The world felt dull. Desirae spent all of two nights in the hospital, her best friend by her side as the time ticked on. Her left eye was covered by a gauze, doctors coming in and out to check her neck brace and wrist. She had a few fractures, all held together by metallic bracelets that had a holographic, physical barrier. Each time she reached her unfractured wrist up to touch it, it would hiss and send a slight shock. Not much, but enough to keep the patient from messing with something already broken. She questioned him and wondered if he would be in trouble at work for not being there the past two days, but he simply shrugged it off and waved his hand. Zeke was always vague when he knew he’d be in deep shit later on—he never wanted to worry her. It seemed it was her job to worry him instead. The primary doctor walked into the room, a stethoscope with a glowing blue circle on the outside hung around his neck. He nodded towards them, his brow furrowed. “Good morning, Miss Abernathy. I have good news!” Desirae grumbled, and Zeke leaned forward so he was leaning forward on his knees. The circles under his eyes were dark, and the tips of his dark hair were curled and tousled in ways she wasn’t used to. Typically, he was clean-shaven and more well-kempt than hers. Today, he looked like a mess. To be fair, I don’t look much better, she reminded herself. “Your tests have come back normal. Your cuts are closing and healing nicely, and we can take the neck brace off, but the only thing we are worried about is that eye of yours.” His tone was so excitable. It almost felt like he was supposed to boop her nose at the end of his statement. With flushed cheeks, she closed her revealed eye and sighed. “What is it, doc?” Zeke chuckled under his breath and tapped his finger against his knee. The doctor made a tsking sound as he looked over the screen to the right of her bed. All of her medical information at the tap of his finger, her fate residing in whatever document he was reading off of. Oi vey, she inwardly sighed, stop being so dramatic. “We noticed some trauma to the eye, from the glass slicing into some of the vital nerves. Luckily, it wasn’t both of your eyes—but the one we have gauzed is a little less than promising. The optic nerve was severed and…” She drowned him out. He was going on and on about the damage to her eye, whether it was permanent or impermanent, and exactly what part was affected. Essentially, he was telling her she was blind in that eye and there wasn’t much they could do about it. Fantastic medical advancement. Desirae wasn’t sure how she felt. She could feel panic and think about the way her life had changed, or she could ignore everything completely and try to live life under the radar. However, that was possible, of course. Overall, she felt numb. She didn’t really care that her eye was blinded. Didn’t care that her depth perception would forever be screwed up. Didn’t care that she would have some stupid scar crossing her eyebrow and down to the tip of her left nostril. What she did care about? Her father did not once come by. No phone call. No text. Not even through Zeke. Radio silence. ⟨ᴠᴀɢʀᴀɴᴛ⟩ Later that day, after the doctors removed the neck brace, she prepared to leave. Zeke had already helped her gather her things, now the only thing left to do was get dressed. On the guest chair were a pair of Zeke’s sweatpants and hoodie, exactly what she would be wearing home since her own was tattered, torn, and stained with splatters of blood. This realization made her heart stop. The flash drive. Her phone. Both, gone. She lifted the clothes up in hopes to see it underneath, but it was only torn upholstery and nothing else. It was like a mad dash, looking in every nook and cranny in this room. The pain was secondary in comparison to the mental trauma she was experiencing over losing those two things. The only bag was nestled into the closet, her tattered clothes stuffed in lazily. Her stuff was gone. This was when the hyperventilation started. Her chest tightened, her heart raced, her bones felt like jello. The flash drive that her father just received was gone. Poof. And the only person who could have had access to that information? Her. Hell, she wasn’t even supposed to. It was hidden beneath that stupid hidden compartment and locked drawer. She gripped at her hair and paced the room before slowing her breathing, dropping her arm to hold onto the counter. She had to figure out a way to get that info back, fast. She didn’t want to see what happened if her dad found out. Finally snatching the sweats, she changed into them and stumbled backward a little. Her vision was blurred, and every time she reached out to touch something it seemed closer than it actually was. Cursing under her breath, she tossed her gown into the designated bin and grabbed whatever stuff she had here. As soon as she left the room, she was greeted by an overzealous nurse asking her to slow down. Her ankles weren’t fractured, it was all in her arm. Yet, they acted like she shouldn’t be walking. Waving her off, she walked out of the wing and right past Zeke who sat in the waiting room. “Come on, Zeke. I need to figure something out.” “What?” Zeke called out and practically sprinted towards her. She nodded and winced with each step, her bones aching whether they were injured or not. She felt immobile. “It’s too much to explain to you, and I don’t think you would understand because, hell, I don’t understand. I just need you to keep me company… please.” Zeke’s hoods grew heavy, his bottom lip puckering out before nodding. He lowered his stare to the ground as they walked to his vehicle, his words a whisper. “Whatever you say, Des. I just need ya to be okay.” Des bit her tongue, looking at him with sad eyes before nodding slowly. “I know, Zeke. I’m always okay when I’m with a goof life you.” With her gauze, her vision was blurred and her depth perception was but a dream. She could hardly tell if he was right next to her, or feet away. Her good eye stung, a tear threatening to tickle away from her tear duct and down her face, but she refused. Letting out a sigh, she turned away and stopped outside of his car. “Where did you want to go?” Zeke asked. “Where I got hit,” Desirae said shakily, nodding confidently. “I need to see something.” Zeke’s eyes got wide, his head shaking with his jaw dropped wide. “Are you crazy? Isn’t it a little too soon for that?” Desirae shrugged, picking at the fabric of her shirt with her unbraced hand. “I don’t really care. I have bigger shit to deal with.” With that, Zeke nodded slowly and unlocked the door, letting her in first before him. “You’re gonna drive me fuckin’ crazy, Des.” “Good. Life’s a little more fun with crazy.”