Auggie opened his eyes. He tried to move but upon the slightest movement his head hurt like hell and it was dark. He had no idea where he was and how long he had been there. His fingers slowly slid across the blanket and then he felt an IV in his left arm. Presumably he was in a hospital. But why? And then he remembered the explosion. "Hello, Hello…!" He called and a minute later a door opened and he heard footsteps coming closer. "Captain Anderson?" a female voice said "Welcome back Captain Anderson!"

Auggie was confused. Where did the voice come from and why was it still dark?. Auggie tugged on the gauze patches that covered his eyes. He could not see and that scared him. He had to get rid of those patches as soon as possible. "Who are you and where am I?" Auggie asked, his voice still a bit hoarse from the breathing hose he had been depending on for the last 3 days and which had been removed in the morning. "You are in the military hospital Captain Anderson" the young voice said "And my name is Nurse Sarah." Auggie tried to turn his head into the direction of the voice but another wave of pain washed over him. "Why do I have to wear these eye patches? I cannot see and that makes me feel uncomfortable." Auggie asked. The young nurse did not respond. Instead she made her way to the door and said "I ´ll be back with Doctor Hanson in a minute" and then Auggie heard her leave the room and close the door behind her. Now Auggie was worried. He remembered the explosion. But what had happened to him, that he had to wear eye patches? There was nothing more scary than being in the dark all the time. He wanted to see where he was and who he was talking to.

About five minutes later, the nurse returned with the doctor. "Hello Captain Anderson, my name is Dr. Hanson. How do you feel?" Auggie listened to the new voice in the room and said. "My head hurts like hell but other than that I am fine. I just would like to know why I have to wear these eye patches. "The doctor made a few steps towards Auggie´s bed and sat down on the edge of the bed. He looked at Auggie and said "Mr. Anderson the accident and the explosion have caused a cranial swelling and there were tiny pieces of metal in your eyes but we have removed them successfully. "When will I see again?" Auggie interrupted the doctor. The doctor hesitated a bit and then he continued "Mr. Anderson the cranial swelling has also destroyed your optic nerve. I am very sorry to tell you that you are blind from now on".

Auggie could not believe what he had just heard. BLIND? No, that could not be. He was not blind. Things like that happened to other people but not to him. "You must be kidding" Auggie said and tried not to scream or shout at the doctor. He could hardly contain himself. "Yes blind" the doctor repeated. "I am awfully sorry, we did our utmost to help you, but there is nothing more we can do. In a few weeks you will be released and I will arrange for a place in a rehab centre for you. There, you will learn how to get around as a blind person. Sooner or later, you will regain your independence….or at least a part of it." Now Auggie got furious "I do not have to regain anything! I AM INDEPENDENT and I AM NOT BLIND!" He shouted at the doctor and with his right hand the tugged at the patches and ripped them off in a violent move. Now that the patches were off, he realized that he really could not see. He panicked and screamed NOOOO…..! The nurse and the doctor exchanged glances and then the nurse disappeared. Shortly after, she returned with a syringe and injected the content into the IV. That will help you to calm down the doctor said and stood. Five minutes later Auggie got tired and finally drifted off to sleep.

Auggie had no idea how long he had slept. He woke up and again he was greeted by nothing but darkness when he opened his eyes. He was so scared. How should he live his life, when this life was nothing but a dark tunnel with no way out to escape? Fifteen minutes later, another nurse appeared with a tray in her hand. She set the tray on the nightstand and informed Auggie "Tea at 2 ´o clock, salad at 6 and toast at 12. "Pardon me?" Auggie was confused and then the nurse replied "Referring to the clock, it will be easier to find the food on your tray." "Okay" Auggie said and then he slowly felt for the plate, the napkin and the cutlery on the tray. "Do you want me to help you?" The nurse asked.

"No" Auggie said. He could not see, but after all, he was not a kid that could not eat alone. The nurse left the room and Auggie started to eat. It was frustrating not to be able to see what was on the plate. He almost spilled the tea, when he hit the plate with the bottom of the cup in an attempt to put the cup back onto the tray. The cheese toast was good and even the salad was delicious. He was really hungry. However, a couple of times the salad fell of his fork before it had reached his mouth. Eating blind was not easy and it was only the beginning of everything he had to learn and to re-learn.

