Charlie

When I broke my right leg climbing trees, I stayed in the hospital for a week. A nurse named Charlie took care of me. My leg would scream in pain and he would soothe it, touching me with fingers as delicate as bird wings. If it stopped hurting enough so I could sleep, I dreamed of climbing trees with Charlie, holding hands as the wind blew through. He only ever touched my right leg, where the bone was split. But the hospital soon issued a proclamation: Nurses Are Not To Touch Patients, Like, Ever. Charlie stopped coming to my room. I didn’t stop dreaming about him, though. And in my dreams, I broke every bone in my body.