Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews so far guys, they are what made me post this next part this morning even though I only had two minutes. Absolutely love getting feedback. (hint hint) hehe. Hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you seemed to enjoy the last. :-)

By the time Connor had finally dragged himself from the floor of his lab and up to the medical bay, Abby was resting comfortably. He walked into the room slowly, afraid of what he might find but she looked like she was sleeping, the only clue to her being injured were the minor burns to her face and her charred eyebrows, he would surely pay for that.

Danny was sitting by her bedside on the opposite side of the room and when he saw Connor, he glared at him.

"Where've you been?" He asked.

"I was . . . Erm . . . I couldn't. . . "

Danny's face softened and he looked back to Abby.

"How is she?" Connor asked, moving to her other side.

"She's stable, heart rate's normal, just a few minor burns. We have to wait for her to come round to tell if there's any other damage."

Connor swallowed.

"W . . w . . what kind of other damage?"

"You tell me. You said the cannon hasn't been tested on humans, we don't know what to expect, could have caused . . . " He paused. "Brain damage."

Both men fell silent and Connor fell back into the chair behind him. If Abby ended up with brain damage because of him, he would never forgive himself, it would crush him. It would be the beginning of the end for Connor Temple.

After a few more minutes of silence, Danny stood.

"Well, if you're here then I'll get off. Got to report to Lester and tell him . . . Got to report to Lester."

And with that he was gone.

Connor reached out for Abby's hand, holding it in his own and stroking his thumb over the back.

"Come on Abby, wake up please. You've got to be ok, you've just got to."

Tears streamed down his cheeks and he lay his head on her arm, kissing the exposed skin.

"Connor?"

It was Abby's voice, it was croaky and quiet, but there was no mistaking it. He jumped up, stroking her face gently. Now that her eyes were open, he could see that the usually white part of her eyes was pink and bloodshot and he winced, it looked sore.

"Hey."

"Where are we?" She asked. "Thirsty."

Connor searched around and found a jug of water, he half filled a cup and brought it to her lips. Abby drank eagerly and he pulled it away to prevent her from choking.

"Slowly." He said. "You're in the medical bay at the ARC."

She frowned, looking confused and Connor called the nurse to tell her she was awake.

"I don't understand." Abby said.

The nurse, a young woman called Jane, came over and began performing various tests on her.

"There was an accident." Connor explained.

Abby reached out to Connor, her hand coming into contact with his chest and he blushed. Her hand then travelled down his body, across to his arm and grabbed his hand, squeezing it hard and she looked suddenly terrified.

"Why is it so dark?" She whispered.

Connor swallowed hard.

"D . . dark?"

He shared a worried look with the nurse, who picked up her pen light and began shining it into Abby's eyes.

"Nothing." The nurse said. "I'll go and call Doctor Grayson."

Connor could feel his world crumbling around him, God what had he done?

"Connor, what's going on? Why can't I see?" Asked a still frightened Abby.

"I don't know."

When the doctor arrived, he took one look at Abby's eyes and had her transferred to the local hospital. She needed specialist care, and the ARC was not equipped to deal with such things. The whole team had gone with her, sitting together silently in the waiting room while she had more thorough tests.

Eventually, she returned to her new hospital room and they were allowed to see her.

"I'm afraid that whatever you were exposed to Miss Maitland has burned your retina's. They are quite badly damaged and may or may not recover." The doctor informed them.

Everyone gasped and Abby let out a little sob, swallowing it back down quickly.

"What are the chances that my sight will return?" She asked, sounding much more confident than she felt.

"In such cases as this, where the damage is extensive . . . You may regain some limited vision but without knowing what caused the injury . . . "

Danny, Sarah and Becker exchanged glances, Connor looked at his feet; he felt sick to his stomach.

"So you're saying that I'm going to be blind for the rest of my life?" She asked, her voice wavering slightly.

"We don't like to make such predictions, the human body is . . . "

"Just tell me the truth. In your professional opinion, will I be able to see again?"

"I've had similar cases, where the retina was damaged beyond repair. I've yet to have a patient whose sight returned. . . I'm sorry."

She nodded, feeling numb and the doctor left.

"Abby . . . " Sarah began.

"Guys, could ya just give me a minute?" Abby asked, fighting the tears.

"Sure." Danny replied. "We'll come back later yeah?"

Abby nodded again, chewing on her bottom lip. She listened, waiting until their footfalls had faded into the distance and then let it out, sobbing uncontrollably into her pillow.

************

Connor was hiding in the dark. He had gone straight home from the hospital, unable to face anyone. Their knowing sympathetic looks, the way Sarah kept placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, he couldn't deal with it. He had taken a precious gift from the woman he loved; the gift of sight, how could she ever forgive him for that?

