Danny Phantom Fan Fiction ❯ The Sound of a Whisper ❯ Little Deaf Boy ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2: Little Deaf Boy

I stood beside a table in the skating rink, scowling at the young woman sitting at the table putting on her skates. Of all the places to bring me to, the skating rink was not my idea of fun. I still held my skates by the laces, glaring at them and refusing to put them on. Two hands suddenly grasped my shoulders, and I found myself pushed down onto the seat. Sam stood in front of me, arms crossing over her chest as she gave me a pointed look. I shook my head, growling.

“Danny, if you don't put those skates on this instant, I will have to hurt you,” she signed. I didn't move. “You look like a child that didn't get his way! Should I change your diaper too?”

Another growl escaped me, and I jerked the skates toward me, toeing off my shoes and stuffing my feet into the ridiculous wheeled contraptions. “Happy?” I signed once I'd laced them up. “Can we go now?”

She just smiled brilliantly before grabbing my hand and dragging me toward the rink. My eyes widened as I was tugged out of the seat. I scrambled to grab the table, but she'd already rolled me away from it. “No!” I signed as Sam tugged me closer and closer to the rink. “I don't want to skate! I put on the fucking things like you said. You never said anything about skating.”

Rolling her eyes, she released me to sign, “What did you think we were here for?”

I wobbled unsteadily on the skates, swallowing hard. My eyes widened as I started to roll forward without my say. I grabbed onto Sam, having no idea how to stop myself. This proved to be a bad idea as we both tumbled to the ground. My head hit the cement; she only fell on her butt.

Sitting up, I rubbed my head and scowled at her. “This is why I didn't want to skate,” I signed.

Her eyes widened in surprise. “You don't know how to skate?”

I could feel the heat radiating off my cheeks, and I crossed my arms over my chest, looking away with a huff. After the disastrous bike accident that had led to my deafness, I hadn't wanted anything to do with any other contraptions that had wheels. By the time I grew out of that fear, though, it seemed too late to learn. A hand fell into my line of sight; I looked up to find Sam standing over me with a smile on her face. She didn't seriously expect me to try this again. But from the way that she just stood there waiting for me to grab her hand, I could see that she did.

With a groan, I took her offered hand and let her help me back up onto my feet. She led me to the wall surrounding the skating rink, and I clung to that while she signed. “I'll teach you. It's really simple, Danny.”

Easy for her to say. She had all five senses. I heaved a sigh as she held her hand out for mine again, not objecting as she grasped it and pulled me onto the rink. People of all ages zipped by on the same four-wheeled devices attached to my feet right now. How could they make this look so easy? Because it would take too long to long to sign all of the directions on how to do this, Sam gave me one: Watch my feet. So, as she skated away from me, I kept an eye on her feet then compared it to others skating around the rink.

Sam came skating back to me and signed, “Do you want to try now?”

Knowing I was about to make a big fool out of myself, I nodded anyway and let her take my hand. My movements were jerky and uncertain, but with Sam's encouragement I made it around the rink. The second time, I went around alone. It really was as easy as Sam had promised. Then something rammed into the back of me, sending myself and whoever had hit me tumbling to the ground. The young woman that had run into me sat up and started yelling at me. At least, I think that's what she was doing. Her lips were moving, and she looked angry. How could she be angry at me? She ran into me!

I glanced around for Sam, hoping she was nearby. She must have gone to get a drink of water or something because she wasn't on the rink. Then I found myself being lifted up by two big hands. A man twice my size shoved me against the wall of the rink. I had a feeling he was the girl's boyfriend or something. I shook my head frantically as his lips moved, pointing to my ear. Either he was completely retarded, or he just didn't get the hint. His hand balled into a fist, and I cringed and ducked my head knowing it would be coming toward me soon.

Several seconds ticked by. I waited for at least a full minute before peeking open an eye then opening them completely. The big guy was now sitting on the ground with Sam standing over him. He had a hand on his eye, and I had a feeling he'd be sporting a really big black eye later in the week. Maybe she explained what I couldn't get across. I really wouldn't have known or cared to know. All I knew was that I had a new appreciation for this girl.

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I still didn't really like Sam. Or at least I tried not to. After all, my parents had pretty much assigned her as my body guard so I didn't try to kill myself again. They feared my death so much that if I even had so much as a headache, Sam had to get the Tylenol for me, and I wasn't allowed another dose for a week just to make sure I had actually taken it and not saved it. But seriously, why would I try to kill myself by overdose? All that vomiting and everything isn't very appealing. Hell, I wouldn't even try drowning again now that I knew how painful that was. I wanted a painless way out.

