SUNSHINE

thirty-three

[ Whoa! Two chapters in one day! Three in a week! Thank you all for the support! Also, add me on MarioKart - 601010638453 ]

Her throat was irritated when she woke from a deep slumber, and her eyelids still felt heavy. She did not remember very well what had happened or why she was in the hospital, but she knew it had to be because of her collision with Leon during their match against Canada. Someone was holding her hand, and she squeezed it to see who it was, and Alex's head jolted upward from the bed.

"Casey?" Alex asked, sitting up. "Hold on, I'll go get you a doctor." She said, patting the back of her hand. She watched as she left the room and started to look around. She was in a private room, so it was just her with beeping machines that were annoying.

"Welcome back, Ms. Radcliffe. My name is Dr. Chase. I'm going to take this tube out of your throat, I'm sorry this is going to be uncomfortable." The doctor said, and she nodded as her doctor and another nurse worked to get the breathing tube out of her throat. She started coughing, the nurse extending a cup of water out to her.

"Thank you." She said after she stopped coughing.

"So do you remember what happened?" Dr. Chase asked, sitting on the edge of her bed. It was unprofessional, but it made Casey more comfortable.

"Uh not really? Everything is kind of fuzzy after the game ended." She responded.

"Well you had a pneumothorax, or a collapsed lung from a broken rib you sustained from your collision. I watched the game, I watched it happen, nice save. But, you're all good now, we went in and fixed you up, but the recovery time is about one to two weeks and you're gonna have to get cleared by a doctor in Orlando. We're gonna keep you overnight to make sure there's no complications, but you should be good to go in the AM." He explained to her, and she nodded.

"Thank you." She said with a smile, shaking his hand.

"No need to thank me, just doing my job. I'll be by to check on you later." He informed as he got up from the bed and exited the room.

"He seems bubbly." Casey commented, and they both laughed, Casey hissing in pain.

"Take it easy, hot-shot. You just had surgery." Alex chuckled, but Casey could not help but smile.

"Why the hell does all this happen to me?" She asked, throwing her head back against the pillow.

"Because you're just a little badass that's why. The powers above are just testing you for their final battle." Alex joked, and Casey could not help but laugh again, even though it hurt.

"Stop it!" She urged, but Alex just shrugged.

"Alright, alright." She responded, leaning back in her chair. "The team wasn't able to delay their flights on such short notice, so it's just you and me back to Orlando tomorrow. They send well wishes, however."

"That's fine. I'd rather have them all not see me as a total wreck. Only you're allowed to see that." Casey responded with a smile at the end.

"You want something to eat? I was thinking about heading down to the cafeteria and grabbing something." Alex asked.

"I'm not really hungry, but go ahead. I should call my parents to make sure that they know I'm alright." She told her, and Alex squeezed her thigh before nodding and standing up, walking herself out of the room. Casey then reached in front of her to the table where her phone was laying. She had missed calls and dozens of text messages from her friends and family, but she needed to call her mom and hear her voice. She put the phone up to her ear as it rang, and almost instantly the other end of the call picked up.