Hello, I haven't written in awhile. While I don't really like Twlight all that much, I'm obsesses with Twlight fanfiction, funny right. Anyways let me know how you enjoy it. This story involves a Deaf OC. I see a lot of writer write about Deaf characters, but they never really portray them correctly in my opinion. I'm not Deaf, but I am Hard-of-Hearing. Its a recently thing, but I'm not so immerse in the Deaf Community. I do know some Sign and some aspects of the Deaf Community. I'm going to to school for Deaf Education.

Enjoy.

1

Charlie Swan had nervously walked into the hospital of Port Angeles. He was still in his work clothes, freshly made sheriff uniform wetly clung to him as he ducked out from the cold rain. His brown eyes scanned the room before he made his way to the help desk.

"Uh," He cleared his throat to gain the attention of the elderly black woman who spoke softly over the phone. She gave him an apologetic smile before ending her call.

"Can I help you?" She smiled.

"Pediatrics?" He wondered if she could read his anxiousness. The woman with the name tag "Carol" smiled at him reassuringly.

"First time father?" She asked.

"Something like that." Charlie answered a bit tersely.

"Third floor first right and to the left." She said before turning to another guest who needed directions. Charlie nodded his thanks to her and entered a slightly full elevator. His heart was hammering in his chest as he watched the red number blink up and as people entered and left. When the doors slid open for the third floor he ushered himself out along with three other people. He followed the woman's directions and turned into pediatrics. He could see Dylan waiting for him at the entry. He was dressed in his police uniform, black hair damp, and a paper coffee cup on his hands.

"Charlie!" His features fell into one of relief. "I'm glad you made it." Charlie quickly made his way over to his friend. They were in the police academy together and while Dylan took a position in Port Angeles, Charlie was more than comfortable taking a spot in his home town.

"Are you sure?' Charlie asked, his dark eyes flickering to the secured doors in front of them.

"There was a familial match when we ran her DNA. You matched." Charlie worried his bottom lip.

"Do you have her mother?" Charlie felt a spark of anger at the woman.

"Yes, she's in custody for child neglect and abuse. We also have her for possession." Dylan handed a manila file that he had resting on the plastic seats. Charlie opened the file to see a mug shot of an Asian woman. It took a while, but Charlie soon recognized her features. She was much thinner from when he first met her. Her slant eyes that he thought were so pretty were bruised and shadowed. Her clean teeth were yellowed and brown from the meth use. She had track mark on her arms and her once long, inky hair was a tangled mess that was sheared close to her head. He had a one night stand with this woman while she was passing through Forks. He met her at a bar when Renee first left him. They had flirted for a few days and his newly divorced self succumbed to the pretty woman. If he knew she was pregnant he would've been there and his daughter wouldn't be in that room.

"I remember her." Charlie said softly. "It was a little after Renee left me. I didn't know, man. If I did…" He trailed off, because there was no room for ifs when a child was hurt. "Can I see her?"

"Of course. Some doctors would want to talk to you first." Dylan knocked at the door and the was a buzzer going off and they walked in to the front desk.

"Who are you here for?" A chipper woman with blond hair asked. She was rounded in the face and flushed in the cheeks. Charlie glanced at Dylan and for a moment he felt guilt for he didn't even know his own daughter's name.

"Zuri Wu." The woman typed on her computer before a sad look took over her face. "She's in room 309. Please be gentle with her Officers." Dylan gave the woman his reassurance before they made their way through the hall to room 309. It was a short walk over, but to Charlie it felt like hours. He distracted himself with the antiseptic smell, and the cries of babies and children and the murmuring of loved ones. When the made it to room 309, Dylan gave it a soft knock before opening it. There was a doctor who was looking over the clipboard. She smiled at them and placed it down.

"Officers," She greeted, her voice light accented. She had copper brown skin, deep set hooded eyes, her lashes were long and her nose had a little hump at the bridge. Her thick hair was hidden from sight with a Hijab wrapped around her head and neck. "I'm Doctor Bhatti, I'm afraid little Wu is sleeping."

"Uh, I'm family." Charlie cleared his throat when it came out hoarse. Doctor Bhatti's eyes narrowed.

"I see." Charlie felt judged under her gaze.

