Ethan

Today was the big day.

The bandages were finally coming off. I've been through this many times that I was afraid to get my hopes up. All that stress that I've buried for the past five days was digging its way out and started tying my inside in knots. The air in the room was chokingly thick with anticipation and apprehension.

I tried the compel my nerves to relax as I waited for Dr. Pendny, but as soon as I lean my back to the hospitals' bed I shoot sitting right up. I was growing more restless with every passing second.

The different thing about this time was that they were all here. Mom and dad insisted on coming. Hank, drove me and stayed.

"Hey, why do they get to stay and I don't!" Was Hank's objection when saw my parents there. "I'm not going anywhere!"

Yup! He stayed.

Sophie's shift just ended, so she came to check on me. Matt gave me a rock from his exclusive collection for good luck, I think it was called obsidian or something like that. And then there was  Skye... the girl of my dreams, literally. As much as I wanted to see her, I was vastly anxious with the possibility of this surgery following in the tracks of all the previous ones.

My thoughts were all over the place, especially the ones where this didn't work out and ended being a massive disappointment for her and all the other people in this room. I tried to force my brain to think about something else, anything else, but no matter what idea sparked in there I always came back to square one.

Shortly afterwards, Dr. Pendny walked in and I felt my chest clinch tightly.

"Good afternoon... Oh!" He sounded startled for a moment. "I see we have the entire family here."

A stir of chuckles and giggles spread around easing the tension a bit, but I couldn't join them. I couldn't follow that stream. Too many fails would do that. Desperately, I tried to hold on to the tiniest glimpse of hope and keep my act together. For my sake and for sake of the people around me.

There were shuffles going on around me as people moved in the room before they quieted down.

"How are you doing, Ethan?" His voice came from beside my bed, calm and confident.

"Good. Thank you." I replied, my throat felt tight.

"Ready to do this?" His hand patted my shoulder.

I nodded, "Yes."

"First, let's put those gloves on..."

As he spoke there was a low rustle and then a snap. He was guiding me through what he was doing as he went on. "Now we are going to remove the tape. This might be a little uncomfortable."

His latex covered hands started, agonizingly slowly, to pull off the tape that held the eye shields and bandages in place. My heart was pounding loudly in my chest, throat and ears as the sticky-straps were being peeled off my skin.

With great expertise his finger inched on my skin – moving under every bit of the tape to ease the slight burn as he took it off.

"Now, I'll do the other side."

He told me and stared working on the other eye, all in a slow motion that pushed me closer to madness by the minute.

"Keep your eyes closed for me."

I did. I stayed statue-still until the last bit of tape was removed. I could feel the air on that part of my skin after it was released from its shield and bandages.

There wasn't a breath in the room, the only thing I could hear were the doctor's movement and the roaring rush of blood in my ears.

"Now, I'm going to do a bit of cleaning first. Keep them closed."

He instructed and then I felt a cold wet material with a faint smell gently being rubbed over my eyes. The gauze reached the corners and over my eyelashes for a few times before it worked on the parts where the medical tape was. Short after I felt something soft that absorbed the dampness from my skin in equally gentle dabs.

It was then when I heard the words that I've been anxiously dreading.

"Try opening your eyes now."

I swallowed hard.

Who knew that something as simple as lifting your eyelids could be this difficult? Despite my urgency- my eyelids complied slowly and blinked repeatedly as it did. At that moment my mind, heart and even my soul came to a halt.

There was nothing but a foggy haze in front of me. I blinked again. My chest tightened painfully failing to inhale or exhale. And I blinked again and again. Repeatedly, insistently, unstopping. Shades of light and shadows started to fall in place gradually as I took in the scene of the people surrounding me bit by bit.

I couldn't breathe.

"Mom..." My voice came out gruff.

She immediately broke in tears, "Oh dear... oh dear".

She looked different from what I remembered. Silver strands invaded her hair and there were deeper lines at the ends of her eyes. Yet still she looked as beautiful as ever. She wrapped her arms tightly around me and wept.

Hugging my mom back made it more believable that this was a reality. That they were here. I could see them.

I moved to the next person, "Dad..."

