You’ll Never Hear My Voice Again

1 After surgery, the doctor ordered three months of vocal rest. Still, my girlfriend Wendy and friend Jasper mocked me relentlessly.

During arguments, Jasper would smirk and step back. Can’t hear you, buddy. Frustrated, throat burning, I’d clutch my shirt, struggling to repeat myself. He’d nudge Wendy, laughing.

Told you—he’ll squeak himself hoarse and quit. Wendy smiled, highfiving him. That evening, Jasper invited her to a bar for the playoffs.

I gripped Wendy’s arm, signaling my needed followup. Jasper pulled her away. Too quiet, Nolan. Can’t hear a word.

He whispered loud enough for me, Though he’s my brother, I pity you. Whiny before—now unbearable. Wendy adjusted my scarf. Be good. Stop the scene. Wait in the VIP lounge.

I’ll take you after. She shoved me inside, locking the door. The room was stacked with nuts and snacks. AC blasted, circulating dust and peanut particles. I was severely allergic.

I pounded the door, but only raspy hisses escaped my swollen throat. Outside, Jasper laughed. Another fit? Wendy paused. Let him be. He’ll tire out.

By the time paramedics arrived, my airway was completely closed. … When I woke up in the hospital bed, my throat was in excruciating pain.

Wendy was standing by the bedside, still wearing her coat, with the neon wristband from the bar still dangling from her wrist. Jasper leaned against her, his phone screen glowing.

Someone in their group chat had just posted a photo of the crowd leaving the bar last night. In the center of the shot, Wendy and Jasper were clinking beer mugs, laughing brightly.

The nurse flipped through my chart. "He had severe anaphylactic laryngeal edema last night.

If he had arrived any later, it would have been fatal." Wendy immediately bent over me, her eyes wide. "Nolan, does it hurt?" I wanted to ask her why she hadn't opened the door.

But the moment my throat muscles moved, tears of sheer physical pain welled in my eyes. The nurse pressed a hand to my shoulder. "Don't speak.

Not a single syllable." She turned to Wendy, her tone accusing. "When the patient was screaming for help, why didn't anyone open the door?" Wendy froze, then picked up my phone from the nightstand.

In our threeperson group chat, the last seventeen messages were all from me: Open the door. I don't feel well.

Further up was a meme Jasper had sent earlier: Understood, little mute. The little mute needs to be a good boy and type his words today. Wendy had replied once: Don't call him that.

Jasper had sent a tongueout emoji: It's just a cute nickname. He won't get mad. Since then, I was the only one who ever posted in that group.

The two of them had their own private chat. Last night, not a single one of my seventeen desperate messages had received a reply.

Jasper bit his lip, stepping forward to speak first. "The bar was way too loud last night, Nolan.

We didn't hear our phones." He looked at me, his voice dripping with cautious innocence. "And besides, you always exaggerate things whenever you and Wendy have an argument." "Even though you're my brother and I should support you, it's exhausting for Wendy when you constantly use these emergencies to get her attention." Wendy had been holding my hand, but when she heard Jasper's words, her fingers slowly loosened.

The nurse ignored him, turning to me. "Do you have any drug allergies?" I reached for the writing tablet on the bedside table.

Jasper jumped in before I could grab it. "I don't think so. I've looked after Nolan for a long time, and he's never mentioned anything." The nurse bent her head to write it down.

I slammed my hand against the bed rail. The motion pulled hard on the IV needle in my hand, sending a sharp pain up my arm. Wendy finally handed me the writing pad.

My hand was shaking so violently I could only scribble two words: Cephalosporin.

The nurse's face changed, and she immediately stopped writing. "Cephalosporin allergy?" Wendy's eyes widened as she suddenly remembered. "Yes, he's highly allergic to cephalosporin." Jasper's eyes turned red instantly. "I'm so sorry, Nolan.

I completely forgot.

I was just trying to help you so you wouldn't have to strain yourself writing." He was always like this, completely ignorant of my life, yet constantly pretending to be my most devoted caretaker.

He had only met me after Wendy and I started dating.

At our first meeting, he had wrapped an arm around my shoulder, gushing about how lucky I was to have such a great girlfriend, and insisted on being my best friend.

I had genuinely treated him as a brother. But over time, he became Wendy's advisor. If she wanted to buy me a gift, she asked him first.

If we had an argument, she went to him to vent.

He used to tell me, "I'm just helping you train your girlfriend." But every time they finished "training" her, I was the one who had to bow my head and apologize.

Wendy watched Jasper's tears fall, her expression softening. "He didn't do it on purpose, Nolan." I stared at her, turning the writing pad to a fresh page: Let's break up.

Wendy's brow furrowed. "You just woke up, and you're already starting a scene?" The doctor walked in just then, handing over the discharge instructions. "He must return for a followup in one week.

During this time, he cannot be left alone.

