Chapter 16: Right Now (Part 2)

"Miss the beat, you lose the rhythm / And nothing falls into place, no. Only missed by a fraction / Slipped a little off your pace, oh / …Got to turn, c'mon turn this thing around / Right now"

"I hate this," Payson muttered as she, Kelly, Austin, and Sasha watched their girls warming up one last time before the meet started. Annabelle and her sister stood off to the side, helping each other stretch, while several other girls ran back and forth across the floor to raise their heart rates.

"Hear, hear," Austin grumbled.

For Payson, the hardest part about being a coach was having to stand by and watch a meet, especially a major one, know that there was nothing she could do about the outcome. Sure, she and Sasha had prepared the girls well, and they could give a pep talk to end all pep talks, and they could spend the meet offering encouragement and support, but when it came down to it…the results were out of their hands. The gymnasts alone were in control of how well or poorly they did at any given meet. And as a former athlete turned coach, it was hard to stomach the loss of control.

"I'm going to start slipping Valium into your coffee," Sasha muttered, his eyes ticking to Payson's hands, which were clenching and unclenching as she tried to work off her nervous energy without throwing any off the girls off of their mental game.

"Sorry."

"The girls are going to go through each of their routines once, why don't we spread out and give them some last minute reminders. You three are just feeding off each other's nerves," Sasha said, a note of accusation in his voice. Kelly rolled her eyes and marched off to where Rochelle was getting ready to run through her beam routine, Austin made his way over to another athlete working the bars, and Payson made her way over to Annabelle, about to run through her floor routine. The girl was shaking.

"How're you feeling, Belle?" Payson asked, trying to ease her nerves by using the less formal nickname. Annabelle looked at Payson, her eyes huge and wild.

"Um, good."

"Annabelle, you need to relax. Treat this just like any other meet," Payson suggested. Annabelle snorted.

"Right."

"Annabelle," Payson groaned. If Annabelle didn't find a way to calm her nerves she was going to fall apart under the harsh light of competition.

"I know," Annabelle sighed, holding up a hand. "I'll get myself together before competition starts. Promise."

#

"Introducing Team USA!"

As soon as the girls had made their entrance, Sasha gathered them round, leaning into the group and raising his voice to be heard above the music blasting through the speakers.

"Listen up, ladies," he said. "This meet is where you will make it or break it. It will show the world whether or not you have what it takes to compete at the Olympic Games. You all have what it takes. I know you do. Payson knows that you do. The world does not. It's up to you all to show them why each and every one of you was hand selected to represent the United States. I chose you for a reason, because you all bring something special to the sport. Let that shine through in your routines today. Calm down. Focus. Fly."

Eight sets of eyes stared back at him, blazing with a hunger for competition. For excellence. And then their eyes turned to Payson. She faltered, not quite sure what to say that hadn't already been said. The back of Sasha's hand brushed hers and he nodded slightly. She took a breath, drinking it all in, remembering what it felt like to be an athlete, remembering what she'd wished someone had told her when she was young. She smiled.

"Right now. This is it, ladies. Think of this as the last time you'll ever compete. How do you want the world to remember you? Do you want to go out in a blaze of glory? You don't know what could happen tonight, tomorrow, next month. Life has a way of taking everything you think you know and turning it on its head. You might not get a tomorrow. You might only get one shot. This is it. Right now."

The girls nodded, their eyes brighter still. Payson held out her hand, balled into a fist and waited a fraction of a second before Annabelle's hand covered her own. Then Samantha's. Then Rochelle's. One by one, each girl added their hand to the pile until there was just Sasha left. He grinned, adding his hand to the mountain.

"On three; one, two, three…"

"Rock on!"

Payson smiled at the familiar cheer as the girls broke away, spreading out to focus and visualize. Though this was Team USA and it was made up of gymnasts from across the country, they all trained at the Rock at least once a month and had elected to keep the Rock cheer as their own.

"They look good," Payson breathed as Sasha came to stand next to her, his shoulder brushing against hers. It was the only contact they would allow themselves during competition, so as not to take their focus away from the girls. Just enough contact to gain strength and peace from each other, not enough to get lost.

"They do," Sasha echoed.

All too quickly they were in to the first rotation. Annabelle performed her bars routine flawlessly, earning a 15.8 from the judges. No one else touched her score. Team USA was putting on a very good show, looking more solid and together than any team since Payson's. It was an exhilarating feeling to have everything going right.

