The Silence Between Us

The Healing Powers of the Alphabet

Chapter 8:

"I would say it's nice to see you, Louisa, but under different circumstances of course."

Alex brought me directly to Nurse Owens's office, and I could tell that she was surprised I already came in. Despite my many years of being bullied in high school, Cora rarely did stuff to send me to the nurse. But twice in such a short time frame was definitely shocking, especially since the bell hasn't rung yet.

And as if on cue, the bell rang, signaling the start of class. Neither Alex or Mae had left my side after bringing me here, and I was glad. I don't know what I would've done if they hadn't stayed like last time. I needed them here.

Nurse Owens however had a different plan, "You all know only one of you can stay here with Louisa while the other has to go to class. Why don't you decide which one of you is staying and which one is leaving?"

Silence ensued as Alex and Mae communicated through sign language. I know Alex had won when Mae sighed and stood up, not forgetting to give me a bone crushing hug first.

"Stay strong, Louisa." She said before she slipped out of the office.

The silence was strangely comforting while Nurse Owens looked at my arm. Claiming that it was sprained because of massive swelling, she immediately applied an ice pack to my wrist and told me to hold it while she looked for a sling to put my arm in. Alex took the ice from me when she left, pressing it to my wrist. Every time I took a quick breath because the ice was too cold, Alex would remove the ice for a couple seconds before putting it back on.

Nurse Owens came back with the sling and helped me slip it on my right arm. "Things are going to be a little different now while your wrist heals," she explained to me, "For starters, you're going to need to use your walking stick with your left hand for the time being and it's going to be hard for you to write. The good news is, it looks very minor so it'll only take a couple weeks to heal."

"Only a couple weeks?" I exclaimed.

"You should be grateful, Louisa. Sometimes it takes months for a sprain to heal. It could've been a lot worse, but thankfully it wasn't."

I nodded, "Thank you, Nurse Owens."

"You both can just sit tight before Louisa feels well enough to go to class. I assume you don't want me to contact your mother, Louisa?" She asked.

I shook my head and she continued, "Very well. Take care of her Mr. Mirren." With that, she left Alex and I in the room, returning to her front desk to welcome any new students into the office.

For a while we just sat there, not knowing what to say to each other and not really knowing how to speak with one another. Then the pressure and coldness of the ice disappeared as Alex stood up, his footsteps retreating down the hallway. Was he leaving me? Did he already decide I was a lost cause and picked class over me?

When his footsteps came back towards me, I let out a sigh of relief. I felt so insecure and like I was going to break down any minute, and I didn't want to be alone. I couldn't believe that I thought Alex would have just stood up and left like that.

Alex came back and sat down beside me, not picking up the ice again. Instead, he was fumbling with something in his hands. That's when I heard the sound of paper and for the first time since I came to the school, I smiled. I loved when Alex communicated with me through braille. At first in the classroom, I thought that he was just looking it up on his computer, but now I know that he actually does know braille. Just the thought of someone else knowing how to write my language makes me so happy.