Best Kept Private

Chapter Fourteen- The Aftermath

Letty had been in pain before, she was an athlete after-all but this pain was blinding and seized up every part of her body. She couldn't process much more than the throbbing in her leg. The frightened people around her somehow seemed further away than they really were. She recognized their worried faces but couldn't hear a word anyone was saying. She heard Dom's voice and though she was looking right at him she couldn't hear anything he was saying. She could however make out the worried expression etched on his face. She was helpless to do anything about it this time.

She was being lifted on to a gurney making her leg hurt more. She cried out, tears streaming down her face now. She was bawling at one point at the crippling pain. With each wail she could see him dying more and more on the inside. The ringing in her ear finally stopped when she was being loaded into the ambulance. She heard her coach's voice.

"You're going to be okay Ortiz."

But she really didn't think so.

Dom was very close to punching someone in the face. They refused to let him ride along in the ambulance with Letty. Mr. Han, the guidance counsellor, finally intervened.

"I'll take him to the hospital in my car." Mr. Han said trying to placate Dom's anger. Only then was Dom able to calm down a little. He couldn't get her screams out of his head. He might as well had been the one writhing in pain on the field. He had to be there for her.

"We need to contact Letty's guardians." He heard Mr. Han say.

"I know her mother's number." Dom said as he got into Mr. Han's car. "I know everything about her."

It was half an hour later when they got to the hospital Mr. Han asked for the information on Leticia Ortiz and they were led to a waiting room. They were only there for two minutes before a nurse came out and spoke to them.

"Miss Ortiz is resting. I've requested her medical history from the school but maybe you can help me in the meantime." she said. "Has she complained about serious injury before today?"

Dom shook his head. "Nothing more than sore muscles, but what athlete doesn't."

"Has she had any previous injuries?"

"Nothing serious, she broke her leg when she was twelve." Dom said.

"Was she on any medication?"

"Some muscle relaxants but that's all."

"Thank you, Dominic." The nurse looked at them both gratefully.

"Right now it's looking like a severe hamstring strain. We'll know more after the x-ray."

"When can I see her?" Dom asked.

"I'll let you know as soon as you can." The nurse smiled politely before leaving.

Dom didn't like the idea of her alone in that hospital room. He hoped Mr. Han knew he wasn't going anywhere until he saw her. They were in for a long evening.

Letty sat up in the hospital bed with a throbbing headache, a dry throat and her face caked with dry tears. Her leg was now bandaged and propped up in a sling. She didn't have a clue what the time was, the sterile environment of the hospital and bright white lights made it impossible to tell. She was given some water when the doctor came in and spoke to her. She listened intently as the doctor spoke to her about her injury.

"Well Miss Ortiz, you seemed to have strained your hamstring, it even began to tear but not entirely but not entirely ripped. The damage is still significant though."

"Surgery?" she asked though it came out more like a raspy whisper.

"Surgery can repair it yes but it will heal on it's own anyway."

She suspected his answer but she still need to hear him say. "Can I still run?"

"...it's possible, after extensive physical therapy." Letty scoffed, money she didn't have.

The middle aged Hispanic doctor took his glasses off and placed it on top of the clipboard that lay flat in his next hand. "Let me be frank with you Miss Ortiz. I wouldn't recommend it. You'll be lucky to walk on this injury. I wouldn't advise pushing the envelope."

Letty nodded solemnly, though she willed them back with all that she had, she felt the stinging of tears in her eyes. Tears streamed down her face soon after the doctor left her alone.

Her athletic career was over. And so was her time at Hobbs prep. She wiped at her tears quickly when her door opened. It was Mr. Han.

He was quiet for a moment, being very diplomatic with the words he was going to use.

"How are you hanging in Ortiz?"

She shrugged, she didn't know what kind of answer she was supposed to give and after the news she had just gotten, she didn't care.

"Listen, I've just been on the phone with your mother. She said she would try to come and see you." Letty shook her head. Lena didn't have the money to casually fly out to see her. She didn't want her here anyway.

"Can I talk to her?"

Mr. Han nodded. "Certainly."

He entered the number and handed Letty the phone. While it rang he left the room to give her some privacy.

"Hello?" she heard the voice of her mother answer.

"Lena, it's me."

"Oh my gosh, Letty. Are you okay?"

"It's just a small sports injury. I'm sorry if they scared you made it seem bigger than it was. It's nothing to be worried about." Letty said struggling to keep her voice from cracking. The only way to convince Lean to stay in Los Angeles was to lie.

"Oh? But I was going to come and see you."

"That's not necessary. I'm truly fine and we''ll see each other soon anyway for winter break."

"If you're sure."

"I am." Letty quickly reassured her.

"Okay then."

"I have to go. Don't worry too much."

She cried silently when she got off the phone with Lena. Mr. Han came back in after five minutes. She returned his phone.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

Besides the obvious she wanted say but instead she nodded her head yes.

"Someone wants to see you very badly." Mr. Han said. Letty knitted her eyebrows together wondering who it was. Mr. Han left and Dom came in moments later. She felt her entire body go slack with relief. The dam holding up her tears broke again as he rounded the side of her bed. He hugged her just as the first sob escaped her lips. She cried and cried and he just held her.

Dehydrated from all the crying she had done she wiped her eyes barely having enough energy for that. She was clutching Dom's hand tightly. He sat in the plastic chair near her bed looking down at their linked fingers. She didn't want him to let go. Not even a little.

"What do you think is going to happen now?" she asked.

"Shhh," Dom hugged her once more.

"Don't think about that now." He wanted her to focus on getting better only because focusing on anything else would be kill them both. "You just think about getting better. That's all I want you to worry about okay."

She forced a smile but it didn't even get close to reaching her eyes.

He smoothed out the curly hair back into her ponytail and kiss her damp forehead. "We are going to get through this. Like everything else." He slowly leaned down and kissed her lips gently.

Mr. Han gave them another ten minutes before both he and Doctor Duque came in to separate them.

"You have to get back to school." Mr. Han said.

Letty's hand was still tightly winded through Dom's. He looked at with sad doe eyes when it was time to leave.

"I'll see you later champ." he said.

"Champ?" she asked.

"You won the hundred metre sprint, remember."

She did remember but it didn't seem to matter now. None of it did.

Dom wanted to kiss her but the audience didn't allow him. He kissed her forehead instead and left her side following Mr. Han out the door.