"Lorenzo! Breakfast in one hour!" Carly warned as she stood outside of his bedroom door. He didn't want her to pity him and she didn't want that either, so she treated him no different than if he had his sight back.
They'd taken a shower together the night before, so all he had to do was get dressed and brush his teeth before going to breakfast with Carly, Sage and Michael.
Lorenzo counted his steps from the bed as he walked to his closet and picked out a garment bag. Carly and Sage had coordinated all of his clothing so that all he had to do was put on the items from the bag for an outfit. He wouldn't learn Braille unless the blindness was permanent, and they wouldn't know that for a few more weeks. It had taken him two weeks to concede that Carly and Sage were right and that he needed Carly's help. During the next three months with help from Carly and Sage, Lorenzo to learn to live life without his sight. He learned how to count out his steps, button his clothing, put on his shoes and even eat without spilling the food all over himself.
As Lorenzo finished buttoning his shirt he recalled the one thing that he had enjoyed learning to do as a person without sight: make love to Carly. With a smile on his face, Lorenzo heard footsteps.
"Michael?" Lorenzo asked. Lorenzo's sense of smell and hearing had increased since the explosion. He could tell, just by smell or how hard or soft the footsteps were, who was near him.
"Mr. Alcazar, Mommy wants to know if you need me to walk with you down the stairs. She is getting Morgan out of his crib and Sage is setting the table," Michael asked timidly. Ever since Lorenzo had moved in, he and Michael had come to an understanding. Michael knew his father didn't like Lorenzo, but knew his mother was falling for him quickly, so he decided to stay neutral, but lately it had seemed to Carly that he was starting to be more accepting of Lorenzo and his place in their lives.
"I would love to have you help me down the stairs, Michael. You are such a huge help to me, even more than Sage or your mother, but that will be our secret," Lorenzo told Michael with a smile and Michael smiled back although he knew Lorenzo couldn't see it.
As they made their way to the bottom of the stairs Lorenzo smelled muffins and fresh fruit. "Michael, that food smells delicious your mother didn't cook did she?"
"I heard that!" Carly yelled playfully from the breakfast nook.
"No, Mr. Alcazar, my grandmother brought breakfast this morning when she came to see me and Morgan."
Lorenzo smiled as he reached the table and began to eat the fruit that Sage had placed on his plate. "Sage, have you studied for your history test?" Lorenzo asked.
"Yes, Uncle Lorenzo. Carly helped me prepare for my essay this morning," Sage told her Uncle as she patted him on the hand to let him know which side she was sitting on.
"I studied for my test today, too, Mr. Alcazar," Michael cut in, obviously very proud of himself.
"Michael--" Carly started to scold her son for interrupting before Lorenzo cut her off.
"Did you, Michael? You are such a smart boy," Lorenzo smiled.
"Lorenzo, do you have work to do today? If not, I was thinking that you and I could spend the day outside listening to the birds and feeling the wind in our faces," Carly offered. She knew it was too cold in New York for them to be outside, but she couldn't necessarily tell him that she'd like to spend the day wrapped in his arms in front of her sons and his niece.
"Well, I need to make some phone calls this morning, but after that we can sit outside until the children get home from school and then I was thinking we could rent a movie and watch it together," Lorenzo offered as he stood up to take his plate and spork to the kitchen sink.
As he was walking into the kitchen with his hand on the railing that Carly had installed to guide him safely to the sink, he over heard Michael's innocent question to Sage. "Sage, how can your uncle watch the movie if his eyes don't work," Michael asked innocently.
"Michael Corinthos!" Carly scolded him.
"Carly, it's quite alright," Lorenzo started before turning to Michael, "Michael, do you know how you listen to music? You can hear it, but you can't see it? That's how I'll watch the movie with you and I will imagine the pictures, kind of like music on the radio." Lorenzo said as he patted Michael on the head. "Now, I think it's time for Sage and Michael to go to the car and wait for Carly and I and we'll drive you to school," Lorenzo told them.
As the teenager and her elementary school-age almost step-cousin made their way to the Mercedes, Carly wrapped her arm around Lorenzo's neck and guided his lips to hers by putting her hand under his chin and kissing him lightly and then again with more passion.
"Yummy," Lorenzo joked.
"Yeah, you're pretty good at that!" Carly laughed.
"I'm not the only one," Lorenzo replied as he kissed her again.
"I love you," Carly said softly, not realizing that she had said it until she noticed the sparkle in Lorenzo's eyes.
"Marry me," Lorenzo replied.
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Epilogue
1 year later
"Carly, she's so beautiful!" Lorenzo replied as he stared down at his little girl, who was wrapped in her mother's arms.
"Milagra Alcazar," Carly replied as she kissed her daughter on her forehead and then nestled into his arms holding onto their newborn daughter.
"Our miracle," Lorenzo respond and kissed the top of her head.
Indeed, the Alcazar family had been through a rough year but with Milagra's birth and the experimental surgery that restored Lorenzo's sight, things were looking up.
"Mom? Can me, Morgan and Sage come in now?" Michael asked as he slightly opened the door to his mother's hospital room.
"Yes, Michael come in and meet your sister," Lorenzo replied to his step-son as Michael and Sage walked in.
Sage, who was holding an almost two year-old Morgan, smiled as she saw her cousin for the first time. "Aunt Carly, I guess our family is complete now."
Carly looked up and grasped Sage's hand and replied, "I think so, Sage." With that Sage gave Carly a hug.
"I love you, Aunt Carly."
"I love you too, Sage."