Chapter 48

Howard's POV

I woke up early on Saturday morning. Since weekends were Lucy's break from physical therapy, I let hersleep in while I handled company emails.

At eight, I went to wake her. She'd curled up with her Parker dolls, and after washing up, emerged in her carefully chosen pink outfit.

"You have to stay home today," she told her dolls, adjusting their positions.

"We're going out, but I won't forget about you."

Once Annie joined us, I explained that I'd given the staff the day off. "It'll just be me driving today."

Lucy threw her arms around me. "So Howard, it'sgoing to be just us as a family taking Penny out?"

"That's right."

"Yay!" Lucy exclaimed. "It's been forever since it was just our family!"

Her words struck me - not just Howard and Annie as separate caretakers,but a family unit. Annie's eyes met mine, reflecting the same warm surprise I felt.

We drove to Brooklyn to pick up Penny. Sue Peterson looked startled when she answered the door, dressed professionally but clearly stressed.

Howard's POV

I woke up early on Saturday morning. Since weekends were Lucy's break from physical therapy, I let hersleep in while I handled company emails.

At eight, I went to wake her. She'd curled up with her Parker dolls, and after washing up, emerged in her carefully chosen pink outfit.

"You have to stay home today," she told her dolls, adjusting their positions.

"We're going out, but I won't forget about you."

Once Annie joined us, I explained that I'd given the staff the day off. "It'll just be me driving today."

Lucy threw her arms around me. "So Howard, it'sgoing to be just us as a family taking Penny out?"

"That's right."

"Yay!" Lucy exclaimed. "It's been forever since it was just our family!"

Her words struck me - not just Howard and Annie as separate caretakers,but a family unit. Annie's eyes met mine, reflecting the same warm surprise I felt.

We drove to Brooklyn to pick up Penny. Sue Peterson looked startled when she answered the door, dressed professionally but clearly stressed. "I'm so sorry," she said, checking her watch. "There's an emergency at work-a system crash. I need to go in." "We'd be happy to take Penny for the whole day," I reassured her, exchanging a meaningful look with Annie.

Once Penny joined us, we headed to an indoor playground in Midtown at the girls' request. While they played, I noticed something immediately different about Lucy's behavior. Rather than staying close to Annie as usual, she followed Penny to the climbing structures. Several times,Lucy opened her mouth as if to speak, only to close it again, communicating through gestures instead.

Annie noticed too. "She wants to talk to Penny so badly," she murmured."You can see it in her face."

I nodded. "She's capable of speech - we know that - but something's still holding her back with peers."

After observing them, Annie turned to me. "I have an idea. What if we made a doll for Penny too? If Lucy can practice talking through a 'Penny doll' first, it might make the transition to speaking with the real Penny easier."

The idea immediately resonated. "That could work," I agreed. "Could you design something?"

Annie quickly sketched a design on her tablet - a doll with Penny's distinctive pigtails and bright eyes, captured in a mid-twirl pose that embodied her energy.

"Something like this," she explained. "We'd want to capture that spark Lucy responds to."

"I'll arrange for the doll to be made," I promised, "and take care of the communication system at the same time."

While Annie supervised the girls' lunch, I stepped away to call Susan Moore.

"Mr. Thompson?" she answered promptly.

"Susan, I need to order another doll," I said directly. "This one needs to resemble Lucy's friend Penny - Annie will send over the design. It should have the same two-way communication functionality as the Parker dolls."

"I'll make it a priority," Susan replied. "When would you need it delivered?"

"As soon as possible," I stated. "We're making significant progress with Lucy's therapy, and this could be an important next step."

"Understood. By the way, we've been in contact with Sue Peterson, as requested."

"Oh?"

"She was fired this morning after the system crash. Her company decided to 'restructure."

I wasn't surprised. "That company's leadership can't recognize talent when it's right in front of them."

"Several companies have approached her. After comparing offers, she's leaning toward accepting our position."

"Double her previous salary," I decided. "Make sure the flexible hours arrangement is explicitly stated in the contract."

