Eyes Read Online Free

had been shaking as she’d driven to the hospital. Was this God’s way of punishing her for trying to divorce Neil? She was a rational person, she told herself, and she’d refused to believe God kept track of every broken marriage. Neil’s hospitalization was a coincidence, nothing more, nothing less. But it had kept her from filing for divorce.
    The doctor had explained everything when she’d arrived. Neil would be kept several days for testing and observation, but he was convinced that Neil’s eyesight was failing, that he had a rare, degenerative disease called Lompec’s Syndrome. There were only five cases in the medical literature. Dr. Varney had seen one case when he’d been an intern, and he believed there was hope if they treated Neil with a combination of powerful drugs to knock out the virus.
    Jill had nodded. What was the prognosis? Would the drug therapy restore his sight?
    Not entirely, Dr. Varney had told her. The disease had already done considerable muscle damage, but that could be handled surgically. Right now, Neil was experiencing tunnel vision, another symptom of Lompec’s Syndrome. His peripheral vision was narrowing quite rapidly, and even with the proper drug therapy, it would take time to improve.
    Jill had shuddered. The whole thing sounded horrible—and it had happened so suddenly. Only last week Neil had mentioned that he wasn’t seeing well and might have to get glasses, but neither of them had realized he had such a disease.
    Dr. Varney had nodded. That was the problem with Lompec’s Syndrome. The symptoms came on so gradually, the patient learned to compensate for his impaired vision. Luckily, Neil had come in for testing while there was still time to reverse the process, but they were too late to save his corneas. He would need a double corneal transplant, and Dr. Varney had already put Neil’s name on the waiting list.
    Jill had asked the obvious question. What if they couldn’t find a donor in time? And even if they did, what if the transplant didn’t work?
    The doctor had told her not to worry, that they’d cross that bridge when, and if, they came to it. Drug therapy would slow and eventually stop the progress of the disease, but even if Neil’s eye muscles were repaired and he responded well to the corneal transplant, there was no harm in being prepared. The Institute For The Blind had some excellent programs, and he’d advised Neil to enroll. The Institute would provide a support network to help him through his anxious time.
    Of course Jill hadn’t filed the divorce papers. She couldn’t leave Neil at this time of uncertainty. But he hadn’t been easy to live with, and tonight she felt trapped and resentful. She no longer loved him, but she had to stay with him. It wasn’t so much the vows she’d taken when they’d married. “In sickness and in health” was definitely a factor, but what trapped her was her own sense of fairness. Neil was in trouble; leaving him now would be wrong.
    Today the hospital had done more tests, and the results weren’t good. Neil’s eyesight had deteriorated drastically in the past eight months. He was still able to distinguish between dark and light, but his peripheral vision had narrowed to the point where he could only see in an arc of twenty degrees in the strongest light.
    Neil refused to take classes at the Institute. He said it was beneath his dignity to stumble around with a white cane and a guide dog. He was wallowing in self-pity, which was only natural, but lately he’d begun to take his frustration out on her. Jill understood his anger. Fate had dealt him a cruel blow. But she really didn’t know how much more abuse she could take.
    Neil’s hope for a transplant was fading, too. He’d only be a candidate for a few more weeks. After that, his nerves would have degenerated to the point where a transplant wouldn’t restore