Chapter 2

AN: Thanks everyone for the great feedback! The next two chapters may be unnaturally short as they focus on recovery – chapter 4 and on will be back to average length. I will update these chapters within a week of each other then go back to 1 chapter a week J Thanks for reading!

3 months Post-Particle Accelerator Explosion

Caitlyn was doing that thing again. That thing where she uses words with 10-syllabuls to describe something very simple.

"The foreign fragments that were lodged in your cornea have damaged your sight to near complete loss of visual acuity."

She does this pretty often. Usually when she's excited or upset. Her entire bedside manner goes out the door and instead you are subjected to a dictionary you can barely understand.

"English Caitlyn."

"What our dear Dr. Snow means to say," a kind voice from the door way began, "is that you are blind." Dr. Wells. My Caitlyn interpreter.

I laughed somberly. "Yes, I see that. Literally."

"No, I mean, your vision loss. It's permanent." She said softly.

I nodded. I knew this. I had given up all hope of seeing again no matter how many XRAYS and CT scans STAR Labs threw at me and hope they wanted me to have.

My entire world was gone. No light. No colors. Why even imagine anymore when that's only that it was. Imagination. Impossibility because my entire way of life was destroyed. My craft. My connection to my parents. It was all gone. I had nothing left. Bitter tears fell off my face and I tried to wipe them quickly.

After the particle accelerator blew up, Dr. Wells was at the same hospital as Emilie had been taken too. He had taken her and another patient to his labs for a more comprehensive care team. She believed it was a pre-emptive PR move. So many people died in the explosion that Dr. Wells needed to show that he was committed to doing good for the community and not just a mass murderer and mad scientist. Who better to help than two orphans, one of whom lost her livelihood and the other who was still in acoma.

"So what's the plans then doc?" I asked Caitlyn. So far my rehabilitation was limited to learning healing on a creaky hospital bed. Not only did the accident blind me, the car that ran into my studio, also hit me. I had been bed bound as my leg and ribs healed. 16 fractures Caitlyn had told me. 3 ribs, my femur, so many in my foot that had weird names I couldn't even begin to remember.

"We begin physical therapy and vision rehabilitation therapy. We get your leg strength back and will teach you how to use a cane and read braille. Dr. Wells has refurbished one of the spare lab rooms into a suite for you for however long you would like to stay with us."

I nodded trying not to let my mind wander. "Thank you Dr. Wells" I mumbled.

"No Emilie, I never want you to feel as if you need to thank me. I put you into this situation, it's the least I could do." His voice was louder, he must have moved closer to me while Caitlyn was talking. He was very kind and diplomatic but I couldn't feel lost when I heard his voice. This is the man who changed my life and not for the better.

I shut my eyes.

"I'm glad to have a place to stay. I will try not to outstay my welcome. If you don't mind, I think I am going to lay down now."

"Of course." Dr. Snow shuffled her paperwork and I heard her move to the doorway.

"Just let us know if there is anything you need. Anything at all." Dr. Wells finished.

"I will." I said. But I knew I wouldn't. A part of me, a not so little part, just wanted to lay in bed and not get up. I felt so alone. No family. No work. No imagination or life. No art.

I lay down and a sob escaped me and I clutched my stomach. I rolled onto my side and clenched my eyes shut. At least by closing my eyes I could, even for a small time, pretend the light was just on the other side of my eyelids, waiting for me to see it.