After two days, Dylan was discharged from the hospital and was sent home.
“Rose” he called while he was in bed.
“Yes?” she answered.
“Help me take a bath. The doctor said I should keep my eyes dry.” he requested.
“Okay” she answered. She went to the bathroom and prepared the tub. When she's done, she assisted him inside.
He took off his clothes. “Are you looking at me right now?” he asked, smiling teasingly.
“Yes” she answered with no hesitation.
He chuckled. “After seeing your face, the next thing I want to see is your body.” he said bluntly.
“Pervert” she murmured. Although she was acting like she was used to seeing his body, at the back of her mind, she was really attracted.
Dylan heard her. He chuckled again. “Hey, you’ve already seen mine countless times. It’s just right and fair you show yours to me.”
“Just get in the tub.” she said impatiently, then she grabbed his hand and guided him to the bathtub.
When he sat in the water, she took a small towel and handed it to him.
“Do it for me.” he requested.
“Excuse me? ...You only can’t see, but your hands are perfectly fine.” she told him.
“Please?” he begged.
She rolled her eyes. Without answering, she grabbed his arm and scrubbed it with the towel. “Give me your other arm.” she said after.
He gave it obediently.
After scrubbing his whole body, she carefully cleaned his face with her fingers. As she did so, she felt how soft and smooth his facial skin was. She was impressed he had no blemishes.
“What's the color of your eyes?” she asked.
“Blue” he answered.
She was astounded. She imagined him with those eyes and saw a very handsome guy. She smiled.
“I’m sure you will fall in love with me instantly once you see me with my gorgeous eyes.” he boasted.
She smiled scornfully, but she knew there’s no doubt about it. “We’ll see about that.” she replied.
He chuckled. “When our relationship becomes official, you’re not allowed to hide things from me anymore. You have to be honest with me all the time. Say what you really feel or think in any situation.”
“What kind of words you want to hear from me?” she asked.
“Words like… how much you adore me.” he answered, giggling.
“I’m not good at sweet words.” she replied.
“It’s all right. Just say them the way you can.” he said.
“Okay… Now, turn around. Let’s wash your hair.” she bossed.
He giggled again and did what she said.
After his bath, on the balcony, she gave him a new haircut.
“Your blonde is gone. You’re back to brown hair now.” she told him.
“Which color is better?” he asked.
“I think any natural color will suit you.” she answered.
“How about we dye it blue? Like yours.” he suggested.
She furrowed her forehead. “Nah, that’s a bad idea.”
He chuckled. “When I’m with you, people might be thinking I’m with a blue fairy.” he said, trying to imagine her with her long blue hair.
“If I were a fairy who could grant wishes, what would you wish for?” she asked.
“Mmm… I’ll be like, ‘Hey, Ms. Blue Fairy! Can I take you out for dinner?’ ” he answered. “I will not only ask for a wish. I will ask for you.” he said, smiling.
“What if… fairies are not allowed to be taken? …Because they have their own world.” she asked, looking at his face.
It took him a while before he answered. “Then… I’ll go with her in her world.” he said.
She smiled, but at the back of her mind, she forced herself to believe he gave a wrong answer. “There you go.” she said when she's done trimming his hair.
He smiled. “Thanks, Ms. Blue fairy”
☆••••○○●○○••••☆
With each passing day, Dylan continued to follow everything his doctor was telling him to do while he was waiting for his eyes to fully heal up. There were times they would ache really bad, but he endured all of it thinking that it would be over soon.
Through it all, Rose was always there to help him. In four weeks, his improvement continued.
☆••••○○●○○••••☆
On the day Dylan's eye patches would finally be removed, Rose woke up a bit late from a bad headache. Her anxiety didn’t let her sleep well last night, but despite it, she still forced herself to get up from bed and go to the bathroom.
After she rinsed her face with warm water, she looked at herself in the mirror. While she was staring at her reflection, someone knocked. She rushed to the door and opened it.
