Date: Mon, 2 Jan 2012 14:12:20 -0500
From: Barry Gold <barry.gold69@gmail.com>
Subject: More than Hurt Feelings

Sarah & Allison
More Than Hurt Feelings
by


      Rikki & Ginny Stories back to archives

Sarah arrived at the soccer game a few minutes before Allison got hurt.

*****

Allison broke through the defense and took the pass from her winger. She
was about to shoot when someone from the opposing team came up behind her
and tried to poke the ball away. They both went down in a heap, Allison
grabbing her knee. Her scream of pain was spine-chilling.

The referee hurried up and red-carded the opposing player, who seemed to be
unhurt. Everyone else ran towards Allison. Sarah grabbed her cellphone and
followed. She had to force her way closer to Allison, who kept saying, "It
hurts," over-and-over. When the trainer tried to straighten her leg,
Allison screamed in pain.

Sarah punched her mom's number into the phone, "Dr. Black."

Sarah blinked away tears, "Mom, it's me. I'm at Allison's soccer game and
she's hurt."

"What happened, Honey?"

"She was on a break-away and got tackled from behind. She grabbed her knee
and keeps saying 'It hurts'. When they tried to straighten her leg, she
screamed so loud."

Sarah's mom knew she was on the verge of breaking down, "Sarah, listen to
me."

"Yes, Mom," she sniffled.

"I need you to be strong for Allison right now. I want you to put her
under. When you do, you can reduce the pain to a lower level. Then tell her
that she can't straighten her leg until she sees me. I'll call her parents
and meet you at the hospital. Let me talk to whatever medical personnel is
there, OK?"

"OK, Mom. See you soon." She handed the cellphone to the trainer and knelt
beside Allison.

Sarah put one hand on the back of Allison's neck and the other on her
chin. "Allison, look at me." Allison looked at her but didn't say
anything. "I'm here and you're safe. I've talked to mom and she's talking
to the trainer. I want to help, but you have to work with me. OK?" Sarah
knew that if Allison didn't feel safe, she would resist going under.

Allison whispered, OK."

Sarah bent down, "Quiet beach, darling." Allison's eyes closed and she
relaxed a little. "Sunshine, can you hear me?"

"Yes," very quietly.

"I know you're hurting. The pain is starting to fade. Do you feel a little
better now?"

"Yes."

"The pain continues to fade until you feel about like you do at the end of
a normal game. OK?"

"OK."

"Now, you are unable to straighten your leg too. OK?"

"OK."

"They're going to take you to the hospital now. The pain will remain a dull
ache and you'll be unable to straighten your knee until you see my mom at
the hospital and she says it's ok. Can you do that for me?"

"OK."

While Sarah was working with Allison, the ambulance arrived. The EMT's were
waiting with the stretcher. Sarah explained what she'd done and that she
would be going with them. They gently picked Allison up and strapped her
down on her side so there would be no pressure on her knee. They loaded the
stretcher into the back of the ambulance. Sarah followed one of the EMT's.

Rikki grabbed her elbow before she got in the ambulance, "I'll follow a
soon as I can."

"Thanks, Angelface," and they set out for the hospital.

*****

Sarah's mom met them inside the Emergency Room entrance. She did a quick
check of Allison's vital signs and motioned the EMT's towards an
examination room. Sarah started to follow, but her mom stopped her. "Sarah,
darling. I need you stay out here for now. Keep an eye out for Allison's
parents and let them know what happened and that I'll come out as soon as I
can. I think I know what's wrong, but I'll know for sure after a MRI. OK?"

"OK, Mom. I'll wait for Mr. and Mrs. White."

"Don't worry, honey. Allison will be ok." She turned and entered the
examination room.

*****

A nurse asked her if she wanted to administer any pain medication. "Not
yet. The pain blocks are holding and I want to get Allison into Radiology
ASAP."

*****

About ten minutes later, Allison's mom and dad hurried in. Sarah stood up
as they came over, "Don't worry, Mr. and Mrs. White. My mom is with Allison
and she said she will come talk to us as soon as she knew something for
sure."

"What happened?"

"I was watching when Allison broke away. She was about to shoot when a
defender tried to steal the ball. They both went down in a heap and Allison
hurt her knee. I called mom right away. She told me to put her under to
reduce the pain and 'freeze' her leg. When we got here, they did a
preliminary examination and rushed off to do a MRI."

"She's ok?"

"I don't know."

*****

A few minutes later, Sarah's mom came through a door, followed by a woman
with some papers. Allison's parents stood up, "How is she, Alice? Can we
see her?"

"She's ok. Not yet. I wanted to let you know what we believe so far. I have
an orthopedic surgeon looking at the films to be sure."

"What's the prognosis?"

