THE GIFT Read Online Free PDF Page A

shall we?” he asked. She felt his hands on the side of her head and the sound of the tape as he began peeling away the gauze layers.
    “See you in a minute, Doc,” she said, her voice a little shaky.
    “I certainly hope so, Amanda,” he responded as he pulled away the last of the gauze. There was no light, no shadowy figures, no blurry images. There was only darkness, still. Amanda’s heart stopped and she felt a knot form in the pit of her stomach. She was going to be ill.
    “We’re looking real good so far. Let’s get these metal shields off and see what you can see, my dear. Nurse, can you flip the lights off. We don’t want it to be too bright in here when these come off,” the doctor said after a moment. Amanda’s heart started again, beating wildly as she realized she had forgotten about the shields that kept out any light while she healed. Moments later, she saw the first grayish rays of light as her eyes began to focus.
    “Oh, my God! I can see!” she squealed. Her mother gasped loudly and uttered her thankfulness aloud. Though they were blurry, Amanda could see her mother turn toward her father. He wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair. Amanda couldn’t quite make out his features, but she knew he was smiling.
    “Great. I won’t have to go back to medical school,” the doctor teased. “Let’s see how well you can see. First let me put some drops in your eyes. You will have to put these in several times a day to keep them well hydrated and you will have to wear the shields at night so that your eyes are protected. We’ll change your routine according to how well we see that you are healing during your post-opt visits.”
    After a few small eye tests to assess her vision, he told her that her vision was good for this stage and would improve over the next few weeks. Once it seemed to even out and they could see exactly how well she could see, she could get fitted for glasses. Amanda wasn’t thrilled with that idea since she had never had to wear glasses before, but she supposed it was a small price to pay for having vision again.
    “Will I be able to wear contacts at some point?” she asked.
    “Eventually, but not for a while. First we need to get you healed up. You will still have stitches for several months, perhaps longer. Once we get those removed, we can discuss switching to contacts and the considerable care they will require so that you don’t risk infection,” the doctor responded.
    “When can I go home?” Amanda asked, eager to get back to her life, to start her renewed life.
    “Just as soon as we finish up here and get your paperwork ready to release you. Does that sound good?” he asked.
    “Sounds great! Thank you so much, Doc. You’ve really given me the world here. I don’t know how I can ever repay you,” she said.
    “It was all my pleasure, Amanda. Now, let’s get you some prescriptions for your drops and instructions on putting the shields in place and get you out of here. I’m going to turn you over to Nurse Bennett over here and we’ll call it a day,” he said with a smile that she could almost make out.
    She thanked him again, as did her parents. As she watched him exit the room, she noted a tall, dark figure standing outside the window. He seemed to be looking in through the slants in the blinds as if he was interested in what was going on there. She wondered who he was, but the thought was overridden by her excitement that she was even able to see him standing there. Quickly refocusing on what the nurse had to tell her about caring for her new eyesight, she dismissed him from her mind and the next time she looked over, he was gone.
    With instructions, a handful of supplies, prescriptions and the hideously awful plastic sunglasses they provided to protect her from the sudden glare of sunlight outside, Amanda was excited to leave the hospital finally. As they wheeled her out, she saw the man again...at least she thought it was him. He was sitting