Sharing the News
Lucas was still asleep when Tracy arrived home. She unbuckled him, hefted him onto her shoulder, and carried him up to his crib.
Lila spotted her coming down the stairs and asked, “Is Lucas napping?”
Grinning ear to ear, Tracy gave a nod, then walked over and linked her arm through Lila’s.
“Come on, Mama, let’s go have a cup of coffee in the kitchen. Is there any of that fudge cake left?”
Lila gave a suspicious-looking sideways glance. “Fudge cake? An hour before dinner?”
“Yeah, we’re celebrating.”
“Celebrating what?” Barely taking time for a breath, she added, “If this has anything to do with Dominic—”
“Relax, Mama, this isn’t about him.” On the way back to the kitchen, Tracy poked her head into the Snip ’N’ Save office and asked Meghan to join them.
When they were finally settled at the table, Tracy gave them her news. “I couldn’t say anything earlier, but I have something great to tell you.”
Lila and Meghan looked across with wide-eyed anticipation.
“Today Lucas’s sound was turned on.” Tracy had a look of happiness they hadn’t seen in a very long time. “I would have told you sooner, but the audiologist thought that for this first time, less distraction would be better.”
“Oh, how I wish I could have been there.” Lila sighed.
Tracy gave a happy grin. “It just so happens we’ve got another appointment tomorrow, and Gabriel told me it’s okay if the family comes.”
Equally bright grins lit Meghan’s and Lila’s faces.
“I’ll get Sheldon to handle the Snip ’N’ Save,” Meghan suggested, “and we can go to that lovely little café for lunch afterward.”
“Sounds good,” Tracy said. “Mind if I invite Gabriel to join us for lunch?”
The corners of Meghan’s mouth curled. “Of course not.”
“So what happened?” Lila asked.
As Tracy told of how Lucas fingered her face in search of the sound, Meghan laughed. “He’s a smart little rascal. He remembered us teaching him to feel the words in our throat.”
Lila brushed back the tear that crested the rim of her eye. “He’ll be talking in no time. I just know he will.” She looked down at her hands for a brief moment, then lifted her eyes and met Tracy’s. “I know this hasn’t been easy, but you’ve handled it beautifully. I’m so proud of you, Tracy, proud of the woman you’ve become and the kind of mother you are to Lucas.” She hesitated a moment and shifted her eyes to Meghan. “I’m proud of both my girls. When your daddy died, I didn’t know how it would be possible for me to carry on and hold this family together, but the two of you have shown me what real courage is like. I couldn’t have done it without—”
Before Lila could finish her statement, Tracy and Meghan were out of their seats, around the table, and wrapping her in a family hug.
There were several minutes of heartfelt embraces and tears of happiness, and for the first time in almost four years, Lila could imagine George smiling down on them.
Later that evening, Tracy reconnected Lucas’s processors, and he toddled around as if nothing had changed. She’d hoped for more of a reaction, something to indicate he was hearing her voice and becoming familiar with it. Granted, it was too soon for him to understand her words, but was it too much to hope he’d recognize her voice?
Although he no longer tried to pull the processors off, he also paid almost no attention to the voices calling him.
“Lucas, come to Mama,” Tracy called, but he ignored her.
The only way she knew for certain he heard the sounds was because of Sox. Whenever the dog barked, Lucas squealed with delight, jiggling up and down on his chubby little legs and excitedly waving his arms in the air.
“Sah, Sah!” he called, and lumbered toward the dog.
The following day, Gabriel greeted them at the door but did not join them in the audiology studio.
“Today should be about family,” he said.
Bristling with anticipation, the Briggs family crowded into the small room, Meghan standing behind the chairs and Lila beside Tracy. Lucas was again in her lap. Although they expected something miraculous to happen, it turned out to be much the same as the previous day. Michelle adjusted the sound on each electrode, then waited for Lucas’s reaction, which was slow in coming.
On the one occasion when Lucas did react to the sound, Meghan elbowed Lila and turned to see her mama’s face wearing a smile as broad as her own. “Can you believe . . . ,” she whispered gleefully.
After an hour of checks and balances, Michelle said, “That’s it for now. Let’s see how he does, and I’ll reevaluate his mapping in thirty days.”
As Tracy stood and gathered her things, Michelle added, “Oh, and before you go, Gabriel wants Lucas to meet his therapist.” She buzzed his office and told him they would be down shortly.
Remembering the day she’d stood at the window and watched the therapist working with a child who spoke words and identified objects by name, Tracy nervously asked, “Is Lucas ready for that?”
“Absolutely,” Michelle said.
Lila pinched her brows together. “You do realize Lucas is only sixteen months old, don’t you? It would seem that’s rather young.”
“We have children as young as ten and eleven months in therapy classes,” Michelle said. “Not only will Lucas learn faster with a structured program, but more important, we’ll teach the family how to work with him and accelerate his learning.”
As they left the room, Tracy looked back and gave a nod of appreciation.
When they arrived in the lobby, she spotted Gabriel at the end of the hall. It was too far to see his face, but Tracy had come to know his stance and walk, the way he stood with his back straight and his shoulders squared. She knew the cut of his chin and the casual way a lock of hair dropped down onto his forehead. As he drew closer, she saw the familiar smile, warm and welcoming, and when he stood next to her, she caught the scent of his aftershave, a woodsy fragrance reminiscent of the trees after a spring rain.
Tracy smiled. “I didn’t realize we were going to start Lucas’s therapy so soon.”
“The sooner we start, the faster he’ll learn,” Gabriel replied. “Besides, I found an opening with a therapist I think you’ll like.”
They moved along the hall and stopped in front of a door with a nameplate reading DR. H. BRANDON. When Gabriel pushed it open, Tracy saw the therapist sitting behind the desk. She was a woman with silver hair, violet eyes, and a face that made you feel good to be looking at it.
“Good morning, Helene,” he said, then turned to Tracy. “I want you to meet Dr. Helene Brandon. Helene will be working with Lucas.”
As he continued the introductions, the woman rose from her chair and started toward them.
“It’s a pleasure,” she said, and offered her hand.
“Holy cow!” Tracy exclaimed. “You’re the therapist who was teaching Ella!”
Dr. Brandon raised an eyebrow. “Have we met before?”
“No,” Tracy replied, “but when Gabriel took us on a tour of the school, I saw you working with Ella, and I was so impressed. I thought, ‘If only Lucas could work with her.’”
Giving a soft chuckle, Helene said, “Thank you, but I’m just doing my job. The ones who are truly impressive are the children.” She bent and squatted face-to-face with Lucas.
“Hello, Lucas.”
In clear distinctive tones, she went on to say she’d be working with him and they were going to have a lot of fun together. She spoke as if he could understand every word, and as she was talking, he reached out and touched her mouth.
Helene laughed. “I can see Lucas will learn quickly. He’s already figured out where my words are coming from.”
They spent several minutes talking, then scheduled Lucas’s first therapy session for the following week.
“I’d like you or a member of your family here,” Helene said. “The most important part of Lucas’s therapy will be understanding how we feed words into his brain.”
“I’ll be here,” Tracy said.
“I’m available also,” Lila volunteered.
When they left Dr. Brandon’s office, Tracy turned to Gabriel. “We’re going to celebrate today with lunch at that little café. Would you like to join us?”
“Not today, unfortunately,” he said. “I’ve got a busy schedule.”
“Oh. Okay.” Tracy felt an unexpected sense of disappointment wash over her.