by E. M. Leya
"We'll do that. We have to stop for groceries before we head to my place, but we can come back into town and hit the bar and other places you went with Bridger." Bayne started to shave me. "What will you do if you find the scent?"
I bit my lip hard, wondering at the question. My instinct was to kill whoever it was, but I also wanted answers. I needed to know why they did what they did. What made them so angry that they would try to kill me in such a violent way? "I want them brought to justice. I don't know how your pack handles things, but if proven guilty, my old pack would kill them."
"If they are wolf, we will kill them, but if they are human, that will change things. We will have to see who they are, if they know what we are. There are many factors. I promise you, no matter what happens, they will be brought to justice one way or another. I can't imagine this was just a random attack on two wolves, especially since you recognize their scent. I just can't see how any human could know about us, let alone why they would want to kill the way they did. It was torture, as if it was personal." Bayne moved the razor over my cheek.
"They left me to suffer, but killed Bridger, which one of us pissed them off? I mean, I was meant to die. I'm sure of that. I don't think they thought anyone would save me." I hated not knowing.
"We just need to find the answers." Bayne ran a wet cloth over my face. "Okay, done. How does it feel?"
I ran my hand over my face. "Perfect. Thank you. I'd offer to return the favor one day, but I'm betting you don't want a blind man moving a razor over your face."
"No, you're right, but I'll collect payment in other ways later. For now, get dressed. I set clothes on the bed for you, but yell if you need help getting into them."
"Feels wrong to have you dressing me when I would rather you undress with me."
"True, but I promise, once we get to my place clothing will be optional. Kurt and a distant neighbor are the only people who know where I live, and they know to leave a newly mated couple alone."
I was surprised to hear that no one else knew where Bayne lived. I wondered why he kept himself so secluded from everyone. He seemed well liked around the pack house. I was sure in time I'd find out everything about Bayne. There was no reason to push for all the information now. I knew him better than before thanks to the mating link, but there were still things I didn't understand about the link, and it almost felt like I was intruding on him to push too deep and find the answers. It would be best to let him tell me anyway.
I headed out to the bedroom and found the clothes sitting on the end of the bed. It was a bit strange to not know what I was putting on. It was a good thing I trusted my mate or I'd worry he was dressing me in polka dots or some other awful outfit. Again, I thought about how lucky I was to have my mate appear in my life now when I needed him most.
I quickly got dressed before making my way back into the bathroom where Bayne was. "Will you run a brush through my hair for me?"
"Of course." He reached out, turning me to face him. "So, be thinking what you like to eat. We'll stop at the store on the way to my place, but I was thinking, I have no idea what you like or don't like."
"Meat is good, honestly, I'm not that picky. Not a big fan of really spicy foods, but other than that, I'm okay with anything."
"Good, we'll get along great. I can't think of anything other than cooked cabbage I don't like, and that's more the smell than the taste." He kissed my cheek. "Ready to venture out?"
"Yeah, let's get this over with." I hated that I was nervous. There was no point to be. It wasn't like the doctor could do anything. It was a matter of finding out if he could fit me with fake eyes and how long that would take.
"You're staying with me, right?" I asked as he led me out of the room.
"Do you think I'm going to leave you alone in a room with two other wolves? That isn't going to happen. My wolf doesn't handle you not being by my side. Hopefully, this feeling eases or we're going to have to find jobs where we work together." He kissed my cheek as he slowly led me from our room to Cohen's medical room.
"Bayne, Brett, welcome. Come on in." Cohen's voice sent another wave of nervousness through me.
"Thanks." I took a deep breath, finding the scent of another wolf there who I assumed was the doctor.
"This is Mike or Dr. Gordon. He's the ophthalmologist I've told you about." Cohen sounded like he was across the room.
"Hop up." Bayne placed my hand on the exam table.
"Thanks, it's nice to meet you, Dr. Gordon. I appreciate you taking the time to come here." I hopped up on the table, glad when Bayne came to stand behind me and press his hands to my back supportively.
