Seeing Forever (17 page)

“I can’t say with 100 percent certainty, but I think
it’s a boy,” said the technician.

Luc squeezed his eyes together. He’d always dreamed
of one day having a son. Someone he could throw a football to in the backyard,
go fishing with, take camping, and teach him all the survival techniques he’d
learned in the army. He felt suddenly sick. He’d never see him, never be able
to do all those things he’d planned.
 
Life stunk … well, not everyone’s, just his.

“Let’s wipe that off your belly and I’ll get you a
copy of this to keep.”

“Thank you,” said
Katey
.

Luc felt the nurse walk by and knew they were
alone.
 
He hoped
Katey
didn’t mind, or that the hospital didn’t have rules against it, but he climbed
on the bed with her and laid his head on her shoulder.

He ran his hand over her belly, imaging what the
baby looked like.

Katey
wiped the tear away from his eye.

“I want to see my son,” said Luc.

“We’ve been through this before and you know there’s
a chance that you might be able to see him. I know it won’t be the clearest
view, but you’d see him.”

“I just don’t think I can be put under and then wake
up just to be told that it didn’t work and then the only hope they’ve ever
given me is gone for good. I don’t think I could deal with it. I’m too scared.”

“I’m scared too, of having this baby, giving birth,
being a mother, and raising a child. I guess nothing worthwhile in life ever is
guaranteed.”

“Why do you always make such perfect sense?”

“Luc, take a chance and have this operation. I’d be
with you every step of the way.”

“How about I agree to think about it?”

“Just as long as it’s a good
think.”

Chapter
Twenty-Two

Katey
smiled when she saw Jake and Gen walking into the family lounge. They both
hugged her at the same time, almost crushing her in the process.

“How are you doing?” asked Jake.

“I’m feeling fine, big and round, but fine, and nervous
too. They said I’ll be able to see Luc before they take him into the OR.”

“We’re just glad we could be here with you,” said
Gen.

“Thanks for driving all this way.”

“No trouble at all,” said Jake. “I’m happy to hear
that he finally decided to take a chance on the surgery.”

“Yeah, he was stubborn, but I think the baby was the
deal maker.”

“Then it came along at the right time,” said Gen,
putting her hand on
Katey’s
belly.

A nurse approached them. “
Katey
,
you can come back here for ten minutes with Luc,” she said.

Both Jake and Gen took her hands and squeezed them.
“We’ll wait here for you, and tell him hello,” said Jake.

She nodded and then followed the nurse. Her legs
shook when she went through the double set of doors. She’d always hated the
smell of hospitals, but she had to stay strong for Luc. He’d sense if she had
any apprehension about the operation.

The nurse walked her to the gurney he was lying on.
She took his hand and squeezed it.

“
Katey
,” he said before he
pulled her hand up to his mouth and kissed it.

“I’m right here for you, and you know if I could I’d
go into the OR with you. I would.”

“I know.”

“Your son and I will be waiting. Oh, and Jake and Gen
have just arrived.”

“Tell them hello.”

“You can tell them after the surgery and we’ll all
have a big celebration.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared in all my
life.”

His hand shook in hers.

“This is going to be a piece of cake compared to labor
and the birth. And you’re going to be there, right?”

“I wouldn’t miss it.”

“Good, because I’ll want back and foot massages
throughout the whole thing.”

He smiled and she hoped she’d made him relax a
little.

“Okay, Luc, time to go to sleep for a while,” said
the nurse.

“I don’t know if I’m allowed to do this, but I’m
going to anyway.”

She leaned over and kissed him on the lips and he
put his hand on the back of her head so her lips stayed on his for a bit longer.

“Okay, plenty of time for that after we get you into
recovery,” said the nurse.

Luc held her hand until his slipped through her palm
as he was wheeled away. She stood and watched him head down the corridor to the
ER.

“I love you,” he shouted.

“I love you too.”

Katey’s
heart beat faster. He loved her. He’d said it for the first time. She had too.

****

Luc felt nauseated and disorientated. Although he’d
been blind for close to a year now, he’d been able to see some light and that
had been a small comfort to him, but now they’d bandaged his eyes and he was
completely in the dark. Or maybe he’d died during the operation. Months ago he
wouldn’t have minded and would have looked at it as a blessing, but now he had
Katey
. Even if the operation hadn’t worked, she was his
miracle.

Guess
they don’t all come in the shape of medicine or science.

The bandages would stay on his eyes for ten days and
then they’d know if he’d regained some of his sight. He’d requested that when
they did remove them that the first thing he focused on was
Katey
.
Seeing her, even if it wasn’t perfectly clear, would be the most wonderful thing
in the world. Seeing her give birth to their son would be the second.

He lifted his hand to his face and felt the bandages
wrapped around them. He had a killer headache and tried to sit up.

“Hi, Luc, you back with us?” It was a woman’s voice.
An older one, by the sound of it.

“Am I in my room?”

“Yes, we wheeled you in here about thirty minutes
ago.”

“Can
Katey
come and see me
yet?”

