Blind Love

Chapter 74 • Fix Anything

My stomach does a flip as the lift comes to a slow stop and the bell dings. The harsh, loud squeak of the doors opening makes me flinch and I position my white cane in front of me.

"Ah, fancy meeting you right here."

I recognize Gemma's voice as I step out of the lift, "Hey, Gem. I was going to meet you outside so you wouldn't have to come in."

"But I thought I'd check on JJ."

"She's fine. Let's go," I say, holding out my hand and she guides it to her elbow.

As we start walking, the hospital noise becomes louder and it's just making things worse right now. The sound of sliding doors opening lets me know we're leaving the building and I inhale the warm fresh air.

"I'm parked to the left, all the way in the last row. Want me to bring the car up?"

"No, I can walk it."

"Alright, let's go then," she says, guiding me down the smooth path that I assume is the walkway. "I think it's busy because it's Sunday and families are visiting their loved ones before the start of the work week."

"Mhm."

"It's a lovely day. Nice and warm. Gonna soak this in all I can before Autumn begins."

"Mhm," I hum again in acknowledgment, still keeping a firm grasp on her elbow.

"Careful of your step down to the pavement," she warns and I use my white cane to feel the depth of the drop down to the next level. "There's a guy in a car letting us cross the way."

As we make our way across the lot, the sound of the engine running fades and now that it's quiet, I can hear the birds chirping.

"Here we are," Gemma says, guiding my hand to what I recognize as the door handle. "I've already cleaned out the seat so you're good to sit down."

"Thanks," I say, opening the door and I feel for the seat.

Once I'm sat down, I fold my white cane and shut the door, not bothering to put on my seatbelt. She opens the door and the car moves slightly as she gets in and shuts the door. She's always one to put the key into the ignition, but I don't hear their jingle and it's silent.

"Okay. Now that we're not surrounded by people, tell me what's bothering you. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. I'm fine."

"You can't be serious," she deadpan says. "Harry, don't take this the wrong way but you've always been a terrible liar because you wear your heart on your sleeve and emotion on your face," she says and I huff a breath. "It's not a bad thing. Oh come off it. I could even tell it in your voice when you rang earlier and it looks like you're about to explode any second. What the hell is going on?"

"Nothing's going on. Alright, I just needed to get out of that room for a while."

"And leave your pregnant wife in the hospital room alone? I'm not buying it. Is she okay? Besides the Preeclampsia."

"How did-"

"Mum told me."

I groan, tipping my head back in the head rest, "I don't want to talk about it."

"Alright fine," she says and I'm quite pleased she's dropped it because this is the last thing I want to talk about. "Do you want to go get some coffee?"

"Wouldn't you think that if a highly trained medicinal professional, skilled in women's complex anatomy, warns a pregnant person of something bad that could happen if they don't follow their orders precisely, and knowing that innocent beings could be affected, that the pregnant person would, in fact, listen to the professional's warning and do as they're fucking told?"