We Could Be

Chapter 8

"There's no fear when you're having fun." -Will Thomas

Jane's Point of View:

I wake up, wet and cold. I can tell there is almost nothing blocking me from the cold. As I open my eyes, I see Coach and the entire team looking down at me. I look around the room and notice that I am in a hospital room.
"What happened?" I slur sleepily, yawning.
"You fell in the shower." Cara says, putting her hand on my head. I slap it away, frowning. I begin to ask about Maura, but my throat suddenly feels dry and my eyes well up with tears, as if my body is trying to tell me something happened. Maybe it's just the dream I had while I was unconscious. I bring my hand up to my head where there is the most. I wince when I touch my, now stitched, head.
"You hit your head on the shower dial. It was a deep cut." Coach says, and I groan. "Rizzoli, you may not be able to play."
I lean back, past annoyed. It's the first game of the season, if I don't play I won't get noticed by the scouts, which come to the first and last game of each season.
"No I'm fine. I'll just take it easy until the game." I protest.
"We will see what the doctor says." She says
"Jane!" I hear my name being yelled as my mom and Maura come running to my side.
"Hi ma, Maura." I say, smiling as if nothing's wrong.
"What happened?" Ma asks.
"I just slipped in the shower, I'm fine."
"Look at your head, you are not fine." Maura tells me, looking like she's about to strangle me
even as I lay here in the hospital bed.
"Quite correct, Miss Isles." A woman with Maura's hair and eyes walks in. I know Ma, Coach, and all of the other girls can see the uncanny resemblance in the two. Maura's eyebrows raise as she looks at the doctor. "It's on your visitor's pass."
She points at the visitor's pass Maura is wearing, with today's date and her name on it.
"Is she going to be okay?" Ma immediately asks.
"She has a mild concussion but she should be okay. You have to take it easy for the next few days." The doctor instructs.
"We have our first basketball game on Tuesday. Will she okay to play by then?" Coach asks.
"She should be as long as she takes it easy until the game. Also, no roughhousing or... just stay on the DL. That's what kids say these days isn't it? Along with dabbing and stabbing and whipping? All of those sound like they'd hurt like a-"
"Okay!" A small girl says, she looks around our age. "You can leave after we run a few more tests-"
"STFU Christina." Says the doctor, still going with her young person slang. The girl looks over at her, shocked. "You can just leave whenever."
"Okay, thank you." Ma says.
"Can we leave now?" I ask getting out of bed.
"Let me sign the discharge papers." Ma says and I nod my head.
"Well get some rest." Coach says before her and the team leave. Maura and I just stand here in silence until Ma returns.
"Okay let's go." She says and we head out of the hospital.
"Goodbye, Jane. I'll see you tomorrow." Maura says and I nod my head in response. She gets into her car that's parked next to Ma's.

When we arrive at home, I walk straight to my room. I grab my phone that had Maura brought to me. I see I have two missed calls and texts, one from Barry and one from Devyn.

Barry: I heard what happened at practice, are you okay?

Devyn: Good going at practice, loser.

I'm about to respond when my door swings open and Pop comes in.
"Janie, I heard what happened, are you okay?" He asks
"Yeah, Pop. I'm fine. Just a mild concussion. Can you take me to get my truck?" I ask
"Yeah, let's go." He replies and I follow him to his white pickup truck.
"Pop, I have my first basketball game on Tuesday." I inform my dad.
"Are they going to let you play?"
"I have to check with my doctor but I should be fine."
"I will be there." He says. I smile at him, and he does the same. We sit in silence, until a car turns into our lane without his turning signal on.
"Hey, asshole!" Pop yells, his window down. I roll mine down as well and we begin yelling at the man, who stops his car. We all get out of our cars and Pop and the man begin to fight while I stand there awkwardly. Pop gives the man one good blow to the stomach and he falls on the ground clutching his stomach.
"Next time, use your turn signal!" He snaps and spits on the guy before we get back in the car. We skirt out of the way before driving the rest of the way to the school. He drops me off and I kiss his cheek before getting out of the truck and heading over to my own. I realize I don't have my car keys, but I see my spare keys glimmering from inside the open glove box.
"Son of a bitch. Do I normally keep it open?" I ask myself.
"Is everything okay, Janie?" Pop asks.
"Yeah, everything's fine." I reply, pressing my code into the keypad. I open the door and snatch my spares, before closing the glove box. "Meet ya at home, Pop."
We both get into our respective trucks and drive home, side-by-side almost the entire time. I arrive home and go back up to my room. I decide to reply to both Devyn and Barry. I tell Barry that I'm fine and I reply to Devyn with: I know, it was great.