The boy nods quickly.
“What’s your name?” Chris tries to engage him in more small talk.
“Owen. I’m looking after my daddy,” he says.
His voice is small, but steady.
Chris doesn’t correct him.
“That’s a big job,” he says seriously. “You’ve done it really well.”
Owen studies his face.
“Is his leg broken?” he asks eventually.
Chris glances briefly at Nick, then back at the boy.
“It might be,” he says honestly. “But we’re going to make it safe so it doesn’t get worse.”
Owen nods again, absorbing that.
“Will it hurt when you move him?”
Chris doesn’t rush the answer.
“It might be uncomfortable,” he says. “But we’ll be careful. And we’ll make sure he gets down to a doctor.”
Owen looks at his dad, then back at Chris.
“I sang him a song,” he says quietly. “The song my mum sings when I am ill.”
Chris’s expression softens in a way most people wouldn’t notice unless they were looking for it.
“That was exactly the right thing to do,” he says.
Owen’s grip on his dad’s sleeve loosens slightly.
Nick and Tommy work together to stabilise the leg while Rob prepares the splint. Alex passes over the straps without needing to be asked. We move around each other easily, each person falling into their role without discussion.
The man hisses through his teeth when the splint is secured.
“You’re doing great,” Rob says evenly.
Chris stays beside Owen the entire time.
“You like walking?” Chris asks him quietly while we work.
The boy nods.
“We were going to reach the top,” he says.
Chris nods like that plan still matters.
“You’ll make it next time,” he says. “On a better day.”
Owen considers that.
“Yeah,” he says.