Line of Time

A Hospital Stay

As the ambulance ride went on, Tino was in full blown tears, they couldn't stop but they were silent. Every single bump and turn hurt more and more. When they arrived in the hospital they wheeled him in and the doctors were waiting for him. 

In all they did as much as they could for him but they weren't sure if he would ever walk again. His back had a bad fracture and once they took and X-ray of him to see that they also found that he had another issue with his back. They were surprised that no one had seen this before hand but Tino's spine already had major problems and even without his fracture he would have needed a wheelchair in a few years anyways. When the head of the adoption center had heard this, they weren't shocked to learn this, in a way it made sense with how Tino already was. He would offend complain of pain, he walked slowly and when he could he wouldn't even walk at all. 

As days went by the adoption agency was now trying harder than ever to get Tino a home. They knew that they weren't equipped to take care of him now that he was confined to a wheelchair. He spent his time in the hospital with nurses that were helping him learn how to use his new way of transport and he was for the most part doing well unless he went down a hallway and found himself stuck. He wasn't that great at backing up yet. He had done this in the recovery area one day and a man that was being released had heard him, the sound of frustration and jammed wheels had drawn him out into the hallway. He had been recovering from a gunshot wound that he had suffered in a brawl at his local bar. He walked out and watched the boy for a minute before he said anything.

"Need some help little guy?" He asked as it scared Tino and he turned his head to look at him, the man had thought that he was just a normal boy messing around with a wheelchair while a nurse wasn't looking. He assumed that Tino was just here to get his tonsils out, like any other seven year old. 

"Yes, sir..." He answered as he then stepped up to him and knelt down fixing his wheels for him.

"What were you doing, racing with one of your friends behind the nurse's back?" He said with a chuckle as he stood and patted him on the back. Tino took in a sharp breath and clenched his teeth as his eyes fought back tears. The young man looked at him with a bit of shock as he saw his reaction. After a moment Tino answered his question.

" . . . No, sir. The nurse told me to practice turning and I don't have any friends..." 

"No friends? That's not good, a kid like you should have loads of friends. Tell ya what, I'll be your friend if ya want." He said as smiled down at him, Tino's face lite up. 

"Alright." He said as the man then started to help him learn how to use his chair, they talked and laughed. They were getting along and when the nurses saw this they smiled. This man had been a patient that hadn't gotten along with most of the doctors while he recovered and Tino had been here for a long time by a child's standards with no one but a few nurses to talk to. Then a adoption worker came to check on him and the nurses pointed to where the two were. She walked in on Tino laughing as Chase made race car noises as he pushed him around and made sharp turns. She smiled and then spoke up. 

"Well I see your taking advantage of your stay here to make some friends." She said with a smile, Tino waved to her as Chase brought his chair to a stop, thinking that this woman was the boy's mother. 

"Hi, Miss Debra." He said which confused Chase a bit. 

"Miss? Don't you mean mom, kid?" He asked as Tino shook his head. 

"I'm not his mother, I'm a social worker from the orphanage." She cleared up. Chase was a little shocked to hear that.

"Wait that means you don't got a mom or dad?" He asked as his heart was breaking a little for the boy. Tino shook his head and Chase felt sorry for him. After a little while a nurse came to bring Tino back to his room but before she did.