Hold Me

Sweet Girl

As time passed, Stevie had engraved all of her memories into her mind. She had spent hours and hours remembering everything she had seen in her life. She had memorized everything she could remember from the sky, to the grass, the trees, all the colors and so on.

She even memorized every inch of her home and knew where everything was and now she didn't need help walking around her home. Everyone was instructed not to move things around and if they did, they were to tell Stevie where the item was moved to so she wouldn't trip over anything or bump into anything.

Stevie had become independent once again and she felt so proud of herself for picking herself back up and dust herself off. The only thing she would need help with was her makeup which she only used for special occasions. Christine would put her makeup on for her whenever Stevie wanted to wear any makeup.

One sunny day, Stevie sat on her bed and had her wooden box out. She searched through it with her hands and found Lindsey's picture.

Even though she couldn't see it, she still liked to touch it with her hands and hold it close. Just like everything and everyone else, she engraved that photo into her mind.

"Lindsey...I miss you so much." Stevie said as she held the photo close to her chest with one hand while she played with her moon necklace in the other. "I think about you every single day. I love you and I always will." She then placed a kiss on the photo then said. "Oh Linds...our baby girl's birthday is coming up in three days! Can you believe she's 16 already?! Where did the time go?"

Stevie smiled a little then let her tears fall. Sara had grown up close to Stevie but she was always just Aunt Stevie and nothing more. The first time Stevie heard Sara call Carol Ann Mommy was like a stab to her heart. She had sobbed and felt as if she couldn't breathe.

Throughout the years, there were so many moments like that but Stevie would have to hold everything she was feeling inside and put on happy face.

Stevie sighed then placed another kiss on the photo then gently put it back inside the box. She closed the lid then stood up and picked up the box and walked into her closet. She placed the box in its usual spot then walked out of the closet.

She then made her way back to her bed where she began reading. Stevie had learned how to read Braille and she was currently engrossed in a book.

A knock on the door interrupted her reading a few minutes later.
"Come in." She said as she put her book away.

The door opened and the young girl walked in. She walked up to Stevie and sat next to her then hugged her tight. Stevie smiled wide and hugged her just as tight.

"My dress was delivered today and I just wanted to say thank you." Sara said happily. "Oh Aunt Stevie, it's so beautiful. You know me so well and I love it!"
"You're very welcome my sweet girl. I'm glad you like it." Stevie said as tears sprang to her eyes.

Stevie had her good friend Margi Kent make Sara's birthday dress. Margi owned a local clothing shop in town and was very successful. Her designs were the best there was and Stevie always went to Margi whenever she needed a new outfit or dress.

Stevie had described how she wanted Sara's dress to look and Margi had worked her magic and was able to make the dress that Stevie had envisioned.

Stevie wasn't able to see the final product but she trusted Margi fully and now hearing Sara saying she loved it made Stevie feel at ease.

Sara pulled away and saw a single tear roll down Stevie's cheek. Sara gently wiped it away and asked. "Why the tears Aunt Stevie?"
Stevie took a deep breath and said. "I just can't believe you're going to be sixteen years old. I remember how tiny you were and now...you are all grown up. You're a young woman now."
Sara brought her godmother close to her again and held her close.

Sara stayed quiet for a moment and just hugged Stevie. Sara had always wished Stevie was her mother. She loved Carol Ann because she was her mother but, there was just something that made Sara feel as if Carol Ann didn't really love her.

Her godmother however had always treated her like Sara was her own daughter and wondered why that was. Sara had even gotten comments in school from her classmates about how she didn't look like Carol Ann and how much she look like Stevie.

Sara shook herself out of her thoughts and broke the silence. "Aunt Stevie...why don't you and uncle Don have any children? You're still young, you can still have them?" She asked as she pulled away to look at Stevie.

Stevie was stunned for a moment; she didn't know how to answer for a moment. "I lost them, remember? In that accident that caused me to lose my sight. I also lost the baby I was carrying." Stevie said as more tears formed. "After I lost my sight, I felt as if maybe it was for the best. I felt as if I wouldn't have been a good mother. I didn't want to bring a child into this world so they would have a mother like me. It's just better this way. But it's okay you know, I have you."

Don had not touched Stevie again since he had that night 16 years ago. The reason for that was that Don had Carol Ann and the many women he had in town. Of course, Don still wanted Stevie but he controlled himself from taking her forcefully again. He had hoped Stevie would willingly give herself to him one day and so he hoped and waited. Stevie knew of the many women and of Carol Ann that Don was seeing behind her back but she didn't care. As long as Don stayed away from her, she was happy.

"I think you would have been an amazing mother. I can just tell." Sara said as she interrupted Stevie's thoughts. Sara had tears in her eyes from hearing how Stevie felt about herself.
"You're so sweet. But, it's just not meant to be." Stevie said with so much emotion.

Sara dropped the subject and just cuddled next Stevie and they both talked about Sara's upcoming party. Sara was so excited.

"Aunt Stevie? Do you know if Brian is coming?" Sara asked Stevie.
"He is." Stevie replied with smile. "He will be here the day before your party."

Brian was Don's nephew; he had gone to live with Stevie and Don when his parents died when he was seven years old. Sara was a year old at the time that he came to live with his uncle.

Brian was a very sensitive, loving, and caring person. He was a complete opposite of his uncle Don. Stevie took care of him as he were her own and Brian adored and loved her for doing so.
Don however was very strict with Brian which had him running to Stevie in tears most of the time he had lived there.

As Sara grew, she and Brian had became close and he protected her like a little sister. Of course, now that Sara was a young woman, Sara couldn't help the feelings that were manifesting inside of her. Sara realized she was falling in love with Brian. However, she knew because of him being older than her, nothing could become of them romantically.

At eighteen, Brian moved away to go to medical school and he would visit on holidays and special occasions. Now he was a successful doctor and he had brought up an idea to Stevie about seeing his mentor and friend to see if she was a candidate for eye surgery.

Brian's mentor was the top eye doctor in the country and Brian felt that he could restore Stevie's sight. His mentor had already performed one hundred surgeries with 90% success rate. But each time the subject was brought up Stevie would say no; as much as she would love to have her sight back, she was scared that the surgery wouldn't work.

Sara smiled and said. "I can't wait to see him! I missed him so much."
"Me too sweet girl. Me too. I'm so glad he will be able to make it for your special day." Stevie said.

So...what are your thoughts of how this story is now that time has passed?

What are your predictions on what's to come next?