Wooden splinter and copper Gears in the palm

"I was trying to fix a wooden fence behind my middle school gym because I had this anxious feeling that my high school track coach was coming to check on it. I dragged my hand along the top rail, and this giant, jagged piece of dark wood drove deep into the palm of my right hand. There wasn't any blood at first, just this dull, heavy throb that made my whole arm feel numb. I tried to pull it out, but the wood kept snapping off in tiny, fibrous splinters under my fingernails. Suddenly I was sitting in the waiting room of a quiet dentist office, holding my hand up to the bright fluorescent light. The wound had opened up into a clean, dry slit, and I could see tiny copper gears turning inside my palm instead of muscle or bone. I felt this intense, cold panic rise up in my throat—not because it hurt, but because I was terrified someone would notice I was broken before I could find my car keys and drive home. My breathing got super shallow until I jolted awake."