The Newest Knight
By: LML
Note:
This story deals with the element of hearing-impairment. Also, "" equals what is spoken through sign language. No, it isn't a mistake!
Disclaimer:
I don't own the main characters of Knight Rider, NBC, the cast, crew, writers/producers, and any other parties have any and all exclusive rights to these characters, themes, ideals, etc. The only character who is mine is Christy. She is not to be used unless I have given permission to do so. No infringement, copyright or otherwise,is either intended or implied here in. Like I said before, the characters of KR *aren't* mine! I'm just borrowing them for a short time to write creatively and see what comes of it! Please be critical, but kind as well! I need feedback!
THE NEWEST KNIGHT
BY: LML
Christy ran at breakneck speed through the wooded area just to the side of the major highway she knew was close by. It was dark, quiet, and felt erie. She was scared, very very scared, and no matter how fast she moved, she could feel his presence behind her. Who ever this guy was, he seemed pretty intent on going after her, and it wasn't just a random target. Christy had been on the streets too long and had learned too much in the past two years not to know what trouble was when it was coming in her direction. She'd noticed the guy following her earlier that day when she was with the others down in some of the roughest neighborhoods in the city. After some pretty fast running, she had been able to avoid the guy for a while. But he'd caught up with her once again just as she was about to go and find some food and a place to stay for the night. She didn't know what this guy wanted,but she didn't want to stick around and have a friendly chat with him either.
Oh God! He was right behind her, only a couple of yards back. Keep running. Don't let him get you. Straight, then turn to avoid the tree roots in the ground. Darkness... Oh God, so much darkness. And then lights. "Headlights," Christy realized as she kept running. She paused momentarily to catch her breath and glance back overher shoulder. The guy was still there, and he was getting closer.
Christy turned and began heading for the oncoming car on the highway. She'd seen the headlights coming in her direction, and if she could get this guy to stop then she knew that she'd be safe. At least the guy wouldn't get to her if he spotted another person coming. But before she got the chance to signal the car's driver, she felt two strong arms grasp her from behind and pin her to the ground. She felt the strong weight of another body holding her down on the ground, and then something wrapping around her neck.
"Damn," Christy thought as she felt her strength being reduced to almost nothing. She knew full well that if something didn't happen soon she'd be dead. As her mind raced with thoughts of what she should do to get out of this situation, she could already see the stars appearing in front of her eyes, and then the blackness settled over her.
The sleek black transam sped down the desolate highway, fully aware that there was nothing and no one in the way. The car's driver was lounging in the seat, reading a newspaper from the previous week. In his line of work, there wasn't enough time to sit down at the end of the day and relax with a good newspaper in front of you. In his line of work, the end of the day generally consisted of crashing, either in the car or in another nondescript hotelroom, and sleeping heavily for several hours. But sleep wasn't on Michael's agenda this evening. Although it was the middle of the night, Michael couldn't fall asleep, and hadn't been able to for several hours. Michael didn't know why sleep had alluded him this evening, however someone else did.
"Michael," Kitt's voice cut through the incredibly long silence, jarring Michael from his reading. "Michael, you really must rest. You're not going to do Bonnie or Devon any good tomorrow morning at the breakfast for the foundation's board of directors if you ccan't even stand up. Really, Michael, I'd have expected better common sense in you."
Michael settled back in the seat, set his newspaper down on the passenger's side of the car, and looked at the video monitor of Kitt's dashboard. "You know something pal, I'd have expected better common sense from me too. But this whole Foundation breakfast thing has got me a little on edge. You know I hate fundraisers and the main foundation boring stuff..."
Kitt cut him off at the first chance he could get. "Michael, I hate them too, but what can we do about it? Devon and Bonnie are counting on us to be there at 9:00:am, and we're going to be there."
Michael stared out the window, looking up toward the sky and at the stars presently making their appearance. No sooner had he just begun to glimpse the wonderful sight of O'Ryan's Belt, than Kitt's voice cut the silence once more.
"Michael, I think I should warn you that there is some trouble coming up ahead."
"What kind of trouble, Kitt?"
"A young girl is being attacked by a larger and more powerful assailant, and her vitals don't look very good."
"Okay, let's go." Michael lunged out the driver's side door, as Kitt momentarily paused to let his friend out. Michael was just about to turn and look in the opposite direction, when he heard a sharp cry of pain.
Michael lept into the fracus, throwing the attacker off balance, and allowing Christy the amount of time she'd have needed to get away. She scrambled toward the road and the idling car, leaping into the back seat and slamming the door as she did so. Michael finally disengaged himself from the other man, after knocking him cold and checking his vitals through Kitt.
"He'll live, but let's get out of here, Michael. Two other guys are coming in this direction, and I personally don't want to wait around to see if they're involved in this or just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The young lady has made herself comfortable in my back seat, and I'd like to take care of this situation so we can get rolling to meet Bonnie and Devon. You know how important this breakfast meeting is to Devon."
