BLIND MAN'S BLUFF
by
Goosefire
Chapter 1
There were alarms going off all over the place. "BP: 140 over 100 Pulse: 115 Respiration: 80 shallow and rapid." "Patient has third degree burns on his back and on the back of his skull; he lost a lot of hair." "Second degree on face and flashburns to the eyes." The patient they were wheeling into the burn ward was about 13-14 and looked to be in good condition otherwise. There was a young girl nearby and she was bawling her head off. She was about 16 and slender. She identified herself as Jan Brady; when asked about the patient she replied, "It's my brother, Bobby Brady."
Earlier
Jan had started to develop her skill in painting and wanted to visit the museum; Bobby felt like he was going stir crazy and wanted to get out. After Jan agreed it would be nice to have company, Mom and Dad said ok.
It was a pleasant morning and Bobby admitted he was glad he came. They grabbed lunch in the cafeteria then continued to explore the museum. As they turned a corner, Bobby grabbed Jan by the belt and pushed her down. She also slid about 10 feet. Being face down, and 10 feet away probably saved her life.
The Present
The family arrived at the hospital. "Mr. and Mrs. Brady? I'm Dr. Brackett; your son suffered severe third degree burns on his torso and scalp; we are treating that with a special gel. Also second degree burns on his face and flash burns to his eyes." Carol Brady spoke up."What do you mean about his eyes Doctor?" "There is no easy way to say this: Until he wakes up, there is no way to assess the damage. He may be blind for the rest of his life!"
At that, everybody lost it even Cindy. The youngest, she had brought a doll to hold even though she was a teen now. Bobby was her best friend and he had to see. He HAD to. Greg and Peter were the older brothers but this time they couldn't help; being helpless was terrible. Jan, through her tears, told the others that there had been an electrical short and Bobby had pushed her away, taking the brunt on himself; they all realized it could've been Jan.
"Why did Bobby have to be so brave?" questioned Cindy. To her certain knowledge, Bobby saved her, Peter and now Jan.
He awoke in darkness, and pain. He felt the bandages on his eyes and screamed. The door opened and in walked a nurse. "Alright, young man, calm down. My name is Dixie McCall. Do you know who you are?"
Hearing a soothing voice helped him calm down. "My name is Bobby Brady. Can you please tell me where I am and why I'm wearing bandages?" "Sorry Bobby, but that is a job for the doctor." "Is my family here?" he asked. "Yes, they are." she replied. "Shall I send them in?" He replied, "Can you just send in Jan? I need to talk with her."
After double-checking with the doctors and asking Mr and Mrs. Brady, she sent Jan in. Jan was sniffling, blowing her nose and wiping her eyes all the way. On entering, she gasped. This couldn't be her brother! Most of the hair was gone and he had burn marks on his face. Then he smiled at her! Only Bobby had a smile like that, usually when he was planning a joke.
"Bobby?..." Jan tried to speak but her voice broke. "Please, Jan, if you start crying ...I'll hit you with my cane!" Jan laughed at that, since Bobby would not have a cane for some time, teaching him to navigate his new world. How could he do this when he must be suffering? She didn't know.
"What happened?" Jan had to ask. He replied, "Get everybody in here, please. I don't have the energy to tell it more than once." Although he couldn't read her mind, Bobby was sure he knew her thoughts: and she was right: inside, Bobby was falling apart but Jan needed the comfort. Bobby would cry later.
Bobby described how everything seemed in slow motion: he saw a spark which Jan didn't and heard the noise so he pitched Jan forward, (she laughed slightly saying she thought he had tried to cop a feel) then he screamed when the world blew up in his face. He didn't try to be brave; he admitted he was scared as hell, and would need everybody to help him as he learned.
Bobby thought he heard the door open then a voice: "Hello, I'm Dr. Early. After what happened, I don't blame you for screaming, but don't yell at our Chief Nurse again. Okay?" Bobby promised he wouldn't. "Mr. and Mrs. Brady I need to explain your son's injuries and treatment; would you come with me?"
