She nodded, and River said, “I’m going to place my hands on your forehead and the side of your neck, first.”
She felt his warm hands, and within seconds, the greater warmth of his magic rushed through her. Soon after, he removed his hands and said, “Everything looks great. First, I’m going to put a set of dark glasses on you. These will be completely blacked out, so I can better control the lighting and test your sight. Iknow you’re eager to see something, but bright light will pain your eyes, Grace. For the first time in your life, you’re going to have to worry about stuff like that.”
“I know, but I’m ready for it, I promise.”
“Then let me put these on.”
She felt something perch on her nose and rest on her ears. The glasses also lightly pressed against her face, surrounding her eyes.
Dr. Vale moved something as it scratched against the floor, and she felt a burst of air as he probably sat down.
He spoke again. “If at any time you feel pain or want me to stop, speak up or raise your hand. Understand?”
“Aye,” she stated as firmly as she could. Her heart thudded, and no doubt Dr. Vale could tell, but she didn’t want to leave any room for doubt.
“Alright, Grace, then I’m going to place my hands on your face and begin.”
His warm fingers pressed against either side of her temples, and she took long, deep breaths. Soon his magic flowed through her, warm and not unpleasant, although soon she felt slight pinches behind her eyes.
“I’m going to repair what I can, and it might hurt a little, but speak up if it becomes too much. I’ll do my best to dull it, but every person’s pain tolerance is different. Promise you’ll signal if I need to add a little magic to ease it.”
“I will.”
“Okay, then it’s time to get to work.”
The pressure in her eyes grew, bit by bit, but she merely clutched her skirt and willed herself to keep still. The fact Dr. Vale could do any of this, relying on his knowledge from the future, was extraordinary, and Grace wouldn’t take this chance for granted, no matter how intense the pain.
Eventually, it receded slowly, leaving a dull throbbing behind her eyes.
She had no idea how long it was before Dr. Vale removed his hands and spoke up again. “I think that’s done. Now, let me turn off the electric light. For the initial test, we’re going to use only a single candle.”
Even though she heard him moving about, Grace barely noticed it. Exhaustion settled over her, and she struggled to sit upright.
However, she drew on her inner wolf and allowed her strength to keep her awake and somewhat focused.
Eventually, Dr. Vale’s voice was in front of her again. “Close your eyes, Grace. I’m going to remove the glasses, but I want to observe your eyes and the reaction to light from the get-go.”
“They’re closed, Doctor.”
The weight on her face disappeared. “Okay, I’m going to stand to the side to observe your eyes. Make sure to tell me if anything has changed. Go ahead and open them.”
After taking a deep breath, she opened her eyelids and squeaked, shutting them again.
Because instead of the usual blankness, or darkness as sighted people tended to say, there had been changes throughout.
“Did it hurt, Grace?”
“No, it surprised me. The usual solid nothingness changed.”
“Do you think you can open your eyes and study straight in front of you? Maybe try to tell me what you see? I set something up on purpose, to judge how much detail is visible to you now.”
Since her heart raced, some of her tiredness had temporarily faded. She could do this.
Slowly, she lifted her eyelids and blinked, focusing on the changes.
There was something that was almost the same size as her breast—at least from what she’d felt over the years. No, several somethings. They weren’t on the floor, either, but on what must be a table. And everything was a bit fuzzy and slightly more solid than what had to be a wall behind it.
But how could she explain that to Dr. Vale? She didn’t know what words to use. There was no way Grace would talk about her breast with him, no matter if he was a doctor.