"So I guess there's no way of getting out of it, right?"
"Not unless you'd care to explain to Devon why you chose a teenager over the foundation breakfast." Frowning deeply, Michael jumped into the driver's seat and shut the door. He glanced back at his new passenger, and smiled.
"I'm Michael, and you are?"
""And you care because?"" Christy made no sound, but her hands said more than her words ever could. Michael stared in amazement at the young girl whom he'd just saved from being murdered. It was clearly obvious that she was deaf, but also it was clear that she could lipread as well as sign.
"I care because I just risked my life to save yours. Now, please help me out here. I want to help you, but if you don't tell me how I can help you then there isn't much I can do for you."
Michael turned his head to glance quickly at Kitt, who flashed the words Christy had just signed across his video screen. "Michael, she's completely deaf, but her signing skills are impeckible! Do you know how to sign, or should I keep translating for you?"
Michael signed the words, ""My name is Michael Knight. What's yours?"" Kitt flashed the words over his screen, and waited to see what would happen. The girl and Michael looked at one another for a moment and then Michael signed, ""I need to drive somewhere. Where would you like me to take you?"
""My name is Christy. Please help. I need help.""
""What do you mean you need help, Christy? What's wrong?""
""I don't have a home or a family, and I don't want to be in fostercare either.""
Two hours later, Michael twisted into a more comfortable position. Christy had since moved into the passenger's seat beside Michael, and had kept up a continuous conversation with him. Michael had pressed the button on Kitt's dash, putting Kitt in control of the vehicle, but Christy would believe that Michael was still in control. Now Christy had fallen asleep, and Michael was able to speak with Kitt without waking her.
"Okay, Kitt, let me have it."
"Have it? Have what? I'm sorry, Michael, but I don't quite understand the meaning of the phrase."
"Never mind. Could you dig up anything on her?"
"Christy Ann Knight, age fourteen, orphaned."
"What about her condition? Can you find anything out about that?"
Kitt waited a few moments and then responded. "She's totally deaf, Michael. Her condition was brought on as a result of an extremely high fever when she was two. Her vitals are stable, but I'm not very pleased with how thin she is. In case you haven't noticed, Michael, she only weighs about ninety pounds or so... Not at all what a girl of her age and height should weigh."
"I already noticed that, pal. Now the question at hand is what to do with her." Michael really felt sorry for the girl sleeping in the seat beside him. Logically, he knew that it would be best for all involved if he were to just hand her over to the child wellfare people in LA, but at the same time he could understand her not wanting to be handed from foster home to foster home.
"Michael, please tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking. Please remember that we have a breakfast to attend in six hours."
"Don't worry, Kitt, we're going to be at that breakfast. I'm going to go to sleep and you're going to drive the rest of the way. Just wake me up before she wakes up, okay?"
"All right, Michael, but I hope you know what you're doing."
Within five hours, Michael was awakened by the sudden brightness of light aimed in his direction. He opened his eyes and immediately turned his head away so the light didn't damage his eyes. "Well, good morning to you too, Kitt."
"I hate to wake you up like this, but Devon's calling. I think he's wondering where we are." Instantly, Devon's face appeared on the video monitor.
"Good morning, Michael. I trust that you're on your way here for the meeting with the Board?"
"As a matter of fact I am. But I think it's fair to let you in on a little surprise first."
"Oh, Michael, please don't tell me you've gotten yourself into some trouble."
Michael smiled at the image of his friend and co-worker. He truly thought of Devon as more to him than just a friend and co-worker, and he knew that the feeling was quite mutual on Devon's end. "No, at least I don't think so." Michael pressed a button on the dash, and Devon could see the interior of the cabin fully, including the sleeping figure of a fourteen-year old girl. "Devon, this is Christy Knight."
Devon's face turned two different colors before returning to its normal shade. After he had been filled in on the story of how Michael met the child, he was in agreement, and told Michael that all arrangements would be made for the girl to have clothing and a room.
"Everything will be taken care of, Michael. But you and I will have to sit down and discuss what will be done with the girl after the breakfast."
"Thank you, Devon. We'll see you in about..."
"One hour, and forty-five minutes." Kitt said helpfully.
"All right then." Devon sighed and continued speaking. "I'll see you then."
Michael switched off the video screen, leaned back in his seat once more, and smiled to himself. "Well, I'd say that Devon took that quite well, wouldn't you?"
"Michael, you failed to tell him one important thing. Why didn't you tell him that Christy was deaf and communicates through sign language?"
"Because, Kitt, I want them to meet face to face when I tell Devon."
At that moment, Christy's eyes flew open and she jerked in her seat. Again, Michael heard the small cry come from her throat, and he glanced at Kitt for an answer.
