He was silent, feeling the weight of her words, the unknown to come, the burden of his responsibility.
"It was hard for me to say that," she continued quietly. "I loved Earth. I loved its beauty and its ugliness. I loved its poor blind people. I loved them all, for I was part of them, and my eyes belonged to them. I could never hate anyone."
She put her cheek against his, and her breath was warmer than the warmth of the night.
Lucifer did not draw away. He asked, "Do you have a sense of what may happen tomorrow?"
"Only a sense of much pain. Beyond that, I can't see. It may be just as well. Are you afraid, Lucifer?"
"A little."
"It is good to be a little afraid, always."
"What about you—are you ever afraid, Nina?"
It was the first time he had spoken the name of this strange woman who bore his child.
"I am afraid, but I am at peace, too. If we do not come through this, there will be nothing more to the end of time. But if we do, we will have a child who can see, and its life will belong to us. Isn't that a wonderful thought?"