Juniper

Prologue

     A timid looking nurse peered from around the bleached office wall corner and softly spoke, "Juniper Keene, the doctor is ready to see you."

     Juniper slowly rose from her seat, roughly balancing on her crutches, deeply exhaling as she shuffled towards the nurse. Her leg was  pulsing with pain with every slow hop she took.The nurse escorted her to a small box-like room with a small desk, familiar looking tools, and a typical examining chair. Juniper plopped onto the white paper and shifted on the crinkly paper until her leg was dangling in the air. A partly bald doctor sat at the desk, not even looking at her as she sat there. The nurse quietly exited. 

     "Ms. Juniper Keene, correct?" sighed the exhausted looking doctor. 

     "Yes, in the flesh," Juniper chimed. Her cheery tone made the doctor perk up a bit, adding a bit of cheer to the dismal day he has had. 

     "So," he started, "your results have finally been sent here, and I hope these results don't put a damper on your day." He had already thought over how he would tell her the unfortunate news, but it still sputtered like a car that hadn't been used for ages.

     "Well, besides the fact that your fibula is fractured, you have a torn ligament, such as we expected. Besides the fact, this healing is going to take roughly a total of five weeks under constant check-ups to make sure you can continue to your passion, Ms. Keene."

     Juniper flopped backwards as her eyes became waterfalls and her voice a constant, "why?!" Juniper knew exactly what this meant. The tournament that would decide her entrance to the 2018 Olympics, was totally out of question. The tournament would have given her the slightest chance of making it onto the team for the season. Now, she couldn't compete, and only because, of that one day off the ice.