"Michael, she may be deaf, but her vocal capabilities are still in tact."
""Good morning, Christy. Are you hungry?""
""Yes. When will we be able to eat something? I'm really hungry.""
""Soon, very soon. We're going to meet a friend of mine in LA, and we'll have breakfast with him. Is that okay with you, or would you rather eat something now?""
""Well, as long as you swear to me that you're not shipping me off with some social worker to some foster home or something.""
""No, I won't do that, not unless there is no other alternative."" Michael reached out and took hold of Christy's left hand, noticing instantly that she didn't pull away immediately. He turned his head to face her and looked at her fully. He could see the face of a child, but yet a face which held within its depths fear, pain, and much more.
"Christy, how did you end up out on the streets?"
""What's it to you? You don't care, you're just like the rest of them.""
"The rest of whom, Christy? What happened to you?" The young girl pulled her handaway from Michael's hand and sighned once more.
""You don't care, you're just like all the other adults who said that they cared but they didn't. They didn't care when my mother died, and they didn't care when the people in my first three foster homes refused to talk to me because I was deaf.""
Michael could feel the anger that Christy held inside, and he could understand why she was hurting so much. He took up signing once again and said, ""Don't worry. I'm nothing like that. Did your mother teach you to sign?""
Christy nodded and responded. ""My mother taught me to sign when I was eight. She worked with deaf children at a special school, and sometimes she'd let me go into work with her to talk to the other kids. She didn't have the money to send me to a special school, so she taught me herself, and homeschooled me up until I was twelve.""
Michael smiled at the girl. He knew that she was an extremely bright and intelligent young lady, and he liked having her around. ""You know, Christy, your signing skills are fantastic! I learned to sign about ten years ago, and I'm still a little rusty. Now why are you on the streets?""
Just then Kitt interrupted the conversation by speaking to Michael. "Michael, we're almost there. Devon's outside waiting for us, and he's got someone new with him. She's not someone I recognize, so I figure that she's either an interpreter or a social worker."
Michael said nothing in response, but turned his attention back to Christy, who by this time was busy examining the dashboard of the car and all its many buttons and lights. ""Just be careful what you hit on here, Christy," Michael said pointing to the dash. "I can speak from experience, and I can tell you that I've hit the wrong button on occasion.""
"Well," Michael thought to himself, "since I never told Devon that Christy was deaf, the woman must be from Social Services."
As Michael's thoughts ran through his mind, Kitt pulled to a stop and Devon opened Michael's door. From the look he flashed in Michael's direction, it was clearly obvious that he was not at all pleased that Michael had chosen to bring a fourteen-year old runaway with him for company. He gave Michael three seconds to step out of the car, waited until Christy stepped out, and then turned his attention to her. He would deal with Michael later.
"Hello, Christy, my name is Devon Miles."
""Hello, Mr. Miles. I'm sorry if I've caused you any trouble. Michael helped me out last night when I needed help, so if I'm in the way then I'll be leaving.""
Devon turned his attention once again to Michael. "You never told me that the girl could sign."
"I wanted you to meet her first. She's incredibly smart, and from what I could gather, she's had it pretty rough the last two years. And besides, I like having her around."
""Please remember whom you're talking about here, gentlemen. Michael, you promised you wouldn't send me with any social workers, so who is she?""
The young woman stepped forward and introduced herself to both Michael and Christy. "My name is Kyla Burns, and I am here to show Christy around the grounds. When Devon phoned you this morning, he also put in a call to me and requested that I help out. Since both you and Devon will be attending the board meeting, he figured that Christy might get a little wrestless just sitting around doing nothing."
"That was before I knew the young lady was deaf," said Devon with a light jab in the direction of Michael's ribs. "You unfortunately kept that little bit of information from me."
"Devon, Christy is very good at both signing and lipreading, and if..."
""It's okay, Michael. I think I can keep myself out of trouble. I can find ways of communicating with people who don't know how to sign. Just because the people in the first three foster homes didn't talk to me didn't mean that there wasn't a way for them to do so.""
Kyla Burns smiled at Christy and took hold of her hand and gently squeezed it. "You know something, Christy, you're pretty intelligent for only fourteen. I think you and I are going to get along just fine."
As Kyla and Christy walked off, Devon gave Michael a glare which spoke volumes. "All right, Michael, I want to know exactly what happened, and why you haven't turned that girl over to the Juvenile Authorities."
"Well, because she begged me not to. Besides, she was attacked last night, and I figure that she's safer with someone than without."
"That may very well be the case, Michael, but you know the ins and outs of the law as well as I do. That girl should have been turned over to the Juvenile Authorities the second you were sure she was safely away from her attacker. We can't be harboring a runaway minor, you know that."