"I didn't know." Charlie tried to explain. "I didn't know that she existed." His brown eyes dared to look at the little figure in bed and his heart tighten painfully. She must have been a year younger than his Bella, but she was so much smaller. Her face was round and bruised. Her bottom lip was thick and swollen with a little cut at the middle of it. Her slant eyes were shut and it was swollen black on her left eye that discolored down to her cheek. She had stiches on her hair line and the top part of her head was shaved for the black sutures to lead its trail up. Her arm was bandaged with a pink cast and it seems someone took a Sharpie to it and drew pictures of happy faces and rainbows and puppies. At first glance, Zuri Wu didn't look much like him. She inherited much of her mother's Chinese features, but when Charlie look closer he could see that she had his ears, his nose, his cheek bones. He wondered if she had any of his mannerisms. He only had Bella for the summer and the little girl was always withdrawn. She wanted to do her own thing and it always pained Charlie because he wanted them to bond, but it seemed she hated anything he loved.

"Is she okay?' Charlie asked, his hand moved to pet her messily cut hair back. He hesitated, but he touched her forehead instead to avoid her stiches. She felt hot and clammy to the touch.

"Besides the obvious that you can see, she is suffering from malnutrition, dehydration, and bacterial meningitis." Doctor Bhatti informed him and Charlie whipped his head up at meningitis.

"Meningitis?' He croaked. "Isn't that deadly?" He worried over his newly founded daughter and that their time together may be short lived.

"It can be, but we already have her on antibodies. Her body is taking it well and she's healing, but there are side effects that we will have to keep an eye out for."

"Such as?" Charlie held the little hand in his own.

"Deafness is one of the main concerns." Doctor Bhatti answered. "It's the most common." Deaf. His daughter could be Deaf and that would be a challenge that he didn't even know he could handle.

"I have to leave, but CPS is outside. They would be happy to know she has family so she wouldn't have to be in the system." Doctor Bhatti left them and closed the door quietly behind her.

"Are you going to take her in? I mean it's a lot on your plate. No one would judge you otherwise." Dylan comforted his friend with a hand on his shoulder.

"I need to speak with CPS." Charlie tighten his grip on Zuri's hand. "I need to know how I can get her home." Charlie headed out with a mission. He would make sure Zuri would have a loving home.

-x-

It had taken almost a month for him to get Zuri and he had visited the four-year-old every day. It was difficult at first, when the antibodies ran its course and had taken two days for them to realize and test that Zuri was severely Deaf in her left ear and profoundly Deaf in the other. She had a difficult time adjusting and would lash out when people didn't understand her. It didn't help that her vocabulary was terrible, it seemed she couldn't even string a proper sentence together. She was suspicious of Charlie, but she had slowly became eager for his visits when he started bringing her toys and treats. It was just yesterday that all the paper work was finalized and Zuri Wu because Zuri Swan. He wanted to change her name so she could never be tied to that woman again. The door bell rung and the lights he installed around the house flickered. Not only did he have to make his home child proof, but he had to make it assessable to Zuri's Deaf needs. He wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans and he took a deep breath before opening the door. The service worker was an over worked man with greying hair and a portly belly. He was Hispanic with grey eyes and a peppered beard. He was kind, but was one on the strictest men that Charlie had ever met. His large hand was holding Zuri's pale one. Her face was healing and the bruises had faded to yellow and green rather than their blue and purple. Her stitches had been removed and the area where her head had been shaved was growing back in fuzz. Zuri's short brown hair clung to fell down her neck in messy waves that she inherited from him, her hazel eyes brighten at him.

"Da," She smiled, her voice had the babyish tone to it, but now it was deeper and sounded a bit odd; a Deaf accent she was gaining and Charlie worried endlessly about when she would start school and the bullying would happen. She wore tight, thick, blue stretchy pants, a long white shirt with a puffy purple jacket. Her knitted beanie clumped most of her hair down, but the ends stubbornly flick out from underneath.

"Hey Zuri," Charlie smiled and carefully enunciated his words and Zuri just held her hands to him in a grabby motion. He picked her up and carefully pulled her beanie off to reveal two pink hearing aids in her ears. Zuri smiled at him toothily and began to babble at him. He didn't understand most of it, but with her balanced on his hip, and her thin hands clutching to his shoulders he felt at peace and happy.

"Everything is in order. Remember we will visit once a month and after the third month we will start to have randomized visits. Congratulations Mr. Swan." Mr. Vasquez shook his hand and Charlie shook it earnestly.

"Thank you for everything." Charlie said gratefully and waved good bye to the man. Charlie turned to Zuri, her eyes looking up at him curiously. "Would you like to see your room?"

