"So that's it? You're just releasing him?" Emily asked the doctor, gnawing nervously on her bottom lip.

"We've done what we can, he just needs time to heal," the doctor tried to placate her.

Matt hadn't had any bleeding for almost four weeks, and the swelling was receding. They had no reason to keep him. Either he'd heal, and regain his abilities to hear and speak, or he wouldn't. There wasn't anymore they could do for him, so they were letting him go home. He'd continue as an outpatient, with regular exams to make sure the swelling continued going down, and he got better, not worse. But now it was time for Matt and his friends to get him back into his life, and get used to the idea that he may never be the man he was again.

"Is there anything we can do to help him heal?"

"Only what you've been doing. Be patient with him, be supportive, and help him when he can't do it himself, even if he refuses to ask. He'll get frustrated with himself and his situation, maybe even depressed, he needs to know that no one blames him or thinks less of him. Don't be afraid to go to a psychiatrist if you think he needs it. That's all I can tell you, I'm afraid."

Emily had moved most of her clothing and other necessities over to Matt's house once she'd gotten out of the hospital. She knew he'd eventually be released, and she'd wanted to be there for him when he was. It came sooner than she expected, and she couldn't help but feel like the doctors were just giving up, and sending him home. She wanted him to be able to hear again, and she wanted to hear his voice as more than a grunt.

Emily followed the doctor back into Matt's room, where Matt was very happily signing the papers to leave. It was no secret how much he loathed hospitals, and even in the condition he was in, he'd rather be mute and deaf at home than in the damned hospital. He handed the clipboard and signed forms to the nurse, and turned to Emily, holding up the whiteboard.

Can we get out of here now?

Emily looked at the doctor, who finished a few notations on Matt's chart, and nodded his approval. After almost two months, Matt was finally free to leave the hospital. Part of him was actually a little nervous. Would it be weird to be home, and not be able to hear anything, to say anything? Would it feel like they were resigning themselves too much to his current condition?

He couldn't think about being permanently deaf and mute, because when he did, he began to panic.

Instead, he smiled and took his girlfriend's hand, lacing their fingers together, and walked with her into the evening air. Matt smelled the air and took in the darkening sky. There was one thing to be said for losing his hearing; his other senses were a little better. He noticed more when he looked at things, and he actually paid attention to smells.

Emily smelled like dove soap, coconut (her shampoo), and the lilies she kept in her apartment, though now he supposed she was keeping them in his. She always liked to have fresh flowers in her apartment, and lilies were her favorite, because of all the colors and varieties. He bought them for her often. That combination of scents always calmed him, because Emily calmed him, grounded him almost. When she was beside him, things felt more manageable. So, he let her calming presence wash over him on the car-ride to his apartment, and felt better somehow.

She was wearing his anniversary present, the sapphire heart on a silver chain. It was a little fancy for everyday, but since they'd gotten it back a week ago, she'd been slipping it around her neck every morning. LAPD had found it after interrogating Joseph Michael Henderson for several long hours. Joey Henderson, the twenty year-old that nearly beat them both to death, sold the necklace to a pawnshop in Oakland, who sold it to a guy looking for a birthday gift for his girlfriend.

Tomorrow they'd spend the day with the US attorney, for last minute prep, and then testifying in front of a federal grand jury. They were federal agents, that meant their attacker landed himself a federal charge. Jed, the prosecutor wanted Matt, Emily, Cheryl, and Frank at least to testify at the grand jury, he was debating on Duff and Lia. They were at the scene, but they didn't talk to Emily or call 911. Six people seemed overkill for a grand jury.

It was going to be a production for Matt to testify. He would be reading the questions and typing out his responses using a computer. The questions and answers also had to be verbalized, so a stenographer could get them down, as well as projected on a large screen that way the jury knew there was no tampering. Jed had fought with the defense attorney so Matt was allowed to testify, and the judge assigned to the case agreed to let him, but only with the provisions. It was only fair, seeing as how the defendant put Matt in his current state.

After they finished there, Emily had signed them up for a sign language class. Matt wasn't too thrilled with the idea, never really a good student, and feeling like the class was another step to accepting he'd be like he was forever. He knew she was right though, it couldn't hurt, and at least he'd be able to communicate with her, without needing a pen and paper. Now, he just settled for holding her right hand as she navigated through traffic with her left.

A few hours later, they were gathered with their four closest friends in Matt's living room. It was an awkward conversation at first, as they struggled to talk, and keep Matt in the loop.

"I got a date with that cute nurse." Frank spoke as he scribbled on the board and passed it to Matt.

The brunette with the glasses? Matt scribbled quickly, trying not to slow the conversation down.

