Preath: Head In The Game [Complete]

11: Wheelchair Ride

I woke up to a doctor, standing and staring at me from a few feet away. I felt like I'd just woken up from a dream, but I didn't know what the dream was. The warm white hospital sheets surrounding me felt much better than the hard ground.

I realized it wasn't a doctor, but Christen wearing white. She didn't say anything, but she was smiling, allowing me time to figure things out. With so much morning sun pouring through the window and so much white stuff around, it was hard to believe we weren't in heaven. It felt like the bed was floating a bit. I cranked my head over the side of it to see if she was floating too, but her sandals were firmly on the ground.

"Why, hello," I said.

"Hi, Toboggan," she smiled. I didn't know why she was the only person here, but I liked it this way for now.

"I love this game. And I love youuu." I tried to point at her but my arms were securely tucked under the blankets.

She laughed and sat next to me, bringing the blankets up over me even farther like a mother would. "If you don't remember, you had minor ankle surgery. They said it went well."

I rolled the blanket away from me. "So, can we go?" I whined.

"Not yet," she said. "By the way, your parents were here awhile ago. They just left half an hour ago to speak with your pastor."

"It's still Sunday?"

"No, they're picking him up to visit you."

"Oh, okay," I said. "I like that guy."

She moved the tray over, which was usually used for food but instead had some flowers and cards; not just any flowers and cards, but roses from the Thorns and playing cards.

"They're from the team," she said. "Alex left you some cards, and Allie brought the Nintendo switch."

"Yesss," I said, feeling around for some sort of remote to move the bed so I could sit up. When I found the button, the bed went the other way, so I dropped it and sat up on my own. It's not like I was in any pain.

"I'm sorry I didn't bring you anything," she said.

"Oh, how dare you," I joked. "You're here, Chris. That's all I care about."

She hugged me suddenly. "I'm glad you're okay," she said into my ear. "I'll admit, I was a little scared."

"Why?" I said. "It's just a minor surgery."

"Well, I know that now," she said, pulling away. "At the time, I didn't feel like that."

Then I remembered how it happened. How when I clutched my ankle, even with the player who'd done it to me in my line of vision, all I could think about was the cheering as Christen headed the ball I'd lofted and scored. How we'd shared this incredible moment, even though I wasn't able to hug her and was trying to shift my focus from my pain to the crowd, which cheered even more as the referee pulled out a card.

"You didn't have to get me anything," I said, "but you know what I think I do deserve?"

"What?" she asked.

"For you to put more new rejuvenating day-time coconut oil face cream on me?"

"You're such a big baby," she teased.

"Do you want me to keep this baby soft skin?"

"Alright, alright." She searched around in a Mary-Poppins-sized bag for the small container. "Hold this."

We sat criss-cross in front of each other like little girls at a sleepover. I closed my mouth tightly as she rubbed along my jaw, squinting so that she did a perfect job. She had a pair of sunglasses on her head that barely managed to keep her thick hair in place. When she got near my eyes, I didn't bother to close them.

"There," she said. "Is that good?"

I nodded. "How was the goal last night?"

"Unreal. Then Megan scored and the fans went extra nuts."

"I bet a lot of people were happy for you, too."

"Yeah, well..." She stared off for a moment. "I still need to prove myself, I think."

I wished that she would cut herself a break sometimes. "You're not on the national team because it got handed to you," I said. "It's tough."

"I know," she said, "but there are a lot of tough people. I might feel really good right now, but I have to stay level-headed. Form is temporary..."

"...and class is permanent," I finished.

"Right. Do you need help with the bed remote?"

"Um, prob'ly not-" But she was already playing with it. Soon, like a dentist chair, the whole bed was moving. "Woah."

"Crap," she said.

"See, look, you can't get it either."

She sighed, but didn't give up. "It shouldn't be rocket science."

"That's when you were supposed to say 'I didn't ask to be insulted', remember?" I said. "I remembered, and I'm on meds."

"I remember," she said. "If we were going off of what happened in the hotel with your key, then I would also have to tickle you. And I don't want to get kicked out just yet."

A blonde doctor with a stethoscope and the whole bit entered the room. "Maybe you are getting kicked out," I said. Then I realized what the nurse was carrying. Food.

"Feeling better?" The nurse asked.

"Yeah," I said. "When can I play again?"

"Not too long, but you're going to want to keep off of it for now."

She didn't really answer my question, but she brought food, so I was alright with it. As I dug in, I felt uncomfortable with Chris watching me, still sitting on the bed.

"Are you hungry?" I asked, ripping a piece of a bagel off for her. "Here, eat."

"I can't eat that," she said. "It's yours."

"Then let's go down to the restaurants. Where're the crutches?"

"You can't walk. Did you hear the nurse?"

I had, but my ankle seemed to feel fine. "That's lame," I said.

"Medically speaking, you are lame," she said. "If you want, I can wheel you down."

Ooh, spins in the wheelchair? "Sounds good to me."

So I got myself into the wheelchair (well, I tried to do it by myself, but she insisted that she helped) and we started down the hall.

"Don't be afraid to go fast," I said.

"There are so many nurses around," she said.

Somebody stepped out of the elevator at the end of the hall. "I bet you can get us there before it closes."

She sighed. "Fine." We zoomed by, and I felt like I was a kid on a carnival ride. I didn't let it bother me that she thought I was a child. When we entered the elevator, there was a middle-aged man in there. From my perspective, I could still see that the back of his head was starting to bald. It looked... cold. Being this close to the ground and getting told what to do really did make me feel like a kid again.

Christen ordered a Korean bowl and we sat in the food court, once again on the same level.

"How long were you here this morning?" I asked.

"I actually got here with Alyssa at about seven-thirty," she said. "You slept right through everything." As she spoke, I noticed a TV behind her talking about last night's game at the stadium. My name was in the subtitles.

"Anyway," Chris said, "your snores were pretty soft... did you know you have bacon in your hair?"

"Oh..." I said. "Yeah, I'm sure by now you've realized I'm not the most graceful thing in the world."

"Of course you are," she said. "Just look at you on the field, so calm and sophisticated. I'm sure you're a lot more graceful than me."

"You're a beautiful football player." I meant you play beautifully. I meant you play beautifully. I meant you play beautifully.

She smiled, staring down at her rice and avocado while I pawed at my hair like an angry cat, unable to see what I was looking for without a mirror.

"Move your hand," she said as she pulled it out with one attempt. She went back to her food, leaving me feeling like my wheelchair was actually a high chair and I was just a silly kid in an adult body, watching a woman who was far more capable. Then her phone rang.

"Hello?" she said with a mouthful of cabbage, moving her hair to hear the voice on the other end of the phone better. I tuned out for only about five seconds when her fork hit the bowl with a clunk.

"What!?" she shouted into the phone.

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A/N: Can't believe this story just hit 10k reads! Thank you so much for reading every Friday, and let me know what you think of this chapter and what you think might happen next...!