(The fate of new beginning: un edited)

🦋{Caleb's Awakening}🦋

Caleb: "I woke up in the hospital room with my little sister on my bed. She looked very exhausted. 'Nikki, you need to rest. I just had a bad concussion. Did you tell our family?' She nodded her head in response. 'Yes,' she said as she pushed the tray with food toward me. 'What did the doctor say?'"

Nikki: "Caleb, it's more serious than you think. That bad hit you took in the 4th quarter did a lot of damage. You thought it was just a bad concussion, but you were actually in a coma for several days. When you fell on the football field, you fractured your right leg in several places. Most importantly, you had a severe concussion, and the doctors had to work hard to get the blood and swelling down off your brain."

Caleb: "I can't believe this. So, my football career is over?"

Nikki: "The doctor said you won't be able to do anything with your right leg for a while because it's fractured in multiple places. They got all the blood and gave you strong medication for the swelling. But the worst part is, the doctor said you might not be able to play football anymore. Your chances of going pro are in jeopardy."

I saw the shock on Caleb's face as I finished speaking. I had the rest of our family on FaceTime and set my phone on his food tray so they could see us both.

Caleb: "So, I might never play football again? All those offers, all that work... gone?"

Before I realized it, Caleb was crying. I laid on him to calm him down, hugging him gently. He eventually stopped crying.

Nikki: "The doctor did say you have about a 50 percent chance of playing again if you go to rehab and work hard. Just as I finished, there was a knock on the door. 'Come in,' I said."

We looked up and saw our friends.

Friends: "Yeah, Caleb, we're here to help you."

Football Team: "Don't worry, bro, we're here for you. We can't win that state championship without you. You're still our brother, no matter what happens."

Caleb: "Thanks, guys, I appreciate it."

Devin: "Nikki, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Nikki: "Yeah, sure. I'll be back, guys." They all nodded.

Devin: "So, Nikki, some of the guys are willing to stay with him until we all leave at 11:00 am the next day That gives you enough time to go change and get some rest. You look exhausted. I'm going to take you back to the hotel, and I already put his football bag on the bus."

Nikki: "Thank you, Devin." I went back into the room. Caleb was having fun with everyone. "Caleb," I said. He looked at me. "They're going to stay with you. Devin is taking me back to the hotel because I need to change and get some rest. The bus will leave at 11:00 am the next day after, so that will give the nurses time to write up your discharge papers so we can go back to school." I kissed Caleb on the head.

Caleb: "Be careful, Nikki. And please, for my sake, get some rest."

Nikki: "I will be careful, and yes, I will get some rest. I promise you."

After I left him in the room with everyone else, I saw Devin had bought me something to eat. "Thank you," I said. I drank some of my coffee in the car on the way back to the hotel. After the Uber dropped us off, Devin paid the driver, and we walked up to our rooms.

After I got in the room, Amber and Raven were still sleeping. I quickly took a bath and soaked for about 50 minutes. Then I got out, feeling much better. I threw on something simple, plugged in my phone, and redid my Mohawk. I ate my food and drank all my coffee. Then I packed everything on my side of the room, double-checking to make sure I had everything. After my phone was fully charged, I put my phone charger in my suitcase.

I laid my laptop charger on top of my laptop, rolled it up, and added all my classwork to the other compartment of my suitcase. I folded my clothes and put everything else in my backpack. I checked the time—it was 10:20 pm, giving me a couple of minutes to sleep. I set my alarm for 11:00 am on my phone. Shortly after that, I drifted off to sleep.

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