Push

Chapter 27

Cameron Santiago POV

It's time for the England game. I unfortunately can't play due to my shoulder injury. The girls warm up as I talk to fans in the crowd. As I am talking I see a guy that looks exactly like Jacob. I do a double take and when I go to see him again, he disappears. I blink my eyes thinking maybe my mind is playing tricks on me. I push it to the back of my mind when warm up ends and we go back to the locker rooms.

"...We have our own standard, reach above it today. Yes we have trained but playing with a passion makes a big difference in how you play. You all know it's true. Now let's go out there and continue to show people who we are and what we got." Coach Vlatko finishes his speech pre-game.

We head out and the starting players head to the pitch for the national anthems as me and the others head to the bench. The starting line includes Ash, Ali, Becky, Crystal, Ertz, Horan, Mewis, Lavelle, Christen, Mallory, and Pinoe. The anthems end and the game soon begins. The game was physical to say the least. There was a specific player on the opposing team targeting Horan. The ref wouldn't call any fouls on anything. There were many moments where fouls should've been called. During the 44th minute England got past our back line and shot the ball past Ash putting them up 1-0. England is keeping up with us and showing us what they can deliver. Soon we head back through the tunnel for our short break.

"They keep fouling me!" Horan explains frustratedly.

"They are seriously going to hurt her if they don't stop." Pinoe backs her up.

"The ref isn't even calling any fouls. There were at least ten obvious ones." I put in my opinion.

"You all are right but we can't focus on what we can't change. That is something we have to push through for this game. It's another challenge added to a challenging game. We are prepared for this match. We are prepared to fight. We always fight. Don't let this stop you." Vlatko says. He gives more of a speech but I zoned it out.

Before I know it, the second half starts. It's looking much rougher than the first half. They knock Mal to the floor as she lands on her stomach and stays down. The trainer goes out and signals for a sub. Mal comes off the field with the help of the trainers limping. They sit her on the floor in front of me. It looks like something in her calf was pulled. The trainer stretches and massages it. Mal ends up sitting next to me for the rest of the game. Other than fouls not being called by the ref, nothing else happens.

There was no added time and at the 90th minute the ref blew the whistle indicating the end of the game. People started to move and congratulate England while others were during their own thing and getting off the pitch.

That's when I heard gunshots.

No no no not again. My mind is thinking but my body is running. My mind flashes and I am back to the night my family was murdered. He's going to kill me. I ran back to my room and hid. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I close my eyes. I feel hands start to touch me. He found me. He has me. I scream. I yell. The hands take my body and I soon find myself in arms. I struggle to get out of his embrace. I keep fighting but the embrace just gets tighter. I'm suffocating. I need to get out of this embrace. I feel something cold on my neck.

"I need you to open your eyes." A voice says. I can't make the voice out. I keep trying to fight off the arms.

"Cameron. Breathe. Please, sweetie. It's Ali. I got you sweetie. It's just me." I recognize that voice. I trust that voice. "You're okay. I got you. Just open your eyes and breathe."

I do as I am told.

Ali Krieger POV

The game ends signalling our first loss of the year. It was very disappointing to say the least. England was a very draining game that took everything from us. The post-game fireworks go off and I head off the pitch talking to Ertz.

"Ali! Something is happening to Cam." Mal comes running out of the tunnel towards me and Ertz.

"What do you mean?" My heart starts to race.

"Follow me." She leads me through the tunnel while explaining what happened. "The game ended and the fireworks went off and her face went pale like she saw a ghost. Then she just ran to the locker room. I followed her and she just..."

Mal doesn't end her sentence but instead she points. Cameron has somehow managed to fit herself between the wall and the end of the cubbies. She has her knees tucked up to her chest and her head between her knees. I hear her breathing and it sounds like she's hyperventilating. She's rocking herself. It looks like a panic attack.

I carefully approach her, "Cameron, sweetie." I get no response. Some of the girls come in and see what's happening. I hear someone say they are going to get Ash.

I decide to do what I do when Ash has her panic attacks. I want to get behind her and hold her so her back is against me, but as soon as my hands touch her, she screams. I quickly get behind her and hold her but she continues to scream and fight.

"Please let me go!" Cameron yells trying to get out of my embrace. "Please!!"

"It's just me, Cam. Breathe. You're safe." I say but nothing is getting through to her. She continues to try to get out of my embrace.

"Help me! I can't breathe. Don't kill me. I can't breathe." I can't seem to calm her panicking. I look up and see Ash standing unsure what to do with Kelley and Mal next to her. Tobin has managed to push everyone away so we can have some space but I can see them still staring from afar as I deal with Cam.

"Pinoe, I need you to get a cold wet rag." I say calmly. "Ash sit in front of her so if she opens her eyes she sees someone she trusts."

"Cam, come on. Open your eyes. You're okay." I hold her flailing arms against her chest and try to rock her to soothe her.

"Here." Pinoe says, giving me the rag.

"Thanks." I then place the rag on the back of her neck. "I need you to open your eyes. Cameron. Breathe. Shhhh. Please, sweetie. It's Ali. I got you sweetie. It's just me. You're okay. I got you. Just open your eyes and breathe."

She listens and opens her eyes, but it looks like she's still fighting for a breath. 

"I can't breathe. Pleaseeee." She continues to repeat those words.

"Sweetie, I need you to follow my breathing." I tell her. "In and out. In. Hold. And out." Slowly she stops fighting and relaxes in my embrace. It takes about 10 minutes but she finally gets her breathing under control. "There you go."

As she leans back her head against she says, "I was back at my house the night of the incident."

"You're okay now though. You are safe. We are in LA at a soccer match. Nobody here is going to hurt you." Ash finally says something holding Cam's hands.

"But I-I h-heard gunshots." Cam stutters out.

"I think the fireworks triggered your brain to think it was gunshots, but they were just fireworks. I promise." I try to convince her.

"I've never experienced anything like that before. My body just reacted before I could process anything. "

"It was a panic attack." I say. "Let's sit here for a little while longer and breathe. Okay?"
Cameron nods.