From Deep End to Surface and Everything In Between (Sebastian Vettel FanFic)

Surprise

A sharp pain ran through her shoulder like it was stabbed nonstop. She held in a cry when she took another stroke with an identical feel on her shoulder. She had to stop in the middle of the interval training, holding on to her pulsing shoulder with another arm. She closed her eyes to focus on listening to her body, identifying the source of the throbbing pain.

The pulsing pain was constant and covered everything else she should have felt; the burn, exhaustion and determination. Though she only sensed pain, she nearly cried out of anxiety and tears strimmed in her eyes when she moved her arm upwards. The star flashed in her eyes when she took shaky breaths to control the pain. 'Is it your shoulder again?' Her coach, Bob, commented again, with a worrying look on his face.

'Take the board and flippers. Let's focus on kicks for the rest of the session. I'll speak to your physiotherapist and doctor about the shoulder.' Bob said whilst nodding, hesitating a moment before he shot a question.

'Can you manage?' She nodded weakly and grabbed the necessary equipment for the next session. 'Nothing out of the ordinary. I'll manage.' She breathed through gritted teeth when another strike of pain flashed through her body. Bob pushed his lips together into a tight line, a disapproving look on his face. 'Right. Let's get on with it. 3-2-1 -' The whistle signalled Scar's start for the other set, biting her tongue to keep the screams in her.

After a painful practice, Bob and Scar met up with her trusted physiotherapist to go through the shoulder's stiffness. When Scar hissed in pain when the arm was touched, the physio's verdict was crushing; she needed a specialist appointment as soon as possible as he couldn't fix it.

Scar hadn't reacted kindly to the suggestion and flashed out on the incompetent and inaccurate analysis. She claimed to have a sour muscle. Although Scar knew deep down, her limitations were deeper than overused muscle. So she agreed to meet with the world-known specialist, who had treated other swimmers in the past as well.

The days went by, and the shoulder slowly turned back to its normal stage, with a nagging throbbing feeling to remind Scar that the shoulder wasn't 100%. She still couldn't lean on her arm with total body weight when she was in the water, and the stabbing pain ran through her shoulder all the way to her fingers.

Finally, the day before the doctor's appointment, Bob sighed when he saw Scar pushing herself to overedge, stretching her limits once again. She looked pale, her skin lacking the usual shine, uneasiness playing on her features. '- and time.' Bob called, and Scar laid down on the ground, closing her eyes to catch her breath. 'Scar, we need to talk.' Scar popped her eyes open as Bob's tone of voice meant business. She slowly cammed her into a sitting position, staring at Bob with puppy eyes. Bob breathed out slowly, buying time to gather his thoughts. 'I know training has been tough recently -' he started and raised his hand when Scar opened her mouth to disagree. 'You can't lie to me, Scar. I have trained you since you were five years old. I know.' He stated simply, and his eyes shone of an emotion that wasn't shared seldomly; drive.

Scar's features relaxed into a soft glow when the great memories flashed through her mind of his previous talks. Bob cleared his throat to continue. 'After your doctor's appointment, we need to keep our options open for the next steps. You may even have to entertain the idea of retirement.' Flash of termination passed Scar's blue eyes. They always reminded people of a cold winter day with a clear sky. 'No.' She responded with a hardened look on her face. 'Whatever it may be, I'll overcome it.' Bob gave a sad smile to her. 'Scar... You're not a young swimmer anymore. Even if it is fixable, there aren't guarantees you can train as a professional swimmer again.' Bob broke it to her gently.

He feared the worse and let his fears dominate their conversation. Finally, he stood up from his spot and walked to Scar, tapping her to her healthy shoulder, murmuring. 'Let's worry about it when the time comes. We're done for today. I'll see you at the doctor's at 8 am.' Scar nodded in defeat and hoped the following day would never come.