He hadn’t always thought that, but he’d changed his attitude lately. “He asked me to help him learn ASL. We’ve had a few lessons this week during our lunch break.” It had been fun going to his office during the day. She brought her lunch up there, and they’d eat and sign. Joy had gotten wind of it and had been giving her the evil eye ever since. Maybe she should tell the woman what Blake had said about not being interested in her. Granted, he could still change his mind. It’s not like he’d indicated he was interested in Carli either, except as an ASL instructor.
No, there was nothing to indicate a romantic relationship was developing. However, there was a friendship now. And she enjoyed it. Would continue to enjoy it as long as she could. Blake Wentworth was easy to look at, but he was also charming, intelligent, and fun to be with. For now, that would have to be enough.
Chapter six
Blake listened on the phone as his brother ranted. For the past ten minutes, he’d been going on about the darn implants and the fact that their parents were pressuring him. Now, Annie had doubts about Parker having the surgery. Harrison blamed Carli, seeing as she’d been over last night and had obviously said something to change Annie’s mind.
A knock on his door got his attention. He called out, “Come in,” then spoke into the phone. “Harrison, I’ve got to go. I’ll talk to you later.”
He didn’t wait for his brother to reply, simply disconnected and looked up as the door opened. Carli, with her lunch in her hands. They’d planned another ASL lesson today. Ordinarily, he’d be pleased, but after dealing with a very sick patient who was unresponsive to treatment and getting yelled at by his little brother, he wasn’t in the mood.
“Hi.” Her smile lit up the room, then dimmed. “Is this a bad time?
Was his mood so obvious? Running his fingers through his hair, he shook his head and motioned for her to come in.
After closing the door, she placed a bag on his desk, then planted herself in the chair across from him.
“I picked up your lunch from the cafeteria. Wasn’t sure if you’d have time to do it. I know patients don’t always follow an exact schedule.”
“Thanks.” He sighed and pushed the bag to the side. Might as well get this over with. “Why did you tell Annie she should wait for the CIs? Harrison is furious, and I had to listen to him yell at me for the past ten minutes. Baby brother mad isn’t my idea of a good time.”
Carli sat back, her face confused and hurt. “What are you talking about?”
“Harrison called and said you’d visited last night. Apparently, you convinced Annie to wait on getting the CIs. He’s getting a lot of pressure from our parents to get the surgery done. My little brother doesn’t do parental pressure too well.”
Her expression grew cold. A huge hole formed in his chest. He had to deal with her disapproval now.
“First.” Her voice was as icy as her face. “My job is not to convince anyone of anything regarding CIs. I helped Annie with the hearing aids, and we talked about all the options. Waiting was one option. An option. I never told her she should.”
“Harrison implied Annie doesn’t want to get them now.”
“Then, that’s her decision. My second point was that the parents need to make their own choices. There are pros and cons of getting them now versus getting them later versus not getting them at all.”
“Why wouldn’t a deaf person want CIs if it makes their life easier? The doctor in me doesn’t see an advantage to not having them.”
“No, you wouldn’t.” She frowned. “Because you see being deaf as a huge disadvantage in this world. Not everyone does.”
“Well, isn’t it? The ability to hear is important.”
“Not everyone is born with the ability to sing beautifully or play the piano. Do they think it makes them less of a person?”
“That’s not what we’re talking about. Hearing is more essential. You got implants. You must have thought that.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I had my own reasons, and it wasn’t because I saw being deaf as a negative thing.”
Obviously, he’d gotten her worked up and he hadn’t meant to. “Listen, I didn’t mean to upset you. It’s only that I hate seeing my brother so conflicted. My parents think Parker should have them now, in order to have good speech and the ability to learn everything he needs.”
She sat up straighter in her chair. “With or without cochlear implants, Parker can learn everything he needs to be successful. There are many extremely successful Deaf people in this world, and maybe Harrison should stop being influenced by your parents.Heis Parker’s father, and he and Annie should be making these decisions, not Parker’s grandparents. No offense, but it’s not their decision to make.”
“Doesn’t matter. He’s their grandson, and they’ll stick their noses in if they feel they need to.”
“Harrison’s an adult. Maybe he needs to act like one. I’ve been working with Annie and helping her understand what being deaf is like and how hearing aids and cochlear implants work to assist with this. Maybe if your brother would learn more about the situation, he’d understand Annie’s reluctance. Other than the first meeting we had, he hasn’t been around. You’ve been taking more of an interest in Parker than his own father has.”
Was she really inferring that Harrison didn’t care about his child? “My brother loves Parker. He wants what’s best for him. He’s frustrated is all. He wants to make sure Parker doesn’t have delays in his speech and is able to be understood.”
“You understood me when we first met, right? You didn’t even realize I was deaf, and I didn’t get my CIs until I was in my teens. I’m not saying Parker has to wait until then or even that he shouldn’t get them once the hearing aid trial is over. But Harrison needs to get involved and start gathering the information necessary to help his son. Remember, CIs are not a cure. He’ll always be deaf and need services. If Harrison truly wants his son to achieve his maximum potential, then he needs to get on board with helping him in every way he can. Learning sign language, taking him to an SLP, interacting and presenting him with language opportunities are all vital. He can’t simply stick his head in the sand and assume surgery will make the deafness go away. Or, in his opinion, make it better.”
Carli’s face had grown fierce as she spoke. He had to agree her speech was without a doubt clear and precise. He also had a feeling they wouldn’t be having lunch together. Not that he felt like eating anything after this discussion.
