I squeezed his hand. “Terrified. My guts are flipping in circles. But it’s probably better to know what the heck is going on, right?”
“Exactly.”
Someone came into the room, and I heard a shuffle of papers as the door clicked shut. “Hello, Kayla. I’m Doctor Williams.”
“Hi – thank you so much for seeing me today.”
I heard a pause. It sounded like Liam had bullied our way in here, and I’m sure he didn’t want to comment on that in front of me. It was actually hard not to giggle nervously again.
“So, how do you think your healing is going so far?”
“There hasn’t been any pain, except for a sort of dull ache the first few days. Mostly it’s just been incredibly annoying not being able to see.”
I was relieved when he chuckled, and I felt his hand pat my shoulder. “I can well imagine,” he said. “I’m sure that Dr. Murphy had warned you that you will probably continue to be a bit light-sensitive for a while. Maybe even a few months.”
“Precisely how light-sensitive?” Liam asked. “Will it be safe to have her outside without a blindfold?”
“She’ll have to feel it out on her own,” the doctor said. “I would suggest sunglasses outdoors at all times for a few months. If you can go out in the early morning or late afternoon, that would be better than mid-day. Avoid places like concerts with flashing lights and strobe effects. You’ll get a sense of what you can handle and what you are sensitive to.”
It felt like he was walking around a little, then he sat in a rolling chair, coming up in front of me. “Kayla, I’m in front of you now. I’ve dimmed the lights as much as possible, but it might be a little painful, or feel strained for a few minutes. It’s going to be important for you to rest your eyes as much as possible for the next few weeks. Any time you are lying still with your eyes closed, it’s healing time.”
“Okay.”
“Keep your eyes closed while I take the bandages off, please.”
“Okay.”
My left hand was clenched on the arm of the chair. I didn’t need to be able to see to know that my knuckles must have been pure white. Liam held my other hand, stroking my skin steadily.
“I know you’re nervous,” the doctor said as he removed the tape and the bandages from my face. “These things almost always turn out perfectly. It’s just a matter of time for the rest of the healing process.”
The last layer was removed, and I could see a few shadowy flickers of light behind my closed eyelids.
“Keep your eyes closed, I’m going to clean your eye area first. This might be a little cool,” he said. He ran what felt like a wet makeup remover pad around the entire area.
“Everything looks like it’s healing fine. You’ll be able to go about most of your daily activities. But you’ll have to remember to think things through. Your computer screen will need to be dim, with perhaps an amber light filter instead of the usual blue light. And no more than an hour a day for the first few weeks.”
I heard the doctor chuckle as he fussed around wiping the edges of my eyes. “I remember one patient complaining that he wouldn’t be able to go to raves for a few months. I somehow don’t think that will be a problem for you.”
I heard Liam chuckle nervously next to me, and forced a smile. It was hard to breathe. My terror was paralyzing the wall of my chest, creeping around my back. My entire torso was being compressed from nerves.
“Take a few deep breaths, Kayla,” the doctor said gently. “I’d like you to open your eyes halfway, looking down, then slowly look side to side a bit.”
For the first time in a week, I opened my eyes, looking down at my knees, the doctor’s knees, and as I looked to the right, Liam’s knee and his hand holding mine. He was very tan. His hand looked so big and strong, grasping my tiny pale fingers.
“How does that feel?” the doctor asked.
“Weird, but fine,” I said automatically.
“It looks like the surgery went perfectly,” he said. “Everything looks exactly how it should. Very slowly, can you look up as high as you can?”
I did, wincing slightly at the ceiling light.
“And down again.” The doctor held up some sort of gadget toward my eyes. “Look left.” I did, and he made a little murmured noise of approval. “And to the right.”
I looked to my right side and gasped. My left hand flew to my mouth as I murmured, “Oh my God. Liam, you’re… hi…” I turned in my chair a little more, ignoring the doctor completely. “You’re gorgeous,” I breathed. I blinked hard, feeling my eyes tear up slightly. The pure joy of seeing him made my heart gallop.