Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
~AMELIA~
I’m still huddled against Dax’s chest when August enters the room again.
“Someone can see her tonight. I pulled some strings,” he proudly tells Dex.
“Thank you,” Dex replies and keeps rubbing my back.
“Do you need someone to come with you guys?” August asks. I hear feet shuffling, I’m assuming he’s stepped further into the room.
“I think we should be okay,” Dex replies.
“Would you be opposed to me sending Andie with you?”
“Nope, that’s fine. But not necessary. I’ve taken other athletes before; I can take Amelia.”
“I know you can, I thought she might be more comfortable with Andie coming along too. But if you’re opposed.” His voice trails off.
“No, not at all. Let me get this brace on her and grab the crutches. Who is the doctor expecting us?” Dex asks.
“Dr. Haldman. He’ll be waiting for you in the E.R.”
“Appreciate it, man.”
“Of course, anything for the team. Amelia,” August calls to her. I turn in his arms. Dex release the hold so that I can fully see him. “It’s going to be okay. If you need anything you let me know.”
“Thanks,” I manage to whisper out. The sincerity and pity in his eyes makes me feel worse.
I know he means well, but it’s the pity that I can’t deal with right now.
I don’t want to be the athlete who is hurt, sidelined in the middle of her rookie season.
Especially when I feel like there is still so much more to prove.
“Let’s get this brace on you. Lie back and try to relax a bit.”
“Is it going to hurt?” My voice comes out so shaky, I barely recognize it.
His eyes find mine; I don’t see pity in his eyes the way I did August’s. “No, it shouldn’t hurt any worse than it does right now. Did those meds kick in yet?”
I nod.
“I wanted to help with your swelling. Once we get done with Dr. Haldman, we’ll see what he prescribes or if wants me to write for you.”
I nod again and lie back, waiting for him to strap the brace onto my knee.
I think back to when it happened, remembering how I rushed for the ball, just as I had the first time she challenged me.
That one didn’t end in injury though; I just ate some turf.
I try to remember if she hit me differently or if I could have planted another way, but nothing comes to mind.
I cover my hands with my face. The lights above me are fluorescent and feel harsh as I lie there under them.
So many thoughts are going through my mind right now.
Will I ever be able to play again? How bad is the damage?
Am I going to require surgery? How am I going to do this on my own?
You would think being the member of a big family would mean lots of hands to help you.
But in my case, that won’t happen. I don’t want my parents or any of my brothers to come here.
The only thing they would do is remind me that this type of career is not permanent and then where will I be when it’s over.
I’m already injured, so my time is running out.
No, that is not the type of motivation that I need right now.
I get why they say it, though. My dad is a cautionary tale; the injured football player in college who lost his scholarship and education when he had a career-ending injury his junior year.
He was so close to the career that he wanted- only four semesters to go.
But fate had other plans and my dad ended up out of college with a long recovery ahead of him.
He would have had to start the semester over again because he missed so much school.
And there was no money for that. The athletics department tried to help him, but it was out of their hands.
So, he returned home with no education and a bum shoulder that bugs him to this day.
The “I told you so’s” are too much for me to bear. I can’t do it.
“Alright, let’s get you to the car. August was kind enough to pull my car around for us.” Dex gently takes my arm and helps me sit up. “Easy there, nice and slow.”
“What, you don’t want to carry me?” I tease him, remembering the gentle way that he carried me across the field without waiting for the medical cart like most trainers do.
He chuckles. “No, this time I think you can walk. And I only carried you because who knows when the cart would have been back. I wanted you out of there as soon as I could, so that I could examine you. Plus, I didn’t like you lying there like that on the field; all exposed and crying out in pain.”
I reach out and grab for his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I appreciate that.”
“You bet,” he tells me, releasing my hand and placing the pair of crutches in front of me. “Now, I need you to see if you can stand on these and scoot to the car. Think you can do that? If not, I have a wheelchair that we could use.”
“No, let’s do the walking thing. It should be so much fun,” I tell him, the sarcasm heavy in my voice.
“I’ll be right here the whole time,” he promises.
We make our way slowly into the hallway.
I wobble a bit on the crutches, getting the rhythm of scooting forward little but little.
I haven’t been on crutches much, but I still remember how much they suck.
I look down the hallway, and I can’t believe what I am seeing.
There stands my team, lining the hallway on both sides.
I scoot down the hall, and they start clapping for me.
There are calls and cheers of “We love you” and “You got this.” I grin at them as I hobble by in shock and awe of the display.
“Thank you,” I say to them as I pass. Tears are pricking my eyes.
We reach the end of the line and out step Cassie, Mac and Hendrix.
“You’re going to be okay, Amelia. I love you,” Cassie tells me.
“If you need anything, and I mean anything at all, please let me know. We’re all here for you. Love you, girl.” Mac says when she squeezes me.
Hendrix steps up and pulls me into a hug.
I teeter off balance a bit, but her strong hold on me keeps me upright.
“I’m not the mushy type, but all of the stuff they said.
” It makes me laugh to hear her say that to me.
“And don’t worry, that girl got a red card.
She was out of the game. We pulled off the win. ”
I nod. “Awesome.”
