Connections

16

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A/N: I was listening to The Cranberries, Zombie, while re-writing this and I think it's a very fitting song for the first half of the chapter.

2019

Charlotte's POV.

By now the long bus journeys have become blurred and they pass without you really noticing.

The journey this time is to London for a meeting with West Ham in the league before the girls head off on international duty.

There's still three hours before we reach the hotel and Macca has been asleep the whole time, no surprises there. She gets sleepy as soon as she gets on the bus but usually chooses to sleep on the floor for some weird reason and often becomes the laughingstock of the girls Instagram, however they have been relatively quiet since we left, allowing me to get some work finished.

Now a little unsettled and tense, I stand and walk a length of the bus, checking up on the girls and pausing in the middle to think.

Steph is watching something on her tablet but she keeps lifting her eyes to meet mine, the captain confused at my pacing; a bad habit I've started while being in this job. My phone buzzes as she looks back at the screen and knowing full well who it is, I take the device out to read the message, shaking a little.

From Lucy

I will be back in the UK tomorrow ahead of flying to Qatar. I've spoken to Stan about what she said and I do believe it has a little bit of truth to it. You took my best friend away from me and I don't believe we had a good relationship.

I'm sorry Lottie but she's my friend.

The bus lurches and because I'm not paying attention, I do too, losing my balance and falling down the stairwell to land in a crumpled heap. I hear muffled voices and people moving around before everything gets blurrier and then it all just goes black.

Steph's POV.

One minute I'm watching Charlotte read a text and the next I'm watching two of my teammates lift her from the bottom of the stairwell and onto a seat, our analyst lying white as a sheet, bruised and knocked out by the fall.

To my surprise, the commotion wakes up Abbie, who looks first confused about where she is and then worried about Lottie.

Sarah rushes up the middle while Scott grabs the first aid kit and we watch as the doctor brings Lottie round and checks her over, Scott cleaning her face up and putting ice on her bruised cheekbone. Once satisfied everyone returns to their seats and I vacate mine to have a conversation with Charlotte, booting Ellie and Georgia off the back seats and helping Charlotte into one.

"What happened?" I ask, "I saw you check you phone before you fell" I add concerned, watching Lottie's hands clench in her lap.

"Lucy texted. Look".

She pulls up the text and lets me read it, "Stan was right" she blurts out before breaking down into sobs. I pull her into a hug as Abbie and KB giving me worried looks, "ssh, it's ok" I say quietly, rubbing her back, "we'll find a way to put this right; I promise" I reply as she slowly falls asleep.

*

Charlotte's POV.

I open my eyes to the soft light of a lamp illuminating the room.

Definitely at the hotel then.

I don't remember much after falling, apart from snippets of Scott cleaning my face and a short conversation with Steph.

Enough is enough and I swing my legs off the edge of the bed, standing up, albeit a little slowly and walk to the bathroom to examine my face. Bruised eyebrow, bust lip that's swollen to what feels like the size of a balloon, bruise cheekbone and the beginnings of a black eye, plus a huge lump on the back of my head.

Well played Charlotte.

I throw my hair up into a ponytail, making myself as presentable as possible before slipping on my trainers and heading out of the door.

Wandering the floor, I eventually find the lift and take it down, walking into reception to see Steph waiting for me, "how do you feel?" she smiles. "How did you know I was up?" I reply, "just a hunch" the defender shrugs.

"I'm ok. A bit sore and I look like I've beaten up, which I suppose I have" I laugh.

"And by a staircase too" Steph teases.

We walk into what I presume is a conference room and find the other members of staff, all looking relieved that I'm up and about, "first off, I'm glad you're feeling better Lottie. We don't need our analyst to be out of action" he smiles and I smile back.

"Now we spoke about the threats West Ham pose in Ross and especially Lehmann, however they announced Adrianna Leon, a Canadian international; this morning" he begins, "we are also expecting the announcement of South Korean captain Cho So-hyun tomorrow. We don't have much information on her, however we have an advantage on Leon".

"Charlotte I want you to go and get as much information from Janine about her international teammate as possible. We need to try and eliminate some threat, but only if you're up for it" Nick explains.

"I'll be happy to help" I reply, "just say the word and I'll go".

*