Pocahontas stood in disbelief. Blind?
"Blind?" She asked. Thomas nodded.
"I'm not sure how. His face isn't burned, but his arm is. And our doctor is a complete idiot who doesn't know a thing about treating a burn."
"Does he know?" She asked. Thomas shook his head.
"He hasn't woken up yet, and I thought maybe you would want to tell him."
Pocahontas nodded, but a million things were running through her mind. John was blind. All of those days they had spent together, all those sunsets, all those hikes through the woods. He would never be able to do those again. Knowing that John would have so much pain for the rest of his life made Pocahontas want to scream. And burns left horrible scars.
"Is there any chance he'll ever see again?" Pocahontas asked, but she knew there was no hope. Thomas shook his head.
"No. I'm sorry."
"How did the house fire start, anyway?"
"We're not sure. It wasn't John's cabin, it was actually a storage shed that just so happened to have gunpowder stored there. When that exploded, we all woke up." Thomas explained.
"But how did John become blind if his face wsan't burned?" Pocahontas asked.
"I can't tell you that. All I know is that John is blind."
Pocahontas looked at the ground. She had never thought this would happen. Then again, she had never expected him to be gone for a year after he had been shot by Ratcliffe either. He had just gotten back, and now...now he was blind.
"He's waking up, Pocahontas." Thomas said. She hadn't noticed him go back inside. "Do you want to come in?" Pocahontas nodded and walked slowly into the hut.
John was laying on the floor on a mat where Kekeata had wrapped his arm in bandages. He was moving, and that was a sign that he was waking up. Thomas and Kekata left the room so she could tell him herself. Pocahontas took John's hand, and she knew he was fully awake again when he squeezed her hand.
"Pocahontas, what's going on?" Was the first thing John said. He knew something wasn't right, but he couldn't put his finger on it right away.
"You in the village, John. There was fire in Jamestown." Pocahontas said quietly, and she could tell by the sound of her own voice that she was about to cry.
"What's wrong?" John asked. He could tell already that something was wrong, and that something had to be horrible if Pocahontas was crying. He opened his eyes, and it was right then that he knew why Pocahontas was so upset.
Pocahontas took in a painful sigh. "John, you're blind."
John was silent. Blind? How could he be blind?
"I'm so sorry, John." Pocahontas whispered. John closed his eyes and sighed deeply, then squeezed her hand again.
"There's nothing you can do about it." John said. "And I'll be fine."
Tears were streaming down Pocahontas' face by then.
"Why are you crying? I'm fine." John assured her.
Pocahontas shook her head. All she could think was What do you say in a moment like this?
Cheesy way to end the chapter, I know. Sorry.
