A/N: AHHHH! The US team selection was CHAOTIC!
Antsy and wanting to stay in shape, JJ had decided to spend a couple of hours in the gym, despite it being off-season and a Saturday. She had no intentions of actually training, but had reasoned that some strength work and a bit of practice on the trampoline definitely wouldn't hinder her efforts. Michael had come with her, always loving watching her train, and had taken up residence on the mezzanine above the gym to watch her work.
"Do a double double," Nick called sarcastically from where he was lounging against a foam block as JJ bounced around on the pit trampoline. They were the only two in the back half of the gym; with Thanksgiving break fast approaching, only a select few competitive groups were still in for training. So, at that present time, there were about thirty other kids in the massive space, being led in separate groups. Elliott, the trampoline coach, was working hard over at the group of beds, while Lacey and Kylie had a group on beam and floor respectively.
Having enough height, JJ rebounded off the mat and easily soared through a tucked double double. She landed in the foam, turning to Nick with a grin before starting to dig herself out.
"Ok smartass. I know you can already do them off the trampoline. How about a real challenge, try it laid out," he laughed, sitting forward and resting his elbows on his knees.
"Like Victoria Moors?" JJ asked, referring the Canadian gymnast who had competed a laid out double double on floor at Worlds and gotten it named for her.
"Yep. Give it a go. You're in the foam, so it's not gonna go haywire"
JJ obliged, clambering out of the pit and back onto the trampoline. She set herself up, getting a few startup bounces in, before setting up and rebounding backwards. She flipped and twisted through the air, trying hard to keep her body stretched, but even so, she could feel the pike in her hips and the bend in her knees.
"Ok, look, that wasn't bad!" Nick called out as she dug herself out of the foam. "A little soft in the body shape, but the idea is there. Do you wanna try it again?"
"I thought I wasn't training today," JJ replied with a smirk. Nick laughed.
"You're not, you're just here having fun. I'm only providing some slight guidance so you don't die"
JJ laughed, pulling herself back up onto the trampoline again.
"Alright, this time I want you to focus on really stretching right through the layout. You're on the trampoline, so you're gonna get awesome height. If you get the rotation downpat, I don't see why you wouldn't be able to get this on the floor one day"
"No coaching!" JJ called back, earning another laugh from Nick as he lounged back against the foam block.
She pushed herself upwards, propelling higher and higher and swinging her arms to generate height. When she was high enough, she focused her eyes ahead of her and turned her attention to the angle of her arms. With one more bounce, she set backwards. But straightaway, she knew that her takeoff angle was completely wrong. She wasn't going up, she was going backwards.
She heard Nick yell out, and next thing she knew, her legs hit the edge of the pit with a deafening crack. She screamed as pain erupted through her left leg, going limp and collapsing into the foam.
"Hang on JJ, hang on, I'll get you out!" Nick called. "Don't move"
She could barely see through the foam blocks that surrounded her head, her eyes swimming with tears as she started to sob in pain.
"Elliott! I need your help!" Nick yelled, reaching down and grabbing JJ's hand. "It's alright JJ, squeeze my hand. I know it hurts"
"Is it broken?" JJ asked tearfully, even though she was sure she already knew the answer.
"Without a doubt kiddo, that's why I need you to stay still," Nick said seriously. He lifted his head again, looking towards the front of the gym. "Michael!"
"What happened? Is she alright?" she heard her dad yell back.
"No, I'm pretty sure she's broken her leg, can you call 911?"
"I'm on it!"
"Nick, I feel sick," JJ said tearfully.
"Two seconds JJ, Elliott and I are gonna lift you out. It's gonna hurt like hell, alright? But we have to get you out. Just don't puke in my pit"
Next thing she knew, Elliott appeared in her field of view, clambering into the pit to support her body from underneath. She could hear Lacey and Kylie moving the younger girls back towards the front of the gym. Then, she was being lifted, the pain erupting through her lower leg and drawing an agonizing scream from deep within her. She couldn't help but dissolve in pained tears as Nick worked on trying to stabilize her leg.
Everything was a blur. Voices were talking above her, but all she could focus on was the injury she had just sustained. What if that was it? What if a broken leg was enough to take her out of contention as part of the US national team? Surely she couldn't be done with the sport. She had so much left to prove, both to herself and the world.
"Hey," Nick said softly, catching her attention as Elliott walked away to see how far away the ambulance was. "You're gonna be alright kiddo"
"What if I can't do gymnastics again?" she asked, her voice so small and timid that immediately hated how vulnerable she sounded.
"You will. A broken bone isn't much to worry about. Look at Kristen Maloney. She broke her leg multiple times and still went to the Olympics, albeit with a rod in her leg… but that shows you, there's always a way around it. Besides… it's November, kiddo. Don't stress. You'll take some time off, get nice and healthy and strong again, and I have no doubt you'll be a force to be reckoned with next year"
Sniffing back tears, JJ nodded, managing a watery smile as Nick lifted a fist for her to bump. She bumped her fist against his, a sense of calm flooding through her body at his reassuring words.
"I'll be ok," she voiced quietly, more an affirmation to herself than anything else.
"I have no doubt about it kiddo"
The ambulance ride had been eventful to say the least. Already nauseous from the pain in her leg, the movement in the back of the ambulance had made her vomit less than 5 minutes down the road from the gym. The paramedic, Brian, had been wonderful, somehow noticing the green in her face before she even felt it coming, and had pushed a barf bag into her hands just seconds before she retched. Then, he had dosed her up on painkillers, meaning by the time she arrived at the hospital and was reunited with her dad in the emergency room, she was in a sleepy haze of fog.
"Ok JJ, do you want the good news or the bad news?" said Dr Cameron as he walked back into the room where she was waiting with her dad.
"Hit me with the bad news," she said hazily.
"Alright," Cameron replied, switching on the light box and popping one of her x-rays up on the frame. "You've got a displaced fracture of your tibia, which is the long bone you can normally feel at the front of your leg. The bone has separated enough that we will need to operate on it to realign it. The other part of the bad news is that it's not a completely clean break. It looks like the break originated from a stress fracture, and the impact of your crash today was more than it could handle. Have you had any pain in your leg recently?"
JJ nodded. "A little, but I thought I was just sore because I had adjusted my workout routine over the off-season"
"Yeah, it's often mistaken for muscle soreness. But JJ, the good news is we can easily realign it today and have you on the mend very soon. Now, I spoke to the orthopedic surgeon, and he actually suggested that we insert a thin metal rod into the bone. This is normally only done for repeat breaks, but because you're a high impact, high level athlete, we want to make sure this bone heals perfectly and is just as strong as before. Once you get to a point where your leg is completely strong again, we would be able to take that rod out"
Drowsy from the drugs, and ready for the day to be over, JJ watched as her dad and the doctor discussed a few more things. Michael eventually turned to her, getting her confirmation that she understood everything, before getting her to sign the consent form for the surgery.
Right now, she was just trying not to worry. It was only November. Even a four month recovery would have her back on her feet by April.
Plenty of time to be ready for Worlds.