He tried to imagine what it would be like in Abby's world, the darkness helped. No colour, no shapes, no smiles. He scrubbed his hands over his face and realised that he was crying, he didn't have the right! He was suddenly angry with himself, how could he sit here like this feeling sorry for himself when Abby was the one who was injured?

A few hours later, Abby woke from a dreamless sleep and as her eyes opened to reveal inky blackness, the memories of her condition assaulted her.

"Hi Abby." Came Sarah's voice from beside her.

She turned in Sarah's direction.

"Hi." She replied sullenly. "Where's Connor?"

"I don't know, off sulking I expect."

"Sulking? Why?"

Abby temporarily forgot her own situation.

"He blames himself for . . . You know."

"For what?"

Connor appeared at the doorway and Sarah stood.

"It's all my fault Abby." He said.

Her head followed the direction of his voice.

"I'm gonna leave you guys to it." Sarah said, making a swift exit.

"What's your fault Connor? I don't understand."

He moved closer, she could smell his familiar scent, it comforted her.

"That you're . . . that . . . "

"That I'm blind Connor?"

He winced and nodded, then realising that he needed to speak he whispered;

"Yeah."

"It's not your fault." She replied tersely. "How could it be your fault?"

"I . . . with the laser . . . I shot you."

"No, you didn't. I walked in on a test and got myself shot."

"You remember?"

She shook her head.

"Danny filled me in. Connor, please."

Her voice was softer now and she reached out for him. He went to her, taking both hands in his as he sat by her bedside and she visibly relaxed.

"I need you." She whispered.

It was difficult for Abby to admit that she needed anyone but she suspected that she had needed Connor Temple even before her accident.

"I know, I'm sorry I ran off and I'm sorry for . . . "

"It's ok." She cut in. "It's ok."

He moved forward and put his arms around her shoulders, pulling her into a hug. She went willingly, wrapping her arms around him and feeling his warmth. She felt safe here, like nothing and no one could hurt her and she didn't ever want to lose that feeling. He pulled away though and she sighed disappointedly as he settled back into the chair.

"Doctor says I can go home tomorrow." She said.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, but I'm going to need your help Conn, you're going to have to be there for a while until I get my bearings."

"That's fine, that's fine." He replied.

He didn't have to give it a second thought, he would always be there for Abby.

"Things could get rough."

"I don't mind."

"Even if I'm a total bitch?"

"Well, I'm used to that." He joked.

She lashed out, missing him by inches, but she smiled.

"Someone was missing you."

He stood up and saw Abby's frown as he walked to the door. He closed it and, checking to make sure the window was closed, pulled a blanket off the pet carrier he had brought with him and opened the cage door.

Rex sniffed the air for a moment, his tongue darting out in different directions as his head moved from side to side. Then, seeming to pick up on a scent he liked, he crawled out and took flight, circling the room before landing on Abby and chirping loudly.

"Rex! How did you get here?" She asked.

"I brought him to see you." Connor whispered. "He can't stay long though cos I'll get into all kinds of trouble."

"Yes you will!" She admonished before going back to petting Rex.

Connor loved the way seeing Rex made Abby's face light up, ok, so she couldn't actually see him, but she could hear him and she could feel him and it seemed to have cheered her up quite considerably.

After a few more minutes, he caught the little lizard and placed him carefully back in his cage.

"I have to go now, visiting time is almost over." He informed her.

Seeing the look of fear on her face, he felt torn inside. He desperately wanted to stay with her all night, but he knew they wouldn't allow it.

"Here." He said, handing her something from a plastic bag he had brought with him.

"What is it?" She asked, running her fingertips over the soft furry object.

"It's Saurus."

"Your cuddly dinosaur thingy?"

"Yeah, he kept me company in hospital when I had my tonsils out."

"Connor . . . Wait, didn't you say you had your tonsils out when you were sixteen?" She chuckled.

"That's not important."

She laughed now, and it was good to hear.

"I can take him back if you're going to . . . "

"No, no, I'm sorry, it's a lovely idea Connor, thanks."

She clutched the toy to her chest, mirroring Connor's actions from a few days before and offered him her sweetest smile and he melted instantly.

As he looked at her, he realised that he was going to miss the way their gazes often locked, the way she would stare into his eyes. Now her gaze was slightly off, eyes staring somewhere into the distance as she spoke to him and his heart broke just a little bit more.

Connor kissed her head softly and said his goodbyes, promising to be there tomorrow to take her home. Then he was gone and she was alone. She held on tightly to the little stuffed dinosaur Connor had had since he was a small child, it smelled of him and it was strangely comforting.

As she settled down to try and get some much needed sleep, Abby couldn't believe she was sharing a bed with Saurus.