Team8s and Counting Onwards

217. What was Different?

After Needle found a parking spot at the clinic, she carried Dimey inside, being careful not to aggravate his ankle. She made it to the front desk, and explained the situation to the people there.

"Hello." Needle said, trying to catch her breath. "My son hurt his ankle playing soccer. t's swollen and bruised—we just wanna make sure it isn't broken."

The receptionist glanced at Dimey, who looked a little pale and tired in Needle's arms, then gave her a kind smile. "Of course. Let's get him checked in."

As Needle gave the information the receptionist needed, Dimey rested his head on her shoulder. He wasn't crying, but he looked worn out and quieter than usual.

A nurse who was making her rounds through the clinic noticed Dimey in Needle's arms, and decided to give Needle a break from holding him. She quickly ran to another room, and brought over a wheelchair so that Needle wouldn't have to carry him.

"Here." She said, "Looks like you could use this."

Needle appreciated the gesture. "Thank you." She placed Dimey down in the chair, helping him adjust until he was comfortable. He let out a breath and leaned back, blinking slowly.

"You doing okay, sweetie?" the nurse asked, crouching slightly to make eye contact.

Dimey gave a little shrug. "It just really hurts. But I'm okay, I guess."

Needle gently gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You're being really brave."

The nurse brought Needle and Dimey into the waiting room, where they were told to stay put until they got called back. Dimey placed his hands on the wheels of the chair, and ever so slightly moved the chair back and forth.

"Wow." Dimey noted. "It's heavy."

Needle nodded, sitting down in the chair beside him. "Yeah, it can be. It takes some getting used to."

Dimey's mind immediately went to Thread, who was constantly pushing herself around in her chair daily. It was hard for him to believe that she made it look so easy.

He glanced down at the wheels, then over at his ankle, then back at the wheels again. "Thread does this all the time," he said, almost to himself.

Needle tilted her head. "Yeah. She's really strong, huh?"

Dimey nodded slowly. "I don't know how she does it. I'm already tired just from sitting in this thing."

"She's got a lot of practice when she was at the hospital after...the accident." Needle tried not to let her eyes water as she remembered that period of Thread's life. "It took her a while to figure out how to use it, but now she's an expert."

Dimey was quiet for a moment, taking that in. "I guess I never really thought about it."

Needle put on a small smile. "She makes it look so easy, doesn't she."

Dimey nodded, looking back down at his swollen ankle. "I won't have to be in this forever though?"

Needle shook her head. "No, I promise. I don't think I ever told you this but when Thread was a baby, I accidentally fell down the stairs holding her and broke my ankle. I had to rest it for weeks, which was not fun at all, but it was worth it when it healed."

Hearing this made Dimey curious. "But why didn't Thread get better?"

Needle had to wipe a tear from her eye when she heard it. "Thread broke her back, Dimey. It happened back when you were a baby.

Dimey's eyes widened a little. "Her back?"

Needle nodded slowly. "Yeah. It was really serious. She was in the hospital for a long time. The doctors tried everything they could, but... sometimes injuries are just too much for the body to fully heal. That's why she uses the wheelchair. Her legs don't work the way they used to."