Page 112 of Stone Vows

He stands up and checks on a sleeping Ellie. “I’ll bet they don’t list that as one of the benefits of having a deaf child,” he says.

I look at him strangely. “Benefits?”

“Yeah, you know, that you can have nightmares and you won’t wake her up. Or you can fight with your . . . whoever, and she won’t even know.”

My gaze goes past him, beyond the door where I can almost see the place we made love. “Or have loud animal sex,” I say.

His eyes meet mine and I swear he’s remembering every second of that night.

Just like I am.

“Yeah, that, too.” He pulls a blanket up over Ellie.

“Thanks, Kyle.”

“Anytime.” He turns to leave, but stops in the doorway. “I’m off at seven. Think you can wait for me to celebrate?”

“Celebrate what?”

He nods to Ellie. “It’s her seven-month birthday tomorrow.”

I smile. I know it is. Of course I know it is. But I didn’t knowhedid. “I think she wants Sal’s,” I say.

He laughs. “Does she now?”

“Definitely.”

“See you at seven-thirty, Lexi.”

Then he pulls the door closed, leaving me a fidgety mess. Because for a second, it almost sounded like we just made a date.

~ ~ ~

“I had a deaf patient today,” Kyle says, handing me my chopsticks. “He was in his mid-twenties. Broken leg. Interesting guy.”

“How so?” I ask.

“I was trying to pick up pieces of the conversation he was having with his friends. I saw them doing a sign I wasn’t familiar with. His friends would sign the letter ‘R’ while simulating the motion of strumming a guitar. I asked them what sign it was and they told me it was his name sign. His name was Ridge and he plays guitar for their band, and they explained to me that deaf people can have name signs which are like shorthand for their names.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty common.”

“Does nothing about what I told you seem unusual?” he asks.

I cock my head to the side, shrugging an ignorant shoulder.

“Lexi, the guy is in a band. He plays guitar. And he’s profoundly deaf.”

My eyes snap up to his when I realize what he’s telling me. “Oh, wow. Really?”

He nods proudly. “He’s good. Really good. After I told him about Ellie, he played his guitar for me.” He looks over at Ellie who is playing on a blanket on the floor across the room. “There truly are no limitations to what she can do.”

“You told him about Ellie?” My mind races wondering just how that conversation went. Did he tell him he has a friend with a deaf daughter? A roommate? I’m dying to know how he refers to Ellie, tome, with a stranger.

“Yes. Well, technically, his friends told him. I’m not very good at signing much more than asking Mommy for more milk.”

I laugh when he does the signs for those three words. “How can he play guitar?” I ask.

“It was pretty amazing. He holds it tightly against his chest and he feels the vibrations of the different chords. I’m telling you, there is no way you’d know he’s deaf when listening to him play.”

---