The Doubt That Would Not Leave
That night Grant could not sleep.
Rachel’s words echoed inside his mind.
“Your son is not deaf.”
He poured himself a drink.
Then another.
Still the thought would not go away.
At three in the morning he walked quietly into Evan’s bedroom.
The boy slept peacefully beneath a blanket covered with tiny rocket ships.
On the nightstand rested the hearing device.
Its small red light blinked slowly.
Grant picked it up.
The device felt heavier than he expected.
He hesitated.
Then he placed it on the desk across the room.
Grant sat beside the bed.
He looked at his son carefully for the first time in years.
The same eyes as his wife.
The same eyelashes.
His voice came out barely above a whisper.
“I’m sorry, Evan.”
The boy stirred.
Grant froze.
Had he heard that?
Grant reached for an old music box that had once belonged to his wife.
He wound the key.
Soft notes filled the room.
Evan opened his eyes.
And looked straight toward the sound.
Grant’s heart shattered.
