Making Up.

[sensi_doctor]

JD walks up to his room and has to turn the with his left hand to open the door. His right hurts so much, tears spring to his eyes when he tries to move it.

"Ben?"

"Hey." There's a small, quirky smile on his lips. "The hell happened to you?"

"I don't want to talk about it. I can't now. Maybe..."


"Yeah."

"Look, I'm-"

"Somethin' wrong with your hand?"

JD bites his lower lip hard, and nods.

Ben smiles at him, just slightly and gestures to the bed. "Take a seat, kiddo."

He hesitates and then sits next to Ben on the edge. "I think it... might be a brawler fracture."

"You punch something?" Ben asks, taking the kid's hand in his own gently. He's had enough injuries to know the basic fractures, bruises, sprains, puncture wounds and how to treat them. Even if he never has had to do it on someone else.

"Someone."

"Oooh." Ben raises an eyebrow at him. "Who?" He touches his arm, softly. "C'mon, you can't leave me hanging on that."

"April's... ex."

"Wow. Go you, Xena."

JD laughs weakly, shaking his head. "Shuddup."

Ben nudges him with his elbow, which emits a quiet squeak from the kid. "So what do we need to do for the fracture?"

"Set it in a... a splint." He winces hard, tears brimming at his eyes as he swallows through the tight pain clenching up in his throat. "You think you could do that for me?"

"Yeah, of course I can." Ben grins at him, and thinks up a bandage and splint, rubs JD's arm softly. "I've had enough experience after all. Just talk me through it."

And just like that, without spoken apologies or words about what passed between them, things are okay again.