Chapter 3: Downward-spiral

Beca slowly awakens the next morning, smacking her lips, extremely thirsty as she groans. Her father gently taps her arm and she looks over. "Hey, dad, what's up?" she mumbles. He swallows and says something. "You..you gotta speak up, dad, I can't hear you." She blinks in surprise as her dad bursts into tears, grabbing his phone as he types out.

Beca, honey, you had a really bad accident…the doctors don't think you'll ever be able to hear again.

The small brunette sits there for a moment in shock as she reads that line over and over again before jumping out of the bed, her IVs ripping out, and she desperately tries to hobble out of her room, numb. She bumps into someone who wraps their arms around her, holding her close, and she tenses up. She looks up slightly, seeing the redhead from before that offers her a small smile and gently leads her back to her room, lifting her up onto the bed with surprising strength. The doctor swabs Beca's new wounds with alcohol before retrieving new IVs and placing them back into the proper areas, much to Beca's dismay.

The doctor grabs a white board and writes out something before showing it to Beca.

My name is Chloe. I'm your doctor and I assume you dad told you the news. There are treatments we can try but honestly your body just needs to heal first before we do any surgery like that. We need to see if your hearing comes back on its own, or if a hearing aid would even help. And please don't rip your IVs out again unless you really want to feel like a truck hit you.

The brunette can't help but weakly laugh as she yells out, unknowing she is, "So, how long do I need to –," Chloe gently places a finger over Beca's lip before writing again.

You also don't need to talk for a while. Since you can't hear yourself, you're yelling and it will put a lot of strain on your vocal chords. People will also look at you funny if you're yelling at the top of your lungs in a store. The redhead smiles cutely, obviously trying to make Beca smile and laugh, and honestly, it was working.

So, I want you to stick to writing and or texting, like normal teenagers, okay? Or if you wanna be cool and stuff, you could try and learn sign language or try to learn how to read lips. I could help teach you if you want me to, completely up to you, Beca.

Beca suddenly frowns, realizing she can't hear this beautiful woman's voice, and she can't help but tear up as reality hits her at full force and she grips her chest as she chokes out.

"But..m..my music….how will I make my music?" She looks up at Chloe, tears streaming down her cheeks, looking lost and afraid, like a small child who just had her blanket vanish. Chloe gently wipes her tears away, cupping her cheek.

You can still listen to it. You'll be able to feel the vibrations of it. And I know that's not what you want to read, but that's all you can do for now. I promise I'll do everything I can to help you Beca. I swear. Chloe cleans off the white board and checks Beca's vitals and injuries. She picks up the board again. I'm not only your doctor, but I'm also your physical therapist. I'll be with you every step of the way, Beca. She smiles softly and gently strokes Beca's hair before looking at her pager and waving goodbye as she goes to see another patient.

Beca leans back in her bed, looking up at the ceiling as she shakes, continuing to sob. She had lost the only thing that made her feel right in this world. What was she going to do now? Why was she even still alive? Why the fuck was God this cruel to her? I bet you're up there laughing, you jerk. She grits her teeth and wipes away her tears before fully lying down, swallowing her emotions as she closes her eyes, letting sleep take over.