After the call, I purchased three high-quality two-way radio sets,then drove to Edward Parker's townhouse. I explained about upgrading from voice recordings to two-way communication, demonstrating the radio system I'd brought.

"This will allow you and Mrs. Parker to speak directly with Lucy through the dolls," I explained.

Edward's hands trembled slightly as he held the device. "This means so much. To be able to hear her voice, to respond in real time..."

"It's just the next step," I said. "Eventually, once Lucy is comfortable with this communication, we'd like to arrange for you to visit her in person."

"Whatever she needs, at whatever pace works for her," Edward agreed eagerly.

When we returned to the estate, Lucy immediately headed for the stairs,eager to reconnect with her Parker dolls.

"Wait, sweetheart," I called1. "There's something special about your dolls I want to tell you about."

Lucy turned, curious. "What is it, Howard?"

I knelt to her level. "We've made some changes to your dolls. They have a speciaI device inside now that will let them talk back to you - really talk,not just play recordings."

"So if I say something to them... they'll actually answer what I ask?"

I nodded. "That's right. But remember, they're still dolls. The voices you'll hear are your grandparents speaking through them."

Her eyes widened. "My real grandparents? Not just recordings?" "Your real grandparents," I confirmed. "And we're making a special doll that looks like Penny, too. That way, you can practice talking to her even when she's not here."

Lucy's face lit up. "I want to try it right now!"

As Lucy bounded upstairs, Annie moved beside me. "You've been busy today,"she observed.

"Just keeping all the pieces moving forward," I replied. "Sue will be joining Howard Technologies with double her previous salary,Edward was receptive to the communication system, and the new Penny doll has been ordered."

Annie squeezed my hand. "You always handle everything so efficiently."

"I'm motivated by important outcomes," I said simply.

Together,we paused outside Lucy's bedroom door. Through the opening,we saw Lucy sitting cross-legged with the Parkerdolls before her.

"Grandpa?" she asked tentatively.

After a brief pause, Edward's voice emerged. "Yes, sweetheart, it's me."

Lucy gasped. "Grandma?" she tried next.

"I'm here too, darling," came the gentle response.

"This is amazing!" Lucy exclaimed. "Can you really hear everything I say?"

"We can hear you perfectly," Edward assured her. "And we've missed hearing your voice so much."

What followed was a flood of words from Lucy. She told her grandparents about her exercise routines, reading lessons, and friendship with Penny.With each sentence, her voice grew stronger.

"Annie helps me practice my letters every day," she was saying. "She never gets mad when I make mistakes, and she draws beautiful pictures for our stories." After a pause, she added, "She's really special to me. Sometimes...sometimes I pretend she's my real mom. Is that okay?"

Annie stiffened beside me, tears streaming down her face. I gently guided her away from the door.

In the hallway, I wiped her tears. "This is all because of you, Annie," I said softly. "Your therapy approach, your patience with her-you made this breakthrough possible."

Annie shook her head modestly. "We all did this together. The way you immediately supported the doll idea and made it happen so quickly...I couldn't have done it alone."

I watched her brush away the last of her tears. Something about this moment - seeing the results of our combined efforts -felt profoundly satisfying.While part of me had hoped for more after my confession,I realized that what we had built together was already extraordinary:a partnershíp centered around Lucy's healing that had created its own kind of intimacy.

"We make a good team," I said simply, and was rewarded with Annie's genuine smile. "Yes, we do," she agreed. Later, Annie glanced toward Lucy's room. "She wore herself out with all that conversation. I've never heard her speak so much at once." I nodded, feeling content with what we'd accomplished. "It's a big day for all of us."

Annie looked thoughtful for a moment. "Howard, you seem... different tonight. More at peace."

I considered her observation. "I think I am. Seeing Lucy find her voice,watching how far we've all come together - it puts things in perspective."

"How so?" Annie asked, her voice gentle.

"I'm grateful for where we are right now - all of us. There's no rush to change anything. This... what we have, it's working."

Annie's expression softened with what looked like relief. "I feel the same way.Goodnight.Howard."