thank you to sar & kayla.
We are not what you think we are:
We are golden. – Teenage Dreams; Mika
He had never been more proud of his athletes. He had never been more proud of anything. Even when he stood on the top step of the podium in Sydney to collect his own gold medals, the biggest rush of emotion was a staggering feeling of relief. Right now in Boston, however, the pride was overwhelming. He had to swallow down the lump in his throat before it turned into tears and he smiled at them, the widest, proudest smile they had ever seen from their critical, cynical and aloof coach.
Three of his four girls – the best team he'd ever coached – were standing in front of the country and the rest of the gymnastics world, representing the United States of America because they were the best athletes in the sport. It was clear he had a lot to be proud of.
Still, he just couldn't shake the expression on his star gymnast's face as she fell from the bars and the sickening lurch of his stomach as she fell into a twisted heap, limp and broken on the mats below.
"You've got three girls on the national team. That's more than any other club."
"Should've been four."
It was Emilia all over again. Payson hadn't died – thank God, he didn't know what he would've done if she had – but her career had been snatched away from her in the cruellest twist of fate. Payson was his champion, his star gymnast and, under his watch, she had suffered a career-ending injury. Although she and the rest of his girls were convinced he'd be the National Team coach, he knew he'd never be chosen.
He didn't resent Payson but in a way, he resented himself for not being angry about it. Payson was the reason he coached; the only time he had seen a fire and determination like hers was in himself and their relationship had blossomed beyond coach-athlete. They had become friends. He couldn't resent her, but he could resent himself for not resenting her.
"Are you ready, right now, to embrace your destiny?"
He did everything he could to get Payson training again. When one doctor told her the injury was inoperable, he found a doctor who would try. He coached her from the ground up, helping her learn all the fundamental moves and regain all the strength she'd been building since early childhood. He believed in her when she had lost faith in herself and somewhere along the way, he realised she was no longer his star gymnast – she was the most passionate, driven, determined and beautiful woman he had ever met. And she was both underage and young enough to be his daughter.
He pushed her harder than ever before because he knew she could succeed. She pushed herself harder than he thought she should because she was determined to succeed.
The first step was the World Championships in Rio and on the journey home, she cradled four gold medals as she regaled him with stories about gymnastics camp as a child. After Worlds, his girls took a clean sweep of the National Championships, Payson the all-around champion. The final destination was the Olympics.
At almost nineteen, this would be her first and last chance at Olympic gold. She took an almost clean sweep, leaving London with a silver and five gold medals. As she left the Olympic Village after the press conference in which she announced her retirement, he caught her by the wrist and kissed her.
We are golden.