Song: "I will never let you down." - by Rita Ora.
A/N: Sorry for the long wait and short chapter. The stress of this lockdown has finally got to me. How are you all coping with the pandemic?
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When morning came, Mikayla was surprised to have Daxton standing beside her bed, asking for her. "What's going on?" She asked. It had been a week since she spent time with Daxton in his greenhouse. The man had been hidden in his office all week and she hadn't been able to navigate her way back to the greenhouse since.
"Come with me. I want to show you what I've been up to this week." She reached for her gown that lay across her bedside table and quickly slipped it on. She reached for his hand, blushing at how warm it felt. He squeezed her hand and helped steady her.
"What do you want to show me?" She asked.
"You mentioned in the greenhouse that Annabelle and Nick will only leave when they're certain you can manage here safely and without much help." She nodded. "Well, I did some research and I've bought a few things that can help you."
Her eyes widened. "What things?" She asked carefully, already getting an idea of where this was all headed.
"Well I tried to find out from Annabelle what extent your blindness is, she wasn't very forthcoming but she did say that you sometimes see bright lights; though she said they appear like distant blobs to you." She nodded. "It didn't help much but I think I found a few things that'll help. So, let's start with your room. I've removed any unnecessarily large items. There used to be a rug at the foot of the bed, but I removed it."
"Why?" She asked. She remembered loving how it felt under her toes.
She could feel him shrug beside her. "I didn't want you tripping on it." She frowned. She knew how to walk.
"I've also asked that the room be cleaned constantly, just to be sure that things stay in place, so you're not confused." She smiled at that. That was a choice she was grateful for. It had happened three times already when she'd gone for something to eat only to return and walk into a chair or shelf that hadn't previously been there.
"Thank you," she said softly.
"I've also put a special alarm clock on the table beside you. It works on voice control. It will tell you the time, date and day. You can also verbally set your alarms and play any radio station you choose."
"Wow, that sounds expensive."
He hummed but said nothing. She wondered if it bothered him. She felt him rustle around before something was placed in her free hand. She released Daxton's hand and felt around the object. It was small, and cold like metal. She could feel chain links and she frowned. "Why did you give me a watch?"
"It's a special watch, new technology. They're called smart watches." She knew that. She was blind, not a hermit. "This one is specifically for visually impaired persons. It's all voice controlled. You'll be able to tell time as well as make calls or have text messages read to you."
"I have a phone that does that."
He laughed. "Yes, but sometimes your phone isn't near you, and don't deny it. You've misplaced your phone four times this week." She blushed. She had a bad habit of forgetting where she left it last.
"This is too much," she said while pushing the watch back towards him. Daxton scoffed and took the watch from her hand. Before she had a chance to object, he'd pulled her left arm towards him and quickly adjusted the watch on her wrist.
"If you think this is too much, you're going to hate me in a few minutes."
"What did you do?" She groaned.
"Nothing bad except make the house more comfortable for you."
"That's unnecessary."
"Not at all," he said quickly. "You're doing more for us. It's the least I can do for you. Come on." He began to walk her out the room. As soon as they stepped out the room, he pulled her hand towards the wall. "Feel this."
She frowned and ran her fingers slowly over the wall. It was bumpy. "What am I feeling?"
"They're called locator dots. I've placed them on the walls, all in a straight line to help you find your way to the important rooms, the living room, kitchen, my office, and the greenhouse. If you keep following the dots, you'll end up in one of the rooms."
Mikayla drew her hand away and turned towards Daxton. Her throat felt tight with emotion as she struggled to gather her thoughts. No one had ever put so much effort into helping her and she was sure Daxton still had more to show. Though her parents had done the best they could, they never had the money for all of this. This was all too much.
"There's more," he whispered to her.
"I don't need more."
"You'll love this. Use the dots. The first room it takes you to is the kitchen." She nodded and placed her hand on the wall again. She walked slowly, carefully and still not sure if she could trust the little dots. She could feel Daxton beside her, and it was all that gave her comfort. They walked unhurriedly towards the kitchen and at first Mikayla felt bad for making Daxton walk such a slow pace, but he never complained. When they reached the kitchen, he took her hand and led her further into the room.
"Now, I remember you mentioning once that you've always wanted to know how to cook."
She nodded. "Yes, but I can't without possibly cutting myself or burning the house down."
"Not here."
"What do you mean."
"I've asked Mary to teach you a few recipes. She'll teach you using the new appliances I bought. That's if you want to at least."
She shook her head, at a complete loss with how to respond. Daxton didn't seem to mind and instead pulled her around the room, showing her all the new things he'd bought. There was a frying pan with tactile controls, a scale that spoke, tape on every appliance and furniture that had a label made from Braille on it so she could identify what she was touching. There was even a finger guard she could use when cutting food so she wouldn't have to risk losing a finger. It was all so much. He'd even gone further and had Braille labels put on all her clothes, so she knew what she was wearing.
"I just, um... what?" She stumbled while her hands pulled her hair, then her robe. She didn't know how to respond. "This is all so much." He shrugged. "It must have cost a fortune."
"Don't think about that. Just think about how much easier living here will be."
Her eyes widened. "You've catered so much for me. It's unfair. I shouldn't be taking advantage."
He scoffed. "You aren't taking advantage. I wanted to do this for you because you deserve it. Besides, you're doing a lot for me too."
She scoffed. "I'm not. All I'm doing is pretending to date your brother."
He laughed. "And you have no idea what a job that will be. Trust me, all this is the least I can do."
She frowned at him. "Why does everyone say that?"
"Say what?"
"Make it sound like dating Cameron is equivalent to war."
"Because it is. He's a handful."
"He can't possibly be that bad." She hoped at least.
"Oh he is, and you'll understand soon enough."
"When does he get out?"
"Next week." She could hear the happiness in his voice. Daxton must really miss his brother. The thought made Mikayla smile. Daxton was a good brother and she hoped Cameron knew how lucky he was.
"So, what do you want to do first?" She knew he meant what new appliance she wanted to try but there was really only one thing she wanted to do. Without giving warning, she leaned forward and threw her arms around him. She was thankful for his height which meant all she could reach was his waist. She squeezed him tight and dug her head in his chest. His arms followed quickly and soon she was covered in his embrace, warm and safe.
"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You have no idea how much this all means to me."
"Anything for you," he whispered into her hair. She smiled against his chest and blushed when she felt his lips on her head. She said nothing more, simply enjoying being so close to him. She'd never felt so comfortable within a hug. She'd never felt like she could hug someone for hours and yet, that's all she really wanted to do at that moment with Daxton.
Hold him and be with him.