Blind Sided

Wrestler Down

The next morning I wake to the smell of cooking bacon. I get up and go to the kitchen where my dad is busy tying his necktie for work and my mom is putting plates of food on the kitchen table. My mom has off today but my dad doesn't. He will make it for my wrestling meet though. Aiden hasn't come down to the table yet, he was probably up very late.
      My dad takes his breakfast and coffee to go. He gives me a kiss on the head before he walks out the door into the busy morning traffic filled with people trying to get to work. Aiden comes down right as dad walks through the door. He sits at the table and drinks seem orange juice.
      "Aiden, make sure you are home about an hour before we leave, knowing you, you will need a shower." My mom says, I giggle. He playfully sticks his tongue out at me before taking a bite of his toast.
      "Winter, do you have your uniform?" My mom asks me.
      "Yeah, it's in my bag." I say. We finish eating breakfast. As usual Aiden and I eat the most. My mom rolls her eyes at us before making us clear the table off my wrestling meet is at 1:00. It's a home meet so it's just at the high school that Aiden goes to. When we finish clearing the table I go to my room to find my gym bag. When I do I make sure I have everything inside it the I place it by the door.
      "Winter, go shower." My mom tells me. I don't really know why she wants me to shower before wrestling meets but she does. After my meet my friends are coming over for a sleepover. Emma, and Jaelyn. They don't wrestle but they are coming to my meet, then my mom is bringing them here.
     I cleaned my room of all the dirty clothes and art supplies so they can sleepover. We are going to make cookies and sleep in the den. We just like to do stuff in my room so it needs to be clean. I don't mind cleaning it, it is just keeping it clean that's hard. Aiden leaves the house. I take a shower and go downstairs. I get halfway down and trip. I fall the rest of the way.
      "Are you okay?" My mom comes running to me.
      "Yeah, I am fine. I missed a step." I tell her and she helps me up. That was weird. I have never done that. I guess there is a first time for everything. I rub my head and sit on the couch. An hour before the meet Aidan shows up. He showers and changes his clothes because he was covered in mud. He went four wheeling with his friends. They have a huge mud pit and that's where he likes to go on Saturdays.
     They bring me along sometimes. I change my clothes into my uniform and put a shirt on. I put some flats on and we leave. My dad will meet us there. The   ride to the high school is short, only about 6 minutes. I am not nervous or scared. I have done this so many times. If I can take down Aidan I can take down a kid my size. Aiden doesn't let me win. He goes hard or he goes home and that's just how he is. He doesn't have a meet until next week though. When we pull up to the school I get out. A wave of nausea comes over me and I have to stop.
     "You okay Ice?" Aiden asks me.
     "Yeah, I just got out too fast." I nod my head, he doesn't look like he believes me but he is very protective of me. I can't blame him though. We make our way into the gym and my family sits on the bench. I take my shirt off and my shoes. I change into my socks and wrestling shoes then I go with my team. They are all huddled into a circle while my coach is giving us a pep talk about how to win. When he is done he tells us who we are going to be up against.
     I sit with my team until they call us up. We are a good team and we are known to be undefeated. When someone says our name that's the first thing they think. I wait for my turn on the bench. Coach points out things for us to avoid and how to do better. The team we are up against isn't that good though.
      "Winter Olson, Lauren Johnson." The announcer calls. My family goes wild. We go to the mat and two more people go to the other mat. I get on all fours for the first one and they whistle is blown. She takes me down easily. I don't know how. She isn't the best player but I know she works hard. I guess I am just having a bad day.
      The second pose she takes me down again. Now I am getting a little frustrated. Once again the whistle blows. Before I know it I am on the ground and the wind is knocked out of me. I feel a throb in my wrist and I try to catch my breath. I lay there for a little and while I am catching my breath everyone holds theirs. Coach comes to me. He helps me up and everyone claps I sit down at the bench and they get my ice for my already swollen wrist. It hurts but I'm sure it is fine. I wait until I can't take the throb anymore.
      "Coach, can I go to my mom and dad?" I ask, he nods his head. I get up and walk to them.
      "What's up sport?" My dad asks me.
      "My wrist hurts and it keeps hurting worse!" I say over the loud noise of people cheering. A tear rolls down my cheek. They both look at it. 
      "Let's go." My mom says.
      "Where?" Aiden asks, I don't think he has been paying attention he gets really involved with this.
      "Winter needs to go to the hospital, we think she broke her wrist." My dad says. Aiden helps me grab my bag. He changes my shoes for me. I put some shorts on and a shirt over my uniform. We leave the gym with the bag of ice pressed to my wrist. It is purple and swollen. I can see blue as well. I get in the car and we go to the hospital.
     When we get there my mom checks me in. We wait for someone to take me back. When we do go back my dad and Aiden stay in the waiting room. The nurse asks me questions such as, my birthday, height, weight, age, how did it happen, and did I have any previous injuries to that wrist. I have never been taken down in a meet much less hurt.
     The doctor comes in and takes a look then he orders X-rays. We wait for the X-ray technician to come in. When he does I go to the X-ray room. He takes three X-rays of my wrist. I go back to my room and we wait. They give me some more ice and I put it on a pillow. 30 long minutes later they come back with the answer. A breath hitches in my throats and all these what ifs go through my head.
      "Your wrist does show a small fracture. We will place it in a brace and follow up with your doctor in about 6 weeks." My heart sinks, no wrestling for 6 weeks, gym, or playing with Aiden. This is going to suck big time.
      "Don't worry, you can still have the sleepover I texted their mom's." My mom says as the doctor exits the room to get the brace. That doesn't make me feel better. The nurse comes back a short while later with the brace and a folder of instructions. She tells me what to do and what to to do as she puts the brace on my wrist.
     We leave the room and go to the waiting room to find my dad gone back to work and Aiden playing with a baby. She is bald even though she looks almost two. She has a mask in her face and I can hear her laughing. My mom smiles and the girl's mom comes out of the bathroom.
      "Thank you so much." She says, Aiden nods his head,
      "It's not problem. I got a sister." I hear him say and she smiles. The girl gives him a high five and we leave.
      "She has cancer." Aiden says. We stay silent. The poor girl, I now feel lucky I only fractured my wrist. It could be worse. We go home and I change my clothes. Emma and Jaelyn come over. We go to the den and they put their things down. We have a projector and a pool table. It's really cool. There is bunk beds in the wall that we sleep in and crafts in one spot.
     Emma and I like to play pool then the winner goes against Jaelyn. She is the best at it and hard to beat. I can usually beat her but Emma can't. It's just fun to do though so we do it. Then we will probably paint nails and then watch a movie with popcorn.
      "Girls, do you want to go for dinner then get ice cream?" My mom asks us.
     "Yeah, sure." I say. They all agree with me and we chose where we want to go. My dad still isn't home he won't be home until 7:00 tonight. Aiden is staying at a friends house tonight. He has left already. We put our shoes on and get into the car. We go to the restaurant we chose and while everyone finds what they went on the menu, I just don't know. I have never been picky about it and I am never the last person to order but today I am. I am just not hungry. I think I am just bummed about my wrist. I don't know though. I eventually find something to order and we wait for our food to come.
      "I have to use the bathroom." I say, my mom nods her head and I quickly leave the table. I just don't feel good all of a sudden like something is wrong with me. I know it is just me eating away at myself because of losing and then fracturing my wrist. It's never happened before. I know my family is proud of me no matter what but that doesn't mean I am not disappointed in myself as well. This sleepover should help me feel a little better at least. I know why I all of a sudden don't feel good, but I hope it ends soon.