This is beyond just a lesson for Rebecca. She is definitely learning a lesson, but this is not the way I was hoping she would learn that she needs to depend on me. I carry her short form in my arms as I rush through the kitchen, kicking against a chair and hitting my own arm against the wooden frame of the doorway to the hall. I wince as I hit it, feeling a bit of pain, my elbow hitting the hard wood. Normally, I would have immediately grabbed my elbow and waited for the pain to subside to move, but there is something a lot more important at hand right now. Poor Rebecca is almost crying in my arms, and I have to get her well again.

At the beginning, she had told me not to touch here, and in a normal situation, I would have respected this wish. However, she's hurt, and I have to get her well again. She is going to have to deal with me touching and carrying her, for now. She has quieted down a lot, even offering me an “Okay” after I told her we were going to the bathroom, to the medicine cabinet. I am happy that she is okay with this, but it's not the time for me to worry about her trusting me. She fell on the arm that she bandaged up, and I'm not sure what all happened to it.

As I rush around the corner, I stop myself, my socks sliding past the door of the bathroom as I turn my feet. Catching my stride, I work my way back into the bathroom and walk inside, with Rebecca in my arms. Thankfully, I have some place to put her down, so she's not completely laying on the ground. Right next to the Medicine Cabinet is a Shower/Bath combination. This is made to be the spare bathroom for when my family is over and visiting. The curtains already open, I slowly set Rebecca down into the tub, letting her head rest on a folded towel that is placed at the bottom.

She looks up to me and has a new expression in her face as I reach down for her arm. It almost looks...sad. Not a single word comes out of her mouth, but I can see her pupils quivering. The pain she must be feeling right now has got to be pretty bad, to shut up someone with as much attitude as her, and to get her to stop yelling at me for touching her. I want to smile towards her, but it's hard. Putting my hand over her forehead, I brush her bangs out of her face and then reach down, towards her arm. “Everything's going to be fine, Rebecca, I promise. I'm going to take the bandages off your arm and see how bad it is, okay?”

Not as if she had a choice in the matter, the short woman, whom was in a lot of pain, simply nodded her head, not taking her eyes off me. It's like before, as she is always watching me. This time, though, I don't think she's watching me and looking at me as some sort of villainous person. She might be looking at me as someone who is trying to help her, which is what I've been trying to get her to see this entire time. My left hand gently wraps around her wrist and begins to undo the flimsy bandages she'd put on herself. I unwravel them a few times, nearly halfway done, and she makes a muffled whine.

I stop what I'm doing and look at her, for a moment. “Are you okay?” I get a simple nod in return, no speech. She's fighting this very hard, I can tell. The way her eyes look, and the way her cheeks are flushing...It looks like she wants to cry. To fight back tears when you're in so much pain is quite admirable, and I grin as I finish undoing the bandages, setting them to the side, and holding her arm as still as possible. The cuts are still there, clear as can be, and I can see a few smudges of the medicine from earlier on her arm.

Taking a look at her arm, I notice that her elbow looks like it's dislodged. I run my fingers down the length of her arm, trying to see just how bad it is. As I do so, our eyes meet and I speak to her. “Tell me if I hurt you, okay? It looks like you hurt your arm in that fall.” Rebecca was trying hard, and it's clear that she's in a lot of pain. Her lips close and quiver for a moment, her throat convulsing, before I hear “I...I will, Trent.” I grin a little wider and then go back to feeling down her arm. As my fingers get to her elbow, she winces, but doesn't say anything. My eyes go to her, and then back. She is such a strong girl, fighting the pain like that.

A few minutes go by, and I realize that she can't exactly keep her arm like this. I really hate this, but I'm going to have to force it back into position. I look at her and take a deep breath, not wanting to put her through this. I know I have to, but that doesn't mean I want to. No one should have to go through this kind of pain. “Listen...Rebecca...this is going to hurt, a lot. I need to put your elbow back into it's rightful position and, unfortunately, I have to force it back. It'll only hurt for a moment, I promise. Actually...”

I stop and move back to the sink behind me. Pulling out a bottle of painkillers, I pull out half a tablet and lower it down to her mouth. “Here, take this. It will help ease the pain you feel now and will feel later. But, I need you to be strong, so I can put your elbow back in place, okay?” I can tell she doesn't want any of this. A tear finally starts to roll down her cheek. She's in so much pain, and I'm about to put her in so much more. She downs the pill and blinks, dissipating the tear and nods. “I understand...” My hands are slightly trembling as I pull her arm up and put my hands in position to do this.

She looks scared and I look back at her, also with a sad look on my face. “Okay....3....2....1” I push and force the limb back into position and wince as Rebecca's back arches and her voice fills the room, screaming in pain....