The next game was hopping on one foot. The kids filed to the equipment room to change into their sneakers.
After changing into his shoes, Benny felt slightly uncomfortable. He assumed that it was probably because he had not worn these types. of shoes in quite some time and wasn’t used to the fit. Nonetheless, he didn’t give it too much. thought and kept going.
Archie and Estella were urging him to hurry up, so he pushed aside the thought of his uncomfortable shoes and hurried over to them, beaming happily.
This was an individual game, and Benny’s turn wasn’t until later. After Archie and Estella finished their turns, they stood aside to watch Benny play.
“Remember to be careful. Safety comes first,” Pippa told them repeatedly. Ophelia stood aside and acted like she was ready to spring into action and protect the children at any moment.
The three children had done a good job in the previous games, so when it was Benny’s turn, their friends cheered him on and watched him expectantly. Benny’s competitive nature was unleashed, and he began to hop quickly.
He picked up speed as his friends cheered him on. When he realized something was wrong, it was too late for him to stop.
“Benny!” Archie yelled. He was the first one to take note of Benny’s strange behavior and ran over to his brother hastily. Benny did his best to halt in his tracks. However, the harder he tried, the more out of balance he got. In the end, he toppled to the ground. Beneath him was a hurdle that they were supposed to hop over.
Crack! Benny crashed into the hurdle, breaking it in half. Wincing in pain, he landed awkwardly, his hand twisted beneath him in an unnatural position. He felt a sharp pain flaring up his arm. Without warning, Benny, who was typically strong, burst into noisy tears.
“Benny, what happened? Let me see your injury!” Ophelia stood the closest to Benny, so she was the first one who rushed up to him and embraced him tightly. She was also careful to wipe away the oil on the ground discreetly with her free hand.
Archie soon arrived and knelt down beside Benny. Spotting Benny’s injured wrist, he exclaimed, “Ms. Smith, I think Benny’s wrist is fractured!”
The boys practically grew up in the research institute. They might not be skilled in medicine but had learned something from their time there. It was rare to see Benny wailing loudly, so Archie was sure that his younger brother was seriously injured.
“Ms. Smith, let’s bring Benny to the doctor! He must be in pain!” Ophelia pretended to agree. “Calm down. I’ll bring him to the doctor now!”
Despite saying that, she slowly removed Benny’s sneakers, taking the time to put them away in an obscure location before any of the other teachers arrived. She then brought Benny to the infirmary, Benny didn’t stop bawling his eyes out during the entire journey.
Estella had never seen Benny crying hysterically before. She felt a stab of pain in her heart as she took Archie’s hand. “Is Benny seriously injured? I think he… I’m scared.”
Her eyes turned red as she urged, “Let’s call Mommy and ask her to come. I’m sure she’s capable enough of treating Benny!”
Archie was feeling quite flustered, but he managed to assure her calmly, “There’s no need to be scared. The doctor will look at Benny and assess his condition. If it turns out that something serious has happened, then we’ll call Mommy right away. She’s busy at work, so we shouldn’t disturb her unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
After hearing his comforting words, Estella calmed down a little. She stopped talking and clutched Archie’s clothes nervously.
