Jade lay awake in the hospital bed. She just couldn't shut off her brain. How was she supposed to accept that softball is over for her? She could feel the pain in her chest, making it hard to breathe. She looked over at Madison's sleeping figure. Bailyn had gone home to get rest for school in the morning but Madison refused to leave Jade's side. He didn't care much about school, though he got good grades. Unable to sit still, Jade got up and turned on the shower. She let the hot water wash over her body, her ugly shoulder covered in scars and stitches from the operation. The hot water felt nice and relaxed her. Jade got out of the shower and splashed cold water on her puffy face. The last time Jade cried, she had broken her ankle sliding into home. If her ankle healed, why couldn't her shoulder?
Jade slipped her hospital gown over her head and left the bathroom. She found Madison awake and his head turned toward her once she opened the door. He said nothing, just got up and engulfed her in a hug. Jade could feel is warmth all over her. She was glad he stayed, sometimes he understood her better than anyone. He didn't need to ask how she was handling everything, he just knew. After a few minutes, he sensed she didn't want to let him go so he picked her up and carried her to the bed. Madison gently laid her down under the covers then climbed in himself. She wrapped her arms around his torso and laid her head against his chest. His hand made soothing circles on her back, and she eventually fell asleep.
Madison's P.O.V.
As Jade lay sleeping in my arms, I couldn't help but think of everything she has gone through in her life. When she was twelve, both her parents had died in a car crash. Madison thought of how hard it was for her to live life without them. Her parents had loved her with everything they had. Jade had been forced to grow up way too fast. She had to take care of herself. Her brother is addicted to drugs. He was hardly ever home , and when he was, he was out cold. After her parents had died, Jade joined the softball team. At first, she just needed something to occupy her time with. Then she had grown to love it. When Jade, Madison, and Bailyn started high school, it was great. Jade and Bailyn were the girls every guy wanted. Bailyn loved all the attention, for a while. Jade made sure all the boys knew she wasn't that type of girl. She intimated a lot of people. Tomorrow, Jade's team would be by, along with a few guys from the football team and from Madison's wrestling team before school started. Jade and Bailyn were accepted because they ruled the softball field. Madison was the greatest wrestler the school had in a long time. Still, he wasn't accepted as easily. In his singlet, you could see a lot of his tattoos. People were scared of him. He wasn't a guy you wanted to mess with. Yet here he was, Jade asleep in his arms, and he was content.
Jade's P.O.V.
In the morning, Jade was eating breakfast in the hospital cafeteria with Madison. She wasn't really up to talking and Madison knew it. She didn't have the appetite to eat either, but Madison made her eat all her cereal. That's when her team came walking in. Bailyn sat down next to her and hugged her.
"Hey Coach." Jade said, forcing a smile. "How's the shoulder?" Coach Ryan replied.
"Well, aside from my softball career being over, I think I'll be fine." Jade said with a frown. "That's why I'm here. I really wanted to talk to you about that. Will you join me for a walk?" Jade got up and Coach continued as they went for a walk. "Once I say you laying on the mound, I knew your career was over. I've seen many baseball pitchers blow out their elbow in college. It's not pretty, and it ends their career. Jade, I know you think softball is all you have, but there's so many other options. You might be interested in photography or music-" "I don't want to make music, I want to play in the field!" Jade said with protest. "Let me speak. I'm not telling you to forget you ever played softball I'm telling you moving on is going to be so much easier if you remember your time as a good memory instead of something you can't have."
