Firstly, I don't know why my author's notes didn't show up last time. Secondly, I'm saddened by the lack of reviews. I can't even express how awesome it is to wake up, check my e-mail and see reviews! They make me happy, so review. Thirdly, shout out to "kittenamos", "xRainbowNinjax" and "CrystalSearcher" for amazing reviews and input. I dedicate this to all three of you
4:25
Emmet held Bay's trembling hand as he led her to his motorcycle. He gave her the helmet and helped her get situated. She never said a word. She usually sang or talked to herself. Emmet could never tell which, all he knew is that even at 50 MPH; he could feel her warm breath on his neck. They arrived at the hospital 18 minutes later. Bay was still silent but it was more of an angry silence than a sad silence. Emmet knew she was still cheerless, but she kept clenching her fists. He followed her to the lobby, into the elevator and up to Daphne's floor. He couldn't take the emptiness between them so he reached out to take her hand as she walked to Daphne's room. Bay rounded on Emmet and looked like she was going to explode. Emmet smiled at her and she calmed down.
"Will you be okay?" he asked
"Yes, I'll be fine," Bay replied
"We don't have to be here, if you don't want to be." He signed back
"You're a bad liar. I know you want to be here and I do to, it's just hard."
"I know that, so do you want to stay or not?"
"We can stay"
"Okay" smiled Emmet
4:45
Toby was walking down the hall to find a bathroom when he saw Bay and Emmet by the elevators.
"Hey!" he called out, Bay turned and Emmet followed her gaze "Daphne moved her hand about 20 minutes ago."
Bay looked at Emmet and it was clear that he'd understood what little Toby had signed. Daphne had moved her hand. Was she finally waking up? They didn't need to speak they both just ran down to Daphne's room. Bay looked at the small crowd in Daphne's room. She could see Kathryn, Jon, Melody, Wilke, Regina and -Bay's breath caught in her throat- Angelo Sorrento. Bay couldn't move. Emmet tried to get her attention, but she was too stunned to respond. Why did he think it was okay to be here? Who told him to come? When did he get here? Bay swallowed her fear and followed Emmet into the crowded room.
"Hey, we saw Toby a few minutes ago, he said that her hand moved?" asked Bay
Regina looked up from where she sat holding Daphne's hand. Kathryn and Jon sat in chairs beside Melody. Angelo leaned on the wall by the window but wouldn't take his eyes off of Bay. Wilke stood outside the room, listening. Jon was the one to reply to Bay, "Yeah, she did at about 4:20. Where were you guys?"
"We went home for a little while. I hope that's not a problem," Bay answered
"No, not at all, just tell us next time, okay?"
"o.k." said Bay. She and Emmet took seats by the door and tried to ignore Angelo's stare.
4:50
Angelo watched Bay intently. He glanced at Kathryn and Jon. They were so worried about Daphne that they didn't notice the beautiful girl they'd raised. Angelo cared about Daphne, but he'd rather get to know Bay. He'd known Daphne, not Bay.
They can have Daphne, Angelo thought, she's not mine, they can have her. I want Bay. It's not fair. I should've gotten to raise my daughter!
"Hey," Said Regina, quietly "Out in the hall."
4: 58
"Your subtlety skills need work." Regina pointed out
"What are you talking about?" Angelo tried to counter
Regina shook her head. "You know damn well. Watching Bay like that, what's wrong with you? Jon will notice if you keep doing that and he won't like it." Regina's dark eyes seemed to stare right through Angelo. Her jaw set and she crossed her arms.
Angelo only laughed easily, "He won't do a damn thing. He won't hurt me, because that will make him look bad in the courts eyes. Everyone knows about this lawsuit. He wants to win so badly, he won't do anything to compromise his chances." Angelo gave his signature I-know-something-that-you-don't-know smile. He too, folded his arms but in more of a smug manor. His brown eyes smirked at Regina making her want to hit him. She held her clenched fists close.
"Just stop staring, okay? For me? For Daphne? God, for anyone, I don't care who just stop!" Regina pleaded
"Fine," Angelo sighs
5:04
Regina and Angelo stepped back into the room as it filled with commotion. Kathryn had been startled by Melody standing quickly and pointing to Daphne and signing.
"She said…Um… moving, a hand, moving, Daphne, - oh- Daphne's hand moved again!" said Bay translating what little she had understood from Melody's frantic signing
Regina rushed past Bay and was by Daphne's side in record time. "Come on, baby. Come back, you can do it." Said Regina, encouragingly,
She knew her daughter couldn't hear her but hoped she's wake soon anyways.
