There it was again. That lingering cough that loomed over Mallory Pugh. The same cough that worried Christen Press and Tobin Heath. It was just a cold. That's all it would ever be.
Until it wasn't. That cough turned into a hack that was followed by wheezing. It kept Mallory up and scared her roommate, Allie Long. One night, around three am, she couldn't stop. She couldn't breathe.
Allie woke up and helped her sit up, feeling the fever burning through her. She took her phone.
<Allie>
Press get down here now, bring Tobin
<Press>
On our way
Within two minutes there was a knock on the door. Press and Tobin stood there, both breathless, both with the same expression on their faces. Fear. "What's wrong?" Press asked, clearly out of breath.
Allie pointed to the bed where Mal was hunched over, hacking. "Oh my God princess," Tobin said, as both of them ran over to her.
"Mama," Mal managed to get out.
Press put a hand on her back and told her to take deep breaths. Eventually she calmed her breathing down enough to speak. "Oh sweetie," she said, kissing her forehead. "Allie, please go get Dawn."
Allie nodded and ran down the hallway. Tobin sat on the other side of Mal and put a hand on her chest. "Princess, take deep breaths for me please."
Mal took shaky breaths for Tobin. "God I can feel all the crap in your lungs."
Mal looked down. "Oh baby, I'm sorry," Tobin said, wrapping her arms carefully around the younger player's torso.
Dawn and Allie came in. "Hey Mal," Dawn said gently. "How's my favorite high schooler doing?"
Mal shrugged, burrying her face in Press' shirt. Press sighed and helped her look at Dawn. Dawn took her temperature, 102, and then took out a stethoscope to check her breathing. After she did that she sighed. "Mal, what did you do three days ago?"
"All I did was play soccer."
"In the pouring down rain?"
Mal looked down and nodded sheepishly. "Well, there's the problem," Dawn said. "No wonder you've got pneumonia."
Press and Tobin's eyes went wide. Mal burried her face again in Press' shirt. Dawn grabbed a thing out of her bag. It looked like a breathing mask hooked up to a small machine. "I want her breathing with this every night until that cough is gone."
The other three players in the room nodded. Dawn also got some fever reducer. "I'm gonna take a wild guess and say you two want her in your room?"
Press and Tobin nodded. "You good with that Allie?"
Allie nodded and smiled at Tobin, Press, and Mal. "Alrighty then, one of you grab the machine, and one of you grab Mal," Dawn said.
Tobin grabbed the machine and Press picked up Mal like a baby. They brought both up to their room. Press set Mal in her bed, since it was closest to the door. Tobin set the machine on her nightstand. "Now, you two are gonna have to sleep together," Dawn explained. "Because she needs her space to breathe."
They both nodded. Press helped Mal put the mask over her face. She kissed her forehead and stroked her cheek until Mal fell asleep.
Press came back to the bed she and Tobin would be sharing. "You worried?"
Press nodded and crawled into bed with her. Tobin wrapped an arm around her. "It's okay, I've got you."
Press sighed and began to fall asleep. About an hour later though, she found herself waking up to Mal's crying. There was nothing more that she wanted to do than crawl into her bed and hold her close and tell her it was okay. But she couldn't.
Finally the alarm went off. Press got up but decided to let her girlfriend and "daughter" sleep. She went downstairs and got breakfast. She then made her way to the coach's table. "Hey, how's Mal?" Dawn asked.
"Still asleep," she responded. "Jill would it be okay if Tobin and I stay and take care of her?"
"Of course girls, but I'll expect some extra laps later."
"Of course, tell the squirt I hope she feels better."
Press fixed a plate for Tobin and a plate for Mal and headed upstairs. She found Tobin just waking up. "Aww CP, you didn't have to do that."
"Yeah, well I didn't want to leave Mal here alone, and you seemed tired."
Tobin smiled at her. "I love you."
"I love you too."
They decided to wake Mal up. "Mmm, what?" she said sleepily.
"I brought food."
Mal felt her stomach turn. "I'm not hungry."
"Please Mal? Just a little something."
"No no."
Press sighed. "Will you drink something then?"
Mal nodded weakly. Press helped her sit up and Tobin brought her a Gatorade. Press realized how sweaty her sheets were because of her fever. She picked her up and put her in the other bed, then began gathering the sheets. She took them down to the laundry room and by the time she came back, Mal was asleep.
"She was thirsty," Tobin commented, showing her the half empty bottle of Gatorade.
"We should've checked her fever, I feel like it spiked."
"I'm sure she's fine," Tobin said, kissing Press' temple. "You worry too much."
Press shrugged.
...
It was a few days later and Mal was feeling a bit better. "Mama?" she called to Press.
"Yes?"
"Can I go with the team to dinner tonight?"
Press sighed. "I'll talk to Tobin about it."
Mal gave her a smile. Press climbed into the bed with her. "How's my princess feeling?"
"Better," she burried her face in her shirt.
When Tobin got home, Press talked to her and they said she could go if her fever was gone. Right before dinner they checked.
"98.5," Press said when it rang. "You can borrow sweats and a t shirt if you want."
"Thanks," Mal replied, getting the clothes and changing.
...
"I missed you so much!" Allie said, hugging her roommate. "How're you feeling?"
"Better," Mal replied, sitting next to her.
She had decided to not to sit with Press and Tobin, and instead sit with Allie. They laughed and talked, but Mal's cough began to return. The cough got worse every time, and Allie was taking notice. "You okay?" she asked gently.
"Yeah," Mal rasped. "Fine."
Allie gave her a look but shrugged. A few minutes later though, she began to hack and wheeze. She couldn't breathe. She fell out of her chair attempting to catch her breath, and Allie screamed for Press and Tobin. They came running over along with Dawn.
Dawn tried to help her but nothing was working. Press turned to her with fear in her eyes. "What do we do?!"
Dawn gave her as calm of a look as she could manage. "Call 911. Now."
Soccersoftball2 is that 3 races in a row?? I win Penguin!