"Yep." He wrote, and showed it to Matt, before handing the board to Cheryl, who wanted to write something.

"Since when do you date the geek type?" Cheryl asked, disbelief on her face and in her tone. She made sure Matt read the board before passing it to Frank.

"Since my two best buddies seem to be so into smart chicks, figured I'd give it a shot." He grinned, passing the board over to Matt.

Lia shot Frank a look, and Emily tossed a pillow at him, the whole group giggling. Matt didn't hear and of the giggling, but he saw the smiles.

They tried talking for a while longer, but discovered that it was impossible to keep up a conversation while they had to pass the board around. Not to be defeated, Emily drove to a nearby convenience store and raided them of every dry erase board they had. Then they were all scribbling and erasing, and speaking at the same time, because it was natural to them. Matt felt like a pain in the ass, but was nonetheless happy to be included in the conversation.

Making him even happier was that he could sit on an actual couch, not a bed, with his arm wrapped around his girlfriend, and not worry that a nurse was going to come in an scold them. They usually didn't get to cozy in front of their friends, but their cuddling had been so restricted the last couple months, they didn't care at that moment. Yes, Matt was enjoying being free from the hospital. Then he yawned, and everyone was suddenly on high alert.

We should all get going, you're tired, you need rest. Cheryl wrote.

I'm fine, I did nothing but sleep in the hospital.

No man, she's right. You just got out, you need to take it easy, especially since you have court tomorrow. Frank insisted, giving him a look.

Yes, mom.

Jed Nicholson paced anxiously in the hall outside the Grand Jury room, waiting for his colleague to finish a case she'd started presenting yesterday.

The grand jury process was pretty simple, almost like a mini one-sided trial. There was no cross examination from defense counsel, only direct from the prosecutor. If the grand jury thought he had enough evidence, they'd declare a True Bill, grant an indictment, and pass the case forward for trial. He'd go out soon and start with a summary of the case and introduction of the charges: two counts aggravated assault, two counts attempted murder. Then he'd put Matt on the stand, followed by Emily, but at the rate things were going, she'd have to wait until tomorrow.

He stepped inside to check on his witnesses, who seemed alright. A little fidgety maybe, but he wasn't worried. He'd scored the witness jackpot with this case, all decorated federal agents. And the victims? Enormously sympathetic. All too often victims and witnesses were not much better characters than the defendants, but this was one of those rare, easy cases he could try in his sleep.

They'd done nothing to spur the attack, which was brutal to say the least, and it left one of them unable to hear or speak. Not to mention that through their jobs, they'd saved who knows how many lives. Not to mention the graphic, heart-wrenching photos that made it into the media. The only negative mark on the victims was that they were colleagues, partners, and sleeping together. Though, even that was easily washed away by the fact that on the night of their attack, they'd been celebrating their anniversary--obviously, they were a faithful, committed couple. At least, that's what he saw, and what he was hoping the Jury would see.

Two hours later, he was patiently questioning Matt about the last night he spoke, the last night he'd heard the sounds of the world.

"And Matt, what happened after you lost consciousness?" As he asked it, the question appeared on the computer in front of Matt, who typed his answer.

I don't really know, I stayed unconscious for ten days.

"What did you discover that day you finally woke up?"

I couldn't hear anything, and I don't know how to speak anymore.

"Is it permanent?" These questions were so practiced, he didn't even really need to look at his legal pad.

Matt shifted uncomfortably. The doctors don't know, it might be.

Jed let his face show sympathy, like many of the juror's faces would be. "Please tell us, Matt, how does this and will this effect your life?"

Professionally, I'm a crisis negotiator, I need to talk for work. If this is permanent, there's no job the Bureau can give a deaf mute. I love my job. I've been a cop in one form or another for fifteen years, I don't really know anything else. I never really wanted to.

Personally, I can't talk to anyone without using paper or a dry erase board. It takes longer to write everything out, and no one wants to write out paragraphs, so there isn't much to conversations. I'm getting used to reading lips, and that's not so bad, but if I never hear again, I can never learn to talk again. Everyone I know is going to have to learn sign language to talk to me, that's a lot to ask of people.

It's so quiet all the time, and it's not like I don't remember hearing or talking. I remember the sounds of the city, of the ocean, of my friends voices, their laughter. I know what everything is supposed to sound like, I just can't hear it anymore. Sometimes, the silence seems so overwhelming, I feel like I'll go mad.

The worst thing though, I haven't heard my girlfriend's voice since that night. I can still hear her in my head, but it gets harder as the days pass. You don't realize how important the voices of the people you love are to you, until you can't hear them anymore. I miss her voice. I watch her, see her mouth move, but I can't hear her. I want to hear her so much, I need to hear her so badly, but I just can't.

