May
I woke up to the usual darkness. The sounds around me were beeps and I felt tape on the sides of my face and fabric when I painfully opened my eyes.
I tried to sit up, but familiar hands pushed me back.
"Did I thread again?" I groaned to my mother.
I felt her hand pushing stands of hair from my forehead and felt the edge of the bed dip, signaling her sitting. "Yeah, but it wasn't serious. We caught it right in time."
"That's good." I sighed before a thought came to my mind. "Did Bradley come?"
She hesitated and pulled her hand away as I felt her sit up. "He and Linda did. But he went home."
I felt a twinge of hurt in my chest as she said those words, but all I responded with was, "Oh."
"You have to stay here for a couple weeks while you heal, but after that, you're free to go home!" She tried to lighten the mood.
"Can I talk to him within these weeks?" I asked nervously.
"We'll see." She responded after a long pause.
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Bradley
"Is she eating alright?" I urged Joy over the phone.
"She's eating through the IV at the moment, just sugar water, but that's all she can have."
"Is she comfortable?"
"Yes, Bradley." She answered with a laugh.
"Are her eyes okay?"
"Bradley, this has happened many times before. She's still blind and her eyes look the same. Go eat and get some sleep. I'll call you if anything changes"
"Thank you, Joy."
"You're welcome." She answered before hanging up.
"How is she?" Linda asked, bringing a bowl of plain cereal in for me.
"She's eating through an IV, she's comfortable and her eyes are okay." I sighed and grabbed the bowl reluctantly.
"I wanted to talk to you about something, Bradley." Linda asked cautiously.
"Okay."
"This girl...she seems good." She tried for the words then quickly added "For you. She seems good for you. I haven't seen you smile since the day you came to me two years ago. When you walked out of that hospital and saw her, I was in awe that you smiled. I've never seen it before and it was beautiful. You had more color to your skin than ever before when she was talking to you and you actually looked forward to Thursday when she would see you. When you heard about her being hurt, you almost switched into protective mode. When Connor had appendicitis, you wouldn't leave your room, but still sent him flowers.
"May needs help and I know that's why you left. Joy told me that the last time you saw May, Joy told you about how difficult it would be to ever have even a friendship with her. I'm willing to pay for the treatment that you need. Richard and Florence want to work together to help you, and I know this girl makes you feel better, so stop avoiding her."
I was in shock. I'd never thought about how she made me look differently. I only though of how I felt. Was I really that emotionless before?
"I...care about her a lot." I looked at Linda.
"Bradley..." she gasped suddenly and I looked to her cheek, noticing what I had done.
I made eye contact with someone.
"She's changing you, Bradley and I think you should try. Touch therapy has been said to work and if you can get through it, you can be with May."
You can be with May.
"I want to, but I can't do anything to risk it. What if she touches me the wrong way and I hurt her? What if I hurt Richard or Florence? What if Connor touches me and I break his wrist? I cant be fixed Linda." I put my head in my hands.
"I believe in you." She whispered before leaving my room, shutting the door softly behind her.
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TOMORROWS THE DAY
-Rose