Finding Us

Chapter Six

The last practice before game day had been a good one. Their first game was in two days and Christopher still didn't feel ready. Over the last two months, he had really learned what it was to work as a team. He couldn't help but feel like he just wasn't good enough to be on the team. Coach Burner had taught him something valuable, though. To never give in to his doubts. He was never one to quit, but letting his doubts consume him, he was an ace.

"Peachie! What's holding you back?"

Christopher took a breath of frustration, "I thought I was ready, is all, coach."

"Well, are you?"

The question caught him off guard and Christopher thought for a moment before he knew the answer, "Yes, coach." He said timidly

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm ready!"

Coach Burner smiled at him briefly: "Don't ever let your head get in the way of your ability."

The coach hadn't said anything else to him since then. Now, the last practice was over and all the guys left, but he stayed behind. He knew he was a great swimmer and he had learned more since being here. He focused on the small riffles in the water and kept his breathes even as he began paddling, then his mind began to wander. Things hadn't worked out with Lacey. Part of him hoped she would have just stayed the mystery girl. What had happened to her anyways? She was not the same girl. He stopped midway through his stroke and slammed his fist at the water. Here he was getting wrapped up in pointless drama again. Hadn't his heart learned the last time. Why did he so often allow his heart to get entangled into things that didn't deserve his attention? He thought he couldn't hate the sorority more than he had from the beginning, but he was wrong. He seemed to be wrong about a lot of things, but not this. Not this game.

He would excel tomorrow night when they played against the University of Illinois. He thought about soaring through the water, floating almost. He thought about crushing his opponent and leaving them in the dust of his waves. He thought about finally getting the chance to swim for the university he'd always dreamed of being a part of. In a split second, he got distracted and coming up for a breath took in water into his lungs and spewed into a coughing fit. He recovered, but not in time to fix his miscalculation of the distance to the wall. In his flip, he kicked at the wall with too much force and suddenly, a searing pain shot through his foot and into his leg. He had no idea what he had just done, but he knew he wouldn't see Illinois tomorrow night.

The light overhead was dim, but became brighter and clearer the more he stared at it. He saw nurses walking in the hallways outside his room. He was in a hospital? There was no way. Christopher looked down to see that he was in a hospital gown. His head hurt, but there were no cuts. He leaned back in the bed and moaned. His parents walked in then and he wondered if he was seeing things.

"Mom? Dad? What happened?"

His parents looked distraught, his mother had been crying, "I can't even look at him Brae!" His mom left the room and his dad walked closer

"Son, can you feel it?"

Feel what? What was everyone getting so upset about? No one was telling him anything and he was getting frustrated. His dad bent down and touched his leg...or what was supposed to be his leg. He flipped off the blanket to see his right leg was gone from the knee down! What had happened. He screamed out of fear, out of anger, he wasn't sure. He just screamed and he hated it.....

He sat up in bed sweating. Pulling back the blanket in a quick motion, he saw his leg and breathed in slowly. He had a cast on it, but it was there. Where was he? The last thing he remembered was Demetrius driving him to the hospital and praying that he hadn't broken his leg. The pain had been so bad. He must have had surgery. The door opened and his dad walked in.