Broken Chair
“A little help,” the teen says to Rosemary. He gestured to the wood sticking out of the side of his abdomen. He painfully turned away from the table so his wound was more visible. The object stopped the bleeding so to Eudora’s relief it wasn’t a gorey mess. She still found it disturbing to see nonetheless.
As shocking as this all was, Eudora was intrigued—although she would never admit it. Just days ago she was kept away from everything and everyone. She couldn’t remember the last time she had even stepped a foot outside. Then, for the first time in her short life, she took a road trip, stayed in a hotel, rode in a plane, and now she’s in the room with a teenager with a severe injury whom she’s never even met. All in the span of two days.
Rosemary stood in front of him, thinking deeply about something. Then she hovers her hands around the base of the stake, curving them like a dome.
She stands silently with her eyes closed for a minute before opening them again.
“I can’t pull it out at the same time,” she says.
Dr. Liberty volunteers to do the honors, although of course she doesn’t want to. She firmly grasps the stake.
“Tell me when you’re ready.”
“Okay but do it slow,” Rosemary closes her eyes again. After a moment of silence she says, “Okay now.”
Everyone in the room, especially Dr. Liberty and the injured teen, brace themselves. Slowly the stake is pulled while Rosemary keeps her hands in place. Eventually the bloody wood is completely removed. Dr. Liberty turns it around in her hands, inspecting it closely.
“Is this a chair leg?”
“Yeah,” the teen replies.