-x-

Charlie had learned that visiting Zuri and living with Zuri were two complete different things. Visiting Zuri, he had only seen a few tantrums, but living with Zuri he was met with many. It was difficult dealing with them. She needed a gentle, but firm hand when it came to discipline. Because of her early upbringing she flinched all the time when she was in trouble, she would sob in the corner or even punish herself by pulling at her hair. When Charlie didn't know when she wanted to would slam her head into the floor in frustration. It took a while, but Charlie eventually gained the upper hand when he would make her face the corner whenever she was in trouble and when he didn't know what she wanted, he would hold her with her back to his chest and hold her down carefully so she wouldn't hurt herself. Charlie himself grew irate and frustrated. He didn't know how to communicate with Zuri. There was only so much he could understand and at times he felt like crying, but there were moments where he would never trade a day away.

Zuri was very much different then Bella. While Bella demanded independence, Zuri craved attention and affection. She always wanted to be around him. She wanted to sit on his lap, cuddle with him, hold his hand. She had frequent nightmare which led her to sleep in his bed. She always had very bad separation anxiety, but her psychiatrist assured that this will eventually fade. Today, they were at her audiologist for an appointment with her hearing. It was just a checkup, but Charlie worried every time he was here.

"Zuri no," Charlie sighed when she tore off her hearing aids and tossed them aside. He knew she didn't like them and how it grew to be uncomfortable for her. She scowled at him from her spot on the floor in the waiting room. Her toy puppy in a choke hold grip. She fought him when he tried to put them back in and he eventually gave up trying to place them in. He sank back in his seat and kept an eye on her.

"First generation?" Charlie turned next to him to see a smiling woman. Her face was littered in freckles, her green eyes bright, she had curly red hair that fell around her sharp features. She had Deaf accent and wore clear pair of hearing aids.

"First generation?" Charlie repeated confused.

"Deaf." She nodded towards the pink hearing aids in Charlie's hands.

"Oh yes, she's the first one. A bit hard adjusting to everything. I worry when she starts school soon." Charlie confided.

"I'm the second Deaf person in my family. My grandfather was Deaf. I'm Deaf. My nephew is too." She glanced to the brooding tween in the corner of the room.

"Who's your doctor?" She asked.

"Doctor Gull." Her face scrunched up in distaste.

"Is he bad?" Charlie inwardly panicked.

"Not bad. He thinks that hearing aids solve everything." She rolled her eyes. "Have you taught her Sign?"

"Uh, no." Charlie said sheepishly. "I don't even know it myself." The woman brightened.

"My name is Ella. I teach here in Port Angeles at a Deaf School. If you like I can teach you and your daughter Sign. The Deaf Community are very close and we like to help one another. Hearing aids can only help so much. You should teach Zuri ASL." Ella had said. Charlie took it into consideration.

"Charlie," He greeted himself and shook Ella's hand. "I would like that. I don't like to admit it, but it's very different raising Zuri compared to my other daughter."

"Hearing kids are different then Deaf children. They communicate differently." She quickly dug through her purse and scribbled down on a notepad. "My e-mail. When you would like lessons in ASL." Charlie thanked her and a nurse called out Zuri's name.

"That's me." Charlie tucked away the scrap of paper in his pocket. "Thank you." He picked up Zuri and walked into the audiologist office.

Later that day he would e-mail Ella the Deaf teacher and it was the start of their many lessons of Sign Language together and the closer bond he had with his daughter.

-x-

Zuri Swan looked in the mirror. It was her first day of a hearing high school and she was transferring in the middle of the season. Her Deaf school had gotten closed down and her dad wanted to her close to home. It was Forks high for her and she wouldn't admit it, but she was nervous. She wasn't going to have her friends with her, teachers weren't going to be signing. She was on her own with just her hearing aids. She was supposed to have an interpreter coming soon, but that wasn't until next week. She didn't know what to expect and it made her anxious. She would have to wear her hearing aids constantly now and she hated the blasted things. They would eventually make her ears sore and she hated that feeling, but she wouldn't have to knuckle down. She didn't want to inconvenient her dad. He was protective of her. She felt the ground vibrate lightly and she turned around to see that her Dad had stomped his foot to gain her attention.

"You ready?" He signed. She made a face at him.

"No."He ruffled her hair.

"If you don't like it, text me okay? I'll take you out." Charlie insisted. Feeling babied, Zuri shook her head.

"I can do it. I know I can. Don't worry." She kissed his cheek. "Let's do this." It was a new page in her life. In many ways to come.

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