Defiant Heir (The Heirs 3)

“Sure,” she grins, wagging her eyebrows at me.

Needing strength to get through this game, I pour myself some whiskey and let the liquid burn down my throat while the arrow stops on Mila.

“Crap,” she mutters under her breath, probably already knowing what the next question is, seeing as she has the list. She scrunches her nose, then reads, “Would you rather have a baby now or never?”

Before she can answer, Jase says, “Guess we’re leaving y’all to go make a baby.”

His reaction draws laughter from us all, and it helps to ease the tension hanging in the air like a suffocating cloud.

When the arrow lands on Kao, my eyes dart between him and Mila.

“Would you rather have sex with a friend or a stranger?”

His eyebrow raises at the question, and not taking a moment to think, which he usually would do, he answers, “A friend.”

“There’s a lot I’d do for you, but that’s a solid hell no,” Noah mutters.

Everyone laughs until Jase asks, “Which one of us?”

Kao tilts his head in Jase’s direction, and his features tighten. “I can’t see shit, so it doesn’t really matter.” Kao gets up, and feeling his way around the couch, I watch as he leaves.

“Well, that didn’t work,” Mila murmurs, a sad frown between her brows.

My eyes dart over my friends, and seeing the strain on their faces makes a new worry grow in me.

Are we going to survive, or will this accident rip us all apart?KAOI’ve only been back at the hospital for an hour, and already I’m nauseous from the disinfectant clinging to every surface.

Last night was one of the longest of my life. I kept wavering between feeling hopeful and scared out of my mind.

Dr. Davis checks my eyes, then begins to explain, “You won’t be able to see right after the surgery.”

“And after?” Dad asks from where he’s sitting next to the bed.

“Kao,” Dr. Davis addresses me, “you’ll have to wear dark prescription sunglasses, and you’ll have to sleep with the eye shields on to protect the cornea against rubbing. Your eyes will be light-sensitive, and you’ll probably get headaches. At first, you’ll see shades of black and gray. You’ll be able to see a person, but not what they look like. Gradually color and the finer details will return. After two months, you should be able to see well, and your sight will start to settle.”

“How long will the whole process take?” I ask. Dr. Davis sounds confident that I’ll see again, and it stirs hope in my chest.

Maybe.

“Six to twelve weeks,” Dr. Davis answers. He gives my shoulder a squeeze. “I’ll see you in the operating room.”

I nod, and after he’s left, Dad's voice is optimistic as he says, “It all sounds good. How do you feel?”

Too scared to let the hope in. I won’t survive the crushing blow of being blind a second time.

“I’m good,” I lie, even trying to curve my lips into a smile.

After a while, a nurse comes to get me. When I’m lying on a bed in the operating room, and I hear the medical staff move around me, my heartbeat begins to speeds up.

I start to breathe faster and grip the covers tightly.

Fuck. The hope took root. What if it doesn’t work?

Panic builds in my chest as the fear fills my mind.

I feel fingers wrap around my hand. “I’m here, my angel-boy.”

Hearing my godmother’s voice makes a lump rush up my throat. Even though she’s a nurse at this hospital, I didn’t expect her to be present at the surgery.

“Mamma G?” I ask, still not able to believe she’s here.

“You’re going to be just fine,” she assures me. “If your daddy could do it, so can you.”

I nod, feeling so much better now that I know she’ll be here throughout the surgery. It sucks that I have to be awake for the procedure, but with my godmother here, it won’t be as daunting.

“Thanks, Mamma G,” I whisper, gripping her hand tighter. She’s always been the heart of our circle of family and friends, but right now, she’s everything. “Thank you.”

I feel her press a kiss to my hand. “I love you my, angel-boy.”

The procedure begins, and I try to focus on Miss Sebastian’s fingers gripping mine. Every now and then, she gives me a squeeze.

I’m unable to take in any of the medical jargon as Dr. Davis works on my eyes.

Even though he said I won’t see anything right away, I keep hoping to see a flash of light, a shadow… God, anything but this total black pit of hell.Dr. Davis said the surgery went well. I manage to get some sleep during the night, and when I wake up, it takes me a moment to remember the day before.

“Morning,” I hear Miss Sebastian say happily. “It’s about time you woke up. You almost missed breakfast.” I hear cutlery, and then she asks, “Do you want some coffee, and then we can fight about how much you’ll eat?”