"Devon, I can't betray her like that. She doesn't trust anyone, and I've just started to get through to her."
Devon looked at his friend for a moment and then said softly, "Well, I suppose we could give her shelter for a while... But not here. You may stay here tonight, but I will make arrangements for you to stay up at the mountain retreat."
"Thank you, Devon, I really do appreciate all you're doing for her. Once I gain her trust more fully, I'll be able to find out just what's going on inside her head and then we'll figure out what to do with her."
"Just don't take too long, Michael. We need you, the Foundation needs you. And now, I suggest we make ourselves known at the board meeting."
**************************************************************************************************************************
Later that afternoon, Michael found Christy and Kyla sitting in the garden. As he approached, he hid something behind his back, keeping it out of sight from the others. He stepped in front of Christy, admiring how beautiful she did look. Michael glanced in Kyla's direction and the woman nodded.
"I figured that Christy might like to do something to her hair, so we trimmed it a bit and put a few curls in it as well."
"Nice job, now if only I could get my hair to look that great." Michael teased. He was satisfied to see a smile appear on Christy's face, and he too, smiled. "By the way, I've got something for you, Christy."
""What is it?""
"It's a surprise. Close your eyes, and hold out your hand."
Michael watched as Christy hesitantly closed her eyes and held out her right hand. He slowly withdrew the hand he'd been holding behind his back, and placed a medium-sized box in the girl's outstretched hand.
Christy took the box, and opened her eyes. She laid the box in her lap and signed, ""What's inside?""
"Open it and you'll find out." Michael replied.
"Come on, Christy, open it and let's see what's inside." Kyla said smiling. "I like surprises as much as the next person, but I also like to find out what the surprise is."
Christy slowly opened the box, and pulled back the tissue paper to reveal a brand new pair of sneakers. She withdrew them from the box and held them up so that the others could see.
"I thought you might like to have a new pair since your old ones were worn and falling apart. So what do you think?"
Christy set the sneakers in the box and reached out to give Michael a hug. He could tell from the look on her face that she was more than happy with the gift. He hugged her back, and smiled widely.
""Thank you so much! I love them!""
"I figured you might. Now," Michael continued with a very large smile plastered on his face, "I have the rest of the afternoon free. So, what do you say that we go find something to do together. Sound good to you?"
""Great! But what do you want to do?""
"Well, how about I take you, Devon, Bonnie, and Kyla all out to lunch. Come on, my treat."
""Who is Bonnie?"" Christy finished signing the words and bent down to put her new sneakers on. Michael watched as she carefully put them on, lacing them up tightly, and waited for her to make eye contact with him once more.
"Bonnie is a friend of both Devon and myself. You'll really like her."
Kyla interjected with a longing expression on her face. She frowned deeply and said, "As much as I would love to join you all for lunch, I can't. I have to get back to the city. When I came out here it was only for the morning, unfortunately. I really wish I could go. I'm sorry."
""That's okay,"" Christy's hands flew, as Michael interpreted for Kyla's benefit.
**************************************************************************************************************************
Michael had been right. Christy found herself liking this woman, Bonnie, as Michael had refered to her. Bonnie, in some ways, reminded Christy of her mother. She knew of course that this was a little odd, having never had anyone remind her of her mother, but Christy couldn't help but think of her mother every time she looked at Bonnie. And Devon wasn't as tough as he first appeared to be. Christy actually began to warm up to him as they enjoyed their meal, and she learned many interesting things about Devon. For example, she learned that Devon never failed to break eye contact when he spoke to her. More often than not, people managed to keep eye contact with her for only so long a period before their eyes drifted in other directions, leaving Christy only their lips to read.
As the four of them sat enjoying lunch, Christy occasionally stopped eating to sign something to her companions. To her amazement, Bonnie knew how to sign and could do it perfectly without missing a beat. She even corrected Michael several times on different ways for making certain gestures. There were always diferent meanings for every sign made, and many different interpretations as well. But Christy hadn't minded a bit, in fact she'd enjoyed having someone to talk to, someone who wouldn't treat her like she was an outsider.
""Michael, what's going to happen to me now?""
Bonnie watched the words as did Michael. At first neither of them knew what to say in answer to her simple and yet very complicated question. But surprisingly enough, it was Devon who fielded the uestion, and to both Bonnie and Michael's amazement, he did quite well at it too.
"For the time being you will stay with Michael. We will figure out the rest later. Don't worry, we haven't called the wellfare authorities and don't plan on doing so unless it's absolutely necessary." Devon smiled at the girl who had been carrying on a continuous conversation with the three of them for over an hour, and hadn't once tired of the topics covered. He couldn't help but think of how hard her life had been after her mother's death, and somewhat even before the woman's departure from Christy's life. He'd dug deeply into her file in the Youth Authority's records, and what he found wasn't what he'd first believed to be the case.
