La Reina - Alexia Putellas

9.

Erin's mind goes blank.

The doctor, as well as Martha next to her jump up and run onto the field, Erin follows closely behind when she just sees Alexia on the ground, holding onto her thigh.

It was the left thigh. The leg they've been working on for the last week.

The captain was laying on her side, holding onto her leg with a painful expression on her face, keeping her eyes shut as the doctor and therapists arrive.

The doctor gets out some ice packs while Erin and Martha kneel beside the athlete, the blonde holding onto Alexia's thigh while she searches with her fingers for the source of the pain.

"Ale, what happened?", Martha asks, holding onto the athletes foot so she would keep her leg still while Erin was doing some tests.

"That stupid asshole just fouled me from behind. I felt a sharp pain in the thigh, exactly were it hurt in training", Alexia worries, rolling onto her back when she feels her eyes watering from the pain.

"It's okay, Alexia. Relax", Erin says, quickly looking towards Alexia's face which was hidden behind her hands, while she carefully touches the athletes thigh, trying to find the origin of the pain.

"Shit", Alexia murmurs, her palm still over her face when Erin has found the spot. In the same second the referee arrives, asking the team if they are able to leave the pitch.

"It's good news. The muscle is fine, it's just the panic", Erin says, relieved that the captain was going to be okay.

But Alexia still lays there, her hands over her face when Martha brushes over the woman's hair, making her look at her with those watery eyes.

"Drink something, Ale. We'll get off the pitch and make some more tests with your leg. How does that sound?", Martha asks, stretching out her hand for the captain to take but Alexia was still laying there.

"I have to play. Just one more minute and I'm back on that pitch", Alexia says, slowly sitting up as she drink up, when Martha and Erin share an worried look.

"You need a break, Alexia", Erin murmurs, worried that the athlete will have more problems afterwards when she's not making a break now.

"But I have to play", Alexia says, now looking into Erin's blue eyes with her watery ones when the blonde helps her stand by pulling the captain up.

"It's just a friendly. It's important that you're ready for the season", Erin says, her voice now a lot more firm when Alexia gets that the therapist was right.

Erin and Martha help Alexia stumble off the pitch so that the game could continue, when she sits down on the side line again.

"I don't want this", Alexia cries again, worried that she wouldn't be able to play for the next weeks. She leans back, resting her hands on the grass when she looks up at Erin, not trying to hide her red face anymore.

"Alexia, listen", Erin says as she kneels beside the player, resting her palm onto the captains leg.

"You'll be okay. Get some rest and we'll start with the therapy later that day. And tomorrow you will be back in training. But for now, you need some rest, okay?", Erin smiles.

"Okay", Alexia says, her voice still a little shaky when she looks at her own leg worried, brushing with her fingers over the muscles that were hurting so much.

Erin stands up slowly, stretching her hand out for Alexia to grab and when the athlete does, the therapist pulls the woman up with a smile on her face.

„See, everything fine", Erin smiles when the athlete was now standing in front of her, still a little wobbly on her legs when Erin puts the captains arm around her shoulders, helping her walk back to the locker room to do some more tests.