Author's note: Hey guys! This is Switched at Birth from Emmett point of view. I added a few extra scenes because I felt some details were overlooked but I try to stay as close to the story as possible using some of my artistic license here and there. This is my first fan fiction so be easy but I'm open to any constructive criticism on I anything from plotline to grammatical errors. Oh and obviously I don't own S.a.B. because if I did, I would have Sean Berdy with me and not writing about his character. :D
Daphne was late as usual. I had just learnt that she was taking cooking classes at the hearing school that Bay attended. Hearing school and kids treat deaf kids like we are retarded and should be put away from the 'normal' public. I was shocked to hear that she even agreed to this arrangement because of the hurt she experienced when she little. She attended hearing school before my mom set her straight, before she even learned how to sign. It was weird for me to see a deaf person not signing. Daphne just tried to mouth words and if anything else, write it down. She looked at me and my mom in wonder as I explained what had happened and how I had actually screamed at the girls teasing her.
All of a sudden Bay interrupted my thought while I took a picture of some of Buckner's trees. "Hey" she said. I mouthed back a hello. I hadn't talked to Bay a lot so this conversation caught me off guard. She questioned me if I was waiting for Daphne using the name sign and confirmed that i was.
She caught me off guard by noticing the newly develop pictures and asking if she could see them. They weren't much, Just a few photos I took on my last excursion to a old train depot but she seemed truly intrigued by them. "So you're an artist?" she asked brightly. I shrugged it off, "yeah" I mouthed.
I noticed a colorful sheet sticking out of her binder and a gave her a questioning look. She handed my a edited photo of Regina when she was pregnant. "That's you?" I questioned her. "Yeah that's me." She then explained that the car was her fathers, whom she didn't know, and she was trying to find out what a parking ticket said. I told her I knew how to enlarge and sharpen it using some of my software. I wrote down my email and gave it to her. "But Regina doesn't know about this." She quickly explained and motioned to her locking her mouthing and throwing away the key. It was a cute motioned coming from her and I repeated it back to her. I told her goodbye and waited for Daphne.
You don't have to pick me up. Had an accident so I have to talk to the principal. Mrs. Kennish is taking me home. Daphne texted me after ten minutes of waiting outside the side entrance. Are you okay? What could she have done that landed her a meeting with a principal on the first day? My phone vibrated I'm okay. I'll tell you later. I text back quickly Okay. I'll see you tmro. I drove home and jumped on my laptop. Bay had sent me an email of her mom's picture. As soon as I pulled up the picture, I noticed something a lot easier to trace than a parking ticket, a license plate. I wondered how Bay could have had this picture so long and not have seen it.
I googled license plate tracking sites and came up with a reputable one. After a bit of digging around I found the car and the last known address. It was close, only about a hour drive from here. For some reason I felt really happy that I was helping Bay. I knew I would make her happy with this information. I liked seeing her face light up when she found out that I liked photography and I think I would see it again when I give this to her tomorrow. I think I would enjoy seeing her smile again.
~~~~~.~~~~~~.~~~~~
I pulled up to Buckner and immediately spotted bay sitting on the front wall. Happiness and a bit of confusion flashed on her face. "Hey!" she greeted me. I reached into my bag and pulled out the print out of her dad's car. She opened it and was astonished. "You were able to read the park ticket?" I shook my head and pointed to the license plate. She voiced that she couldn't believe that she hadn't thought of that. She was so excited that I had found the address. "Do you want to go there now?" I signed and mouthed. She hadn't expected me to ask that but she quickly responded "What the hell!"
I gave her the spare helmet and she hopped on the back. Her hold was very tentative around me. I smiled, it wouldn't be for long. As predicted as soon as I revved up the motor and took off she latched onto me. I was used to Daphne holding onto me but this was different, I felt content. Every time I spend up, she held on tighter. She felt me silently laugh at her fear and lightly hit me on my stomach. I knew she was probably cursing me out.
Ugh oh. I thought. This was probably not what she expected. We pulled up to a junk yard and I pulled up near the front. I had a small thought that I wouldn't want anybody junking my bike if it was parked close to the cars. I got off and sensed her uneasiness. "Come on!" I mouthed to her. "What? Its not like we are going to find it in there!" I signed "Just come with me and see if we can find the car." She wasn't having it and came up a misinterpreted version of my signing including wizards and wishes.
I extended my hand. Trust me I thought. I saw it in her, the mild curiosity behind her eyes. I knew she would take my hand before she actually did. She took my hand and I took a moment of silent rejoice because I had coaxed her out of her comfort zone.
We journeyed through the massive piles of cars, sometimes tripping over rusted car parts. After a few minutes I pointed to a rusted blue car that matched what Bay had told me to be her dad's. I pointed it out to her and she confirmed that it was it.
She opened the door and immediately started searching for anything that would reveal the identity of her biological father. She didn't find anything but old car parts and dust. I was saddened a bit to know that I hadn't helped her. She jumped out and kicked the car for good measure. She started speaking almost too fast for me to read her lips but her hurt was plainly shown in all the gestures and facial movements during her speech, like the way her arms crossed and her fingers pressed into her arms and the crinkle between her eyes. Even though I knew what she was saying, her body language told a more detailed story. "You know, you are the best listener I know." Bay said as she ended her rant.
