Blind Love

Chapter 76 • Birds And The Bees

"I'll be waiting just down the hall, JJ. It won't be long. I love you."

"I love you, too." Her voice cracks and I know she's tearing up, but I have to be strong.

"We'll take good care of her, Mr. Styles," Rosie says and I force a brave smile in her direction.

"Ready, Mr. Styles?" Spencer asks.

"Yes," I reply, holding out my hand and Spencer guides my hand to his elbow. With my free hand using my white cane, we make our way out of JJ's room. "So, can you explain to me again what you're going to do for JJ now?"

"Right, so while Rosie gives your wife a sponge bath, I'll be changing her linens and swapping out the covers and all that. It really shouldn't take long, but it's better if the loved one isn't in the room for it."

"Sure. Of course. I don't want to be in the way."

"I didn't mean to say you're in the way. It's the hospital's practice to keep the families away while we move the patient when there are delicate circumstances," he explains and I nod in acknowledgment. "Alright, here we are at the waiting room. There's a chair to your right. Can I get you a cup of coffee while you wait?"

"Uhm, yes, please, only if you don't mind," I reply, letting go of his elbow and I feel around the chair's structure so I can sit down.

"I don't mind at all. Cream and sugar?"

"No, black is just fine," I reply, folding my white cane to hold it on my lap. The strong aroma lets me know the coffee station is close, perhaps even in this waiting room for the family and friends waiting for their loved ones.

"Here you go, Mr. Styles. It's a fresh pot, mind you," he says, guiding my hand and I carefully take it knowing that it's hot. "There's a small wooden table next to your chair on your left to set it on if you'd like. I'll come get you when we're finished."

"Thanks, Spencer. I appreciate your help, and thanks for the coffee. It's really good."

"Good. I'm glad. Okay, I'm gonna go now."

I nod and it's now I notice the soft murmurings of other people who are waiting here in the room with me. From the last time I checked my phone, my guess is that it's about six-thirty in the morning, so everyone is being quieter than usual. The low volume of what I can assume is canned laughter coming from the tellie drowns out my own thoughts and I feel around for the table that Spencer told me about, making sure there's nothing in my way.

"Look, Grampa, look. What's wrong with that, that, that man?"

From the sound of her voice and pronunciation of her L's in Y's, I can tell the girl is quite young and doesn't mean any harm.

"Shhh, Tabitha. That's not a very nice thing to say about someone," the older-sounding gentleman chides the little girl.

"But what's wrong with him?" she asks again and her grandfather is probably too stunned to think of an answer, so I take it upon myself to explain.

"It's okay, sir. I'm blind so I can't see anything-"

"You can't see anything?"

I grin at her pronunciation of her TH's as an F sound, "Nope, but this is my white cane and it helps me make sure nothing is in my way when I'm walking so I don't trip and fall."

"Ohhh. Can I try it?"

"Tabitha Irene, darling, no. Come here. Oh where is your grandma when I need her?" he chuckles nervously and clears his throat. "Sorry about that, sir. I hope we didn't offend you."