Date: Mon, 27 Aug 2001 01:34:00 -0400 From: Alex Bright <adisoc007@msn.com> Subject: Broken Facades Chapter 26 Author: Alex Nelson Title: Broken Facades Chapter: Chapter 26 Lost in the Storm Helen "Mr. and Mrs. Westrick, I'd like to keep your son overnight for..." "NO OVERNIGHT!" Brad yelled after hearing what the doctor wanted. "Bradley!" I yelled back "You're acting like a little child, now hush so your father and I can hear the doctor," I said sternly. "Mom...please? I just want to go home." "Folks, could I have a word with you outside?" the doctor asked as he ushered us out of the room. Once outside we both looked at him with concern "Ok Doctor?" Marc asked. "Doctor Monroe...Daniel Monroe, but you can just call me Daniel," he said with a smile as he extended his hand to Marc. I held on to Marc's other hand as we walked down the hall to the nurse's station. "Ok Daniel, what's wrong with my son?" I asked, still holding onto Marc's hand as we walked down the hall. "I couldn't find anything wrong with him other than a possible concussion during my examination when he first arrived. However, after he woke up I noticed how agitated he was and still is, something upset him earlier during the day and caused an anxiety attack. Do you know what could have been the cause? "I have no idea...Marc?" I asked "I haven't the foggiest either," he said looking just as confused. "There were two kids that arrived with him when he was brought in early, one boy and a girl. He called the girl his girlfriend, and the boy was black." "That had to be Alisa and Alex," Marc said. "I didn't see Alex when we got here, and Alisa just ran off crying," I said. "What the hell is going on?" Marc asked, now getting upset. "I don't know sir, all I know is your son passed out at school and may have a concussion. He is also very pissed off at something. I tried to find out what he was so upset about, but I had to leave the room because I was only making things worse. A few minutes later his friend Alex passed by me looking upset. "Do you know why he left and what upset them?" I asked. "No I don't. Under normal circumstances anyone admitted into the hospital with either a head trauma or unconsciousness, we usually keep overnight for observation, but in the case of your son keeping him here makes him more upset." "So what do you want us to do?" I asked as we reached the nurse's station "Take him home," he said as he signed Brad's chart then reached into his pocket and handed me his card. "I'll call you if anything comes up. In two days I would like see Brad again. Maybe by then he'll be ready to talk." After looking at the card, "You're a physiatrist?" "Yes I am," he said with a smile. "Just bring Brad back in two days." "Sure thing," Marc said Justin "Coach, let me go to the number 2 or 3 spot? These guy are all over my ass this game," Tony said as he ran off the field at the end of the 3rd quarter. Tony's strengths were in his hands and speed, he didn't run the best routs, and could easily get jammed (bumped off on the line) and this team was doing just that, and they where jamming him good. "I don't think that will help," I said feeling just as frustrated as he and the coach looked. "I'm going to have to agree with Justin, Tony. They're jamming you on the line then double and triple teaming you. The BD's and Safeties are all over you and moving you to 2 or 3 won't work...but since they are so worried about you..." I knew what the coach was thinking, we were one the same page. "Let's use that to our advantage," I said as I looked at Tony. He started to smile because he knew what we were getting at, "Tony I need you to run the routs like you've never run before," Coach Walters said. "All you're going to do is pull the guys that are marking you long or wide. Got it?" "Yes sir," he said as he put on his helmet and walked onto the field. "Justin, I need you buddy, the team needs you. I don't know what's distracting you, but I need you to play like the old Justin. You think you can be that for me?" he asked as I looked into the stands. Alisa smiled at me once we made eye contact. "I think I can do that." I said as I put my helmet on and ran onto the field. Alex RING...RING "Hello..." "Ah hi... "Alex...is that you sweetheart?" "Yes, it's me Sarah...ah...is Alisa there?" "No sweetheart, she isn't." "Oh...ok well...oh ..ok" "Alex, honey do you want to talk?" "No I was... ah... just checking if she was home." "Alex she told me...are you sure you don't want to talk?" "Well, I don't want to be a bother." "Alex, since when where you ever a bother? You can wait for her to get back and then talk to her." "Are you sure it's ok?" "I'll have the double chocolate chip cookies and milk out and waiting." "Ok...see you in a bit" "Bye." Justin This was turning into the game of my life and with under two minutes left in the 4th quarter, it was now do or die. After the fumble in the 3rd quarter we ended up with a field goal and our first points of the game. In the fourth quarter it started to rain. I loved playing in the rain while other people hated it. The rain became our twelfth man. Because of it we forced two more fumbles, which caused us to spring back to life. From those turnovers we scored 14 unanswered points and were now trailing 17 to 21. Because of the double and triple teams Tony was still getting, he had only caught two passes in the whole game. I think he had a total of maybe 20 yards, this from a guy that was averaging 100 plus yards per game last year and this year. I guess this team learned their lesion last year when Tony burned them for almost 200 yards. Coach Walter's plan was working. Tony was pulling the safeties and DB all over the field, which was opening up the field for me to hit the other receivers or just run with the ball myself. "It's working," Tony said as he ran over to the huddle. "Justin man, you're doing it and you're hitting the other guys. Now they're only doubling up on me." "I know, but we only have a few seconds left. You have got to get open this time. I want you to roll on the jam and take off. They don't think I'm going to use you, out pattern flyboy." "I don't know Just, what if the safety slides over?" "Then you burn his ass too. You're the fastest guy out here, you either catch this ball or I'll kick your ass," I said with a smile. "Let do this." he said as we broke from the huddle Brad Rain. Outside looked exactly how I felt inside, like shit. Riding home was uneventful. I kept looking out my window, watching the rain fall as my parents kept looking at each other. "Bear, what would you like to eat baby?" "I'm not hungry," I said in a monotone voice "Do you want me to swing by the game? It should be over about by now," my father said. "NO!" "But don't you want to see Justin and ... " she started to ask, and I suddenly cut her off. "Justin can go to hell! He ruined everything and now he can go to hell," I yelled, then looked back out the window. Copyright 2001, Alex Nelson Posted: July 20, 2001.