"Call me Mike. Now I hear what you went through was quite violent. It's a blessing you were unconscious for it. The only place that has more nerves than the eyes is the genitals. You would have been in extreme pain had you been awake for it. Even saying that, I hate to think about how you must have felt when you woke before you shifted." He was standing close.
"I hurt everywhere. It was hard to tell what hurt the worst," I admitted.
"Well, if you don't mind me taking a look at how you've healed, then I can get a better idea of what kind of treatments we can do." He touched my knee. "Can I have you lie back? Then I'll remove the patches. You'll feel a bit of probing in and around your eye sockets, but it shouldn't be more than uncomfortable. If it hurts, say something."
I eased back, glad that Bayne was there to see what was going on.
"Perfect, now I'm going to remove the patches." Mike slid them over my head. "Do you have any lingering pain or issues?"
"None." I focused on my link with Bayne, needing to feel him completely as Mike started to press his fingers around the edges of my eye sockets.
"If you were in my office, a lot of this would be done with machines that weren't so intrusive, but it was easier for me to come here for the time being." Mike seemed to be holding my eyelid open with something. The metal was cold against my skin, but there was no pain. "My guess is they used a spoon or some other instrument to force your eyes out, then cut the nerves and muscle that held them in. You've healed nicely thanks to your shifter DNA." He continued to look at one eye, then the other.
"So, he can get glass eyes?" Bayne asked.
"Well, that is one option, but I think we might have another. Usually, I wouldn't try this with this kind of damage, but since you are a shifter, I think it might work." Mike went silent for a moment as he kept working around my eyes.
"What are you trying?" I was nervous, wondering what he was doing.
"Nothing today. Sorry, got distracted. Let me finish looking, then we can talk options." Mike started probing again.
Bayne linked his hand with mine, giving it a tight squeeze.
"While he works, let me be the first to congratulate the two of you. I smell the mating scent is strong. You completed the ritual." Cohen still sounded as if he was across the room.
"We did, last night." Bayne sounded so happy it made my heart feel as if it was swelling.
"He's stuck with me now." I smiled.
"Congratulations. You both deserve this," Cohen told us.
"Did you meet before this happened?" Mike asked.
"No, the night they found and rescued him." Bayne caressed his fingers over mine.
"So, you've never seen your mate?" Mike continued to work.
"No." I pressed my lips together, hating that it mattered as much as it did.
"Well, let's see if we can do something about that." Mike stepped back. "Why don't you sit up?"
I did, still trying to understand what he'd said. "Did you say do something about me not seeing my mate? I mean, my eyes are gone. There's nothing you can do to make me see again since there's nothing there to fix."
"True, I might not be able to help you see your mate through your own eyes, but possibly, and I mean possibly, don't get your hopes up yet, but I think I might help you see him through another's eyes." Mike set something down beside me, causing a clang.
"I don'
t understand." Bayne gripped my shoulder from behind.
"I'm talking about an optical transplant. One eye, or maybe both. I'd take donor's eyes and surgically implant them, then I'd have you shift. Being a wolf, the shift would hopefully heal everything as if they were your own eyes. I mean, we do this on humans. It's not always successful, but we're getting better at it. I've done several in my career. Being a wolf, the chances of this working I'd say are up around eighty percent or better." Mike sounded as if he was now across the room with Cohen.
I bit my lip, emotion hitting me hard at the thought that I might actually be able to see again. I sniffed as my nose started to run. "I could see?"
Bayne stuffed a tissue into my hand.
"Possibly. As I said, we'd need a donor. The eyes would have to be viable. It's nothing for me to reconnect the vessels and muscle. Shifting would do most of the work in this case. Like any injury, you heal easily. Stuff that would kill most people heals for wolves within a single shift." Mike was by my side again. "Here's more tissue. Your nose runs because of your eyes missing. The tears drain down the sinus cavity."