"It looks like a partly torn MCL. It might heal itself with time and
therapy. However, I would recommend that we surgically repair it. That way
we're sure it heals correctly."

"This means she's done with soccer for now?"

"Yes, either way, and probably basketball too. But there's no reason to
think she won't be 100% again. It will take a couple of months to heal and
6-9 months of re-hab, depending on how hard she works and follows
instructions."

Sarah piped up, "We'll all make sure she listens."

"What's your decision; do we go in and fix it or wait?"

Allison's parents looked at each other, "Fix it."

"Mrs. Rose has the release papers for you to sign. Then we'll go see
Allison." They signed where the lady indicated and gave her their insurance
and other information.

*****

The four of them entered the treatment room where Allison was
resting. Sarah ran over and picked up Allison's hand, "Hey,
Sunshine. How're you holding up?" Sarah's mom stopped to talk to a doctor.

"Hey, Munchkin, Mom, Dad. That's what you're here to tell me, isn't it?"

Sarah's mom stood beside the bed, "When you got tackled, you partly tore
the medial collateral ligament in your knee. That was why it hurt so much
and you couldn't straighten your leg. It is possible that it will heal with
time, but I have recommended to your parents that we operate and make
sure."

"So, soccer is done for the season?"

"I'm afraid so, and probably basketball too. In either case, you're looking
at 9-12 months for healing and re-hab."

Sarah could tell that Allison was trying to keep from crying, "So, when do
we do this?"

"We're getting ready now. They will be in soon to prep you. This is an
arthroscopic procedure." Sarah's mom indicated the back of Allison's
knee. "The surgeon will make a small incision here and go in to repair the
ligament. That will reduce the healing time a bit. The procedure will take
1-2 hours. You'll spend a few days in the hospital while we make sure
everything is ok, and then go home. How fast you adapt to crutches will
determine how long you're home bound."

"Rikki can pick up your assignments and we'll all work together to make
sure you don't fall behind," Sarah continued.

"Mom, Dad, may I talk to Sarah for a moment alone, please?"

"Sure, Honey. We'll be right outside."

When the door closed, "Munchkin, I'm scared."

"I would be surprised if you weren't."

"This is my first major injury. I've had sprained ankles and knees
before. A few days on the sideline and I'm back in. This is the first time
I won't be able to compete for a long period of time. How do I know I'll be
ok? How do I know I'll be able to compete again? At the same level?"
Allison was almost wailing in despair.

Sarah grabbed her ears to get her attention. "Sunshine, I understand. Can I
guarantee that you'll be 100% at the end of this journey? No, nobody
can. Mom said that with hard work, chances are good that you'll be so close
to 100% that it won't make a difference. The end result is up to you. Do
you trust me?"

"You know I do, with my life."

"I believe you can do this. I will be with you every step of the way. I
trust my mom to get you to the starting line. Then we'll work hard until
you're ready to compete again. Your parents and mine are both behind us,
ready to help. Your teammates are behind you. Rikki and Ginny will
help. I'll be here when you come out of surgery. I'll be the first face you
see. Ready now?"

Allison whispered, "Yes."

"Louder!"

"Yes," a little more forcefully.

"That's what I'm talking `bout!"

*****

While they'd been talking, the nurses and staff had come in to prepare
Allison. Sarah moved aside but did not leave, in case Allison got scared
again. They checked her id bracelet to make sure they had the right person,
pre-medicated her, checked and marked the knee to be operated on, and
generally got her ready for the procedure. They transferred Allison to a
gurney and wheeled her out. Sarah followed, picking up Allison's parents.

Outside the surgical suite, Sarah's mom turned to her, "I'll be in the
operating room, watching. As soon as we're done, I'll come out and let you
know how it went."

"Thanks, Mom...Thanks, Alice."

A little more than an hour later, Sarah's mom came out. "It went well. The
tear was smaller than we thought. Repairing it went quickly. We checked out
the rest of the knee while we were in there. She should be fine."

"When can we see her?"

"She's in recovery now." Turning to Allison's parents, "We'll be moving her
to a room in a couple of hours. Why don't you get something to eat, Sarah
is going to help me."

"Thanks, Alice. We'll get something from the cafeteria and be back soon."

*****

"Sarah, grab your books and follow me." Sarah picked up her book bag and
followed her mom through another door. Down a short hallway, they turned at
a door marked 'Recovery Room'. Inside, Sarah could see Allison on one of
the beds; pale, IV's in the back of each hand, cast on her knee, eyes
closed. Her mom pulled up a chair and indicated that she should sit.

"Someone will be around to check Allison's vitals every 10 minutes or
so. I'll come by too. What I want you to do is keep an eye on Allison
between times. Let someone know if she wakes up or appears to be in
distress or anything unusual happens. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Mom. Can I hold her hand?"

