Chapter Fifteen #3
For the next thirty minutes, Sophie shined lights in his eyes, did scans and asked more questions. He loved Sophie, but his patience was wearing thin. No matter what she did, all he could see was darkness.
“Wait here,” she finally declared, “and as soon as the scan results are in, Dr. Swanson will join us, and we can talk. Sit tight.”
The door opened and closed, and then there was silence. Donnie let out a sigh.
“That was a lot of tests.” Charlie said. She’d remained silent throughout the tests.
“Yes. And no positive comments. Not looking good.”
She took his hand and squeezed it. “Dr. Summers isn’t the specialist, and I’m sure she wants to review the results before sharing anything.”
She was right. He just needed a little ray of hope. Anything. The constant waiting for news, for any signs of encouragement, was wearing him down.
“How is your head now? Do you need something for the pain?”
“No. It’s eased off.”
“Do you think maybe the bright light did make your eyes react?”
Donnie shrugged. “I know it was sunny because I could feel the heat, but I couldn’t see anything different.”
The door opened and two sets of footsteps entered.
“Mr. Donaldson. It’s good to see you again.”
“Wish I could say the same,” Donnie said tightly.
“Dr. Swanson, this is Charlie, a friend of Donnie’s.” Sophie made the introduction.
“I’m sure you’re eager for me to get straight down to it, so let’s do that,” Dr. Swanson said.
Donnie straightened in the chair, bracing for bad news. He gripped Charlie’s hand; grateful he wasn’t facing this alone.
“The inflammation has completely gone. Your brain looks good. Blood flow all normal. We ran tests on your eyes, and there is no visible damage. This is all very good news.”
Charlie’s hand tightened on his. “So why can't he see?” She asked the question that had been on his lips.
“Dr. Summers mentioned you got some pain behind the eyes on your way here in the sun without glasses. This would be a normal reaction to looking at bright sunlight, when your eyes have been exposed to trauma, like the concussion you had.”
“So, what does this mean?” Donnie asked.
“It means your eyes reacted. They noticed the change. However—” The doctor paused, and Donnie’s stomach plummeted. Here it was. “I can't tell you if your sight will return in full. Or how long it will take. While we cannot see any visible damage, sometimes the eyes never recover completely.”
“But he will get some sight back?” Charlie asked hopefully.
"Yes. In my experience, with cases like this, some sight always returns. We’re just not sure how good it will be.”
“Will it be good enough for me to continue to operate?” That was all that mattered. If he couldn't rejoin his team, then he might as well be blind.
“I wish I could tell you, but only time will tell. You might get it back in full. You might get partial. It’s too soon to say.”
Donnie swallowed. Once again, he had to wait, not knowing if he would ever be able to rejoin his team.
Dr. Swanson spoke for a little longer, but he barely heard any of it. When Swanson left the room, Sophie spoke.
“Donnie?” Her voice was soft.
“Even if my sight returns, I might be off the team.”
“We don’t know that yet. You could be as good as new. If your sight doesn't meet operating requirements, there might be other options. Contact lenses, laser correction. We will deal with that if it happens. One step at a time.”
“I’m a sniper, Sophie. I need perfect sight.”
“And you may have it.”
“How long? Typically. Give me a ballpark. This waiting is killing me.”
He heard her sigh. “After trauma like this, it can be anywhere between a few days and a few weeks. Sometimes longer. Eyes, just like the rest of the body, take time to heal.”
Great. He could have months ahead of him being blind.
“Try to relax. I know that’s hard, but stress and tension will not help them heal. I’ll give you eye drops, too. It might not seem like it was good news today, but it was. There’s no visible damage to your eyes. This complete blindness isn't permanent.”
“Thank you, Doctor.” Charlie said.
“Call me Sophie, please. A friend of Donnie’s is a friend of mine. Are you planning to stay here for a while?”
“Not sure how long. A few days at least. Depends on if this one gets fed up with me.”
Donnie stayed quiet. He wanted Charlie to stay, but that was selfish. She should go and move on with her life.
“Thanks, Sophie, for all that you’re doing. I know you could have handed me off to Dr. Swanson.” Donnie felt genuine gratitude.
“You’re family, Donnie. Like I’d let anyone else take care of you.
” The love in her voice was evident. “Now, I do need to leave you as I need to get back to the ER.
Call me if you have any questions or concerns.
You, too, Charlie. Donnie has my number.
Let's follow up again in a few days and see how things are.”
A few minutes later, back in his Bronco, Charlie started the engine.
“It was a little bit of good news, right?” she said.
“Yeah,” he replied, not wanting to talk about it. If he couldn’t operate, life as he knew it was over.