I shook my head. "You're serious, right? This isn't some joke?" I felt a wave of hope come through my link with Bayne. This would mean so much to both of us. It would make our lives together so much easier.
"I'm serious. Because I'd need you to shift right after the implant, I'd have you awake for the surgery. I'd numb the area, but you'd be fully aware of what is going on. I can't promise it will be successful, but I think it's worth a try. The damage done now isn't as severe as it could have been. I'm hopeful that it would take," Mike told me.
I wiped at my nose, overwhelmed at the thought. "Bayne, what do you think?" I needed to know he'd support this.
"I say try it. I mean, what's the worst that can happen? It doesn't take and you're no worse off than you are now. This is more than either of us dared to imagine. If you have a chance to see, take it." Bayne kissed my cheek.
"Are there any side-effects, things that could go wrong?" I asked.
"No, as Bayne said, you'd be no worse off than you are now. If it didn't work, we'd get you the prosthetic eyes, but I'd like to try this first." Mike sounded as if he'd sat down across from me.
"Cohen, do you have thoughts?" Bayne asked.
"I trust Mike's opinion completely. If he thinks this could work, we should do it. I can either make sure we have only wolves working the surgery if we do it at the hospital, or we can do it here if Mike's comfortable. I'm not sure what he needs."
"Do you have a surgical microscope here?" Mike asked.
"I do," Cohen informed him.
"Then we can do it here. The only issue is I need the eyes viable. There is a short time frame."
"I work at the hospital. I'm sure that wouldn't be a problem. I'd have to look into the procedure for organ procurement, but I can't see this being an issue. There are enough wolves working at the hospital, we can make this happen." Cohen sounded closer. "Do you need size or blood type or any other match?"
"Not since he's a wolf. His body will adapt to whatever we use. I'm sorry I might not be able to match your old eye color." Mike laughed.
"Eye color is the last thing I'm worried about. I'd be so happy to be able to see again. To look at my mate, to see the world again." I leaned back against Bayne, accepting his support as I tried to digest all the information.
"I can stay in town for a couple of weeks. My wife is with me and wants to see the area. While we are sight-seeing, you can call me at any time if you get a donor. We can do the surgery right away. We'll know as soon as you shift to wolf if this will work or not." Mike patted my knee. "I have high hopes we'll have you seeing again in no time."
"Thank you." I offered my hand in the direction he sounded from.
He took my hand. "You're welcome. I'm glad Cohen called me. I'd hate to see you have to go through life never knowing what your mate looks like."
I grinned. "Me too. If even just for a minute…" I took a deep breath. "Cohen, you'll see what we have to do? I hate anyone has to die for me to see, but hopefully, it's someone who's lived a long healthy life."
"That's what I'm hoping as well. I'll start looking as soon as we finish here," Cohen said.
"We're driving out to my house tonight, but you have my number if you need to get a hold of us." Bayne hugged me from behind.
"I'll call the moment I hear any news," Cohen promised.
"While you wait, keep your eyes covered as much as you can. You look as if you've adapted well." Mike sounded like he'd pushed his chair back and stood.
"Thanks, I really appreciate this." I kept hold of Bayne's hand as he came around the table to stand in front of me.
"Let's get these patches back on." He slid them gently over my eyes.
I slid off the table, holding on to Bayne so I didn't crash into anything or anyone. "Thank you again. I hope you get to enjoy your vacation with your wife while you’re here, but I also hope I get to see you very soon."
"In the most literal terms." Mike laughed. "You two have a good evening."
As we walked out of the office, I stayed silent, scared to get my hopes up, but still, it was hard not to hope that one day soon, I'd be able to look Bayne in the eyes when I told him I loved him.
CHAPTER EIGHT
BAYNE
The drive to my place was quiet, and I felt Brett's emotions going from one extreme to the other. He was trying not to get his hopes up, but he really wanted to be able to see. Who could blame him? The thought of having him look down at me when we made love or to wake up and find him looking at me was more than I had dared hope.