Payson should have known it wouldn't last.

Samantha was up on beam. Usually, Annabelle's older sister was not a gymnast to worry about; like Sasha had told Kelly and Austin, she would never earn the highest scores, but she would always help boost team rankings and Payson had never seen her falter during competition. But as Payson watched her approach the beam, she noticed a slight tremor in the girl's legs, an unsteadiness that made Payson's stomach flip flop. She reached out a grabbed Sasha by the forearm, digging her nails in to get his attention.

"Samantha isn't injured, right?" Payson confirmed. Sasha shook his head.

"Healthy as a horse," he breathed. Together they watched Samantha offer the judges a watered down smile. Payson looked at Annabelle, who looked anxious and whose eyes were trained on her sister.

"Belle," Payson hissed. The other gymnasts might not have noticed anything amiss yet, and Payson didn't want to call attention to it by calling out Annabelle's name.

"Hm?" Annabelle asked distractedly, drifting over to where Sasha and Payson stood, but without taking her eyes off Samantha.

"What's going on?" Sasha demanded in a soft voice. Annabelle's eyes flicked over to Sasha's face.

"She isn't feeling well. She was throwing up all morning before warm ups, and then again a few times just before we came in. She's been drinking Gatorade, but she still feels queasy," Annabelle admitted. A strangled noise made its way out of Payson's throat.

"Why didn't you girls tell us?" Payson asked. She felt Kelly and Austin appear at her side and knew both of them had noticed too.

"Samantha was worried you'd make her sit out." There wasn't time for anymore talk, Samantha was mounting the beam. She landed her jump to a handspring with relatively little wobble, although it wasn't the type of landing Payson usually associated with Samantha. And then she was working her way through the routine, slowly but precisely. Payson thought she might be beating whatever stomach bug she had caught; mind over matter.

Samantha's last acrobatic move before her dismount was a Flic-Flac with a full twist. Payson crossed her fingers, knowing that if she could just stay on the beam and then land her dismount without falling, everything would be fine. But Samantha didn't stay on the beam. Her hands hit the narrow block of wood, and then slipped right off. Her body continued with the downward momentum.

Her head hit the beam with a sickening crack.

Payson felt the shriek rip its way from her chest before she could stop it. All that ran through her head as she and Sasha dashed towards the fallen gymnast, lying lip on the mat, was her fall at Nationals. What if Samantha could never compete again?

"Stay back!" Sasha warned his gymnasts, including Annabelle who was nearly hysterical. Austin and Kelly worked to keep them at bay as Sasha waited for the event medics, his fingers on the pulse point in Samantha's wrist. Blood was pooling on the mat beneath her head.

"We'll need to take her to the hospital right away," the medic said. Sasha stood and helped Payson do the same, nodding.

"Of course. Kelly, go with them." Kelly didn't question Sasha's order, squeezing Payson's hand as she hurried to follow them.

Samantha had been the last American gymnast to perform, but Payson and Sasha needed to see the girls back to the hotel and reassure them that Samantha would be okay, even though they didn't know that for sure, before they took Annabelle to the hospital.

Everyone moved quickly, silently, the way people sometimes do when faced with a scary situation they can't control. Payson shook with the effort of containing her tears. It was all brining back so many memories, and one look at the tension in Sasha's jaw, the ashen pallor of his face, told her that he was reliving her injury too.

"Payson, I need to go see her," Annabelle begged the instant they'd gotten the team back to the hotel. Tear tracks streaked her cheeks and she shifted back and forth from one foot to another, her hands shaking as she wrung them together.

"I know, Belle, we'll go in just a minute. Just hold on." Payson glanced over Annabelle's shoulder at Sasha, who was coming from the room he'd gathered all the athletes into. Austin was going to stay with the girls, and once she and Sasha were at the hospital, Kelly would come back to join him.

"Belle, do have your things? Cell phone, wallet?" Sasha asked softly, trying to keep his voice from wavering. Annabelle nodded, her eyes wide and frightened. "Good. Let's go."

#

Samantha was a small girl, as most elite gymnasts were, and she looked even smaller lying unconscious in a hospital bed. Her face was pale, drained of all blood, and there was a bandage wrapped around her head.

"She's suffered a skull fracture. It's a serious head wound, but as far as what could have happened…she's a lucky young lady," the doctor said. "She will be able to compete again, should she choose to."

