Page 92 of Jump or Fall
“I’m so sorry this happened,” he said, his voice weak.
She hauled herself up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed, facing him. The sudden motion made her head spin, but she didn’t want to lay there anymore. “I should have listened to you.”
His voice cracked. “What?”
Tears welled in her uncovered eye, while the other burned—something was wrong with it.
Pressing a shaky palm to her forehead, she tried to steady herself as she said, “We should have left. If we had, we’d be free. We could roam from place to place, sleep under the stars… maybe find a new city.”
He pulled her close, gently pressing the uninjured side of her face to his chest. She’d never known a presence so comforting until meeting him—his warmth, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.
“Please don’t,” he said softly. “We can still do that if it’s what you want. I love you, Mara. I’m yours forever.”
Her chest swelled with emotion. He loved her back. All of the doubt she’d carried, all the questioning—it didn’t matter anymore.
“I love you, Gordon. And I’m yours.”
He kissed the top of her head and massaged her back with slow, reassuring circles. “I have something for you.”
Reaching down, he lifted something from the floor. It was her God’s Eye helmet.
She wrapped her arms around it.
“I asked Kimmie to bring it over. I hoped it would be something nice to wake up to.”
Mara was stunned. “Thank you. I’m surprised Kimmie would do something nice for me.”
“She’s stubborn and says stupid shit sometimes, but there’s a heart in there.”
Another wave of burning and itching started, like someone was holding a torch to her skin. She balled up her fists. “Fuck! This hurts.”
He rubbed her back again. “I know. There’s a salve that helps, but just don’t scratch. I’m sure Kaur will give you a whole talk.”
A knock at the door diverted their attention, and a woman with brown skin and a mottled scar on her chin and neck entered.
She smiled softly. “Hello, Ms. Tainan, I’m Dr. Kaur. I know it’s not a great question, but how are you feeling?”
“Like I’ve been run over.” Another burning sensation made her gasp. “I need to get this off.”
The doctor carefully removed the bandage, and a rush of cool air soothed her healing skin. She attempted to open her left eye, but a sharp tugging pain stopped her.
She was about to touch her face, but thought better of it. “Is there a mirror?”
The doctor placed one in her hand.
Mara held it up, afraid of what she would see.
Her eye was gone. The lids, or what was left, had been pieced back together. There were three jagged vertical lines stitched closed down her face.
“He took my eye…”
“I’m sorry, Ms. Tainan. There was nothing I could do. The damage was too severe.”
An array of emotions overwhelmed her, fighting to get out. Not only was she scarred—she was half-blind. Every time she thought there was nothing more Dawson could take, he found something new.
“It’s possible to live normally with only one eye. You’ll have trouble with depth perception, but with practice, you’ll learn how to navigate safely.”
Mara had nothing to say. It was all too fresh. The only thing that had been keeping her together until meeting Gordon was her job, but now that was gone. Stuck in Eight unless she concealed her face—what kind of job could she find if they left the city? Armor had been her whole life.
