[19]

                                    

                                          
The six hours passed faster than they had expected because for the first three or four hours Eve had slept due to the medicines given to her and after she woke up, only two hours were left and then her bandage would finally be removed.
                          
"Jason?" She called out in a low voice not knowing whether he was there or not but soon enough his hand entwined through hers and she relaxed upon realizing that he was right beside her. "Did you drop Tim off?"
                          
"Hours ago. You were asleep when I came back."
                          
"Oh. And how much time is left now?"
                          
"Less than two hours," he replied.
                          
She gestured him to come closer so he pushed the chair towards the bed and her hands found their way to his face carefully, fingers delicately brushing over his skin, "Jason, I can't wait for these two hours to end as well, but deep down I'm scared."
                          
"Why are you scared?" He asked softly, his hand gently closing round her wrist, "I'm right beside you and I am sure nothing will go wrong."
                          
"I just... I don't know. If this surgery has been successful then it will bring such a big change into my life but I'm not sure if I'm ready for that."
                          
Jason realized that she was getting tense because she had spent most of her life in the dark by then, the thought of being able to see again had been overwhelming and he needed to make sure that she didn't feel nervous right then.
                          
So he cautiously leaned forward and captured her lips with his own, kissing her until he felt the tenseness ease from her and her fingers that were cupping his face had trailed down and rested gently upon his shoulders.
                          
And through that he made her realize that even if a big change was about to come in her life, her love for Jason would remain the same and vice versa. That thought was much more comforting so she let go of all the worries, allowing herself to dissolve in the kiss.
                          
He pulled apart a while later and noticed the soft smile visible on her lips, "even if everything changes, you and I would still love each other and that's all that matters."
                          
Time lapsed and right after they had had dinner, the door to the room was knocked and the doctor stepped in. "How are you feeling now, Miss Nichols?"
                          
"Much better," she replied, her hand held in Jay's reassuringly.
                          
The lights of the room were dimmed because she would not be accustomed to the light so early and they had to make sure that her eyes were not irritated by the glare. 
                          
"It's time to remove the bandage, shall I?"
                          
Evelyn nodded and Jason stepped back so that the doctor could stand beside her and carefully take apart the bandage. Slowly and carefully, the white bandage was removed and Eve's eyes though closed appeared a little larger than usual due to the slight swelling.
                          
"Now when I tell you, you will very slowly open your eyes okay?"
                          
She nodded, her other hand reaching out towards Jay who clasped it firmly.
                          
"Don't be worried, at first your eyes will water a little and there are chances you might even feel dizzy. That's absolutely normal and not to be worried about, okay?"
                          
She nodded again though her grip had tightened on Jay's palm, anticipation coursing through her veins.
                          
"You may open your eyes now. Slowly and carefully and keep looking ahead of you."
                          
Evelyn did as she was told, very slowly opening the eyelids and just like the doctor had said, her eyes watered at first. She cautiously opened her eyes judging a dim white light spread around her and she kept her focus straight ahead of her just like the doctor had advised.
                          
But as her vision started to clear up, her head swayed and she felt Jason's arm drape round her back securely as if supporting her. Darkness swam in front of her again and for a second she got scared, her features paling.
                          
"Miss Nichols, please don't be afraid. This is a very normal part of the procedure. Nothing has happened to you. You're fine."
                          
She felt a glass touch her lips, orange juice tipping down her throat and she gratefully accepted it as the liquid felt energizing to her. Jay was holding her close though his voice was distant as Eve had lapsed into a partially conscious state.
                          
Her eyes had dropped shut and Jay too was just as scared as she was deep down but he was trying his best not to let it show, knowing that he had to be strong for Eve.
                          
"She's a bit weak, that's all," the doctor explained to him in a gentle tone, "it happens with most of our patients. Her eyes are very new to this and normally when us humans are unfamiliar to something, our brain sends a signal of shutting down temporarily to our nervous system. Call it a brief alarm system fixed into the human body. But after a few minutes as the body starts to adjust, everything comes back to normal."
                          
He looked down at Eve's almost limp figure in his arms and though the doctor was assuring him that she would be fine, he felt scared to see her as such. The thought of losing her had resurfaced in his heart and that was not a pleasant feeling at all.
                          
But then she took in a deep breath and her lips parted, his name escaping her, "Jason..."
                          
"I'm right here, Eve, I'm with you," he replied gently holding her in his arms.
                          
"Miss Nichols, when you feel better, I will ask you to open your eyes again. And this time you won't feel dizzy."
                          
A few minutes later as she recovered, the doctor asked her to open her eyes again and she did so very cautiously, fearing that her head would sway again but nothing of that sort happened. The light turned into a wall and then a table placed in front and slowly but gradually her vision began to clear up even more.
                          
"You are looking ahead of you, what do you see?"
                          
Evelyn's grip had tightened on Jay's palm once again and he squeezed her hand in reassurance. "I think it's... It's a table?"
                          
"Yes it is. Tell me can you see it clearly? Do you see what's on top of it."
                          
"A flower vase?" Her voice was uncertain because with every passing second, she was getting overwhelmed. For the first time in so many years, her eyes showed her objects instead of plain light or dark.
                          
"Exactly. Now Miss Nichols, your friend told me that you were blinded by an accident and before that you could see clearly, is that true?"
                          
"Yes..."
                          
"So I am assuming you recognize colors?"
                          
She thought for a while before replying, "some of them?"
                          
"What color are the flowers in front of you?" 
                          
She saw the red and yellow tulips in the vase and spoke up, "yellow and red."
                          
The doctor nodded, smiling at Jason whose face shone with relief upon seeing that the surgery was successful and Eve had regained her vision, "that's correct. Please close your eyes again, Miss Nichols. At this stage you must not strain your eyes at all. I have prescribed you some medicines along with a calcium supplement that you will have to take daily from now on. And it would be better if you rest for now. Go to sleep and we'll see how much your eyes have recovered by tomorrow."
                          
"Thank you so much," she spoke up, closing her eyes as instructed, "and am I to keep my eyes closed till morning?"
                          
"It's advisable if you do. However if you have to go to the toilet, you may open your eyes a fraction so that you can see where you're going. But right now you must not focus on any other object." And then she added as an afterthought, "or person. It's better to wait till tomorrow."
                          
"I understand."
                          
Jason helped her lie down on the bed and then the doctor left after handing him the prescription list.
                          
"Eve, I'm going to fetch these from the pharmacy. Will be back in a minute."
                          
"Yeah sure," she smiled slightly letting him know that she was fine.
                          
Gently placing a kiss on her forehead, he stepped out of the room as well, closing the door behind him.
                          
***