chapter 2 Love Makes NO Sound

Chapter 2


Jacob and Mary Ellen enjoyed a wonderful leisurely breakfast together. They ate and talked, using sign language as their form of communication, happy just to be in each others company. Once breakfast was over Jacob kissed his wife on the cheek and went outside to the garden just like he did every morning. Mary Ellen started cleaning up the kitchen, once again alone with her thoughts, her mind drifted back in time to that fateful day her parents drove her to the specialist, and she thought about how hard the days leading up to it had been on her and her family.


Ruth sat down on Mary Ellen’s bed and gently shook her to wake her up, but Mary Ellen just snuggled deeper under the covers. She didn’t want to wake up, because it was just too hard to be around her family, and not be able to hear anything. Her siblings always looked like they felt sorry for her and wouldn’t play with her much and her parents always looked so sad. She just wanted to stay in bed and sleep until she could hear again, but her mother wouldn’t let her, she was going to make her get up, so Mary Ellen decided to sit up and look at her mom.

Ruth looked down at Mary Ellen and said very slowly, “you need to wake up; we are going to the doctor today.” Mary Ellen nodded that she understood, so Ruth went to the closet and got Mary Ellen’s clothes for the day. When Ruth turned back around she saw Mary Ellen kneeling beside her bed, with her hands folded and her eyes closed, she was praying. Seeing her little girl knelt there beside her bed brought tears to Ruth’s eyes, because in her heart she already knew that Mary Ellen would probably never hear again.

The drive to the specialist’s office was long and hot. Mary Ellen tried to sleep on the way, but couldn’t. She was so scared of what the doctor was going to tell her parents, and in her little mind she worried that her parents wouldn’t love her anymore if she couldn’t hear. “What if mommy and daddy don’t want me anymore” she thought to herself.

Her parents sat talking in the front seat; occasionally her mom would turn and look at her with a sad smile on her face. Since Mary Ellen couldn’t hear the conversation between her parents she decided to try to go to sleep one more time.


To Mary Ellen’s surprise she must have fallen asleep, because the next thing she knew her mom was opening the back door of the car. Mary Ellen sat up and looked at Ruth, and mouthed, “Are we here?” “Yes, baby we are, ready to go in?” Ruth said back very slowly so Mary Ellen could understand. Mary Ellen nodded and got out of the car.


Almost as soon as they entered the doctor’s office, the nurse said to them, “Come with me please, the doctor will be here in just a few minutes.”

Grateful that they didn’t have to wait long the three of them followed the nurse down a long hall and into a room with lots of equipment in it. Mary Ellen reached over and grabbed her mother’s hand and looked up at her. With the other hand she pointed to the equipment and mouthed, “Mama, what is that?” she looked quite frightened as she said it.
Ruth not knowing just shrugged her shoulders, smiled and said, “I don’t know baby, but please don’t be scared daddy and I are here and we’re not going to leave you okay.” Mary Ellen nodded her head, but she scooted just a little closer to her mother anyway.

The doctor came in a few minutes later and sat down, he asked Daniel and Ruth a series of questions about Mary Ellen, the illness that led up to her not being able to hear.
Then he stood and walked over to Mary Ellen, he scrunched down a bit so that he was eye level with her and smiled. Mary Ellen smiled back, and mouthed, “You look very nice.” The doctor laughed and said, “I try.” Then he said slowly so that she could understand him, “I am going to look at your ears now, okay?” Mary Ellen just smiled at him and nodded. Behind them Mary Ellen’s parents were laughing quietly and Ruth looked at Daniel and said, “I think our little girl has her first crush!” “I think you maybe right sweetheart” Daniel said with the first real grin on his face in days. Ruth smiled at him and squeezed his hand; it was the first time she really felt like everything would be okay, no matter what happened here today, they would get through this.

The examination took about thirty minutes to perform, first he looked into Mary Ellen’s ears, and then he walked to different places around the room clapping his hands and making other noises, just like Dr. Mason had done. He then preformed a few more test.

When he was done, he sat down, and looked at Daniel and Ruth, with a sad look on his face he told them, “I am sorry, but the damage done to Mary Ellen’s ears is extensive, she will never hear like a normal person again.” Ruth, trying to be strong because Mary Ellen was sitting on her lap looking at her, said, “What do we do now?” Daniel didn’t say anything, because of the lump forming in his throat.

“Well, the good thing is she already knows how to talk”, the doctor said. Then he told them, “Do NOT allow her to use signals or signs with her hands, you must make her talk to you. Using signals will just draw attention to the fact that she can’t hear and people will make fun of her.” He then told them, “there is a special school that she can attend, there she will be able to learn to use her voice and read people’s lips. Your daughter will never be normal, but with some help she may have a chance to lead a somewhat normal life.”

Before they left the doctor told them, “Mary Ellen is still too young to go to school right now, but I would suggest that you go and speak with them as soon as possible.” He gave them directions to the school then turned to leave.

On the drive home Mary Ellen watched her parents, they said nothing between them and once she noticed her mother wiping her eyes, she was crying.