Adaeze

88

The entire game stopped and my teammates surrounded me.

I laid there with tears streaming down my cheeks then saw my coach's face. My hands surrounded the pain but I couldn't bring myself to touch it.

"Ko! I need you to talk to me, bud. What happened?" he asked.
I couldn't think. I was writhing with my eyes shut.
"That guy landed directly on his knee. He basically stomped on it with all his weight when he landed." Trent told him.
"Alright, Trent. Help me get him up." Coach said.

They grabbed at either side of me and I had to put my arms over their shoulders.

I screamed again.
"Okay. It's okay. We're not gonna touch it." Coach said and Trent dropped his hand. The moment he touched my knee it was like he was toying with broken bone.
Coach held my left leg up by underneath the knee but Trent held the right one up by under the thigh.
I was picked up and they started walking me off the court.
The crowd applauded like they usual do after an injured player is helped off of the court.

I saw that our trainer had pulled out one of the beds from the training room.

They laid me on it.

The pain had me digging my nails into the cushion of the bed.

Our trainer, Aisha, stood next to me.

"Can I touch it? Is that okay?" she asked.
I shook my head.
"No? Okay. That's alright. I'm just gonna look at it."

I watched the rest of the game continue. But Coach stayed next to me while she checked my leg.

"Can you move it?" she asked.
I tried and immediately bit my lip to not groan. I felt my finger go through the bed cushion, I was squeezing it so hard.
I shook my head.
"Okay. Well it's definitely fractured."
"Yea, it's bruising and swelling fast." Coach stated.
"We're gonna get you in a chair. Is your mom here?" Aisha asked.
I looked for them.

I saw them all looking this way and staring with worried expressions.
"Yea." I sniffed.
"Okay. I'm gonna get your wheelchair, Coach can you tell his parents? We're gonna get them to take him to the hospital."
"Yea." He walked off.

"I'll be right back." she told me.
I nodded and she walked away.

I looked down at my knee.

The entire thing was swollen and it had a big bruise. It was kind of deformed. Gross.

I looked away from it and saw my mom and Adaeze hurrying to me while my dad and Tatum casually followed behind them.

"Oh my goodness, my baby!" my mom said while she held my arm and my face.
"I'm fine." I told her.
Adaeze held my hand.
"Damn, kid. Couldn't let off the guy for a second, huh?" Dad joked and I scoffed.
"I should've."
"Nah, ya gotta keep the game interesting."
"David!" my mom yelled.
"What? He has you to worry. I can't just freak out with you. It'll stress him out. The boy has enough on his plate. Obviously." he said and gestured at my knee.
I snickered.
"Alright, now stop fakin' it. Get on the court." he joked.
"I can't even move this thing." I scoffed.

Aisha came back with the wheelchair and in it was my stuff and something to wrap my knee with.

"Okay, family. It is a fracture. But with proper healing, staying off of it, and physical therapy he'll be back in no time." she stated.
"Can he play again?" dad asked.
"Unfortunately...I don't think he'll be able to play again before the season is over. Fractures take time to heal and once you have one major injury, coaches don't typically let you back in for the rest of the season. He could be walking on it before then but he definitely won't be able to play on it for a while."
Felt like I was shot in the chest.

I know I complain about practice and workouts a lot but...having it taken from me feels like a punch in the gut. I liked playing. Nobody really likes practice. Now I can't do any of it.

"Alright." Dad sighed.
"I'm gonna go ahead and wrap him up really quickly then have you take him to the emergency room." she stated.

My mom got out of the way so she could wrap my knee.

"Are you okay?" Adaeze asked and the hand that wasn't holding mine, held the side of my face.
"Yea." I nodded. "Hearing I can't play anymore might've hurt more than the injury, I'm not gonna lie." I tried to smile it off.
"Ololufe..." she said sadly and kissed my head. "I'm sorry."
"You didn't do it." I snickered.
"I know but..."
"It's fine. Guess I get to sleep more like I hoped." I joked.
She looked at me with the saddest eyes.
"Don't look at me like that you're gonna make it sadder. I'm trying to joke it away." I snickered.
"I'm sorry." She looked away from me.
"It's okay." I rubbed the back of her hand with my thumb.

I winced a bit at the pain of her wrapping it but she finally finished.

"Dad, can you help me get him in the chair?" Aisha asked.
"Come on, Tatum." Dad called. He took my stuff out of the chair.
Adaeze moved so my dad could get me and Tatum moved to the other side.
They both lifted me out of the bed then walked me to the chair.
"Put him down gently." dad commanded. Probably because Tatum's a dick but I'm sure he wouldn't just throw me down anyway. He's bad but he's not that bad.

They set me down and Adaeze stood behind me with her hands on the handle bars.
"I'll call you in to let them know you're coming." Aisha stated.
"Thank you." My parents responded.
My dad carried my bag and Adaeze pushed my chair.
Tatum's not the type to just throw me when I'm injured but he definitely would drive my wheelchair like he was racing a shopping cart. So he's not allowed back there.

On our way out, Tristan and Dylan met up with us.
"Dang, dude." Dylan said.
"I'm sorry, man. That fall looked painful." Tristan stated. They walked with us to the exit.
"It wasn't even the fall. He landed right on my knee. I felt a pop or a crack or something and it went downhill from there."
"So it's a fracture?" Tristan asked.
"Do you just know everything?" Dylan asked him.
"Maybe." Tristan shrugged.
I snickered at them. "Yea. It's a fracture."