After arriving at the cafeteria, they made their choices for food, then found a small table in the corner. There had been only a small argument when he insisted on paying, and he was glad. The least he could do was fork out money for her dinner, since he was taking up so much of her time.
Carli took a few bites of her Chicken Caesar Wrap, then wiped her mouth with the cheap paper napkin. The feminine way she did it made it seem as if the napkin was of the finest linen. His mother would love that.
“What would you like to know?”
Removing the fork from his mouth, he placed it back in his macaroni and cheese. Wouldn’t his mom cringe if she saw what he was eating. When he looked up, those amazing eyes stared at him intently. “This is all new to me. I’m honestly not even sure what questions I should ask. I need to know what’s involved in the whole cochlear implant procedure.”
After taking another bite, she answered. “I’m sure Dr. Virani told you that the child needs to be assessed first by a pediatric audiologist, a pediatric otologic surgeon, plus a speech language pathologist. There’ll be a series of tests he’ll need to go through just to determine if he’s a viable candidate.”
Blake listened while she continued with her spiel, watching her mouth move as she spoke. Full, pink lips fully formed every sound that escaped from them. Most of this he’d heard from Steven earlier, so he didn’t worry that he was missing anything. It was incredible just to watch.
He needed to get a grip. Med school and residency had required such long hours that dating had been tough, and casual hookups weren’t his thing. It was probably just sexual frustration. Or maybe she truly did have the most wonderful mouth and eyes he’d ever seen.
“How is your brother handling the diagnosis?” Carli asked as he zoned back into what she was saying.
He took a deep breath, knowing how upsethe’dbeen. It was a hundred times worse for his brother. “Harrison and Annie are devastated. They’re still in shock, I think. I volunteered to start looking at options to help Parker. We want him to have as normal a life as possible.”
“Normal?” Carli’s beautiful eyes narrowed. “You think just because someone has a hearing loss that they’re abnormal?”
Blake stopped himself—barely—from rolling his eyes. Great, he’d stepped on someone’s toes. So many people were offended by everything these days. Now, he had to defend himself. “No, that’s not what I meant. I simply want to give Parker every opportunity to reach his fullest potential. You can’t deny he’ll have a much harder time without typical hearing.”
Carli sighed. Blake Wentworth had impressed her so far, but his true colors had finally come out. Another one of the masses who thought hearing loss made someone less of a person. It’s too bad, because she had enjoyed talking to him. And looking at him.
His wavy chestnut hair had a habit of falling over his forehead, his hand absentmindedly pushing it back. His skin was still tanned from the summer, and his deep brown eyes reminded her of a chocolate Tootsie Roll Pop, the kind she’d always loved as a kid. Who was she kidding? She still loved them; she just wouldn’t ever let anyone see the stash of them at her house.
His dress was casual for a doctor: khaki pants, plaid shirt, and sports coat. However, his tie gave away his profession. Splattered across it was a cartoon starfish. Most definitely a pediatrician. Nice that he didn’t take his appearance too seriously.
And the boyish grin as she spoke? Endearing. The dimples in his cheeks didn’t hurt either. At one point, though she couldn’t be sure, he seemed to have honed in on her lips. Once she realized he wasn’t the father of the deaf child, his appraisal and possible interest had caused her cheeks to flush. He didn’t wear a wedding ring. Granted, not all married men did.
But his attitude toward the deaf prickled.Relax. Be nice. It was always the way when parents found out their child had a hearing loss. They were in shock. Blake wasn’t even a parent, though.
“Why did you have the appointment with Dr. Virani instead of your brother? Is he a friend?”
“No,” he answered. “I only met him today, but I thought perhaps if I talked with him first, my connections here at the hospital would help to move things along smoothly and quickly.”
In other words, he wanted preferential treatment. Taking a deep breath, she smiled wider, hoping it looked genuine. Ugh. This man had only been employed here for a year and was already trying to work the system.
No more judgment.A bit more information was needed. It helped knowing what type of people you had to work with, as well as what type of attitudes you had to overcome.
“Where do your brother and sister-in-law live?”
“In Westover.”
Carli kept her smile in place, gritting her teeth. Westover was an exclusive community north of Boston. Middle class families need not apply. Wealthy families always made her job a bit more difficult. They wanted miracles, thought money could buy those miracles. Unfortunately, there were no miracles that could make a deaf person hear again; not even cochlear implants. Trying to convince them of it wasn’t always easy.
“Do you live there as well?”
Blake shook his head. “I grew up in Westover, and my parents still live there, but I have a townhouse in the Back Bay near Beacon Street. Makes it a bit easier to commute to the hospital for work. I can walk it in ten minutes.”
Back Bay. Okay, no starving first year doctor here. Parents who lived in Westover would be affluent and probably paid for his schooling. No wonder he thought he could waltz in and bypass all the protocols.
“Was the baby—Parker, you said his name was—was he born at Westover Hospital?”
“Yes. Now, I wish I had insisted they deliver here at BGH. We may have been able to pick up Parker’s hearing loss earlier.”
“Westover Hospital has an excellent reputation, and the hearing loss could have been there at birth or come on any time since then. There are many possibilities. You can’t beat yourself up over it. It isn’t anyone’s fault. The important thing is that you and your family get on with accepting it and secure your nephew the services he needs.”
He looked resigned. “I know you’re right. I went into medicine to help people, and I almost feel like I failed my brother and nephew by not figuring this out sooner.”