At that, Bobby piped up and asked if they could talk here: he knew his siblings should know. At length, he agreed. "Bobby's eyes were badly damaged by the blast. To repair them would require surgery, but they need time to recover from the shock, and even then, there is no guarantee he will ever see again."
At that, Bobby heard crying; he took a moment to actually listen and then asked, "Is that Cindy?" She jumped up, wanting to hold Bobby, to be there for him, like all the times he'd been there for her. "Bobby, I brought Kitty to keep you company." Bobby smiled at his sister. "Thank you, Cindy. But you are gonna need her more." "No I have the other at home: the one you bought for me." So she was giving him her original Kitty doll; he was touched. He pulled her close and kissed her forehead.
"Dr. Early," questioned Carol Brady, "you said time to recover: how much time?" "Mrs. Brady, the best I can offer is a minimum of 6 months, maybe a year. In that time, it would be best if Bobby were to learn and prepare."
Jan was still feeling immensely guilty so Boby knew he needed to head it off. "Jan?" "Yes, Bobby.?" "I need a big favor." "How big?" "Well, I know you put that spray in your hair, but could you skip it for awhile? My nose is more sensitive now and that spray really does stink." She assured him it would be shampoo and rinse from now on.
"The next thing is skin." said Dr. Early. "To recover properly, he will need a number of skin grafts." At that, Greg and Peter decided there was something they could do. Greg was an adult but Peter was still a minor; Mike finally gave consent and volunteered also.
"Can we help too?" That came from Marcia. Like her, all the women were sitting feeling helpless. Dr. Early said, it would be alright as long as they had parental consent; they got it. Taking skin grafts was painful but each one guessed Bobby was worse. Bobby asked about his hair, and was told the roots were intact and it was simply a question of time before it grew back.
Chapter 2
After 3 months of resting to heal from the shock, Bobby began therapy. For meals, he had to learn where the silverware was as well as food on his plate and drinks like milk in relation to the plate. He also began to walk around the hospital with a guide functioning by scent and sound now that he was in darkness, maybe forever.
Bobby learned where the nurse call button was, and when she arrived, asked to speak to Dr. Early. "Doctor", he began, "is there any way I can go home? I can practice this at home, can't I?" "Bobby, the point of this is to function in a strange environment." "I understand," he replied, "but I really need my family. Is there any way to do that?" He replied he would ask, but it would take awhile. In the meantime, Bobby called home to see who was free. Greg was there and when Bobby mentioned needing company, said he'd be right there.
During the visit, while Greg talked about college, Nurse McCall came in and had Bobby's discharge papers but needed a parent or guardian to sign them. "Greg, call home, will ya? And if Mom and Dad aren't there, then maybe we can reach dad at the office, okay?" His oldest brother was already dialing.
They had to call at the office where their dad worked. Upon receiving the call, he went to his boss; Mr. Phillips knew about Bobby and told Mike to take the rest of the day. Mike hurried over to the hospital, trying not to break any speed laws and immediately sent Greg home saying he and Bobby would follow as soon as possible.
Bobby carried a 'solid' cane as he would need to get better before having a 'fold-up job' as he called them. He also had the window down, grateful for the fresh air. Mike told him that by the time they were home, Carol should be home. Since Greg was almost as bad as Cindy at keeping secrets, mom and Alice would be going crazy waiting.
Arriving home he heard, "Bobby." That was from his mom, Carol. Bobby carefully walked around the family room, probing with his cane so he could learn where everything was, then walked into the kitchen smelling something familiar: "Alice, is that fried chicken I smell?" Alice replied it was, knowing it was one of his favorites. "Thanks. I appreciate it. How soon until everybody gets home?" He was told maybe 30 minutes.
When everybody finally got home and saw Bobby there was a lot of questions and talking over each other. Bobby took a page from Alice and gave a sharp whistle.