"Very gently. You don't want to compromise the IV. Talk to her too. She can
hear you."

Sarah worked on her English homework while waiting. Nurses came by,
interns, her mom, to check on Allison. Sarah was reading aloud from
Elizabeth Barrett Browning's 'Sonnets from the Portuguese' when Allison's
eye fluttered open.

Allison recognized Sarah, but was unsure of where they were at. She
hurt. She looked down and saw a cast on her knee and IV's in the back of
each hand. She listened to Sarah read:

"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.  I love thee to the depth and
breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the
ends of Being and ideal Grace.  I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.  I love thee freely, as men
strive for Right; I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.  I love
thee with the passion put to use In my old griefs, and with my childhood's
faith.  I love thee with a love I seemed to lose With my lost saints,--I
love thee with the breath, Smiles, tears, of all my life!—and, if God
choose, I shall but love thee better after death."



"Hey, Munchkin," very quietly.

It took a moment for Sarah to realize that Allison had spoken. She stood up
and brushed Allison's hair back, "Welcome back, Sunshine. How're you
doing?"

"OK, I think. I could use a drink of water."

"Let me see if that's allowed." Sarah caught the eye of a nearby nurse, who
came over. "Can you let Dr. Black know Allison is awake? Is it ok to give
her some water?"

"I'll notify Dr. Black. Just a sip until the doctor comes, OK."

Sarah poured Allison a drink from the carafe. She lifted Allison's head a
bit and held the cup to her lips, "Just a sip, now. The nurse will let mom
know you're awake."

"Where are we?"

"In the Recovery Room at the hospital. You just woke up from the surgery on
your knee. Are you in pain?"

"Not much. Did we win?"

"I don't know. I came with you in the ambulance. I'll find out."

Sarah's mom came up, "Welcome back, Ally. How're you feeling?"

"Pretty good, Dr. Black."

Sarah's mom checked Allison's vital signs, took out one of the IVs, and
made some notes on her chart. "Everything seems ok. I'm going to get you
moved into a room."

*****

They followed Allison's gurney into the room. Once she was settled,
everyone arrayed themselves around her bed. "What can we bring you from
home, darling," her parents started.

"If I'm going to be here a few days, my schoolbooks to start. And a few
pairs of t-shirts and shorts, my comb and brush, toothbrush, anything else
you think I might need."

"We can do that. We'll see you in the morning. Night, sweetheart."

"Night, Mom, and Dad."

Sarah turned to her mom, "I want to stay until Allison gets to sleep."

"That's ok with me if it's ok with Ally. I want to talk to you outside for
a minute."

Allison agreed, "I would appreciate it if Sarah could stay awhile."

When they were outside Allison's room, Sarah's mom began, "I want you to
promise me that you won't use Allison's trigger to ease her pain. A little
pain is good. It means she's making progress. A lot of pain means she's
probably working too hard and may suffer a setback. If you're concerned
about the amount of pain Allison's in, find me or a nurse. If you want to
help her get to sleep occasionally, like tonight, that's ok. Nothing
else. Promise?"

"I promise, Mom. I understand."

Rikki and Jessica walked up. "How's Allison?"

"She came through OK. She slightly tore her MCL. What was the score of the
game?"

"We won 3-2. The ref said the foul was flagrant and awarded us a penalty
kick. That put us ahead. Can I see Allison?"

"Just for a minute. She needs her rest. I'll be back in an hour or so. I
have to make sure Allison's records are all tied up and check on some other
patients."

"See you soon." Rikki and Sarah went back into Allison's room, "Look who I
found wandering the halls."

"Hey, Rik. Did we win?"

"Sure did. I just wanted to be sure you're ok and bring you your bags."

"They tell me I'll be fine though soccer and probably basketball are done
for this year."

"That's a bummer. I'll come back tomorrow. I just wanted to bring your bags
by and tell you about the game. Get some rest, OK?"

" 'Nite." Sarah resumed working on her English homework.

It started as just a whisper of a sliver of a sound. Sarah ignored it. It
got a little louder. Sarah realized it was Allison, crying. "Sunshine?"

"I'm scared, Munchkin."

"I know. That's why I stayed. Would it help if I held your hand?"

"I don't think so."

Sarah lowered the bed-rail on the side away from Allison's cast, "Can you
scoot over a little?" Allison moved a bit and Sarah gingerly climbed up
beside her. She caressed the back of Allison's neck and whispered, "Quiet
beach, darling. Sleep now, darling." Allison went to sleep and Sarah
carefully hugged her close.

*****

When Sarah's mom came back, she found the girls asleep next to each
other. She closed the door and left instructions for the night staff to
leave them alone as much as possible.


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