Jay just say "Stop" when you've had enough of my requests 😂🙈 I'm here with another request pal, if it's not too much trouble can I request "This is gonna hurt. A lot. But it'll be quick. I need to pop it back into place." from Injury Starters for Higgs please? 😇 I know, i know I really have a problem, can't keep myself from requesting when I see your drabble lists 🙄
@argetlam007 PFFT. I’ll never get tired of you sending in requests. Hell, send in more! I love you! Hope you like it :D!
“He’s as scared as a deer getting hit by a bike.” One of the men said to another in the group, all the while an elderly woman was patching up the wounds on Higgs’s face and body. His skin shuddered as he kept to himself, trying not to look at anyone directly in the eye. His daddy always taught him to keep his head low.
“Don’t let folks think you are stronger than you actually are so you can get the best of them if they try anything.” was what daddy used to say. This was one of the few life lessons Higgs took to heart. He was thankful for it because he didn’t know what to make of the group that found him, stranded miles away from the void out crater his daddy’s body had created.
“You’re gonna scare the kid if you keep talking shit, now get back over here. We gotta discuss what we’re gonna do with him.” A middle-aged man said, then gestured for the two men who were examining Higgs to go back to the group of ten. Their words became a hushed mess of sounds and gestures. Higgs was too far away to hear, but he knew damn well than to get his hopes up considering the hell he had been through.
“Don’t mind them, boy.” The old woman piped up with a sigh. Higgs swallowed, looking at her from the corner of his eye as she smiled briefly.
“We ain’t gonna up and leave you to rot. It’s not every day we come across kids anymore.”
“Anymore?” Higgs asked quietly.
“You must be out of the loop. There ain’t a lot of you left.” The old woman said. She smiled, but her eyes were filled with a sadness Higgs felt he could relate with in some way. It was strange. Is this what a connection was?
“How’s he looking?” The middle-aged man from before asked, approaching the old woman and Higgs. She gently let go of his leg, watching as Higgs nervously stared up and down at the man.
“All the mess wasn’t his blood. His right arm is dislocated. He’s a little scrawny. I think after a meal he’ll pep up in no time.”
“Can you fix it, the arm?”
The old woman nodded.
“No--” Higgs managed to choke out, shaking his head as he glanced between the two. His arm had been killing him, but at this point, Higgs would have rather much dealt with it than to snap it back into place. The thought scared him immensely.
“Get your hands off me! Stop it!” Higgs yelled out as the man grabbed a hold of his body, keeping him still. As strong as Higgs was for a child, he couldn’t break free from the vice-grip the old-timer had on him. Higgs was gonna have to face the music, and it scared him. Tears began to stream down his eyes as he looked up at the old woman who calmly pat his leg then took a hold of the arm. Not before she picked up a stick and had Higgs put his mouth over it.
"This is gonna hurt. A lot. But it'll be quick. I need to pop it back into place." Her words were soothing, and for a brief moment between panic and terror, Higgs felt a peace come over him.
When he felt the first pop, he screamed so loud his throat strained. The second pop made him kick outward, accidentally landing with the old woman’s stomach. She let out a grunt but kept trekking despite whatever pain she was in. The last pop, Higgs began to sob, but a warmth traveled down the arm, almost as if he had sunk it into a hot spring.
Higgs spat the stick out, letting harsh gasps escape. His nose began to fill with snot, which he wiped on his other arm shortly after.
“Not so bad, was it?” The old woman asked as Higgs shook his head.
“You’re insane.” Higgs choked out, blinking a few times as the old woman laughed and rose. She pats Higgs on the side of his face a few times then leaves to join the others. He looked on with fascination, wondering how something as ancient as her was still kicking.
“Where did that blood come from boy?”
Higgs snapped out of his trance, looking up at the middle-aged man. He swallowed, giving a shrug.
“I know you ain’t much of a talker, but we gotta know. Otherwise, we can’t help you.”
Higgs debated with himself. Between the pain of having his arm popped back into place, and the future promise of a warm meal, he could feel his resolve beginning to break. He vowed not to tell anyone about his daddy, but the cat was already out of the bag. And Higgs didn’t want to lose out on being with people for the first time in his life.
“My daddy. He--” Higgs couldn’t bring himself to say it. That he killed him. Even though the bastard had it coming, there was a guilt that swam in the pit of his gut.
“And your arm, did your daddy do that too?” The man gestured, and Higgs bit his lower lip and gave a nod. A sigh left the man as he sat by Higgs, looking outward towards the group.
“Say no more kid. Don’t worry. We’ll help you. See we’re porters. Some of us are. We’re going to the city, maybe we can drop you off there. Get you set up with a family. Sound good?”
“A family?” Higgs asked.
“Uh-huh. A kid like you, I’m sure you’d have no problem getting one. C’mon, let’s get you something to eat.”
Higgs followed in silence, his nerves spiked from everything that transpired. He couldn’t stop looking at the uniforms the men and women wore, save for the old gal and a few others. The term porter kept running through his head, and in his boyish mind, Higgs thought they were cool. Something akin to astronauts he read about in the old books his daddy had lying about the bunker.
“What’s your name?” The man asked.
“My daddy called me Higgs.”
“Huh. Unusual name.”
“What about you? I doubt anyone calls you old man. Fossil sounds more fitting.” Higgs said sarcastically, and he half expected to get slapped. Surprise filled him when the man chuckled.
“I’m Patrick. You can call me Pat for short. You’re a sharp little shit ain’t you?”
Higgs shrugged, earning yet another laugh. He could feel his small lips form into a smile, despite it being busted.
So far, life outside the darkness of the bunker was good. Maybe daddy was wrong.
**A link to my ko-fi account. If you enjoy my content and want to support me getting my monthly medication for fibromyalgia and arthritis, I would be eternally grateful. It is NOT a requirement however! All my work is free to read!**
