The Sound of Music
Chapter Six
"I love you, Chloe, and I'm not leaving your side."
Chloe blinked her eyes open and Brady held his breath, hoping against hope that somehow she had heard him, that the doctors had somehow made a mistake. "Oh God, Chloe, I'm so glad you're awake," he said automatically.
But Chloe took no notice of him and looked around her with an expression of confusion on her face. She immediately knew she was in a hospital, but she didn't know why or how she had ended up there. For a long, confused moment she thought that she was back in the hospital battling her leukemia. She had forgotten that they found her father and that she had been cured.
Brady's hopeful heart fell. She didn't hear him. He squeezed her hand to get her attention. Startled by the sudden contact, she flinched.
Her eyes landed on Brady and she smiled at the boy who gazed at her so anxiously. Once again he was by her side, fighting her illness with her. He didn't know it, but he was her strength. He was the reason she was able to stay strong and keep fighting. He was the reason she was able to do a lot of things. She gazed at her best friend in wonder. Did he know just how very important he was to her?
"Brady," she croaked and immediately paused. Brady sadly noticed the frown of concern that crossed her face. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Brady?"
But once again there was no sound to her ears. Her eyes widened as a horrible thought occurred to her. What if something had happened to her voice? Her heart began to race and she struggled to sit up.
Brady placed a hand on her shoulder. "No, Chloe, don't try to move."
Chloe froze. She had seen his lips moving but had heard nothing. Then she noticed how strangely quiet it was. And she suddenly knew why. It wasn't her voice that was gone, it was her hearing. Her eyes grew wide and with a sudden rush of memory, it all came back to her: Julliard, the audition, the blinding flash, and then the nothingness.
She reached up to touch her bandaged ears and tears filled her eyes. "Brady, I can't hear anything!" she cried in panic.
Brady's heart broke at the sad, panicked confusion on her face. "Ssh," he soothed, "everything's going to be okay, Chloe."
But his silent words only set her off more. "No," she moaned. She tore frantically at her bandages, hoping that they were the cause of her deafness.
"No, Chloe, don't." Brady tried to calm her but she wasn't looking at him. She clutched her ears, ripping at the bandages, her heart racing.
Brady grabbed her wrists and tried to get her attention. "Look at me, Chloe." But she kept shaking her head, body racked with sobs. She was caught up in a state of full panic - hysterical.
"I can't hear, I can't hear," she kept moaning.
Brady's handsome face twisted in pain and worry as he realized he couldn't reach her. He was out of his depth. He turned his head toward the closed door.
"Craig!" he called, his voice ringing with urgency. Seconds later the door flew open as Craig rushed in. Nancy waddled in just after him, no longer able to contain her need to see her daughter.
Craig took in the scene and immediately realized the situation. He moved to where Brady was fruitlessly trying to calm a shaking, sobbing Chloe.
"Dr. Wesley." Brady said helplessly.
Craig grabbed Chloe's hands. She lifted her head and the change in her expression when she saw her stepfather was dramatic. "Craig!" she cried, looking like a child who trusted in her parents to 'make it all better.' Her spirits lifted. Craig would fix it. After all, he had saved her from cancer. Surely, he could heal this simple injury.
She gazed at him expectantly. "Craig, there's something wrong with my ears," she said simply, as if it were no big matter. How could it be? Craig was there, and he would fix it.
Craig nodded sadly. "I know, sweetheart." With an unheard sigh, he sat down in a chair beside her and gazed closely into her face. He was sure to speak slowly and clearly.
"Chloe, there was an accident at Julliard."
Chloe frowned as she stared at his moving lips. She shook her head slightly; she couldn't catch his words. Craig tried again, slower and with exaggerated lip movements. But she still couldn't understand him. She just hadn't had any practice reading lips. In addition, her overwrought emotional state made it impossible for her to concentrate on so difficult a task. She shook her head and growled in frustration, her momentary calm quickly vanishing.
"Shh, it's okay," Craig soothed as he caressed her face. He grabbed a pen and small notebook from his coat pocket and wrote his message. He handed it back to her.