I beamed. I wasn't often a deaf person hears that they are good at listening. It goes against most people logic to compliment a deaf person on their listening skill because to them, we really can't listen to begin with. We really do listen, not in a auditory way but in the person as a whole, like mouth movements, body language, and even the pure emotion that hearing people sometimes miss in people's eyes.
She smiled back and I saw the happiness push back the hopelessness she had felt moments ago. She opened the back seat and finally saw something to renew her hope, a guitar pick. I wanted to capture this moment and snapped a picture of her hand and the pick. I think she felt a bit confused or uneasy but I quickly smiled to quell those feelings.
"Well, I guess someone played guitar." she mused. I quickly remembered a memory from mine and Daphne's early friendship. I quickly started to sign forgetting that I was with a hearing girl "When me and Daphne were kids, we found a guitar case and tried-" "whoa whoa whoa", she cut me off "You might as well be speaking Russian." I slowed down and she started to understand me. I flashed a smile when she referred to our conversation as charades. I guess from a third party viewer that is exactly what this conversation looks like.
"What happened afterwards?" "Nothing." I mouthed. She wasn't satisfied with that answer and I elaborated that Regina took it away from us. "So what ever was in the guitar case could be my dad's." Bay half signed half said. I had renewed hope when I remembered something, "Regina left some of her boxes in my garage." Once she understood what I was saying, she was anxious to search more for anything related to her father.
"Tomorrow?" I signed. I didn't want my mom to be there and see us searching through Regina's stuff but something else told me to drag it out a bit and that if we continue tomorrow, it's another day with her. She agreed and we then started our way back to my bike, where ever that was.
We returned to my bike, it unscathed by anybody, and got on. Her grip was tighter and more confident when we started off again. She seemed to be getting used to riding a motorcycle. About ten minutes into the ride I felt her rest her head on my shoulder. Her emotional fatigue was finally starting to show physically. When we reached her house I could tell she was asleep. I felt her steady breath on my neck and the rise and fall of her chest on my back. I sat a few extra moments before I moved my shoulder blades around to rouse her. She started to move. "Sorry." she apologized as she stepped off. "Its okay." I mouthed. "I'll text you when you can come over tomorrow. What is your phone number?" I handed her my phone and she put her number in.
She smiled brightly and turned toward her door but before she left completely she turned and signed "Thank You." That one sign made my whole day. It meant something that a hearing girl thanked me in my language. I signed your welcome and got back on my bike and sped off.
Once at home I text Bay my number and sat back. A thought dawned on me. Why was I even helping her? I didn't really know her. She was just Regina's biological daughter. Before yesterday I had only said a couple of sentences to her but here I was adamantly taking time out of my daily life to help her find her dad. I didn't know what I was doing but I decided that I would see this thing through. I would try and help Bay find her dad.
~~~~.~~~~.~~~~
Around seven p.m. the next day my mom walked into my room. "I'm going out bit with some friends. I'll be back in a few hours." she signed to me. "Okay." I quickly signed back. This was perfect opportunity to have Bay over. You can come over. Parents are gone. I felt almost giddy at the opportunity to have Bay at my house. I needed to calm myself, my emotions were a bit too vivid lately. I assured myself that it was all the drama that was happening with my family and Daphne's.
About twenty minutes later, my doorbell flashed. I opened the door and smiled at Bay. I could feel the tiniest amount of awkwardness flow between us for a few seconds. I broke the standstill by mouthing if she wanted to go check. We walked to my garage and started looking.
My garage isn't very large so it would be pretty easy to find a guitar case if it was there. I wanted to diffuse the tension because Bay was looking disappointed at our inability to find it. I saw a pirates hat and eye patch from a Halloween costume long ago and put it on moving my arms and giving a silent "Arrg!". She saw and scoffed "You don't make a scary pirate." I felt a bit silly but I saw her smile so it made it worth it.
"I don't thing we are going to find the guitar case. We would have found it by now." she said while signing the words she already knew. Suddenly Her eyes shifted from me to a shelf to my left. I turned and saw what she was looking at, a black case. She lifted the case and set it on a half covered table. I stood slightly behind her and looked at her finding, a cassette tape for Regina with the initials A.S. "This could be my dad so A like Adam or Aaron.." "or Anakin Skywalker." I signed. She didn't understand me but it made me smile a bit at my inside joke. She also pulled out a folder with a birth certificate. I switched back and forth from reading her lips to look at what she was holding. This had what she had been searching for, her father's name, Angelo Sorento. Bay started to jump up and down and turned around and hugged me.
I was caught off guard by this gesture because we had only truly known each other for a few days but it felt comfortable. I kept my hand on her waist as she turned back and relished at her new found discovery. In the back of my brain I realized, this felt right.
"Do you need a ride home?" I signed because I didn't see a car around. "Umm yeah. Sorry, Toby dropped me off and her is having a bad day…and yeah.." she tried to explain but I mouthed that it was okay, I didn't mind at all.
I drove her home and said goodbye and that if she needed me, all she had to do was text me. She hugged me and then faced me. "How do you say, 'I owe you?" she asked. I smiled and signed the motions to her. She repeated them slowly and said goodbye.
I started my motorcycle and noticed my gas tank was almost empty. I was doing a lot for this hearing girl and I wasn't sure why. By the time I got home I felt my phone buzz 43 Angelo Sorentos in the U.S. 3 in Missouri. 1 is mine. This is why I'm doing this, because, for some reason, I like making Bay happy.