Love and Basketball (Lauren/You)

Chapter 19

I couldn't do this. As soon as I had stepped foot into the elevator and pressed the floor button, all of my nerves returned tenfold and completely left me intimidated. Fuck I really didn't think I could do this, but I didn't really have a choice at this point. My feet pushed me down the hallway to the right door and eventually I came to find it. I stood paralyzed in front of the large wooden door and I just stared at the grain that took over the exterior. I could do this, I could do this. I continued to repeat the mantra in my head and before I knew my fist had raised next to my head. I knocked on the door and slowly walked in, seeing Madison watching TV with her family. "Hey Madison." I spoke quietly. The little girl looked up and smiled widely, before squealing softly. I set the gifts on the bed and watched as Madison started crying. "Hey it's okay. You don't need to cry. You're too beautiful to cry." I sadly chuckled and wiped her tears.

The little girl nodded her head and eventually calmed down a little. I waved to the family members in the room and they all seemed completely starstruck that I was currently there. Maybe that was because one celebrity already didn't show up, and I mentally cursed Camila for doing such a thing. Before I could dwell on the subject even more than I already had, I was cut off by a small, timid voice. "Can I have a hug?" Madison whispered through the quietness of the room. I looked over to the family members who all seemed to have tears in their eyes. A couple of them nodded their heads as if understanding that I was basically asking permission to hug their little daughter. She looked so frail and fragile that I didn't know if I would crush her essentially if I hugged her too tightly. Then again, I really didn't want to disappoint the much smaller girl like Camila had already proved to do.

Again I had to push those thoughts out of my mind because I was here to make this girl's dream come true, not to get angry about someone else. "Of course sweetheart." I smiled. Leaning over I took her in my arms, rubbing her back and kissing her on the top of her head every once in a while. I looked down and realized she wasn't hugging back. Once her mother, I'm guessing, saw that, she moved over and gently grabbed Madison's arms, placing them around my waist. Oh yeah, the disease. It brought tears to my eyes. Not only does this girl look up to me so much, but she has to live like this. I kissed her forehead one last time and pulled away, grabbing her hands in mine. "You know, I'm really excited to meet you. I've heard a lot about you and you really impressed me with how strong you are. Madison, you can be such an inspiration to so many other people and I just wanted you to know that. So, I brought you a couple of gifts that I think you might like." I smiled and sat back to bring over the presents that James prepared.

I hid the jersey behind me because I wanted that to be the last present she got. I guess I was just saving the best for last since this really was the reason I was here. I was here because she wanted me, not just another basketball player or another celebrity. Of course, just like I expected however, Madison loved every single gift that she had received. There was a whole bunch of cool things, especially the basketball signed by the whole team and the coaches. With each new item, Madison grew more and more excited even though she couldn't exactly move like I knew she wanted to. It was so heartbreaking to see that she was suffering from such a disease but she was hiding it very well. Like I said, this girl was extremely brave and extremely strong for having the outlook on life that she did. She wasn't moping around her room waiting for her last days, she was living them to the best of her abilities and I was so glad that I could e a part of this and witness first hand how amazing this little girl was.

After I showed Madison her other gifts, I was growing excited to give her the jersey just by judging how much she loved her other presents. "Okay Madison, I have one more gift for you that I hope you'll like. Our coach designed it specifically for you to have and to wear whenever you want. They haven't been released in stores yet so consider yourself very special to have one." I smiled as I pulled the jersey out from behind my back and almost immediately, Madison gasped loudly as her eyes caught sight of the jersey that I was now holding up. I showed her the front first to showcase the team name and logo before showing her the back that had my last name and my number on it. I could see her eyes well up with tears and I instantly wanted to feel guilty even though I knew they were happy tears. My heart swelled with so much pride that someone could react like this to something so minuscule like me or my jersey.