You know you've been writing too much when you try to type the word "Before" and end up with "Becker"!

Some of you guys caused me to shed a tear for our fallen hero. (E.g. Ooh Becker's blind. This is getting really good.)

How dare this be bringing you joy you horrible, sadistic, people!

Aah who am I to preach? I'm the one writing it!

Enjoy!

- also, those of you who have this on alerts: Review or I will name and shame.

Yes, I'm just that nasty. :D

Becker sat on a bed in the medical wing of the ARC, head between his hands. He couldn't believe what was happening to him. Cortical Blindness. Jess had gasped in horror less than thirty seconds after Matt had delivered the blow. She had hit Google as fast as possible, the words streaming from her mouth into his ear as her automatic information relay kicked in.

His eyes had the normal reflexes to light and dark, he could move them from side to side. All his muscles were in prefect working order.

It was his brain.

The thought was horrifying. His fall caused his brain to stop working properly. Information was being sent but it wasn't completing the journey. It wasn't something he could hope would heal in a month or so. It wasn't a normal physical injury.

He was blind.

-/-

Jess watched his face crumble in defeat from the other side of the door. She couldn't bear to open it. To walk inside and survey the damage she had caused.

There, in front of her, was the guy she was one hundred percent totally and utterly infatuated with and she'd caused him to lose his sight. The girl was sure that he was more preoccupied with that than anything else at the moment. but she knew the results of what she had done. Soon he would have no job. A blind man cannot be a security man. He can't detect threats, he can't drive, shoot, use a computer, write or even read. She started rocking backwards and forwards as the enormity of what she had caused hit her.

Gods.

He couldn't chose what to wear in the morning, he couldn't wash safely, he couldn't cook and even if he could how would he be able to eat without help?

Sure, some of them she was positive he would be able to do given time. But his life was totally changed.

"Jess?" She spun around to find Abby watching her in the hallway. "You need to go in."

"I-" She took a deep shuddering breath, wrapping her arms around herself. "I can't. It's all my fault, Abby."

"It was an accident, Jess. It wasn't your fault."

"But he trusted me and I made him-"

"-You didn't take a sledgehammer to his head. It was an accident and that's why you have to go in there. You owe it to him, to you. If you don't face him now you're not going to."

Jess realised in horror that Abby was right. She'd been planning on avoiding Becker without even realising it. In her head was already a neat list of problems in the ARC that needed to be attended to, ready to be provided whenever she wanted to escape from him.

"Go in there, Jess."

-/-

"Becker?"

His head shot up. "Jess? Is that you?"

"Y-yes."

His eyes darted around the area, searching but not seeing. "Where are you?"

Her heels clipped the flooring as she walked over to him, sitting on one of the chairs by his bed. His eyes followed the line of her movement but when she sat his head started to turn, uncertain of her exact location.

"I'm right here." She hesitated then took a hold of his hand.

They sat together in silence for a while, each lost in their own though. Becker still in shock from the sudden loss of a sense, Jess in melancholy thought of self blame. Soon, she started to cry.

-/-

It took Becker a while to realise why he was shaking, he thought it may have been his delayed response to the danger and it's effect. Then maybe he was having a side affect from one of the many drugs he had taken. Finally, he realised that it was originating in the hand Jess held. Her silent sobs wracking her body.

"Jess? Are you crying?"

She shook her head, tilting her face to hide her damp cheeks.

Becker grew worried when he got no reply.

"Jess? Jess, please."

He turned from his position on the bed, legs falling over the edge so he was sat facing her. He reached out his free hand to trace up the hand which still tightly held his other. Reaching her shoulder he trailed his fingers up her neck and across her chin. The side of his hands grew wet with her tears.

"Jess." Becker brushed his thumb up and over her cheek, trying to remove the salty liquid.

"I'm so sorry."

She flung her arms around him forcing him backwards onto the bed, his head smacking the metal on the other side.

"Oh god Becker! I'm sorry!" She helped him upright again, her fingers searching for any more damage she may have caused.

Yet, despite that, there was a small part of her relishing the excuse to run her hand through his hair. He stiffened beneath her touch.

"I think you ought to leave."

Someone remind me not to eat sugar before I write autor's notes.

I'm a tiiiny ickle bit hyper at the moment!

Let me know what you think!

(Remember my threat from before!)