Lessons in Poetry, Football, Life, and Love

Reese

Jared's parents have decided to skip the last big game before Christmas to take Jessie out shopping for the holiday, so it's just myself and my dad cheering on Jared tonight. I'm sure we're not the only ones, but we're the only ones that matter to him. Things are going great, as usual. I'm rocking Jared's jersey, dad's finally got one of his own (thanks to Lance), and the guys are up 35-3 going into the second half of the game.

"Have they been this consistent all season?" Dad asks.

"Absolutely," I say. "There hasn't been a game yet where they haven't been up by at least 3 touchdowns by the half."

"Lance must be extremely proud of Jared," Dad beams. "I know I am. He's definitely a chip off the old block."

I smile. "He sure is," I agree. "Have you and Lance been hanging out at all? Or was that only for your physical therapy?"

"We actually go out for a drink every Wednesday night after work," Dad tells me. "It was Chelsea's idea. She said he's been a little stressed lately, and needed a guys' night out. So my buddy Jack comes with us, and the three of us just shoot the shit."

"I'm glad you two are becoming friends," I admit. "Even if Jared and I weren't dating, I'd like to think we'd still be in their lives."

"I'm sure we would, pumpkin," Dad smiles.

The third quarter comes to an end, and the boys are still up by a huge margin. Their opponent throws an interception, and our guy is tackled after a five yard run. Jared and the offense come out onto the field and get ready for their next play. He calls "hike" and as he is looking for someone he can throw to, one of the guys on the other team plows right into Jared, knocking him down. He holds onto the ball, but the way he falls causes his leg to twist and his painful cry quiets the entire stadium.

"Ladies and gentleman, we're going to see a time-out, as our star quarterback, Jared Andrews, is tended to," the announcer says. "Please feel free to take this time to stretch your legs, get some food and drinks, use the facilities, or whatever you feel you need to do."

Dad and I stand up and throw each other a worried glance as we watch the team doctor rush onto the field and kneel next to Jared. The rest of the team stands on the sidelines, aside from Scott and Evan, and waits with baited breath for word about what's wrong with Jared. The assistant coach tells the backup quarterback to start practicing his throws, and I hear what sounds like someone calling my name from somewhere down on the field. I look toward Scott and Evan, and they're both waving at me to get down to where everyone is crowded around Jared. I look over at Dad and he nods, giving me all the confirmation I need to join the guys on the field.

"Where's Reese?" I hear Jared ask. "I need Reese!"

"She's right here," Scott says, escorting me through the small crowd and to Jared's side. "Let her through, people."

Everyone moves so I can get to Jared, and I kneel down on the opposite side of the doctor and take his hand in mine. I lean down and gently kiss his forehead, then look over at the doctor and wait for him to give us his diagnosis.

"You're a very lucky boy," the doctor tells Jared. "The way you fell, I thought for sure there was more damage, but thankfully it's not as bad as it feels. You're looking at a grade II MCL sprain. If you ice it every day, and try to stay off it as much as possible, you can be back on the field in as little as 2 weeks."

"I'll do whatever it takes, for however long it takes," Jared promises.

I squeeze his hand. "I'll be here every step of the way," I tell him. "Can you stand? I can have Dad come over and help you to the locker room to get your things."

"I think so," he says.

Evan and Scott walk over and help Jared to his feet, and he hops on his good leg over toward the stands, his buddies leading him there. Dad rushes down to the field and takes over from Evan and Scott, leading Jared to the locker room while the other two head back to the bench to finish the game. I wait outside the locker room door for Dad and Jared to reappear, and when they do, I take Jared's other side so we can help him back to the dorm. Dad stops at his car quickly, grabbing the crutches he had leftover from his injury and re-positioning them to Jared's height. Jared thanks him and we continue on our way to the dorm. As soon as we get to the elevator, Dad gives us both a hug and tells me to call him if either of us need anything, promising that he'll inform Jared's parents of his injury. Once he leaves, we get into the elevator and, when we get to our floor, I unlock and open the door so Jared can get inside and get comfortable.

I help him onto the bed, then prop his leg up on some pillows before filling a Ziploc bag with some ice from the freezer. I grab the hand towel out of the bathroom and drape it over his knee before I place the bag of ice on top. I see Jared wince ever so slightly, whether from the pain or the coldness of the ice, I'm not sure. I carefully sit down next to him, and he rests his head on my shoulder as I kiss the top of his head.

"Thank you," he says. "God, that was some hit, huh?"

"It was pretty intense," I agree. "Scared the shit out of me, honestly. I thought it was worse than it turned out to be."

"I didn't even see him coming," Jared admits. "And when I fell, all I wanted was you. I didn't care about football at that moment."

"I don't think anyone cared about football at that moment," I tell him. "We were all worried about you."

He smiles. "I love you," he says. "So much."

"I love you, too," I reply. "Why don't you try and get some rest? I'll take the ice off your leg in a little while."

He gives me a quick kiss and then lowers his head to the pillow, but keeps his knee in the same position. Not even five minutes later, Jared is out like a light. I pick up my book and read for about twenty minutes, stopping only to remove the ice bag from Jared's knee. Once I dispose of what's left, I crawl back into bed next to Jared and read a few more chapters. I feel myself getting tired, and since he's already asleep on top of the covers, I grab the comforter from the spare bed and drape it over the both of us. I place a gentle kiss on his forehead, laying down on my own pillow. It doesn't take me very long to fall to sleep.

The next morning, after I've helped Jared ice his knee again, and I've gotten us breakfast, we get our bags packed for our trip back home for the holidays. I load everything in Jared's truck, which he still insisted we take even though I'll be driving, and then head back upstairs to help him downstairs. I get him settled in the passenger's seat before walking around to the driver's side and starting up the truck. I turn to look at him and mouth the word "ready?", which he answers with a wink and a smile. Putting the car in drive, we pull out of the dorm parking lot and we are on our way to what's sure to be another fun-filled holiday at the Andrews' household.