A Lucky Break

Injury

Hayley's POV:

After keeping a clean sheet against Brighton, the week before, I'm excited to play in my first North London Derby. We get to Meadow Park just over 2 hours before the game so that we can just hang out before the warm up starts. I feel good, my mood has improved dramatically and I have my confidence back after playing well last week. I'm sure this will be a good game.

We start the game and I don't have much to do until the 10th minute. By that point we are already 2-0 up and I tap the ball easily over the cross bar just to be safe. This is countered by another goal down our attacking end. It's already 3-0 30 minutes into the game and it's starting to get heated. Lots of wild tackles from Tottenham players over the course of 5 minutes creates a free kick, which Viv slots in to make 4. Viv completes a hat trick before we go in for half time.

I jog over to the changing room alongside Jen and sling my arm over her shoulder before stating, "Damn, getting a bit heated out there."

"Tell me about it, haven't had a lot to do though," she jokes pointing over to Viv and calling out, "Want to save some goals for the rest of us."

"Sorry just doing my job," she smiles back with a shrug.

I give her a fist bump, "You're a superstar."

"As are you," she says back. "You just haven't had the chance to show it yet."

The team is buzzing as we head into the second half but as expected Tottenham are still hitting us with hard tackles as they continue to battle for a goal. Their opportunity comes just 15 minutes after the second half started with a penalty being given to them. Immediately a few girls start to argue with the call but I just get a drink and wipe my gloves on my towel. I know she won't change her decision and I can't get in my head about it. I've only had to attempt to save one penalty in my career and that one went in. I'm nervous.

Leah picks up on my nerves and comes over to talk to me, "Be confident, you save them in training. Put a smile on your face and don't let this get to you. A happy Hayley will save this."

The last statement makes me laugh, "I'll take your word for it."

"When have you not trusted me," she calls out as she walks away, he arms out to her side.

I stand on my line in the middle of my goal. "Ready," the ref asks to which I just give her a thumbs up, watching where the player has now taken a few steps back. She's a righty and with the angle she's on it's unrealistic for her to aim to her left so my best bet is her right side, my left.

When he ref blows her whistle I plant me right foot and as the player strikes the ball I dive to my left, connecting with the ball and pushing it far enough away for me to recover. I jump back up to my feet as another Tottenham player boots it over the goal.

"Fucking get in," Katie yells giving me a push on the shoulder as the rest of the team huddle around me. "Fucking saved my ass."

After the celebration of the save we keep going with the game, with a few move sloppy tackles from the opposite team, we are able to bag another goal. Tottenham take a few more shots at my goal, which are off target and I leave them to dribble out of play.

While the game is drawing to a close I don't take my foot off the gas, determined to not concede a goal this week. Tottenham play the ball out from a free kick and I am forced to dive high and tip the ball past the far post. I make the mistake of putting my arm down before I land and feel a pop in my elbow. Pain shoots down my right arm and I scream out in pain. As I grab hold of my elbow it doesn't feel right, something doesn't feel right.

I feel a hand in my shoulder and recognise Leah's voice, "Hey, you're ok, calm down."

"It's my elbow," I say through gritted teeth.

"I know, just take a deep breath," she says in an overly calm voice.

At that point the Physio's have made their way onto the pitch to check me out and Rachel asks me, "What happened?"

"I put my hand down and heard a pop. My elbow definitely doesn't feel right," I explain through huffed breaths.

They sit me up with the help of Leah behind me, resting a hand on my good shoulder, and Jen standing just to the side. "Can I have a feel," Rachel asks. I take my hand away from my elbow giving her a silent nod. She feels from my shoulder, over my elbow which makes me grimace in pain and down to my hand. "Wiggle your fingers for me," she commands.

I obey, which causes pain in my forearm and tingling in my fingers. "Oww," I groan.

"Where does that hurt," she questions.

"In my forearm," I point to the spot.

She has another feel of my arm before talking into the radio on her shoulder, "She's coming off." She looks back towards me, "Your elbow feels dislocated and you might have a break in your radius but we'll have to get an X-ray to see. Let's get you off the field." She moves my arm so it's protected by my top before moving to my right side, "Leah can you take the left side just to stand her up?"

"Yeah," Leah whispers and grabs my good arm to hoist me to my feet. "You're going to be fine," she whispers in my ear with a pat on the back as I walk off the pitch.

-

A few hours later I am sleeping on the couch in Leah and my apartment waiting for the medicine to wear off. The doctor didn't find any breaks but a badly dislocated elbow. They knocked me out to relocate it after having trouble while I was awake. The medicine made me a little crazy. In fact I had been so much for Leah to handle that she got her mum over to help look after me but after about half an hour at home I fell asleep.

I wake up to the smell of dinner cooking and light chatter coming from the kitchen. I gingerly pull myself up and slowly make my way round the corner into the kitchen to find Amanda cooking while Leah sits at the dining table. "Hey," I say as I lower myself into a chair.

"Hey. How are you feeling," Leah asks.

"Sore," I say with a tight smile as I feel my elbow is swollen and throbbing within the sling I'm wearing.

"You can take some pain killers now with dinner," Amanda explains as she plates up dinner.

"That's great, thank you," I say as she places a plate and glass of water in front of me, then brings over four tablets with Leah's plate. "So, what did the doctor actually say," I ask as we start eating.

"That it was pretty bad dislocation but there were no breaks. He relocated and said to go to Physio to see when you come back to play," Leah summarises.

"He didn't give a timeframe," I ask.

"He said 6-8 weeks but he didn't really know, it depends how the recovery goes," she explains.

"Ok," I sigh. After feeling so good about the game today this is definitely an annoying set back. It also means I'm going to miss most of our big games this season. Great.