" GARYYYYYYYY!" Eight year old Ash wailed as he ran into Gary's room and hugged his best friend, sobbing. " M... My elbow! It hurts, Gary, it huuuurts!"

Gary, who was working on something, looked up and set his pencil down, grabbing Ash from under his arms and sitting him in his lap.

" Hey, Ashy, shhhh... Calm down. It's okay kiddo I've got you." He soothed, stroking his hair. " You'll be fine."

Ash sniffed. " G- Gary, it hurts! It hurts so much!"

" Aww, I know buddy. I know. Where does it hurt?"

Gary gently pulled back and looked Ash over, his sharp eyes scanning for any visible signs of injury. Ash sniffled and clutched his left arm to his chest, his elbow slightly bent.

“Alright, Ashy-boy,” Gary murmured, his voice calm but focused. “Lemme see that arm, okay?”

Ash whimpered but hesitantly loosened his grip. Gary carefully took Ash’s arm in his hands, feeling around the joint. The moment he tried to extend it, Ash let out a sharp cry and tried to pull away.

“Okay, okay, I gotcha,” Gary said quickly, rubbing Ash’s shoulder to soothe him. “It’s alright. I think I know what’s wrong.”

Ash sniffled. “W-What is it?”

Gary gave a reassuring smile. “It’s called nursemaid’s elbow. Basically, the bones in your elbow slipped out of place a little.”

Ash’s eyes widened in horror. “M-My arm is broken?!”

Gary laughed. “No, no, nothing that bad! It’s just dislocated, which means I can fix it real quick. But, uh…” He winced slightly. “It’s gonna hurt for just a second, okay?”

Ash immediately started squirming. “N-No, I don’t want it to hurt!”

“I know, buddy, I know,” Gary murmured, stroking Ash’s back. “But if we don’t fix it, it’s gonna keep hurting way worse.”

Ash bit his lip, hesitating. Then, with a small nod, he whispered, “O-Okay…”

“Good boy,” Gary praised, positioning himself so Ash was still sitting in his lap but secure. “I’ll be quick, I promise.”

He gently but firmly grasped Ash’s arm, supporting the wrist with one hand and the elbow with the other. Then, in one smooth motion, he performed a quick supination-flexion maneuver—rotating Ash’s palm upward while bending his arm at the elbow.

There was a soft pop.

Ash yelped—and then gasped.

The pain was gone.

“Wha—?” He blinked in surprise, flexing his fingers. His elbow felt normal again!

Gary smirked. “Told ya I’d fix it.”

Ash looked at his arm, then at Gary, then back at his arm.

Then, with a teary grin, he flung his arms around Gary’s neck. “Thank you, Gary!”

Gary laughed, hugging him back. “Anytime, Ashy-boy.”