“You’d do that for me?” he grins happily.
“Of course. I know how much you hate being around people.”
“Except you,” he murmurs lovingly.
“The doctor will see you now,” the receptionist calls, popping our happy bubble.
“Should I wait?” I ask Kao, but he shakes his head and pulls me to my feet.
I stick close to his side as we walk down a short hallway and then into an office.
“Good to see you, Mr. Reed,” Dr. Hodgson says, and they shake hands.
“You too.” Kao gestures to me, and then he chuckles. “I brought my girlfriend for support.”
The doctor spares me a smile as I sit down on a chair that’s situated against the opposite wall.
Dr. Hodgson gestures for Kao to sit behind some heavy eye equipment. “How do you feel?”
“Much better. The itchiness and pain are gone. Mostly my eyes just feel scratchy,” Kao answers.
“How are the migraines?”
I have to press my lips together to not answer on behalf of Kao.
“I had a bad one yesterday. I don’t get them as often anymore,” Kao replies.
“Okay, how many fingers am I holding up?”
“Two.”
Dr. Hodgon’s moves back. “Now?”
“Four.”
He steps all the way back to where I am. “And Now.”
Kao pauses for a while before he murmurs, “I think four.”
“That’s good.” Dr. Hodgson goes to take a seat opposite Kao, and he inspects his left eye first. “Look up. Down. Left. Right. Straight ahead.” A couple of seconds later, Dr. Hodgson says, “Pressure check.”
I clasp my hands on my lap, my gaze glued to Kao.
“The pressure looks good. Your left eye is eighteen, and the right fifteen. I’m pretty happy.”
“That’s good,” Kao chuckles.
I have no idea what that means, but I’m happy the doctor seems pleased.
Dr. Hodgson’s stares long into Kao’s eyes, then he says, “The graft has attached nicely. The corneas are crystal clear. I don’t see any air bubbles, which is good.” He shifts closer to Kao again. “Look straight ahead for me.”
Then Dr. Hodgson gets up. “If your eyes become foggy or cloudy, I want you to call us. Don’t rub or push against your eyes, but so far, everything looks good.”
Kao moves out from behind the equipment, a relieved expression on his face as he smiles at the doctor. “That’s good to hear.”
“The blurry vision will start to get better, and you’ll start to see finer details soon.”
“And color?” Kao asks.
“Like I mentioned before, you’ll see primary colors first, probably red. Don’t be surprised if you wake up one morning and you can see color. The blurriness will take longer to fade, though.”
“Will I need prescription glasses?” Kao asks.
“I don’t think so. Let’s wait to see what your vision settles on.”
They shake hands again, and just like that, the appointment comes to an end. I expected it to take much longer. When I rise to my feet, Kao comes to take hold of my hand.
“See you in a month, unless a problem pops up,” Dr. Hodgson says with a pleased smile.
“Have a good day,” I murmur before we leave.KAOI let out a breath of relief as we leave the medical center. There’s always the worry that my body will reject the donor tissue. Hearing my eyes are healing well, eases my worry.
Before we reach the car, I lift Fallon’s hand and press a kiss to her thumb. “Thank you for bringing me.”
“I thought it would take longer,” she mentions as she unlocks the doors. “I’m glad it’s all good news.”
After we climb in the car, I say, “I can’t wait for the color to return.”
During the drive back to campus, I feel Fallon growing tense again. “Are you excited for the weekend?”
“Yeah, we’ve never gone away.” She quickly adds, “Just the two of us.”
“I like the sound of that,” I murmur while grinning.
A smile flutters around her mouth. “Going away with me?”
“No, just the two of us.”
We make it back to Trinity in one piece, and the instant we’re out of the car, I pull Fallon into a hug. “That’s one milestone conquered.”
“Yeah, I feel better now,” Fallon admits against my chest. She lifts her face to mine, and I press a kiss to her lips. “First food, then a nap.”
“Sounds amazing,” I chuckle.
Once we’re back in the suite, Fallon places an order with the restaurant while I grab us each a bottle of water.
“The order won’t take long. I’m just going to change into sweatpants and a t-shirt,” Fallon says before she disappears down the hallway.
I might as well do the same. I walk to my room and change into comfortable clothes before tidying my bed, so it’s not a mess when we come to take a nap.
When I walk back into the shared space, Fallon’s sitting at the island in the kitchen. My eyes glide over the hair hanging in her face, and it grates against my insides.
Moving to her, I lift my hand and brush her hair back. She quickly turns her face away. “Don’t do that,” I whisper as I take hold of her chin to turn her face back to me. “Let me see my beautiful girlfriend.” I lean forward and press my lips to her scars. Keeping still, I take a deep breath of her, then I pull back and lock eyes with her. “God, you’re breathtaking.”