I knew this question was going to come up sooner or later. I had never read anything about a lightning strike blinding someone because the chances of it happening honestly seemed like slim to none...but there was still that unfortunate possibility.

"I'm sure there's a chance it will," I said, hoping with all my heart that I wasn't lying to her. "As a matter of fact, I'll call the hospital and tell them what happened. I'm sure we'll be able to book a quick appointment."

She said nothing to me as she looked back down. I dried her off a bit more before helping her to her to her bed. I went to her closet and pulled out a shirt and a pair of sweatpants and laid them out on her bed beside her. Once I got some underwear and another towel, I sighed.

"I put out some clothes for you to change into," I told her while guiding her hands to the items I placed out. "If you need any help, just call, okay?" She gave me a silent nod and I took that as my cue to leave. "I'm going to try to contact the hospital to schedule an appointment for tomorrow." And with that, I went across the room and entered the studio archway.

I turned back towards Evelyn, who still didn't make a move to change her clothes. My heart sank as I pulled out my cell phone and dialed the number for the local hospital.

"We're sorry, but the number you have dialed has been disconnected. Please-" I hung up the phone and groaned in frustration.

The storm must have taken out the phone lines.

I took another peek at Evelyn, who was finally starting to remove her clothes. I quickly looked away, inhaled and exhaled deeply as my face heated up a bit. Alright, I'll just wait for her to finish.

"Kaiden?" Evelyn called. I kept my back to the room and answered her. "I was just making sure you were here."

"I'm still here, Evelyn," I replied. The pain she was feeling practically covered the room like a fog. "Do you need anything?"

"No...I guess..." she said sadly. "Can you come here? I'm done changing."

I turned around and walked into the room. She was staring straight ahead at the window that was displaying the still raging storm.

"What did the hospital say?" she asked. I kneeled in front of her and grabbed her hands in mine.

"The phone lines are down at the moment," I told her. Her expression began to wane and I hurried to comfort her. "But, I promise in the morning we'll go to the hospital."

"What if they can't do anything?" she asked. "What if they say I won't be able to see again?"

"If that happens, I promise to take care of you," I replied honestly. "I'll be your guide."

"But I can't be your partner anymore, Kaiden." Her eyes began to become watery again. I reached for a towel and pressed it to her face. "I can't paint if I can't see."

"We'll figure out a way around that too," I replied. However, I couldn't think of anything to be able to help her with that situation. No matter how I thought about it, she needed to see in order to paint.

"You're too hopeful." She pulled her hands from mine and hugged herself. "There's no way we'd figure something out...my career is over. Don't let me drag yours down. There's nothing we can do and you know it."

"Evelyn." I gently grabbed her hand and smiled. "I promise, I'll find a way for you. Don't give up on me so fast because I'm not ever going to give up on you." Evelyn was silent for a moment before she nodded her head. She sniffed as more tears spilled from her eyes.

"I really can't see, Kaiden..." she tried looking around. "Everything is just black."

"...come on, Eve." I stood up and guided her further into her bed. "I think you need to get some sleep." She said nothing as I pulled the blankets back and covered her up. She laid facing me, her eyes wide open.

"Are my eyes closed?" she asked.

"No," I replied with a small smile. Her gaze was directed at the window, not moving. She closed her eyes before slowly opening them again.

"There's no difference."

"Do you want some sleep medicine?" I asked her, but she only shook her head, still gazing at the window.

"Just stay here until I go to sleep."

And so I stayed by her bedside, sitting on the floor and watching as she would slowly blink and continue to stare at the window. Eventually, after close to 10 minutes, her eyes finally began to close until they stayed shut.