Emmeline pressed her lips together, willing herself not to swear. “For the last time, you are not getting up out of this bed, and I will restrain you if I have to.”
“But I’m fine,” Benjy insisted, trying to hide a wince as he shifted and put weight on his left arm. “I know I overdid it a little bit, but I’m fine!”
“A little bit?” Emmeline jabbed her finger at him. She felt a bit like a scolding mother, and wasn’t that an odd feeling? “You dislocated your shoulder and put a new fracture in your hip bone. That is not a little bit!”
Benjy had the decency to hang his head, but he didn’t look ready to give up. “A little Skelegro, and I’ll be good as new.”
She closed her eyes, head tilted upward as she said, “How many times do I have to repeat it? Skelegro is not a magical cure-all to make everything better. You need rest and to take it easy. If you’re not careful, you’ll lose even more mobility.” Her face softened, and Emmeline sat down at the end of his bed. “You’ve got a long happy future ahead of you, Benjy. Don’t hurt it and yourself because you pushed too hard, too fast.”