Chapter 20: Pain

My first disappointment came the following Tuesday. My team and I were having what would probably be our last outdoor practice until spring, so our coaches were having us play a mini game against each other. As was his habit, Seth was 'jogging' around the nearby track. I knew he was just looking out for me though. Plus, compared to his real running, he was practically crawling.

I was pitching, but I was distracted. Every fiber of my body was straining, trying to throw as hard as possible, but my mind was on every little stress in my life, cycling through too rapidly for me to keep up. My head pounded just as loudly as my heart. Suddenly, someone hit the ball back at me, not even a foot to my left. I tried to spin around and grab it and my foot caught in the divot that pitchers make on the mound. I tried to stop, but my momentum took me in a full 180 from my original position. A sickening 'crack!' resounded from my ankle.

"OW!" I screamed, before falling to the ground, clutching my face in my hands. I tried to breath but I just ended up sobbing. I'd never felt such physical pain in my life.

"Kayla!" I heard two male voices call; my dad and Seth.

I opened my eyes and saw my dad through my tears. "Dad, I think my ankle is broken." I whimpered.

"Sir, do you want me to call 911 or would you like to drive her to the emergency room?" Seth asked somewhere near me, panic in his voice.

"I'll drive her." My dad answered. "But let's try to splint her ankle first."

I felt hands straightening my leg, carefully avoiding my ankle. Something soft and thick was wrapped around my ankle and calf, very gently. I heard the distinct sound of tape being pulled off the roll. I was still crying too hard to be aware of anything I was seeing. Then, Seth picked me up bridal style, cradling me to his chest. I felt a hand steadying my leg so it wouldn't bounce, probably my dad. I was placed gently in the front seat of my dad's van and someone buckled me in. My leg rested on the dashboard.

"Kayla." My dad called to me. "Can you talk?"

"Yes." I said; my voice cracking.

"Ok, I'd like you to take some ibuprofen. Can you swallow it?"

I opened my eyes, brushed away some of my tears, and grabbed the two orange pills and water bottle my dad held.

"Good girl." My dad said with a smile and ruffled my hair affectionately. "We'll have you to the ER in no time." He turned to Seth. "Are you, uh, coming with us?"

"I would like to, if you don't mind."

"Hop in, I guess."

Seth clambered awkwardly into the backseat, his head brushing the ceiling. "How are you feeling Kayla?" He asked. "Well, I guess that's a dumb question." He mumbled.

"No such thing as a dumb question. And I'm feeling like my ankle is trying to kill me." I said miserably.

"I'm sorry." He said forlornly, reaching around my seat to brush a few strands of hair off my forehead.

"It's not your fault." I said exhaustedly. "It's my brains fault. I couldn't focus and I tripped."

He sighed. I let my tears fall silently down my face. My dad joined us then, apologizing for being so slow. He had run back to grab me my sweater.

"Put this on. You'll be in enough pain without your arm tightening up." He said.

"Thank you." I said softly, trying to give him a weak smile.

"I'm sorry in advance if we hit any bumps in the road. I'll try to make this as smooth as possible."

"It's ok Dad, I can handle it."

"I know. You're a trooper."

I closed my eyes and rested my head on the back of the seat, focusing all my energy on keeping my ankle still. I whimpered after a few jolts, but other than that, I was silent. Seth was out of the car like a bullet when we pulled up in front of the emergency wing of the hospital, jogging back with a wheelchair. Dad parked the car and speed walked back to us. Seth rolled me in and sat in a chair with me next to him in my wheelchair while Dad checked me in. Seth gently held my hand.

"Seth, my dad is around." I said softly.

"Trust me. At this point, he'll do anything to keep you comfortable." He assured me, squeezing my hand a little tighter.

"It's your head." I reminded him.

Two hours and a rather painful x-ray later, I was sitting on a hospital bed waiting for the doctor to give me his diagnosis. Seth had to wait in the lobby since he wasn't in my immediate family. I was texting him though, certain that he would barge through the hospital trying to find me if he was being left in the dark. Then, who should enter the room but Dr. Cullen.

"Carlisle!" I said with relief.

"Good evening Kayla." He turned to my dad. "Mr. Scott, my name is Dr. Cullen. I know your daughter through young Seth." My dad nodded.

"How does it look doctor?" He asked.

Carlisle sighed. "It looks like a Lateral Malleolus Fracture, which means her tibia is fractured. Fortunately, it looks like it is type A, so it will not require surgery. The typical healing period is a minimum of 6 weeks, during which she cannot put any weight on it. We will check in on her in 2 weeks to be sure that her bone is healing in the right position. From there, we can determine how long before she can start a small course of physical therapy. Her tibia should feel completely normal by Christmas." He smiled.

"So there will be minimal lasting damage?" I asked.

"Absolutely, but only as far as your tibia is concerned; there is a small worry with the nature of the injury. Since it was violently twisted, it is most likely sprained as well. This would add additional pain and physical therapy, as well as time for it to heal. At this point, your ankle is too swollen to determine the extent of the sprain. So for now, we are placing it in a plaster cast. After we re-evaluate, we may place it in a fiberglass cast."

"Alright." I said sadly.

My dad wheeled me to the casting room. I was avoiding looking at my ankle, and I still hadn't looked at it. I decided not to. When I sprained my ankle I went into hysterics; I could only imagine what the sight of this injury would do to me. Once the strips of plaster and the cotton bandage had been applied, I was free to go. They prescribed me Vicodin, but I wasn't a fan of heavy duty pain medication. I told my dad that we could always pick it up if I felt like I needed it. He agreed and wheeled me to the lobby. Seth jumped up and nearly sprinted to me when he saw us. I gave him the lowdown on my injury and his forehead creased with worry.

"I'll be fine." I tried to assure him. "It's practically exactly the same as when I sprained it." Seth didn't look convinced.

"So, you guys hungry?" My dad asked. "We can stop and eat somewhere. What do you feel like, Kayla?"

"Anywhere is fine. I might fall asleep before we get there."

"I'll just pull into whatever comes first then."

We ate in silence. My face was frozen in a grimace; my ankle throbbed with every beat of my heart, as did my head. I felt Seth's eyes riveted to my face but I didn't acknowledge him. I was putting the very last reserves of my energy into chewing and swallowing. When we were finished, I crutched slowly to the car, Seth and my dad hovering on either side of me. I fell asleep the minute I was buckled into my seat.

By the time I'd forced my eyes open, we'd dropped Seth off and we were sitting in the driveway of our house. I crutched even slower into the house and collapsed onto the couch, too exhausted to even attempt the stairs. I felt a blanket draped over me and the warm weight of Daisy's head resting on my arm before I sank into a blissfully painless sleep.

A/N: Wow, I can't believe I've written twenty chapters! I know you guys are amazing, so maybe if I'm lucky, I'll hit 300 reviews this chapter! That's only twelve reviews, so I think you'll hit the mark. Let me know what you guys are thinking!