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Chapter Thirty Two - January 22

"Is she going to have to stay there?"

"She's going to stay overnight, yes."

"I hope you checked these people's references!"

I smiled. Shelby was hanging over Ally's crib with a huge feather boa in her hand. Ever since we had come back from our first month of touring, Shelby had been following me around like a second shadow. Ally was all smiles as she tried to catch the boa in her hands.

In an hour, I was taking Ally to the hospital for the surgery that would implant the cochlear device. I was already a nervous wreck.

"Shelby, what are you doing?"

"I'm playin' with Ally, mommy!"

"She's got to get ready to go to the hospital," Molly said gently. Shelby looked at me and rolled her eyes.

"Mr. J's the one that has to get ready," she said wisely.

She didn't know how right she was.

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If it weren't for my mom, I think I would have gone crazy in the waiting room. As it were, she brought a deck of cards for Crazy 8's and we tried to guess the paternity results on an exciting 'new' episode of Maury.

Molly called once, but I didn't have any news to give.

"I love you both to pieces," she said softly. I rubbed my eyes.

"We love you too," I said before I hung up.

"How are things going with Molly?" Mom asked me lightly. I couldn't help but laugh.

"They're going well."

Mom's hand reached over to cover mine.

"As long as she makes you happy," she said. That was all she needed to say.

Before they had taken Ally back, the surgeon had told me that, on average, the surgery lasted about two and a half hours. By the time we entered the third hour, I was at the nurse's station every five minutes.

By the fourth hour, I overheard my mom asking one of the nurses for a sedative for me.

It was going on four and a half hours when the surgeon finally came out. I was on my feet in a second. I must have had a really distraught look on my face because he broke into a reassuring smile.

"Everything went very well. It took a little longer than expected because we were working on such a little girl," he said gently.

"Can I see her?" I asked. The surgeon nodded.

"Follow me."

Ally was still under the effects of the general anesthesia. She was laying on her side. They had to shave two small areas of her scalp right behind both of her ears. My heart panged for all of her soft dark hair that was gone. I touched her little hand.

"You're my brave little girl," I whispered. I knelt down and kissed her perfect appley cheek.

It was only the first step in the process towards getting her hearing back, but in my mind it was the worst. Now that the worst was over, we could look forward to the day when the device was actually turned on.

There wasn't anything I wanted more in the world than for her to hear my voice.

And Molly's. And Shelby's.

"Lord help you when you hear Shelby's voice," I whispered with a smile.

Even though she was completely out of it, I swear Ally smiled too.

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I spent the night at the hospital. Ally had been cranky from the moment she had woken up and I spent the night pacing the floor with her. Of course, I couldn't blame her. If I had just gotten a drill rammed into my skull, I'd be bitchy too.

The nurses gave me a laundry list of 'do's' and 'don'ts' and I set up the appointment with the audiologist to turn the implant on. Notwithstanding any problems, February 20th was the day.

The only other problem that I ran into was that Ally wasn't going to be able to fly. That meant that she wasn't going to be able to go to Australia with me. Plus, she had two checkups between now and the time the device went live. That all meant that I was going to have to tell Molly and Shelby they couldn't come with me.

Which meant I was going to miss Molly's birthday.

"Something's bothering you," mom said as I buckeled Ally into her car seat.

"It's nothing," I said.

"It's something."

"I feel shitty leaving her," I said.

"Her as in Ally or her as in Molly?"

I glanced up at mom. It was scary how well she could read me.

"Both," I admitted.

"Well, I was going to offer to watch Ally," mom said with a smile. I started to shake my head, but she stopped me.

"If they need any medical decisions made, they're only going to let a family member give consent," my mom reasoned. "Plus, the fewer people in the house with her during this time, the less risk of infections or colds or anything. And I have had my flu shot."

"What about your speaking engagements?" I asked. She laughed.

"I don't have anything planned until March. I do my best work right before prom season and graduation."

I sighed. "Thanks, mom."

She leaned down and kissed Ally's forehead. She stood up and wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

"That's what mother's are for. You have a job to do."

I sighed. I knew she was right. Being a performer had a lot of great perks but sometimes there were just as many fucking drawbacks.

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"Can I see her? Does she still have hair?"

"Shelby, let AJ in the door!"

"Can she hear me?"

Shelby backed up and I headed inside. I smiled.

"She still has hair and no she can't hear you yet."

"Well then the sturgeon didn't DO something right!"

"It's surgeon," Molly corrected.

"And she has to heal before they can turn the thing on," I added.

When we had gotten home from South Africa, I had bought Shelby some of those sneakers that doubled as roller skates. She rolled in a sloppy circle and threw her hands up in the air.

"Well, when I grow up, I'm going to make it so that it only takes ONE HALF OF A SECOND to make people hear!"

I laughed. She didn't realize that at age six it only took people a half a second to hear her, whether they wanted to or not.

"Shel, go back and finish your letters," Molly said. Shelby stopped rolling and whirled around.

"But, letters are stupid," she whined.

"If you want me to make your hair straight like those ladies did in South Africa, you'll go do your letters," Molly warned.

She said the magic words. I heard the sound of the rollerballs going like crazy as Shelby flew into the kitchen.

"How is she?" Molly asked. She knelt down and unbuckled Ally. Two little angry arms flew up in the air.

"She's tired and I'm sure she feels like shit," I reasoned. I paused. "Plus, she can't go to Australia."

Molly looked up in surprise. "She can't fly?"

I shook my head. Molly looked crestfallen. I had a feeling that's probably how I had looked earlier at the hospital.

"Mom's going to come stay with her," I added.

"What? Why?"

"Because you and Shel are coming with me."

"AJ, this is my job. You hired me to watch Ally and Joe."

I knelt down next to her and lowered my voice.

"I think we're passed that point, don't you?"

She blushed. I reached out and lifted her chin so we were eye to eye. She nodded.

"I think we passed that point awhile ago."

I smiled. "Good. Then it's settled." I picked Ally up.

"You're coming with me. Besides, I'm leaving Ally in great hands. If you didn't go who would take care of me?"

Molly laughed. "You don't need anyone to take care of you."

I laughed, but deep down I knew she was wrong.

I needed her to take care of me.

So far she had been doing a damn good job.