The Pointe Of The Game

Charlie Williams

I ignore the several calls that continue coming in from my teammates and coaches and instead pace the waiting room, waiting for any new news about my girl. Last time I got any information out of the nurses; which I had to practically beg for, I found out that she's in surgery. I also found out that Ollie's parents are both on shift so they've been with her. That gives me comfort because I don't want my girl to be all alone. I continue my pacing and when the waiting room doors open I don't pay any attention to who's coming through them. A tug on my arm forces me back to the present and when I turn to the source of the pull, I find my mom. As soon as her eyes meet mine, I feel my facade crumble. She pulls me into her arms and I cry into her shoulder, feeling like a little kid again. She leads me to a couple chairs in the corner trying to offer me some privacy.

After I've calmed myself down a little bit more, my mom starts attempting to talk to me. I think she's trying to distract me but it's not really working. Finally, after almost two hours of waiting, her dad emerges from the hospital doors. He walks over to us and starts to give us the rundown of her injuries and I try my best to listen, "...Jones fracture...tearing of her cartilage... dislocated ankle... dislocated shoulder... concussion... broken leg... three different places... out for several months... very fragile state... needs to be watched carefully... just out of surgery..." my head spins as I try to comprehend what her father is saying and it makes my blood boil, which surprises even me because it's rare that I get angry about anything. 

"How can you say all of this about your own child!" I all but roar at him, the anger exploding out of me. He steps back with shock on his face but I don't care. He has to care about his kid. Right? "You care about her! Don't you? Just care, Please!" 

Not being able to take another second with him, I race out of the hospital desperate to get air into my lungs and see my girl with my own eyes. I need to make sure he didn't hurt her. I feel myself stumble into grass so I let myself fall onto my knees and I sit there for who knows how long staring at nothing while looking at everything. Knowing nobody's coming to save me, I stand up and force myself to walk back to the hospital. He is still talking to my mom so I go to the nurse at the desk and ask if I can go see my babe. She directs me to her room and I waste no time finding it and going inside.

I see Ollie sleeping in her bed and she looks so peaceful. Like the silence before a storm. I sit in the chair next to her and grab her hand, feeling it soft and warm in my hand is the feeling I focus on for the next few minutes. Looking over her makes me so sad. She has bandages all over her. Her shoulder is all swollen and bruised, and I can see the bulk of her bandages under the blankets draped over her legs. When she starts to stir, I sit up and focus on her, softly calling her name. She opens her eyes slowly and looks around before focusing on me. I give her a small smile before saying, "Hey Ollie girl. How are you feeling?"

She groans softly before saying, "That's the wrong thing to ask right now. I hurt."

"Where do you hurt?" I ask her softly

"On my right side everywhere." she says. She sits up and then starts feeling her side before lifting up her hospital shirt to show the side of her body. Her side is big and red and nasty looking. She starts to gently touch her side, experimenting with her pain tolerance. Her eyes lock with mine and I can see the sadness in them. The nurse walks in then and she puts her shirt down before laying back down slightly leaning on her left side. The nurse explains the extent of her injuries before checking her pain meds in the IV and walking back out. Turns out she has four broken ribs which explains the pain and swelling on her side. She has a dislocated shoulder and ankle, some torn cartilage in her knee and her leg was broken in three differences. And the cherry on top is a Jones fracture and a mild concussion.