New Surprises and Breakthroughs

Clover’s POV

“Okay, Clover girl… I’m pulling off the eye patches. Now please let me know what you can see.”

I take a deep breath, slow and steady, while Dr. Eric Scott carefully peels away the gauze. This is the seventh trial of this new experimental laser eye procedure , the seventh time I’ve put my trust in the hands of Dr. Scott in blind trust no pun intended. Honestly, I’d agree to just about anything at this point. I want my vision back more than I want air, especially after the news I got two days ago.

My name is Clover Moore, and I’m twenty-five years old. I didn’t lose my vision because of genetics or an illness.

I was involved in a horrible auto accident.

Five years ago... a life altering... world shattering accident I never saw coming.

Flashback

“Zade, how do you think I look tonight? Do you think your mom will accept me?”

He reaches over and grabs my hand, brushing a kiss across my knuckles as the car climbs the slick, winding road. Rain hits the windshield in sheets as the city lights of Los Angeles blurred below us as we’re headed to La Menu Perfecto, the high end restaurant tucked into the hidden hills of LA and also this will be my first time meeting his parents, Tariq and Janine Smith.

My stomach is a mess of nerves, because Zade's world of wealth is nothing like my world of endless bills and living paycheck to paycheck.

“Babe,” he says, giving me that confident smile, “you look to die for. My mom is going to love you.”

I smile back, trying to believe it.

I didn’t come from money. I didn’t come from anything, really. I was an orphan, found on the side of the road as a toddler. The police brought me into the foster system, and I ended up in a group home run by a sweet woman named Lola Gerald, a woman that we all called Grandma, to tell you the truth she looks nothing like a grandma in fact very far from one. She ran a tight but loving house, and she owned a small restaurant where we kids would help out. For a foster home, it was heaven for me especially after hearing many horror stories from other kids who passed through Grandma's house, thats why I was forever grateful I never truely left.

I glance over to Zade. “Do you think your brother will be there? I really would like to meet him, too.”

He sighs. “Maybe. Maybe not. He’s kind of like a hobbit internet terrorist, always holed up playing video games online in his room.”

I laugh softly. “I used to play video games too when I had free time, but as of lately, with classes and work, I have zero free time.”

He smirks. “Yeah, I know. You barely have time for me.”

“Aww, poor baby,” I tease. “Do you miss me?”

“I always miss you, love.”

Before I knew it, lights swerve into our direction. Bright lights, then a loud horn.

A truck trailer was swerving straight into our lane.

“ZADE!”

He jerks the wheel, the car starts spinning, and skidding toward the cliff. I reach back, grabbing his seatbelt, yanking it tight in my panic making me desperate to protect him.

The impact comes fast. Metal shrieking and glass exploding.

Fucking excruciating pain slicing across my eyes.

Then complete darkness.

The next thing I remember is waking in a hospital room.

“Miss? Young lady?” a voice said gently. “Hi, my name is Alice. I’m your nurse.”

“My eyes… why are they covered, and my boyfriend, is he alive?” My voice trembled.

“You were in an accident. You and your boyfriend. He’s alive, but he hasn’t woken up yet. Your eyes suffered multiple lacerations from shattered glass. We’re keeping them protected.”

My heart cracked. “Where’s Zade? Please tell me if he’s okay.”

“He is breathing on his own. But still unresponsive. We’ll update you as we know more.”

She placed the call button into my hand. “Also… I put the nurse call button in your left hand. Your right arm is broken in two places and has on a cast. Your right leg also has a cast, because it was broken in one place.”

.........

Three days later, a new nurse, named Lily, came in.

“Hey Ms. Clover,” she said softly. “How you holding up?”

“Has Zade woken up yet?”

She swallowed. “Not yet. But we’re moving you to rehab location in the hospital now. The ophthalmologist needs to evaluate your eyes and the scars surrounding them since the surgery.”

Soon I was wheeled into a new room, where Dr. Vincent Craig introduced himself. He then removed the bandages slowly.

“Okay, Clover. Open your eyes.”

I did and I saw....nothing.

Just white haze and blurred shadows.

“Can you follow my hand?” he asked.

I blinked hard. The tears came before I could stop them.

“I can’t… I can’t see anything. It’s all just… white.”

He exhaled. “We suspected this might happen from all the traumatic damage and blood loss. Your eye sight may improve over time, but your eyes endured extensive trauma. We’ll going to continue to monitor you very closely.”

Lily wiped my tears with a tissue and placed tinted recovery glasses over my damaged eyes. “These will help, sweetheart.”

.....

Back to Present Day

Dr. Scott steps back. “Okay, Clover. What do you see?”

I focus. “I can see your silhouette of your body frame in a long coat." As I relax and try to focus more and things are becoming clearer. "The window is over there to the right … sort of blurry but there. Umm... I can see that chair which looks black. The small table in the corner with a machine on it. I can see the door, and I think its gray. Everything is fuzzy, but shapes are a lot more vivid shapes and colors. Theres no longer just a white light.”

He beams. “Excellent. One more trial in six weeks, and we might have your vision back to one hundred percent.”

My heart nearly bursts.

Now I have two surprises for Zade.

One is that my vision might fully come back at as close to 100 percent as it can get, and two, that I just found out this morning that I’m pregnant with our first child.

Dr. Scott congratulates me with a gentle pat on the shoulder saying, "Clover, your progress was nothing short of a miracle. This research program would be nothing without you." After declining his help to the lobby, I find my walking stick and use my voice commands on my phone and call me an Uber.

For the first time in years, I feel… hopeful.

The elevator dings, and I walk towards the exit doors and I step outside. The wind sweeps past me, carrying a scent I know too well, a mixture of Sauvage cologne, mixed with that custom aftershave from the special artisan in Mexico. The scent Zade and I found while on our honey moon three years ago, and I know only one man who carries that particular smell.

My husband.

Zade.

My head turns instinctively towards where the smell is drifting from. My vision is still weak and shadowed, but a familiar male silhouette stands beside a heavily pregnant woman in the hospital parking lot.

My heart stutters.

Is that… Zade?

Before I can take a step, a horn honks sharply beside me.

“Hey! Are you Clover?” a voice calls.

I turn. “Yes, I’m Clover.”

“I’m your Uber driver, Omar. Please get in.”

I look back toward the silhouettes, but they’re gone.

Just vanished.

But wait, was that really Zade…

with another woman? Or are my new eyes just playing tricks on me? I sighed as the Uber driver took off.