climbed the stairs leading into the aircraft. Reaching the last stair, he turned for one last look at the barren desert landscape. He was going home.�

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"Yeah, I'm outside the Lufthansa terminal, Finn. No, I'm not telling you what colour my suitcases are. You have eyes and don't you dare tell me you don't remember what I look like. Alright, I'll see you in two minutes... I love you too, you idiot."
Smiling to himself, Kurt hung up the pay phone and waited for his brother and his sister in-law to pick him up from the airport. Sure enough, a blue Toyota Sequoia came into view and sidled up to the curb right in front of Kurt.�
A petite brunette threw open the passenger side door and pounced on Kurt.�
"OH MY GOD KURT IT'S SO GOOD TO FINALLY SEE YOU!!"
"Rach-can't. Breathe."
"Oh, sorry." Rachel let him go, a faint blush colouring her cheeks.�
"Don't be. I've missed you too, darling."

"So, can I hug you too, or this a private moment or something?"�
Kurt looked up and grinned to see his brother leaning against the parked car with his arms crossed, a playful smirk on his face.�
"Oh come here, silly. I suppose it HAS been too long since I let you mess up my hair."
"Awesome, bro. I can't wait." Finn wiggled his fingers in the air before moving forward

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Forty-five minutes later, the trio pulled up into the Hummel-Hudson driveway, Finn insisting on bringing up the bags himself while Kurt raced to the front door. It flung open before he even had a chance to knock. �Kurt was immediately pulled into a tight embrace by two people.�
"Hi dad, Carole. It's been a while."

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Kurt stayed home with his parents for the first two weeks after arriving. Finn and Rachel stopped by on the weekends to catch up and bring various baked goods.�
He then moved to Cincinnati, choosing to rent a little 2-bedroom apartment that was walking distance from a hospital that had hired him as a nurse. Finn helps him move in.�
"All set then, Kurt?"
"Yes, that's everything, Finn. I'm ready for tomorrow, as well."
"Cool, wanna get some Chinese for tonight? I mean, I know you have food and everything, but I don't think either of us is in the mood to cook right now. I'll leave tomorrow morning after dropping you off at work."
"I think that sounds alright. I'll go call."�

The next morning, Kurt arrived at the therapeutic ward of the Cincinnati Hospital for Veterans, dressed in a dark brown button down, black tight jeans, and black boots. He didn't have his uniform yet, so he decided to wear something fairly subtle. A smiling blonde receptionist greeted him warmly, taking him to the coffee room and introducing him to an elderly man in the standard navy uniform.�
"Hello, you must be Kurt! My name's George, and I'll be training you this week. You can take over as soon as you feel comfortable with the routine. I'll see to your uniform during lunch break, but you should be fine for today. Let's get started then, shall we?"
"Yes George, pleased to meet you as well. What're we going to do?"
"Well, I'll take your paperwork to the back room and see to that you get your badge. Meanwhile, you can go introduce yourself to your first patient of the day. Here's his file, go right ahead, I'll be there in five."
With that, George scurries away, leaving Kurt to flip through said patient's file.�
Name: Blaine Anderson
Age: 27
Weight: 168
Height: 5'8"
Room: 394
The next few pages had Blaine's prognosis, developments, and doctor's notes. Closing the folder, Kurt walked to the patient wing and stopped at the white door with the black plaque engraved with the numbers 394. �Kurt took a breath, and slowly opened the door, only to stop immediately as he stared straight into a pair of bright honey-gold eyes.�
"Good morning."