The Summer of New Beginnings: A Magnolia Grove Novel

by Bette Lee Crosby

  He set the phone aside, and they started eating. Halfway through the soup, the screen lit up, and he had an answer.

  Will 3:00 p.m. work?

  Before answering, Gabriel glanced up at Meghan and Tracy. “Is three o’clock okay?”

  Tracy’s jaw dropped. “Today?”

  Not waiting for her sister, Meghan said, “Absolutely.”

  Gabriel tapped out, Perfect. Thanks. He clicked “Send,” then slid the phone back in his pocket. “After lunch we’ll have enough time for me to show you the school.”

  “That would be great,” Tracy said, and gave a smile of gratitude. Any previous impression she’d had of Gabriel Hawke was long forgotten. She now saw him as a powerhouse, a man to be respected. A man who changed things with just the mention of his name. For the first time, she could imagine Lucas growing up to be much the same.

  “Thank you,” she said. “You can’t begin to know how much I appreciate what you’ve done for Lucas.”

  With a gentle smile crinkling the corners of his eyes, he said, “I’ve been there, so, yes, I do know.”

  The Consultation

  After lunch, Gabriel took them on a tour of the school. It was a two-story building with testing labs and offices on the second floor. On the main floor there were several small therapy studios, brightly colored rooms with toys scattered about and comfy overstuffed chairs. In one of the rooms, a therapist worked with a child, a toddler no taller than Lucas. A woman, the mother most likely, sat in the side chair and watched as the therapist guided the child into identifying items in pictures.

  When Meghan and Gabriel began to move on, Tracy stood there with Lucas in her arms and watched as the toddler selected a picture from the table.

  “Oh, my,” the therapist said, “can you tell me what that is, Ella?”

  “Cat,” the girl replied, laughing as though the sound of such a word was the most wonderful thing in the world.

  Meghan looked back. “Tracy? Are you coming?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Tracy stood there a moment longer, then reluctantly followed along, but the memory of the child’s voice stayed with her. As they walked through the classrooms designed for play and study, she kept thinking back on the joyful sound of that single word, and she knew this was what she wanted for Lucas.

  “How old does a child have to be to attend this school?” she asked.

  “We’ve had students as young as ten months,” Gabriel said. “The younger a child is, the easier it is for them to get accustomed to sound.”

  “Accustomed to sound?”

  He nodded. “It may not be obvious, but many of these children have been living in a world of complete silence since the day they were born. The first time they hear a voice, it’s a shock to their system.”

  Suddenly, more than she’d ever wanted anything in her entire life, Tracy wanted Lucas to say cat in that joyful-sounding voice. Not just cat but dog, horse, girl, boy, all the words other kids said. She wanted him to know an object and give it a name, to put words together as a sentence, to ask for a cookie or a glass of milk. She wanted him to hear her voice and one day speak as fluently as Gabriel.

  “How much does it cost to go to this school?” she asked.

  Gabriel looked at her with the corner of his mouth edging toward a smile.

  “Don’t worry about it,” he said, and winked. “Not once have we turned a child away because of finances.”

  A feeling of hope swelled inside Tracy’s chest and brought tears to her eyes. “Really?”

  Gabriel nodded. “Really.”

  The consultation with Dr. Goldstein was over in less than an hour. He reviewed the test results, examined both of Lucas’s ears, then told them it appeared Lucas had sensorineural hearing loss.

  “My belief is that he’d do well with a cochlear implant,” Goldstein said, “but before we proceed, I’d like to get a CT scan to check for any hidden problems.”

  He went on to explain the surgery, saying it was a fairly simple operation but, given Lucas’s age, would entail a one-night hospital stay.

  “Afterward, will Lucas be able to hear?” Meghan asked.

  “Not right away. You have to wait four to six weeks, make sure the implant is set and the skin completely healed, then the audiologist attaches an external device and turns on the sound.”

  That was that. To Dr. Goldstein it was a relatively simple procedure, something he’d done a thousand times before, but Tracy felt as if she’d been caught in an avalanche and was tumbling head over heels downhill. She could barely catch her breath.

