A Shot In The Dark: Part Six

The P.O. was deserted when she walked in. The lights were dim and it was so still she could hear a low hum emanating form the core. The light was still on in Dennis’ office, which didn’t surprise her at all. She paused, then went inside.

Dennis was still working at his desk when she walked in. She walked over and placed a hand on the edge of the desk.

"I owe you an apology," she said. "I had no right to say that to you."

"You were upset." He glanced up at her. "I’m not mad at you."

"Yes you are," she sighed, "and you should be. Johanna was my friend, but she was your sister. I was incredibly insensitive."

"You were right, though. I’ve been trying to hide from what’s going on. So I guess it’s time to put hurt feelings aside and decide what we’re going to do."

"We need to talk to them. Let them know we’re concerned. They might not have even realized how bad things are."

Dennis nodded. "I want you to find out if there is anything we could possibly do to help AndrAIa. I think not being able to see is hurting her far more than she’s willing to let anyone know."

"I’ll start on it first thing in the morning," she replied.

"Thank you." Dennis reached out and took her hand. "Johanna would be proud to see you so concerned for these two. There was a time, not so long ago, when you didn’t care about anything, or anyone."

"You helped change that. You gave me something worth caring about." She smiled softly. "Let’s go home."

* * *

It was mid-cycle when Dennis got a reply back from one of the doctors Perl had contacted for him. AndrAIa was keeping Matrix and Perl company in the main control room as they looked over system maintenance, so Dennis called her aside into his office.

"Is something the matter?" AndrAIa asked, curious as to why the Command.com had wanted to meet with her in private.

"No, not at all. In fact, I might have some good news for you," Dennis replied. "There's someone who wants to meet with you. He heard about your condition and thinks he might be able to help. Would you be interested?"

AndrAIa nodded, not sure what to say. She'd all but consigned herself to the blindness, and here was one last ray of hope slipping in between the storm clouds. "I thought you would be. I'll set up an appointment for you. I don't think I have to tell you that there is guarantee that he'll be able to do anything, but I thought you at least deserved to know."

"Thank you, Dennis," she said earnestly, and rose to leave.

"No problem. It was worth it just to see a smile on your face."

* * *

"Did he say what this doctor thought he could do for you?"

Matrix, AndrAIa, and Frisket were sitting in the same cafe they'd come to their first full cycle in Turing.

"No. I don't think he knew himself. But if there is even the smallest chance he can do something, we have to take it. This could be what we've been waiting for."

Matrix took her hands in his own. She seemed more alive than she had in cycles. The sparkling personality he'd grown to love so much was reasserting itself at long last.

"I'm trying not to get my hopes up..." she continued, "There's a distinct possibility that there just isn't anything to be done. But it's hard not to get excited."

"When do you go?"

"Dennis was going to make the appointment. He'll let me know tomorrow. I hope this goes well."

"So do I," Matrix said, touching the side of her face gently.

"Warning: Incoming Game."

Matrix looked out the window at the descending game cube.

"I've got to go," he said apologetically.

"I know. I'll wait for you here." He stood and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Be careful," she said.

"I will."

* * *

"Matrix, AndrAIa, there you are. I've been waiting for you. Dr. Acros wants to meet with you immediately, if possible. I can have Perl show you where his office is."

"Now is fine," AndrAIa said. "Thank you, Dennis."

Dennis retrieved Perl from the other room. "You two ready to go?" She asked when she saw the two sprites.

AndrAIa nodded. "I'm a bit nervous. The last diagnostic program I went to said there was nothing he could do. I'm hoping it will be different this time around."

Perl smiled. "We all are, hun. Don't worry. I've got a good feeling about this."

* * *

"Hmmm...interesting." The one binome examined AndrAIa's eyes one last time before stepping back.

"Well?" Matrix asked from the corner of the room where he'd been asked to wait.

"It's a borderline case..." the doctor mused, "...but we just might be able to help. You have to understand that there is no guarantee that the procedure I'm considering will fully restore her sight."

"What sort of procedure?" AndrAIa asked, a hint of apprehension in her voice.

"It's a fairly new operation." Dr. Acros began to outline what the surgery entailed. "The ones we have performed so far have had good results. Normally, it's used to treat a degenerative eye condition, but its symptoms, and the ones caused by your accident are strikingly similar."

"So what you're really saying is that you don't know if this will work at all?" Matrix asked.

"Well, young man, any operation has its risks. This might not return her full sight. It might not do anything at all. And there is a chance, a slight possibility, that she could lose what little vision she has left."

"I think this is something we're going to have to talk over," AndrAIa said.

"Of course. This isn't something you should take lightly. Take a few cycles to think it over."

"We'll let you know what we decide," she said, and stood to go. Matrix came over and took her hand. "And thank you for everything. You've no idea how much this means to me."

"You're very welcome," the doctor replied. "And I hope to see you again."

Matrix and AndrAIa left the office, deep in conversation. "I know you want to go through with this," Matrix said. "I can see it on your face."

"This might be the only chance I have of seeing again, Enzo. This might be our chance to continue searching for Mainframe. Of course I want to do this. Don't you?"

