One Glance

Chapter 2

"The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision." Helen Keller

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Chapter Two

Everything ached.

Luke groaned as consciousness began to take hold of him. His head was ever so heavy, as though he had spent a week drowning in a pub.

"Captain?"

Luke recognised the voice immediately. It was Commander Peter Lockwood. His voice was soft and strained. He was worried.

Luke could feel that he was lying down on a bed. He was covered in an itchy, woollen blanket and his head was resting on a flat pillow. There was something covering his eyes. Some sort of bandage. When he concentrated his foggy thoughts on the area he could feel that it was tender. His face had been injured somehow.

"What the bloody hell happened to me, Commander?" grumbled Luke.

"It is over," said Commander Lockwood. "Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo."

Those words were like music to Luke's ears. After years of fighting, after years of being away from their families, the war was finally over. They would all be able to go home. They would all be able to fulfil their wishes for the end of the war. Luke would finally be able to see his son.

"You did not answer my question, Commander," Luke realised. "What happened to me?"

"Do you not remember what happened during the final battle?" Commander Lockwood asked.

Luke was quickly becoming annoyed. "Just answer the bloody question, Commander," he snapped. "What happened to me? Why am I in this bed? What is this bandage for? Where am I? I am your commanding officer, your superior. You will answer me."

Luke shuffled through his jumbled memories. He could recall standing on the bridge of his ship conversing with his officers. He could recall the imminent threat of enemy ships. But how had he been injured?

"Captain, you were struck in the head by a splintered part of the boom," Commander Lockwood informed him. "We are back in England, in London. You are in hospital."

A splinter? Then it could not be that bad, could it? Was the bandage not a little bit of an overreaction?

Luke chuckled. "I do not need to be in hospital for a mere splinter. The war is over, Commander. I want to go home." Luke reached for the bandage that was covering his eyes. He could only have but a little scratch under there.

Commander Lockwood grabbed his wrist before he could remove the bandage. "Captain, it was not a little splinter," he said firmly. "The wood penetrated your eye socket. You were bloody lucky not to lose your eye. The doctors have been keeping you unconscious for a few weeks to allow the damage to heal. Let me go and fetch your nurse. She had been taking wonderful care of you."

Luke heard Commander Lockwood stand and move away from the bed. He then heard a door open and close.

Wood had pierced his eye socket? That was ... that sounded dreadful! He supposed he was very lucky not to have lost his eye.

Luke needed to be positive. He was alive. He was fine. He still had both of his eyes. The war was over. There was no need to worry.

He did feel drowsy, but he was determined to go home. It would be only a matter of days before he would be holding Jamie in his arms.

Luke heard the sound of the door opening again.

"Welcome back, Captain Cassidy," chirped a friendly female voice. She had to be the nurse. She sounded quite young, but very positive. Luke hoped that her tone indicated his good health.