Though we were now married, Heather and I had agreed to take it slow. Everyone expected us to ride off into the sunset and proceed to make babies. While that sounded fine and dandy it was unrealistic. Heather and I had just met and though we were married I respected her enough to let things come together naturally.
Heather and I began to date. It seemed backwards having been married already; it gave us the time to get to know one another. I would pick her up and take her out to dinner or a show, often something engaging that would allow us to enjoy one another’s company. Several nights a week she would come over for dinner at the house so that she could get to know everyone better. We would spend time chatting, playing with the babies and getting to know one another better. Emily had showed me enough sign language that I was able to hold a basic conversation. By basic I mean I was able to say hello and ask how she was doing. Mostly I prattled on and Heather listened. When we were all together Emily acted as a translator, enabling us all to talk and get to know Heather more.
We had set up a reasonable time table established before Heather would be moving in. We had decided that two months seemed to be an acceptable term to determine whether we would both benefit from living in the same house together. Though it would hurt if in the end she decided that it would be best if we lived separately, I would respect her wishes.
My parents came to dinner once a week like they always had. We would all sit around the table chatting enjoying one another’s company. It warmed my heart that everyone had taken an interest in learning sign language so that Heather wouldn’t feel excluded.
With the help of Emily I had been learning sign language so that I could connect better with Heather. Though she understood what we were all saying, I felt that it was important for her to also be able to have a voice among us, especially in our marriage. I didn’t want her to feel like a possession, just a trophy on my arm.
I didn’t want her to think that just because she couldn’t speak that her feelings, thoughts, and emotions were unimportant. I spent several hours a day with Emily learning the basics. Thought they had taught it in grade school I could only remember the one form of sign language that was universal and I used it often when the guys ridiculed me for botching my hand signs. I seemed to be a slow learner when it came to learning sign language, slower than the rest of the group. Emily continued to encourage me, pushing me to keep going.
“No dude, just no, point to your chin for face with your pointer finger and thumb to your forehead for father. You keep saying my father has a big cock.” Damon laughed clutching his side.
I glared daggers at him. “No, I was trying to say Damon is a big cock. Why the hell would I tell Heather my father has a big cock?” I yelled tossing my hands in the air in frustration. I had been working on learning to tell Heather that she was beautiful. I knew she could hear me but I thought it would mean more if I signed it to her. Though the phrase was simple I somehow continued to fuck it up. My nerves were getting the better of me causing me to make mistakes. The more I practiced the more nervous I got, meaning the more I screwed up.
The more time I spent around Heather the more I liked her. She was smart, funny, and had impeccable wit. With Emily acting as a translator when we were all together, it gave Heather the ability to speak freely with us all as a group. It was orgasmic watching her face as she signed rapidly telling humorous stories, the way her eyes lit up, her whole face animated with her storytelling. She was enrapturing to watch.
Heather had shared with Emily the story of what had happened to her, stealing her speech from her, so that Emily could verbalize it for her. Heather had been in a severe car accident the night of her college graduation. She had just left the graduation ceremony down in Birmingham, Alabama where she had just completed her degree in nursing at UAB. As she exited the onramp onto the highway her car was struck by a drunk driver on the interstate as she was headed to the restaurant to join her family.
They accident had been so severe that at first, they didn't think she was going to make it. Her car had been T-boned sending her through the guardrail and careening down the embankment as her car flipped end over end before wrapping around a large tree trunk at the bottom of the embankment. The rescue workers worked tediously trying to free her. The cab of her car was tightly wound into the bark of the tree, pinning her in.
Once they were able to get her free, she was rushed to UAB Hospital in critical condition. She had multiple broken ribs, a shattered femur, multiple puncture wounds and a broken neck from the air bags. When the airbag had deployed Heather's head had been tossed back, the airbag hooking her right under her chin hyperextending her neck. The force of the blow caused irreparable damage to her larynx as the bag crushed the rigid cartilage.
She had some of the country’s best doctors working on her, struggling to save her life. After several days in intensive care, she was finally on the mend. The doctors were unsure of how much damage had taken place until Heather had woken up.
They had worked diligently to repair her larynx but had been unsuccessful in reconstructing her vocal cords. The damage that had been done was irreparable. According to Emily, Heather was able to make sounds, she could laugh, cry, and even shout for help but she was unable to speak full words. Emily had explained that though Heather could make out some sounds she was afraid to speak around others. Her voice wasn't what it was and she was embarrassed by the sounds that came out of her mouth, opting instead to sign. It crushed my heart to hear that the most amazing woman I had ever met was insecure of herself. I found her to be one of the strongest people I had ever met and vowed to show her every day how strong and resilient she really was. She didn’t let her condition deter her one iota. She continued to push through and live her life.
I couldn't imagine the hardship she experienced having to relearn how to communicate with others, the people around her, and the struggle to make her dreams a reality. Because Heather was now mute she had trouble finding someone that would hire her as a triage nurse. A dream she had spent numerous hours studying for.
Through networking channels she had been able to find part time work as a school nurse at one of the special needs schools here in Knoxville. My heart broke for her at having lost a large portion of her life due to the impulses and irresponsibility of others. Though she was not able to work in the field that she had dreamed about and worked so hard for, she was still able to help others and through her adversities she was able to help others that she would have not had the opportunity to reach. She was able to show the young children that despite their handicap, they too could grow up to be anything they wanted to be.
The guy that had hit Heather had walked away without as much as a scratch. He had been fined and thrown in jail for a brief three month stint only to be released before Heather had even made it out of the hospital. It was disgusting to know that someone could ruin another's life through careless actions and walk away Scott free. Though Emily reminded me, the man did three months in the county jail. To me that didn't constitute an adequate punishment for ending the hopes and dreams of an innocent individual.
