Chapter Thirty Three

Aspen

"Looking good ladies!" Coach says, walking around our pyramid, "Bases, lock your knees, we don't want you hurting yourselves."
"Yes, coach!" Comes the reply from several of the girls on the ground below me.
"Okay, good work. Let's get our laps in and then we can call it a day." As she tells us this, she glances around the field, watching the football boys practicing, a murmured "ouch," leaving her lips when one of them gets taken down by a hard tackle.
Trying to keep from becoming distracted by my man out on the football field, I quickly make my way over to the track and begin jogging, quickly catching up to one of the girls on the track team. We run alongside one another for several minutes before she pulls her earbuds out of her ears and reaches her hand over towards me, "I'm Brooklyn," she says to me with a kind smile.
"Aspen," I tell her, grasping ahold of her hand and shaking it. Brooklyn's eyes widen just a moment before something barrels into me, knocking me to the ground, with my head ricocheting off of the hard surface as the sound of her voice shouting, "Oh, shit," belatedly registers, even though it's way too late to do anything now.
Unable to move for a moment, I lay still with my eyes closed, waiting for my head to stop spinning and the ringing in my ears to quiet down. Taking deep breaths in and out, the spinning and buzzing both ease up until they're barely noticeable, only then do I realize that someone is saying my name repeatedly. Opening my eyes, I see both Boston and Lincoln standing over me, along with an older man, who I assume is their coach. The girl, Brooklyn who just introduced herself to me is also standing over me, along with my Cheer Coach.
"Okay?" I hear a voice ask, not quite sure who said it or what they were asking. I must give them a look of confusion, because they repeat themselves, "Are you okay?" My Coach asks, panic and concern written all across her features.
"Aspen, I think you need to see a doctor, make sure you don't have a concussion. You hit your head pretty dang hard and seemed to have been out for a few minutes before coming to," Boston says, clearly concerned for my wellbeing.
Not liking the idea of medical attention, I try to shake my head no, but when a wave of intense pain followed by nausea overwhelms me, I quickly change my mind. "O-okay," I tell them, not even trying to move my head again.
"Do you think you can get up?" The football coach asks, holding his hand out for me to take.
"No," I tell him, then swallowing thickly, I continue, "it hurts too bad to move my head."
"Shit!" Who sounds like Boston curses, but in my current state, I can't be sure. It could just as easily be Lincoln or another one of the people standing around me.
I hear what sounds like footsteps quickly heading towards me, distracting me momentarily, only to be brought back to those around me by the sound of someone's voice saying, "we need an ambulance at the Hawthorne High football field," before I see coach stand up and walk away, his phone still plastered to his ear.
"I got ahold of your mom, Aspen." Lincoln tells me as he kneels down next to me beside his brother, "She's going to meet us at the hospital."
"Thank you," I tell him in a voice just barely above a whisper.
"Fuck! I am so sorry, Aspen, I threw the ball too far and Cash was watching the ball instead of where he was going and just...God! Please be okay." As he spoke, his words began to sound further and further away, and darkness began to creep back in, my eyes slowly closing as I could no longer keep them open.
"Aspen!" I hear a panicked voice shout, "Come on baby. Open those beautiful eyes back up for me, please."
Boston's voice is the last thing I hear before everything goes completely silent and total darkness takes over.
-------------------------------------------------------
*Beep, beep, beep.*
*Beep, beep, beep.*
*Beep, beep, beep.*
"Calm down, Son. She will be okay. There is no way that you could have predicted that this would happen. Doc said she's going to be alright; she just has to take it easy and for us to watch for symptoms of her concussion worsening." Collin says to one of the boys, while at the same time I feel a warm hand grasp ahold of my right one, their thumb rubbing back and forth along the skin on top.
"What if she doesn't wake up?" Another voice says, this one much closer than the last. With my hand still in theirs, they lift mine up until I feel the roughness of their lips pressed against my knuckles, a quiet, "I'm so sorry. Please wake up," mumbled so low, I don't even know if I was actually meant to hear or if it was said more as a plea to God.
I try opening my eyes, wanting to ease their pain, and let them know that I'm okay, but as soon as my eyes are barely open, I quickly shut them again, the bright lights, way too bright for my eyes to be able to handle at the moment. I hear the uptick in the beeping and assume that it must be my heart rate, as it increased with the intense pain that shot through my head with even the most infinitesimal amount of light that made its way between my eyelids.
Taking a deep breath, I try to open my eyes again, this time better prepared for the brightness that will assault me and the pain that is sure to follow.
Only, this time, there is no bright light, nor intense pain that comes once I peel my eyes open.
"There she is." Coos Boston, followed closely by Collin, mom, Lincoln, Jackson, and Dallas, all standing around my bed. As I take in my surroundings, I realize that I'm in a hospital bed. *Of course, the beeping should have clued me in, but I'm blaming the head injury for that one,* I think to myself as I take in the gamut of emotions that are written all over the faces surrounding me.
"What happened?" I ask, my voice coming out a little scratchy.
Lincoln quickly leaves his spot at my side, then just as quickly reappears holding a cup with a straw, filled with what I'm going to assume is water.
"Slow, small sips," Mom orders like I'm four again and she's taking care of me while I had the flu and could barely keep anything down, "Good girl," She coos, rubbing her hands over my hair, petting me as if I were a cat or dog.
When I feel like I've drunk enough, I ask my question once more, "what happened?"
Each of my family members looks at one another before Boston leans slightly over the side of my bed, gaining my attention, "What is the last thing that you remember?" he asks hesitantly.
I try to think back on what I last remember. I remember our family game night. I try to think harder, but the last thing I remember is watching movies in the game room with the boys, but I'm not sure exactly when that was.
"Weren't we watching Harry Potter?" I ask, looking around at Boston, Jackson, Dallas, and Lincoln. Then, take in mom's red, tear-stained eyes and Collin's tense, fearful expression.
"Honey," Mom tells me, “That was two days ago, on Sunday. It's now Tuesday."
"Tuesday?" I ask, trying to remember.
"You've been out for almost twenty-four hours." Boston says, "You were out on the track running with one of the track girls when Cash went after the ball that Lincoln threw. He wasn't paying attention to his surroundings and ended up taking you down." He tells me, recalling the events of yesterday, even though I have no recollection of them at all.
"You suffered a concussion, honey," Mom tells me, then turns towards Collin, "we should probably let the doctor know that she's awake."
"I got it," Collin tells her when she makes to leave the room.
"No, I think I need a moment away," she tells him, then turning towards me, her eyes pleading with me to understand, "it's just been a lot. I will only be a minute."
"It's okay. You go." I tell her, honestly needing a minute myself.
As soon as the door to the room is shut, with both mom and Collin stepping out, I feel Boston's lips against my forehead, "Fuck! You scared me, Baby," he tells me, giving me a slight peck on the lips, then pulling back, "don't you *ever* do that to me again!" he tells me, completely serious.
"I'm sorry. Next time, I'll make sure to stop time, so that I can be sure that I get out of the way before getting hit again." I tell him sarcastically.