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By the time Christian got home, the news about the incident at Salad Farm had gone viral. His parents watched on their television screen as their son risked his life to save the President's daughter. They were the only ones who could recognize him in the footage, since he had been wearing the same clothes when he left home that day. When the front door opened to reveal the seventeen year old footballer, his mother shot up from the couch and raced to embrace him, pulling him into a bone crushing hug.
Christian winced in pain, and his mother quickly pulled away, "Are you hurt?" She asked him with a gasp leaving her lips, running her hands up and down his arms carefully.
He said nothing, but winced again.
"Let me see." She urged, starting to pull his jacket off him, which was concealing his arm from sight. In her worry, she started to scold him. "You shouldn't have risked you life like that, Christian. I don't know what your father and I would do if something happened to you."
"Its nothing, mom, believe me. Just a little scratch after I jumped on that man's back. I'll just ice it and I'll be fine." He assured her. He certainly knew that he was in pain, but it really didn't feel as bad as other injuries he had sustained while playing football. He also didn't want the national team finding out because he feared they would take him out of the final squad for the Copa America Centenario. Pulling away from her, he walked over to the couch and dropped his dry cleaner bag on it. With a sigh, he told his parents, "But my only suit was ruined when I rushed to save that girl. I'm just glad she's okay now."
His mother thought about it. "Well, you can wear one of your father's suits from when he was young. But he was taller than you, and just a bit heavier so I'll have to adjust it and hem it."
Christian grinned. "Thank you mom. I'll get in the shower then."
He kissed her on the cheek and ran off to get in the shower. He had done it so quickly so that his parents wouldn't ask him any more questions about his injury.
-
His mother seemed to have worked wonders with his father's old suit, and Chrisrian was ready to go for the team dinner. The players were all set to meet up on the grounds of DC United's RFK Stadium, and from there they were set to ride into the White House via the official USMNT bus.
Christian was dropped off by his parents who wished him luck and he had wrapped a bandage around his arm to keep it in place at least until after the dinner. Then he would be ready to admit that he had actually been hurt during the incident and that maybe it was the best idea for him to be taken to a hospital. The bandage was underneath his clothes and no one could see him. When one of the older players say an uneasy nervousness in the young player's face, he strode over him to him and patted him on the arm, the very same injured arm he was trying to hide.
"Stop looking so nervous, kid." said Clint Dempsey, the former captain of the national team.
He had been the captain for a couple of years until Klinsmann decided Michael Bradley was more suited for the position before the previous year's Copa Oro.
