Waterbound

1926

~~~

Winter

~~~

John followed Dottie up the tree, scrambling to keep up with her much faster pace. He felt unusually nervous, but he kept his fears to himself as his friend seemed to have none of her own. On a normal day, he had no qualms climbing trees, but the branches were snowy and with his gloves on, he struggled to keep a firm grip. Dottie, however, had no such problem.

"Stop peeking up my dress," she called down teasingly.

"Ew, I'm not looking up your dress," John replied. "And if you're so worried, maybe you should wear pants like a real person."

"Hate to break it to you, but women are real people."

"Hardly," he muttered, almost sensing her eye roll. "Would you slow down?"

"Would you hurry up?"

John's foot slipped but he quickly caught himself. He glanced down at the ground and felt a twinge of anxiety. "How high are we going?"

"To the top."

He let out a sigh. "Maybe you are," he said. "I think I'm going to stay right here. It's high enough."

"Chicken."

"Oh, dry up." John reached for what seemed like a sturdy branch, intending to wait for Dottie to climb back down. However, he heard a quiet creak. Before he could react, the creak escalated into a loud crack and suddenly he found himself falling backward. Branches tore at him as he clawed back at them, desperate to break his fall.

The impact with the snow-covered ground sent a sharp pain radiating through his arm and for a moment he laid there, stunned and wondering if he was dead. Then, he took a breath and, wincing, sat up.

"John!" Dottie's concerned voice called from above as she swiftly descended the tree like a nimble squirrel. "Are you alright?" She leaped down the last few feet to join him.

John looked at his arm and frowned. Something didn't seem right. "Think that's...I think I need to..." He fought to hold back tears. He didn't want to cry, especially not in front of Dottie.

"That's broken," she calmly observed. "You need to go to the hospital."

He shook his head, a knot of panic forming in his stomach. "My mom will kill me." She was always telling him not to climb trees, that something terrible was sure to happen.

"I think she'd kill you more if your arm falls off. Come on." Without waiting for a response, Dottie took hold of his good arm and helped him to his feet.

Every step sent more pain jolting through his arm despite his attempts to keep it still. Worry began to creep in. What if his arm couldn't be fixed at all? How would he manage? He'd never learn to drive a car. He'd be entirely helpless for the remainder of his life, however long it might be. The thought of it left him feeling despondent.

They finally reached home. Dottie opened the back door and stuck her head through. "Mrs...John's mom?" She called out.

Sarah came into the room, looking confused.

Upon seeing his mother, John immediately began to cry. "I was climbing...and then...broke...tried to but I couldn't...I don't want my arm to fall off," he choked out the words between sobs.

"He's trying to say that he fell out of a tree and broke his arm," Dottie calmly explained. "At least I think it's broken. It looks broken."

"I see." Sarah gently touched John's arm and he whimpered. "Oh, John," she said gently, pulling him into a tight hug. "It's alright. Broken bones are fixable."