3 weeks later

"Welcome Mr. Anderson" a voice said. Auggie had left the military hospital and the ambulance had brought him to a rehabilitation centre for the blind. He had started to get used to the darkness that surrounded him but he was still reluctant to follow the doctor´s advice and to attend rehabilitation class in daily living skills, Braille and orientation and mobility. He was still scared and he was not convinced that he was in the right place. The voice Auggie had just heard belonged to Emily one of the instructors of the centre.

"Do you want to take my arm, so that I can show you to your room?" Emily offered and Auggie grabbed her arm above the elbow and followed her. After a few steps he asked "Could you please slow down a little? I am still somewhat exhausted after spending so much time in a hospital bed." "Sure." Emily walked with slower paces so that Auggie could follow her more easily. It was so strange for him to feel tired and exhausted. After all he was a soldier and he was used to spending a lot of time at the gym or on the football field. After two minutes Emily opened the door to a room. She put Auggie´s hand on the back of a chair so that he could sit down and took a seat on the other chair in the room. "How do you feel?" she asked "I don´t know" Auggie was still unsure if he was in the right place. And then he added "What if the doctors are wrong and I will see again soon? I would be wasting my time here for nothing." Emily looked at Auggie and said "I am sorry to tell you that, but that the doctor sent you here, is a clear indication that your visual disability is permanent. We do not accept patients with a temporary condition here". Auggie swallowed and turned his head towards the window to hide his emotions. He could feel the warm sunlight on his face. He could feel the sun but he could not see it. "I would like to show you the room now." Emily said and Auggie turned again towards her voice. "Ok, I am ready." he answered. Again he took Emily´s arm and she showed him around. Then he counted: Three steps from the chair to the bed, five steps from the bed to the closet, six steps from the bed to the bathroom and ten steps from the bed to the door. Auggie tried to memorize all that and felt pure despair. What if he could not learn all these things they wanted to teach him here? To be blind meant to memorize things as exactly as possible, it meant to count steps all the time, it meant to be neatly organized and it meant to be able to accept help. And exactly here was his problem. Captain August Anderson was not used to asking for help. He was a leader, he was the one in charge to tell others what to do. And now he was blind and helpless. At least this was how he had felt for the last three weeks.

The next day

Auggie had finished breakfast. His first night at the rehabilitation facility had been pretty sleepless. So much was going on in his head and even in his dreams he dealt with everything that was expecting him. In his dreams he heard thousands of voices around him but the faces remained invisible. He dreamt of running through long dark corridors in an endless attempt to find a way out. A pure nightmare.

Seconds later, he heard a knock on the door and then Emily stood next to him. "Good morning Mr. Anderson. How was your night?" Auggie got up from the bed and made his way to the chair by the window. "I could not sleep" he confessed. "Happens to everyone." Emily answered. "The first week is the toughest. But once you have gotten used to the daily routine here, you will fit in." Auggie looked incredulous and asked "Do you think that I am in the right place here?" "Yes, I think so" Emily answered and she added" I got something for you."What could that be? Auggie thought and then he heard Emily putting something on the table. He slowly felt for the table and let his hand slide across the surface. The first thing he felt was a watch. What was he going to do with a watch? He could not read the time. And then he touched something that felt like a bundle of short metal tubes. One of the tubes seemed to have a rubber surface and there was also a short string. First Auggie was a bit confused but then it dawned on him. This was a cane, a folding cane for the blind. He did not want a cane. He wanted his eyesight back. Emily had seen Auggie´s shocked expression and explained "These two things will help you to get around" "What is this watch for?" Auggie asked "I cannot read the time" "It is a special watch" Emily said "Just press the little button on the right and a voice will tell you what time it is. And as you have probably guessed, the other thing is a cane. Tomorrow you will have the first mobility lesson and you will see how helpful this little tool can be."