He too has changed, he appeared older and slimmer. I guess two years were a long time for all of us.

Dad's eyes were glazed with tears that trickled down his face, "Hey son..." His mouth quivered when he smiled and he patted my leg.

A little boy looked at me with a wide grin on his face, "Thanks for the lucky rock, Matt."

He beamed at me, "You're welcome."

Hank smiled as I turned to him, "Still ugly as ever." I teased Hank and he laughed.

"Hey buddy. Congrats!" He said lightly.

A beautiful blond was standing next to him, "Sophie?"

"Congratulations, Ethan!" She smiled.

I looked again at the faces around me searching for her and my heart dropped when I didn't see her. She wasn't there. "Where is Skye?"

The room turned silent. Mom pulled back dabbing her eyes with a tissue as everyone was looking behind them.

"I... I'm here..."

Her voice came from the far corner, low and familiarly soft.

The people around me started to shuffle parting like curtains to both sides of my bed.

Waves of longing crashed inside me mercilessly. It was all for this moment right here.

She didn't look at me.

She kept her head down didn't look at me.

She moved hesitantly until she reached the foot of my bed and still didn't look at me.

"Skye..." My voice was nothing above a whisper. My heart was fiercely thumping in my ribcage.

Her hand gently tugged a lock of hair behind her ear before she lifted her head and our eyes locked.

I didn't know what happened to me. Everything that was I went utterly still. All of me was hushed into silence for a moment before surging madly back to life

Whatever sounds that were around us I couldn't hear them. I thought someone said something about privacy at some point, but I couldn't care less. If there were movements around me I didn't realize them. I was entirely lost in the girl standing in front of me.

I didn't know how or when, but I was on my knees at the foot of my bed and my breathing ran unevenly.

"Skye?" My voice sounded strange.

She nodded.

This was her?

"My Skye?" I still couldn't believe my eyes.

Not in any of the pictures that I've drawn in mind did I come close to this girl at the end of my bed. None of the times have my hands translated her features to what I was staring at right now.

I reached for her face, my hands trembling beyond my control and I could feel my pulse in my throat, quick and unsteady. My eyes closed as soon as I cupped her face.

I kept them closed as my fingers moved over her forehead where her bangs tickled the back of my hand. Those were her eyebrows. And those were her eyes. Her lashes dallied my fingertips like they always did. This was her narrow nose. And those were her lips. Without thinking I leaned closer and enveloped her lips with mine. Electricity shot down my spine as she kissed me back. Those were her kisses.

My eyes snapped open. My Skye!

Only now I knew where she got her name from. She held the blue of the sky in those wide beautiful eyes. The dark eyebrows with their soft arch and long lashes made them appear even more lucid. Her nose was narrow and small and her lips –god, her lips were shaped flawlessly, full and with a tempting pout. The soft waves of her long chestnut colored hair fell heavily over her shoulder appearing darker against her fair skin.

I tugged a strand behind her ear before cupping her face again, "You're my Skye." I heaved breathlessly. "My god, you're gorgeous!"

She laughed.

I breathed, "I can see you!"

Her eyes watered and so did mine.

I collected her in tight embrace, "I can see you!"

Skye

Tears ran down my cheeks freely. We were caught between laughs and tears. Ethan's body was shaking when he pulled me to his chest. I wrapped my arms around him and hid there. He could see again.

I couldn't believe that I was scared. When Dr. Pendny asked him to open his eyes I couldn't step forward. It didn't seem like it was my place. It was where his family should be. I was terrified that he might feel differently after he saw me, but then... then he asked for me.

He leaned back looking at me again and again. His eyes were slightly swollen and a bit red and with a sheen of tears, yet the amount of passion and tenderness that he looked at me with melted me to the bones. He always caused my heart to ruffle and my lungs to stir with fire. My knees weakened almost giving up on me under his gaze.

His thump gently wiped my tears away.

I laughed touching his handsome face, "You're crying too."

Ethan chuckled.

He held out his hand for me then entwined our fingers like he always did before gazing back at me. His voice rough with emotions, not a single doubt in his words, "I love you, Skye."

My heart swelled with an indescribable bliss, "And I love you."