And the last for now
Aftermath
If Maeryn had been inside his own house, this book would have been thrown across the room minutes ago. As it was, there were three other people in the room, and he wouldn't indulge that. He ached, his healing bones throbbed as medication wore off. He was severely frustrated. And someone would not stop humming the most irritating, or simply out of tune, song he had ever heard. It was bad enough he couldn't get past the fourth page in what he was very certain was a children's book, he wasn't going to start acting like one as well. He should have brought more of the pain medication with him, but he hadn't thought that they would wear off this soon. Now he was whining inside his head.
Did pain medication wear off faster when one was stressed? He ran his fingers over the page as he heard footsteps pass. Other pages turn. That damn song. It was this one word, this series of bumps under his fingers. He couldn't get anything other than a bunch of letters out of it, and he guessed different letters each time. Maeryn did not want to listen to audible books every time he wanted to read. Reading. He couldn't do that anymore than he could take a walk in a crowded mall and not step anyone's toes. Yes, while some of those people who read books sounded nice, he disagreed with several of their pronunciations. He'd rather not spend time arguing with a voice that wouldn't talk back, anymore than he'd like to spend time tracing fingers over letters that seemed to change as he felt them anew. Listening to someone read a text book would be horribly dull.
He turned the page back and ran his fingers over the series of raised letters on that side. He didn't recall ever reading this children's book, the words weren't ringing any bells, and didn't help him figure out what the next could - should - be. It was a rhyming book, that much was clear, weren't most children's books? That meant the next sentence would rhyme with this one, and he could use that to figure it out -
"How are you doing?" He managed not to jump at the voice, which was not quite over his shoulder, more over his head. The teacher. He should have heard the footsteps stop as he turned the page.
"Well enough." He put his hand back on the page. Was he having problems because his dominant hand was still braced to his chest? There had been something about the hand you use for language being better at that in one of those classes he had taken far too long ago, wasn't there? Then again, it wasn't like he was writing anything, just trying to read a silly child's book. The steps moved again, and he went back to scowling at the page. He would give.. something important, if he could just get that thought process back from before the teacher had talked to him. Listening to the same quiet question directed at another does him no good, and in his frustration. Paper cut. Dammit all.
Very carefully he closes the book. And very carefully he dropped his forehead down onto the cover. Just a tiny thunk. And then another tiny thunk. He listened to footsteps, and wondered if that wives tale trick of sleeping on dictionaries or textbooks would work on Braille and children's stories. Thunk. Thunk. Someone had stopped turning their pages. And his head hurt a little more than it had a few moments ago, so he sat up again. He should have brought more pain pills. How did you tell migraines from regular headaches when you couldn't tell if light hurt more?
No going home until the time was up, or he finished the stupid child's book. He didn't want to ask for help. Already happened once, asked for help getting to a chair ended up with never being able to try to get something for himself without someone helpfully shoving their help down his throat. Although he could always just keep his right to tell them where to shove their help...
And how does a blind person get attention of a teacher? He was debating just shoving the book off the desk. That would create a big enough thunk, wouldn't it? But then he would have to find it again... Maeryn resolved never to leave his house again without the next dose of painkillers. Thinking while in aching pain didn't work so well for him. Did it work so well for anyone?
"I'm stuck."