***A/N sexual content***
His eyes open again early the next morning, none of us have moved. Stevie's slumped against my chest Denny's curled up in her lap, my neck is screaming in pain from resting on the back of this chair for five hours. The excruciating pain wakes me and groaning I sit up straight rubbing at the band of chorded muscles near the base of my skull. Blinking I look around the room my eyes immediately landing on the unmoving form of my son. His bed is still inclined upright so he's almost sitting, his head is turned toward us and his sharp blue eyes are on me.
Unlike before I have no doubt he can see us, his pupils moving ever so slightly "Connor?" he blinks slowly his hand moving from the bed rail to the air "Who are you?". My heart clenches inside my chest he doesn't recognize my voice, raising my own hands I sign back "How do you feel?" with effort he clears his throat then glances at Stevie and Denny. Immediately his eyes go wide his hand flashing quickly as he signs Denny's name "That's my son!" I nudge Stevie's shoulder and she slowly wakes up "Steph, he's awake again"
At that she's immediately alert, shifting Denny to my arms as she sits at Connor's side. He watches her carefully as she moves a lock of hair from his forehead "Hey baby boy". I watch as recognition creeps over his features his hand grasping Stevie's and bringing it to his forehead. This time he speaks out loud "Mom" his voice cracked and hoarse, but desperate and longing like a child. "Momma" doing my best not to wake Denny I crouch by Connor's side "Hey buddy" Stevie wipes away the tears leaking from the corners of his eyes "Dad". My breath hitches on a laugh as Connor's hand moves over my face "Found me, you found me"
Stevie's crying now, and I can't stop myself from following suit. All the commotion must have jostled Denny awake because the next thing I know he's rubbing his eyes sleepily. He stops then points at Connor making the sign for "awake". Nodding I watch as Denny rushes the bedrail jumping in front of Connor's line of sight "Daddy are you awake?" Connor blinks then drops his hand on Denny's hair "Hey Den" faster than I can react my grandson climbs in bed with his father latching onto his neck.
Connor grunts his body still frail and atrophied, but he smiles one hand patting Denny's back gently. Stevie's hand finds mine but I pull her into a proper hug instead the four of us a mess of tears and laughter. Denny's staccato hiccup like sobs heart wrenching to hear, as much as he's grown to love and depend on Stevie and I; Connor is his dad. And at that age I can remember thinking of my dad as my superhero.
Wiping at his eyes Denny sits up, signing a mile a minute. I can barely keep up but from what I catch he's telling Connor about living with Stevie and I. My son places a hand on Denny's hands still smiling "Too, fast dad can't keep up" he speaks then signs the words slowly. Denny makes the sign for Grandpa and Grandma pointing to me and Stevie, then he signs house. Connor seems to understand closing his eyes slowly then opening them again "Where's-Mina?" letting go of me Stevie moves back to Connor's side her fingers absently playing with a strand of his long blonde hair "Don't worry about her for now sweetheart, you need to rest okay?"
Connor's nurse walks in all smiles at the scene in front of her "Well, well I guess you decided to wake up again after all. I'll go get the doctor" the subject of Mina is dropped in favor of the doctor administering cognitive functioning tests on Connor. He still has the majority of his long-term memory his short-term memory is spotty. His hearing has degraded, but his implant is still functional. His language skills are another story, he can understand the spoken word but he's having trouble speaking and signing. According to his doctor he'll need speech therapy to correct the loss, but overall, he's in good health otherwise.
We'll have to wait until Denny's off at school to have any serious conversations, the look on his face each time one of us talks to him tells me he has a lot of questions. I'm a little scared to answer some of them, the looming threat of "Why did you get rid of me?" pressed foremost in my mind. We prolong the inevitable as much as we can, but as soon as I return from St. Invictus sans Denny I know we can't wait any longer. Stevie spoons the rest of a cup of tea into his mouth wiping the corners of his lips with a napkin. Taking my seat beside her the two of us look at our son, and he looks back.