**************************************************************************************************************************
By: LML
Note:
This story deals with the element of hearing-impairment. Also, "" equals what is spoken through sign language. No, it isn't a mistake!
Disclaimer:
I don't own the main characters of Knight Rider, NBC, the cast, crew, writers/producers, and any other parties have any and all exclusive rights to these characters, themes, ideals, etc. The only character who is mine is Christy. She is not to be used unless I have given permission to do so. No infringement, copyright or otherwise,is either intended or implied here in. Like I said before, the characters of KR *aren't* mine! I'm just borrowing them for a short time to write creatively and see what comes of it! Please be critical, but kind as well! I need feedback!
THE NEWEST KNIGHT
BY: LML
Christy ran at breakneck speed through the wooded area just to the side of the major highway she knew was close by. It was dark, quiet, and felt erie. She was scared, very very scared, and no matter how fast she moved, she could feel his presence behind her. Who ever this guy was, he seemed pretty intent on going after her, and it wasn't just a random target. Christy had been on the streets too long and had learned too much in the past two years not to know what trouble was when it was coming in her direction. She'd noticed the guy following her earlier that day when she was with the others down in some of the roughest neighborhoods in the city. After some pretty fast running, she had been able to avoid the guy for a while. But he'd caught up with her once again just as she was about to go and find some food and a place to stay for the night. She didn't know what this guy wanted,but she didn't want to stick around and have a friendly chat with him either.
Oh God! He was right behind her, only a couple of yards back. Keep running. Don't let him get you. Straight, then turn to avoid the tree roots in the ground. Darkness... Oh God, so much darkness. And then lights. "Headlights," Christy realized as she kept running. She paused momentarily to catch her breath and glance back overher shoulder. The guy was still there, and he was getting closer.
Christy turned and began heading for the oncoming car on the highway. She'd seen the headlights coming in her direction, and if she could get this guy to stop then she knew that she'd be safe. At least the guy wouldn't get to her if he spotted another person coming. But before she got the chance to signal the car's driver, she felt two strong arms grasp her from behind and pin her to the ground. She felt the strong weight of another body holding her down on the ground, and then something wrapping around her neck.
"Damn," Christy thought as she felt her strength being reduced to almost nothing. She knew full well that if something didn't happen soon she'd be dead. As her mind raced with thoughts of what she should do to get out of this situation, she could already see the stars appearing in front of her eyes, and then the blackness settled over her.
The sleek black transam sped down the desolate highway, fully aware that there was nothing and no one in the way. The car's driver was lounging in the seat, reading a newspaper from the previous week. In his line of work, there wasn't enough time to sit down at the end of the day and relax with a good newspaper in front of you. In his line of work, the end of the day generally consisted of crashing, either in the car or in another nondescript hotelroom, and sleeping heavily for several hours. But sleep wasn't on Michael's agenda this evening. Although it was the middle of the night, Michael couldn't fall asleep, and hadn't been able to for several hours. Michael didn't know why sleep had alluded him this evening, however someone else did.
"Michael," Kitt's voice cut through the incredibly long silence, jarring Michael from his reading. "Michael, you really must rest. You're not going to do Bonnie or Devon any good tomorrow morning at the breakfast for the foundation's board of directors if you ccan't even stand up. Really, Michael, I'd have expected better common sense in you."
Michael settled back in the seat, set his newspaper down on the passenger's side of the car, and looked at the video monitor of Kitt's dashboard. "You know something pal, I'd have expected better common sense from me too. But this whole Foundation breakfast thing has got me a little on edge. You know I hate fundraisers and the main foundation boring stuff..."
Kitt cut him off at the first chance he could get. "Michael, I hate them too, but what can we do about it? Devon and Bonnie are counting on us to be there at 9:00:am, and we're going to be there."
Michael stared out the window, looking up toward the sky and at the stars presently making their appearance. No sooner had he just begun to glimpse the wonderful sight of O'Ryan's Belt, than Kitt's voice cut the silence once more.
"Michael, I think I should warn you that there is some trouble coming up ahead."
"What kind of trouble, Kitt?"
"A young girl is being attacked by a larger and more powerful assailant, and her vitals don't look very good."
"Okay, let's go." Michael lunged out the driver's side door, as Kitt momentarily paused to let his friend out. Michael was just about to turn and look in the opposite direction, when he heard a sharp cry of pain.
Michael lept into the fracus, throwing the attacker off balance, and allowing Christy the amount of time she'd have needed to get away. She scrambled toward the road and the idling car, leaping into the back seat and slamming the door as she did so. Michael finally disengaged himself from the other man, after knocking him cold and checking his vitals through Kitt.