Chloe took the notebook. Brady grabbed a hand and squeezed it for moral support. She smiled up at him and then read Craig's note.
Chloe looked up at Craig and nodded. she wrote back.
came the written reply.
Chloe gingerly felt her bandaged face as her memories became clearly. "I remember," she whispered as her eyes watered. Her hands drifted to her ears. She looked up at Craig, her unvoiced question written on her face.
She looked up at her stepfather, at the man who was more a father to her than her real father. "But you can fix it, right?" she mouthed.
There was a pregnant pause and then Craig gave a sad shake of his head. he wrote simply.
Chloe stared at the words. They seemed to swim before her vision. She couldn't believe it, couldn't believe this was happening. She was deaf? And it was permanent?
She was still trying to process this sudden turn of events when her mother wrapped her arms around her. "Oh, Chloe," Nancy cried. "My baby. You're going to be okay - we will get through this."
But Chloe paid her mother no attention and missed her words. She sat stiff in Nancy's warm embrace, experiencing a kind of emotional shock. She didn't even notice when Brady hugged her, and she certainly didn't hear his own words of encouragement. She simply stared straight ahead, at an unseen dot on the horizon.
"I want to be alone." Her voice sounded distant, detached.
Nancy lifted her daughter's chin to get her attention. She smiled warmly at Chloe. "No, sweetie, I don't think you should be alone right now."
Chloe watched Nancy's moving lips and the dam holding back her emotional flood burst. "GET OUT!" she screamed. She clutched her ears and stared at her blanket as large nickel sized tears dropped from her eyes. "Get out, get out, get out." she moaned, rocking herself on the bed.
Craig laid a comforting hand on Nancy's shoulder. "She needs some time, Nancy. Come on; let's give her some space. She'll be okay."
Nancy turned her red watering eyes to her husband. "Will she, Craig? Will she really ever be okay?"
They turned and exited the room with Brady following a few steps behind. He turned for one last glance at Chloe. He saw her bent, shaking body as she sobbed into her pillow and his heart broke with hers. He found himself echoing Nancy's question. Would Chloe ever really be okay? Would he?
Chapter Six
"I love you, Chloe, and I'm not leaving your side."
Chloe blinked her eyes open and Brady held his breath, hoping against hope that somehow she had heard him, that the doctors had somehow made a mistake. "Oh God, Chloe, I'm so glad you're awake," he said automatically.
But Chloe took no notice of him and looked around her with an expression of confusion on her face. She immediately knew she was in a hospital, but she didn't know why or how she had ended up there. For a long, confused moment she thought that she was back in the hospital battling her leukemia. She had forgotten that they found her father and that she had been cured.
Brady's hopeful heart fell. She didn't hear him. He squeezed her hand to get her attention. Startled by the sudden contact, she flinched.
Her eyes landed on Brady and she smiled at the boy who gazed at her so anxiously. Once again he was by her side, fighting her illness with her. He didn't know it, but he was her strength. He was the reason she was able to stay strong and keep fighting. He was the reason she was able to do a lot of things. She gazed at her best friend in wonder. Did he know just how very important he was to her?
"Brady," she croaked and immediately paused. Brady sadly noticed the frown of concern that crossed her face. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Brady?"
But once again there was no sound to her ears. Her eyes widened as a horrible thought occurred to her. What if something had happened to her voice? Her heart began to race and she struggled to sit up.
Brady placed a hand on her shoulder. "No, Chloe, don't try to move."
Chloe froze. She had seen his lips moving but had heard nothing. Then she noticed how strangely quiet it was. And she suddenly knew why. It wasn't her voice that was gone, it was her hearing. Her eyes grew wide and with a sudden rush of memory, it all came back to her: Julliard, the audition, the blinding flash, and then the nothingness.
She reached up to touch her bandaged ears and tears filled her eyes. "Brady, I can't hear anything!" she cried in panic.
Brady's heart broke at the sad, panicked confusion on her face. "Ssh," he soothed, "everything's going to be okay, Chloe."
But his silent words only set her off more. "No," she moaned. She tore frantically at her bandages, hoping that they were the cause of her deafness.
