Just as a note this is inspired by Skillet's song 'Whispers in the dark'. I highly recommend listening to it as you read.
"Watch it! Your losing him" cried Natara. She and Mal were in a squad car, chasing down a suspect in heavy traffic. Mal was driving, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. The vehicle they were chasing suddenly took a sharp turn, Mal following him. The vehicle grazed a nearby building, spinning it around and blocking the road. Mal tried to stop the car, but it was too late. The car T-boned the car, Mal's head slammed unto the recently deployed airbag. Natara wasn't so lucky. He airbag deployed, bouncing her head back and slamming it into the headrest. She felt something hot trickle down her neck and back, and her vision faded to black.
An hour later. She could feel that her eyes were open, but couldn't see anything. She could feel her eyelids slide over her eyes, but was lost in darkness. 'the lights must be broken' she thought 'surely nothing is wrong with my eyes'. But she knew this wasn't true. Her ears had already compensated for the loss. She could hear voices, quiet and soft. She heard paper moving, fabric rustling. The smell of anti-bacterial spray was all-too fresh, and she knew where she was. Through her injury, she was concerned for Mal. She'd yet to hear his voice, and the thought that she could be facing blindness alone scared her. 'You don't know your blind' she told herself, but knew this was a hopeless wish. Then she heard it, an angry whisper. Like an echo. Calling her name, telling someone to move out of the way. Hearing him breathing softly as he kneeled beside her, a vision she could only think of in her mind. She thought she was sitting in a chair, his beside her. Him taking her hand. She heard someone walk over, a man Natara guessed from the heavy footsteps. She heard the man speak, the words 'optic nerve damage' standing out. "Will she ever see again?" asked Mal, his voice semi-hopeful.
"We don't know" was the answer. He told him there wasn't anything they could do at this point, she had it in both eyes. Natara could feel hot tears roll down her cheeks, being born in her useless eyes. She could picture herself sitting and crying, her blind eyes glassy. Mal lead her through the hospital, holding her wrist. She knew when they were outside from the wind. He was leading her like a dog, and she had no choice to obey. Every step brought uncertainty. She hated it, she felt vulnerable, she couldn't see anything that was coming. She thought of her job, how with her newly acquired condition she would have no choice but to quit. Even if she got her vision back she doubted it would be perfect, and your vision had to be if you were with the FBI. Mal drove her home, she couldn't see with what car. She felt like a stupid little child as he helped her into the seat, and it was entirely in spite that she buckled herself even though she pinched her fingers several times. She knew they had stopped when the engine went silent, and Natara could her Mal pull the keys out and stuff them in his pocket. Natara quickly opened her door after grasping blindly for a handle for a moment. Edgar to show that this condition would not weaken her, she sprung out herself, temperarily unsteady on the ground as she stood. She began to blindly walk, something she knew wasn't smart because of other cars. She could hear them though, and knew they weren't close. "Natara get back here" commanded Mal, grabbing her shoulder to once again lead her. She jerked her shoulder out of his grip, she was not a helpless child. She walked what she thought was slightly ahead if him, and she knew he let her to maintain her pride. She knew he still kept an eye on her, that better her pride be damaged that another car-related injury. She knew this parking-lot well enough, and even though she didn't know where Mal parked she had an idea. She was surprised at how, how sounds came alive in her visions absence. She knew they were close to the building because of the hum of the air conditioning system. She knew the doors were near because she could hear the faint engine working when someone walked through their sliding glass. Her only fear was parked cars, and this made her keep her arms out in front of her. She thought how she must look odd, walking zombie-like through the parking lot of her long-term hotel. She slowed and let Mal almost guide her as they entered, allowing him to walk close enough that they were touching, so she forever was attached to him. She knew they entered the elevator so she wouldn't have to be either drug up the steps or crawl, and knew they entered by the sound of the engine. In a way, being blind brought on a whole new world. New sounds that before were to quiet to hear before, or simply sounds that she'd ignored over her other senses. She heard the chime meaning the doors were open, and took a few confident steps out. She froze, she'd never payed much attention which way her room was before. She'd always unconsciously walk out every morning, never thinking one day she'd have to recall this bit of basic information. Mal came up behind her, putting his hand over her shoulder and gently pushing her in the correct direction. She thought about the amount of trust it must take for her to trust him enough for this. She handed him her key from her pocket as he opened the door, and Natara confidently entered, figuring she should known the place well enough to not run into anything. How wrong she was. She hadn't even made it fully inside before she'd nearly tripped over the edge of her couch. Mal either didn't see it or didn't call attention to it. He grabbed her hand, a warm gesture not of control or guidance, but of comfort. Lightly tugging, Natara figured it must be night time because he lead her to what she thought was just in front of her bedroom. "Want me to stay?" he asked in a light whisper.
Natara nodded "If you want theirs pillows an blankets in the closet". She walked into her room, heard footsteps and guessed he had left. She got down on her knees, feeling around for blankets and pillows that had surely fallen to the floor. Finding what she assumed to be a blanket and pillow, she flopped down on the bed. 'How stupid is it' she thought 'that even though I can't see anything, I'm probably going to close my eyes to sleep'. She did close her eyes, and Mal reached one hand as he walked passed to the couch to turn out the light, even though she could not see it.
