"Ashlyn. Ashlyn wake up."
I open my eyes to see my wife standing above me, surrounded by a few of our teammates. I move my head just slightly to look around, and wince at the pain from just that small movement. With tears in her eyes, Ali looks at me and says, "That's one way to scare me." I scrunch my eyes in confusion, trying to move my head again only to realize that Megan is holding it still. "What happened?" I ask as the trainer's whirl around me, clearly setting me up to be taken off the field. The head trainer looks at me and tells me that he is going to ask me a few questions. He asks me where I am and what day it is, in which I tell him "February 9th, 2020. Carson, California. We are playing in the CONCACAF Women's World Cup Qualifying Final against Canada." "Good Ash, now who is this?" He asks pointing at Ali. A grin makes its way onto my face and I say, "That's my brown eyed girl." I see a look of relief wash over Ali's face as she smiles and shakes her head. The trainer laughs and says, "That's cute Ash but you know I need more than that." Ali gives me the look, the one that means I better stop playing around. "That's Alexandra Blaire Krieger, my wife." The trainer shakes his head and all the girls standing around me laugh.
"What happened?" I ask them again, after I get a sharp pain running through my head again. "You dove to make a save and hit you head on the goalpost." Alex finally answered my question as I was put onto the stretcher, Ali's head never losing its firm grip in my own. As I feel them start to roll me away, I feel myself get dizzy, my vision goes blurry, and then completely dark.
Next thing I remember is waking up in a hospital bed with an IV in my arm. I look around slowly, taking in the hospital smell and the dull lights of the room that I am in. On one side of my I see my best friend Megan curled up on the couch, mouth wide open, drooling as she sleeps. On the other side, I find Ali sitting in a chair. She is hunched over so that her head rests on my bed and she is holding my hand with both of hers. I gently squeeze her hand and use my other to gently run my fingers through her hair. She lifts her head immediately and looking into my eyes I can see her breathe a sigh of relief. "I know we said being married wouldn't change anything, but it changes everything." She says to me as she grips my hand tighter, her voice cracking just slightly from trying to hold in her emotions. Wow, the love that I have for this incredible women makes me feel like I could fly. I look at her slightly confused as she bends backwards, stretching her back from that uncomfortable position. "Come up here with me." I said to her as I moved over in the bed slightly to make room for her. She glances towards the door with a look of apprehension before looking back at me. She doesn't have much willpower to say no to begin with but when I say please and flash my dimple at her, I know that I won. She slowly climbs onto the bed with me, wrapping herself into my side and laying her head on my shoulder.
"So, what's the verdict?" "You have a bad concussion and a few stitched where your head opened when it hit the post. Doctor says you should be good to go in a few weeks." I lay back on the bed, one hand still entwined with Ali's and the other rubbing smooth circles on her back. "What did you mean when you said that being married changed everything?" Ali looks up at me from her place on my chest. "When you went down on the field, the feeling was so intense. I just had to get to you. We have played together before when one of us got hurt, and I don't remember feeling that intense feeling. I didn't even wait for the referee to stop the game, I just sprinted over to you. I was so scared. Seeing you so lifeless like that Ash it was –" She stops speaking, a few tears falling down her face. "But I'm okay baby, you already know I have a hard head." This gets a little chuckle out of her as I try to wipe the tears from her cheeks. "Besides, I am way to excited about my future with my hot wife to be leaving quite yet." I grin as she lightly hits my arm. It's quiet for a few moments before I hear her say quietly. "I don't even want to think about you leaving me." I kiss the top of her head and squeeze my arms around her tighter. "I am going to live life with you for as long as you will have me Al." 'I love you so much Ashlyn, you are my favorite best friend." In that moment I know exactly what Ali was talking about when she said that marriage changes things. I am the luckiest women in the world to love, and be loved by, my brown eyed girl.