"No, Chloe, don't." Brady tried to calm her but she wasn't looking at him. She clutched her ears, ripping at the bandages, her heart racing.
Brady grabbed her wrists and tried to get her attention. "Look at me, Chloe." But she kept shaking her head, body racked with sobs. She was caught up in a state of full panic - hysterical.
"I can't hear, I can't hear," she kept moaning.
Brady's handsome face twisted in pain and worry as he realized he couldn't reach her. He was out of his depth. He turned his head toward the closed door.
"Craig!" he called, his voice ringing with urgency. Seconds later the door flew open as Craig rushed in. Nancy waddled in just after him, no longer able to contain her need to see her daughter.
Craig took in the scene and immediately realized the situation. He moved to where Brady was fruitlessly trying to calm a shaking, sobbing Chloe.
"Dr. Wesley." Brady said helplessly.
Craig grabbed Chloe's hands. She lifted her head and the change in her expression when she saw her stepfather was dramatic. "Craig!" she cried, looking like a child who trusted in her parents to 'make it all better.' Her spirits lifted. Craig would fix it. After all, he had saved her from cancer. Surely, he could heal this simple injury.
She gazed at him expectantly. "Craig, there's something wrong with my ears," she said simply, as if it were no big matter. How could it be? Craig was there, and he would fix it.
Craig nodded sadly. "I know, sweetheart." With an unheard sigh, he sat down in a chair beside her and gazed closely into her face. He was sure to speak slowly and clearly.
"Chloe, there was an accident at Julliard."
Chloe frowned as she stared at his moving lips. She shook her head slightly; she couldn't catch his words. Craig tried again, slower and with exaggerated lip movements. But she still couldn't understand him. She just hadn't had any practice reading lips. In addition, her overwrought emotional state made it impossible for her to concentrate on so difficult a task. She shook her head and growled in frustration, her momentary calm quickly vanishing.
"Shh, it's okay," Craig soothed as he caressed her face. He grabbed a pen and small notebook from his coat pocket and wrote his message. He handed it back to her.
Chloe took the notebook. Brady grabbed a hand and squeezed it for moral support. She smiled up at him and then read Craig's note.
Chloe looked up at Craig and nodded. she wrote back.
came the written reply.
Chloe gingerly felt her bandaged face as her memories became clearly. "I remember," she whispered as her eyes watered. Her hands drifted to her ears. She looked up at Craig, her unvoiced question written on her face.
She looked up at her stepfather, at the man who was more a father to her than her real father. "But you can fix it, right?" she mouthed.
There was a pregnant pause and then Craig gave a sad shake of his head. he wrote simply.
Chloe stared at the words. They seemed to swim before her vision. She couldn't believe it, couldn't believe this was happening. She was deaf? And it was permanent?
She was still trying to process this sudden turn of events when her mother wrapped her arms around her. "Oh, Chloe," Nancy cried. "My baby. You're going to be okay - we will get through this."
But Chloe paid her mother no attention and missed her words. She sat stiff in Nancy's warm embrace, experiencing a kind of emotional shock. She didn't even notice when Brady hugged her, and she certainly didn't hear his own words of encouragement. She simply stared straight ahead, at an unseen dot on the horizon.
"I want to be alone." Her voice sounded distant, detached.
Nancy lifted her daughter's chin to get her attention. She smiled warmly at Chloe. "No, sweetie, I don't think you should be alone right now."
Chloe watched Nancy's moving lips and the dam holding back her emotional flood burst. "GET OUT!" she screamed. She clutched her ears and stared at her blanket as large nickel sized tears dropped from her eyes. "Get out, get out, get out." she moaned, rocking herself on the bed.
Craig laid a comforting hand on Nancy's shoulder. "She needs some time, Nancy. Come on; let's give her some space. She'll be okay."
Nancy turned her red watering eyes to her husband. "Will she, Craig? Will she really ever be okay?"
They turned and exited the room with Brady following a few steps behind. He turned for one last glance at Chloe. He saw her bent, shaking body as she sobbed into her pillow and his heart broke with hers. He found himself echoing Nancy's question. Would Chloe ever really be okay? Would he?
