'Sorry, Mister Tracy.' The words rattled around his head—they had been genuine, filled with warmth and regret, and it wasn't her fault, he knew. She had tried, but Scott was hurt and angry. Once it had sunk in and he had processed it, she had apologised. He hadn't meant the words, what he had said, he was so sorry. She understood she didn't hold it against him—still, though, he would have to find a real way to show how much he regretted the outburst. It had just been a shock, and it hurt. He didn't know how he would tell Virgil; they had been praying for good news, hoping the damage wouldn't be permanent, but it was.
Scott was officially blind.
She had spoken about options and other things, but he hadn't been listening. 'Blind'—that was all he had heard.
Blind and paralysed, and not even paralysed for a sensible reason—they could find no reason for it. Apparently it wasn't unheard of and they had started talking at him, but Scott didn't care at the time, and he hadn't cared enough since to ask again. He didn't care about anything.
He didn't even want to find Virgil right then, he just wanted to curl up and stop. Just stop everything, stop breathing and thinking and everything. He sighed, running his hands through his hair as the woman pushing him back to his room continued to natter away like a fly bouncing off a window. He was thankful for the pause when there were shouts and a sudden burst of movement shot past, cries of panic and codes he didn't understand. It faded just as quickly as it had begun but the woman didn't start up again—small mercies, he mused. Though he felt sorry for the poor sod they were rushing to.
Scott was pulled from his musings as the nurse pushing him along asked what room his brother was in. Without thinking, he answered with a shrug.
'Two, three room down from me?' As the last two words escaped his mouth, he paused, finally picking up on the worry tinting her words, and it was with no small amount of fear he asked why.
'Because there is an awful lot going on there.' Scott felt his heart twist and chest tighten as he heard John's panicked tones.
'Scott!' Perhaps if Scott's mind wasn't already reeling off a list of possibilities and screaming at him, he would have picked up on the tone, too forced, too hurt. 'There you are! Scott, it's Virg... he...' Words were lost and Scott couldn't breathe. His world crumbled as in that single instant, in those five tiny words, Scott is alone. Wholly alone in this new world.
'Virgil is.. Hes dead Scott.'