Page 28 of Blinded
"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.
