“Psst, Lil…”
“Tuney, why are you whispering?”
“Because it’s a secret, you dolt!”
“That’s not a nice thing to say to someone —”
“I know where mum hid our Christmas presents!”
“What? Where? I wanna know!”
“In the hall closet, on the very top shelf. I can’t reach them though.”
“Well, neither can I… I’m smaller than you! Now what?”
“We’ll just have to use a chair when mum is outside and dad is at work, so they don’t catch us spying.”
“Alright…”
However, later that evening the redhead found herself standing in the open closet, staring up at the top shelf. Her gaze was unwavering, concentrated on that top shelf and the idea of hidden presents…
“Lily, what in heaven’s name are you —”
There was a shriek and a crash and running footsteps.
“Rose? Lil? What’s going on?”
“Lily!”
“Mummy! My wrist hurts, and, and, and…”
“What happened?” Jerold demanded, staring at the pale faces of his wife and youngest daughter.
“She was standing in the closet and the whole thing just fell on her, Jerry, I thought this thing was sturdy…”
“It is — was. It was. Lily, why were you in the closet?”
“Tuney said you had hidden our presents for Christmas on the top shelf, and I wanted to see them — My wrist hurts really bad!”
“Oh, God, Jerry, she held up her arms to protect her held from the shelves —”
Jerold Evans leaned over the debris in the closet, picking up his daughter out of the mess, and easily planted her on feet on the other side of hall. He was kneeling, eye to eye with his daughter, concern etching lines in his face.
“Let me see your wrist, baby.”
“But, daddy, it hurts!”
“Lily, you know I’m a doctor. I help people, make them better. Let me see your wrist.”
“Okay, but don’t… don’t hurt it!”
He waited until her wrist was laying in his hands before he answered.
“Baby, sometimes you have to hurt more before you can get better.”
“WHAT?”
“Shhh.”
“Ow!”
“Daddy, ow!”
“I said, ouch!”
“DADDY!”
“Alright, Lil, calm down. I’m done pressing on it and bending it.”
“Jerry, what’s wrong? Is it broken? Is her wrist broken? Does she need surge —”
“No, Rose. She’s fine. It’ll bruise for a while, and it’ll be sore and swollen, but no lasting damage. No broken bones or torn tissue.”
Both pairs of green eyes shed tears of relief.