The one good thing about trying to drown myself was that now I had a friend who could sign too. I didn't have friends because, well, no one had the patience to learn sign language just to be able to talk to me. Sam, however, had more than enough patience to not only learn sign language but to also teach me how to say her name out loud. I knew how to say my family's names, Vlad's name, and even Vlad's cat's name. Names were easy to say as long as they were short. So, because Sam's name was short, she insisted I had to know how to say hers too. She got this weird little blush on her face the first time I finally said it right, and she wouldn't say why either.

“What is the point of going to see a movie?” I asked, scowling at the young woman standing beside me. “Can't hear, remember?”

She just grinned. “That's why I chose this movie. You'll see when it starts.”

“I really don't like you right now,” I said.

“That's okay. I like you.” Then she turned her attention to the movie screen as the lights dimmed.

Scowling, I turned my attention to the screen as well. It wasn't that I didn't want to see this movie. I really, really wanted to see this movie. Of course, being deaf makes it a little hard to see anything in theatres. So, I usually just waited for it to come out on DVD or hoped that it was released with subtitles. I hadn't heard of this movie being released with subtitles so I had made no plans to go and see it in the theatres. In fact, the director had specifically stated that he wouldn't be releasing the movie to the theatres with subtitles. Subtitles would only be available on DVD.

I would have to think of something really mean to get back at Sam for this one. Maybe I could dip her in honey and cover her with feathers. Or maybe I could draw mustaches and beards on all of her posters. Nah, what I should do had to be elegant. She needed to be punished for this. She needed to suffer. She needed—

My eyes widened as the movie began and subtitles appeared under the images. She needed to be kissed is what she needed. I shot a glance over to her; she was smiling at me. “I have connections,” she signed. “It pays sometimes to have rich parents.”

“Sam, this is… I don't even know what to say. Thank you.” I really couldn't find a way to express my gratitude with just my hands. She didn't know just how deep my joy went. I whispered her name, hoping the reverence and awe I felt had come through in those three letters. She blushed again. One of these days, I would have to figure out why Sam blushed every time I said her name.

My parents were home when we got back from the movie. My mom was making dinner, but they both grinned when we came in. “How was the movie, kids?” she asked.

“Oh, Danny was fairly surprised,” Sam said, grinning at me.

My jaw dropped. “You knew?!” I crossed my arms over my chest, growling. I could not believe they'd all kept this from me.

“Oh, stop it,” Sam signed. “You look like a sulking child.”

“I'm not sulking!” I scowled at Sam before looking away with a huff. That girl could really get on my nerves.

I turned my gaze away as she walked around me stand in front of me. I would not give her the satisfaction of teasing me again. She grasped my chin and tugged it down so I would look at her. “Don't pout, Danny. I'm just teasing you.”

I rolled my eyes and refrained from telling her that I don't pout. Instead I signed, “All right, all right. Will you let go of my chin now?”

She smiled at me then released my chin as I had asked before walking over to my mother. Apparently she had volunteered to help make dinner. I couldn't help being a little glad I was deaf since they were probably chatting about all that girl stuff no man really wanted to hear. I picked up an apple from the basket on the counter and tossed it from hand to hand before taking a bite. I glanced back at Sam and my mom, frowning a bit. Sam was blushing again, and my mom was laughing. I don't think I wanted to know what they were talking about, but I asked anyway.

Sam shook her head, and my mom just waved me away. “Go get your father and your sister. Dinner's almost ready,” she signed to me.

I rolled my eyes. “Women,” I signed before shaking my head and leaving the kitchen. “Dinner!” I shouted, grinning smugly when I felt the vibrations of something dropping in the kitchen. I hoped Sam had made a big mess.

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There was a little boy only about five years old on campus two weeks later. I didn't know why, but I had a feeling he hadn't meant to come here. No one else even stopped to look at him. I might be the only person that didn't just look right through him, but I couldn't communicate with him. Glancing around, I heaved a sigh then headed over to him. I took out a piece of paper and a pen, writing down a message before showing it to the boy who looked up at me with big, trusting brown eyes. “Are you lost?” His brows furrowed, his lips moving as if trying to sound out the words written on the paper.

Shaking his head, he raised his hands and signed, “I can't read.”

