Ryley's Child

The Little Drummer Boy

A/N: For the next parts there will be conversations happening in sign language. So the dialogue that is in italics is actually someone speaking in sign language.

Thanks everyone for reading this story! It means a lot to me. Feel free to check out my other stories too! Have a great day!

**•**Ryder's POV**•**

I never was one to enjoy learning another language. In high school I only took two years of Spanish because that was a requirement to graduate. I never liked the class. Honestly, I can't really remember much of what I learned in that class at all. However, with the news that my son would be deaf for the rest of his life I knew I had to learn ASL (American Sign Language). I mean how else was I to communicate to him? Plus, as he gets older he will start becoming more and more introduced to the Deaf Community which means I will encounter many more people like him in my future. Yeah, learning to sign was kinda mandatory.

I was reluctant at first. I didn't think I had the time to sit down and teach my hands to move different ways. In between being an employee at an instrument repair shop, being a musician, a husband, and a father I didn't think I had the time to commit to learning ASL. However, everyone I talked to about this said I was just making up excuses. They said if I truly wanted to be a father to Andrew I had to talk like one to him.

I really knew I needed to learn when my son started signing signs that Marley had taught him and I didn't even know what he was saying. He was just eight months old and I was twenty two! That was embarrassing and eye-opening.

Soon after that incident I began studying sign daily, even late into the night when my wife and child were fast asleep. From there my signing skills sky rocketed, surprising all my friends and family, especially Marley. I also noticed that Andrew stopped being such a Mommy's Boy and began interacting with me more and talking with me.

•••

As a percussionist I eagerly looked forward to the time when I could teach my son the drums. That time came four years later in the NYC music store where Marley worked as a cashier and gave voice lessons for extra money.

There was a room in the back where music lessons took place and the owner would occasionally let us jam there.

On one particular night we were hanging out with Kurt and Blaine in that back room. They had brought seven-year-old, Leia and one-year-old, Nick (Nick was biologically Blaine's and carried by Rachel) along and I brought four-year-old, Andrew.

That night we weren't gathered there just to jam. Marley had received a certain letter in the mail that morning, but I found it first and knew what was inside. I wanted it to be a surprise so I called Blaine who called Kurt and we agreed to meet at the music store that night and be there when I gave her the envelope. She came late, as I had hoped.

Before she came Blaine took a guitar that was in the room and fiddled around with it. Leia sat with her legs splayed out in front of him. She wore a silky blue dress with sea green ribbons around the middle and it was pulled and scrunched up to her hips from all her wriggling around. "Can I watch, Father?" she asked.

Blaine paused from tuning the strings to smile at her. "Yes you can, but may you?"

Leia rolled her eyes and sighed. "May I watch you play, Father?"

Blaine raised an eyebrow teasingly. "I know Dad isn't watching right now, but if he saw you sitting like that in that pretty of a dress what would he say?"

Leia looked at her position and then quickly tucked her legs beneath her. She smoothed her dress over her knees and said, "Criss-cross applesauce. Now may I watch you play?"