Alani walked out. She couldn’t get inside her car quickly enough. Embarrassed, confused and rejected, she pulled off into the night. She didn’t know why she was angry. She didn’t know Ethic. They were merely strangers passing through each other’s lives; and according to Ethic, that’s how it would stay.

Morgan drew in a sharp breath, as she tried to calm her racing heart. She was nervous, and as she waited for the doctor to come inside the room, her mind raced. What if it doesn’t work? she thought. Ethic sat across from her. He was so serious, as he rested his elbows against his knees, fingers in a steeple under his chin, brows dipped low. He was thinking, probably about all the what if’s that were haunting Morgan as well. Despite his silence, she was glad he had come. She was grateful he had done the research to even give her the option to correct her hearing in the first place.

“You don’t have to stay,” Morgan signed. “I mean, there’s no point in you waiting while I’m in surgery.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Ethic signed back.

“What about Eazy and Bella?” she asked.

“They know how important today is for you. They’re at home with Lily. They’re fine. My focus is you, right now,” Ethic answered. “Are you ready?”

Before she could answer, her doctor came into the room. “Hi. I’m Dr. Hamady. You must be Morgan and you are…”

“Ezra Okafor,” Ethic said, as he stuck his hand out for a shake. “I’m her family.”

“Nice to meet you,” the doctor said, as he pulled out a stool and took a seat. “Now, I’ve reviewed your medical history and I think you’re a good candidate for this procedure. A cochlear implant will stimulate the dormant nerves inside your inner ear and help you sense sound. I must ask. Why haven’t you considered this treatment before? You’re 18. Your hearing could have been restored years ago.”

“Well, my parents died when I was young, and Ethic raised me. He’s always offered me different options to find out if my hearing could be restored, but I never wanted to. I was scared and young. So many of the procedures were new and required a lot of time out of school for therapy. I’m old enough now to decide this is what I want,” she signed.

“Well, technology has brought us quite far in hearing restoration. The down time is three to six weeks, and you aren’t really down at all, just managing pain. I will not activate the implants until after that time, so you’ll still be signing to communicate for a few weeks.”

“How much pain will I be in?” Morgan signed.