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Afraid to believe it yet, Mary raised her head timidly and — choked with happiness. Mason was looking at her, smiling.
Mary sighed and clung to him, "Oh, Mason! Thank God! Mason!"
The doctor entered the ward. "I thought so," he smiled. "The nurse said the machine signaled the vital signs changed. Good; I was about to start worrying."
Mary nodded; but there was something about Mason's look. He was watching Mary and the doctor closely, as if trying to make out words.
"Mason — what is it?"
"Why is it so quiet?" Mason asked hesitatingly. "I can't hear you."
Mary's heart missed a beat.
Roberts asked her to go out and call another doctor in.
With fear, Mary was waiting for the results of the examination. Finally, Roberts walked out of the ward.
"Mary, I am sorry. Mason cannot hear, and it's a fact. We'll examine him more thoroughly to get the reason of this dysfunction. I've got good news, too: his state is stable, the arms and legs fully mobile. He can't coordinate his movements too well yet, but I am sure a short rehabilitation course will help. Mary — the main thing is that he's alive! And not paralyzed! Do not despair, Mary!"
Mary controlled herself. "Yes, you're right. He's alive!"
She got back to the ward.
Mason gave her a timid smile but there was fear in his eyes. Mary knew she needed to be strong — for Mason's sake — and for her own sake, too.
She hugged him and said, trying to articulate it well for Mason to read her lips, "It's going to be ok. I love you!"
Mason nodded and said slowly and a bit diffidently, "I understand. I love you too."
When they called CC and told him Mason had come to his senses, he thanked Heaven, called Sophia and shared the awesome news with her. They went to the hospital together.
When they quickly walked out of the elevator they saw Mary waiting for them in the hall. CC rushed to her, "Mary, how wonderful!"
"Yes," Mary nodded with reserve, "but I — want to warn you."
"What?" said CC with alarm.
"CC… Mason's come to his senses, his state is stable, he is not paralyzed, but… he's lost hearing," Mary breathed out.
"What?" said CC, taken aback.
Sophia brought her hands to her cheeks, "Oh!".
"The doctors cannot explain it yet. Maybe it's not that serious, but right now… now Mason cannot hear, and you must be ready for it."
Mary bit her lip. CC hugged her for comfort, but Mary stepped back, "Don't, CC. What's important is that Mason is alive. We will have to change some ways and to adjust — we must learn to live with it. Now — go to see him."
CC entered the ward. "Mason…"
Mason looked at him expectantly, "You know already?"
"The main thing is that you're alive," said CC with conviction.
"I do not hear you," said Mason in a hollow voice and pointed to the writing pad at the bedside cabinet.
‘You are alive,' CC wrote.
"Yes," Mason nodded. "But — what shall I do now?"
CC took the pencil again. "We'll cope!"
Mason read this and smiled a crooked smile.
CC looked at him attentively. "I love you, son," he said, came up to him and hugged Mason.
For a second Mason froze, then hugged his father's neck and pressed himself to his father's chest…
After the embrace broke CC patted his son's hair tenderly.
"Oh — I almost forgot," he took up the writing pad again and started writing hastily. Then he handed it to Mason. "Read!"
"Mark is not in California any longer and he'll never get here again. Cardinal O'Brian granted Mary divorce," Mason read aloud.
"Oh, CC, thank you!" Mary cried with joy. She'd entered the ward and had heard what Mason read. "We can get married now!"
Mason guessed what she was saying and gave a crooked smile again.
"Mary — you don't need a cripple of a husband. Once you were married… like this."
"But this time I'm marrying the one I love!" Mary replied and kissed him on the lips.
CC smiled and left them alone.
In a couple of days Dr Roberts announced the results of the examination: Mason's deafness had no physical reason. That meant he could regain hearing any moment, in a day or in a month, or it could take years.
Mary never let Mason despair. She still served on him as nurse, she gave him medicine herself, helped him exercise to regain coordination.
She also brought a book — a book of the deaf and dumb alphabet and learnt the signs together with Mason.
She got another for CC saying, "We cannot wait for him to regain hearing, it can take years, and we need to ‘talk' to him."
