The Look Of Hope

Chapter 71: Little Boys

Rhett indeed has a broken arm. He has to wear a cast for seven weeks, on his left arm. Thank goodness it's not his right arm, it's his dominant one. He has to stay overnight in the hospital as a precaution after the doctor had set it. As soon as the anesthesia had worn off, and he was awake, his Mama began questioning him.

Oh, she is SO unhappy right now. Her temper sparked to life when she thought about him falling. Her baby is in the hospital with a broken arm and she doesn't really know why. Plus she's had to bite her tongue, from lashing out at his father. Where was Bobby when he climbed onto the tractor and fell off? There will be words about that later.

Pushing her son's brown hair back, she asked "Little Man how did you fall and break your arm?"

With a groggy voice and smile on his face, Rhett answered her. "I was dared to climb to the top of the tractor and sit on it."

Now she's no longer upset, she's seething. Trying to remain calm, she grit her teeth and smiled an unpleasant-looking smile back. Using a neutral voice, she interrogated some more. "What do you mean you were dared?" Whoever dared him will be hearing from her. Although she has a feeling she knows who it is. The same ones who dared him to eat the worm.

"Cousin Robbie and Hudson," he told her. "But we were just funnin' around Mama. We didn't mean anything." Hopefully, his plea will not make trouble for them.

Just funnin' around, ha! Her suspicions are correct. "They're older than you and you should know better. You don't take dares from anyone. You're too young for those kinds of games. We've talked about dares before when you ate the worm. Plus hasn't Daddy said not to play on the tractor? It's old, rusty in some places, and not a place for little boys. You disobeyed and now you're hurt. I hope you've learned your lesson, young man."

She saw him bite his lip and his eyes fill with tears. "Little Man that was a silly, naughty thing to do and I think you know it. But Mama's sorry you're hurt." She kissed his cheek. 

With tears, he whined out "I'm sorry Mama. I just wanted to have fun on my birthday. I won't do dares again." Then he looked at his cast and perked up. "I got a green cast. Cool! My arm aches and's itchy." 

While her baby was looking over his cast, and trying to figure out how to scratch the itch, Papa Bear sat quietly observing his wife and son. The minute Rhett said dare he knew there would be trouble brewing. He just didn't think the trouble would find him too.

Her tight voice broke him out of his thoughts. "Bobby might I have a word with you." He nodded his head and she took his hand. They stood by the window in a discussion. 

Giving a frosty look, she began interrogating her husband. "What were you doing while Rhett, and his "dare buddies", played hooky on the tractor?"

What exactly does she mean by this? "I was showing the guys my new motorcycle. They haven't seen it since I got it last month. Why?"

She pulled her cardigan tight around her. It stretched over the bump. "So you were inside the barn, looking at the bike, while your son was not being watched? He's six and into everything. You know this. Plus not to mention the fact he was with older boys. The same ones who dared him to dig up and eat a real worm. His broken arm could've been avoided." She picked a piece of lint off her sweater.

A sudden flash of irritation could be felt inside his chest. Not liking this conversation, a frigid look was sent his wife's way. "What are you implying? That this is somehow my fault? All because I was showing my friends my motorcycle? He's a boy. He's going to get into things. It's what boys do."