After awhile, she heard soft knocking at the door and knew her mother was there.
"Come in," she said.
Elizabeth entered the room and stared at her daughter's red, puffy face and swollen eyes.
"What's wrong, sweetheart?"
"Oh, Mom, it's just so unfair!" Laura choked out. "She has so much, and I have so little!"
"You have your health, and you have two beautiful children," Elizabeth pointed out.
"Annie has all that, and a man who loves her, and a beautiful house, and even free child care!"
"Are you saying you wish Jimmy were dead so she'd be a widow, too?"
"No, of course not! I just - I just wish there was some way I could have back all the things I've lost."
"Oh, Laura!" Elizabeth pulled her daughter close. "I know you've been through some terrible times, but things will get better. When you finish school, you'll be able to get a job and save up enough money to get your own place, and then - who knows?"
Laura sighed. "I guess you're right, but now, it just seems so far away!"
Elizabeth smiled. "Time will fly by. Just wait and see."
By dinnertime, Laura had composed herself enough to join the family at the table. Paul gave his daughter a questioning look but didn't say anything. He mentioned it to his wife as they were getting ready for bed that night.
"Is Laura all right?"
"She's feeling blue about Stephen's death and the loss of their house again," his wife told him. "She just got back from visiting Annie White and her husband. You remember Annie, don't you?"
"George's daughter? Yes, I remember her. Heard she moved away after they graduated. Did she move back?"
"Yes, and she and her husband have twins, too. After seeing them all together, Laura's feeling a bit sorry for herself."
"That's understandable," said Paul. "It would remind her of how much she's lost."
"I tried to make her feel better by pointing out how much her own life will improve after she finishes school and gets a job."
"Seems to me that's all you could do." Paul pulled his wife close and kissed her forehead. "Don't worry. She'll be fine."
Several weeks after school started, Miss Sawyer called Laura in for a conference.
"I'm concerned about Jeremy's speech," she told her. "He seems to have a language delay. I'd like for him to be tested. I've already spoken to Dr. Campbell, and he'd like you to bring Jeremy in for a hearing test. Here's his number. He's expecting to hear from you." She handed Laura Dr. Campbell's business card.
I never even thought of that, Laura said to herself as she drove back home. I always assumed his hearing was fine.
She called Dr. Campbell and scheduled the hearing test for three in the afternoon on a Thursday. As it turned out, she had a little trouble leaving the house with Jeremy, as Jennifer didn't understand why she couldn't come along, too.
"This is to find out how well Jeremy can hear," Laura explained. "We already know you can hear fine."
"You're staying with me," Elizabeth told Jennifer. "We'll do something fun together. How about if I play your Pinocchio record for you?"
Jennifer stopped wailing. "OK!"
Relieved, Laura drove her son to Dr. Campbell's office. They entered the waiting room and signed in. The walls were painted yellow. Two of them were lined with comfortable chairs, and in the middle of the room was a round table with child-sized chairs. Against the wall was a magazine rack, and in front of it was a table with a bead maze toy. Jeremy was the only child there, so he had it all to himself.
After about twenty minutes, a smiling nurse called Jeremy back for his hearing test. Dr. Campbell turned out to be a slight blond man in his mid thirties. He smiled and seemed very friendly. After introducing himself, he handed Jeremy a small red ball.
"I'm going to put these headphones on you, and every time you hear a sound, I want you to throw the ball into this bucket," the doctor instructed. He put the headphones on Jeremy and began the test. Laura watched as Jeremy threw the ball into the bucket several times.
"He passed the test with a perfect score," Dr. Campbell told Laura when the test was over.
"I never even considered he might be deaf," she replied. "Miss Sawyer was worried about his speech development. I've always been a bit worried about it too but figured he'd eventually catch up with the other kids."
"Likely he will," Dr. Campbell assured her. "Some children just need a little more help than others, but at least we know now there's nothing wrong with his hearing."
In mid October, Jeremy was assigned speech therapy with a young woman named Nancy. It took place at the Head Start center right after school twice a week, so Laura kept Jennifer busy with the playground equipment while it was taking place. Over time, he began to learn new words and to speak in complete sentences using proper grammar.