he does whenever heâs mad or sad or worried or excited. I wonder what he is this time. Mad? Sad? Worried?
âSure thing, Coach,â I tell him. I try to sit up but canât. Vickiâs holding me down with her forearm.
âNot so fast,â she says and then makes a peace sign with her free hand. She asks me how many fingers sheâs holding up. When I tell her two, she orders me to wiggle my fingers and toes. Finally, she moves her arm and lets me sit up. A wave of wooziness nearly splashes over me again.
Itâs only now that I realize how confused I am. Why is it so bright? Why are my teammates circled around me? Why am I sitting on the field?
âDid I faint?â I wonder out loud.
âYou canât remember what happened?â Vicki says.
âYou had your bell rung, Duncan,â Coach Berg says. He taps his temple so I know my bell is my head. âHappens to the best of us. Think you can finish the game?â
âSure, Coach,â but nodding yes sends another wave of wooziness crashing over me. I have to press my palms into the ground behind me to stay sitting up.
âThereâs no way youâre finishing the game, Alyssa,â Vicki says. Sheâs talking to me, but her eyes are on Coach, and she looks pretty mad. âYou had a concussion. Weâre going to get you to the hospital, okay?â
I know better than to nod my head again.
âCan your parents drive you?â
I know better than to shake my head too.
âYour dad?â
I just say âno,â because itâs easier than saying he died when I was two.
âMom?â
âAt work,â I say.
âWell, Iâm sure we can find someone whoââ
âIâll do it,â a voice offers.
I turn my head slowly to see that Ruth Middleton, one of our backup players, is standing next to me.
âI was thinking someone from the stands, Ruth,â Vicki says. âYouâre in the middle of a game.â
âI donât mind,â she says. Under her breath, she adds, âDonât have anything else to do.â
âCoach?â Vicki says. âCan you spare Ruth for the last few minutes of the game?â
âAbsolutely,â he says a little too quickly. âI mean, whateverâs best for Alyssa we should do, right?â
âThen itâs settled,â Vicki says. âBefore you go, Alyssa, do you have any questions?â
Just one. âWhen will I get to play again?â
Vicki crouches next to me, puts my arm over her shoulder, and helps me stand up. âThatâs for the doctor to decide,â she replies.
D r. Lopez is explaining my condition when a nurse pokes her head into the room and tells me I have a visitor. By the giddy way she says it, I know whoâs about to step into the room. Rick Morris can turn even middle-aged women into teenage admirersâespecially when heâs wearing a formfitting Under Armour shirt.
âHey, babe,â he says. âMy club game ended early, so I stopped by your game. Everyone told me Iâd find you here.â
âHere I am,â I say.
âSaw Ruth in the lobby and told her Iâd give you a ride home.â
âThanks.â
âSo this is the right room?â the nurse says, her eyes glued to my boyfriendâs pecs. She probably expected to find a magazine model posing on the hospital bed. Instead of a beauty, she found a beast.
âYep,â I tell the nurse, âyouâve come to the right place.â I turn to Dr. Lopez and ask, âAnything else?â
âNo, I suppose not.â Then she adds, âJust be careful, Alyssa. Concussions are very, very serious. Donât even think about stepping onto the soccer field until all your symptoms are gone. I want to see you again in a week, okay?â
âYouâre the boss,â I tell her.
âFollow me, Nurse Bennett,â she says on her way out. âWe have other
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