You Remind Me of Someone

"Okay, now, first things first, we're going to have teach you a few things." She just looked at his mouth moved and thought about smacking it. It looked liked fun. "Abbey, are you listening?" She didn't know who he was talking to, but looked up at his eyes anyway. She was puzzled. "You don't even know I'm talking to you, do you?" She just stuck her tongue out at him. He stuck his right back. "Okay, we've strayed from our original purpose." She smiled at him despite his rambling. His eyes flickered back to her smile. "I guess if it makes you smile, it's okay. But not too often." She stuck her tongue out at him again. He stuck his back. She already had him wrapped around her finger.

He pushed her quietly into the dining room and up to the table. There were cards with pictures on them, crayons, and blank paper. It immediately had Abbey's attention. They were going to work on her ABC's. Jed had studied long and hard to be able to teach her this. They had wanted to have a therapist come in and teach them, but Jed was concerned about how Abbey would react to a stranger in her midst. Dr. Brakken concurred and Jed got his way. He had had to work for weeks before Abbey was allowed to leave the hospital with him. He was taught how to change her feeding tube, at least until she got the hang of solids, how to exercise her body and to give her mental and physical stimuli. He was her caretaker.

“You know what we’re gonna do?” She watched his lips move and directed her gaze back to the tabletop. She pointed to the crayons with curious hands. She started to reach for one, but he gave her a stern look. She pouted. She wanted the crayons. “I’ll let you play with them in a second, but not yet.” She sniffled softly and her bottom lip wobbled. Dear God, it was Ellie all over again. ‘No, sweetie, not yet. But soon.” She slumped a little and peeked up at him through her fringe. She wanted the crayon.

He sat down on a chair at the head of the table to her right and shuffled the large cards busily. She watched his hands move with fascination and strained a little to see everything he was doing. He could see that he had her attention and shuffled the cards a little extra for her amusement. Soft dimples appeared on her cheeks. She liked this.

He held up a card with an ‘A’ on it. There was a picture of an apple beneath it. This intrigued Abbey.

“A.” He had to get her to say it first. Her brow furrowed as she struggled to understand what he was trying to get her to do. He knew this and waited patiently. He had all day. “A. Say A, Abbey. A.” He reached out and took her hand, pressing it to his lips so that she could feel him speak. “A.” She felt and watched his lips move then, moved her own in accord. No sound escaped her throat, but her lips moved as they should have. “A.”

“A.” It sounded more like a sigh than an A, but it was a major accomplishment for Abbey. He rewarded her with a big grin and a soft kiss on the cheek. Her eyes brightened.

“Now say it again, A.” She struggled to recreate the sound, but couldn’t quite grasp what she’d done to make it in the first place. She looked to Jed helplessly for guidance. She didn’t want to disappoint him. He had been told to expect these types of setbacks, so it wasn’t a surprise, but he hadn’t anticipated her distress to be so great.

He shook his head gently and pressed his hand to her cheek. She leaned into the touch with closed eyes. He had to touch her. Until something better came along, that was how they communicated. He expressed his pleasure or approval with an affectionate touch and expressed his dissatisfaction with a lack thereof. He didn’t yell, he never yelled. She wouldn’t have understood, anyway.

“It’s okay, Abbey. It’s okay.” Her eyes opened and they were nothing if not the eyes of a young child. They were soft and green, pleading for his gentle approval. She already had it.

“We’re going to try again, okay?” She frowned but didn’t protest. This time he pressed his fingers against her lips and hers against his so that he could make sure that she was moving her lips correctly. “A.”

She basked in the strange feeling of his fingers on her lips and tried to emulate the motion beneath her fingertips. Lips part, tongue thrush, rush of air from the throat. “A.” She knew immediately that she’d done it right, because Jed’s face split into a grin. “A.” She said it softly, demurely. Her cheeks were red with satisfaction.

He stroked her jaw with his thumb, fingers still resting on her lips. “I’m so proud of you, babe.” She ducked her head down and peeked up at him. She didn’t know the words, but was becoming familiar with the sentiment. She was his Babe.

When he pulled his fingers away she caught his hand. He looked up at her, quizzically. “What is it, honey? Do you need something?” She didn’t know, but watched him in silent reverie. The lights brought out the blonde highlights in his hair and the silver specks in his blue eyes. He reminded her of someone, someone distant, but important. She just couldn’t remember.

Who are you?

“Abbey, honey, are you okay?” Abbey...

Who is...Jed.

Her lips moved softly, only the softest whisper escaping. He walked around to her side and leaned in front of her. “What was that? I can’t hear you, babe.” Her lips brushed his ear and he stopped short. “What did you say, Abbey. Say it, again so that I can hear you.” She gnawed her bottom lip and whispered again.

“Jed.” His heart nearly stopped. The name was sounded foreign on her lips, but she seemed to taste the word and find it vaguely familiar. “Jed.” Suddenly her eyes widened even more. She knew that face and that name.