Sitting up nervously and scared in the hospital bed, Zac fidgeted uncontrollably with the collar of the hospital gown. He wished he could go back in time. Well, at least to three weeks ago, when he was sitting in the psychiatry chair for the first time.
"Zac, chill out, man." Taylor said quietly, his voice tinted with a nervous tremble humor.
Turning his head, he scoffed in the direction his brother was standing. "Yeah, and if you were in my place you'd be tapping away!" He said sarcastically, his hand yet once again tugging at his collar. "Tap, tap, tap!" He said tapping on the metal rail aligning his bed.
Isaac stood from the uncomfortable plastic chair. "We're all under the pressure here." He said in tight calmness. "But I think Zac has a bit more on him than we do, Tay."
Zac smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Ike." He commented softly. "I always knew you were the Einstein of this family."
There was a muffled laugh, "Sure, Zac." He replied. "If that's what you want to call it."
Turning his head towards the door, Zac stated. "They're coming."
A minute later, their parents and Doctor Walsh appeared in the doorway. "Well, Zac, are you ready?"
The shadows appeared, dark figures… he thought they might be people. Their sound was coming from the dark silhouettes. He smirked at them, "You're asking as if I really have a choice here."
"Zac," Doctor Walsh started slowly and surely. "We are really confident that this surgery will do the trick. This time after the bandages are removed, you will see again."
Silence… "You should have your sight fully restored."
Closing his eyes tightly, Zac sighed softly. "Maybe I don't want to see again." He confessed.
The gasps from his family, especially from his mother, made him want to take back those words and eat them. But it was too late, they hung heavily in the already tension filled room.
"I knew you'd be scared, Zac." The doctor continued on slowly. "That's why you were seeing Mrs. McPherson."
Zac shook his head stubbornly. "You think talking about this is going to make me change my mind?" He asked harshly.
"I've been blind for months now." He explained slowly and deliberately, as if the people in the room were slow indolence children. "I'm used to being in the dark. Does anyone remember me being thrown into the darkness?" He questioned bitterly.
But no one dared answer him.
"The pain of it all, being thrown from something you knew, into something you didn't. The same thing is going to happen all over again, once I get my site back." He hung his head sadly. "I don't know what it's like to see. I've forgotten what everything looks like."
His admittance caused great pains to everyone in the room. Especially, to himself.
Looking up a moment later, his head swung around frantically. "What's happening?" He asked panicky, an unknown person's presence washing over him.
Before anyone could answer him, he felt a small prick in his arm, then drowsiness so fierce his eyes closed, and his head fell back. Shutting him off into another world of darkness and slumber.
Awaking, Zac felt panic arise in him again. He turned his head from side to side and felt something warm around his face and head.
With shaky and numb fingers, his fingertips grazed over the gauze that covered him.
His scream ripped from his throat and echoed loudly.
How could they do this to me? His mind cried out painfully.
Continuously his hands and fingers ran over the wrappings that wrapped around him. He felt claustrophobic. They were choking him. Closing in on him.
Feeling his breathing grow ragged, he started gasping for cool air.
He heard his heart monitor begin to beep warningly, that only frightened him more. Oh God. His mind screamed. Bright spots shot from behind his eyes and exploded as if they were fireworks.
Suddenly everything stopped. No more beeping, no more gasping, he could no longer hear the pounding of his heart or blood rushing in his ears.
Falling into another dark and endless oblivion, he knew something was not right.