Payson and Sasha nodded. Being able to compete was the least of their immediate concerns. Annabelle paced the hallway.

"That's her sister," Payson said softly, nodding her head at Annabelle. "Can she see her?"

"Of course. Samantha will have to stay here for a while, and she'll be in London for even longer. We can't risk her flying just yet."

"Thank you, Doctor."

Payson turned to Annabelle, holding out her hand. Annabelle took it and together they went into Samantha's room in the ICU. Very carefully, Annabelle sat down on the bed next to her sister, gently running her fingers over the bandage covering hear head.

"My parents always thought she would be the one going to the Olympics," Annabelle said quietly. "Not me."

"What do you mean?" Payson asked, taking a deep breath and holding it in, in an effort to keep herself from crumbling. Everyone knew that Annabelle was the better gymnast of the two sisters.

"When we first started out, Samantha was way better than me. I used to hate her for it because my parents treated her like…like something insanely special and rare; they gave her everything she wanted. I only started to pass by her, like, two years ago and even then my parents thought it was some fluke," Annabelle explained. Payson frowned. She'd met Annabelle and Samantha's parents, and they had seemed to dote on both of their daughters. It looked like a well adjusted, happy family, one that reminded Payson of her own.

Sasha came in the room then, silently, laying his hands on Payson's shoulders. She wanted to sag under the weight of them, collapse into Sasha's chest and let go of all the emotions rolling around inside her, but she didn't dare. Not until she was safely out of Annabelle's sight.

"Samantha though, she knew that I'd be better than her someday. She told me so all the time. And she…she always says how proud she is of me…"

Annabelle starts to cry, leaning over and pressing her face into the crook of Samantha's neck. She's silent for a moment as she cries, her tears staining the thin hospital gown that's two sizes too big for Samantha. When she finally sits up, her tears are dry and she sniffs before looking at Payson and Sasha with steel in her eyes.

"I have to do the triple tomorrow."

Payson starts to object, but the sharp squeeze of Sasha's hands on her shoulders keeps her silent. He nods.

"Of course."

#

After making sure that Annabelle and Samantha's parents arrived at the hospital and found the right room, Payson and Sasha made their way back to the hotel. They gave the rest of the team an update, assuring them that while Samantha's injury was serious, she would be fine eventually and then bid everyone goodnight. Austin and Kelly set off for their rooms while Payson and Sasha did the same, not even bothering to hide it from the girls.

The moment the door clicked shut, Payson took a ragged breath and burst into tears. Sasha swept her into his arms, holding her tightly, as she buried her face in his chest and sobbed.

"Shh, love," Sasha whispered, running his hand over her hair and pressing kisses to any part of her that he could reach without loosening his grasp. A few tears of his own were starting to fall, tracing patterns down his cheeks.

"I…I just can't…stop," Payson gasped, but Sasha shushed her again. He knew what she was going to say; she couldn't stop picturing her own fall. Neither could he. The image of a teenage Payson in her sparkling red and blue leotard plummeting to the ground, landing on her neck flashed through Sasha's mind every time he closed his eyes.

Sasha led her over to the bed. They'd both been on their feet all day and he wanted her to rest, at least as much as she could, given the circumstances. Together they scooted up to the head of the bed, entwining their arms as they held tightly to each other. Payson's hand grabbed a fistful of his t-shirt as her tears died. Before Sasha understood what was happening, she had surged up to kiss him deeply, desperately.

It was a comfort they both needed. As Payson struggled to rid him of his shirt, his hand slipped up the leg of her shorts, gripping her thigh tightly and hitching it up over his hip. She rolled, sending him onto his back and sitting up, peeling off her shirt and grinding down against him. Sasha's breath caught in his throat.

Their gazes locked for a long moment while Payson fumbled with the button on his pants. Her eyes told him everything he needed to know; she wanted to forget. She wanted to drown in him and for him to drive the images of both her fall and Samantha's from her mind.

Sasha wanted the same.

#

Payson had thought she was nervous during the preliminary competition, but event finals the next day were even worse. Her heart hammered in her chest as she watched each of the girls compete on the apparatuses they had qualified in. She chewed her nails until they started to sting, and then she began to gnaw on the inside of her cheek, just waiting for another gymnast to fall, sure that another catastrophe was just waiting in the wings.

Sasha held her hand as the girls secured a Team gold, and as Annabelle swept gold in every event but beam. She had fallen apart there, and Payson knew it was because of Samantha. But there was still the vault to go, and that had Payson more nervous than anything.

