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“When my daughter’s well-being is at stake.”
I couldn’t stand listening to them go back and forth about Conor for a moment longer. “You don’t have to worry about my well-being. Conor is a wonderful man who’s been nothing but good to me, and I love him.”
“Rae?” My eyes were still closed, but I knew my mother was standing next to me as she whispered, “You had us worried sick.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“Are you okay?” Dad asked frantically. “Are you hurting or—”
“No, I think I’m okay.”
I cracked open my eyes, and the bright lights above me were almost too much to bear. Even though it was bothersome, I was relieved that I could actually see the light. I brought my hand up to my face, slightly shielding my eyes as I tried to open them wider.
That’s when my relief turned to agitation.
Everything was blurry. I tried blinking faster and even rubbed them, but it did little to help. It felt like I was looking through someone else’s glasses as I tried to focus on my mother’s face. My heart started to race, and my palms started to sweat. I was completely freaking out.
When my mother noticed that I was becoming distressed, she placed her hand on my shoulder. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
“I knew this was going to happen.” I tried to hold back my tears. “I tried to tell you.”
“Tell us what?”
“I can’t see! Everything’s a blur!”
“It’s okay, sweetie. Dr. Grant had warned us that it was a possibility.”
My throat tightened. “I know, but I was hoping it wouldn’t be like this.”
“The surgery was just a few hours ago.” Dad was surprisingly calm when he said, “It’s going to take some time for everything to heal, and after that, I’m sure the blurriness will get better.”
“But what if it doesn’t?”
“Then, we’ll figure it out. The important thing is you’re alive and still here with us,” Dad fussed. “Nothing else matters.”
I didn’t respond.
There was no reason to.
There was nothing I could say or do that was going to change anything, so I laid my head back on the pillow and closed my eyes—shutting out the world as I wallowed in my sorrows. I knew I was behaving childishly and should’ve been thankful that Dr. Grant was able to fix the aneurysm, and I was, but at the same time, I was devastated that I’d lost my ability to see.
Mom tried talking to me, but her words fell on deaf ears. She simply didn’t understand that I didn’t want to hear how everything was going to be okay—especially when I knew it wasn’t.
She had been going on and on when suddenly she just stopped. I heard her whisper something to my father, and then they both walked out of the room. Seconds later, I heard Conor’s voice across the room. “Hey there, beautiful.”
I didn’t answer him.
I was too afraid I’d cry, so I kept my eyes closed and tried to pretend I was sleeping. Unfortunately, he wasn’t buying it. He came over and kissed me on the forehead as he whispered, “I know you’re awake.”
“My mother sent you in here to cheer me up, didn’t she?”
“Do you need cheering up?”
“No, what I need is the ability to see.”
“You just got out of surgery, babe. You gotta give it some time.”
“And if it doesn’t get better with time?”
“Then, it doesn’t.” He reached down and took my hand in his. “Either way, we’ll figure it out.”
I finally turned to look at him, and my heart broke when I realized I couldn’t make out his handsome face. I couldn’t imagine spending the rest of my life not able to see the way Conor gazed at me with love in his eyes or his adorable, crooked smile. The mere thought nearly broke me, and I started to cry. “I didn’t want it to be like this.”
“I get that, and there’s a good chance it’ll get better.” He gave my hand a slight squeeze. “But if it doesn’t, I’ll be here to help you through this.”
“Oh, Conor.” I reached over and placed the palm of my hand against his face. “I don’t know how I got so lucky to find you.”
“I’m the lucky one.” He leaned forward and pressed his lips against mine before saying. “Now, are you done pouting?”
“For the time being, but that’s not to say I won’t pout again later.”
“I would expect nothing less.”
Conor was still sitting with me when Dr. Grant came in to check on me. We told him about the issues with my vision, but he didn’t seem nearly as concerned about it as I was. He felt certain that it would improve over time, and if not, there were some rehabilitation options we could consider.
I was still distraught over the whole thing, but Dr. Grant’s casual reaction did make me feel a little better. It gave me hope that, in time, it would improve enough for me to live a normal life. The doctor went on to tell us that he considered the surgery a success, and as long as my incision continued to look good, I could go home in a day or so.
