One Glance

Chapter 7

"Is he alright?" Luke asked, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

"Yes, he will be fine," replied Isabella.

Luke's face was contorting in utter turmoil. Isabella hated to wonder at what he was thinking.

"Luke," said Isabella softly, "you must not punish yourself. Accidents happen."

Luke looked as though he was trembling. Was he really so panicky? Isabella supposed he could not see exactly what Jamie's injuries were.

"He has only a little cut," she assured him. Isabella leaned over and leant against look, resting her head on his shoulder. She hoped that this would offer him some comfort.

For a moment, for only the briefest of moments, Isabella felt as though she were living out a dream. She was sitting down with her husband and son, simply being a family.

Mary had stolen their first moment as a family. This was their second, and though it was not perfect, it was realistic. Families were not perfect. Life was not perfect. Husbands were certainly not perfect. Isabella knew that for certain.

Isabella moved her head up ever so slightly so that she could place a kiss on his jaw. Luke did respond to the affection and he leaned in to her.

"I forgot I was blind," he confessed quietly.

Isabella had seen that. For a moment, Luke had been his old self. She adored that part of him.

"I forgot I was blind and I hurt him," he continued, his voice thick with shock and guilt.

"It was an accident," Isabella insisted. "You tripped. It could have happened to anybody."

"No, it would not have," Luke said firmly. "Had you or anyone else been holding him you would have seen whatever I managed to fall over. You would not have dropped him. Had I been able to see, I would have orchestrated the landing better, I would have ensured that he landed on me, or on something soft if I was falling as well." The guilt and regret were evident in Luke's frustrations.

Isabella knew that Luke could not have done anything to prevent Jamie getting hurt, regardless of his eyesight. Accidents did happen. "Jamie is going to be perfectly fine. Jamie, give Papa a cuddle. Show him that you are all better," Isabella encouraged.

But much to her heartbreak, and as it seemed, Luke's as well, Jamie murmured "No" and snuggled into her arms instead. Luke's face fell further that the floor.

Isabella sat there feeling thoroughly helpless, more helpless then she had felt only moments ago when Jamie had been hurt. She was sitting in between her husband who looked to be carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, and her son who appeared to be slightly frightened on his father.

How had their lives come to this? Was this some sort of cruel trick? What had any of them done to deserve such a fate?

"Please forgive me, Isabella. I never meant to hurt our son," Luke apologised softly after a few moments of silence. "I love you both, more than you could ever know, but how is this supposed to work? Are you going to hover over me to ensure that I do not drop him again? I would in your position. How could a family ever be successful with my condition?"

In only a moment, Isabella had gone from feeling tenderly towards Luke, to feeling very annoyed. "Now you are just feeling sorry for yourself," she snapped. "Men came back from that war in coffins, Luke. You have lost your sight, not your life. You have been blessed with a child. Even though we are in a difficult and emotionally trying situation, we are in it together. Yes, I will be in here with Jamie, but only because I want us to be together. Our family will be successful if you choose to focus on what you do have, instead of what you do not. The same goes for me. We could all do with a little positivity around here."