Ellis put a hand on my arm. “Good. I have no doubt that she’s in good hands.”
I went back to the living room to find Bree leaning back against the couch. “Is she gone?” Bree asked.
“She is.”
“She’s nice.”
I took the seat Ellis had been in. “She is nice. Do you feel any different about the surgery?”
She blew out a breath. “I don’t know.”
“The risks seem pretty minimal compared to the potential reward,” I told her.
“I suppose.”
She was shutting down. I didn’t understand what was happening. She’d been engaged with Ellis. She had sounded interested. She sounded like she really wanted to do the surgery. “What’s going on here?” I asked her.
“Nothing.”
“Bree, don’t do that. Don’t shut down on me. What’s going through your mind?”
She put her hands over her face. “Do you want me to get the surgery because that will make me more attractive? Make me worthy of being with you?”
My jaw dropped. “What? What are you talking about?”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to do this. I don’t have the right to unburden my soul on you. You’re my caregiver. Nothing more.”
“Bree that is not true. Not true at all. I am here for you.”
“You’re here, but you’re here as my caregiver, not my boyfriend.”
I regretted giving into the desire. I should have kept my hands to myself. She didn’t need any extra stress. “I may not be your official boyfriend, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about you. I still feel the same way. None of that has changed.”
“Would me being able to see make it easier on you? Like for us to be together?”
I got up and moved to sit beside her. “No. The only thing that would be easier on me is for you to be in a good place. I don’t care if you can see that place or not. I want you in a good place up here.” I tapped on the side of her head. “Good headspace.”
“I’m not a basket case,” she retorted.
I so wanted to kiss her. I was dying to kiss her. “I’m not saying you’re crazy.”
“Oh, Luke, I want to do the surgery, I really do, but I am having a hard time believing it’s as easy as she says it is. I don’t understand why no one else can do it. She swoops in with her little bat-cape to save the day. I just don’t know what to think.”
“She doesn’t wear a cape, but this is a chance. This is a chance for you to get your sight and do all those things you told me you missed doing. If you truly don’t want to do it, then I’m okay with that. I will talk to your father about replacing me and you and I can see where things go.”
“You guys have given me a lot to think about.”
I laughed. “Good. That was the goal. You need all the information. You need to be able to weigh the pros and cons and come up with your decision. Please, feel free to talk to me about anything. Sometimes it helps just to say what’s on your mind. You can tell me anything. We were friends before anything else, right? Can we still be friends while we navigate this thing?”
“I would like to be your friend,” she said with a smile. “I’ll make up my mind. I promise. I’m close, but can I just have another day or two to think on it. Besides, I’m sure I have to be healthy before I can get surgery anyway. I still have this cold lingering.”
I frowned, so glad she couldn’t see me at that moment. She didn’t sound like she had a cold. I hoped she wasn’t planning to use that as an excuse. “I’m not sure a cold will keep you from eye surgery, but we will absolutely talk to Ellis about it if you choose to go that way. You don’t have to do it right away. If
this cold kicks into gear, then we wait until you’re over it.”
“Hopefully, it doesn’t go to pneumonia.”
I burst into laughter, assuming she was joking. The look on her face said she was serious. “You’re going to be fine. Trust me. You’ve got me as your nurse and I won’t let you get pneumonia.”