Page 13 of Quiet Beautiful Things

Dr. Dullis explained it. But it still seems so surreal. She can’t hear anything.Anything. She has practically zero residual hearing. The only sound she’s capable of hearing is a very very loud noise such as a gunshot or a jet engine. And even then, only if it’s a few feet away.

She’s so deaf, in fact, she wouldn’t even be able to hear loud sounds with hearing aids. I scan one of the many pamphlets given to me by the audiologist. It’s about cochlear implants. There are a dozen more for me to look through after this one. Deaf camps. ASL classes. Support groups for deaf and hard of hearing. Resources for parents of deaf children. A brochure from the local Deaf and Blind school.

I stare at the title of one of the brochures. ‘Silent World.’ In a flash, my heart lodges in my throat. Maisy’s world is silent. She’ll never hear birds chirping or people clapping. She’ll never hear anyone tell her they love her. She’ll never even hear the sound of her own name. I tilt my head and study her. Christ, does she evenknowher name? Does she know what’s happening to her? Does she understand that I’m her father?

Maisy stops coloring and looks at me. All I can do is smile. Her face remains stoic as she points to the front door. She’s done it several times today. I have no idea what she wants. WhenMom was here, after she accompanied us to the doctor’s office, she said maybe Maisy was trying to tell us she wanted to leave.

I wave my arms and look around the room then point at her. “This is your house now.”

She just points at the door again.

I shake my head. “No. We’re staying here. I’m so sorry. I wish I could understand what you want.”

She stomps an angry foot over and over.

“Maisy, you live here. With me.” I waggle a finger between us, hoping she gets that we have a connection.

Her lips pucker into a scowl and she pushes her papers off the table, scattering them everywhere, along with the glass of water that’s now a shattered mess on the floor. She looks over at me, eyes filled with terror, then she screams and runs away.

“Maisy!” I chase after her but hit my shin on the coffee table. “Fuck!” I lean over, rub my leg, and check for blood. When I look back up, she’s gone. “Maisy!” I go down the hall and look in her room. It’s empty. “Maisy, where are you?”

I inwardly roll my eyes when I realize no matter how loud I yell, she won’t be able to hear me. But that doesn’t stop me from continuing to call her name as I go from room to room. Panic begins to set in when I can’t find her. Jesus, is this what it’s going to be like? How will I ever know if she’s in trouble? How will she ever know when I need to find her?

I sit on her bed, feeling like a failure for the hundredth time today, when I hear a rustling from across the room. It’s coming from the closet. My throat thickens when it dawns on me that in her attempt to hide, she has no idea she’s making noise.

When I open the closet door, I find her crouched in the corner, her cat pressed tightly to her chest. She looks up at me, fear in her eyes. Damn, does she think she’s in trouble for breaking the glass?

“It’s okay,” I say, trying to soften the expression on my face. “It’s okay.” I motion for her to come out.

She shakes her head over and over, hugging her stuffed cat as if it’s the only thing protecting her. How can I tell her it’s not? How can I let her know thatI’llprotect her?

I back away, leaving the door open, and sit on her bed. Maybe she felt threatened with me hovering in the doorway. A minute later, her head appears as she looks out, but then it’s gone. More rustling as she settles back where she was.

A knock on the door ends my plan to sit and wait for her to come to me.Shit.Is it four o’clock already?I should have accepted Mom’s invitation to stay and clean up.

I race out through the living room, eyeing not only the trash from all the stuff Allie and Lucas bought last night, but the strewn papers and shattered glass. It looks like a tornado came through here.

It’s useless to try and pick anything up at this point, especially when I hear a second pounding on the door. I perk up on my way to answer it, realizing what this means. The cavalry has arrived. This Dr. Stone will surely be able to help. He’ll be able to communicate with her. I feel my day just got a whole lot better.

When I open the door, however, all I can do is stare. It’sher. The dream girl from the grocery store. Those gorgeous eyes. And she’s here.

“You,” I say in utter disbelief. “What… uh… how did you find me?”

She’s staring at me the same way I’m staring at her. As if she can’t believe it’s me. Both of us seem to be at a complete loss for words. Then, as if a curtain is drawn down her face, her entire demeanor changes. Her surprise at seeing me disappears, replaced by confusion as she pulls something from her pocket. She hands me a business card. It reads:Dr. Ellie Stone,along with a bunch of letters behind her name. Below her name is the name of the Deaf school, and more acronyms I don’t understand.

I look up.“You’reDr. Stone?”

She shrugs and nods, a funny look on her face as if we’re both being punk’d or something.

I step aside. “Please come in. I don’t know how any of this works. I don’t even think Maisy—”

My shoulder gets poked. I turn back to her. She moves her hands quickly. Oh, she’s signing.

“Sorry,” I say with a shrug. “I don’t understand sign language.”

She points to me, then her mouth, then her eyes.

It takes my feeble brain a second to catch up. My eyebrows shoot up. “You’redeaf?”

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