In the middle of it all.

CHAPTER 9

Song: "I will never let you down." - by Rita Ora.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait and short chapter. The stress of this lockdown has finally got to me. How are you all coping with the pandemic?

*********************

When morning came, Mikayla was surprised to have Daxton standing beside her bed, asking for her. "What's going on?" She asked. It had been a week since she spent time with Daxton in his greenhouse. The man had been hidden in his office all week and she hadn't been able to navigate her way back to the greenhouse since.

"Come with me. I want to show you what I've been up to this week." She reached for her gown that lay across her bedside table and quickly slipped it on. She reached for his hand, blushing at how warm it felt. He squeezed her hand and helped steady her.

"What do you want to show me?" She asked.

"You mentioned in the greenhouse that Annabelle and Nick will only leave when they're certain you can manage here safely and without much help." She nodded. "Well, I did some research and I've bought a few things that can help you."

Her eyes widened. "What things?" She asked carefully, already getting an idea of where this was all headed.

"Well I tried to find out from Annabelle what extent your blindness is, she wasn't very forthcoming but she did say that you sometimes see bright lights; though she said they appear like distant blobs to you." She nodded. "It didn't help much but I think I found a few things that'll help. So, let's start with your room. I've removed any unnecessarily large items. There used to be a rug at the foot of the bed, but I removed it."

"Why?" She asked. She remembered loving how it felt under her toes.

She could feel him shrug beside her. "I didn't want you tripping on it." She frowned. She knew how to walk.

"I've also asked that the room be cleaned constantly, just to be sure that things stay in place, so you're not confused." She smiled at that. That was a choice she was grateful for. It had happened three times already when she'd gone for something to eat only to return and walk into a chair or shelf that hadn't previously been there.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"I've also put a special alarm clock on the table beside you. It works on voice control. It will tell you the time, date and day. You can also verbally set your alarms and play any radio station you choose."

"Wow, that sounds expensive."

He hummed but said nothing. She wondered if it bothered him. She felt him rustle around before something was placed in her free hand. She released Daxton's hand and felt around the object. It was small, and cold like metal. She could feel chain links and she frowned. "Why did you give me a watch?"

"It's a special watch, new technology. They're called smart watches." She knew that. She was blind, not a hermit. "This one is specifically for visually impaired persons. It's all voice controlled. You'll be able to tell time as well as make calls or have text messages read to you."

"I have a phone that does that."

He laughed. "Yes, but sometimes your phone isn't near you, and don't deny it. You've misplaced your phone four times this week." She blushed. She had a bad habit of forgetting where she left it last.

"This is too much," she said while pushing the watch back towards him. Daxton scoffed and took the watch from her hand. Before she had a chance to object, he'd pulled her left arm towards him and quickly adjusted the watch on her wrist.