A/N: Above is a picture of what Anneliese looks like! Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! (Also! I posted a prologue to another one of my stories called 'Time Machine'! Check it out if you want something else that might be pretty cool to read!)
Camila and Lauren arrived at the hospital where they were going to have their meeting with Anneliese. The two hadn't slept since Lauren had received the phone call because they were so excited about the news that they had gotten. Although their hearts were broken at the sound of losing their friend Dylan, the two were repeatedly reminded that Camila would soon earn the sense that she deserved: vision.
They were led into the room that Lauren had once been admitted to, where Anneliese laid in bed waiting for them. She was reclined up so that she could be eye-to-eye with the girls as she spoke to them about the whole situation and what was going to be happening.
"Hi Anneliese! It's good to see you again," Lauren said with a smile. She turned to her girlfriend beside her and introduced her, "This is my girlfriend that I've been telling you so much about. Her name is Camila."
The elderly woman in front of them replied, "It's very nice to meet you Camila. You're very pretty. I can't wait to see the look on your face when you see yourself for the first time."
"It's nice to meet you too! And thank you. I want to see Lauren before I see anything else though. She'd going to be the first and last thing that I ever see. Unless she dies first," Camila laughed.
"That's very sweet," Anneliese replied. She pulled an envelope out of the hospital desk drawer, then handed it off to Lauren. "Dylan left this for you, Lauren. I'm not sure what's inside, but it's presumably a letter."
Lauren nodded, then carefully opened up the letter. When she pulled out the paper inside of the envelope, two smaller pieces of paper came out with it. Lauren didn't look down at what had fallen out yet, and she decided to read the letter first.
Dear Lauren,
If you've received this letter, it means that I've gone into a coma or passed away because of my Diabetes. By now, my grandmother Anneliese has probably told you the news. I'm donating my optic nerve, as well as any other parts of my eyes that may be needed to give Camila the ability to see. Now that I'm gone away, I thought that I may as well give my eyes to someone who really needs them. I've heard about the new operation that doctors can do for the blind, and I figured that you guys needed to find a donor. And that's exactly what I'm going to be.
Also in this letter is a gift for you. I've purchased two VIP tickets for you and Camila to go and see Lana Del Rey on the day after the jigsaw puzzle competition. If I'm remembering correctly from our date, you told me that you've been dying to meet Lana. I originally bought them for you and I, but I thought that you should take Camila instead. She would enjoy it more. You deserve to meet your idol for all that you've done for me, and for her.
You probably don't know this about me Lauren, but I've had a rough life up until I met you. I've only known you for a short time, but you didn't treat me with disrespect like most people would have. Camila, too. Neither of you guys judge people based on what disability or flaw they possess. That's what I like about the two of you. And I hope that you guys continue to act with kindness towards everyone else that you meet and come across. Anyways, people have always judged me for eating sugar free and diet things. But not you two. You both deserve what you have coming for you.
The storm is clearing now, and soon you two are about to be welcomed to a world where everything that you once dreamed of is a reality. Everything that the two of you have worked for together is about to be yours. The vision, the competitions you're entering, and the relationship that the two of you have built together... they're all yours for the taking. When you walk out of the hospital together, hand-in-hand, I want you to look up to the sky together and realize that you've braved the storm. You guys did it.
Again, I just wanted to say thank you to the both of you for all that you've done. Good luck in 'The Voice' and the puzzle competition. I wish you the best. Oh, and I heard about the twins. Congrats on that! Enjoy your happy lives together.
Sincerely,
Dylan
Lauren gazed up from the letter with tears forming in her eyes. She picked up the two tickets that had fallen on the bed and realized that they were real, genuine ticket to Lana's next show. The seats were front and center, and she had no idea how he was able to pull this off. Up until this point in her life, Lauren hadn't known that she had done so much for the people around her. She had touched the hearts of everyone around her just by showing them the kindness that they deserved.
With the letter and tickets in hand, she moved around the bed to hug Anneliese, "Thank you for everything, Anneliese."
Anneliese reciprocated the hug with Lauren and said, "Any time, dear. Any time. You two really do deserve this."
The two pulled apart, and a doctor walked in to discuss the plans for the operation. They learned that Camila's pre-op for surgery was the morning after the Lana Del Rey concert, and the actual operation would take place on the following day. Once the operation had gone through, Camila would need to recover for a week before being able to open her eyes for the first time, which was about the time that they were to arrive in Los Angeles for 'The Voice' battle rounds. For the first month, Camila would need to wear sunglasses in bright rooms and areas in order to help her build resistance to light that a normal person would have. And when her eyes began to hurt, she was to close them in order for them to regain strength.
Camila jumped for joy at the sound of all this and clapped her hand together rapidly. "This is so exciting! I can't believe that this is really happening!"
The small, bouncy girl wrapped her arms around Lauren and she tightly returned the hug. Lauren and Camila shared a passionate kiss, then pulled apart after remembering that the doctor and Anneliese were still in the room. Every time the two kissed, they seemed to forget that anyone else had ever existed other than them.
When the appointments were all set, the girls said their goodbyes to the both of them and drove off to pick up the twins from Lauren's mother's house. As they drove, they blasted their favorite pop station without even caring about the volume level. The girls were way too excited for what was to come in their lives. Lauren had suddenly remembered something, then turned the volume down to speak to her girlfriend.
"Well, Camila. Now that we're going to pick up the twins, I think that this is the perfect opportunity for you to finally meet my mother. It would be a nice surprise, I think," Lauren suggested to Camila.
The excited girl began to feel nervous now, and asked, "But what if she doesn't like me, Lauren? I don't think I'm ready to meet her. Maybe I should just do it when I can finally see things."
"You're just nervous, Camz! The real one you should be worried about meeting is my dad. He's the one that needs to give you his blessing before he walks me down the isle," Lauren giggled.
"Hey!" Camila exclaimed. "I want to walk down the isle! Why do you get to?!:
Lauren burst into laughter and replied slyly, "Well if I do recall things correctly, you did say at Olive Garden that you wear the pants in our relationship. If that's how things are going to be with us, I guess I'm going to wear the dress!"
"No!" Camila shouted, pretending to be offended. "I don't want to wear the pants anymore! You can wear them!"
"You sure? That means that I'll have to consult you parents before I ask you to marry me. And I don't think that they particularly like me."
"Jokes on you! You have to ask my father, and it's my mom that hates you," Camila joked.
Lauren gave in, "Fine, babe! You can wear the dress, and I'll wear the pants. Is that a deal?"
"Why can't we both wear the dress and walk down two different isles? It's nontraditional, but who is to say that it won't work?" Camila smiled.
"You know what? You're right. It'll be our own, weird wedding of the future," Lauren replied while returning a smile.
Camila let out a sigh and finally said, "Okay."
"Okay?" Lauren questioned.
"Okay, I'll meet your mom today."
Lauren's expression grew excited at the sound of Camila wanting to meet her mom, and she replied, "That's awesome! You might even meet my siblings while we're there. My dad is still at work, though. So you won't meet him today."
Camila let out a sigh of relief. "At least I won't meet them both in one day. This rests my nerves a little bit."
"Yup! Now let's go in!" Lauren said excitedly.
"What? We're here already? I still need time to prepare."
"I'll let have some time to prepare. You can have the time it takes to get from here to the front door," Lauren joked with her girlfriend.
"Hey!" Camila exclaimed.
Lauren exited the car, then went around to help Camila out. The two girls felt anxious to have Camila meet her for the first time, but somehow, they knew that they'd get through it no matter what the outcome was.