She's Coming Home

Waiting

Antonio POV
For the next week everyone takes turns visiting Gabby and I bring Shay by when 51 is on shift. No changes with Gabby, she's had more seizures and they're trying a bunch of different meds to get them under control. The meds are helping make them a bit less intense but not really decreasing the frequency. At least she's now usually maintaining her SATs throughout the seizures. I'm just glad she hasn't had one when Shay's visiting yet, they're really hard to watch. All Gabby's muscles are getting tight and dr Abrams thinks there's a lot of damage to the motor cortex of her brain and doesn't know if she'll be able to control her body if she wakes up.

I've started looking at apartments and daycares and therapy centres for Shay. We're going to be here for a while, I don't know if we'll ever go back to Puerto Rico, I'm happy here but I'll stick with Gabby, whatever she wants to do. We need to get out of Voight's house and Shay needs to get back into a routine and speech therapy.

It's been almost another week, still no changes. I've brought Shay to see Gabby again and we're telling her about Shay's first speech session in Chicago, she loved it and she's still wearing her CIs which she's wanted nothing to do with since Gabby's accident. I'm trying to get her to say mama, which she still hasn't said in front of Gabby. I'm so wrapped up with Shay I don't notice that someone's at the door.
Antonio(signs and speaks)- Shay can you say mama?
Shay(signs)- mama I play ball
Antonio- yes you did play ball at speech, can you use your voice to say mama?
Shay signs mama again then starts saying "mmm"
Antonio- yes! Good girl, can you say mama
Shay(signs and speaks)- mamamama
Antonio- yes! Good girl Shay! That will make mama so happy
Shay points at Gabby(signs) mama happy
Antonio- yes mama so happy
Matt- what? Antonio who is that?
At the sound of a new, unexpected voice Shay throws her CIs which is probably for the best considering the conversation we're about to have.
Antonio(signs)- Shay can you go play toys (pointing to her bag with toys on the window ledge) She heads over and starts playing
Matt- Antonio who is that?
Antonio- I wanted Gabby to be the one to tell you but I was going to tell you at the end of this week if she hadn't woken up yet. That's Gabby's daughter, she's 28 months old.
I can see Matt hear her age and start calculating