The cast had been put on weeks earlier after a playground accident. What should have been routine healing had turned into something else—something no one else could see. Caleb hadn’t slept properly in days. He paced constantly, unable to rest, scratching at the narrow opening near his wrist with anything he could find—pencils, rulers, even his fingernails—searching for relief from a terror he couldn’t explain.
To anyone listening from the hallway, it sounded like exaggeration. To Caleb, the sensations were terrifyingly real. It began as an itch, then heat, then sharp pinpricks that multiplied until his skin felt invaded. He begged for the cast to be removed, even if it meant pain, because whatever was trapped beneath it felt far worse than the broken bone ever had.
A Father Running on Empty
Daniel Morgan, Caleb’s father, stormed into the room, exhaustion etched into every movement. He hadn’t slept either. Missed meetings. Canceled trips. Spent endless hours on the phone with doctors while trying to keep his household from unraveling.
When he saw Caleb strike the wall again, fear hardened into anger.