“Hey” Dylan greeted with a smile. “Are you ready?” he asked excitedly.
She looked at him for a while before she answered. “Um… I feel a little under the weather. I don’t think I can come with you... Is it okay?” she asked in a low voice.
“Oh… Are you sure you don’t want to see a doctor?” he asked in a concerned tone.
“No, I just need some rest.” she answered. Although he was not telling it, she could see disappointment on his face. “Sorry” she said softly.
“It’s all right. Take a rest. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” he told her.
“Don’t rush it. Be back when the doctor said you can.” she replied.
“Okay” he said, then he held her face and smiled. “See you later” Before he left, he gave her a kiss.
As she was watching him leaving the house, despite her countless tries to prepare herself for that day, tears still found their way to escape from her eyes.
☆••••○○●○○••••☆
In the hospital, Dylan's parents and Serena were there with him. When the doctor came to the room, she asked him a few questions related to his eye condition. After that, she began to remove the bandages around his head. Then, she took a wet cotton and used it to detach the patches on his eyes. In just a few minutes, his whole face appeared.
“Do it slowly… Open your eyes.” the doctor said.
He carefully pulled up his eyelids. He struggled at first, but after several tries, they finally opened. They were a bit itchy, so he blinked many times.
“What do you see?” the doctor asked.
Mr. and Mrs. Walton were watching nervously behind them.
“It’s very blurry.” Dylan answered, wincing.
“That’s normal. Just wait. Your vision is still adjusting... In a few days, if you’re not satisfied with it, you can undergo Lasik eye surgery to improve your sight.” the doctor told him.
He continued to blink. Slowly, his sight began to recognize colors and see images.
Mrs. Walton approached him. “Can you see me?”
He smiled. “Yes, mom. You're a bit cloudy, but I can see you.”
She smiled too, then she cried.
Mr. Walton approached her and patted her back. “I thought you said you wouldn’t cry.” he told her.
Dylan chuckled.
“Dylan?” Serena called softly.
He turned his head to her. He recognized her voice, but not her face. “Whoa, Serena... You really look different now.” he told her.
She smiled. Then, she approached him and embraced him tightly. “I’m very happy for you.”
“Thank you” he replied, then he looked back at his doctor. “Can I go home now?” he asked.
“I bet you’re excited to see the world again. Yes, you can, my dear. Just give me a call if you have other concerns.” she told him.
After settling his hospital bills and medical records, they headed back home. He was very nervous while waiting in the car.
“Are you excited to see her?” Mrs. Walton asked when she noticed he was smiling by himself.
He chuckled. “I feel like... I will meet the president of the United States.” he answered.
Mrs. Walton laughed.
When they finally arrived home, he quickly got out of the car and ran to the house. He headed straight to Rose’s room as he was fixing his hair.
When he reached the door, he stopped for a while to compose himself, but his nervousness still wouldn't stop growing inside of him. He closed his eyes and let out a few deep breaths, then he stepped forward and knocked.
When the door didn’t open, he knocked again. “Rose?” he called.
Thinking that she might be sleeping, he grabbed the knob and slowly opened the door. When he looked inside, he saw the bed was empty. He entered and looked around.
“Rose?” he called again.
After he didn't hear an answer, he walked to the bathroom door and knocked. When nothing happened, he opened it. To his dismay, it was also empty. Then, he noticed something was off. When he looked around, he could not see any of her stuff.
Troubled, he approached the closets and opened them. When he discovered they were empty, a bad feeling quickly struck him.
He opened all the drawers and compartments hoping he was wrong, but when he found out they were all empty, fear crawled all over his body.
“Rose!” he called frantically.
“Rose!” he called again.
“Sweetie, what’s going on?” Mrs. Walton asked when she heard his voice.
Without answering, he ran to his room hoping she was there. When he got inside, he found a black box on his bed with a folded paper on top of it.
*
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To be continued....
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