The Eye falls, and so does Jon: his vision darkens, the last thing it sees is Martin's panic-struck face.
When Jon wakes up, there is no sight, no knowledge. The only thing there is is a hunger, all-powerful, all-consuming, a weakness to his limbs that makes it hard to move. That, and the seemingly myriad of wires connected to him.
He could hear Martin's voice, faded, discussing with someone behind closed doors, and no Beholding could give him insight into it. If Jon didn't feel so weak, he would have laughed.
In losing the Eye, he also lost his vision. The price one paid for freedom of fear, he supposed, but what else was he supposed to do? Leave the world to be ruled by fear? No. Jon couldn't have let that happen, and his sight was an easy price to pay for it.
The voices diminished, and there was a door, opening, closing. Martin sighed loudly, moved around, and then paused.
"Good morning, I suppose." Jon said, and Martin made a strangled noise. "How bad?"
Shuffling noises, once more, the bed giving when Martin sat by Jon's side, his cold hand on Jon's wire-covered one.
"You're not reacting to treatment." He started, slowly, fingers playing with the pads of Jon's hand. "Your body simply... Refuses everything, except saline solution, and even that was a fight and a half to discover the ideal dosage so you wouldn't have another crash."
Now that Martin mentions it, Jon can hear the slow, trickling sound of water falling. Very slow: it's a trickle, slowed down to a crawl.
"The Eye fed me for so long that now I can't remember how to eat." Jon said, with a nervous laugh leaving his lip, giving an edge to his words. "How long do I got?"
Silence. In Jon's dark world, it just made him nervous.
"Hours, they think. It's a miracle you've woken up." Martin says, in the end. There's a faint sniffle to his words, and Jon raises a hand, putting it where he guesses - guesses! It's been so long he had to guess anything - Martin's face is.
He hits the glasses, which he supposes is good enough, guiding himself until he reaches Martin's tear soaked cheeks, patting him gently. Martin leaned into the touch, his hand holding Jon's against his skin, as if trying to imprint the touch into his memory.
"Then don't cry, my love. Let's make it worth it with the time I still have." Jon said, so softly he didn't know if Martin heard it. When he gained a small nod, he smiled.
Jon hoped Martin wouldn't fall into the Lonely when he was gone, but he knew that it would happen. Jon lost to the Eye, and Martin to the Lonely: back at step one.