Kathryn brushed a stand of strawberry blond hair out of her face and leaned towards Daphne's bed. Melody sat back down, since her massage was received. Kathryn continued to lean forward. She didn't realize she'd almost fallen asleep. She glanced at Toby, Bay, Emmet and Wilke. The teenagers were all red-eyed and yawning at various times. She glanced at her digital watch and saw that it was Sunday morning. They all had school tomorrow and needed rest. The universe seemed to agree with her because a nurse approached the door and gasped.
"Oh, you can't be in here. Visiting hours don't start until eleven. Wait a minute, have you all been here since last night?" she asked
The nods and yawns answered her question. "Well, I'm afraid I can't allow anyone but immediate family to stay."
"Well, that will be hard to determine." Said Regina, casting glances at Jon and Kathryn
"I recognize you from the papers a while a back so I know what you mean." She smiled, half-heartedly, "I'll give you a minute to decide. I'll be back."
5:14
"Well not me," said Angelo, watching Regina sign to Emmet and Melody
"I don't think I count either," said Wilke, sadly
"We should go, too." Signed Melody
"I want to stay." Demanded Emmet
"No," persisted Melody
"Can I say goodbye?" asked Emmet
Melody considered it for a minute, and then glanced at Regina, who'd been following the whole conversation. "I think we should discuss this outside." Said Regina, catching Melody's hint
Everyone's brow furrowed and they followed Regina out of the room. Melody left and Emmet locked the door. Regina pretended not to hear the telltale click.
"You've got to be more careful," signed Emmet, with a laugh, "I've always thought I was the reckless one, but I think you won this time." he paused and waited and watched for her laugh, but it never came, "Next time just ask to borrow my bike okay?" Still no laugh. Emmet did not know how to react to this. He'd never had any of his friends in the hospital before. He'd never cracked a joke that Daphne hadn't laughed at. "Come back, Daphne. Please, don't die. Please god, don't take her." Emmet signed, looking towards the ceiling. He felt a tear roll hot down his freckled cheeks. He wiped it away but his blue eyes continued to produce the salty liquid so he gave up. He let them fall. "I'm so sorry, Daphne. I'm not sure how to deal with this. We used to joke about me being in the hospital for riding too fast, then mom would get angry and we'd wait till she turned around then kept on joking." The stillness was killing him. He grasped Daphne's uninjured hand, squeezed it and mentally pleaded with her to wake up.
He stood to leave and, had he not been anticipating it, he would've missed it: Daphne squeezed back. It was delayed and short lived but he knew it'd happened. He smiled and waited for a few moments. When she did not stir, his smile fell. He let go of her hand and left the room.
5:29
Emmet steps out to a (false) angry glare from his mother. She pretended to sign something along the lines of s scolding, but to a deaf person it's hard to look angry while you're signing "She'll be fine, she knows you love her and she'll wake up. You did well. Nice touch locking the door."
Emmet grimaced as though his mother had just grounded him for a week without his camera. He hugged Bay and followed his mother to the elevators.
5:32
Wilke watched Emmet leave the room. He noticed that everyone was so focused on Emmet and Melody that they certainly wouldn't see him do what he was about to do. He walked casually around the little group and into the hospital room. He closed the door and locked it quietly. It didn't matter who heard him, he was already in. He sat by Daphne's side he looked at her face. The face he'd always thought was so perfect. Even now, covered in cuts, her face was still perfect. Wilke thought back to the day Daphne asked him to skip school with her. Then to the fundraiser carwash. It usually didn't take long for Wilke to get the girl he was after, but that's what he liked about Daphne. She was different. Not just because she was deaf, but because she was smart, original and amazing. He listened to the beeping of the monitor. He'd never noticed how often he relied on his sense of sound. Or on the fancy things his parents bought for him.
I couldn't make it a day in her life. He thought.
"I know you can't hear me or see me or anything, but if that Edward kid gets to talk to you, then so do I. I'm sorry about all this. Now we all sound like a broken record player. But you can't hear us so I guess it doesn't matter. I didn't mean that offensively or anything…" for the second time in his life Wilke was at a loss for words. "I guess it won't matter that I tell you this now, since you won't know I said it, but um…" Wilke glanced down at his hands. He liked seeing her fingers intertwined with his. He thought of how perfectly they fit. "I think I… no, I know I… I love you Daphne and I want you to wake up and be okay. I'll never use cheesy lines on you again, I promise. As long as you promise to wake up and be okay." he finished and looked up at her face. He was just about to look down again when a bit of motion caught his eye.
Daphne's eyelids fluttered.
"Daphne?" he asked
End chapter three
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