After everybody settled down, Bobby addressed the entire family. "Please, listen. I need a lot of help to deal with this. Pete, I need you to help me memorize where all of my clothes are put; I've never cared much for organization, which is why mom always had to tell me to straighten my bed." Peter instantly agreed. "Jan, I need you to not give up on your painting; you're gifted, don't bury it." Jan looked like a deer caught in headlights, but reluctantly agreed. "Alice, mom, I need your patience with meals. I need to learn the tableware by touch, and I also need to memorize the food. Consider the plate as a clock with me at 6 o'clock. I need to learn to see where all the food is. I will also need regular rides to class so I can start learning Braille."
"Anything else, Bob?" Mike asked. Here Bobby rubbed his hands and seemed nervous. "One very big favor. I would like to ask to touch your faces; they say we can learn a lot about a person. It also means that each of you needs to lower the walls you put up. If I touch you, I will feel your joy, pain, sadness, all those personal things you keep buried. This has to be an individual choice, not a group decision."
Amazingly, Cindy stood up. "You're my best friend and you've always been there for me. I'm ready when you are." "Are you certain, Cindy? It will be intensely personal." Bobby wanted her to be certain she understood. "I'm ready when you are." she repeated. "Okay. Then why don't we dig in to this delicious fried chicken. Afterwards, we can get started."
As requested, Alice looked at Bobby's plate and seeing it as a clock, told him where the different foods were, even to his milk being a few inches from his plate and where. Bobby grew very frustrated, but was determined to learn. He asked the others to talk about school or whatever they had been about. At first it was stilted but things fell into place eventually.
After dinner Bobby took his sister over to the sofa and asked her to remain standing and to please trust him. "I do trust you Bobby." she replied. She placed his hands on her shoulders and he traced upwards on her neck. He then felt her jawline and up her cheeks to her face. Bobby felt some tenseness in her but was unable to decipher it. Then he touched her hair; it was different! He moved his hands around her head before noting "You let your hair down!" Then reminding her of Violet in 'It's A Wonderful Life' he told her she was growing into a real beauty. She stared at him a while. Bobby felt her stare but chose to say nothing. He did smile at her, though.
After Cindy came Jan.
"Jan," Bobby began, "when was the last time you painted?" Jan admitted it had been some time. He then asked why. "I... just find it hard to do any painting." "Jan, where do you do your painting?" Bobby pushed Jan to take him where she did her work. "Now set up your canvas." She did but still felt an emptiness where her love of painting had been. "Now," said Bobby, "look at it and describe your picture. Be specific with the colors: don't just say blue but tell me the shading." At that, Jan started to lose it. "Bobby, you're blind!" "And I may always be blind." he responded. "But I can imagine. Show me the picture through your eyes, Jan." Slowly, she started; as she mixed each shading and performed each stroke, she described it in detail and noticed her brother sitting, imagining her painting..
After finishing, she described it in detail and Bobby said, "Please Jan, don't let your gift hide from you again."
After it all they started for the door when Bobby heard sniffling. "Jan? Is that you?" She walked over and held her brother, grateful for the release of her heart even as tears started falling.
"I won't presume to know Jan; but just in case, remember this: I made a choice. Not you, me. Now let's get back inside."
The rest of the family saw her tears and smiled for her when Jan described how Bobby had re-awakened her joy of art.
Bobby was tired and said he needed to get away. Using his cane, he felt his way to the landing and went up the steps to the door. When asked where he was going, he simply looked in the general direction of his family and replied, "I think, I'll go for a walk outside now. Summer sun's calling my name." He smiled and then opened the door, and exited.
On the porch, he paused. He knew he might be blind for the rest of his life and would need to learn an entirely new way of life, but he was alive. Alive to feel the sun's heat on his face, to smell delicious food cooking, and hear birds flying; blind or seeing, Bobby Brady was gonna live.
A/N : I did take some characters from EMERGENCY! But this was more a cameo than a crossover. For those who wonder, I don't have much of a following; if I get enough requests I will reveal the sequel: but be warned, Bobby may remain blind.