Worth Waiting For

Chapter TwentyFour

"Dennis!" I scream above everyone shouting and screaming at the win.

Everyone on the team runs towards Ricky and tackles him shouting his name as I run down the bleachers.

"Leiah! Where are you going?" I hear Giselle ask me.

I don't stop. I get to the field and crouch down next to him.

"Dennis! Are you okay?"

He doesn't respond. I check his heart. It's still beating. I take off his helmet and look at his bruised face.

"Someone help!" I scream with tears in my eyes.

Lots of people come over to me and crowd around Dennis. A man, his coach I think, calls for a doctor. I don't know what they're talking about. I just start crying. I feel someone's hand on my shoulder. I look up and it's Antoinette. I turn back around and hold onto Dennis's hand.

"Wake up Dennis, please wake up," I say.

I ride in the ambulance and hold onto Dennis as people strap things to him. One of them gives me a tissue and I thank them. At the hospital they take him in the emergency room but they say I can't go inside. One of the nurses walks me to the waiting room. I tell her I'm fine by myself and she leaves me a box of tissues. I bend down resting my elbows on my thighs and putting my head on my hands. I cry even more thinking back at that guy hitting Dennis. I cry wondering how he's going to be. I pray that he makes it out of this. I lay back on the wall and wait. I wait for about twenty minutes as I see Antoinette, Leo, Aiden and Giselle walk up to me.

"Leiah! There you are!" Antoinette says hugging me.

"What did they say?" Leo asks me.

Trying to catch my breath I say, "I haven't heard anything since they took him in the emergency room. They wouldn't let me see him. What am I going to do? I'm so scared," I cry.

Giselle comes over and hugs me with Antoinette.

"It's alright Leiah. We'll wait right here with you," Aiden says as the sit down with me.

"I called your mom and told her what happened," Antoinette said.

"Thank you," I softly speak as she sits in the seat beside me.

We wait for about ten more minutes when Dennis's family comes and waits with us. The doctor soon comes out of the emergency room. His mother and father get up. So do I.

"Dennis Owens," he says.

"Yes? We're his parents," his mother says.

"How's my son?" his father asks holding Mrs. Owens close.

"Well, Dennis has had a mild concussion. His brain has knocked against his skull pretty hard but there haven't been any brain damage or broken bones in the skull. The only thing is that he has a broken arm, so we've already put a cast on it,"

"That's good, so how is he now?" his mom asks.

"He's been unconscious but he's well. He could wake up any minute, so we'll give him some time to get up on his own. He should be awake today, so seeing friendly faces will be great for him getting well,"

"Can we see him?" I ask the doctor.

"Yes, you can see him, only if you are his family,"

"She can come with us," His mom says taking my hand and walking with me to his room.

"Call us," Antoinette says.

The whole walk to his room, everyone was silent. Even little Noah didn't say a word. Dennis's dad opened the door and there he was. He had machines connected to him and I heard his heartbeat on the heart monitor. His mother sat in the chair next to him and his father stood on the other side of him. I picked up Noah and held him as we looked at Dennis.