USWNT - High School

Chapter 15

Kelley's POV

"I just wanna know, please you have to-" I tried arguing with a nurse, but it was pointless. They weren't helping, none of them were.
I went to sit down again next to Morgan, who was clearly trying to keep it together for me.
Her hand was slightly shaking as it rested on her restless leg, showing signs of stress.
I reached out and put my hand on hers, squeezing it carefully to support. She immediately stopped shaking, and turned to look at me. She gave me a warm smile back. Having her here was good, comforting. I know it must be strange for her, it was for me too, but there's no denying it gave me comfort. I don't know what that means, if it means anything, but it's the facts of the situation.

"Kelley." Alex suddenly rushed through the doors of the waiting room, followed by Tobin, Cheney, Amy and Whitney. They all looked at me with the same look, poor Kelley.
"Have you heard anything?" Tobin asked, as they all gave me a tight hug. I quickly sat down again, not wanting Morgan to feel left out.
"No. She's in surgery still I think, they won't tell me much since I'm not immediate family." I said sad, feeling my heart break a little more each time I spoke about the situation.
"You did tell her Hope doesn't really have any immediate family close by though, right?" Alex asked, sounding frustrated at the system.
I nodded. "Of course I have." I said simple, knowing it hadn't helped.

"Guys." Carli now rushed through the doors, closely followed by Ashlyn and Ali. I stood up and gladly accepted the hug from Carli. I know that she's the one other person that might feel this as much as I do, and even though we have our disagreements from time to time, I truly see her a close friend. I think my relationship with Hope confuse her, but she's just looking out for her friend. I know it's nothing personal against me, and that she'll come around.

"Have they told you anything?" Carli looked at me, begging eyes. I sighed, shaking my head as I looked down, trying to hide the pain.
"I tried getting in touch with her sister, but she's not answering my calls. I don't know who else to contact." Carli sat down in a seat across form me, looking helpless. She hates when she's not in control of the situation, not knowing what's going on.
The fact that there is no one to call gives me a terribly bad feeling. Hope is such a strong person that you never seem to worry much about her, but the reality is that she has approximately one or maybe two family members she talks to. She's semi-close with her sister, but that's about it. I know her father died when she was young, but she's never talked about her mother and I never asked. You quickly catch up to knowing that it's not something you talk about around her. I figured she would open up one day eventually all on her own. I need her to be okay.

"Have you tried-" Ashlyn started, but got shot down by a deadly glare from Carli. Ashlyn's voice faded away, and there was no one that spoke after that.

**

Are you here for Ms. Solo?" A doctor suddenly appeared in the waiting room, and looked directly at us all. I must've fallen asleep on Morgan's shoulder for a little bit. I had no idea for how long. Morgan simply smiled warmly towards me, then directing her attention to the man standing in from of us. We all nodded rapidly, sitting at the edge of our seats now.
"You're not immediate family, but seeing as we can't reach any for the time being I'm going to fill you in." He said, and a relieved sigh spread through the tense group of teens.
"Ms. Solo is out of surgery. It was a success with what we were able to do, but frankly there wasn't all that much. All we can do now is wait for her to wake up." He spoke the words slowly and careful, but still treated us with respect, something I appreciated. I didn't know if his words truly comforted me or not though.
"For now I can let one person in to see her, maybe two. More than that will do more harm than good at this point." And as he spoke the words, three people shot up from their seats. Carli, Ashlyn and I all stood up, looking back and fourth between ourselves.
"You go." Ashlyn said quickly, and sat down again. Ali put a comforting hand on her girlfriends tight, and even though I knew deep down that I should play the hero and let Ashlyn go, I couldn't help but be selfish.

Everyone seemed to agree on Carli and I going in, and the doctor hinted for us to follow him. I took one last look back at the group watching us leave, one last look at Morgan. She's been amazing today, helping me deal with this. I could see she was worried, but also almost a little disappointed. Like she too deep down knew that this was it. We had our fun but now it was over. This will change everything, it already has changed everything.

Carli put a hand on my back to snap me out of my thoughts. "You okay?" She mouthed, and looked at me with concern. I shook my head a little and nodded to her. She didn't seem to believe me all that much, but agreed to let it go. Probably because she wasn't doing much better herself. It was easy to see.
"What you're about to see, I just want to warn you." The doctor stopped outside a door.
"Your friend is covered in bruises and tubes, it can be a shock for many to see." He continued, and forced a comforting smile before opening the door for us. I saw the terrified expression on Carli's face and without overthinking my actions, I took her hand in mine.
She looked down at it, letting a quick but pale smile escape her lips.

The room was white. At first that was all I could see, all I wanted to see maybe. Cause the next thing I saw, that broke me. I thought I was going to be able to hold it together, to be strong for her, for Carli.
But then I saw the fierce, confident goalkeeper lying helplessly on the hospital bed, completely out of her element. She looked so innocent and tiny on that big bed, so fragile.
I felt Carli tighten the grip on my hand, as I noticed a tear falling down my cheek. I quickly wiped it away, only to realize it was more to come. I stopped trying to stop them.

(A/N: I had more planned for this chapter, but in the light of what's happened in Orlando over these past few days, I can't write on this for the time being. I didn't know any of the victims, but as an LGBTQ+ member, this hurts and it feels personal regardless. My thoughts and prayers are with friends and family of the victims. I have no words for this.
All we can do is stay proud, and stay loud. Love is love, and the only way to fight hate is with love and awareness. Stay safe, everyone