Rick knocked lightly on the plain door to Jessica's hospital room. He was about to bring her home, and it was also the first time he was seeing her since the fire. He still couldn't believe she was blind. How was she going to help him, or go on adventures?

He couldn't follow that train of thought far before he heard Jessica call for him to come in. He slowly walked in and saw Jessica getting up from the hospital bed. She had a tube in her nose, hooking her up to an oxygen tank, and her eyes, formerly big, brown, and almost sickeningly sweet, were cloudy and unfocused. Rick swallowed hard. "Uh, hey, kiddo. How you doing?"

Jessica gave a small smile, as optimistic as always. "I'm feeling better. And I'm ready to get out of here."

Rick forced a short laugh. "Heh, yeah, hospitals suck." He frowned, focusing on her sightless eyes. "Uh, the saucer's outside. Ready to get out of here?"

"You know I am." She picked up a thin white cane from where it was propped up next to her bed and started to walk over, wheeling her oxygen tank behind her.

Rick's eyes focused on the cane. It wasn't all that unusual. It was thin, white, and just long enough for Jessica. But seeing it just made the reality of the situation hit harder. She was really blind. He could never show her some new wonder, or see those big brown eyes light up when she looked out the window of his saucer... Hell, she'd never see the stars again. She loved to look at the stars, and now she'd never see them again. He had seen a lot of messed up stuff, but that white piece of metal made him feel worse than almost anything else he'd ever seen.

He quickly snapped out of it and cleared his throat. "Uh, y-you need any help, kiddo?"

"No thanks, I have to learn to get around on my own. But I'll let you know if I do."

"Alright, suit yourself."

Jessica was a little slower thanks to the oxygen tank and trying to get used to moving without being able to see, but before long, and with a little help from Rick, they got to the saucer.

"Ok, now I need help," Jessica told him. "I don't think I can get this tank in the saucer on my own."

"No prob, Jess." Even though the tank was heavy, it wasn't too hard for Rick to get it into the saucer. "Alright, let's get out of here."

Rick kept glancing at Jessica as he drove them home. "So, uh, how are you dealing with... Y'know, the whole... thing?"

"You mean being blind? You can say it. It's hard, but I'll adapt. After all, I have a genius grandpa to help me."

He nearly rolled his eyes at her optimism, but decided that, as long as it helped her, he could deal with her naive cheeriness. It was better than her getting depressed.