Our task today was to replace the decade-old out-of-date @nascarhall #logo plate in the #hallofhonor. The old plate had a crown to it, which turned out to be a feature of the #thinset. Needing a flat surface, we created the #stonedrone, a #rockflattener on rails with leveling feet for height adjustment. Being in a room with large #artifacts we can’t clean, #dustabatement was a large concern. First, we built a #dustsucker, then we bought a #tent and cut out the floor. A bunch of #maskingtape and multiple #vacuums, some #grinding, some #cleaning and boom! We glued it down, cleaned it up, caulked the edge seam and rolled the #tools to the #truck. We’re feeling pretty good about this process... (at NASCAR Hall of Fame) https://www.instagram.com/p/B20LBgSJo3c/?igshid=1is7qlpler198
Dennis never liked parks. Or the summer, for that matter. The heat always made him tired, but there were always too many screaming children at parks to even consider trying to take a nap. Yet for some reason, he was outside on a hot day, sitting at some bench in some park even though he'd gladly be almost anywhere else. Why was that?
Ah, yes. That's why. He rubbed at his eye and blinked blearily at Helena, who had insisted that they go out and get some exercise while her father was at work. Dennis didn't need exercise. He was a boxer. He got plenty of exercise! Sure, his arm was still on the mend, and he hadn't so much as glanced at his punching bag since he got back from the hospital, but that was besides the point. Unfortunately, Helena had made that sad puppy face, and it quickly became a matter of when to go rather than if they should go. Curse cute things and their ability to make him go out and do things he doesn't actually want to do.
At the moment, Helena was having a grand old time swinging around on the playset like a little monkey. There were a couple other kids there, twin brothers by the look of it. However, they were clearly older than Helena, and they didn't seem that keen on playing with a little kid when they had a soccer ball to attempt hitting each other with. The young girl didn't seem to mind; she was able to entertain herself just fine by running around and going down the slide... Which was all well and good, but she was running around a bit haphazardly, and Dennis really didn't want to find out what Chanticleer would do if his daughter fell down and got hurt.
“Be careful.” He called out, nervously eyeing the way the girl leaned precariously over the playset's side. Helena turned to look at him and opened her mouth to say something-
-right before losing her balance and slipping off the top of the playset.
“Fuck!” Dennis may have been falling asleep a few moments ago, but now he was wide awake. In this situation, it was probably best if one were to stay calm and try to find out as much as they could. That is not what Dennis did. Dennis panicked. Simply put, he flipped the fuck out as if the world was coming to an end. He leaped up from the bench he was lounging on and made a beeline for Helena, who was sitting on the ground and sniffling quietly.
“I hurt my foot.” She whimpered, looking up at her dumbass babysitter who was supposed to keep this sort of thing from happening. Was her foot broken? Was there a way to tell? Was it even possible for feet to break? So many questions that Dennis had no way to answer. He needed a plan.
Step one: Stop swearing in front of the kid, lest she repeat some of that in front of her dad later.
Step two: Get her back to the house.
Step three: ...Use the internet to attempt understanding what exactly is wrong with her foot. Or something. What if it was broken? Oh god, he hoped it wasn't broken.
“Are ya okay?” Someone asked. Dennis blinked once, then twice, then stared at the positively huge man kneeling on the ground and talking to Helena. “It looks like ya might've hurt your ankle. Do you need an ice pack?” The girl nodded, then gratefully accepted the ice pack the guy took out of the cooler he'd been carrying. He looked up at Dennis, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry for jumpin' in outta nowhere, ya just looked a bit like a deer caught in the headlights for a while there, and it seemed wrong to just stay out of it.”
“Sergio? What's going on?” Another voice chimed in, this one belonging to a very slight young man with bright orange hair. He was holding a water bottle and glancing at Dennis a little nervously. Rude. Just because Dennis looked kind of like a criminal didn't mean he was one. Dennis could already tell that he wasn't going to be making friends with these two any time soon.
“Oh, Soleil!” The giant, apparently named Sergio, seemed glad to see his friend. “Ya picked a good time to come back. I think this kid's gone and hurt her ankle. Could ya take a look?”
“Before anyone takes a look at anything, can you please tell me who you are?” Dennis snapped. The short guy, Soleil, ignored the boxer and knelt down to have a look at Helena's ankle.
“Sorry. I'm Sergio, nice to meet ya.” He stood up to talk to Dennis at... Well, not really eye-level. Dennis had always considered himself tall, but he only came up to Sergio's collarbone. Frankly, it was ridiculous. “My boyfriend's a doctor, so he knows what he's doing.”
“I'm a doctor, but not a pediatrician.” Soleil mumbled, correcting his partner. “I'm not great at dealing with children.”
“Okay. Fine.” Dennis wasn't going to refuse help, especially if it was free. He looked down at Helena, who already seemed totally enamored with this doctor-guy. Not great at dealing with children, clearly. Helena practically looked ready to marry the guy. “So... Is she going to be okay?”
Soleil looked up. “She's sprained her ankle, but it seems pretty minor. It's not really anything to worry about... Just take her home, put some ice on it, keep her foot elevated, and let her get some rest. It would also be best if you contacted your child's doctor and arranged an appointment, in case it swells up or turns out to be more severe than I think it is.” With that, he apparently decided his job was done and stood up. “We've really got to be on our way, but she'll be fine. She's a tough kid, she's already stopped crying. Anyway, good luck with your daughter.”
“She's-” Dennis started to say.
“Go ahead and keep the ice pack, we've got plenty.” Sergio interrupted.
“Thanks, but she's not-”
“Bye.” Soleil waved curtly, then took his boyfriend's hand and began leading him away, muttering as they walked. Whatever he said was lost as he and his boyfriend got farther away. Dennis didn't really care anyway.
“I like him.” Helena piped up. She smiled softly, though she was probably still in pain. “I hope I get to see him again...” Her face was a bit red, like she was blushing. Or maybe that was just because she had been crying? “He was cute.” She wiped away what was left of her tears, then looked up at Dennis expectantly. “...Can you carry me?” She looked pointedly at his arm, which was still in a cast.
“...Probably.” Dennis smiled, then got closer to the ground. “Okay, just try to grab onto my neck, but not too tight...”
not pictured: Dennis sitting at the house and watching the door like a hawk, fearing for the moment that Chanticleer comes home to find that his precious daughter has sprained her ankle.
