SIX: Vanessa's POV

All I Need flowed through the speakers and my program began. I began with my quick, powerful strokes before instantly gaining more speed and strength. I had left crossovers and prepared myself for my first jump of the program; a quad flip. I landed easily, coming out of it before quickly leaping into my flying sit spin. I pulled out again, gaining some power before going into an easy beillmann across the ice. I pulled out giving my crossovers my all before throwing myself into my quad lutz triple toe loop combination jump. I quickly turned forwards, sinking into my lunge and swinging around before rising again and turning into my right foot power pulls. My spiral I pulled next felt like the highest spiral I'd ever skated but I quickly pulled into a curved Ina baur before flipping around into a backwards spread eagle. I came out of that doing constant switch foot turns and quick edges and then did a few traveling toe pick spins before lurching into my camel spin. I upped my speed, only upping my adrenaline and pulled my triple axel perfectly. I turned forwards, pulling left then right crossovers before turning backwards to toe pick the ice hard, throwing myself into a quad toe loop. I landed and began the entrance to my beillmann spin, rotating about eight or so times before turning that into a scratch spin. I cane out of spinning pulling some traveling spin footwork and doing some left than right power-pulls, gaining the speed for my layback spin. I gain speed from crossovers as I quickly hump into my quad toe loop once more and land quickly, turning forwards, pulling some simple waltz footwork before beginning the entrance to my quad loop. I curl my edge, leaping hard into the jump.

Shit, I think to myself. The moment I took off into the air, I knew something wasn't right about my jump. I rotate the quoted four times but I know I'm in trouble as I go into my landing.

I bend my right knee, impacting my weight as I land, but I don't stop falling. I hear several distinct cracks before I feel it and slam into the ground. The pain of the cracks I heard and the impact of hitting the ice are too much to bear, and everything goes black…

My ear plugs have fallen out slightly so I hear the screams coming from the stands. Fuck. I try to get up but a hard hand pushes me back down.

"It's cold," I complain as I open my eyes to see that I'm surrounded by medics.

"What-?" I begin to ask as something lightly brushes my right leg and everything goes black once again with no more than a whimper escaping from my mouth.

As I slowly fade back into awareness, I hear an even beeping noise and I smell the burning scent of rubbing alcohol.

Where am I? I wonder as I peek through my lashes and begin blinking spastically as blinding white light registers itself in my vision.

After the quick initial shock, my eyes slowly register the light and I take in my surroundings. The walls are a plain grey, I'm in a bed with railings and itchy sheets, something extremely heavy is weighting down my right leg, my head is pounding – like, as in, it has a pulse. – and there is a little red button in my left hand.

I'm in a hospital, my subconscious tells me.

Why? I ask it.

I get no responding realization and out of frustration, form fists, accidentally hitting my red panic button.

A nurse rushes in and stares at me wildly.

"Sorry," I say weakly. "Where am I? What's going on? Where are my parents?" I ask.

"You're okay?" she asks. I nod, waiting for my questions to get answered. She exhales in relief and begins. "You're in Egypt's Central Hospital, your parents are… are… I'm not sure actually. And you're here because of the nasty fall you took on the ice." She looks at my leg pointedly.

"What happened to it?" I ask quietly.

"You landed that quad jump just wrong. You broke your femur, your calf, tore your ACL and got several cracks in your knee cap."

"Ooh my god. Am I ever gonna be able to walk again? Or skate? I have to be able to skate. My parents will be pissed. I let them down, I failed." I begin crying.

"Hey, hey, shh shh shh, you'll be Oohkay. You'll be able to walk again, eventually. I'm sorry, but no, you will never be able to competitively skate again. There's nothing to do for this. There is surgery for your ACL that can make it so you can skate, but you'll never be able to compete again." She says sadly.

"Damn, well, schedule me for the ACL surgery please, then." I ask.

"I can't hon, not until your bones heal."

"Ooh, I'll just have it done at home then, once I'm better. I won't be here much longer."

She nods thoughtfully. "I'm sorry, dear. I saw your performance. You really are a beautiful skater. It's a shame you couldn't place," she tells me. It's my turn to nod and blush.

"Thanks," I mutter. "Can you find my parents?" I ask sweetly. I need time to myself.

"Sure sweetie. Gloria and Glen, right?" she checks.

"Yes, thank you," I say as she exits my room. I click the 'lights off' button on the remote I find on the table beside me and settle in to wait for my mom and dad to come see me.

"Vanessa," my mom walks into my room five minutes later.

"Hi mom, dad," I greet them.

"Vanessa," my mom begins. I look at her. "How could you do that?" she hisses. What? She's mat at me? Why? This wasn't even my fault!

"What?" I ask in disbelief.

"Why didn't you down grade to a triple if you knew your take off wasn't right? If you went down to a triple you could've fallen and gotten back up. You still could've placed," she got angrier by the second.

"Are you kidding me? I'm in a bed with bars, needles in my arm, and a cast weighing down my entire right leg and you're mad at me?" I raise my voice slightly. "I can't believe you. And dad, how could you just stand there and do nothing? What kind of parents are you? I can't even look at you right now. Get out; get out of my room now. I'll see you back at home in Australia. Bye." I close my eyes and rest my head on my pillow. I hear then leave and I press the red button in my hand. I hope the same nurse comes back in.

"Sweetie, are you alright? I heard yelling."

"Fine, when can I be discharged?" I demand.

"In a few hours. Let me run your papers through and have the doctor sign off on then and then he'll come and talk to you before setting you free." She smiles.

"Thanks," I smile back at her.