That Pivotal Moment

Chapter 12

I sat in Dr. Toben’s office after they took some more x-rays of my knee. Thanksgiving was a few days away and I was getting anxious about going away with Gabby. The office door opened and I almost laughed when I saw Dr. Toben’s new badge. I still couldn't believe she lifted it.  

“Hey there, Hayden. How’s that knee treating you?”

I'm a fucking mess. “Not too bad.”

He took the x-rays out of the sleeves and put them against the light to better see them. “Giving you any problems?”

“It gets a little sore sometimes.”

“Well, that’s to be expected. It looks like it healed nicely. X-rays look real good.”

I took a breath before asking, “Do you think I can start getting back in shape for football?”

He looked at me as he took his seat. “Hayden, I know football is important to you but I don’t think that’s a good idea right now. It may be healed, but one tackle the wrong way and you could blow your knee. I think you should give it more time and do light activity. Maybe start by jogging or something like that and see how it is later one.”

Jogging? Yeah, my dad will really forgive me if I'm jogging. “How long?” 

“For an injury like you had? I would say a year.”

One year. That would be way too long for my dad and coach. As much as I didn’t really want to play anymore and the problems with my dad, I still didn’t want to disappoint him. 

“Okay, Dr. Toben. Thanks again.”

I left the hospital and headed home. I knew what I should do, but then again I knew what I had to do. I needed to lie. To everyone. As much as Dr. Toben’s warning worried me, I was more worried about my dad and that scholarship. Something wasn’t right. He never pushed the scholarship until that fight. Were there problems at work? Did he not want me working at the sawmill? It could be any number of things. 

Honestly, a job like that is something I actually would be interested in. To go to work in the morning, and come home in the evening to hopefully a wife and kids. Being able to spend time with them. That’s what I wanted. If I made it to the NFL, it wouldn’t be anything like that. It would be constant football, interviews, traveling and who knows what else. Sure, it paid extremely well but there was no time to have a family and actually live. 

The idea of family brought Gabby to my mind. I bet she would be a great mother. She protected her brother with everything she had, I could only imagine how much she would care for her own children. As good as that sounded, I had more pressing matters to attend to. I pulled up to my house and went inside, getting ready to lie to the one person who was always there for me. 

My mom was at the stove cooking dinner when I walked into the kitchen. “Hayden, dinner is almost ready. How was the appointment with Dr. Toben?”

Here we go. I kissed her on the cheek before walking to the fridge to get a soda. “It was good. He said I can start getting in shape for football. If everything works out and we make it to state, I can play that game.”

She didn’t turn as she continued stirring. “Hayden, that’s wonderful. Are you sure that’s what you want?”

No, it isn't. "Yeah, I mean I thought about it and it seems like the right thing to do. If not it feels like a waste, you know?”

“Good. Did you tell your father?”

Just a thought of that made a pit in my stomach. He could always sense when I was lying. Hopefully, he believes me. “Not yet. I’ll let him know tonight.”