"Mary — what would I do without you! You're an angel!" said CC smiling.
Mary was a real angel for Mason, indeed. She tried not to leave him alone to face the silence; she brought him books and newspapers to keep his mind busy. And Mason tried his hardest not to show her how unbearable it was for him to stay in that deadly silence — but when Mary was not around, he cried sometimes into his pillow.
When they were about to discharge Mason from hospital, CC suggested that Mason and Mary live in the Capwell mansion. He said there in the house there always were people around, and this was what Mason needed right then. Mary was not too sure, but Mason only shrugged his shoulders, "Why not — I do not care."
Mary looked at him anxiously. It'd been his usual reply lately, "I do not care," and she was worried. She hoped he was just tired of staying in hospital and that when at home, he'd change.
To some extent, she was right. When they got home, Mason controlled his emotions. He managed to do it after he'd seen a nightmare.
It was the roof again, but in his dream he did not manage to save Mary and she was dying in his arms; he was losing both her and their unborn baby. It was just so unbearably painful and devastating, he felt such profound, inescapable grief that he woke up with a cry, "Mary — NO!"
Tears were streaming down his cheeks.
"Mason! Oh my, what's wrong? Mason, Mason!" Mary called in alarm, hugging him and trying to comfort him.
Mason hugged her to him, "I can't live without you."
"I'm here, I'm with you. I love you," said Mary, forgetting that Mason could not hear her; but he understood.
They lay down in a tight embrace, and, falling asleep, Mason thought suddenly that if the loss of hearing was the price he had to pay for Mary's and their baby's lives — it was a decent price; it cost much more.
The nightmare would come over him sometimes, but every time Mary was by his side and saved Mason from that insanity.
Mason put up with the silence around. But he could not stay unoccupied.
Mary remembered Mason had always felt good with horses and suggested they take a ride first — and soon Mason started spending lots of time at the stables. The horses did not talk to him, and around them he did not feel deprived.
CC was saying jokingly that soon he would be able to do without a groom.
Mary was glad; she saw Mason had recovered a bit and cheered up because of this idea. Moreover, she herself needed some rest.
All the family were very considerate with Mason. As if quite by chance, there were writing pads and pencils in every room, and everyone tried to learn the basics of the sign language. Only CC had much trouble with it. He confused signs quite often and so he would ‘say' things that made Mason roll with laughter.
Mary made a point of having Mason talk aloud, not only responding with signs. Without hearing his own voice, he started speaking slower and articulating more thoroughly.
"If you do not talk you'll unlearn to!" Mary would warn him pretending to be angry. "And what shall I do with you then?"
"You'll teach me to speak," Mason would say, with a slight drawl, and smiled his disarming smile.
CC was tired of waiting for the wedding announcement and took the business in his own hands. Once in the evening he knocked at Mason's door, "May I?"
"Sure," Mary's laughing voice said.
CC walked in.
Mason was sitting at the desk, Mary in his lap. They were looking at something on the desk.
"I need to talk to you."
Mary nodded and asked CC to take a seat. She took a position to ‘translate' to Mason what CC would be saying.
"So, how long are you going to wait?" asked CC with determination.
"What for?" Mason cocked up his eyebrow.
"What for?! You've no obstacles now to get married. Or are you waiting for some to pop up?"
Mason and Mary exchanged glances.
"Mason — son, I really do not understand this!"
"Dad… I…" Mason faltered.
"What is it?" CC frowned. "Don't say my first grandchild is going to be born out of wedlock!"
Mary laughed. "Don't worry, CC. We've just been discussing the date for the wedding."
"And—"
"We want a small, modest ceremony."
"No you don't," CC shook his head, "after everything you've been through! Mary, do not forget that I have two daughters and I know how all girls really want to get married! You need a beautiful white dress. And of course we need a church wedding. Don't worry, all the expenses are on me — I still feel guilty…"
"Stop it, CC," Mary protested. "You're not to blame for anything. Let's let bygones be bygones."
"If we go into this, I'm afraid I myself have little to be proud of," Mason said softly.
"Don't," said Mary smiling at him gently. "Let us better discuss the wedding!"
"I think we won't need more than two weeks to get ready?" CC said.
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