  As they walked back to the car, she was as silent as a stone.

  They pulled out of the parking lot, and Meghan cast a sideways glance. “Want to talk?”

  Tracy shook her head. Truthfully she did want to talk, but the words were caught in her throat, and she simply couldn’t find the strength to push them out. Several minutes ticked by, then in a whispery voice she said, “I’m afraid.”

  “Afraid of what?”

  “Everything. Lucas never speaking. The thought of him having an electronic thing in his head.” She sucked in a small breath, and her voice quivered. “The doctor said with that implant voices will be translated into electronic signals and sent to Lucas’s brain, but what if all he ever hears are beeps and buzzes?”

  “I doubt that could happen. He said—”

  “I remember what he said. Cochlear implants almost always work well. Almost. Not always.”

  “If you have misgivings about this, why don’t you talk it over with someone who’s more knowledgeable than me? If you’d like to talk to Gabriel—”

  Tracy reached across and grabbed hold of Meghan’s arm. “Turn around! Let’s do that. Let’s go back and talk to him.”

  Meghan pulled to the side of the road and texted Gabriel, asking if he could spare some time to talk with them again. She waited a few minutes until his answer pinged, then she made a U-turn and headed back.

  Tracy brushed away the tears that threatened to overflow her eyes and whispered, “Thank you.”

  By the time they arrived at the school, Lucas had grown restless and was wriggling to get free. Gabriel took them to one of the empty classrooms, where there was space for him to romp around and enough toys to keep him occupied. Lucas found a yellow truck that he liked and sat on the floor pushing it back and forth as Gabriel and the sisters gathered at the table. Tracy rolled off question after question about the cochlear implant procedure, and Gabriel answered each one.

  “The thing is,” Tracy said tearfully, “I want Lucas to be able to speak normally, not like a computer. I want him to speak like that little girl did.”

  Looking puzzled, Gabriel echoed, “Little girl?”

  “The girl that therapist was working with earlier.”

  Gabriel laughed. “Oh, you mean Ella. She has a cochlear implant—had it done before she was a year old.” He went on to talk about how the audiology lab upstairs handled all of Ella’s cochlear activation and mapping.

  “She’s doing beautifully,” he said proudly.

  “Can you do that for Lucas?”

  “Yes, if you want us to.”

  Tracy breathed a sigh of relief. In a world where every moment seemed so fragile, and danger was lurking at every turn, she believed Gabriel was the one person she could trust to bring Lucas through this.

  As they sat at the table and talked, Meghan stepped out into the hallway and dialed Tom’s cell phone number. When he answered, the sound of his voice brought back the sweet memory of Tuesday evening. She explained all that had happened that day.

  “I’m still in Barrington,” she said. “Do you mind if we cancel tonight and make it tomorrow night? I think Tracy needs someone to lean on tonight.”

  “I understand,” he said, and he did. Meghan caring about her sister and Lucas as she did was just one more thing he loved about her. He added loyal to the list that was growing by leaps and bounds.

  They spoke for a while longer, and when t
hey said goodbye he told her, “Drive carefully.”

  He could have said, “Drive carefully, because if something happened to you it would break my heart,” but it was too soon. When the time was right he’d say it, and when he did, she’d understand exactly how he felt.

  Tracy

  I’ve always been a fairly independent person. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been able to look trouble square in the eye and say, Bring it on, but no more. Now I cry at the drop of a hat. Weepy Wanda, that’s what Meghan should call me.

  The thing is, I’m not crying for myself; I’m crying for Lucas. When you love someone as much as I love my sweet baby, seeing him hurt is way worse than hurting yourself. If it were me, I’d take my hits, then go at it again. But I can’t do that when the problems are his.

  He’s my baby. I’m supposed to watch over him and make sure nothing bad ever happens. But I’m powerless to do so. Those doctors could tell me anything, and I wouldn’t know whether to believe them or not. Okay, I think what they say is true, but there’s a world of difference between thinking and knowing.

