Through Her Shattered Eyes ✔

Chapter 34

The first person I notify my rejection to is Dr. Jackson. Once he hears my situation, he tells me to have someone drive me straight over to the hospital, where he'll be waiting to have me checked.

"What about your parents? Shouldn't you call them?" Nathan asks as he escorts me quickly out of his apartment and into the parking lot.

"Are you off your rocker? The last thing I need is for them to freak out because of the cornea rejection. I'm pretty sure they're already worried now because I was supposed to be home a while ago. For now, this stays between you and me," I answer curtly.

It feels like forever before we reach my Mom's car. When we're inside, Nathan puts the keys into the ignition and the engine roars to life. Before I know it, we're zooming down the road and going towards the highway, leaving Peachtree City behind. I shut my eyes and listen to the rumbling noise of the car, trying to distract myself. Only a month has passed since my surgery. I thought I'd be okay from then on. But I listened to Erika's way of pleading, trying to get me to find her murderer. My heart went out to her because of what she'd been through in her real last memory.

And like I always do with someone who's desperately in need of assistance, I gave her my undivided attention by helping the best I can and this is what comes knocking at my door: trouble.

Mom's car is brought to a halt in front of the Northside Hospital. I never thought I'd need to come back here because of an emergency like now. Nathan comes around to my side and helps me walk to the entrance. The sliding doors open to reveal Dr. Jackson, who's sitting on one of the chairs by the doorway, waiting for me like he said.

"Oh, Alexis. I looked forward to our next check-up, but I hoped it wouldn't be for this reason," he says as he stands.

He takes my arm gently and guides us down the hall to an elevator that's at the far end of the corridor. Nathan sticks right by my side still, holding on to me. I'm glad he's here. I'm glad he didn't leave right when Dr. Jackson took me in. Nathan's the only one who's currently keeping me from truly losing my head.

The elevator ride up to Dr. Jackson's office is silent and tense. One hand grasps Nathan's and the other grasps the rail against the wall as a wave of pain after another washes over me. My whole head aches as do my eyes.

This doesn't necessarily mean this is a transplant failure, I tell myself. It could just be a case of eye irritation and nothing really major.

That's true. Things like what's happening now are pretty common. I'd gone over that in the post-op orders Northside had given me once my surgery was completed. So the case could be something simple such as irritation. But still...this episode can also mean the transplants have been rejected...

I shut my eyes for an instant.

Don't quit on me now. Please, I silently beg Erika. I can't lose you.

Dr. Jackson brings us into his office. Fear takes ahold of me and I freeze in the doorway. What if his office is the last thing I see? What if after this I lose my eyesight and never see anything again? Everything will go back to the way it was before.

"It's okay, Ali." Nathan brushes a lock of my hair behind my ear. "I'm right here."

"Don't go yet," I whisper, though it sounds more like I'm imploring him rather than commanding him.

He gives me a small, kind smile and sits into the chair across the door.

Dr. Jackson clears his throat. I back into his office. The door shuts behind me but I can still see Nathan through the little glass window cut into the heavy wood. Dr. Jackson steps in front of me, blocking the window from my view. I tear my eyes away from the door.