Chapter Text
Ali rode in the ambulance trying to hold back tears. She knew the pain she felt was serious the minute the defender's body colliding with hers. She remembered that pain. She had been to used to that pain. She had felt it when she broke her leg junior year at Penn State, she had felt it when she had a pulmonary embolism, and she remembered it when she tore her acl in 2012. Ali knew that this could be the end of her career and just sixteen months from the Olympics again she could never stand on the podium with an Olympic gold medal hanging around her neck. She had just returned from Vancouver winning the World Cup, but she felt her body start to shake as she pictured having to hang up her cleats. Ali just tried to focus on figuring out what was wrong with her left ankle. Trying to keep the seeds of hope she had left for her soccer career together and no matter what don't look down at her bloody one exposed ankle.
The paramedic shot her a sincere smile as he opened the doors of the truck and moved the stretcher she was on to the ground. Ali looked around the emergency room watching the madness before she heard a voice saying her name,
"Ms. Krieger"
Ali looked up and saw a tall blonde lady probably around the same age as her in dark blue scrubs and a crisp white lab coat. Ali looked into the women's dark brown eyes and somehow she felt calmer and safer. Ali realized she was staring and still hadn't responded, "Yes hi. Please call me Ali."
The women nodded and smiled. Ali noted the dimples that appeared on her face,"I am Dr. Harris. I am the head of the orthopedic department here, now do you remember anything about how you fell or the seconds leading up to the trauma."
Ali winced as the doctor lightly traced her hands around her left ankle that was already three times it's size and bloody. "Ummm...Not really. I remember rushing into the box for a corner and going up form the header when I collided with a defender from Kansas City and once I hit the ground everything went blank. I remember feeling like my foot was backwards and a shooting pain up my leg but that is it. I think I passed out for a few seconds until the trainers got out to me."
Dr.Harris examined the ankle for a few seconds before she said,"It is definitely broken, but I need to see a MRI. Unfortunately, we are definitely going to need to do surgery."
Ali felt tears forming,"When can I get back out on the pitch?"
Dr. Harris's face changed and she looked down at the chart,"Ms. Krieger, I am going to do everything in my power to get you back on the field, but I can't promise you anything. I only promise things I am certain about."
Ali felt her eyes starting to water when she felt Dr. Harris rub her arm. Ali looked into her eyes,"Ms. Krieger from what I hear you are very strong, and I can promise you one thing, I am going to do everything I can to help you."
Ali took a deep breathe and somehow even just meeting this woman she felt comfortable. She accredited her sudden confront to the pain medication because she had never felt anything for a woman before, well besides that one girl in college, but still she was straight. At least that's what she thought.
Dr. Harris ran her hand along Ali's ankle one more time and then asked,"Is there anyone you want me to call? Your emergency contact is your brother and mother so I called them both and they are on their way."
Ali shook her head,"Nope there is no one else. Just Kyle and my mom. No man if you were asking."
Ashlyn's complexion went white, but she just nodded her head," I wasn't Ms. Krieger that would be wrong but...no boyfriend."
Ali smiled faintly,"No. No boyfriend. No girlfriend." What did she just say! No girlfriend. No kidding she didn't have a girlfriend. What was it about this doctor.
Dr. Harris nodded her head again as she wrote something in the chart."Good..okay then Ms. Krieger. I am going to go check and see if an MRI machine is available. But I will have a nurse bring you up to a room and get you something to eat? You like jello? Because that's really the only thing you want to eat from our cafeteria."
Ali smiled,"Ohh I remember hospital food. I became all to familiar with the lime jello."
Dr.Harris laughed as she walked out of the examination room,"Lime jello it is Ms. Krieger."
Ali yelled out,"Call me Ali.", but she knew Dr. Harris was already half way down the hall. She looked down at her black and blue ankle and thought of that gold medal. All she wanted was that gold medal and she was not going to let anything, even if they had to cut off her foot, stop her. She had had that medal taken away from her once before. She was not going to let it happen again.
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A few hourss after taking an scan of her ankle Ali was taken into surgery. As Ali was being wheeled into the or, her family still hadn't arrived. Ali suddenly became extremely nervous. Her hands started to shake, her brow started to sweat, and her heart raced. Dr. Harris who was wheeling the bed along with three other doctors and nurses looked down at Ali and grabbed her hand. She smiled faintly and said, "Ms. Krieger, sorry Ali, take a deep breathe. I know this is scary, and your family still isn't here, but I will be here the whole time. I am not going to leave your side and I will do everything humanly possible to save your career."
Ali inhaled deeply and nodded her head, "okay, thanks." The doctor reached down and grabbed Ali's hand for a second for reassurance and just as Ali made eye contact the drugs began to kick in and she drifted to sleep with Ashlyn's face being the last thing she saw.
Dr. Harris worked for hours making sure the bone was set perfectly and everything was perfect. She didn't know what she was doing. Asking if a patient had a boyfriend! She knew better she had seen her colleagues fall for patients and it never worked out. They were usually fired and she had worked her whole life at this job. She was suddenly jeopardizing it for some soccer player she met three hours ago. She knew better!
Dr. Harris walked out of the operating room and into the waiting room to see if the Kriegers had arrived yet, but they hadn't. She was on call for the rest of the night and needed some sleep. She walked down the hall and turned into Ms. Krieger's room. She never liked when a patient didn't have anyone with them and she was just going to go to an on call room anyways. She sat down looking at how perfect she looked in her sleep. A large cast was her left ankle and an IV connected to her arm yet she still looked perfect. She breathed heavy, her chest raising and falling, her hair laid perfectly over her shoulders. She looked at peace. Dr. Harris saw the pain somehow. It was a pain she had felt before and she could see it through the large wall the defender had put up. She sat there in the hospital room until she let sleep take over her and closed her eyes thinking back to the days when she would have done anything to be back on the pitch.