SUNSHINE

nine

"Then why plastics?"

"I started my residency in trauma, but after being a firefighter myself, I wanted to be a leader in the burn unit, which lead me to plastics, and here I am."

"One of my friends cousins is a paramedic in Utah, she also plays soccer professionally."

"Is that what you want to do?"

"I hope so, I mean I'm going to one of the top universities for soccer and already play for the youth national teams."

"You must be pretty good then."

"I like to think so."

"Humble yet confident, I like that about you." He tied off the last knot in her stitches and put his utensils down. "You're all stitched up, I'm just going to tape some gauze over it. Keep it covered while it heals and try to stay off of it for the next day or two. You can probably get away with standing and not moving a lot for about thirty minutes, other than that keep your weight off of it so the stitches can heal nicely. Don't get it wet for forty-eight hours and keep it out of the sunlight. Otherwise, you risk infection, and you want to play in your district tournament. If you have any problems, just come back here and ask for me, I'll come to you personally."

"I can't thank you enough, sir." She said with a smile as he helped her sit up on the bed. Luckily she had changed out of her cleats and was left with her socks and Birkenstocks.

"Not a problem, it's my job. No need to thank me, and no need to call me sir. When you make it big, I'll make sure to come watch a game." Dr. Sloan responded with a laugh as a nurse brought over discharge papers and a pair of crutches.

"I'll hold you to that." She said with a smile, taking the clipboard and signing where she needed to before getting to her feet and putting the crutches under her arms. Dr. Sloan walked out beside her, the two of them finding her parents.

"Here is a packet of how to take care of her stitches just in case you have any questions. I told Casey she can just come here if she has any problems, but I'm pretty good at my job. Just come back next week to see if we can take those stitches out, alright?" He said to the three of them before his pager went off. "If you'd excuse me, I have to head back upstairs for a consult. You three have a wonderful night, and Casey, go win a district title."

--

They got home that evening, Casey half asleep after a long evening of soccer and hospitals. Her parents kept pestering her to make sure she was alright and that she had everything she needed before she finally shooed them and made her way to her room. She threw her crutches to the bottom of the stairs and used the railing to swing from step to step on her way down to the basement and made it down with no problems. She sat down on her bed and finally plugged her phone in and took it off airplane mode to get a boatload of messages from her teammates and friends to see if she was alright. She texted them all back to let them know she was home safe and sound, but hurting. She found messages from Jackson, finding that he had messaged her a few times and tried to Facetime a few times as well. When she was about to respond, he Facetimed her once again, and she answered, and a wave of relief seemed to rush over his face.

"Casey, you haven't answered your phone all night. I heard that you were in the hospital. Are you alright?" He asked quickly, stumbling on his words a little while he was trying to get everything out at once.

"I got cleated pretty bad to wear I needed stitches, but I am home and fine, just in pain." She explained. "Sorry, I didn't mean to worry you, I just didn't want my phone to die so I had it on airplane mode."

"No, it's okay, I'm glad you're okay." He responded with a sigh and a smile. "I'll see you tomorrow, alright? I just wanted to make sure you were alright before I went to bed."

"You know, you could've gone to bed. It's almost one in the morning." She said, finally looking to the alarm clock that rest on the dresser across the room.

"I wanted to make sure the girl I care about is alright." He responded, and she felt her cheeks flush with heat. "Goodnight, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Night Jackson."

--

Being on crutches was the absolute worst, especially when you were one of the popular kids to where everyone asks what happened, and it had gotten to the point to where she just wanted to go home, and it was not even second hour. Luckily, they took their third and fourth hour exams that day and were done for the day, for they had already taken their fifth hour exam.

"How's the leg?" Riley asked when they sat down in fourth hour, ready to do their questionnaire and leave for the day, for there was no point sitting there for a seventy minute exam that they were not even required to take because they did the AP exam.

"It hurts but I'm managing. I haven't ripped the stitches and haven't bled through them yet, so that's gotta be a good sign." Casey responded as she picked up her pencil to write down her opinions and answers on the single sided piece of paper. She and Riley finished around the same time and left together, happy to be out of school an hour earlier than expected.

"Just try not to force it tomorrow, alright? I know we're going to mercy these guys but don't play if you're not up to it." Riley said, and she just rolled her eyes.

"Dr. Sloan said that I can stand without doing much for about thirty minutes, so I am gonna play tomorrow. I just won't warm up or anything. We won't be getting any action tomorrow anyhow, you might as well be an extra midfielder." She explained as they got to her car. She was able to drive since her stitches were in her left leg instead of her right, so their normal plans were still a go.

"I mean, you're not wrong, but just take it easy. We need you next week." She begged.

"I know, I know. I'm not gonna push it." She answered with a sigh, saying what Riley wanted to hear. She put her crutches in the back and got into the driver's seat, started the car, and the two of them went back to her house for the remainder of the afternoon until their training session. Casey would not be practicing, but as a captain she was still going to be there to motivate her team to put their best into their final training session of the regular season. She also was not going to miss her last practice of the regular season before districts. She was already close enough to not being able to play her last game of her high school career before the post season began.