Over the following year, he became my regular physician, then my friend.
Sometimes he escorted me to the parking lot after appointments, describing the scenery around us.
“It’s one of those clear, sharp blue days,” he told me once.
I laughed. “That sounds lovely.”
Eventually, our friendship developed into something deeper.
One evening, after an appointment, he nervously invited me out.
“I know this crosses a line,” he admitted one evening in his office,
after my appointment. “But I’d regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t at least ask. Would you go out on a date with me?”
I understood that romantic relationships between doctors and patients were complicated.
Perhaps I should have hesitated.
But I’d developed feelings for Nigel, so I accepted.
Dating him felt surprisingly natural.
He described the visible world without treating me as helpless. He encouraged me to cook despite occasional burned meals and remembered exactly how I preferred my coffee, always positioning the mug three inches from my right hand.
Two years later, we married. By then, Nigel was no longer my physician.
The evening before our wedding, I gently explored his features with my fingertips.
“You have a strong jaw,” I said softly.
“Is that good?” he asked.
“I think so. You feel steady.”
He kissed my palm. “I am.”
Eventually, we welcomed two
children, Ethan and Rose.
I memorized their faces through touch while Nigel continued advancing in his medical career.
He specialized in complicated optic nerve reconstruction, frequently working late into the night in his home office.
Sometimes I’d awaken around two in the morning and discover his side of the bed empty.
“Stay in bed,” I’d mumble when he finally slid under the covers.
“I’m close,” he would whisper. “I’m so close to something big.”
I assumed he was pursuing a breakthrough for another patient.
I never suspected the truth.
Then, after twenty years of blindness, Nigel made an extraordinary announcement.
“Babe, I finally figured out how to do it,” he said one evening, his voice shaking. “Our dream is going to come true. You’ll be able to see. Trust me!”
I froze at our kitchen table, my heartbeat thundering.
