Anna is sitting in her office reviewing some files when she starts shuffling papers. She is looking at
several print outs. The print outs have grabbed her complete focus. She turns to the files behind her
and pulls out yet more print outs. She pulls pages out of each file. She puts on her glasses and reviews
them again. Raphie is walking into her office as Anna is walking out of it with several of the printouts in
her hands. "Raph… I'll be right back." She walks up stairs into Matt's office. Nico also happens to be
standing in the room as she enters. "What's up Doc?" She looks at him amused for a moment. "Do I
look like Bugs Bunny?" Matt laughs at her statement. She reaches over and places the printouts in front
of Matt on the desk. Matt surveys them for a moment. "Injury reports?" Anna nods. "But these are
not ours." Anna sits in the seat in front of him. "I know. Look at all of them." Matt surveys them
again. "You should take a look at these." Anna looks at Matt and Nico. "Once is an anomaly. Twice is a
coincidence. Three times…" Nico looks at Anna. "Three is a pattern." Anna affirms Nico's thoughts.
"I've got players to see. I will talk to you gentlemen, later." Matt looks up. "Thanks, Anna." Anna
waves as she walks out of the door. Nico walks over and shuts the door of Matt's office. "If this is true,
this isn't good, Nico." Nico runs his hands through his hair. "Not good at all. The only upside is that this
is not likely Juliette. She wouldn't have a clue how to pulls this off." Matt sits down in his chair. "We
have got to get to the bottom of this now." Nico is not so sure that Juliette is not involved in this. Not
many people have that kind of money to toss around and if their Doc can figure out that something is
amiss. It won't be long until it is the talk of the league.
Several Days Later:
The Hawks are engaged in a home game. The game is close and the play is growing in intensity. The entire
staff has been closely monitoring the game. Anna has been completely fixated on the field. She has a distinctive
feeling of impending doom. She hates when this emotion comes over her and is hyper aware of every
movement of the players, all of the players. Suddenly and without warning, it happens…. The collision that silences
the stadium with the sheer brutality of the hit. Anna doesn't even wait for the trainers from either side to call
them to the field.
She bursts through Matt and Coach in a dead sprint. She sends the trainers to check her player and
meets the opposing team Doc at the downed player. She turns and orders for the ambulance to drive
onto the field. The player is unresponsive and not breathing. She and the other Doctor immediately
begin to work on him. To Matt, Coach, Dani and Nico's horror, the sight that unfurls before them is their
team Doctor performing CPR on the field. Flashes run through Nico's head. Flashes that return him to
another time and place… Dani is watching the calm intensity of Anna at work. She is a trauma surgeon
this is her element. This is her world outside of her job with the Hawks.
The opposing Doctor is deferring to Anna because she knows exactly what she is doing. This isn't
about territory. It isn't about a game. At this moment, it is about a man's life. Anna and the other
Doctor go in the ambulance with the player. The crowd is subdued as are the players. This game has
changed.
Post Game:
Raphie, Coach, Nico, Dani and Matt are in his office waiting for Anna to return to the facility. Raphie
knows Anna is unreachable at this moment. They just have to wait her out. He has her cell phone. He
dare not call the hospital. He knows Anna. He knows she would have scrubbed for surgery if they took
him to the closest hospital. She would have called up Dr. Karney as the neurosurgeon and he would
have had her scrub in. All they can do is wait, it would not be proper to go there. It is not their place to
be there. Matt, Coach and Nico know they have a situation that is now out of control… wildly out of
control and they have to get to the bottom of it. Nico thinks back to the flashes that went through his
head as he watched Anna at work. The flash of her in fatigues working on one of their team… the
memory was so different yet so eerily similar.
After hours, Anna walks passed the office. Her focus is not on them. She doesn't even acknowledge
them sitting there. She proceeds down to her office and the medical facility. Raphie exchanges a telling
look with Matt. "This is not good." Raphie gets up and heads towards Anna's office. The others in the
room exchange looks that the worst possible outcome has occurred.
Anna is sitting in the dimly light medical room. She is sitting on the floor against the wall with her knees
pulled into her chest and her head resting on them. Raphie sits on the floor next to her. He does not
speak. Matt and Coach enter while Dani and Nico hang back. All are anticipating her answer. Realizing
how many people are in the room with her, Anna looks up. Her eyes are tired and red. Matt cannot tell
if they are that way from crying or not. "Anna… Sanderson… Is he…" She goes to get up as Coach offers
her a hand. She changes position and leans against the wall. She runs both of her hands through her
hair before she answers. "It will be touch and go. There is no way to know at this point." She begins to
pace before she unleashes on the two of them. "It should have never fucking come to this… This is a
game… a fucking game…. Wins aren't worth someone's life. Live or die that man's life is forever
changed and for what… a first fucking down… 10 god damn yards of turf." She walks away from them
and into her office. Raphie looks at Matt and Coach. "Realize… she is a Doctor… first, foremost and
always and she doesn't like to lose either." He follows Anna as she exits her office and heads for the
door.