“Sure, let me just check the drips here and I’ll
have someone go get her.”

Luc licked his lips. His mouth was parched and he
was still sleepy but he wouldn’t give in and close his eyes until he’d spoken
to
Katey
.

The nurse seemed to be taking forever, and then he
sensed she’d gone. He tried to sit up but felt dizzy.

“Luc.”

It was
Katey
. He reached
up in the air and felt her take hold of his hand.

“How are you feeling?” she asked him.

“Still sleepy.
How
long was I out?”

“Three hours, and then a few in
the recovery.
Josie’s here and also Sadie, and they said as
Willow’s a service dog, he can visit you tomorrow. My dad said he’d like to
visit you if that’s okay. Jake and Gen will be back in an hour because they
went to your house to feed Willow and take him for a walk.”

“I’m so lucky having all these good people around.”

“That’s because you’re a good person.”

“Did you mean it when you said you loved me?”

“Of course I did.”

“Then whether I see or not, that’s all that
matters.”

****

Katey
couldn’t stand it. She paced up and down in the doctor’s office as they waited
for him to arrive. Ten days had felt like ten months waiting for Luc’s bandages
to be removed. And this was the big day.

“Is there a pattern on the carpet or floor or
whatever’s in here?” Luc’s question made her stop in her tracks.

“No, why?”

“I was worried you’d wear it away with all the
pacing. And yes, I know you were pacing.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be, because you’ve done the worrying for me.”

She sat down next to him. What if the operation
hadn’t worked? How was he going to react? How was she going to feel?
Katey
heard the door opening and then saw Luc’s doctor
walking in. This was it. She almost grabbed Luc’s hand but didn’t want to make
him more nervous than he probably already was.

He hadn’t told her about him wanting her to be the
first thing he focused on until they were driving to the hospital. While she’d
been honored, she’d been scared too. Frightened that he wouldn’t like what he
saw. The pregnancy had made her heavier and her face rounder than usual.
 
What if he realized he hadn’t made love to
someone who didn’t look like a model? That he’d told someone he didn’t find
attractive that he loved her, and was desperate to take it back?

“Good morning, Luc.
Katey
.
Here we are at the
big day.”

“Remember, I want to be facing
Katey
when you take off the bandages.” said Luc.

“I haven’t forgotten, and if you’re ready we can get
started.”

Luc tapped his hands on his knees. “Sure, let’s get
this over and done with.”

“How about I un-wrap these from behind you and
Katey
, can you stand in front of Luc for me?”

She couldn’t stand let alone get in front of Luc
because her knees were wobbling too much. She finally managed to walk over to
the desk.

Luc continually ran his hands up and down his legs
as the doctor began un-wrapping the bandages from around his head. With that
gone all that was left were the two pads taped to his eyes.

Bile rose in her throat.
Please let him see something, and let him like what he sees
.

“Okay, if you could close your eyes while I remove
these and then slowly open them.”

Katey
put
her hands behind her back so she could cross her fingers without the doctor seeing
her do it. He pulled the pads away from Luc’s eyes. His lids fluttered and then
slowly he opened his eyes.

She
swallowed and suddenly felt sick. He hadn’t said anything. Was he still without
his sight or did he see her and was shocked at what he saw?

“They
lied to me,” said Luc. “Jake, my sister…they all said you were pretty and they
lied.”

Katey
wanted to run. She’d never expected Luc to be quite this blunt and cruel, but
she guessed she couldn’t blame him.

“You’re
not pretty, you’re beautiful.”

She
closed her eyes.

“Tell
me what you can see, Luc?” asked the doctor.

“Not
much more than an outline of
Katey
with the left eye,
but the right one, while not clear, I can see her, and I hope you’ll agree with
me that she’s the most beautiful woman in the world.”

“Luc,”
said
Katey
. She couldn’t help it. His sight had
improved and he’d paid her the best compliment a man ever could.

She
fell toward him and they kissed and hugged.

“Luc,
we could try a second operation in say, six months’ time, to try and improve on
the left eye.”

“Sure
we’ll try that, but for now I just want to take
Katey
home and spend the rest of the day looking at her.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

They’d
phoned just about everyone they knew when they’d gone back to Luc’s house.
Josie, Jake, Mitchell, Sadie,
Katey’s
dad. Willow had
run around in circles as soon as they’d opened the front door. Luc was happy to
think at least he’d have enough sight to take Willow for long runs now.

And
Katey
.

He
wanted to carry her in his arms upstairs, but she’d told him now he’d regained
some sight the last thing he needed was to put his back out. He sat staring at
her for an hour and then he couldn’t stand it any longer. He wanted to make
love to her.
To see her naked for the first time.

“I
don’t think this is going to be as sexy as you think,” she said, taking off her
blouse.

“Hey,
this is my day and I want to sit here and see you strip off.”

She
playfully threw her blouse at him before unzipping her pants, its zipper straining
over her belly. She lowered them over her thighs and then her knees.

The
woman was gorgeous.

“Come
here, you.”