"Wife?? Can you hear us???" Milo's voice crackled loudly through the communicator.
"Wife!! Can you hear me?!" Julian chimed in, his voice both anxious and excited.
"Is it working??" Karl asked in the background, clearly poking at something, probably trying to grab the device from Julian.
Ruby couldn't help it—a real, genuine smile bloomed across her face. She held the communicator a little closer to her ear and replied warmly, "I can hear you."
There was a beat of stunned silence on the other end—
And then "AAAHHHHahahahaha!!"
Excited screams exploded from the other side.
"It works!! IT WORKS!!" Milo shouted, his voice full of wonder. "Wife, I can hear your voice! I can't believe it—I really can hear it!"
Ruby laughed softly, pressing her palm to her cheek, completely overwhelmed by their joy.
Julian chuckled, and Milo giggled like a happy puppy.