Chapter 40
ONE MONTH LATER
Ellie
“Happy birthday, sexy.” I grinned as I planted small kisses across his face.
“Thank you. You are the best birthday present ever,” he signed as he kissed my lips.
“I have two presents for you,” I said as I reached over and pulled a small, wrapped box from the nightstand. “Open this one first, and you’ll get your second gift.” I smiled as I reached down and stroked his hard cock.
“Damn, Ellie.” He quickly tore the wrapping off.
He opened the box, pulled out a small card, and studied it.
“What’s this? Did you make me an appointment for something?” His brow arched.
“That is the date and time of my surgery for a cochlear implant.”
He stared at me for a moment as if he didn’t understand a word I said.
“Ellie. You don’t—” He started to sign.
“Shh.” I placed my hand on his. “I want to. I’ve been thinking about it since that night, and I want it, Henry. I want the implant. I want to hear your voice when you speak to me. I want to hear music, and I want to talk to you on the phone. I want to hear you say our wedding vows and hear the waves crash against the shoreline. But most importantly, I want to hear our children’s laughter.”
A tear fell down his cheek as I took my finger and gently wiped it away.
“I love you so much, Ellie Scott.”
“I love you too, Henry Walker.”
“You went to the doctor by yourself? I would have gone with you.”
“Don’t be mad at me. Promise.”
“Mad about what?”
“Promise!”
“I promise.”
“Your dad went with me. He found one of the best doctors here in Manhattan and arranged the appointment.”
“Wow. I’m going to have to thank him for doing that for you.”
“You’re not mad?”
“No, sweetheart, not at all. I’m incredibly happy.”
“Good. Now it’s time for your other birthday gift.” The corners of my mouth curved upward as I tore off my nightshirt and climbed on top of him.
Three Months Later
“Are you ready, Ellie?” the audiologist asked as Henry tightly held my hand.
“Yes. I’m ready.”
“I’m going to turn it way up and then lower the volume until it’s comfortable for you.”
“Okay,” I spoke as I nodded my head.
My belly was tied in knots, and I was nervous as hell. I was so nervous that my legs were shaking. I prepped myself for the electrical shock I’d felt the first time I had the implant. But to my surprise, there wasn’t one.
“Oh My God. That’s way too loud,” I said.
“I know. I’m turning it down. How’s this?” she asked.
“Still too loud.”
“Okay. And this. How’s this?”
“That’s okay. Still a little loud, but manageable.”
“You need to remember you haven’t heard a sound in over twenty some years, so anything you hear will initially be loud until you get used to it.”
“Ellie?”
Tears stung my eyes as I heard Henry’s voice. Turning my head, I looked at him.
“You heard me call your name?”
I couldn’t speak because I was filled with so much emotion, so I just nodded my head as he wrapped his arm around me and pulled me into him.
I had to wait approximately four weeks after my surgery to have my implant turned on since the incision needed to heal first. It was the longest four weeks of my life. It wasn’t easy at first when my implant was turned on. My brain had to relearn all the sounds I’d missed out on since I lost my hearing. I wouldn’t lie and say everything was perfect when we left the audiologist’s office that day because it wasn’t. I had a lot to overcome and a lot of struggles to get through. I had consistent appointments I needed to attend. But as the weeks went on, and with Henry’s love and support, I made it through just fine. The best part for me was being able to hear his voice and the fact that we didn’t have to sleep with the nightlight on anymore. We could talk in bed without having to sign before we went to sleep and before I took my device off for the night.
The most surreal part of it all was when I could hear him call my name or talk to me in the distance. I still signed, and so did he because it was a habit. Signing would always be a part of my life, and I wasn’t willing to ever give that up.
Six Months Later
We were at Henry’s parents’ house for dinner and to go over some things for the wedding. I could tell Henry was in a bad mood when he walked through the door. Not only was it chaos at the office, but a deal fell through he’d been working on over the past few months.
We were discussing the wedding cake and table favors in the living room. Henry was a little too involved as far as I was concerned, but I just went with the flow. As he and Lillian were arguing about the flavor of the wedding cake and what type of frosting should be on it, I turned my device off and smiled. Carlyle saw what I’d done and smiled at me.
“Superpower, sweetheart. Superpower,” he signed.
“Did you just say to her ‘superpower?’” I read Henry’s lips as he looked at his dad. “What do you mean by that? What does he mean?” Henry turned to me, and Carlyle gave me a wink.
Henry stared at me for a moment with a narrowed eye and then started talking, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying because it seemed like gibberish.
“I knew it! You turned off your device!” he signed.
I looked at him as I bit down on my bottom lip, and he slowly shook his head at me.
Henry
I stared into the eyes of my beautiful wife as we shared our first dance together as a married couple. It was the happiest day of my life, other than the first time I saw her in the grocery store's produce section.
After celebrating our wedded bliss, we flew to Paris for a two-week honeymoon. Our son, Theo David Walker, was born a year and a half later.
I’d often thought about how my life could have been different if I hadn’t walked into that grocery store that day. I never would have met Ellie, and I would most likely still have been living a life of unhappiness and misery. But now, my world and my life were complete. There was nothing between the two of us that was ever left unspoken.
At times, Ellie would secretly turn off her device when she’d heard enough from me. That was her superpower, and as much as it annoyed the hell out of me, I loved her even more. She was my wife, lover, and best friend, and the reason I smiled every day. She and our son completed me in ways I never thought were possible, and I would do anything to protect what was mine.
Thank you for reading Unspoken! I hope you enjoyed it.