Arsenal Womens OneShots

Lean On Me-Katie McCabe×Caitlin Foord

Katie McCabe sprinted down the field, her focus solely on the ball. It was just another training session, another day on the pitch with her teammates. But in the blink of an eye, everything changed. One misstep, a sudden tangle of feet, and Katie went crashing to the ground.

Her wrist hit the turf at an odd angle, and the moment she saw it bent unnaturally, swelling already setting in she knew something was very wrong. A wave of nausea hit her as pain shot up her arm, more intense than anything she'd felt before.

“Katie!” Caitlin Foord’s voice broke through the fog of pain. She was beside her in seconds, her hands hovering helplessly as she tried to figure out what to do. “Don’t move, love. Just... don’t move.”

“I’m fine,” Katie lied, gritting her teeth through the pain. Her whole body trembled, but her stubbornness refused to let her admit how bad it was.

“Your wrist is literally pointing the other way,” Beth Mead’s voice came from behind Caitlin, her tone a mix of disbelief and concern. “You’re not fine.”

Vivianne Miedema, Beth’s partner and Katie’s other best friend, crouched down on Katie’s other side. “We need to get her to the medics. Now.”

“I don’t need help,” Katie snapped, trying to sit up, but the movement sent another sharp jolt of pain through her arm, making her cry out involuntarily.

“Yeah, right,” Beth muttered. “And I don’t need coffee to function. Sit still, McCabe.”

Katie felt Caitlin’s gentle hand on her shoulder, urging her to stay put. “Please, Katie,” Caitlin whispered, her voice laced with concern. “Let them take care of it.”

Katie clenched her jaw, tears of frustration mixing with the pain. She hated this being the one who needed help. But one look at Caitlin’s worried face, and she couldn’t argue anymore. She nodded, her voice barely a whisper. “Fine.”

The surgery to reset Katie’s wrist went well, but the aftermath was brutal. The cast on her arm was heavy, a constant reminder of her injury and the fact that she’d be out of action for weeks. For someone as independent and active as Katie, the forced downtime felt like torture.

Caitlin, however, was a constant presence by her side, always there to help, even when Katie was too stubborn to admit she needed it.

“Let me do it,” Caitlin said one morning, watching as Katie struggled to tie her shoelaces with one hand. Katie grunted in frustration, her left hand fumbling with the knot.

“I’ve got it,” Katie insisted, her voice tight.

Caitlin sighed, walking over and gently pushing Katie’s hand aside. “I know you do, but it’s okay to let me help.”

Katie glared at her, though the anger wasn’t really directed at Caitlin. It was at herself, at her stupid wrist, at the fact that she couldn’t do the simplest things without feeling weak.

“I hate this,” Katie muttered, her voice low as she finally let Caitlin tie her laces. “I hate feeling useless.”

Caitlin paused, looking up at her. “You’re not useless, Katie. You’re hurt. There’s a difference.”

Katie let out a long breath, leaning back against the couch. “It just feels like I’m stuck.”

Caitlin smiled softly, sitting down next to her and taking her good hand in hers. “You’re not stuck. You’re healing. And you don’t have to do it alone.”

Beth and Viv practically moved in during Katie’s recovery, bringing snacks, games, and endless distractions to keep her mind off the fact that she couldn’t play.

“You are the worst patient,” Beth declared one afternoon, sitting cross-legged on the floor of Katie’s living room as they tried (and failed) to get through a movie marathon. Katie had been fidgeting the entire time, clearly restless.

Katie rolled her eyes, shifting uncomfortably on the couch. “I just don’t see why I can’t do some light training. It’s just my wrist. My legs are fine.”

“Your legs might be fine, but your common sense is clearly broken,” Viv said, not looking up from her phone as she scrolled through Instagram.

Katie glared at her. “Not very helpful, Vivvy.”

“Just trying to keep it real,” Viv replied, her lips twitching into a small smile. “You’re going to heal faster if you stop trying to rush it.”

Beth nodded in agreement. “Yeah, let the medics do their job. In the meantime, we’ll be here to entertain you.”

Katie snorted. “Yeah, you’re real entertaining.”

Beth raised an eyebrow. “Says the woman who fell asleep in the middle of our last game of Mario Kart.”

Caitlin chuckled from where she stood in the kitchen, making tea. “In her defense, she was on pain meds.”

Despite Katie’s protests, her recovery stretched on for weeks. And through it all, Caitlin remained patient, even when Katie’s stubbornness got the better of her.

One night, after a particularly tough day at rehab, Katie sat on the edge of the bed, staring at her cast in frustration. “I’m never going to get back to where I was,” she muttered.

Caitlin sat down beside her, resting a hand on her back. “Yes, you will.”

Katie shook her head. “I’m serious, Cait. What if I never play the same way again?”

“You will,” Caitlin said firmly, her eyes locking with Katie’s. “You’re one of the hardest working people I know. This isn’t the end for you, it’s just a setback.”

Katie didn’t respond, her eyes focused on the cast, her mind racing with all the doubts she’d been trying to push away. She felt Caitlin’s arms wrap around her, pulling her into a gentle hug.

“I know you hate asking for help,” Caitlin whispered into her hair. “But we’re a team. You don’t have to do this alone, Katie. I’m here, Beth and Viv are here, everyone’s got your back.”

Katie leaned into Caitlin’s embrace, the tension in her shoulders slowly easing. “I just… I don’t know how to be okay with this.”

“You don’t have to be okay with it,” Caitlin said softly. “You just have to let yourself heal. And in the meantime, we’ll take care of you.”

Eventually, the day came when Katie’s cast came off, and she was cleared to return to light training. The first time she stepped back onto the pitch, her heart raced with both excitement and nerves. Her wrist was still stiff, still weak, but it was healing.

Caitlin stood at the sidelines, watching as Katie jogged through some drills. Beth and Viv were there too, cheering her on.

“You’re back!” Beth shouted, her grin wide as she pumped her fist in the air.

“Not fully,” Katie called back, but she couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face. It felt good to be moving again, to feel the ball at her feet, even if it wasn’t quite at full speed yet.

Caitlin jogged over, a proud smile on her face. “Told you you’d get there.”

Katie smirked. “Yeah, yeah. You and your optimism.”

Caitlin laughed, wrapping an arm around Katie’s waist. “Someone’s gotta keep you in check.”

Katie chuckled, leaning into Caitlin as they walked off the pitch together. Her wrist still ached sometimes, and she knew she had a long road ahead before she was back to full strength. But with Caitlin by her side, and Beth and Viv always cheering her on, she knew she’d get there.

After all, she wasn’t doing this alone.