Long Road Home
Chapter 8
"How'd you learn to do this stuff, Dad?" Hannah asked as she sanded a piece of trim.
"My dad and granddad taught me." Mike said.
"And now you're stuck with me." Hannah remarked.
"No, honey. I've enjoyed this." Mike told her.
"What will we build next?" Hannah asked.
"I don't know. Why don't you go through those design magazines and find something?" Mike suggested.
"Mom has wanted a jewelry box for a long time. Can we make one?" Hannah asked.
"That sounds good." Mike said with a smile. He turned away and immediately heard Hannah cry out in pain.
"OUCH!" Hannah said. She was gripping her hand. As soon as Mike got closer, he saw the sliver in her hand.
"Alright, let's go into the house where its lit better and is cleaner." Mike said. It was a huge splinter and would hurt to remove. He led Hannah into the house and found Christine's first aid kit. Both Christine and Katie were at a church event so it was up to him to remove the sliver.
"This is going to hurt, isn't it?" Hannah asked.
"It is not going to be pleasant but if I leave it in, it might fester and be worse to get out." Mike said. He washed his hands and joined Hannah at the kitchen table. He assessed the wound and bathed it in peroxide. Hannah immediately hissed in pain.
"Ouch." Hannah said.
"I know, honey. It will hurt worse but I am going to pull this out as fast as I can. If I go slow, I may rip the wood, which will prolong this." Mike said. Hannah nodded and Mike got ahold of the sliver with the tweezers and he pulled it out hard. He got the entire piece of wood but as soon as he looked up, he saw the tears pouring out of Hannah's eyes.
"That hurt." Hannah said between sobs.
"I know, honey. I'm sorry." Mike said. He put some antibiotic cream on the wound, bandaged it and then pulled Hannah into a hug. Her sobs were getting to him. Not because he minded her crying, but because just a few days before, he wanted to incapacitate her completely.
Hannah was tough. She always had been but Mike could see the cracks in her demeanor. She had melted into his chest and would huff every little bit. He kissed the top of her head and rocked her back and forth. He wasn't expecting Christine and Katie to come in.
"What's wrong?" Christine asked.
"Bad sliver. I got it out but it really hurt her." Mike said.
"I'll get an ice bag." Christine said. He was a little surprised that she didn't pull Hannah away or that Hannah didn't want her mother. Christine returned with the ice bag and Mike pulled away slightly.
"This will help." Mike said. He put the towel around the bag and held it to Hannah's hand. He had dropped the tweezers and splinter on a saucer.
"That was one huge splinter. What were you doing?" Christine asked.
"We were working on that pie safe. She was sanding it." Mike said.
"It really hurt." Hannah said.
"I bet it did. How about you and Dad go in and settle? Katie and I will start dinner." Christine suggested.
"Okay, thanks." Mike said. He led Hannah into the living room; where she sat down on the couch. Mike followed suite and smiled at how quickly Hannah cuddled up and fell asleep.
If a simple sliver being removed bothered Mike so much, how could he have had Hannah donate a lung? He just hated watching Katie suffer, but he much care for Hannah suffering either. A simple sliver had proven that.