Learning all of this about Heather had given me a whole new respect and appreciation for the woman she had become. She didn't shy away from difficulties or hard work of redefining her life. She met it head on with profound determination. I could only imagine the type of mother she would be and couldn’t wait to see her with our own child in her arms.
It was true, with the addition of another family member; the estrogen factor had skyrocketed in the house. It was like baby fever around here. Everyone had their own baby aside from us.
It was good though, seeing everyone happy, huddled around one another. I loved watching Heather interact with the women, telling them jokes and sharing girly secrets. The guys seemed to take to her like over protective brothers, daring anyone to look at her in any capacity that they deemed unworthy or comment on her lack of speech. Already Heather had endeared herself to everyone in the room, carving her place in their hearts as well as my own.
I continued to work on my sign language ignoring the snickers and comments from the peanut gallery I called family. I wanted to get it right. I wanted to wow my woman and show her that I did care and that I was willing to learn. Fuck what anyone else thought. I knew they weren't teasing me to be cruel but fuck them anyways. I was a man on a mission. I was determined to get this down before she arrived tonight for dinner.
A gentle hand wrapped around my wrist from behind halting me in my tracks as I again tried to make the sign for the face. I knew there were shortcuts to signing that Heather was beautiful but I had wanted to go all out.
I turned to see who had grabbed me, my eyes falling on the liquid honey brown eyes of my wife. With rapid succession, she signed to me. Her hands moved in a blur of speed. I wasn't able to catch a single sign. I watched as laughter danced in her eyes as she watched me struggle to follow the movements of her hand. Heather finished signing and stuck her tongue out at me. I had no idea what she had said but I had a sinking suspicion she may have been mocking me.
With gentle ease Heather formed my hand pressing my index finger to my face palm turned out, my remaining fingers resting gently against the meat of my palm. She moved my hand again extending my fingers out and placing my thumb toward my face, with her hand wrapped around mine, she formed the word Beautiful. Her eyes bore into mine as she manipulates my hands to work so easily into the graceful movements she so easily performed.
Once the act was complete Heather smiled her eyes glistening with unshed tears, she winked. "I mean it," I told her in a soft whisper, afraid to break the spell that had been cast around us.
Heather brought my hand to her lips, placing a gentle kiss to the tops of each of my knuckles. It was the most intimate moment we had ever shared. Other than the brief hug or a gentle kiss to the temple I had given her after our nights together, this went beyond that, this was new, real, and raw. It was the walls between us crumbling down around us. I could feel the heat of the moment coursing through my veins like liquid fire. The blood shooting directly to my cock as my heart pounded in my chest.
Perspiration began to gather at my temples, my palms began to sweat. I had never felt so vulnerable, so exposed. It was as if with one simple movement Heather was able to strip away all pretenses bearing me to her for all to see. I watched the heat rise in her eyes, the soft pink hue that rose to her cheeks. She was as affected as I was.
My eyes honed in on her thin pink lips, her tongue darting out to wet them, sucking me in. I was jealous of her tongue, I could feel the saliva pooling in my mouth as I stared at her with hunger in my eyes. As if drawn by an invisible magnet, my body was pulled into hers. The space between us melted away, our lips millimeters apart. I could feel the anticipation and excitement humming through my body, tight with electricity, as her lips turned up toward mine.
Someone in the room cleared their voice causing us to jerk apart as if we had been caught with our hand in the cookie jar. Nervously I tugged at the collar of my shirt allowing the building heat to escape. A shy embarrassed smile played along Heather's lips making her that much more enticing. She felt it too, the instant attraction, the draw to one another. It was there dancing in her eyes, painting its glow across her flushed skin.
"Dude, are you guy's coming or what?" Kiev asked, his voice finally penetrating through the bubble that had encased Heather and I.
"Yeah, man. We're on our way" I mumbled, saying anything to be rid of him.
Heather shyly ducked her head, turning to leave the room. I couldn't let her do that, not yet. Grabbing her by the wrist I halted her movement. Shocked her head shot up, jerking in my direction, her eyes questioning as they bore into mine. I didn't give her a chance to escape, question, or protest before my lips locked onto hers.
The kiss was chaste, my lips pressed against hers. The moment her lips pressed against mine the world melted away beneath the feel of her soft lips against mine like velvet. I could feel the energy between us skyrocketing. I released Heather’s hand keeping my lips firmly against her. I had expected her to pull away, smack me, anything. What I did not expect was for her hands to wind around my neck, pulling me in closer.
Taking advantage I wrapped my arms around her waist pulling her in closer. Her firm breast pressed against my chest, her hips aligned against mine. The softness of her curves pressed against me, pulling a groan of ecstasy from my lips. Heather’s lips curved up into a smile against mine. Taking advantage I nipped her lower lip gently. “You won’t think it’s funny when I have you bound in my bed.” Heather’s eyes widened in shock at my bold statement. Before releasing her I kissed her again, my hand cupping her lush ass. “Let’s go eat beautiful.” I winked before releasing her from my embrace. Already I missed the feel of her in my arms. I watched her ass as she sashayed in front of me. With each step my cock grew, demanding to be buried between her legs. I couldn’t wait to have my way with her, wrap her thick thighs around my head like earmuffs. I wanted to bite her ass, marking her as mine. Needless to say, I hated to see her go but my god how I loved to watch her walk away. I don’t give a fuck how cliché it was, it’s the god’s honest truth.