Dan's POV

It was so fast. One moment, he was right next to me,and the next, he was in the hospital. I couldn't tell if I was sweating or crying, but I was definitely scared.

We were walking along the pavement when it happened.Out of nowhere, as we tried to cross the street, a city bus honked,and my eyes squeezed shut. He had run ahead of me. He was soon on the ground. People were screaming and frantically calling ambulances. I screamed and ran to him.

He didn't move.

His head was bleeding, and he had been struck head first. I stood over him, yelling things I don't even remember, justanything to keep him conscious. He looked up at me, and I saw him try to mouth my name.

"Phil!" I had yelled at him. "Don't go to sleep! Stay awake!"

His arm twitched, and he painfully reached his bloodied hand up at me. I grabbed it. His grip was weak, and I didn't care that he was getting his blood on me. I held him as a group of people surrounded us. Soon, paramedics shoved me out of the way and took him from me. I ran behind them.

"How are you related?" they asked me.

"He's my best friend," I explained, and they let me in the ambulance with them.

When we arrived at the hospital, they rushed him away from me. That's all I remembered as I sat alone, waiting for someone- anyone - to come out of the operating room and tell me he was okay.

I had been sitting in the room for close to three endless hours while my best friend was in there. Why were they taking so long? Was he okay? My mind shot in several different scenarios, some I didn't want to imagine to ever be true. Someone finally stepped out, and I shot up to her.

"How is he?" I asked rapidly.

"Sir, please sit," the doctor instructed."Daniel Howell, correct?"

"Yes."

"Well, your friend Phil is in pretty bad condition. He has several injuries in his right arm and leg, but no broken bones, and several bruises and road burns." She looked at her clipboard. "His skull wasn't damaged and his spinal cord was spared, but the impact crucially damaged his optic nerve."

"Optic nerve? W-what does that mean?"

"Sir," she said softly, "the optic nerve connects the eyes to the brain. Your friend is fully blind in both eyes."

Phil's POV

My head hurt. My entire body was in pain. I opened my eyes, but I couldn't see. I figured it was a horrible blur. Who knows what kinds of drugs they put me on.

My first thought was to find Dan. Did he get hit? Was he alright? I tried to move, and moaned in pain. Someone must've heard me, as I could hear people begin to move around. Soon, I heard his voice.

"Phil?!"

"Dan? Is that you?"

He touched my hand. "Yes, it's me! Oh my God, you're awake!"

I rubbed my face and smiled. I imagine he smiled too."Ugh," I groaned. "Did you get hit too? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he said. "I'm just so glad that you're okay!"

I again rubbed my eyes, hoping my vision would clear so I could look at him. "Did they give me drugs or something that's supposed to affect vision?"

He didn't answer.

"Dan? Are you still there?"

I remembered he was holding my hand. He squeezed tighter. "Yeah, I'm here."

"Dan, what's going on? Why can't I see?"

"It doesn't matter right now," he said. "I'll tell you what they told me later. For now, I'm just so happy you'reokay. I thought I lost you...." his voice dipped like he was very serious.

"Of course not," I smiled.

I assumed he smiled as well.

I let go of him, and felt my left hand over to my pained right arm and leg. They seemed to be wrapped in a cast, and I could not move them. "My arm and leg," I asked. "Are they broken?"

"No," he said slowly, "only bruised and road burned, so they're wrapped to protect them. Do they hurt?"

"I can't really tell. I guess I'm in shock still."

When he didn't say anything, I searched for his hand again, worried he'd gone away. "Are you still there? Dan?"

He took the hand quickly. "Yes, Phil, stay calm. I'm still here."

"Ugh, this is irritating!" I said."Everything's black! Why can't I see?"

Dan touched me gently on the top of my hand. I could hear his breath get shaky. "Phil," he said, "I'm so sorry to tell you this."

"Tell me what?"

He was hesitant. "When you got hit, a nerve in your head was damaged."

I lost my smile. "What?"

"What was it called?" he asked himself. "I don't remember, but it's the one that connects the eyes to the brain. You're... you're blind, Phil." I could hear him crying now."I-I'm so sorry."

Everything froze.

"Phil?"

What could I possibly say?

Dan's gentle hand wiped a tear from my face. We didn't speak for a while, but he didn't let go of my hand. Someone stepped in the room.

"Mr. Howell," a woman's voice said. "If we could have a word with Mr. Lester?"

I felt his grip loosen, so I tightened mine on him."No," I said loudly. I didn't want him to leave me. "No. Let him stay. Please."

"Fine. Have you told him?" she asked.

I felt a jiggle in my palm, so I guessed Dan nodded to her.

"Good. Well, Phil, we're going to take you to an optical rehabilitation centre to have you learn how to function all over again. It's very difficult and will require help from your friend, but it shouldn't be too much of a problem. Your insurance covers everything, and it isn't far location. We will send you home in a few days to be safe. Otherwise, you are looking surprisingly well."

I didn't answer for a moment. "Okay."

Everything in me shut down. I wasn't even yet able to grasp the concept that I would never see again.