Untamed

83 (Bonus chapter)

"Shelby, I'm nurse Katrene and I need to take off your bandages."

Shelby looked towards where she hoped the voice was coming from and nodded, squeezing her fingers together and unfolding them as the nurse unwrapped the bandages from her face.

Part of her hoped that when the last part was peeled off and the cotton pads were removed she'd realize it was all an ugly nightmare.

"Please open your eyes." The nurse urged.

Shelby fluttered her eye lids already knowing her fate, familiar darkness greeted her like an annoying friend. Waving her hands in front of her face didn't mean anything either, she was totally blind.

"Do you need anything else? Or do you need me to call someone?" The nurse asked gently.

"Can you place me by the window please and no I don't need you to call anyone." Shelby responded, grabbing the hand the nurse used to support her.

"There's a remote to your left, please press any button on it if you need anything and a nurse will attend to you."

Shelby nodded, feeling around for the remote till she found it and breathing a sigh of relief when she heard the nurse leave.

Left alone Shelby wondered what her life was going to be, she hadn't spoken to Bran or Tracy since she found out about her diagnosis; she told herself it was because she didn't know what to say but the truth was she knew she'd break down and ask Bran to come get her.

Heather hadn't come to see her since she told her about her eyes, Renee had dropped in regularly to tease her or get on her nerves and Danica popped in once or twice to spread her motherly love which Shelby appreciated but the one person she needed was either avoiding her or she'd slipped back into a coma which was unlikely.

Bran always said overthinking made people who already felt insecure find solace in their dangerous thoughts but Shelby had nothing but thoughts to deal with for the rest of her life.

Sure she'd miss her eye sight but she felt more alone here than she thought. Her doctor had advised a live in partner but Shelby didn't want another human being she didn't know settling into her home; in fact nothing had made sense to her and she'd fought every offer until the doctor softly pointed out that she did not have a choice and she needed to pick which one worked best for her fast.

It was painful hearing those words but they were honest words, and denying the inevitable was not going to change anything except cause her more pain.

Tapping a button on the remote, Shelby waited for a nurse.

"Hello are you alright?"

"Yes I'm fine, I was just wondering if you could tell Doctor Quinn that I'm going for the service dog option."

"Alright, is there anything else?" Shelby heard the nurse scribbling on her notes.

"If she can pick one out for me soon, I'd appreciate that."

"I'll let her know quickly." The nurse said, leaving immediately.

Shelby quelled the loneliness in her heart and honed her other skills like her doctor advised.

Doctor Quinn had said she could use other parts of her body to see like her hands and her ears, she'd said no to the cane so she'd have to feel the entirety of her space and memorize where everything was, using either numbers for her steps or visualizing the room in her mind which sounded silly when the doctor said it but her hands were her new eyes, it would be best if she started adapting.

Eighty percent of people who go blind slip into depression and twenty percent end up taking their own life cause they can't cope, her doctor didn't tell her that but she used the last of her vision to research as much as she could.