"Relax. For Belle," Sasha muttered as he saw Annabelle standing up over his should. She peeled off her team jacket, her eyes unfocused as she saw the vault in her head. Payson carefully schooled her features, pushing all the terror deep down inside.

"You got this, Annabelle," Payson said, her voice surprisingly strong. Annabelle gave her a small, distracted smile and climbed the stairs to the competition floor, crossing over to the start of the run. There wasn't even the slightest tremor in Annabelle's hands.

"She's going to do it," Kelly whispered beside Payson. There was no denying it, Annabelle was going to stick it. It wasn't anything concrete that spectators would see, just a change in demeanor, a charge in the air around her that told the world she meant business. But even the knowledge that Annabelle was about to make gymnastics history didn't quell Payson's nerves.

As the judge's flag went up and Annabelle gave her salute, Payson reached for Kelly's hand, squeezing hard. She noticed Kelly reach for Austin's and the four coaches stood there, linked, watching.

Annabelle took a running start, swinging her arms back and jumping up much like the way Alicia Sacramone had started all of her vaults, barreling towards the horse.

Payson wanted to squeeze her eyes shut, but she didn't dare. Annabelle threw herself into the round off, back handspring, her hands hitting the springboard with a solid thud. There was the sharp ping of the metal springs as she flew up into the air, pushing off the vault horse and twisting her body once, twice, three times.

"She's got it," Austin said, his voice rising with excitement. Payson began bouncing, ready to jump up and down when Annabelle landed.

Her feet hit the mat, just a slight bend in her knee. The force caused her to bounce and take a large hop, but it was as close as any female gymnast had ever come to landing a triple twisting Yurchenko, at least in competition. A wide smile split Annabelle's face as the crowd was silenced, not quite sure what they had just seen. And then, the arena burst in raucous applause. Payson broke away from Sasha, Kelly, and Austin and ran to Annabelle, who jumped into Payson's arms. The two women jumped up and down, screaming in excitement. Annabelle had just cemented her place in history, and become the best gymnast in the world.

"You did it!" Payson said loudly, her mouth nearly pressed to Annabelle's ear so she'd be heard.

"I did it!"

The event officials pulled Annabelle away from Payson, directing her to the podium where a gymnastics official Payson barely recognized looped the gold medal around her neck. Annabelle grasped the disk in her hand, lifting it towards the ceiling. Tears welled in Payson's eyes.

She felt Sasha's arm settle around her shoulders, squeezing firmly and then he leaned in, his lips brushing the shell of her ear as he spoke.

"Enjoy it," he whispered. She looked up at him, confused.

"Enjoy what?"

"This, your proud mum moment. It's a huge accomplishment for Annabelle, but it's a big accomplishment for you too. Be proud of yourself."

Payson looked towards the podium at Annabelle. The gymnast took a break from waving at the crowd and smiled brightly at Payson, giving her a thumbs up. Payson returned.

They both had every reason to be proud.

#

Payson was bone tired by the time she and Sasha got home, and all she wanted to do was collapse into bed and sleep for days. Her mother was keeping Harper an extra day so that Payson could try to beat the jet lag, and even though the only thing Payson wanted more than sleep was to wrap her arms around her little girl, she was grateful for the reprieve. Caring for Harper and getting her body back into the right time zone would have been torture.

"I'll see you at work tomorrow," Sasha sighed, fighting a yawn as he forced himself to get up off her couch. Payson stuck her bottom lip out in a pout and grabbed his hand, refusing to let go.

"Don't go, stay here with me," Payson begged. Sasha groaned, leaning down to press his lips to hers.

"I have to check on my apartment. Between being here and going to Worlds I've hardly been home in a month. The place could've burned to the ground for all I know," Sasha grumbled. Payson didn't respond right away, but her grip on his hand tightened. He frowned, staring at her. "What?"

She kept staring at him, smiling and sitting up straight.

"Move in with me."

A/N: A HUGE thank you to HopeFlies, SunStar123, Kiwiflea, and BearyFunny66 for your reviews last chapter! I would love to get another chapter to you all in about a week, but since I move 1 week from SATURDAY it might not happen. This one might have to tide you over for a while.

So, a lot happened here, huh? We got some Annabelle back story, some P/S development, some gymnastics drama. Tell me your thoughts, people! Good, bad, or ugly, let me hear 'em!