Page 77 of No Fear

“Yes, well no.”

“What is it? Is Dad OK?”

Maddie was on her feet walking toward her, frowning.

“No. He’s fine,” her mom said. “I just ran into Mrs. Donaldson. It’s Donnie. He was hurt.”

Chapter Thirteen

Donnie lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Well, his head faced the ceiling. He was losing hope. Everyone kept telling him to stay positive and be patient, but shouldn't he be seeing some improvement by now? Shadows. Lights. Something? He was struggling to keep his shit together. Scared and alone, despite the team rallying around him.

Don’t push your team away. You’ll only be alone if you choose to be.

Tracer’s word rattled in his head. He was trying, but it wasn’t easy. His temper was short. Even speaking to his folks and Charlie had been a challenge.

He’d handled the call with Charlie all wrong and now she wouldn't answer him. He couldn't exactly text her. He didn’t want to tell her he was blind. He could barely admit it to himself, and he sure as hell didn't want her pity. He didn't want her to see him as the shadow of the man he was when he left her in Toronto.

He hadn't told his folks the whole truth either. Just that he’d been hurt and had a bad concussion. As he’d thought, they wanted to come to Coronado. He had managed to put them off, saying he needed rest and quiet, and the team were looking after him. And they were. All the guys had called and checked in.

Not knowing the time, he had no idea how long he had been asleep. He listened, catching birdsong outside. He couldn’t hear the elevator, or neighbors leaving for work, so it had to be early morning. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he reached out, feeling for the bedside table. His hand found the cane Mackie had left there. He swiped at it and heard it crash to the floor. No fucking way was he using that.

He stood and shuffled slowly toward the door, mentally picturing his condo in his head. Feeling for the doorknob, he opened it and stepped into the hallway. He turned gingerly, holding onto the opposite wall and felt his way forward, until his hand landed on the frame of the bathroom door.

It took an eternity to get inside, find the toilet, and do his business. At least he heard his pee tinkle into water, meaning his aim was good. He made his way to the kitchen.

“Hey, man, how did you sleep?” Mackie asked.

“OK. What time is it?”

“Five-thirty.”

“Did you get some sleep?”

“Yeah, I did, on your couch. It’s pretty comfy.”

Donnie grunted, wishing he didn’t need a babysitter.

“I take it there’s no change?” Mackie asked.

“No.”

“I just made coffee. I’ll get you some. I'm going to head back to my place for a shower and change of clothes. Will you be good alone for a bit? Or you can come with me?”

“I’ll be fine.”

He smelled the coffee Mackie placed in front of him. Then he managed to get himself onto a bar stool. The team often trained in complete darkness without NVGs. He never thought he’d be using that training for this purpose, but he was conscious how acute his other senses had become. Every little noise was louder. Every smell stronger. Even the coffee tasted different.

“I’ve put the TV remote in front of you in case you want to listen to the news or something.” Donnie heard the dull clack of the remote’s plastic casing against his countertop.

“Thanks. Are there any new messages on my phone?” he asked, hoping Charlie might have called.

“Nothing. It’s early. Only idiots like us are up at this time.”

Except it was eight-thirty in New York.

“No training today?”

“Nope. Sam told us to take the day.”