𝗠𝗬 𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗢𝗡 | 𝗝𝗨𝗗𝗘 𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗛𝗔𝗠

34.

Jude

I barely remember getting tackled.

All I remember was falling to the floor, hard and then immediately feeling this shooting pain in my back.

Couldn't feel my legs, which scared the shit out of me. Head was throbbing, ears ringing the way it does when you get winded due to a big impact.

They got to me quickly the paramedics. Boosted me up and placed me onto their little stretcher thing. Carried me off the pitch.

I could hear the screams of fans. Lots of chants.

I was scared when they put me in the back of the ambulance. Still couldn't feel my legs at that point and that terrified me for obvious reasons, so I thought of the girl I love. The girl who keeps me brave.

Thinking of Harmony calmed me down. It always did.

Thought of her pretty face and pretty smile and that voice of hers that I know I'd hear when entering heaven, all the way to the hospital.

Mum was in tears when we arrived and I was transported to my private hospital room. Jobe and dad had also flown down to watch the game. Dad was holding mum, Jobe staring down at me with a "it's going to be alright" smile, but I could tell he was scared and unsure just like me.

The doctor visited us immediately. Wheeled my bed out of the room so I could do a few X rays.

When we got back to my room, mum, dad and Jobe were all waiting eagerly around my bed for the results.

First thing the doctor said was that there was bad news.

He explained that I was lucky I didn't die right there on the pitch with the impact of the tackle. It could have snapped my neck or cracked my head open. And I thought about laughing then because I didn't remember the tackle being that bad but I guess the adrenaline covered just how bad it was.

He said that I've fractured a vertebrae in my back. Explained it in the terms of Neymar's worst ever injury in the history of his career. Said it was a bit like that, not as drastic but the possibility of me not walking ever again was very likely if the fracture was worse.

He said he was worried though about me not being able to feel my legs. He hoped that the emergency surgery they were going to give me would fix that and sensation would come back slowly. Although he said with these things he couldn't be completely sure, and that's when I felt scared.

So I started to think about Harmony again. Imagined what she'd say if she was with me right now.

She'd take my hand in hers, smile down at me all hopeful and comforting.

"You're going to be okay!" She'd say, holding my hand tightly.

I'd look worried and she'd reach out and stroke my hair and then bend down and kiss me gently.

She'd ask the doctor loads of questions so she could get all the information, Google the shit out of it too and then climb into bed with me, laying her head on my chest, hugging me tightly whilst repeatedly reminding me that she's there for me.