"What sort of question is that? Of course I want you to see again. I'm just concerned."

"You worry too much. The gains outweigh any of the possible risks."

"What if it doesn't work? What if you lose the rest of your sight?"

"Then I'm really no worse off than I am now. At least then I won't know what I'm missing," she replied dryly. "It's torture to be able to see just well enough to know what it is I'm not seeing."

Matrix sighed. "You're right. Still, let's give it a few cycles, just in case you change your mind."

AndrAIa laughed at the uneasiness she heard in Matrix's voice.

"It's a simple operation, Enzo. You heard what Dr. Acros said. It won't take more than a few milliseconds. The work they did on your eye took longer than that."

"Yeah, but I was the one having the operation," he muttered. "What if something goes wrong?"

"Nothing is going to go wrong! Stop worrying."

"Easy for you to say."

"No, it's not. I've never even been in a hospital before, well, aside from visiting you. I'm a little apprehensive myself. But that's not important. We just have to think positively."

"Yeah, sure." Matrix didn't sound entirely convinced.

AndrAIa sighed. "I know you're just worried about my well-being, and it's touching, but you really need to lighten up."

"I'll lighten up when this is all over. But I respect your judgment."

"Thank you." She stood on tiptoes and kissed him.

"You're welcome. Let's head back to the P.O. and tell Dennis and Perl."

"Good idea, lover."

* * *

They'd gone back to Dr. Acros a few cycles later and made the appointment for her operation. It was scheduled for a second from the present cycle, and Matrix could sense AndrAIa's growing apprehension. He was a bit nervous himself. He needed to do something to get her mind off of it, and he thought he knew what.
He stood in the jewelry store nervously eyeing the array of rings in the case in front of him. The old binome who owned the store chuckled softly to himself. He'd seen this scene played out hundreds of times in his life, and it never failed to amuse him. He cleared his throat slightly and said, "May I help you?"

Matrix glanced up, a stricken look on his face. "I'm, uh, looking for a ring," he said, glancing back at the rows of glittering diamond engagement rings, "but none of these seem right."

"Well," said the binome, "these are our standard engagement rings. But I have a feeling you're not shopping for an ordinary girl." Hours of work at the jewelry store had given him special intuition into these matters. He took great pride in his ability to provide his customers with what they were looking for.

"You're right," Matrix said, slightly surprised at the binome's comment.

A knowing smile crept across the binome's face.

"I think I have just the thing. Wait here." He shuffled off into the back room. He returned a micro later with a black velvet box. "Tell me," he said, opening the box, "is this what you're looking for?"

It was. "That's perfect," Matrix replied, staring dumbstruck at the old binome. "How did you know?"

"Intuition." He tapped the side of his head.

Matrix gazed back at the ring. The band was a plain circlet of gold, the polished metal glowing brightly. Set in the center of the band was a single, medium sized pearl. It was perfectly round and had a beautiful silvery sheen to it. Matrix smiled inwardly. He knew in his heart that AndrAIa would prefer its luminous warmth to the cold hard glitter of a diamond. The old binome rang up his purchase and Matrix paid him. The money Dennis had insisted on giving him for his work at the P.O., plus the units he still had saved from similar work in other systems was just enough to cover the expense. Luckily, the cost of AndrAIa's surgery was being waived by the hospital due to its experimental nature.

He held the velvet box in the palm of his hand, just looking at it. He'd originally planned to wait until they'd found Mainframe to propose, but the last few seconds had helped him realize just how vital she was to his life. He was convinced now that this was the right time.

The walk back to the apartment was the longest he'd ever made. He'd gone over what he was going to say a dozen times, but it never seemed right. The box that held the ring was clutched tightly in his hand. He stopped at the door, steeling himself, then went inside.

AndrAIa had been sitting at the table, facing the window, but turned around when she head him come in.

"What have you been up to?" she asked. The cycle's waning light was shining through the window behind her, bathing her in a warm glow. She smiled at him, head propped up on one hand as she leaned against the back of the chair. "Well?"

"AndrAIa..."

"Enzo," she asked worriedly, "is something wrong?" She hadn't heard him that emotional sounding in ages.

"No." He said firmly, and drew her up to stand in front of him. "At least not yet," he added hastily. He took her hand in his own. "AndrAIa, will you marry me?"

She said nothing for a nano, too stunned to reply. Then a huge smile broke out across her face. "Of course I will." She stood on tiptoes and kissed him. "I was starting to wonder if you were ever going to ask me."

"I was waiting for the right time," he said. He took out the ring and slid it onto her finger. "I know you can't really appreciate this," he said apologetically, "and I'm sorry I won't be able to give you the sort of wedding you deserve."

"That's not what matters, Enzo. They're just things."

He wrapped his arms around her. "I know," he said, kissing her forehead. "Still..."

"I have you, Sparky. That's all I need."

It struck him that he was amazingly lucky to have her. She'd stuck by his side through it all, through every bad moment, never wavering. He didn't ever want to let her go again.

End Part Six

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