  Thank God for Gabriel.

  It’s hard to believe he’s the same kid I knew back in school, and not just because of his looks. Yeah, he’s really good-looking, but I wouldn’t care if he had the ugliest face on earth. The important thing is that I trust him to help me take care of Lucas.

  If everything goes as planned and Lucas has this operation, I’m gonna make sure he goes to that school. If I have to work five jobs to pay for it, I’m gonna see that he gets to learn the way little Ella did. I can almost imagine Lucas pointing to a picture and saying cat in that happy little-kid voice.

  If the Lord Himself came down to earth and said I can have one wish, that’s what I’d ask for: to see Lucas talking. I’m gonna start praying every night and asking God to make it happen. I haven’t been real saintly in the way I’ve lived my life, but I’m hoping He’s willing to forgive and forget so I can have this one wish.

  A Family Affair

  Friday morning dawned with a sizzling red sun bleeding across the horizon and a haze of clouds overhead. Even with the bedroom window shut tight, Meghan could smell rain in the air. Sox rolled onto his back, stretched, then offered up his tummy for some pets.

  Meghan laughed. “Forget about it. We’ve got a busy day ahead.”

  She swung her feet to the floor, grabbed a bathrobe, and headed for the shower. Sox was right behind her.

  In the month they’d been together, Sox had become like a shadow, trailing along wherever she went. He woke her with slobbering kisses in the morning, and at night he snuggled into the crook of her arm as she closed her eyes. When she climbed into bed, he climbed in beside her, and when she sat at a desk—whether it was in her room or in the Snip ’N’ Save office—he was right there at her feet. A stranger could easily believe the girl and dog had been together all their lives.

  Meghan splashed water on her face, wiped the sleep from her eyes, then grabbed Sox’s leash.

  “Let’s go,” she said, and headed for the door.

  The truth was Sox didn’t need a leash. He would have happily trotted along with only his love for her tying them together, but she wasn’t willing to take chances. Not after what happened to Clancy.

  With Sox charging out front, Meghan ran three blocks, then slowed to a walk. The humidity, as thick as pea soup, made it too hot to run.

  When Meghan returned, Tracy and Lila were sitting at the kitchen table.

  “I can’t work today,” Tracy said. “The hospital called, and Lucas has an appointment for a CT scan at eleven thirty. Mama’s gonna go with us.”

  At times Lila could be excitable and blow a minor incident into a catastrophe, which wasn’t necessarily good if you were edgy to start with.

  “Are you okay with that?” Meghan asked.

  Tracy nodded. “I’ve explained the situation, so she’s prepared.”

  Meghan knew with both of them being out of the office yesterday there would be plenty of catching up to do.

  “Well, if you’re sure . . . ”

  Lucas banged his spoon against the tray of the high chair, yelling, “Sah! Sah!”

  Once everyone was gone and the house quiet, Meghan whizzed through the ad scheduling and moved on to roughing in a layout for the following week’s issue. As promised, she included a picture of the lost Missy and in large bold letters stated there was a $100 reward offered by the owner. By the time Tracy returned, Meghan had finished up for the day.

  “Let’s just take it easy for the rest of the afternoon,” she said. “I’m seeing Tom this evening, so I’d like to have time to get ready.”

  That afternoon, the two sisters sat on the back porch, Meghan painting her toenails a peachy pink and Tracy watching as Lucas ran back and forth chasing Sox and calling out a word that had little resemblance to the dog’s name. Tracy sat there for a long while. Then she sucked in a deep breath and gave a sigh.

  “I’m praying this implant thing works,” she said quietly.

  Meghan reached across and squeezed her sister’s knee. “It will. I’m absolutely positive of it.”

  She forced a note of conviction into her voice, but the truth was she felt as fearful as Tracy. Once she’d finished the Snip ’N’ Save scheduling, she’d spent well over an hour searching the Internet for stories with a thread of similarity. She’d watched YouTube videos of toddlers having their cochlear implant sound turned on for the first time. Some cried, some laughed, and a few closed their eyes, pulling their faces into a fearful grimace. There was no telling what Lucas would do, but according to Dr. Goldstein, it was his best shot at a normal life.

