Love At Last Sight ✔

Chapter Five

Nandini Murthy

The view in front of me is serene, opposite to the turbulent war raging inside my head. It seems just yesterday when I had got to know about my disease and now it's like I'm going to lose my eyesight tomorrow. It has been two months since my doctor informed me about it. To say I was shocked, would be the understatement of the century. I had been simply devastated.

I still remember the first time I'd got to know about my disease. That meet is crystal clear in my head and I don't think it'll ever fade. I close my eyes as it goes through my head all over again.

Playing with the paper weight, I wait for Dr. Hale, my doctor, to arrive with my reports. It's a few days ago when my eyes have started to hurt on exposure to bright light. I know, it's because of the sleepless nights and busy days I'm having recently. In addition to that, continuous crying because of Murthy's doesn't help at all.

So, visiting the doctor is the most obvious thing. Two days back I had gone through a check up and today, its reports are coming up. I don't understand why that check up drama was needed. I'm fine—just a little medication is needed. Though, the earlier medication hasn't worked well.

I roll my eyes, tapping my foot loudly so that Dr. Hale will know—I am still waiting. A few minutes later, he takes his seat opposite to me.

"Miss Nandini Murthy, right?" He asks and I nod.

"Where are your parents?" He enquires further, looking serious. I roll my eyes. Gosh! Is he going to continue with this drama?

"They are busy." I give my regular excuse but the truth is—they don't care enough. God! Why am I not eighteen yet? Irritated, I continue to take my mind off that thing, "What does the reports say?"

"Miss Murthy, does anyone in your family have any sort of eye problem?" He questions, his grave tone, unsettling.

"I don't know. I was adopted." I shake my head, "Why are you asking this? Is anything wrong? I'm okay, right?"

It's starting to scare me now. I'm fine, ain't I? I drink a sip of water from the glass kept on the table, in an attempt to soothe my dry throat.

"You are diagnosed with Cone-Rod Dystrophy."

"Wh-what?" I cough out, the water splattering. "Come again?"

"Cone-Rod Dystrophy." He repeats patiently, passing me a few tissues.

"What's that Con—Ro—Dy—whatever?" I ask once I have managed myself. My dress is still wet with splatters and my eyes wide but who cares? This Con-Ro thing is already sounding scary as fuck.

"Let me explain this a bit briefly." Sighing, he leans back in his chair, "The retina is the light-sensitive portion of our eyes. It processes our vision. When light hits the retina, it is absorbed by some specific cells and which signals our brain and tells it that we're seeing. Those cells which absorb the light are called as cones and rods. If they don't work properly then so follows our vision."

I give him a blank stare as I try to process his words. "Please tell me it's not what I'm thinking it is."

"Cone-Rod Dystrophy is a rare genetic disease which destroys those cones and rod cells progressively." He interlaces his slim fingers, expressions grim. "It'll slowly damage your eyesight, eventually leading to vision loss."

VISION LOSS????

Something must have gone wrong! This mustn't be true. It can't be. He has indeed gone mad. Mistake. Yes, mistake.