Back Where I Belong (Prequel to "Always") a Deryck Whibley Fanfic

III: The Battle Commences

"What exactly happened out there that got him in this state?"

"Well, our division got broken up from the main line of defensive infantry and then all of a sudden we're faced with the Germans firing at us, we tried to fight them back the three of us I mean, as well as the other guys. But, it wasn't any use they then decided as a last resort to throw in bombs and then came the chemical warfare - the chlorine and phosgene. After the blast had went away, Deryck seemed to be in a dazed state even when we were shouting for him, but we got no answer. Which I'm worried about, because I think that the blast has caused him to go deaf to some degree but I don't know, you'll have to speak to one of the doctors here" Jay justifies in great detail. I stand still for a few minutes trying to take in the information that Jay has just given me, concerning Deryck's injuries that he's sustained out on the frontline. Just then, the doctor that I'd spoken to earlier to find out where everyone was arrived beside us all, and introduces himself to us all, and then starts to explain in further detail about Deryck's afflicted casualties:

"Bonjour, je m'appelle le Dr. Antoine François. Je suis l'un des médecins de la région. Les blessures du Lt. Whibley sont bien plus inquiétantes que je ne le pensais, car il est devenu sensorineural sourd des deux oreilles à cause de l'explosion d'une bombe ennemie sur le front. A également été diagnostiqué avec un choc d'obus en raison de l'explosion et d'être sur le champ de bataille lui-même. Je regrette terriblement que vous ayez tous besoin de l'entendre, particulièrement vous, Mme Whibley. Heureusement, il puet encore parler même s'il est devenu sensorineural sourd - on parle de surdité post-linguale"
("Hello, my name is Dr. Antoine Francois. I am one of the doctors here, Lt. Whibley's injuries are a lot more worrying than I'd expected, because he has become sensorineural deaf in both ears due to the blast of an enemy bomb out on the frontline, and because of this he has also been diagnosed with shell shock due to the explosion and also being out on the battlefield itself. I am terribly sorry that you're all needing to hear this, especially you Mrs. Whibley. Luckily, he can still speak even though he has gone sensorineural deaf - this is called post-lingual deafness"). I then ask Dr. Francois:

"Is the shell shock and deafness permanent?"

"Oui, ça l'est"

("Yes, it is").

"How do I communicate with him? Do I speak as normal, write, or learn sign language?"

"Je pense que le mieux serait d'érire ou d'apprende la langue des signes, Mme Whibley. Parce que, étant sourd sensorineural, vous ne pouvez pas entendre les hautes fréquences, je pense que si vous l'appelez à voix haute, il pourra peut-être vous entendre, mais vous ne suarez jamais à moins d'essayer".
("I think it would be best if you would either write or learn sign language, Mrs. Whibley. Because, being sensorineural deaf means you cannot hear high-frequencies, I think if you were to call out to him loudly he may be able to hear you, but you never know unless you try"). After hearing Dr Francois' detailed explanation of Deryck's injuries, I ponder for a minute thinking of how I'm going to talk to him after the trauma he has faced in the last three hours of battle, I make the decision to speak as normal and hope that he can hear to some extent - if not then I may have to start learning sign language or write to him. I start to call out to him as Dr. Francois suggested and hope that he hears me:

"Deryck"

Silence.

"Deryck!" He finally takes notice of me as I've just shouted for him. How do I explain to him the afflictions he has sustained in battle? And, what about his shell shock? How severe is it? I think I would have to ask Dr. Francois again, but at least now I can talk to Deryck as normal just have to speak a little louder than usual, so he can hear what I'm saying to him. I pluck up the courage to speak to him for the first time in three hours, because the last time I seen him was at twenty past five in the morning before he and the others went over the top and on the way to the German side and Hill 145.