Page 125 of At First Smile
Eyes closed, she nods.
Coming behind her, I comb up the long strands with my fingers. “Ponytail or messy bun?”
“Either.” She shrugs. “I can’t take off my bra. I can’t do my hair. I can’t even use my cane.”
“Baby, it’s only temporary.”
“How am I going to go to work tomorrow if I can’t use my cane?”
Enveloping her in my arms, I tuck her against my chest. “Maybe take the rest of the week off. You have plenty of leave and?—”
“Great,” she scoffs. “Just as I get offered the promotion, I’m out because?—”
“They offered you the job today?” I try to keep my tone curious and not accusatory, but the question still whispers inside me.Why didn’t she tell me?
Yes, she was attacked by a dog. A lot has occurred between her being offered the job and now, but Pen has texted me throughout the day. Practice was over at four, an hour before she’d left the hospital, and she’d not called.
“Yeah… I didn’t call you right after they offered me the job because I needed time to process. I don’t know how I feel about it,” she says with a hard breath.
“We could have processed it together.”
“Sorry,” she croaks. “You’re right.”
“It’s not about right or wrong, it’s about being a team.” I brush soothing strokes down her back.
She nods.
“What happened?”
“It’s not anything I haven’t dealt with before, but I overheard Nelson and the associate director talking about how impressive I am and that they forget that I’m blind because I’m so capable.”
My hold around her tightens. “I’m so sorry.”
“It just hurts to know what they really think…what theirrealexpectations of me are.” A tremor shakes her words.
You cannot protect her from this.The thought is on repeat inside me. Still, I want to storm down to that hospital and… But I won’t. Instead, I press my lips to the top of her head and then rest my chin there, keeping her cocooned as she speaks.
“And now I have to take the rest of the week off because I can’t use my cane, knowing that this isn’t something they’d have to deal with from a”—she releases a sharp breath— “non-visually impaired person.”
“You were attacked by a dog, that’s all they need to know.”
Sniffling, she raises her bandaged hand. “It almost stings worse than this... to know how they really see me. It’s taken all the joy out of what should have been a big moment for me.”
“They’re the blind ones.”
“Yeah, but they have therightkind of blindness…the kind the world’s okay with.”
An ache reverberates through my chest. There’s no time machine that will let me go back to prevent this pain from finding her, but is there something I can do in the aftermath to take care of her in the way I want to, the way that ensures this hurt doesn’t find her again?
“I just want to forget it, forget today,” she croaks.
“Pen—”
“No, it’s fine. I’m fine. I’m just emotional. I’ll be okay after I eat and rest.” She turns to face me, her red-rimmed eyes peer up and a small smile tugs her lips. “Today has sucked, but I’m so grateful for you. All I want to do is go eat cookies, cuddle on the couch with you and GB, and forget about this,” she murmurs, snuggling into me.
“Of course.” This is within my power. I’ll take it, even if it guts me that the only thing I can do about her tears is wipe them away.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
