“Blake.” She reached over to lay her hand on his. “He’s only six months old. I know you think getting him cochlear implants will help him be ‘normal’, but the fact is those are never even considered until after six months of age.”
“Yeah, Steven mentioned that. But Parker is six months now. I don’t see why we can’t just go ahead and do it.”
Leaning back, she stared at his handsome face. This was always a hard part for the family of a newly diagnosed child. In this case, she’d need to convince Blake and then do it all over again with his brother. “You’re a doctor, Blake. You know that certain procedures require protocols to be followed. They won’t even consider implants until after an in-depth screening by several professionals and a six-month trial of hearing aids. Medical tests will need to be conducted as well. You can’t just wheel a child into surgery and plunk them in.”
His face fell, and the urge to reach out to him again was strong. He wanted to help his nephew. The obvious love there was sweet, but he needed to face some cold hard facts, too.
“What do your brother and sister-in-law do for work? Are they able to take days off on occasion?”
“My brother, Harrison, works for the family company, Wentworth Industries. He can take off if he needs to. My dad is the CEO, and Harrison is the Chief Financial Officer. Annie, his wife, doesn’t work. She’s home with Parker right now. Before she got pregnant, she did mostly charity work with my mother.”
“Let’s take this one step at a time. Harrison and Annie need to first accept the fact that Parker has a hearing loss. Regardless of whether he’s a candidate for cochlear implants or not, he’ll need services. The sooner the better. Part of my job is to guide the families through the process. Why don’t we set a time for me to meet with them? I can answer any questions they have, meet Parker, and then we can discuss options.”
“That sounds like a good next step. Let me give Harrison a call.” Blake pulled out his cell phone and punched in a few numbers.
She took the opportunity to finish her dinner. The lettuce was a bit wilted after their conversation, although the wrap could also have been made much earlier in the day. Blake spoke to his brother, then looked up at her. “What times are you available?”
“I work eight to four during the week,” she responded. “I’m free any time after that, or on weekends, or I can even meet before work, if that’s more convenient.” She hoped they didn’t pick the early time, since it took her a while to get to work using public transportation. A morning person she was not. If that was the only option, though, she’d do it.
“The day after tomorrow around five?” Blake asked, holding the phone away from his ear. When she nodded, he confirmed on the phone, then pressed to disconnect.
“I told Harrison here, if that’s okay. Where do you work? Can you get here by five?”
“It’s not a problem. I work here in the hospital, too. There’s a room in the audiology department specifically for meeting with parents and children. It’s very comfortable and family friendly with a few toys for the children to play with. I find that some of the parents become less anxious in a warm, relaxing environment.”
“Sounds good.” He took a few more bites of his mac and cheese. It must be cold by now, but he didn’t seem to care. If he’d just finished his residency a year ago, then he probably wouldn’t care about cold food. Residents and interns worked hard and had little time for simple things like food and sleep. While he ate, she finished the pudding cup she’d splurged on. After all, he’d paid.
Blake wiped his mouth with a napkin, then took a swig of his milk. “You work in the hospital. What department?”
“I work in radiology. Administration. I’m the one who puts out all the red tape you need to cut through.”
Chuckling, he said, “Soyou’rethe one responsible. Remind me never to pay for your dinner again.”
She laughed. “I don’t make any of the rules yet. I’ve only been here a few years, and like you, I’m low man in the department. I’m hoping someday to be running this hospital. Then, you can blame me for all your woes.”
“Will do.” After taking a last bite, he stood up. A twinge of disappointment floated over her. Yes, the man was rich and somewhat arrogant in his thinking, but he sure was pleasant to look at. Eye candy, her sister would call him. Nothing wrong with looking as long as that’s all you did. For anything more, you needed someone with better qualifications. At least according to her father.
Carli stood up, too, and they deposited their trays and trash in the appropriate containers. Once they were in the hallway, he turned to face her.
“I hope you didn’t take what I said earlier about Parker being ‘normal’ in a negative way. I simply need you to understand that, in my family, everyone is expected to live up to their potential. Having a hearing impairment will keep Parker from achieving this. We only want him to be important in any position he’s in.”
“I understand what you’re saying about his hearingloss, Dr. Wentworth,“ she said, trying to keep the censure from her voice. Did he notice the formal use of his name? She couldn’t help it. He didn’t get it. “What you have to understand is that you and your family need to accept and embrace Parker’s diagnosis. Being deaf is not an impairment. There are many things he can do and achieve even without perfect hearing.”
His jaw hardened, and he sighed heavily. “I know you deal with families like ours all the time, but you may not fully understand what we’re going through. How could you possibly get the devastation we’re feeling about this tragedy? Do you really understand the implications of being deaf in this world? I don’t think you can unless you’ve been through it yourself.”
Her blood started to boil.Hold it together. Remain professional. On her other shoulder was a little voice telling her to take him down a peg. It was Blake who didn’t understand.
“Dr. Wentworth, I know I may be young and, in your mind, too inexperienced for this job. But I will tell you this: I do understand. I understand much more than you ever could.”
Reaching up, she pushed aside her hair on both sides. His eyes narrowed. His expression scrunched in confusion, but then understanding dawned. As his mouth fell open, his eyes widened in embarrassment.
Now that her hair was out of the way, the curved processors over the tops of her ears were in full view. And they were attached to the magnets that connected to her bilateral cochlear implants.
His lips moved like he was about to say something, but words didn’t come out. She didn’t want to hear them now, anyway. Dropping her hands, she walked away.
Chapter two
Blake hurried through the halls, glancing at his watch. It was already five-thirty. Harrison and Annie were meeting with Carli Jameson at five, and he’d promised he’d be there to introduce them. Unfortunately, a seizure in the pediatric unit had needed his attention.