Matt poured his frustrations out on the computer screen, and when he finally stopped frantically typing, the room of people still had their eyes glued to the screen. Jed let his words sink in for several quiet minutes, before resuming his questioning.

Oh yeah, once Joey Henderson's attorney got the transcripts from the Grand Jury he'd be begging for plea agreement.

"Matt says no peppers!" Frank shouted to Emily, as her boyfriend waved around a board with his proclamation against peppered-pizza written on it.

"I already know that!" She shouted back. Of course, she knew what Matt wouldn't tolerate on his pizza, they'd ordered pizza enough.

"Says he's just reminding you!" Frank called, playing messenger and translator for Matt, who was almost slumped in the big arm-chair, looking positively beat.

Duff and Lia were parked on the loveseat, Frank was on the couch, the same place Cheryl had been sitting before she went into the kitchen with Emily to order pizza. They'd retreated to Matt's apartment after court, all needing something to take their minds of it, and hoping to keep Matt from depressing over his condition. It had gone well today, but Matt was tired, and Emily was practically like a nervous mother around him. It wasn't that she tried to hard to take care of him, she just worried so much that he'd get worse, not better.

"We got a Margarita and one pepperoni and sausage," Emily announced, returning with Cheryl. Cheryl went and sat back beside Frank, while Emily followed Matt's motioning hand. As soon as she got close enough to grab, Matt grabbed her, and yanked her into his lap, earning a startled shriek.

"Oh come one man, don't do anything too cutesy," Duff wrote and whined. Lia gave him a look that was more playful than the hostile she'd intended it to be.

"No free seats anyway," Emily shrugged, grinning, and borrowing Matt's board to tell him what she'd said.

He smiled back at her, and tugged her a little closer to him. Emily relaxed against him, and Matt let his arms stay loose around her. Matt was still not quite used to the fact that he could touch his girlfriend whenever and however the hell felt like. His was enjoying his new freedom too much not to take every opportunity to experience it. Unless Emily exhibited discomfort at affection in front of their friends, he was damn well going to hold her in his arms.

She didn't actually get uncomfortable, but after twenty minutes, the time came to get the pizza, so Emily had to move. Matt teasingly tried to hold her back with him, but she just smiled at him, patient expression on her face, and he let her go. Frank watched with an amused sort of expression, clearly entertained by them. Matt shrugged and picked up the board to tell his friend something. As he was holding the white board, marker poised over it, about to make the first stroke, everything went suddenly dark.

It wasn't the darkness of the power going out, where he'd have the streetlights outside to give him enough light to see shapes. It was his owns eyes betraying him, taking away another of his senses. Suddenly, someone touched him, and Matt jumped away so hard, he fell off the chair, scrambling away. It was a friend, it had to be, but that didn't stop the panic in his head, or the pounding beat resonating through every vein in his body.

Frank stared at his scared friend, at loss of what to do. Cheryl, Lia, and Duff were beside him, equally as horrified at confused. Cheryl tried to reach out to Matt, but when she got close enough to touch, he scrambled back again. Frank did the only thing he could think to do.

"Emily!" He hollered to the bedroom, where she was searching for her keys. If she couldn't help Matt, then he didn't know what to do. She came in, still searching through her purse, looking mildly irritated at the disruption of her search. Then she saw Matt on the floor, almost curled into himself, raw fear on his face. She half-dropped, half-threw her purse, and ran over, pulse racing in her throat.

"What happened?!"

"I don't know, he just got this look on his face all of the sudden, and when I tried to touch him, he jumped and ran away." Frank shook his head hopelessly. He wished he could tell her, but he didn't know.

Matt felt someone else approach him, but they didn't immediately touch him. No matter who it was, it was a friend, he tried to tell himself, but it didn't stop the panic inside him. He couldn't see, couldn't hear the person in front of him, and it left him feeling too vulnerable. Then he smelled lilies, which didn't necessarily mean anything, because Emily had a vase of orange tiger lilies in the living room. It helped calm him a little though, enough so that other scents came to him.

Coconut and Dove soap. Emily.

Matt reached his hand out, and when it made contact with hers, he held on and pulled her tight against him. He held her tightly in his arms, face buried in her neck, inhaling that unique mingling of scents that was the woman he loved. He couldn't speak or hear, and now he couldn't see either, but with Emily so close, his panic began to slowly recede.

Okay, I have an issue with my arm now, and typing gets a little painful, so I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up (this was done except for proofreading). That being said, thanks for reading, and thanks tjmack and slplady for reviewing!