Update! How did everybody like Anna Elizabeth? Cute, right?XD Please enjoy!
Chapter Four: Anna's Condition
When they found out that Anna was mute, Brennan thought she'd never get over the shock.
"Mute?" she asked the doctor. They had taken Anna to the doctor when she had come down with strep just weeks shy of her first birthday. "How can you possibly-?"
"We took a look at her tonsils and they were fine, not at all inflamed, and her throat seemed okay, but when she cried it sounded very strange and airy, so we took a deeper look, and found that her larynx isn't developed correctly, due, most likely, to the fact that she was over three weeks early which didn't allow her vocal chords to fully develop." The doctor explained.
Booth furrowed his brow. "So, she can't say anything?"
The doctor shook his head. "No, I'm sorry."
Brennan looked down at her daughter, playing silently in her lap, not that she could make much noise anyway.
"But, what if she's in some sort of trouble? She can't call for help! Can't you do anything for her?" Booth asked, thinking the worst.
The doctor thought a second. "We could possibly give her a drug to help develop her larynx a bit, but I doubt it'd do much good."
Not willing to put her baby on drugs, Brennan spoke up. "Is there anything else? An operation of some sort that you could do?"
The doctor nodded. "We could do a larynx transplant, but not til she's much older. Not many babies are larynx donors, you see. So, I suggest that you begin teaching her sign language and once she comes of age we can hopefully find her a new larynx and teach her how to speak from there."
Booth looked at Brennan. "That okay with you, Bones?"
Brennan simply nodded, looking down at her little girl who was proudly showing her the barbie in her hands that she had successfully put into a dress, that seemed to be on backwards. Brennan smiled at this, and leaned down to place a kiss on her daughter's cheek. "Very good, baby." she said softly, a slight crack in her voice.
Booth placed his arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple, then turned to the doctor. "I think that's a good idea. But, just out of curiosity, how old is 'of age' for a larynx transplant?"
"At least eight years." the doctor responded. "That's when most parents begin making choices about organ doning with their children if anything, God forbid, happen to them. They want to help others with this sort of problem."
Booth nodded in understanding. "Thank you, Doctor Gunn. We'll be in touch." He stood up with Brennan, taking Anna from her lap, and putting his hand protectively on the small of her back, waving one last time before leading her out.
As they drove home, Brennan was silent the entire time, looking in the rear view mirror every few seconds, to look at her babies in the back.
Peter and Parker, who had been watching Roxie and Tony in the waiting room while Booth and Brennan were talking to Dr. Gunn, were currently snoozing in the very back of the van, while Roxie and Tony played "I spy" and Anna gazed out the window at the trees and buildings whizzing by.
Booth looked over at Brennan and sensing her discomfort, took her hand in his. "Hey," he whispered, getting her attention, "it's gonna be okay. We'll get through this. You know sign language, don't you?"
Brennan smiled weakly. "Yeah, I had to learn it for when I go on my digs. There's always at least one person who knows it so it comes in handy when I don't know the language." she explained.
Booth smiled at her sudden enthusiasm. "Good, so now you can teach Anna. It should be easy since she can relate them to sounds, since she's not deaf, you know?"
Brennan nodded, thanking whoever was listening that Anna wasn't deaf as well as mute. "I know. I suppose that's quite lucky as well." She smiled at Booth, a little more brightly this time, and seemed to visibly relax.
Booth smiled back and refocused his eyes on the road, not letting go of her hand all the way home.
Awwww! Don't you love how sweet Booth is and I swear the larynx thing is true. My little cousin is eight and just had one. She said her first word last week. Wanna know what she said? Then REVIEW!...please?
