Scared Green Orbs

The Story

It was a corner kick when it happened. Brazil swung a looping ball into the box. Alyssa rushed off her line to claim it. She was surrounded by a sea of yellow. All fans could see was her green gloves snagging the ball before going down. The Brazilians slowly jogged out of the box, frustrated at loosing another scoring chance. Becky was walking over to tell her girlfriend good job on the swinging ball when she noticed Alyssa wasn't moving. Her walk turned to into a run. A hush fell over the crowd when they realized their goalkeeper wasn't moving.

"Lys, Lys honey what's going on?" Becky slid to the ground at Alyssa's side. The goalkeeper was face down. The ball tucked under one arm. The other was pressed to her head.

"Blood. Lots of blood." Alyssa mumbled.

"Shit. Ok. Ok. Don't move honey. I'm going to get the medic out of here." The defender had to force down her panic. She had to stay calm for Alyssa's sake. Casey, Ali, and Abby had all wandered over, along with the ref.

"Lys ok?" Casey asked for them all.

"She's got some kind of head wound. She needs a medic. Kriegs, go tell Jill that Campbell needs to warm up. Now." She addressed all four women.

"On it." Krieger turned and took off towards the bench. The ref gestured for the medical staff to come on the field. Becky, Casey, and the ref stayed close to the prone goalkeeper. Abby had jogged up the field to update the rest of the team.

The medical crew reached Alyssa quickly. Becky had to pry the ball from her grasp so the medics could roll her over. The goalkeeper winced against the harsh sunlight. It didn't go unnoticed by the medics. They would need to run concussion protocol once they ceased the bleeding.

Becky didn't leave Alyssa's side. She took the keeper's hand while they examined the gash on her head. It was right at her hairline. Becky guessed it was 6 inches long and it looked deep. What had she collided with to cause that much damage? Right now, it didn't matter. She watched them pack it with gauze. The medics wouldn't move her until they could do concussion protocol, which they couldn't do until the bleeding stopped.

"It looks like they've almost got it Lys. You just stay still. Tim and Jack got this." Becky kept a tight hold on Alyssa's gloved hand. She wanted her girlfriend to know that no matter what she wasn't alone.

"Hurts like a bitch."

"I know it does. But you got this. Just a little longer." Becky tried her best to keep Alyssa calm. She knew the younger woman was scared. Being unable to move had to make everything 1000x scarier.

"Alright Alyssa we've stopped the bleeding. I need to ask you some questions. Answer as best you can ok?" Tim leaned over so he could see her face clearly.

"Yeah."

"Good. What is your full name?"

"Alyssa Michelle Naeher."

"What are you doing today?"

"Playing France. It's the SheBelieves Cup."

"What year is it?"

"Um...2017 I think." Alyssa's brow furrowed in pain when she tried to think.

"Don't strain yourself. I am going to put you in this neck brace and we are going to get you off the field. You don't panic. You are going to be just fine." Tim did his best to reassure both women.

"I'm going with you." Becky squeezed her girlfriend's hand. "You aren't doing this alone."

"Oh...Ok Becky." Alyssa's voice was shaking. She knew something was wrong.

The team watched the medic stabilize their number one goalkeeper and load her onto the stretcher. This was bad. They were in the middle of a gritty game against Brazil. Alyssa had been on fire and saved their collective asses several times. How were they supposed to survive now? The defender paused at the bench to speak to her coach. Tim and Jack continued on with Alyssa down the tunnel.