She couldn't speak with her mouth, so she began to sign to me. I, having no idea what she was saying, went home and printed out a sheet of signs and began to learn the alphabet. Two days in, I'm pretty good at figuring out what she's spelling and anticipating what she's saying, but at first it was rough going.
The first thing she signed to me were these five words: "I want a big Coke" followed later that day by the unmistakable message of the horns \m/ - "I want to ROCK!" Tony the nurse chuckled when I deciphered that one.
Today has been a better day all around. She can move her chin and open her mouth. She can lift her right arm off of the bed. She can wiggle her toes. Soon she'll be rolling her eyes at me again. These are small things, but I believe they are signs.
Her breathing is also markedly stronger. Not strong enough yet to breath on her own, but the ventilator is helping her to sleep, and to heal. The doctors are encouraged by her progress, and after many days of darkness there is light.
There is still a long road ahead, but perhaps we are going the right direction.
