said.
Jacob looked up at him. “I’m glad you made it.”
“Me too,” Reggie said with a small smile.
“I have to tell my folks I found you,” Jacob said. Then he lowered his voice. “And I have an idea for that boy who lost his hand.” He walked back toward the front door with Alice.
She nodded. “I think I’ll stay here a while.”
“You’re okay?” he asked.
She reached out to hug him again and nodded into his shoulder. “I am, but these kids …”
“I know.” Jacob almost asked if she wanted to come back with him, but he knew she’d want to stay and help in the hospital if she could. “Come and find me later?”
“I will,” she said. She slowly released Jacob and they parted ways.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Jacob heard one of the doors slide open behind him, but he didn’t turn his attention away from the metal spring he had stretched out between his hands. The brass cylinder that encased the spring reminded him of a small piston. It was hard to get a grip on it without the right gloves, but his fingernails held on well enough.
The metal loop at the end of the spring-loaded cylinder slid over the threads of a screw. Jacob sighed as he released the tension. He grabbed a threaded nut from the same jar he’d taken the screw from and hand-tightened the whole assembly into place. With the fifth paring in place, the contraption finally took shape.
“What are you working on there, Jacob?”
Jacob didn’t have to turn around to know it was Charles. He leaned back and stared at the webwork of brackets and springs and screws. “I saw a kid in the hospital that lost his hand.”
Charles leaned over while Jacob topped all the screws with a brass cap and began tightening them with a wrench. “So you’re making him a new one?”
Jacob slammed the tool against the bench and clenched his hands together. “I can’t make him a new one; he lost his hand. I just … I just want to help.”
“Let me take a look,” Charles said as he picked up the pile of black webbing and brass fittings. He pulled at the base of each cylinder and nodded until he got to the thumb. “This one’s a bit too easy to move. He’ll drop whatever he’s trying to pick up if it’s heavy.”
Charles set the hand back onto the workbench and started digging through one of the saddlebags on his bike. “Ah, here we are. Change that thumb spring out for this.”
Jacob took the thicker cylinder from Charles’s hand and looked it over. He tried to pull the spring out with his fingernail, but it wouldn’t budge. “Too tight.”
Charles shook his head. “Nonsense. Take that other spring off.”
Jacob did while he half watched Charles pull a flat tool out from under the bench. He slid it into the vise mounted beside Jacob, tightened it, gave it a shake, and then nodded.
“Now,” Charles said, “you be careful when you use one of these. That spring has a lot of power. You keep your eyes away from it when you use a tensioner.” Charles picked up the hand after Jacob removed the smaller spring with a sharp snap.
Charles fastened a clamp on one end of the hand, and adjusted the length of the tensioner with a wheel on the side before setting a second screw into an isolated clamp. “Push that bar down.”
Jacob leaned slightly on the wooden handle sticking out of the tensioner. The lone screw slid forward and stopped when it was even with the thumb bracket. “Perfect, pull that handle in and let’s see that spring.”
Jacob put the handle back in place and then slid one of the metal loops onto either screw.
Charles bent down and squinted before nodding. “You see how it’s set between the threads? That’s how you want it.” Charles pulled the handle, and the spring whined as it stretched out the length of the hand. “If you miss the threads, it’s more likely to come right off the screw without catching.”
Jacob slid the thumb bracket over the tensioned screw at the end of the cylinder, and Charles began
Jacob looked up at him. “I’m glad you made it.”
“Me too,” Reggie said with a small smile.
“I have to tell my folks I found you,” Jacob said. Then he lowered his voice. “And I have an idea for that boy who lost his hand.” He walked back toward the front door with Alice.
She nodded. “I think I’ll stay here a while.”
“You’re okay?” he asked.
She reached out to hug him again and nodded into his shoulder. “I am, but these kids …”
“I know.” Jacob almost asked if she wanted to come back with him, but he knew she’d want to stay and help in the hospital if she could. “Come and find me later?”
“I will,” she said. She slowly released Jacob and they parted ways.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Jacob heard one of the doors slide open behind him, but he didn’t turn his attention away from the metal spring he had stretched out between his hands. The brass cylinder that encased the spring reminded him of a small piston. It was hard to get a grip on it without the right gloves, but his fingernails held on well enough.
The metal loop at the end of the spring-loaded cylinder slid over the threads of a screw. Jacob sighed as he released the tension. He grabbed a threaded nut from the same jar he’d taken the screw from and hand-tightened the whole assembly into place. With the fifth paring in place, the contraption finally took shape.
“What are you working on there, Jacob?”
Jacob didn’t have to turn around to know it was Charles. He leaned back and stared at the webwork of brackets and springs and screws. “I saw a kid in the hospital that lost his hand.”
Charles leaned over while Jacob topped all the screws with a brass cap and began tightening them with a wrench. “So you’re making him a new one?”
Jacob slammed the tool against the bench and clenched his hands together. “I can’t make him a new one; he lost his hand. I just … I just want to help.”
“Let me take a look,” Charles said as he picked up the pile of black webbing and brass fittings. He pulled at the base of each cylinder and nodded until he got to the thumb. “This one’s a bit too easy to move. He’ll drop whatever he’s trying to pick up if it’s heavy.”
Charles set the hand back onto the workbench and started digging through one of the saddlebags on his bike. “Ah, here we are. Change that thumb spring out for this.”
Jacob took the thicker cylinder from Charles’s hand and looked it over. He tried to pull the spring out with his fingernail, but it wouldn’t budge. “Too tight.”
Charles shook his head. “Nonsense. Take that other spring off.”
Jacob did while he half watched Charles pull a flat tool out from under the bench. He slid it into the vise mounted beside Jacob, tightened it, gave it a shake, and then nodded.
“Now,” Charles said, “you be careful when you use one of these. That spring has a lot of power. You keep your eyes away from it when you use a tensioner.” Charles picked up the hand after Jacob removed the smaller spring with a sharp snap.
Charles fastened a clamp on one end of the hand, and adjusted the length of the tensioner with a wheel on the side before setting a second screw into an isolated clamp. “Push that bar down.”
Jacob leaned slightly on the wooden handle sticking out of the tensioner. The lone screw slid forward and stopped when it was even with the thumb bracket. “Perfect, pull that handle in and let’s see that spring.”
Jacob put the handle back in place and then slid one of the metal loops onto either screw.
Charles bent down and squinted before nodding. “You see how it’s set between the threads? That’s how you want it.” Charles pulled the handle, and the spring whined as it stretched out the length of the hand. “If you miss the threads, it’s more likely to come right off the screw without catching.”
Jacob slid the thumb bracket over the tensioned screw at the end of the cylinder, and Charles began
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