Gini turned her head to Debbie and opened her eyes. Debbie put her hand on Gini’s cheek. “Baby.” Then kissed her on the forehead.
“Please, help me,” Debbie heard in her head. She sat back abruptly and looked at Gini. Her eyes slid closed. “Help me talk, please, help me talk.”
Debbie shook her head as if to clear it. She looked over at Robert. Jessica had her hand on his as he pointed to the words, and she said them. Then she giggled loudly, and he hugged her tight.
Gini slowly put her hand on top of Debbie’s and moved her fingers.
Debbie brushed her face again. “I will, baby. We’re going to get through this.”
Robert looked at Debbie, smiling broadly, reacting to Jessica’s giggles.
The family had finished their big Saturday pancake breakfast. Debbie and Aly were cleaning up the kitchen, and Robert was still at the table drinking coffee and flipping through his tablet, stopping here and there to read an article. Jessica sat across Gini’s lap, facing her mom in the recliner.
She took Gini’s index finger and put it on her lips. “Jessica,” Jessica said. Then she put her finger on Gini’s lips. “Mama.”
Debbie joined Robert at the table with a cup of coffee, and Aly was making herself some tea. Jessica continued her little game with her mother. Robert looked up once in a while to see them.
The little girl touched her mother’s lips. “Mama.” After she said the word, Gini blew on her finger. Jessica laughed her infectious giggle. No one could help but smile at the sound, even if they were in a bad mood. Both Robert and Debbie looked up. The fingers went back and forth again, and again Gini blew on Jessica’s finger, and the laugh came out. Debbie put her coffee cup down and watched. The next time Gini’s finger was on Jessica’s lips, Jessica blew on it—Gini smiled. Robert was also watching. Debbie gasped and put her hand over her mouth. Gini hadn’t smiled since Jessica was born. Robert sat forward in his chair, stunned by his wife’s beauty.
Then with Gini’s finger on Jessica’s lips, Gini said, “Jess… eek.”
Debbie still had her hand on her mouth, consumed with emotion. “Robert!” she exclaimed, looking at him.
And when Jessica put her finger on Gini’s lips, Gini said, “Ma… ma,” then, “Jess… eek.”
Jessica turned to the kitchen. “Daddy, Mama said my name.”
Robert slowly rose from the chair and walked over, kneeling next to them while the game continued. “Jess… eek, Ma… ma.” He couldn’t speak, he was so overwhelmed. Gini smiled each time she said “Jesseek.”
Jessica reached and grabbed around his neck, and he took her from Gini’s lap. “I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you too,” he said in a quiet voice.
She jumped to the floor and ran to Aly. “Mama said my name,” Jessica proclaimed.
Debbie still had her hand over her mouth, unmoving. She couldn’t believe what she had just witnessed.
Gini slowly turned her head toward Robert, opened her eyes wide, and smiled another beautiful smile.
Taking her hand in both of his, he broke down and started to cry, his body jumping. He couldn’t hold back the deep emotional feeling. Then he picked her up and took her into the bedroom.
Debbie was left sitting in the kitchen alone. She stared out the window for a minute, then crossed her arms on the table and laid her head down, sobbing deeply. Such wonderful, amazing joy filled her heart.
In the days to come, Gini became more and more alive. Her signing started making sense, and she’d hug Debbie and Robert as she had done in the past. One day, “Rob… ber” came out, then soon after, “Dee… bee.” And the upbeat “Oh… yes” made Robert and Debbie smile every time she said it.
The whole atmosphere in the house was different, and Debbie could see a big change in Robert. He was happy—really happy. She had seen that happiness in the past for his daughter; but in general, he carried that heavy burden, the deep sadness of losing his active, loving wife.
That was exactly how he felt. His Gini was no longer there. But now she was returning, and he felt himself come alive again, just as she was doing.
A few weeks later, Jessica and Gini were at the kitchen table coloring. “Mama, try to stay in the lines.” She jumped down from her chair and helped Gini hold the crayon and color in the fairy princess’s dress. “Good, Mama, that’s good.” She climbed back up and started coloring in her coloring book.
Debbie went over and stood behind Gini while drying her hands on a towel. Gini, holding the crayon in her fist, slowly and methodically drew a half circle. The crayon fell to the table. Debbie helped her hold it again. Then she leaned down and kissed Gini on the cheek. After taking the towel to the kitchen sink, she went back to Gini.
Debbie stood stunned once again. There on the paper, written in uneven letters, was “Gini.” The emotions were exhausting; it seemed every day Gini had done something to make Debbie cry. So different than when they were in the unit together. There Debbie was working, doing her job to rehabilitate a patient, but now it was her baby showing a miraculous recovery, and Gini was doing it at her own pace. Debbie could not be prouder of her.
The braille cards came out, and the challenge of beating Gini continued as before. Jessica loved playing the game with her mama, and she had easily learned sign language. But most of the time it was apparent they had a special way of communicating.
Gini struggled to get words out. Her brain was so sluggish, it took great concentration to do anything. She’d get a thought going and then it would slowly slip away.
