Hey, guys! I almost had a tiny freak out over the fact my net has been super slow today and my word program freezing. I kept all things crossed both things would let me post with no problems.

Have you guys seen the absolutely beautiful and amazing banner that Mina has made for this story? I am in love! She is so amazing at what she creates! Forever blowing me away.

As always, thank you to Kyla713 for looking this over, and to Mo for reading.

Chapter is a bit shorter than most, but the cute factor is high.

Enjoy!

~.~

Chapter 9-

The week between Christmas and New Year's passed in a blur. Between taking Toby to the day camp Jasper had signed him up for, taking Rosie sledding and multiple snowballs fights, and then poor Buster got into the kid's candy, which resulted in a visit to the vet. That was in experience all in itself.

However, with the New Year came new hopes. Long after the kids had passed out and I kissed my lovely wife as the clock struck midnight and, we both sighed and made a wish that everything would work out in the coming year. We hoped that Rosie would love her aids, the cochlear would take and she'd finally get to hear all our voices.

I dreamed about that constantly. I'd picture in my head how her eyes would go wide with wonder, how she would possibly cry with the new sounds, but then laugh and smile once she heard our voices. I had to cling to that dream. All I wanted was my girl happy, hearing or not.

A few days after the New Year, we found ourselves back at the Audiologist. They had called letting us know that her aids were in, since she'd need to get used to them before the cochlear was put in. It was an intrusion to have something in one's ears at all times, especially when the individual weren't used to it. The aids would be on, but she wouldn't be able to hear anything until the implants were inserted.

As we sat and waited for our little family to be called back, Bella turned to me and said, "I really hope she isn't like me when it comes to these aids, and I end up finding them everywhere."

I laughed in reply. "Well, Rosie is a lot like you with attitude, so..."

Bella glared at me and hitched Rosie higher up in her lap. "No, I'm pretty sure she gets it all from you."

I shook my head, chuckling as I looked over at Toby playing with a car in front of me. "Denial isn't just a river in Egypt, my love."

"I'll show you denial..." Bella grumbled.

I took her hand and squeezed it. "Five bucks says she puts her aids in one of her favorite hiding places the first night."

Bella countered my wager. "Ten bucks says she hides them in her bed."

Toby spoke up then. "If I win, I wanna go to the trampoline place. I say she's gonna hide them in the cupboard by the stairs. It's where she hides all my cars."

We all shook hands, while I secretly hoped Toby was right. I knew how bad he wanted to go to the trampoline play place.

Finally, the audiologist called us back. He sat us down and had Rosie sit on Bella's lap facing him. "Okay. I know Bella knows how these work," he said, winking at my wife. "But I will let you and Toby know, too."

Toby instantly stood up straighter, proud to be included.

The doctor went through how to make sure it was at the right level, how to turn it off and on, and then he showed us how to gently place them in Rose's ear and then take it out.

Rosie was not at all happy with that. She started crying and kept putting her hands on her ears, wanting whatever was bothering her away from them.

He placed the aids in one last time, making sure the rubber part for the inner ear fit perfectly, and they did. Though, with Rose repeatedly trying to take them out, I knew instantly it was going to be a long few weeks until her surgery.

Bella tried to placate her, offering her a toy and then a snack to try and keep her occupied on something else in the hopes that she'd eventually forget that she had something in her ears.

That only worked for so long. She got them out right before we were leaving the office, once the audiologist double checked our next appointment with him, which was after the surgery and when he and the ENT would sync up the cochlear implants and hopefully they'd take. After that, they'd then give her another hearing test. We hoped we'd see at least a difference in her test versus the last one.

Toby signed to his sister to be good and to let him place them back in her ears, which he did, with little fuss from his sister that time, to the surprise of us all. With that, we finally got our little family back on the road home. On the way, he promised her some time with his favorite car race track since she kept them in.

Bella sighed happily at that. She loved how much the truly got along. I loved the little moments like that, and secretly hoped they'd last forever.

Later that night, at bath time, I noticed her aids were no longer in her ears. I was getting ready to take them out while the bath was filling.

Not a second later, Toby came running in with a smug look on his face, his fist closed and held out to me. "So, I think we should do the trampoline place the day before her surgery. That way she'll have fun before it."

"Sure of yourself, are you?" I replied, smiling.

"Just like I said, in the cupboard, next to my lightning McQueen car that she likes to take all the time," he told me seriously before losing it and laughing. "I knew I'd win the bet!"

"Well, a deal is a deal, bud." We shook on it, and then Toby placed his sister's aids on the counter before walking back out.

I placed my darling girl in the bath, and then got down on my knees on the floor to face her while handed her the bath toys.

"You hid them?" I signed, trying not to smile.

She nodded, while grabbing a toy that shot water.

"Be careful. You need them," I signed, while also vocalizing it, so she'd watch my lips.

She nodded again, then handed me a toy, signaling it was time for me to play with her.

I couldn't deny her anything.

After bath, I placed the aids in her ears one last time for the next hour before bed, when I would take them out again.

Fifteen minutes later, after I last put them in, I found them in her bed when I went to get it ready for her.

I shook my head and chucked—Bella's mini me completely.

~.~

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed!