carlos olivera (coliveira) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2015-12-31 17:55:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, alice, carlos olivera |
Who: Carlos and Alice (with Becky!)
What: Alice's wish comes true, aka Becky isn't deaf for Christmas.
When: During the wish plot
Where: Their home
Rating/Warnings: Low/None
Status: Closed/Completed GDoc
Most of the time Carlos was up before everyone else in the house. It was all due to his routine that he'd followed for too many years to count regardless of how much sleep he'd gotten the night before. After waking up, Carlos went to the bathroom to take a shower. Once he'd finished and gotten dressed, he made his way to the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee. While the coffee was brewing, he turned on the small television in the kitchen, tuning it to the news.
The news wasn't exactly happy, but when was it ever these days? Rarely, was the answer, and it was quite sad. Instead of really paying much attention to the news, Carlos pulled open his laptop and turned it on to.
He checked his e-mail quickly, responding to a few that required his attention before the coffee pot beeped that it was finished. Carlos poured himself a cup, sitting it off to the side to cool while he answered another e-mail.
"Dad?"
Carlos paused in responding to the e-mail and turned to look at his daughter.
It wasn't strange to hear Becky talk sometimes, although it was rather rare. Her speech was still slow, her voice thick and words not exactly pronounced as they normally would be. He smiled at her, motioning her to come closer except she didn't. "What's wrong?" He asked, moving to stand and go over to her.
"I can hear you." A bright smile pulling up the corners of her lips.
"What?" He asked, watching her carefully before she ran to him, and threw her arms around his neck.
"I can hear you!" She hugged him tighter, all the while he was trying to wrap his brain around what was going on.
"Alice!" His tone urgent. Carlos knew his wife and figured that she'd be awake by now even if she was just laying in bed for a few extra moments.
~*~
Dreams plagued Alice's sleep, making restful nights few and far between. She sat straight up in the bed, muscles tensed, body strung tighter than the metal strings of an electric guitar as she rolled from the bed to a crouch, a predator ready to prowl for new prey. It took moments for Alice to shake out the feelings of danger and the warnings of threat lingering from her forgotten dreams.
She stood slowly, smoothing her nightgown down over her thighs.
Carlos was calling for her. Becky was laughing. No one was attacking them. There was no danger here. This was her suburban life in her suburban home; Alice was no warrior woman here. She had no reason to be so alarmed. All her fears were unfounded. Baseless. Dreams were not meant to hold sway over the waking world the way they were starting to affect Alice; she told herself all those things and more as she made sure her hair was settled well enough to go out to meet her family.
"What's going on here? Are we celebrating Christmas early?"
Alice spoke as she signed. It was a habit for her and Carlos to do both for Becky. They wanted her exposed to vocalizing as much as signing so she could read lips to the best of any deaf person's ability. They knew she'd have to go out into the world eventually. If they could give her any advantage? It was for the best. Both of them would do anything at all for their Becky. She was a blessing to them.
"Sorry I slept in. I was having a dream."
~*~
Carlos unwrapped his arms from around Becky, looking up at Alice. Confusion was clearly written on his features. "No, and it's okay." He wanted to ask Alice about her dreams, but those thoughts were put to the side when Becky ran over to her mother.
"I can hear!"
Carlos shook his head, and looked over at Alice with a small smile. "I don't know what happened, but she can hear." Orange County was a weird place, Carlos had seen enough around on the network to know that, but he'd never dreamed that it would allow their daughter to hear.
Was that even possible? Of course, it was fucking snowing, and there had been a blizzard as well. Carlos was severely confused, and had absolutely no idea what was going on.
"I -- do you think it's this place?" He asked Alice, still trying to figure out exactly what the hell was going on.
~*~
Cochlear implants allowed hearing in some persons who were born deaf or became deaf due to illness. They had mixed reviews regarding the implants. Some deaf persons stated it was disorienting to the point they had to get the implant removed while others swore they changed their life only for the better. Alice and Carlos had discussed over and over an implant for Becky who they wanted more than anything else to know she was loved exactly as she came.
The idea Becky could hear without any complications or confusion was a miracle.
Alice went to her knees to hug her daughter against her chest, "Oh baby. Can you hear me? I love you. I love you so much."
She'd never gotten to tell her daughter she loved her with her voice. That was all the Christmas present Alice would ever need for any Christmas to come. It took everything in her to keep from crying. She held her tears back because Becky was smiling, happy, and there was no reason to make her little girl think she was anything other than overjoyed by her sudden hearing. Becky's ability to hear had to come directly from God -if there was a God- as far as Alice was concerned.
"I think it's God. We got a miracle. For Christmas. Maybe this place is closer to Heaven than we thought. A little slice of Eden with a pipeline upstairs. I can't think of anything else to explain it."
'I don't want to try', Alice thought to herself as she looked up at Carlos, begging her husband with her eyes to accept it for the miracle it was and not look for any more explanation.
~*~
Carlos looked down at the ground, ashamed of himself for questioning such a miracle but he -- he couldn't help it. There was something wrong about all of this. They'd been told when they found out that she was deaf that she'd never be able to hear again.
Still, as he watched Becky hug Alice tight and he saw the look on her face, Carlos knew that he shouldn't question it. "I think you're right, Alice." He replied finally, pushing all negative thoughts to the side for the time being before he walked over to his girls.
Carlos wrapped his arms around both of them, kissing the top of Becky's head and then Alice's cheek. "I'm all for some Christmas miracles." He replied softly, staying there for just a few moments. "And I love you too, Becky." He kissed the top of her head again, and then pulled back. "You want some pancakes and bacon for breakfast?"
He smiled as Becky nodded, and he gave Alice a wink. He was still trying to figure out what the hell was going on, but he tried not to show it.
Carlos moved over to pull a cup from the cabinet and pour Alice a cup of coffee. "Here you are dear, and for you, missy, orange juice."
Becky laughed again and the sound was so sweet to Carlos's ears. Really, who was he to question anything right now? He was merely a man who had no idea how a lot of things worked.
"Actually, I think we should have a feast this morning, and then spend the rest of the day watching movies or something fun." Carlos would call into work that morning, it wasn't as if he didn't have time saved up anyway.
~*~
"Breakfast fit for a queen and movies, movies, movies!" Becky laughed, spinning in circles after squirming away from her mother.
Alice took a deep drink of coffee from her mug to try to wake up her brain. Everything felt surreal, a dream zone, one where she'd never been allowed to venture before. No good dreams ever came to Alice. She was the woman who saw death everywhere, even when she slept. Carlos was her sunshine. He and Becky were the only silver lining Alice had ever been allowed to add to her life's playbook.
Leaning against the counter, she watched as Carlos started to get things together. She stomped her foot out of habit to attract Becky's attention. The little girl stopped spinning long enough to come over to collect her orange juice, signing she was sorry along the way. The habit was still there to sign. Alice hoped it meant if this didn't last---it would be okay. They could adapt back to the way things were normally.
It was simply unfair their normal meant their daughter had less.
"I think fun sounds great," Alice agreed, "Daddy can stay home to keep us company. We'll watch some holiday favorites. Or anything you want, sweetheart. Anything at all."
She wouldn't waste the time Becky could hear on her own selfish wishes. Alice knew things could change at any moment. There was a good possibility this was all a dream. She would wake up in a few moments, uncomfortable from too much sleep, stuck to her sheets, her daughter signing at her why oh why hadn't she gotten her lazy self out of bed already? That was far more likely to happen for Alice than her daughter getting the miracle of hearing for the rest of her life.
~*~
Carlos laughed at the way Becky responded. That all sounded like a great day to him, even if it was definitely out of the normal.
He felt the floor jar as Alice stomped her foot, and he too turned to look over at Alice. It was habit. If this was a permanent thing, they would have to get used to talking again to their daughter rather than signing. Carlos hoped that it would be a permanent thing.
He really tried to be optimistic, but this place? There was something odd about it.
"Mhm, whatever you ladies want to watch we will, and remind me to call work in about fifteen minutes." Breakfast would be about done by then, and he could take five minutes to call in to let them know he was taking a day. Carlos gathered up everything, and moved over to the stove.
"I am voting we do watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The original." He added nearly as an afterthought. The newer version wasn't bad, but Carlos could remember watching the older one when he was younger.
"And don't forget, we need to clean out the guestroom for my parents soon." They would be coming in to spend Christmas with them. Well, as long as it didn't come another blizzard again. "I also think we should go spend some time out in the snow today. What do you think?"
He looked over at Becky who just grinned up at him and shouted, "Yes!"
"That's what I thought." Carlos replied with a wink, and then he began to fry up the bacon.
~*~
Snow was a novelty for all of them. They were people who had lived a bit of everywhere yet they remained warm climate types on the whole. Alice liked the idea of having one white Christmas with her family all the same. She thought they should take pictures if they did go out for a little while. They could build a snowman or maybe make snow angels. That was something she'd never done yet had always wanted to try.
There weren't nearly enough angels in her life.
"We could---we could make snow angels," Alice decided to offer since the idea was growing on her, "I figure we'll need them if we're indulging The Grinch."
Carlos had family to come in to stay with them which was a blessing. Some people hated seeing their in-laws. Alice enjoyed their company more than she could put into words. Family was something no money could buy; without Carlos, she would not have anyone to spend her holidays with since he'd provided her all the family she would ever have. Theirs was a marriage Alice could see lasting the test of time because neither of them either forgot the value of the other.
"I'll work on the guest bedroom while you and Becky work on setting up the family room for movies?"
Becky squealed at the idea as if it were the very best Alice had ever offered. She loved every opportunity she got to spend with her father. It was something Alice had once worried about -what did it mean? did her daughter love her father more than her mother? was Becky tired of Alice day in and day out?- though she'd realized it was all part of being both a Daddy's Girl and an only child at the same time.
~*~
Chuckling, Carlos turned the bacon once already and then began mixing up the pancake batter. "That's probably a good idea." The snow angels would be fun. He honestly couldn't remember the last time he'd actually enjoyed snow, and with Becky being able to hear that would make the experience all that more enjoyable.
Hell, they should enjoy it while it lasted since they didn't know if it was going to be permanent or not.
The bacon was sizzling nicely by the time Carlos made it back over to the stove. At Becky's squeal he shook his head, "We'll have to pile all the pillows up and get lots of blankets." He was determined to make their day the best one they'd ever had together as a family, even though they'd had plenty of great days together. Carlos wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.
"It won't take any of us that long." He shot a look over at Alice, smiling softly at her. "And we'll make some popcorn since what's a movie day without it?" It wasn't any sort of movie day that Carlos wanted to be a part of to be honest. "Why don't you go set the table, Becky?" He prompted her, giving a nod toward the dishwasher where plenty of clean plates and silverware were.
She did as she was told, and Carlos moved away from the stove for a moment to go over to Alice when Becky left. Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her gently. "I'm sorry, for before, I just didn't know how to react." He whispered so only the two of them would hear.
~*~
"I just want to enjoy this for as long as it lasts. I don't want to think about it. I don't want to question it. I don't want to do anything else. Just enjoy."
Alice let her head fall back against Carlos's shoulder, exposing her throat to him. There was something about her love for him which made Carlos the only man in the world who could make Alice feel truly safe. She could trust him with her life because she trusted him with her heart. They would get through this -however it turned out- together. It mattered to her he understand where she was coming from because she wanted him to trust her in return.
Murmuring quietly, she offered, "I love her. She's perfect. Deaf. Hearing. I don't care. I just want to enjoy this chance. We should get one Christmas miracle. We've done enough to deserve one."
They had fought for their country. They'd worked hard for freedom for several nations in fact since they'd worked as mercenaries for a while. Private outfits didn't necessarily mean the worst sorts paid for them. Their services had never been solely sold to the highest bidder with no conscience in mind. Both Alice and Carlos were too involved in the work they did to be willing to sell out with no integrity involved.
She was proud of her husband's continued service.
Some days she wished Becky could hear so she could go back to work without worrying, too.
A part of her selfishly hoped this would last forever to allow her to reclaim her lost life as a soldier, but Alice wouldn't say anything about those thoughts or that dark part inside of her. She knew better by now. She liked it when her husband looked at her with love, kissed her gently, held her as if she were delicate. Carlos wouldn't do any of those things if he had to cope with the idea of what kind of darkness lurked inside Alice; she didn't need to test her luck to know that.
"We're going to enjoy this. We're going to make memories for a lifetime. This is a Christmas miracle and we deserve it."
Alice squeezed Carlos's hand before unraveling herself from his grip to go get started making up the guest room, more determined than ever to make good on her words.
This would be a miracle for them.
They deserved a miracle.