Ronny Cohen

As they headed back down the mountain, the rain grew heavier and heavier. The dirt path became slippery, which didn’t help as they began to run back toward the campsite. Ronny yelped in surprise as he slipped, landing hard on the ground. He went to push himself back up but cried out in pain the moment his hand made contact with the ground. “Ronny?” Kurt’s face was lined with worry. “What’s wrong, kiddo?” “I—I think I sprained my wrist!” he answered, afraid to move his hand at all. He held out his uninjured hand, and Kurt helped him stand up. “Let me see your hand,” said Kurt. When Ronny hesitated, Kurt smiled and said, “I won’t hurt it. Trust me. I just want to look at it and make sure it’s not broken. My dad’s a doctor, remember?” Reluctantly, Ronny held out his hand. He watched closely, worry lines etched into his brow, as Kurt touched his wrist in certain places. It throbbed a little, but he knew it definitely wasn’t broken. “I think you’ll be okay for now,” said Kurt finally, letting go of Ronny’s hand. “I have some Advil back at the camp. It should hold you over until we can get to the hospital.” “H—Hospital?” said Ronny, his eyes growing wide. “Yeah,” said Kurt, confusion written on his face. “I mean, it’s not broken, but you really should get it checked out.” Ronny whimpered. His wrist hurt so badly, but he always felt uncomfortable around doctors and really didn’t want to go to the hospital. “I—It really doesn’t hurt that badly. We don’t have to go to the hospital…do we?” “There’s a hospital about forty-five minutes from here,” said Kurt, “so we might as well go home. I’ll set up the tent in my backyard, and we can camp there.” “Can…Can we go to the hospital your dad works at, then?” “What’s wrong with you?” exclaimed Kurt. “Your wrist could be very badly sprained, and you’re trying to avoid going to the hospital!” He lowered his voice, not accusingly but almost as if he was ashamed he had been yelling. “You’re not afraid of doctors are you?” Ronny looked away from Kurt. “N—No, of course not. Why would I be afraid of something silly like that?” By now, they had reached the campsite. Kurt rummaged through his bag for the bottle of Advil. He took out two and handed the pills to Ronny. “How can you be afraid of doctors when you’ve met my dad?” Ronny dry-swallowed the pills, grimacing as they stuck in his throat. “I—I don’t know why I’m afraid of doctors.” Ronny could feel his cheeks reddening as Kurt stared at him. “I’ve just…always been afraid of them, and I probably always will be. It’s one of those inexplicable fears people have, you know? It doesn’t make any sense, but, every time I think of a doctor, I get really scared.” Silence passed between them as they stood in the shelter of the tent. Ronny could feel the rain dripping from his hair, his face, his arms… His clothes were soaked through, and he began to shiver. After several minutes, Kurt opened up his bag and pulled out a black sweatshirt, which he handed to Ronny. “Take your shirt off and put this on instead. You’ll catch a cold if you stand around soaking wet.” Ronny accepted the sweatshirt gratefully. He pulled his soaked-through shirt from his thin frame with his good hand and tossed it onto his suitcase before putting on the sweatshirt. It was a few sizes too big for him, but he sighed when he felt several degrees warmer. “Thank you,” he mumbled. Kurt pulled off his own clothes and put dry ones on. “You should put on some dry pants, too, and some dry socks.” Ronny nodded and pulled his sweatpants out of his suitcase. He felt several sizes larger than he actually was, the dry clothes practically falling off his body. He picked up his towel and used it to dry his hair. “You have really pretty hair,” said Kurt. Ronny jumped when he realized Kurt was standing right next to him. “Oh! Th…Thanks.” “The grey highlights look really nice.” Kurt leaned in even closer, his warm breath tickling Ronny’s neck. “You know…I have a fear of thunder. Not even lightning, just thunder. I’m scared of something that won’t even hurt me.” He began to gather up loose articles of clothing and shoving them into the suitcases, not even bothering to put the clothes in the right person’s bag. “Come on, we’re going to the hospital. I’ll be right there holding your hand. You’ll be fine.” Ronny felt himself falling in love all over again.