Losing eyesight

Chapter three

"That's a surprise", she said coldly with a slightly confused expression on her face. But disregarding of that, she looked rather neutral, still resigned and somewhat battered. "But it's a terribly bad timing, Greyson", she added before she turned around and walked back to her room. her voice had the same tartness in it as her mother had 

"What?", Greyson whispered. More to himself than anybody specifically.

"Have you ever heard of Glaucoma?" Maria asked.

Greyson shook is head. 

"It's a disease. An eye disease. It usually appears with older people, older than 40, but it can  appear with younger people too. And apparently there are also cases, very few, though, where already newborns have it. Especially with newborns it usually stay undetected. And when it is, it's way too late."

Not that greyson had a cold heart or didn't like babies, but what had some newborns eye disease to do with Alice?

"Of course we realized that her sight was worsening. That's why she wears contacts. But nobody realized what really caused her bad eyesight. Glaucoma is a disease that leads to vision loss and if undetected, cecity."

When Greyson didn't react, she added: "The loss of her eyesight, Greyson. Forever."Greyson heard a crack in Maria's voice as she said the last word. The crack in people's voice before they can't hold back their tears any longer.

H felt like someone had punched him the stomach. His brain was completely overstrained with the information it had just been given.

Maria's gaze was blank. She peered at the ground. "Alice is only seventeen. And currently she's wasting the last 15 days of holding eyesight by hiding in her room, reading her favorite books for hundredth time." Greyson saw the tears running down her cheeks. And still this woman managed to sound as calm as ever. "But what can I do? I cannot show her the world in 15 days. I cannot decide for her what the last things to see for her should be. I may as well just let her read her goddamn books if that's what she wishes for the most." Maria cried. Sobbing she tried to wipe away her tears, but new ones would run don her cheeks anyway.

Greyson had a short fuse. What he just learned was too unbelievable. This situation was too absurd for his mind to handle. "I have to go." He said and without waiting for Maria's reaction he turned around and left. He heard her call after him: "Greyson!" But he didn't listen. He started running. He had no specific destination, he just wanted to get away. As soon as possible. 

No.

Alice... Blind? 

No.

That was too ridiculous to think of.