Someone must watch him constantly, especially monitoring his breathing and any potential allergic reactions." Wendy took the forms, finally finding a convenient excuse. "Did you hear that?

Before your followup, you're staying at my place." I didn't write anything back. The nurse told me to go to the lobby window to sign some papers and pay the bill.

Wendy took the invoice from my hand but immediately tossed it back to me. "Your ID is in your bag, so you go pay. I need to take Jasper downstairs to get something sweet.

His blood sugar is dropping." I was left clutching the prescription bag, limping slowly toward the payment window.

By the time I finished paying and turned around, Wendy and Jasper were already standing by the elevator doors. Jasper said something, and Wendy leaned in with a soft chuckle.

I hurried to catch up with them. The elevator doors were slowly sliding shut. Wendy looked out and saw me. Her hand was inches away from the open door button.

But she didn't press it. I stood in the corridor, watching the metal doors seal shut. I remembered the last time we were at the pharmacy.

I was waiting in a long line to get my postsurgery medication while they went ahead to buy Jasper some cold medicine.

When I finally limped out to the entrance, Wendy had only frowned. "Why are you always so slow?" And that time at the convenience store.

I was typing on my phone to tell her I wanted warm water, but before I could finish, Jasper had already grabbed a cold soda and handed it to her.

She took it, took a sip, and only then turned to me. "What were you trying to say?" The elevator numbers ticked down on the display.

I unlocked my phone, opened the medical app, and booked the very last specialist appointment at the Seattle Vocal Rehabilitation Center for seven days from now.

Then, I booked a oneway flight to Seattle for the exact same afternoon. Once I got my followup results in seven days, I would leave.

On discharge day, the doctor pulled Wendy aside to explain the medications. "Take this one thirty minutes after meals." "Use the nebulizer twice a day.

Do not skip the evening session." I stood at the counter signing the paperwork. From a distance, I could see Wendy nodding, while Jasper hovered close by, listening intently.

Jasper even smiled and raised his hand. "Don't worry, doc.

I'll make sure he sticks to it." When we got back to Wendy's apartment, Jasper followed us inside, carrying his bag. "The match is tonight," he sighed, tossing his bag onto the sofa. "But whatever.

Who asked me to have such a highmaintenance brother like Nolan?" He turned to shoot me a playful wink. "Don't get too emotional, little mute.

Taking care of you is my duty." Wendy's brow twitched slightly. "I told you, don't call him that." Jasper stuck his tongue out.

Wendy checked her phone. "I need to run to the office to grab some files.

I'll be back soon." Jasper immediately raised his hand. "I've got him covered." Once the door clicked shut, the apartment fell into a tense silence.

Within seconds, Jasper blasted the TV volume. The roaring voice of the sports commentator echoed through the living room, sending a wave of tightness through my throat.

Jasper curled up on the sofa, opening a bag of chips and sipping a cold milk tea. He laughed and cheered, his legs swinging wildly with every goal.

My glass of water was empty, so I pushed myself up from the armchair, intending to get a refill. Just as I walked past the sofa, Jasper let out a sudden, ecstatic shout. "Yes!

Goal!" He kicked his leg out in excitement. My knee caught on his shin, and I lost my balance, crashing hard against the sharp corner of the coffee table.

The medicine bag was knocked over, and pill bottles scattered across the hardwood floor. Jasper finally turned around, a chip still clutched in his hand. "Oh, my bad.

Why didn't you make a sound?" I pushed myself up, my throat throbbing so intensely my vision blurred.

He scrambled down to pick up the mess, but the first thing he grabbed was his spilled bag of chips. "If Wendy sees this when she gets back, she'll think I haven't been looking after you." I knelt down, silently gathering the scattered medicine boxes one by one.

A moment later, my phone buzzed. In our threeperson group chat, Jasper had sent nine selfies in a row. Help me choose one for my feed.

Wendy replied almost instantly: The third one. Jasper: But the fifth one makes my legs look longer. Wendy: Then post both.

The notifications kept coming, making my phone warm against my palm. I took a photo of the medicine boxes on the table and sent it to the group.

The doctor mentioned how to take these, but I was paying the bill and didn't hear. How do I take them? A few minutes passed. Wendy replied: Just read the manual.

A bitter ache bloomed in my chest. I locked my phone and placed it face down on my lap. At seven in the evening, Wendy returned.

Jasper immediately bounced up from the sofa. "Boss, I've been playing maid all day.

Don't you think my advice deserves a reward?" Wendy set her files down, shooting a quick glance at me. "Is he okay?" Jasper cut in before I could move. "He's fine.

Good as gold." He pointed to the medicine on the table. "I even made sure he took his pills." In reality, the boxes remained untouched.

The thirtyminute postmeal window had long passed. I reached for my phone, wanting to ask her directly, but Jasper was already dragging her toward the dining table.