  Tom pulled into the driveway with the convertible top up. All day it had been threatening rain, and the echo of thunder was off in the distance. After he’d heard about the episode at the audiologist’s office, he’d gone in search of a toy dog that looked like Sox, and he’d found one. Not a stuffed toy but a clickety-clack dog with a leash and legs that moved as he was pulled along. Tom had the toy in his hand when he rang the doorbell.

  As Meghan opened the door, he grinned and said, “I found something for Lucas.” He pulled the toy dog from behind his back and held it out.

  Meghan’s eyes beamed. “He’s going to love this!” She pulled Tom inside and insisted he give Lucas the toy himself.

  Tracy and Lila joined them, and within minutes the living room was alive with laughter as they watched Lucas pull his new dog around, calling out that same barely identifiable word, “Sah. Sah.”

  “This calls for a celebratory drink,” Lila said, and disappeared into the kitchen. A few minutes later, she returned, carrying a tray with glasses of icy wine coolers, a plate of cheeses, and a basket of crackers.

  As they sipped the coolers, an easy conversation circled the room. Tom told of his mother back in Ohio and how, after nine years of being a widow, she had married again.

  “A history professor from the university,” he said.

  Lila spoke of George and claimed it was doubtful that she could ever love anyone else. As memories ran through her mind, she said, “We started dating in high school and got married a week after he graduated college.”

  One story led to another, and in time, even Tracy joined in the conversation. She spoke of Gabriel and how she had high hopes he was going to teach Lucas to talk. There was no mention of Dominic.

  As Tom was telling of his veterinary studies at Ohio State, a roll of thunder sounded overhead.

  Tracy sighed. “I wish it would just go ahead and rain. It’s so blasted hot I can barely breathe.”

  The boom of thunder sounded again, louder this time, followed by a gusty rush of wind.

  “Looks like you’re going to get your wish,” Tom replied.

  While his words were still hanging in the air, heavy raindrops began plopping on the roof, and seconds later it turned into a downpour.

  Meghan peered out the front window and saw the branches of the willow whipping back and forth. It w
as less than fifty feet to where the car was parked, but they’d be soaked trying to make the dash.

  “Let’s wait until the rain stops.”

  Tom agreed.

  But the rain didn’t stop. It continued on, lessening a bit from time to time and then roaring back with an even greater ferocity.

  “It’s foolish to go out in weather like this,” Lila said. “Why don’t you stay here, and we’ll all have dinner together?”

  Tom glanced across at Meghan. She smiled and gave him a nod.

  Lila’s face lit up. “This won’t take but a few minutes,” she said, and headed for the kitchen.

  “Need help?” Meghan asked.

  “Not at all!” Lila hollered back. “Everything’s done. I’ll just be putting things on the table.” The clanging of pots and pans followed her words.

  Tracy stood and followed in Lila’s steps. “If you guys will excuse me, I’m going to check and make sure Mama’s not out there roasting a pig.”

  Once they were alone, Tom said, “Are you sure our staying for dinner isn’t putting your mom out?”

  Meghan laughed. “Are you kidding? She loves it. Mama’s greatest joy is feeding people. When it was just the two of us, she was miserable, because she had no one to cook for.”

  When Lila called them to dinner, it was in the dining room. The table was set with the good china and crystal glasses. In the center was a platter piled high with pork chops. Next to it was a large bowl of mashed potatoes and a pitcher of gravy.

  “You shouldn’t have gone to all this trouble,” Tom said.

  “Oh, pshaw,” Lila said, waving the thought off. “It was nothing.” But when they sat to eat and he raved about the chops being the most delicious he’d ever tasted, she took on a glow that hadn’t been seen in years.

  The rain continued, but no cared as they sat around the table telling stories, talking, and laughing. Watching the conversation pass comfortably from one person to the next, Meghan couldn’t help but notice that just as Sox had seamlessly slid into the family, Tom was doing the same thing.