I was scared something wouldn't work out and it would devastate both of us. No matter how I tried to tell myself it couldn't get worse than it was now, it didn't help. I wanted my mate to see. I wanted to race through the forest, hunt, and play together. I wanted him to stop feeling like he wasn't enough for me.
I hadn't realized how badly he felt that way until we became fully mated, but it was one of the strongest emotions that I felt from him. He was more than enough just as he was, but if being able to see helped him understand and accept that I wanted him, then I hoped he could get that.
"You really do live out away from the pack." Brett leaned his head back on the car seat.
"It seems farther than it is, but I couldn't find anywhere this unpopulated. My nearest neighbor is about a mile down the road and he's a pack member too. Other than him, there isn't anyone around for miles." I loved the land I'd bought. I never thought I'd be living with a mate when I got it, and now I worried that it would be too small for Brett.
"Hey, don't worry. I'm going to love it." Brett reached over and found my thigh, resting his hand on it.
"I forget you can feel everything. It's going to take getting used to. I just hope it's big enough for you. It's nothing fancy. Just one bedroom, a small living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. I have a shop out back where I do some woodworking from time to time."
"It sounds perfect. I love that it's small. We don't need a big fancy place. If I wanted big and fancy, I wouldn't have been selected as your mate. I have to trust that in all things we will be happy together. I wouldn't have been paired with you if there was something major we clashed on. So far, you are as perfect of a man as I could ever desire."
"I'm far from perfect." I laughed.
"Which is why you are perfect for me. I'm not perfect either. Together, we make a huge mess that only we can understand. Don't doubt that we are meant to be. I don't anymore. Once that bond fell into place my doubt left." Brett gave my thigh a squeeze. "Besides, look at it this way, if I don't get my sight back, it's less area for me to have to learn to get around in."
"You're going to get your sight back. I know you will." We hadn't talked about what the doctor had said. I figured I'd let him bring it up if he wanted to talk about it. I'd joked around as we went grocery shopping and kept the mood light, trying to keep his mind off the subject.
"I don't
want to get my hopes up. He said eighty percent chance. That twenty is still a lot of room for failure. I'm hopeful this works, but if it doesn't, I don't want to be let down," Brett said.
I could smell the lie in his words, but I didn't call him on it. I was as hopeful as he was. I wanted this for him more than anything. Hell, I'd even debated on offering one of my own eyes to him so that we both could see, even if it was just from one eye. It was something I would offer if a donor didn't come through. "I know we can't be sure it will work, but it's something. I honestly thought he'd talk about glass eyes today and let you pick a color." I glanced over at him. "What color were your eyes?"
"A light brown. When you meet my sister, you'll see. We have… had the same eye color." Brett shrugged. "They can be purple now for all I care, just so I can see."
"I agree. I don't care what color they are. I just want to be able to look into them." I pulled up in front of the cabin, wishing Brett could see how beautiful it was now that it was getting dark and only the stars and moonlight illuminated the area. "We're here." I shut off the car and climbed out before going around and opening Brett's door. "Welcome to my home, babe."
"Our home now." Brett leaned in and kissed my ear.
I smiled. Even though he couldn't see, he still tried to make me feel wanted, special. It might mean he missed my lips or cheek when kissing me, but it didn't stop him from trying. "Our home. Everything is ours now." I linked my arm in his. "Fifteen feet to the steps, four steps up to the porch, then about five feet to the front door." I started to lead him. "It has a wrap-around porch. I like to come out and drink coffee in the morning."
"I'm looking forward to that." Brett shuffled his feet. "It smells good out here. It's not like in town. It's pure nature."
"Yep, it's why I love it. There are a few hundred acres of forest to run and hunt. We have to be careful as a lot of it is public land, but if we shift here and run, no one would see us. There are some ranches to the west, which I try to avoid, but there's plenty of space around to spend a day hunting when we want to." I paused as we got to the door and I had to work the key in the lock. "I haven't been home in about a week. It could be stuffy." I pushed the door open and led him inside.