With Love, Silvia. [✔️]

Chapter 20 Home Sweet Home

  It was finally Saturday and I had just barely made it out of the school week alive. I was almost happy to see our little hospital room/house when I got home! I woke up on my gurney that served as my bed  and peered out of the window. The snow had piled up, and covered most of the cars. I guess that's to be expected with the biggest blizzard of the year...

  Erica came into the room with her purse. For the first time in a long time she was smiling.

  "I just went back to  the house and it's ready for us to move back into!" She exclaimed.

  I immediately felt the weight of the world lifted off of my shoulders. We could go home!

  "Erica, that's amazing!" I cried and hugged her.

  "And that's not even the good news..." Erica said pulling away as Emma came back into the room with Owen and Emily close by.

  "Rodger is awake!" She said with glee.

  "No way!" Emma and I said at the same time.

  "Yes way! Come on let's go see him!" She said leading us to his room.

  We entered to door and I was happy to find that many of the tubes and machines keeping Rodger alive were removed from his body. I was only sad to find a frail, small, body sitting in the bed. He was a wreck.

  "Oh my gosh..." Emma said with what sounded like both relief and worry.

  "It's ok Emma. He's going to take some antibiotics to help him gain weight and muscle mass to help him heal again." She whispered in her ear.

   Emma barely listen though and ran straight to his bedside.

   "Rodger! Rodger, oh my gosh! You're alive!" She gasped with tears of joy springing from here eyes.

    "RODGER!" Screamed Owen running up next to Emma.

      I followed Erica and Emily up to him. I sat back and watched him try to form some words to say but it was all mumbly and he got frustrated.

    "It's ok, sweetie. Don't try to speak yet." Erica said soothingly.

   A flurry thoughts swarmed my head. What was wrong with his speech? Would he ever be the same again?

  Just as I was thinking these things a deep skinned woman doctor entered the room. Rodger was making strange noises and his face was getting red. I bet he was just as confused as I was.

  The doctor rushed over to him and pushed everyone out of the way.

  "Don't try to speak yet, honey." She said in the same tone Erica used with him.

  It seemed to have calmed him down and he stopped trying.

  "What's wrong with him?" Emma asked with wide watery eyes.

   "His vocal cords where a bit damaged during the fire and have had a rough healing process. But we have made progress considering the fact that he is able to make sounds now." The doctor informed us taking the clipboard attached to his bed off and flipping through it.

  "Will he ever be normal again?" Emma asked fearfully.

   "Over time yes." The doctor told her. "He will be sent to speech rehab and within a few months he will be able to say half of his original vocabulary. Within 6 months he'll be able to speak without limits." She told Emma.

  "6 months until he is normal again? That's too long! Can we speed it up? Please, please tell me you can?" Emma begged.

  "I'm sorry ma'am. But it is the only way for him. He is actually extremely lucky. Most patients loose their ability to speak all together." The woman said shaking her head.