Setting the paper aside and kneeling so the little boy didn't have to stare up at me, I signed back to him. “Are you deaf?” He nodded, his lower lip jutting out as he lowered his head. I couldn't help but grin. I could communicate with this boy after all. Raising his chin, I signed back to him, “I am too.”

His big eyes brightened, and he looked at the university before back up at me. “How come you go to the big college like Mommy instead of a special school?”

“Because I don't let my handicap get the best of me,” I signed back. “Just because I'm deaf doesn't mean I'm stupider than the rest of these people. I just can't hear, that's all. It may take me a little bit longer to grasp the concepts taught in these classes, but the struggle is worth it.”

“I wanna be just like you then!” He beamed up at me, and I couldn't help grinning back at him. He was a cute kid, and he reminded me a lot of myself in my younger years.

“Where is your mom?”

“In class. I sit out here because it's pretty, and sometimes the little old lady gives me candy.”

I knew which lady he was referring to. That woman would wander around campus every day passing out candies with a smile. She had even learned a little bit of sign from me—and possibly from this little boy. “Well, you can't sit out here all by yourself… It's dangerous.”

“I know…” He hung his head again, but he kept his hands in my view as he signed. “Mommy always leaves me in the daycare, but the kids are mean to me. They push me and throw things at me.”

I sat down beside him. I knew I would miss my class, but I didn't feel right leaving this boy alone. “Well, I'll stay with you until your mom comes.”

“Thanks, mister!” His grin nearly split his face, he was just so happy. “My name's Jeremy. What's yours?”

“I'm Danny. Tell me, Jeremy, why can't you read?”

His little shoulders slumped, and he averted his gaze. “It's too hard. I can't hear the sounds so I can't figure out the words.”

“What? Who told you that?” I asked, surprised. “It can be just as easy for you as for any of the other kids. Let me show you.” Taking out the pad and paper again, I wrote down a few sentences from a book I had had in kindergarten. He leaned over to watch then watched my hands as I signed each word separately.

We worked on it for almost an hour before Sam showed up to take me home. I introduced Jeremy to her then asked her if she would help Jeremy learn how to say the word “Mommy” out loud. He had expressed an interest in doing so when I told him that I could say my family member's names. Of course, Jeremy's case was different from mine. He had been born deaf while I had not. I had already known the basic sounds of the words and had managed to figure out how to say them even after losing my hearing.

Jeremy's mother showed up an hour later, looking a bit frazzled. “Jeremy! What have I told you about leaving the day care?! You scared me to death!”

Standing, the little boy hung his head in shame then looked up at his mother. “I'm sorry, Mommy.” From the way that she started to cry and pulled him up into her arms, I had a feeling he had said the last word out loud too, and Sam only confirmed this when I asked her.

“These are my friends, Mommy,” Jeremy signed to her. “This is Danny and his friend Sam. Danny's deaf too.”

The woman smiled at me. “I'm Sarah. Thank you so much for watching over Jeremy for me. I've never seen him so happy.”

“It was my pleasure,” I signed back, feeling my cheeks light up at the unspoken praise. “I would gladly watch him for you while you're in class if you need me to. I really do understand why he doesn't like the daycare, and I don't mind watching him either.”

“Thank you. I might take you up on that. Let me get your number.”

After I'd written my number down on a piece of paper for her, she and little Jeremy left. The little boy kept waving over her shoulder until she put him in the car. Sam poked my arm to get my attention. “Shouldn't you have been in class right now?”

I rolled my eyes. “Sam,” I said aloud before signing, “I was the only one that saw the boy. I wasn't going to leave him there.” Then I grinned. “Besides, I think I just found my major.”

“Oh, smart ass? What might that be?” Sam asked, her cheeks still flushed. I still couldn't understand why she blushed each time I said her name. I had to sound terrible and really loud.

I brushed that from my mind for now and grinned at her again. “I want to teach.”

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Author's Note: You know, I really like this story… I don't know why I decided to do it in Danny's POV, but it really suits this story. He can't hear anything so you don't get to either. There is no dialogue in this story! Wow. Or does sign language count as dialogue? Hmm… Isn't Jeremy so cute??? I haven't decided yet if he's going to come back in, but Danny did leave the mom with his number so it's possible. And before you ask, “How can he talk on the phone? He's deaf!” Well, he won't be talking on the phone. His parents will and will translate between him and Sarah. So, there.

Blanket disclaimer: See the bottom of Chapter 1.