"He'll live, but let's get out of here, Michael. Two other guys are coming in this direction, and I personally don't want to wait around to see if they're involved in this or just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The young lady has made herself comfortable in my back seat, and I'd like to take care of this situation so we can get rolling to meet Bonnie and Devon. You know how important this breakfast meeting is to Devon."
"So I guess there's no way of getting out of it, right?"
"Not unless you'd care to explain to Devon why you chose a teenager over the foundation breakfast." Frowning deeply, Michael jumped into the driver's seat and shut the door. He glanced back at his new passenger, and smiled.
"I'm Michael, and you are?"
""And you care because?"" Christy made no sound, but her hands said more than her words ever could. Michael stared in amazement at the young girl whom he'd just saved from being murdered. It was clearly obvious that she was deaf, but also it was clear that she could lipread as well as sign.
"I care because I just risked my life to save yours. Now, please help me out here. I want to help you, but if you don't tell me how I can help you then there isn't much I can do for you."
Michael turned his head to glance quickly at Kitt, who flashed the words Christy had just signed across his video screen. "Michael, she's completely deaf, but her signing skills are impeckible! Do you know how to sign, or should I keep translating for you?"
Michael signed the words, ""My name is Michael Knight. What's yours?"" Kitt flashed the words over his screen, and waited to see what would happen. The girl and Michael looked at one another for a moment and then Michael signed, ""I need to drive somewhere. Where would you like me to take you?"
""My name is Christy. Please help. I need help.""
""What do you mean you need help, Christy? What's wrong?""
""I don't have a home or a family, and I don't want to be in fostercare either.""
Two hours later, Michael twisted into a more comfortable position. Christy had since moved into the passenger's seat beside Michael, and had kept up a continuous conversation with him. Michael had pressed the button on Kitt's dash, putting Kitt in control of the vehicle, but Christy would believe that Michael was still in control. Now Christy had fallen asleep, and Michael was able to speak with Kitt without waking her.
"Okay, Kitt, let me have it."
"Have it? Have what? I'm sorry, Michael, but I don't quite understand the meaning of the phrase."
"Never mind. Could you dig up anything on her?"
"Christy Ann Knight, age fourteen, orphaned."
"What about her condition? Can you find anything out about that?"
Kitt waited a few moments and then responded. "She's totally deaf, Michael. Her condition was brought on as a result of an extremely high fever when she was two. Her vitals are stable, but I'm not very pleased with how thin she is. In case you haven't noticed, Michael, she only weighs about ninety pounds or so... Not at all what a girl of her age and height should weigh."
"I already noticed that, pal. Now the question at hand is what to do with her." Michael really felt sorry for the girl sleeping in the seat beside him. Logically, he knew that it would be best for all involved if he were to just hand her over to the child wellfare people in LA, but at the same time he could understand her not wanting to be handed from foster home to foster home.
"Michael, please tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking. Please remember that we have a breakfast to attend in six hours."
"Don't worry, Kitt, we're going to be at that breakfast. I'm going to go to sleep and you're going to drive the rest of the way. Just wake me up before she wakes up, okay?"
"All right, Michael, but I hope you know what you're doing."
Within five hours, Michael was awakened by the sudden brightness of light aimed in his direction. He opened his eyes and immediately turned his head away so the light didn't damage his eyes. "Well, good morning to you too, Kitt."
"I hate to wake you up like this, but Devon's calling. I think he's wondering where we are." Instantly, Devon's face appeared on the video monitor.
"Good morning, Michael. I trust that you're on your way here for the meeting with the Board?"
"As a matter of fact I am. But I think it's fair to let you in on a little surprise first."
"Oh, Michael, please don't tell me you've gotten yourself into some trouble."
Michael smiled at the image of his friend and co-worker. He truly thought of Devon as more to him than just a friend and co-worker, and he knew that the feeling was quite mutual on Devon's end. "No, at least I don't think so." Michael pressed a button on the dash, and Devon could see the interior of the cabin fully, including the sleeping figure of a fourteen-year old girl. "Devon, this is Christy Knight."
Devon's face turned two different colors before returning to its normal shade. After he had been filled in on the story of how Michael met the child, he was in agreement, and told Michael that all arrangements would be made for the girl to have clothing and a room.
"Everything will be taken care of, Michael. But you and I will have to sit down and discuss what will be done with the girl after the breakfast."
"Thank you, Devon. We'll see you in about..."
"One hour, and forty-five minutes." Kitt said helpfully.
"All right then." Devon sighed and continued speaking. "I'll see you then."
Michael switched off the video screen, leaned back in his seat once more, and smiled to himself. "Well, I'd say that Devon took that quite well, wouldn't you?"
"Michael, you failed to tell him one important thing. Why didn't you tell him that Christy was deaf and communicates through sign language?"
"Because, Kitt, I want them to meet face to face when I tell Devon."