She pats me on the shoulder and says, “Your white knight is waiting for you.”
I look over and see that Dex had taken a few steps away from me. As soon as our eyes meet, he’s back at my side. He nods and I keep on moving past the coaches, who are all wishing me well.
I stop and turn once we’re at the end of the sendoff. “Thank you all for this. I really appreciate it. I’ll keep you all posted.”
“It was a hell of a game on your part, kiddo,” Coach Watts says. “You don’t worry about updating anyone. I’m sure Dex can let me know and I’ll send it though the chain.”
I nod. “Thanks, Coach.”
“You betcha.” He pats me on the shoulder, and I take that as my cue to head out.
I do my best of get out of the building without crying any more than I already have.
“It’s going to be fine,” Dex tells me as he loads me into his car. Andie has followed us out and is watching me carefully.
“You’re doing great, Amelia,” she tells me.
“Thanks,” I say, shooting her a sad smile.
I sit in the back and watch the city fly by. I have no idea what time it is, but it feels like it’s late. There’s barely any traffic on the roads and we reach BayCare in no time.
“This place looks closed, almost,” Andie remarks as she gets out of the front seat.
“Looks like August pulled some strings,” Dex replies before moving over to the back to get me out of the car. “Let’s get you out and see what they say.”
I reach for his arm and clutch it tightly. I can feel the desperation crippling me, it’s eating at my chest, and I’m so scared right now.
“I have you. You are going to be just fine,” Dex tells me, taking my hand that was gripping him. He pulls it up to his lips and gives it a gentle kiss. “I promise.”
I hear Andie murmuring something, but I can’t make out what she is saying. I do my best to maneuver out of the car and stand, holding onto the doorframe for support. Andie hands me my crutches and I begin to make my way into the hospital.
“This probably could have waited until morning; we didn’t need the special treatment,” I tell them. The only other noise in this section of the hospital is the clicking of my crutches and their footsteps.
“We sure did. It’s fine, August has friends and called you in a favor. Let’s get some answers tonight. I promise you that it will help you sleep at little easier.” Dex places a hand on the small of my back. “Now follow Andie because she knows where we’re going.
We head down a long hallway that is barely lit. I see a man in a white coat approaching us as.
“Dr. Haldman,” Andie says, waving her hand at him in way of greeting.
He comes into focus, and I can see that Dr. Haldman is tall, bald and looks like he could be a former athlete himself. “Good evening, folks. Who do we have here?”
“This is Amelia West. She was injured tonight during the Blaze game.” Dex tells him. I can tell he’s in full on professional mode. He’s standing up straighter, and the tone of his voice is more serious. The soft playful tone he has been using with me is gone.
“What is your preliminary diagnosis?” Dr. Haldman asks him.
Dex sighs. “I think it’s a tear in the outer meniscus. She’s not able to straighten it the whole way, there’s a clicking sound and she’s in a lot of pain.”
The doctor nods. “What have you done so far?”
“I gave her a prescription ibuprofen, ice and put her in that brace.”
“Are you a doctor?”
“Physician’s assistant,” Dex clarifies.
“And you work for the Blaze?” he questions Dex.
“Yeah, I do.”
“Interesting. August must have paid a pretty penny for you,” the doctor replies.
“Let’s get back to Amelia,” I hear Andie say from behind me.
Once we are in the exam room, the tone is turned more professional as Dr. Haldman assesses my knee and consults quietly with Dex. Their conversation is low and hushed.
“Yeah, that was what I thought too,” I hear Dex say to Dr. Haldman.
“Okay, I’m going to order an MRI and see if anyone in imaging is still here.” Dr. Haldman turns his attention to me. “Sometimes they are in after hours because of our patients. If not you’ll have to come back in the morning.”
He leaves the room and takes Dex with him.
Andie comes up to my bedside. She’s been quietly sitting in the corner, observing everything that has been said. “How are you feeling, kiddo?”
I grin when she calls me that. “I’m doing alright. The pain is better with the medicine, but it aches,” I admit to her.
She nods. “I get it. Hopefully, we can get you a scan tonight and get some answers.” She studies for me for a moment. “Don’t worry about the team, the playoffs or anything like that. The only job that you have is to rest and get better, okay? Rehab that knee and you’ll be back with us in no time.”
I nod and sniffle a bit. “I want to go back and do something differently.”
“You can’t spend your time there. You need to focus on the now.
” She pauses and pushes a strand of hair from my face.
“You know, we have some connections at the Blaze with some therapists if you would like to talk to anyone about anything.” Her voice trails off at the end.
I nod. “’Promise me you’ll think about it. ”
“I will.”
The rest of the time goes by in a whirlwind.
I was able to get the MRI that was needed; however, no results.
That was disappointing but I guess there are some limits to August’s reach.
But both of my doctors tonight agreed that the meniscus was torn but might not need surgery.
The scan will confirm that. But now I have a new knee brace attached to my leg and a schedule of ice and meds.
My heart sinks further into my chest as Dex drives me home.
It gives me comfort that he’s not making small talk right now.
I couldn’t handle it if he was, because I’m inches from falling apart.
I want to get into my own bed so that I can completely lose it in the confines of my own four walls, hoping that it’s not loud enough for him hear me.