Looks can be deceiving (Mapi León x OC)

Chapter 39 - blessing in disguise

When we finally made it to the small doctor's office located inside the Estadi Johan Cruyff, Mapi was placed on a metallic examination table.

"We need to head back to the pitch," one of the paramedics announced, gently putting his hand on the injured blonde's shoulder. "Head up, it's gonna be okay!"

"Gracias," Mapi sniffled as we watched the paramedics leave the room, an older grey-haired woman who had introduced herself as the emergency doctor stayed behind.

"I need to quickly ring my colleagues at the training center because I can't access your file from here," the doctor sighed, getting up from the computer she was sitting at. "Can you already free your knee for me? Don't bend it though, ask your friend to help you if necessary."

Mapi nodded, desperately trying to pull her socks down as soon as the doctor had left the room. The Zaragoza native whimpered in pain as she accidentally bent her knee a little.

"Don't be stubborn, Mapi. Listen to what the doctor said and let me help you" I grinned at the defender who was looking at me with a helpless expression.

"Fine," she grumbled as I slowly came closer, cautiously putting my hand on her leg to let her get used to someone else touching her injury. The blonde inhaled sharply at the added pressure, her sobbing growing louder when I started to carefully pull the sock down.

"How's Bagheera?" I asked her in an attempt to distract her from the pain as the sock had reached the middle of the shinguard that was underneath the blue sock.

"Good," Mapi exhaled loudly, watching me pull the sock fully down before reaching for the shinguard. "He misses you, though."

"I miss him too" I smiled sadly, opening the clasp of her Barcelona-themed shinguard and carefully removing it. "I hope that didn't hurt too much, I'm sorry."

Just when I wanted to take a few steps back to return to the place I had originally been standing, Mapi ponderously straightened herself up, slowly moving her hand to my fingers that were still resting on the examination table. The mere touch of her fingers made my skin tingle as the Spaniard timidly wrapped them around my hand. "There's no need to apologize, Emi. Instead, I need to thank you," Mapi tried to send me a smile, but was hindered by the tears welling up in her eyes once again. "I- I'm just so scared..."

Seeing the normally so tough Mapi like a picture of misery made my heart crumble and I stepped forward, uncertainly putting my arms around the tattoed blonde. It was the first time in a month that we were so close to each other and I could feel Mapi stiffen before she hesitantly reciprocated my hug. As I gently stroked her back, I felt the blonde burying her face in my neck, one of her tears falling on my skin.

"I'm scared" she repeated herself for the millionth time, her body trembling slightly. "What if I tore my ACL, Emi? I'd be out for so long... it would just ruin everything!"

"Shh, don't meet trouble halfway. It could just be a minor injury," I was trying to calm her down when the door opened and the doctor entered with an iPad in her hand, causing the both of us to quickly pull away from each other.

"I've got access to your file and I'm gonna have a look at your knee now and move it around slightly," the older woman explained, taking a seat on a small chair next to the examination table. "Can you talk me through what happened?"

Mapi nodded, reaching for my hand again as the moves and touches of the doctor seemed to aggravate her pain. "I was jumping high for a header and I must have landed funnily because I then fell backward. Afterward, I wanted to get up immediately because I was inside of the goal, but as soon as I put pressure on my leg, my knee started to hurt and I- ouch," the Spaniard suddenly interrupted her torrent of words, squeezing my hand even more firmly. "The place where you're touching me right now hurts the most."