I vaguely remember my mom coming to the gym. She hugs me, saying it’s going to be alright.
I remember the white ambulance, the flashing lights.
I don’t remember anything after that.
I wake up in a white room white room with lots of machines. There’s a steady beeping and it takes me a second to realize that’s my heartbeat being monitored.
I feel okay, but my knee is killing me. The outside hurts and it’s swollen.
I take a second to look around the room. There’s a TV conveniently placed above my bed, two bedside tables, and multiple machines that I couldn’t even guess their uses.
I’m in a white hospital gown with small, pale blue dots all over it.
There are voices coming from behind a solid wooden door. It opens a little, and I see somebody’s face. They blink, then open the door the rest of the way.
A young Indian doctor comes through holding a clipboard. My mom trails behind him. He looks down at the clipboard and starts asking questions.
“How are you feeling, Mia?”. I answer quickly.
“Just tell me what the hell is wrong with me”. I feel bad immediately but I really do want to know.
My mother gasps. “Mia!”
“Sorry”, I apologize. “But please, just tell me”.
The doctor laughs, and sticks out his hand. I take it and he introduces himself.
“I’m Dr. Walker, which is a bit ironic seeing as you won’t be able to walk for a while”. He laughs halfheartedly at his own joke. “You tore your ACL on that fantastic yurchenko of yours”.
As bad as I feel about the injury, I immediately take a liking to him.
“How do you know what a yurchenko is”, I blurt out before I even take in that I tore my ACL.
He grins again. “I did gymnastics in college. I went to PSU”.
“Nice”, I say. “Wait where you one of those guys that did that tsuk double?”, I ask excitedly.
“Well, yes. Typical gymnast I’ve got right here”, he laughs, looking at my mom. I love his lighthearted attitude. It makes my injury seem less daunting. “That’s also how I tore my own ACL in highschool”.
And back to reality.
“I’ll let you get some more rest, then we’ll discuss treatment”.
YOU ARE READING
The Life of a Gymnast
Teen Fiction13 year old Mia Taleria faces fear, injuries, and scary new skills in a true story retold. She battles with mental blocks and new coaches to reach her goal of level 10, with her best friends Catt, Emma, and Sam by her side from day one...
