Medical Maladies

Another one tonight as an apology for not updating in a while. I'm going to try to post one a day from now on, but I can't make any promises... life just seems to get in the way sometimes...

This one's a long one, hope you enjoy! :)

Great day for it… Alex thought as he sloshed across the soccer field after the muddy ball. It was raining, and had been raining all day; the water coming down in sheets that instantly drenched any poor pedestrian bereft of an umbrella. But despite the torrential downpour, the team's coach - icidentally Mr Hopkins, the far too enthusiastic Gym teacher - had not allowed them a reprieve, saying instead that conditions in their next match may well be just like this, and if they were too weak to get used to it they'd be playing at a disadvantage.

If one of us gets the flu or gets injured playing in this at practice we'll be at more of a disadvantage! He flicked his wet hair out of his eyes, trying to see properly as Joshua raced down the pitch towards the goals. He's going way too fast! He noticed suddenly, calling out a warning to his ignorant teammate in alarm. But he was too late.

As Joshua attempted to slow his pace to take a shot, he slipped on the muddy ground and went hurtling towards the edge of the goals. The whole team watched in horror as he tried to grab the outside strut, and only succeeded in swinging himself around 180° and slamming his head hard into the offending beam. He crumpled to the ground clutching at his head as the other boys raced over as fast as they could whilst still being careful not to slip themselves. Jake got to him first and put a hand on his shoulder, unsure what to do next.

"Where's Coach?" he asked worriedly, seeing the blood trickling down Josh's forehead and the skinned palm and fingers of his hand.

"He's gone inside; I think he said something about getting us towels…" Another boy answered, slightly hysterically. Jake swore.

"C'mon mate, let's get you inside then, shall we?"

"NO!" The surrounding team members turned in shock to their newest recruit, who was presently shoving his way to the front of the tight knot.

"What're you talking about Alex? It's freezing out here, he's banged up bad and we need to get him to Coach!" Anxiety and shock made the normally easy-going team captain snap at his friend, glaring menacingly. Alex shook his head, slipping down until he also was kneeling in the mud beside their fallen player.

"Jake, he's cramping up; look!" Sure enough, they could see the spasms wracking Josh's legs. "If we try to move him now we'll just end up doing more damage!" With that he took off the coloured tie from his waist – used to identify players on opposing sides in practice – and took Josh's hand gently. After cleaning the majority of the mud of it as best he could with the soaked hem of his shirt, he gently but firmly began wrapping the still-bleeding appendage, trying to stem the bleeding and insure no more mud could get into the ruptured blisters. That done he turned his attention to his head wound, which was also still bleeding. He carefully probed the area and then placed his hands on each of Josh's cheeks, lifting his head so that they were looking into each other's eyes; neither pupil responded properly to the brightened light of the overcast sky, and this worried Alex a little. He retracted one hand, using the other to keep his friend's decidedly wobbly head in place, and held up three fingers in front of his eyes.

"Josh, how many fingers am I holding up?" The injured boy murmured something, but it was too soft to make out as his eyes slipped slowly closed. "No Josh," Alex said, gently but clearly, "You have to stay awake, ok?"

"… hurts…"

"I know, and we'll get you fixed up soon, but you have to stay awake. Can you do that?" He received a slow nod, and Alex turned to Jake, who was staring at his friend with an unreadable expression. "Jake, can you make sure he stays awake? He's got a concussion, and losing consciousness would be very bad." A nod was all he needed before he turned his ministrations to the still-spasaming legs. He hastily brushed away the hands of the other team members who were about to try to hold them still.

"No, let them move. If we hold him down he'll only tear a muscle or ligament." Instead, he gently placed a hand on each calf and carefully began to massage the muscles to relieve the cramps. After a long moment they stopped jerking, and he finally lay still in the mud and ever-present rain. Just then he heard heavy footfalls approaching and looked up to see Mr Hopkins running towards them, Adam Coots – who must have gone to fetch him – in his wake.

"Why didn't you bring him inside?" he bellowed once he had gotten a look at the injured teen lying in the mud. Alex, noticing a tightening in Josh's right calf, began to lightly massage again.

"He was cramping, Coach." He said evenly, projecting his voice so that he was heard even though he hadn't turned around. "If we'd moved him he would have torn something. He's got ruptured blisters on his left hand where he tried to grab the post, and a pretty severe concussion. The hand I've wrapped, but there's not much I could do for the concussion, except keep him awake. I've massaged the camps out now, too," he rattled off finally relenting in his massaging and moving a hand instead to his brow and pulse. "We need to get him inside, now; he's going into shock and it's freezing out here." He looked expectantly up at his coach, but was met only by an incredulous and slightly impressed stare.

"How on earth did you know to do all that?" Alex sighed and shook his head; now was not the time.

"We really need to get him inside…" This reminder snapped the older man out of his amazed stupor, and he gave a curt nod before bending down and carefully picking up the shivering boy. He swiftly walked back to the gym, where there was a small infirmary for sporting injuries. As he disappeared inside, the boys traipsed into the changing rooms and began to exchange their sodden, muddy gear for warmer, dryer clothes, still shell-shocked by their friend's fall. Alex lingered outside for a moment, wondering whether he should continue helping Mr Hopkins, but through the still-open door he could see that he had the matter very much in-hand. Turning around, he was met with the unwavering gaze of his friend Jake, who was once again wearing an unreadable expression.

"That was some first aid… Where did you learn all that?" Alex cursed himself internally for not paying attention to just how advanced his ministrations were – he had been too preoccupied with helping his friend to notice the stares of his other teammates or the fact that he had just rattled off a diagnosis like a practiced field-medic.

"Survival camp, back in England" he improvised wildly, though of course his face betrayed nothing of the lie. "One of us slipped and got hurt, and I watched the instructor as he took care of it. Guess I just picked up more than I thought…" Jake still looked a little sceptical, but nodded nonetheless and smiled.

"Well, wherever you learned it, I'm glad you did." With that he walked off, leaving a slightly unsettled Alex staring uneasily after him.

And that's it for tonight... I really need to get some sleep now. Godnight all, and thak you for all your lovely reviews; keep 'em coming! :)