He had ordered spicy crawfish, claiming he was starving from a long day of caretaking. "Let's see who can peel them faster," Jasper said, tossing her a pair of plastic gloves.

Wendy chuckled. "You lose every time." "Then can't you just let me win for once?" They sat directly opposite me. One peeled, the other grabbed.

Jasper's lips were bright red from the spice.

Wendy placed a peeled crawfish into his bowl, and he immediately picked it up with his chopsticks, holding it to her lips. "Your reward." I opened one of the medicine boxes, letting the pills spill into my palm.

The tiny print on the instruction sheet blurred together. I stared at them for a long time, unable to figure out which ones could be taken together.

I typed on my phone: I want to talk to you. Wendy looked up briefly. "Now?" I nodded, continuing to type: About the locked door, the nuts, and those seventeen messages.

Before I could finish, Jasper burst into laughter. "Wendy, look at this one. Doesn't it look like a heart?" Wendy turned her head to look. My fingers froze over the screen.

By the time she looked back at me, her expression was laced with irritation. "Nolan, if you have something to say, can you speed it up?

I have a major meeting tomorrow." I slowly deleted the words in the text box. I backspaced letter by letter, until the screen was entirely blank.

Wendy frowned. "Nothing?" She pulled her plastic gloves back on. "Then let's wait until you can actually speak to have this conversation." I lowered my head, blinking back tears as I tried to sort the pills in my hand.

In the living room, Jasper won another round of their game. He piled the empty shells in front of Wendy with a grin. "You lost.

You're my personal driver again tomorrow." Wendy agreed. Neither of them noticed that I hadn't taken a single correct pill that night.

The next day, Jasper complained that the apartment was too quiet and insisted on inviting a few friends over. "Nolan can't go out anyway, so the least we can do is bring the fun to him." By three in the afternoon, the living room was packed.

The coffee table was covered with beers, chips, snacks, and two bowls of mixed nuts. I stared at the nuts, reaching for my phone to type.

Wendy noticed my gaze and quickly moved the bowls to the far side of the table. "Keep those away from him." Someone laughed. "Wendy, look at you being all attentive." Jasper joined in, grinning. "Of course she is.

Otherwise, Nolan would have another excuse to make her life miserable." The room went quiet for a second, then someone chimed in. "Seriously, last night was wild.

I thought it was some massive emergency, but Jasper explained it later.

It was just Nolan getting jealous because the two of you were hanging out, right?" My fingers froze over the screen. Jasper quickly waved his hands. "Come on, don't say that.

Nolan just lacks security, that's all." He slid over, nudging my arm. "Right, Nolan?" I looked down, refusing to type a single word.

When they played Truth or Dare, the bottle spun and landed on Wendy. "What is your biggest pet peeve about your boyfriend?" Before she could answer, Jasper raised his hand. "I know this one!" He grinned at me. "He is so incredibly slow." The room erupted into laughter. "So true!" "Jasper, did you have to suffer through his whining too?" Jasper doubled over with laughter. "No, no, I'm on Nolan's side.

But seriously, when he could speak, he was slow, and now that he has to type, he's even slower." Wendy held her cards, her head tilted down as she let out a soft laugh.

She didn't disagree. I picked up my phone and slowly typed: I'm going to my room. Before I could hit send, Jasper shoved a card into my hand. "Nolan lost!

Penalty drink, penalty drink!" Wendy frowned, pulling the shot glass away. "He can't drink alcohol." She poured a glass of warm water and pushed it toward me, checking the temperature with her finger.

But Jasper immediately snatched the shot glass. "Then I'll drink it for him!" He slammed it back, coughing as the liquid hit his throat, his eyes turning red.

Wendy quickly handed him a tissue. "Why do you always have to show off?" Jasper waved her off, his voice slightly raspy. "Who asked me to have such a pathetic brother?" "I have to speak for him, take the blame for him, and now I'm drinking for him." The friends laughed again.

Someone teased, "Jasper, you act more like a real boyfriend than the actual boyfriend." Jasper immediately covered his mouth. "Shh, don't say that.

Nolan will get mad." Everyone looked at me. If I so much as frowned, I would be labeled as sensitive and petty. Later, they started singing.

Jasper scrolled through his phone for a moment, his eyes lighting up. "This one! Didn't Nolan and Wendy love singing this together?" It was a classic love song.

Back when Wendy and I first started dating, she had held my hand and promised we would sing it together on every anniversary.

As the intro played, Jasper held the microphone out to me. "Come on, Nolan. Let's hear that romantic duet." Then, as if suddenly remembering, he quickly pulled it back. "Oh, my bad.

I forgot you can't sing right now. I'll sing your part for you. I know the lyrics anyway." Wendy shot a quick, hesitant glance at me. I thought she would refuse.

