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“I’ll be back shortly.” I smiled tightly, went back to the nurse’s station, and requested an X-ray. “Let me know as soon as it’s back.”

The nurse nodded, and I went on to the next patient, but Logan’s face wouldn’t leave my mind. Tear-stained and dirty, he was like most of the kids that came in here, but something about him and the way he acted set off alarm bells. His brother had said little, but maybe I could coax more from him.

My stomach rumbled, reminding me it had been hours since lunch. I searched out a vending machine and munched on my usual cereal bar while I waited for the results to come back. It filled a spot, but I couldn’t wait to get home and grab dinner.

Thankfully, I didn’t need to wait long, and when the X-ray came back, it was good news. No broken bones.

“There’s no break. It’s just a sprain.” I addressed his brother as the attending adult. “He’ll need to rest it until the swelling goes down. So, no school until then.” The nurse wrapped it gently and administered pain relief while I looked on.

“It’s the school holidays. I don’t have to go, anyway.” Logan pouted and folded his arms.

“Hey, don’t sulk. Doc here is just doing his job.” He turned to me and nodded for me to continue, his brother’s hand still in his.

“A couple more things. You’ll need to ice it a few times a day and elevate it. It’ll be weak for a while, and then, once it feels stronger, you’ll be able to put weight on it. Don’t overdo it, or we’ll be seeing you again.”

Before I could say anymore, a harassed-looking woman bustled into the cubicle, her hair scraped back into a ponytail, dark circles around her tired eyes.

“Logan? Oh, my poor baby.” She enveloped him in her arms and squeezed.

“Mum,” Logan sobbed, and the tears began again.

I looked over at Frankie, his face blank, his lively green eyes now dull.

“Sorry to interrupt,” I said. “I was just telling Frankie what you need to do.”

“Oh, no point telling him anything. He’s absolutely useless.” She glared at him, daring him to contradict her.

He hadn’t seemed that way to me. He’d been nothing but helpful. “Well, as I was saying, Logan’s going to need to rest until the swelling reduces, then he can start using his ankle again.”

“It really hurt, Mum, but Frankie looked after me,” Logan said, his tears now dried.

She turned to face Frankie, fury on her face. “What were you thinking, letting him on your skateboard? How many times have I told you?” She turned back to Logan, muttering under her breath. “Total waste of space, that boy.”

Hurt flashed across Frankie’s face. There was no way he hadn’t heard what she said, and he stood abruptly. The chair scraped noisily along the floor, and he stormed out of the cubicle.

Torn between staying and making sure he was okay, I made my decision.

“You okay with this?” I asked the nurse, gesturing to Logan’s leg.

“I’m good.” She nodded in the direction Frankie had gone.

“Leave him. He’ll be sulking as usual,” his mother said, her voice tight, but I wasn’t about to do that.

I headed towards the main entrance, catching sight of Frankie’s bright orange T-shirt as he ran. “Frankie,” I shouted, but if he heard me, he gave no sign.

“Mac, can you just…” Another doctor tried to get my attention, but my only concern was making sure Frankie was okay.

“Not now. I’m busy.” I bustled past him and burst through the doors. A blast of hot air hit me, stealing my breath, making me thankful for the old, cold hospital with its outdated decor.

He was nowhere to be seen, all trace of him gone. “Dammit.” I ran my hand through my hair, glancing from side to side. He couldn’t have gone that far.

A flash to my right, then the unmistakable smell of cigarette smoke led me to peer around the corner of the building and look straight into Frankie’s eyes. Eyes full of disappointment and sorrow.

“There you are. I was looking for you.”

“What for? You heard her. I’m useless.” He inhaled deeply on the cigarette before blowing out a plume of smoke.

“I think you’re anything but, Frankie. You brought your brother here, knowing he needed treatment.”