You And Me, We Just Fit

It's Extremely Scary

Jo left the doctor's office. Luna might be deaf for the rest of her life. Jo loves her daughter so much, and the love she feels for her wouldn't change if she were deaf. But Jo didn't want that for her child. She wants Luna to grow up like every other child.

She was so focused on her thoughts that she didn't notice that Mark was there.

"Jo? Are you okay? You look very distraught."

"I'm fine. Everything is fine," she replied.

"I know that I'm not Lexie, but you can tell me. Lexie is in surgery for the next five hours. I don't think you can wait that long. Just tell me what happened. I've known Lexie for the past 15 years, and I think I can be a good Lexie," Mark said with a smile.

Jo giggled and said, "I just left the paediatrician. Luna probably has a process hearing loss." Jo still can't believe her own words. She had been doing so great! She was communicating well, and she was like every other toddler. What if she has more major problems?

"Jo... I'm so sorry," Mark said, not knowing what to say. "You know what she has?"

"No, I don't. We don't know how severe it is. I just found out she has a problem with her hearing."

"I have two hours left for my next surgery. It's enough time for me to find out what she has. You are lucky to have the best ENT," Mark said. After a moment of silence, Mark added, "Jo, I'll do everything I can so Luna won't be deaf, okay? I promise you."

"Thank you, Mark," Jo said, sobbing.

"Come on, let's do an otoscopy," Mark said.

While Mark did the otoscopy, Jo distracted Luna. Jo's heart beated so fast. She knew Luna could feel that because she was restless.

"Look at that," Mark said, showing Jo the problem on the screen. "We can do a stapedectomy. It may solve the problem. We don't know if it's the only thing that causes her hearing loss."

"She can have nerve damage," Jo said, hugging Luna.

"Jo, don't worry. If it's nerve damage, Amelia, Lexie, and Tom would do it."

"It's not just about the hearing. What if the hearing isn't her only problem? What if she has more problems that can make her miserable? I'm so stupid that I didn't notice that. She just looked so healthy and-"

"Listen to me; as long as she has her mother, she won't be miserable. She has you. Even if she can't hear you say, 'I love you,' she'll know that because she can feel it."

"Thank Mark. You are really good at comforting people," she told him.

"I have a lot of experience; we lost so many people. But what makes me an expert is Lexie's overthinking," Mark joked.

"Are you sure you can do the stapedectomy? The obstruction is pretty bad, and there is a much higher chance of bleeding."

"Are you doubting me? Of course I can, and Arizona is going to be there, and-"

"Arizona is a fetal surgeon. She can't help," Jo said.

"Arizona was the best paediatric surgeon. I know she can fix it."

She's supposed to be in the NICU now. Let's go talk to her," Jo said.

Jo and Mark arrived at the NICU and looked for Arizona. They found her talking to parents. After she saw Luna and their worried faces, she immediately finished the conversation.

"Is everything okay?" Arizona said.

"Arizona, I need your help. Luna has a hearing problem. She needs surgery to hear. Mark is going to operate on her, but we need a paediatric surgeon. You are the only one I can trust," Jo said.