One Big Family [USWNT]

Chapter 2 I'm Always Here (Age 8)

Lauren and Jrue were not used to waking up past eight am on a Saturday morning. So it worried them when they woke up at 11.

Jrue went downstairs to get some work done and Lauren decided to FaceTime Moe. "Hey Moe," she said.

"Hey Mama Bear, wassup?"

"I think something's up with Cas. She isn't up yet."

"Uh oh, that's not good. Cas usually gets up really early."

"Yeah, I'm gonna go check on her in a few minutes. How's the team?"

"Good, I guess."

"What do you mean?"

"You didn't hear?"

"Hear what? Is everything okay?"

Moe sighed. "Well, Hope retired."

Lauren's eyes went wide. "Really?"

"Yeah, Carli hasn't been into it lately. Everything she does is off. I don't blame her."

"Yeah, you okay?"

Moe shrugged. "I guess, you should go check on Cassie, I have to get back to training. Bye Mama Bear."

"Bye Moe."

Lauren turned off her phone and walked upstairs and into her daughter's room. She found a Cassie sized lump on the bed. "Cas?" she called gently. "Are you okay?"

She got a muffled groan from the pile of blankets. She carefully picked them off to find Cassie, white as a sheet, curled into a ball, and whimpering. "Cassie!" she exclaimed. "Are you okay baby?"

"Mommy it hurts."

"What hurts baby?"

"Everything."

Lauren scooped Cassie into her arms. "Jrue!" she yelled. "Get in the car!"

Jrue ran into the living room as Lauren got to the bottom of the stairs. He opened the door for her and opened the door to the backseat of the car they owned. Lauren lied Cassie in the back and got in shotgun. They rushed to the hospital.

It seemed like it took forever to get a doctor to Cassie. After checking her for strep, they pushed on her abdomen and she screamed. They then knew what was wrong. They rushed her into surgery. Her apendix was about to burst.

The surgery only took a few hours. Lauren paced back and forth on the hospital floor while Jrue was outside calling the team. Right before the surgery finished, Moe showed up. "I caught the soonest flight I could. How's the kid?"

"Still in surgery," Lauren choked out, her cheeks tear stained.

"Hey," Moe said, hugging Lauren tightly. "It's gonna be okay Mama Bear. Kid's a fighter."

She cried on Moe's shoulder. She couldn't lose her baby. A doctor came out. "The surgery was successful," he said. "Nothing to worry about. But, she's asking for someone named... Moe?"

Moe nodded. "That's me," she said. "I'll be right back."

She walked down to the room with the doctor. Even just looking through the window scared her. Her usual energetic, excited, little friend was curled up in a hospital bed with blankets wrapped tight around her. Moe walked in. "Hey kiddo," she said quietly.

Cassie looked up weakly and began crying. Moe was immediately by her side. "Hey," she cooed. "It's okay. Everything is going to be okay now."

Cassie's whimpering died down until it was just sniffles. Moe scooped her up. "Geez you're still burning up," she said. "Do you want your mom and dad?" she asked.