state of grace ✦ leon goretzka

z w ö l f

september

4 DAYS. That was how long they didn't speak for. It was 96 hours of zero interaction, and Leon might have even gone so far as to say that it was the worst 96 hours of his life (it wasn't).

He had occupied his time by going to the training ground for rehab when he was meant to, and then when finished around 4, he'd take a taxi or the train down to whichever of his sister's cities he desired to go to. The first of the four days he went to Düsseldorf, and caught Basti's last match with his middle sister Lola and her fiancée. After the match, he was allowed to the locker room per request and plead of Max and Julian, where he met the two idiots, and then the rest of the German team. My, now that was a magical evening.

The next day, it was down to Mönchengladbach to visit his eldest sister Laura and her husband, son and daughter. After that, it was Cologne again to see Lidia, but this time, it was after he collected his parents from the airport. It was a very relaxed family day. On the fourth day of disconnection, he had a day off and so spent the entire day with the entire family at their family home in Bochum.

The only time he had to think about Grace, and the only time to decide wether to or to not press the button on his phone over which his finger was hovering over, was when travelling, and at night. It haunted him at night. He wanted nothing more than to resolve their problems. His thoughts raked him with guilt more violently during the dark, where he blamed himself endlessly, because it was his fault that they weren't speaking. It was him, who was the coward that decided to be childish and ignore her after she rejected him nicely. He already knew that she didn't want to get into a relationship; what was he thinking trying to kiss her?

On the fourth of September, Leon was slumped on a bench near the Schalke grounds, his training bag over one shoulder and his curls dripping water in front of his eyes. His phone was lit up and challenging him. Her name was at the top of the screen, along with a picture he had sneaked of her one day that they had met.

And then he pressed the screen, and brought the device to his ears.

One, two, three, four, five, six- that's the amount of rings that echoed through his ear until it stopped and almost silence filled the gap.

"Leon?" her voice was delicate, hoarse and quiet.

"Grace? Are you okay?" his heart clenched hearing the sniffle that followed her word.

"It's hard to explain," she breathed, "Can you come to the hospital?"

"I'll be there."

-

He rushed through the familiar building. Leon was hardly at the reception, only spitting out some names before he fled. He rushed through as fast as he could, and no injury could stop him.

He reached the fourth floor after the most excruciating elevator ride, and the only thing he saw was her against the wall, her knees tucked up to her chest.

"Leon," Grace Bauer found strength in herself to stood up as Leon briskly walked towards her. Even from where the doors pried apart, Leon sensed the tears that fell steadily from her eyes, and down her freckled cheek.

"Oh my God," he wrapped his arms so tightly around her that she'd soon feel smothered in the best way, "What's happened?"

"He- he's not dead," Grace clarified into his dampening chest, "Two days ago, he had this attack and he stopped responding to treatment and he's in a coma, and I can't stop crying, Leon."

It was like Grace's heart was trying to escape her chest, and nothing she did or said could contain it. The ongoing tears just made it worse and even looking at Leon flooded her with regret so that the beating became more violent. Her insides were screaming for help, but there was no one there to listen.