Deaf Ears Ring

Chapter 16

There's a term that people in the world of cancer use called 'the last good day', which is basically what it sounds like; it's the last good day that that person with cancer has before they pass. And Lindsey's last good day was...an eventful one. It's a day I will definitely remember for the rest of my life, and I'm sure Kaitlin will too.

The next day.

Chris is let into the house by Iris. Lindsey was on the couch. She looks to Chris and smiles.

"Hey, you."

Chris smiles in return, "Hey, gorgeous."

"C'mere a sec."

Chris sits on the couch next to Lindsey, "What's up?"

Lindsey hands him an envelope.

"What's this?" Chris asks, taking it.

"Everything you need to know about Kaitlin."

"What don't I already know?"

"Well, stuff like how to comfort her about getting bullied at school because that happens sometimes. There's also things like what to do if she has an allergic reaction to something. It hasn't happened since she was seven, but you can never be too careful. And then there's lots of little things."

"Like what?"

"Like what kinds of makeup she likes, her hobbies, how to get subtitles on Netflix; things like, um...she really likes to write, but it's very private and she won't let anyone see her notebooks. I'm not sure if they're diary entries or stories or poems - I try to respect her privacy, but once in a while, you'll have to buy her a new notebook or two.

"She loves animals very much. She can't watch any TV show or movie about injured or dying animals without crying. She's petrified of spiders and pretty much any bug though, which sort of leaves you in a sticky situation because she can't kill them without feeling guilty because of how much she loves animals."

"Um, spiders are not animals. They are evil. Pure, relentless evil."

Lindsey laughs, "Well, nevertheless, you are by default the official bug killer and Kaitlin will not be able to watch without crying or feeling guilty. Let's see, what else? Oh, there's her favorite foods, things that make her happy when she's sad. You'll have to wake her up for school, which can be sort of a pain, but she obviously can't hear an alarm clock. I suppose you could get one of those vibrating alarms for deaf people, but I don't know how expensive they are."

"So, what you're saying is I'm never going to sleep again."

"Welcome to parenthood." Lindsey says, "Oh. She loves blankets. Even if it's ninety degrees out, she'll have a comforter wrapped around her. She's been having some trouble with algebra and I'm sure as Hell you're not going to be able to help her with that, so maybe consider getting her a tutor. She also - "

"Lindsey, Lindsey. I got it. I'll look over this tonight."

Lindsey nods, "Okay."

Chris nods in return, "Thank you for this. I actually probably need it." He says, holding the envelope up.

Lindsey smiles, "You're welcome."

They stare at each other a moment.

"I've always thought you had the most beautiful eyes." Chris whispers.

There's another pause...then Chris finally leans in and kisses her. Lindsey kisses him back with zero hesitation. She pulls herself closer to him and savors every moment of this that she could.

"I could've been good to you." Chris says against her lips before kissing her again, "I could've loved you...Why didn't I?"

Lindsey swallows, "Well, I guess it makes this a lot easier."