At that moment, Christy's eyes flew open and she jerked in her seat. Again, Michael heard the small cry come from her throat, and he glanced at Kitt for an answer.
"Michael, she may be deaf, but her vocal capabilities are still in tact."
""Good morning, Christy. Are you hungry?""
""Yes. When will we be able to eat something? I'm really hungry.""
""Soon, very soon. We're going to meet a friend of mine in LA, and we'll have breakfast with him. Is that okay with you, or would you rather eat something now?""
""Well, as long as you swear to me that you're not shipping me off with some social worker to some foster home or something.""
""No, I won't do that, not unless there is no other alternative."" Michael reached out and took hold of Christy's left hand, noticing instantly that she didn't pull away immediately. He turned his head to face her and looked at her fully. He could see the face of a child, but yet a face which held within its depths fear, pain, and much more.
"Christy, how did you end up out on the streets?"
""What's it to you? You don't care, you're just like the rest of them.""
"The rest of whom, Christy? What happened to you?" The young girl pulled her handaway from Michael's hand and sighned once more.
""You don't care, you're just like all the other adults who said that they cared but they didn't. They didn't care when my mother died, and they didn't care when the people in my first three foster homes refused to talk to me because I was deaf.""
Michael could feel the anger that Christy held inside, and he could understand why she was hurting so much. He took up signing once again and said, ""Don't worry. I'm nothing like that. Did your mother teach you to sign?""
Christy nodded and responded. ""My mother taught me to sign when I was eight. She worked with deaf children at a special school, and sometimes she'd let me go into work with her to talk to the other kids. She didn't have the money to send me to a special school, so she taught me herself, and homeschooled me up until I was twelve.""
Michael smiled at the girl. He knew that she was an extremely bright and intelligent young lady, and he liked having her around. ""You know, Christy, your signing skills are fantastic! I learned to sign about ten years ago, and I'm still a little rusty. Now why are you on the streets?""
Just then Kitt interrupted the conversation by speaking to Michael. "Michael, we're almost there. Devon's outside waiting for us, and he's got someone new with him. She's not someone I recognize, so I figure that she's either an interpreter or a social worker."
Michael said nothing in response, but turned his attention back to Christy, who by this time was busy examining the dashboard of the car and all its many buttons and lights. ""Just be careful what you hit on here, Christy," Michael said pointing to the dash. "I can speak from experience, and I can tell you that I've hit the wrong button on occasion.""
"Well," Michael thought to himself, "since I never told Devon that Christy was deaf, the woman must be from Social Services."
As Michael's thoughts ran through his mind, Kitt pulled to a stop and Devon opened Michael's door. From the look he flashed in Michael's direction, it was clearly obvious that he was not at all pleased that Michael had chosen to bring a fourteen-year old runaway with him for company. He gave Michael three seconds to step out of the car, waited until Christy stepped out, and then turned his attention to her. He would deal with Michael later.
"Hello, Christy, my name is Devon Miles."
""Hello, Mr. Miles. I'm sorry if I've caused you any trouble. Michael helped me out last night when I needed help, so if I'm in the way then I'll be leaving.""
Devon turned his attention once again to Michael. "You never told me that the girl could sign."
"I wanted you to meet her first. She's incredibly smart, and from what I could gather, she's had it pretty rough the last two years. And besides, I like having her around."
""Please remember whom you're talking about here, gentlemen. Michael, you promised you wouldn't send me with any social workers, so who is she?""
The young woman stepped forward and introduced herself to both Michael and Christy. "My name is Kyla Burns, and I am here to show Christy around the grounds. When Devon phoned you this morning, he also put in a call to me and requested that I help out. Since both you and Devon will be attending the board meeting, he figured that Christy might get a little wrestless just sitting around doing nothing."
"That was before I knew the young lady was deaf," said Devon with a light jab in the direction of Michael's ribs. "You unfortunately kept that little bit of information from me."
"Devon, Christy is very good at both signing and lipreading, and if..."
""It's okay, Michael. I think I can keep myself out of trouble. I can find ways of communicating with people who don't know how to sign. Just because the people in the first three foster homes didn't talk to me didn't mean that there wasn't a way for them to do so.""
Kyla Burns smiled at Christy and took hold of her hand and gently squeezed it. "You know something, Christy, you're pretty intelligent for only fourteen. I think you and I are going to get along just fine."
As Kyla and Christy walked off, Devon gave Michael a glare which spoke volumes. "All right, Michael, I want to know exactly what happened, and why you haven't turned that girl over to the Juvenile Authorities."
"Well, because she begged me not to. Besides, she was attacked last night, and I figure that she's safer with someone than without."
"That may very well be the case, Michael, but you know the ins and outs of the law as well as I do. That girl should have been turned over to the Juvenile Authorities the second you were sure she was safely away from her attacker. We can't be harboring a runaway minor, you know that."
