Pretty Boys // cashton + muke \\

38

Chapter 38 (edited May 2021)

Luke rubbed at his eyes as he walked through the hospital halls, two cups of steaming coffee in his hands. He was dressed lazily in one of Michaels tee shirts and a pair of black shorts. He walked into Benny's hospital room, a little more alert seeing the doctor in there. Michael was sitting in a chair speaking to Benny's primary doctor, gently rocking the boy in his arms. Kina was talking obnoxiously loud to someone on the phone, filing her nails as she did so. Luke rolled his eyes as he sat beside Michael, joining the conversation.

"Hello Mr. Hemmings, I was just telling Michael about the small check up we will do for Benny before you can check him out. You'll be able to be with him the entire time if you'd like to be," Doctor Miles explained with a smile. Luke nodded, his hand on the small of Michaels back.

"We'd like to be there if that's okay," Michael said, holding Benny close.

"Of course. Will the mother be joining us?" The doctor asked, looking over at Kina. The women ignored him, talking to whoever was on the phone with her.

"I think she's a bit preoccupied," Michael said as he stood up, sparing one glance at Kina. The doctor nodded, leading the two out of the room, down a floor and into a small room where another doctor was waiting.

"Mr Clifford and Mr Hemmings, this is Marabell, she will be carrying out the tests," Doctor Miles explained.

"It's nice to meet you, Marabell," Luke smiled, shaking the woman's hand.

"You too, Hun. If you would just place the baby on the table we can get started," The woman smiled. Michael gently laid Benny on the table, the tiny boy whining as soon as he was out of his arms.

"Alright. Let's do sight first," Marabell said, gently handling the baby. Marabell carried on with a few
tests, smiling when Benny responded successfully to all of them, explaining every step she made to Luke and Michael. The last test was for his hearing, Michael and Luke patiently waited beside the small table. Marabell placed a headphone and microphone in Benny's ears, which the baby didn't particularly enjoy. After a few minutes, the woman took them out with a hesitant expression on her face.

"I'd like to run one more test, if that's okay with you boys," Marabell smiled. Luke gave a slightly worried look as he gently picked Benny up. He patted the baby's butt as Marabell led them out of the room and into a different one. Luke laid Benny on another table so Marabell could carry out another test. He chewed on his fingernails as Michael wrapped his arms around his waist. It took a few minutes, minutes that felt like hours, before Marabell was leaning up and shutting off the machine she was using. She gently picked Benny up and handed him to Luke. Luke cuddled Benny close to his chest, gently patting his back and kissing his head. 

"Um, it seems as though Benny has failed both of our hearing tests," Marabell explained softly.

"W-what does that mean?" Luke asked.

"It means that Benny was born without his hearing," Marabell said.

"He's deaf?" Michael asked to clarify. Luke had sighed, relaxing his shoulders.

"That is correct, there are many things we can do to help his hearing but it would be a bit time consuming and expensive. There are many procedures and tests that can be carried out if you feel that that is necessary," Marabell explained. Michael unwrapped his arms from Luke's waist, running a hand through his hair.