sightless.

3: Stuck

"I couldn't do that to you, Mr. ..." she felt horrible when she just realized something. "What's your name?"

He took a deep breath. "Jason." He paused and took another deep breath. "My name is Jason."

"Thank you, Jason. For everything, but I couldn't be a burden on you any more than I already have been. I will figure something out."

"You lost your sight. There's no figuring anything out. I told you that you are staying here. I have a staff that will help you when I'm not here. I already know you have no one." That one hit her hard. She didn't need to be reminded that she was on her own through all of this.

It wasn't her fault. She lost her parents early on; she was five. She barely even remembered them. Her parents didn't have any family or close friends that could take her in, so she was put in a group home. Whenever she was able to finally form relationships in whichever home she was in, a family took her in. She was an awkward child, fascinated with science, not much of a people person, but really tried her hardest to form bonds. It just didn't work.

When her first adoptive parents found out they really could have children, they knew they couldn't finance having a baby and a ten-year old. Diapers were expensive, after all. They had to put her back in the system, and she could tell they didn't want to. Another set of parents were stolen from her, and it was completely out of her control.

The cycle continued, her forming some kind of new bond, and they would get ripped away from her. This pattern didn't carry over into adulthood at all. She just didn't form bonds. There was no point. She taught her classes, learned more, and tried to pay bills. That was all.

"I couldn't repay you for any of this, so could you just get me a cab to my apartment? I can handle it from there."

The rumbling chuckle came back. "You're a stubborn one, but listen to me, Amelia, you are staying. You really couldn't handle it all." There was a pause, and she knew he was right, but just for funsies, he added, "You know, with you being blind and all."

She smiled her first smile since this all started. I think he's trying to be funny. It was sick and blunt humor, but she found she didn't quite mind it. "Yea, that."

She slowly slid to the edge of the bed and finally felt her bladder screaming bloody murder. This is going to be a rough couple days—or weeks. Jesus. She hoped it wasn't weeks. After finding her footing on the floor, she said, "Well, since I'm going to be staying, can you help me find the bathroom?" Instead of coming over and putting his hand on her arm and guiding her like she was expecting, he put a hand on the back of her knee. She jumped, not expecting it. "What are you doing? I need to pee." He then put a hand on her back and began to pick her up, bridal style, and her only option was to put her arms around his neck.

She was hit by so many sensations at once. Hard chest. Crisp cologne. Minty breath. Strong arms. Warm skin. Just to really hit on every sensation, he rumbled next to her ear, "I know." He started walking with her in his arms.

"Listen, I need to be able to get there on my own. I really need to know how to do these things for myself, until I can see again."

He didn't say anything. He wasn't the best listener in the world. He kept walking towards what she assumed was the bathroom. When he placed her down on a cold, porcelain lid, her balance was thrown off. Everything was still so black. She was flustered.

"Yell when you're finished. Sink is to your right. Soap is to the left of the faucet. I'll put a towel on the front edge for you to clean up with." He was being thoughtful, and she could really come to appreciate that. She could hear his clicking footsteps getting farther away and then heard the door close. From the couple seconds it took him to walk across the bathroom, she could tell it was a huge room. The sheets gave away his money right away. No sheets ever felt that soft. No sheets ever felt that luxurious. From the time it took him to cross to the door, she knew he was rolling in money. Of course he could hire help for her.

After she finished her business and felt around for the toilet paper for a good thirty seconds, she then had to feel her way to the sink. She heard Jason's muffled voice on the other side of the door. She couldn't hear any of what he was saying, but from the sounds of it, it was a heated conversation.

She blinked at the blackness a couple times, with hopes that this was going to be that temporary. She didn't know how to feel about this whole ordeal. It was strange and off-putting. It wasn't natural. She tried to feel for the soap but wasn't expecting a pump canister of soap. She was expecting a bar of soap in a soap dish like she had at home, so she overreached. Her hand pushed the holder to the floor, there was a crash, and she felt the glass hit her feet. Instinctively jumping out of the way and screeching, she ended up with glass embedded in her feet.

Instead of getting more glass in her feet, like the moron she felt like, she stood still. She yelled, "Jason!" but she could still hear him on the phone. She yelled a little louder this time, "Jason!" and could still hear him talking loudly on the phone. She was trapped. It was ridiculous. She was trapped in a huge bathroom that she was sure was amazing, but she couldn't even appreciate it. It was all of her own doing too, not thinking logically, pushing the glass soap bottle to the floor and ending up with glass in her feet. It stung. She could feel a couple large pieces in the fleshy part of her heel, and she could only keep standing on it so she didn't step on more. She was surrounded by glass and stuck, and the man who said he would help her was outside the bathroom arguing on the phone.

Amy could feel the frustration building in her chest. It was threatening to burst through in either a never-ending scream or tears to end all tears. So which is easier to do while standing in a circle of glass and not being able to move? She could feel the tears welling when she heard the knock on the bathroom door. It only made her want to cry even more. What is wrong with me? Time to pull up your big girl panties, Amy. Get your shit together. She heard the door open and didn't know what the scene looked like to Jason. Her surrounded by glass, said glass embedded in her feet, tears welling. Wow, Amy. Wow.

A/N: So Amy is a bit clumsy, I know. I find her funny, though, and sometimes she's just a bit too helpless. But that's why this is a romance right? And he finally got a laugh out of her! I like this part. And what do you think of his real name? Sound a bit familiar? As usual, let me know what you think of this part. What do you think of Amy and her pitfalls? Where do you see their relationship going? As always, constructive criticism welcome.

Until next time, lovelies. Ta!