"Devon, I can't betray her like that. She doesn't trust anyone, and I've just started to get through to her."
Devon looked at his friend for a moment and then said softly, "Well, I suppose we could give her shelter for a while... But not here. You may stay here tonight, but I will make arrangements for you to stay up at the mountain retreat."
"Thank you, Devon, I really do appreciate all you're doing for her. Once I gain her trust more fully, I'll be able to find out just what's going on inside her head and then we'll figure out what to do with her."
"Just don't take too long, Michael. We need you, the Foundation needs you. And now, I suggest we make ourselves known at the board meeting."
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Later that afternoon, Michael found Christy and Kyla sitting in the garden. As he approached, he hid something behind his back, keeping it out of sight from the others. He stepped in front of Christy, admiring how beautiful she did look. Michael glanced in Kyla's direction and the woman nodded.
"I figured that Christy might like to do something to her hair, so we trimmed it a bit and put a few curls in it as well."
"Nice job, now if only I could get my hair to look that great." Michael teased. He was satisfied to see a smile appear on Christy's face, and he too, smiled. "By the way, I've got something for you, Christy."
""What is it?""
"It's a surprise. Close your eyes, and hold out your hand."
Michael watched as Christy hesitantly closed her eyes and held out her right hand. He slowly withdrew the hand he'd been holding behind his back, and placed a medium-sized box in the girl's outstretched hand.
Christy took the box, and opened her eyes. She laid the box in her lap and signed, ""What's inside?""
"Open it and you'll find out." Michael replied.
"Come on, Christy, open it and let's see what's inside." Kyla said smiling. "I like surprises as much as the next person, but I also like to find out what the surprise is."
Christy slowly opened the box, and pulled back the tissue paper to reveal a brand new pair of sneakers. She withdrew them from the box and held them up so that the others could see.
"I thought you might like to have a new pair since your old ones were worn and falling apart. So what do you think?"
Christy set the sneakers in the box and reached out to give Michael a hug. He could tell from the look on her face that she was more than happy with the gift. He hugged her back, and smiled widely.
""Thank you so much! I love them!""
"I figured you might. Now," Michael continued with a very large smile plastered on his face, "I have the rest of the afternoon free. So, what do you say that we go find something to do together. Sound good to you?"
""Great! But what do you want to do?""
"Well, how about I take you, Devon, Bonnie, and Kyla all out to lunch. Come on, my treat."
""Who is Bonnie?"" Christy finished signing the words and bent down to put her new sneakers on. Michael watched as she carefully put them on, lacing them up tightly, and waited for her to make eye contact with him once more.
"Bonnie is a friend of both Devon and myself. You'll really like her."
Kyla interjected with a longing expression on her face. She frowned deeply and said, "As much as I would love to join you all for lunch, I can't. I have to get back to the city. When I came out here it was only for the morning, unfortunately. I really wish I could go. I'm sorry."
""That's okay,"" Christy's hands flew, as Michael interpreted for Kyla's benefit.
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Michael had been right. Christy found herself liking this woman, Bonnie, as Michael had refered to her. Bonnie, in some ways, reminded Christy of her mother. She knew of course that this was a little odd, having never had anyone remind her of her mother, but Christy couldn't help but think of her mother every time she looked at Bonnie. And Devon wasn't as tough as he first appeared to be. Christy actually began to warm up to him as they enjoyed their meal, and she learned many interesting things about Devon. For example, she learned that Devon never failed to break eye contact when he spoke to her. More often than not, people managed to keep eye contact with her for only so long a period before their eyes drifted in other directions, leaving Christy only their lips to read.
As the four of them sat enjoying lunch, Christy occasionally stopped eating to sign something to her companions. To her amazement, Bonnie knew how to sign and could do it perfectly without missing a beat. She even corrected Michael several times on different ways for making certain gestures. There were always diferent meanings for every sign made, and many different interpretations as well. But Christy hadn't minded a bit, in fact she'd enjoyed having someone to talk to, someone who wouldn't treat her like she was an outsider.
""Michael, what's going to happen to me now?""
Bonnie watched the words as did Michael. At first neither of them knew what to say in answer to her simple and yet very complicated question. But surprisingly enough, it was Devon who fielded the uestion, and to both Bonnie and Michael's amazement, he did quite well at it too.
"For the time being you will stay with Michael. We will figure out the rest later. Don't worry, we haven't called the wellfare authorities and don't plan on doing so unless it's absolutely necessary." Devon smiled at the girl who had been carrying on a continuous conversation with the three of them for over an hour, and hadn't once tired of the topics covered. He couldn't help but think of how hard her life had been after her mother's death, and somewhat even before the woman's departure from Christy's life. He'd dug deeply into her file in the Youth Authority's records, and what he found wasn't what he'd first believed to be the case.
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