But Jasper had already forced the other microphone into her hand. "Come on, Wendy, let's go!" She took it.

They stood in the center of the room, singing together while their friends recorded videos on their phones.

I sat on the very edge of the sofa, watching the lyrics scroll across the screen, unable to make a sound. By the time the party ended, it was almost midnight.

Jasper, slightly tipsy, curled up on the sofa with a pillow. "Wendy, my throat is starting to burn." Wendy pressed her hand to his forehead. "I'll take you to the clinic tomorrow." I looked up at her.

Tomorrow was the day of my specialist appointment. The doctor had warned me that a followup within a week was critical. I had waited six days for this specific slot.

Wendy seemed to recall something, looking down at her phone. "Let's let Jasper use your appointment slot tomorrow." I stood up so fast my knee slammed into the coffee table, making my water glass rattle.

She frowned. "He drank that penalty shot for you tonight, and now his throat is irritated. You're being selfish." Jasper sat up quickly. "No, no, Wendy.

Nolan's condition is much worse than mine." But as he spoke, he let out a couple of soft, dry coughs. Wendy's tone hardened. "Don't argue with him." "You can't speak anyway, Nolan.

Going a day early or a day late won't make a difference for you." The next morning, Wendy went to park the car while Jasper, clutching his throat, walked ahead with her.

I didn't wait for them. I retrieved my ticket, checked in, and walked straight into the examination room. Every movement was swift and deliberate.

The doctor reviewed my laryngoscopy results, falling silent for a moment. "Your recovery is not looking good." "If you delay treatment any further, you may struggle to vocalize permanently." I typed on my phone: I am flying to Seattle for treatment today.

The doctor looked at me and nodded. "The sooner, the better." When I walked out with my results, the corridor was empty. Wendy and Jasper were nowhere to be seen.

My phone buzzed with a message from her: Jasper has been taking care of you for days. Is it really necessary to throw a fit over an appointment slot?

Can you stop being so incredibly petty? Just wait at the entrance. Once Jasper is done, you need to apologize to him.

He drank for you last night and offered to give his slot back to you today. Don't be so ungrateful. I stood at the clinic exit, the cold wind making my throat ache.

When the taxi pulled up, the driver asked where I wanted to go. I showed him my phone screen, which displayed the airport address.

At three twenty in the afternoon, my flight was boarded. Before turning off my phone, Wendy called. I watched her name flash on the screen for several seconds.

Then, I declined the call and blocked her number. From this moment on, I was completely done with both of them.

Wendy walked back to the ENT department after Jasper's examination, only to find the bench empty. She dialed my number. But the line only gave her a cold, automated rejection.

Jasper, holding his neck, stood beside her and whispered, "Is Nolan still mad at me?" Wendy's face was tense. "His temper is getting out of hand." She typed a quick message to me, but a red exclamation mark flashed on her screen.

Her fingers froze over the display. Jasper quickly grabbed her sleeve. "Wendy, don't worry. Nolan is probably just upset that you took me first.

Once he calms down, he'll come back." Wendy said nothing, driving straight back to her apartment. The entryway was dead silent. All of my belongings had been cleared out.

The only thing left on the coffee table were a few boxes of medicine. One box was completely unopened. Another had some pills popped out, only to be stuffed back in.

The nebulizer sat in its original packaging, its seal unbroken. Beside the boxes was a sticky note in my handwriting: Take after meals? Do not mix?

Wendy picked up the note, her fingers slowly crushing the paper. Jasper walked in, and when he saw the medicine on the table, his expression faltered.

Wendy looked up at him. "You said you made sure he took his pills." Jasper's eyes welled with tears. "I did remind him! But Nolan always hated me meddling in his business.

I treated him like a brother, but he was always hostile toward me. You know that." Wendy didn't comfort him this time.

She turned around and opened the living room security camera app. Jasper reached out to stop her. "Wendy, there's no need to watch that.

He'll just accuse us of spying on him again." Wendy brushed his hand away. The footage quickly loaded.

On the screen, Jasper was lounging on the sofa watching the game with the volume blasted. I stood up, trying to get some water, when Jasper kicked his leg out.

I tripped, my knee crashing into the table, and the medicine boxes scattered everywhere. Wendy's hand stopped on the mouse. Jasper's face went completely white. "I...

I was just startled by the goal..." The footage kept playing. Panicking, Jasper lunged to slam her laptop shut. "Don't watch it!

He did that on purpose to make you feel guilty!" For the first time, Wendy shoved him away. "He didn't even know I had access to these cameras." In the footage from the early hours of the morning, the living room was empty except for me.

I was quietly packing my medical records, ID, and a few clothes into my suitcase. Before leaving, I stood at the door, taking one final, long look at the apartment.

Once the door clicked shut, there was no one left on the screen. Wendy immediately began searching my travel history. My GPS was turned off, but my flight had already landed.