p style="line-height: 22px; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: #fdf5e1;"emAs part of the 'Nonnatun Hiatus Challenge: Countdown to six months' created by the very lovely my-little-yellowbird, I've written this fic about the deaf mother in 4.08 (which may, or may not, be cheating as she's only a guest not a recurring character. But hey!). It's something that's very close to my heart, and I hope I've sort-of done this to the standard it deserves. Thank you Heidi for creating such a wonderful character. /em/p
p style="line-height: 22px; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: #fdf5e1;"Silence. That was that her world involved. /p
p style="line-height: 22px; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: #fdf5e1;"There was one time when June Knight could hear the birds singing in the trees, children playing outside on the streets and the pitter-patter of the rain as it fell on the ground. As a young child, she heard these noises but hadn't stopped to think about them. She was content to run around with her friends and enjoy her childhood like any child would do. But as an adult, sometimes she would resent her childish ways, and wished she'd appreciated the beautiful sounds the world created. Her hearing had rapidly declined as a teenager, leaving her completely deaf by the time she was 15. Her parents, obviously distraught, had taught her that she was still beautiful and found ways in which she was still able to communicate. It was difficult and tiring for June; she wanted to make new friends and go up West, but her declined sense of hearing made even the simplest trip to the market difficult. Trying to lip read was complicated, and hard work. She would come home from school exhausted and sometimes unable to hide her bottled emotions no more. As the years went on, she missed her hearing, but she had also learnt to enjoy life in ways which were special and unique to her./p
p style="line-height: 22px; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: #fdf5e1;"And then she had met Kevin Dillen. Kevin was a kind, sweet man who always dressed smartly and spoke gently. She felt at ease in his company, unlike many of the other men she had encountered. It was difficult at first, but he had picked up the odd sign or two when he visited her parent's house. Eventually, he was able to have conversations, and after three months of courting, he planned to sign what would be the most important sentence in his life. He had practiced and practiced trying to get it right; the speed and fluency both made a difference, as if he had spoken it. Knowing that a quiet and familiar environment made June feel safe, he chose to propose to her in her family home. Needless to say her eyes watered and she accepted. Her name changed, her home changed, her life changed, but her lack of hearing didn't. As Kevin got more and more confident with his signing, the deafness became less and less of an issue. They were able to share in the same conversations and jokes as any ordinary couple and have the same passion as newlyweds. /p
p style="line-height: 22px; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: #fdf5e1;"And now, she was about to become a mother for the first time. At first she had felt the joy almost every mother enjoyed, their love for one another had created something so wonderful. But then the realization of it dawned on her one restless night. Would the child she was lovingly going to bring into the world be deaf just like her, or would they be able to hear but unable to communicate with her for several years to come?/p
p style="line-height: 22px; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: #fdf5e1;"Yet, hearing was only one of her senses, she still was able to feel. Her hand drifted down to the small kick she felt in her stomach for the first time. It felt like the butterflies did when you became nervous. /p
p style="line-height: 22px; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: #fdf5e1;"Her sense of sight remained as steadfast as it always had, even more so now as it became the most important sense to her. When she saw her little boy for the the first time, he heart wept with joy. /p
p style="line-height: 22px; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: #fdf5e1;"It was then she realized that it didn't matter whether this baby was deaf or hearing, or blind or able to see, as long as he knew that both his parents loved him. That was all that mattered. /p
p style="line-height: 22px; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: #fdf5e1;"Silence. That was that her world involved. /p
p style="line-height: 22px; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: #fdf5e1;"There was one time when June Knight could hear the birds singing in the trees, children playing outside on the streets and the pitter-patter of the rain as it fell on the ground. As a young child, she heard these noises but hadn't stopped to think about them. She was content to run around with her friends and enjoy her childhood like any child would do. But as an adult, sometimes she would resent her childish ways, and wished she'd appreciated the beautiful sounds the world created. Her hearing had rapidly declined as a teenager, leaving her completely deaf by the time she was 15. Her parents, obviously distraught, had taught her that she was still beautiful and found ways in which she was still able to communicate. It was difficult and tiring for June; she wanted to make new friends and go up West, but her declined sense of hearing made even the simplest trip to the market difficult. Trying to lip read was complicated, and hard work. She would come home from school exhausted and sometimes unable to hide her bottled emotions no more. As the years went on, she missed her hearing, but she had also learnt to enjoy life in ways which were special and unique to her./p
p style="line-height: 22px; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: #fdf5e1;"And then she had met Kevin Dillen. Kevin was a kind, sweet man who always dressed smartly and spoke gently. She felt at ease in his company, unlike many of the other men she had encountered. It was difficult at first, but he had picked up the odd sign or two when he visited her parent's house. Eventually, he was able to have conversations, and after three months of courting, he planned to sign what would be the most important sentence in his life. He had practiced and practiced trying to get it right; the speed and fluency both made a difference, as if he had spoken it. Knowing that a quiet and familiar environment made June feel safe, he chose to propose to her in her family home. Needless to say her eyes watered and she accepted. Her name changed, her home changed, her life changed, but her lack of hearing didn't. As Kevin got more and more confident with his signing, the deafness became less and less of an issue. They were able to share in the same conversations and jokes as any ordinary couple and have the same passion as newlyweds. /p
p style="line-height: 22px; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: #fdf5e1;"And now, she was about to become a mother for the first time. At first she had felt the joy almost every mother enjoyed, their love for one another had created something so wonderful. But then the realization of it dawned on her one restless night. Would the child she was lovingly going to bring into the world be deaf just like her, or would they be able to hear but unable to communicate with her for several years to come?/p
p style="line-height: 22px; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: #fdf5e1;"Yet, hearing was only one of her senses, she still was able to feel. Her hand drifted down to the small kick she felt in her stomach for the first time. It felt like the butterflies did when you became nervous. /p
p style="line-height: 22px; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: #fdf5e1;"Her sense of sight remained as steadfast as it always had, even more so now as it became the most important sense to her. When she saw her little boy for the the first time, he heart wept with joy. /p
p style="line-height: 22px; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: #fdf5e1;"It was then she realized that it didn't matter whether this baby was deaf or hearing, or blind or able to see, as long as he knew that both his parents loved him. That was all that mattered. /p