Broken Arm
9 yr old Varian had been picking apples when the collapsible ladder he'd designed, well, collapsed. He landed heavily on his right side, with a resounding crack on his arm. Quirin saw the accident unfold and was horrified that he handed been able to stop the fall. He could at least, assess the damage and reassure Varian that things would be okay.
"Aaaahhh." Varian cried out in pain, cradling his injured arm.
"Okay, son. I need you to calm down and be still. I have to see how hurt your arm is, and if it's broken we'll need to mobilize it." Quirin gently instructed.
Varian winced, even the slightest movement was like getting cut with a hundred knives. "O-okay Dad." he managed to croak.
Quirin looked at the arm, bent at an unusual angle, and already bruised and swelling. As he feared, it was broken. Sometimes he cursed himself for ever letting Varian test out his inventions, but Varian was always so persuasive, insisting that this time everything would go smoothly.
"It's broken, Varian. We'll have to splint this so it's protected and wait for the swelling to go down. Then I'll take you to the doctor, he might have to reset the bone, and put it in a cast." Quirin explained somberly.
"It hurts, Dad." Varian whimpered.
"I know, but we'll get this taken care of." Quirin promised. He grabbed the sleeve of Varian's left arm and tore off a large piece. "We can patch that later. For now, I'm going to use this cloth as padding on the wound. Then I'm going to use a big stick and place it under your forearm. We're going to have to tie it down, below the wrist and above the elbow." Quirin had never told Varian, but as a (retired) knight he'd had plenty of experience applying a splint.
"Nnngg." Varian nodded in understanding. It hurt so much he didn't want to talk, and he wished he could focus on anything other than the overwhelming pain in his right arm. At least there didn't seem to be blood, he wasn't totally sure, but he also hadn't been prepared to look too closely at the break. But he'd read how bits of broken bone could damage the skin and cause bleeding.
Quirin took off his belt and used it to secure the splint. "There. You've been very brave, son." Quirin told him. He refrained from saying anything about how the accident had been Varian's fault, he'd been careless while testing the ladder or the design had failed, either way Varian had no one to blame but himself. Quirin's eyes did hold a small hint of reproach and Varian flinched, ashamed.
"I'm sorry." he mumbled.
Quirin's look softened. "It's alright, Varian. A broken bone is punishment enough and you'll be more careful in the future." he said.
Varian clung to that 'in the future' because it meant that at least his father hadn't ruled out the possibility of Varian testing a new, improved ladder. He started thinking about where the design had gone wrong, and what he could do to prevent future injury, a welcome reprieve from thoughts of pain and hurt.
"You can rest here for a little while. The harvest can wait. When you're up for it, we'll get on a horse and go to Corona. They have good doctors there." Quirin spoke gently. Varian still looked pained so Quirin added "And after your arm is taken care of, we might swing by Monty's Sweet Shoppe. I understand they have those lollipops you like."
That brought a small smile to Varian's face. "Thanks, Dad." he said.
"Of course, Varian." Quirin squeezed Varian's good hand in assurance.
The End
I've had bones broken before, and they hurt! But if you have to be hurt, it's good to have a loved one to help you feel better.