Porter and Luke found Shawn and went to warmup. Shawn and Luke had been the superstars while they were in high school, but Kazlyn didn’t think they stood a chance against Ty.
“Kazzy,” Ty called out to her. The entire crowd seemed to watch as he made his way across the floor.
“I’ll go find us some seats,” her mom said and slipped away.
Ty jogged up to her, grinning. “You look beautiful this morning.”
She glanced down at her sweatshirt and jeans. “I’m going to look better tonight when the champ of the tournament takes me to dinner.”
His grin broadened. “You just gave me even more incentive to thump on the locals.”
“Be nice.”
“I’ll try.” He winked and the buzzer sounded.
“I’d better go sit with my mom.”
He grabbed her hand. “Will you cheer for me?”
“Obnoxiously.”
He gave her a quick peck, and even though he was sweaty and hundreds of people were watching, she wanted to melt. “I’ll see you later,” he whispered against her lips.
“Plan on it.” She walked away on unsteady legs.
There were eight teams in the single elimination tournament. Luke, Porter, and Shawn easily won their first game and their second. Ty won two more games. Kazlyn and her mom busted out a cooler full of sandwiches, fruit, and Gatorades to feed Luke’s team. She wished Ty would’ve come over to eat with them, but she’d noticed Jamison’s mom feeding him earlier. He’d stopped by their spot between his games to chat with her and her mom several times.
It quickly became apparent that her brothers would be battling Ty, Jamison, and Jacob for the championship game. It had been a long day of basketball, but nobody was leaving, the gym just seemed to get fuller as the day wore on. Kazlyn hoped Ty really would be nice to her brothers, but it wouldn’t hurt Luke’s pride any to get beaten.
***
Ty dunked it a few times in their brief warmup. Showing off for Kazlyn. It was so fun to play these easy games and know she was watching. He still didn’t have a plan for a date tonight, but hopefully Jamison could give him some ideas. Billings wasn’t that far away and there had to be some nice restaurants and something fun to do there.
The buzzer sounded and although he was exhausted from playing all day, the adrenaline kicked in. They’d finally be facing Luke, Porter, and Shawn. Shawn was a thick dude who could play, but was a little out of shape.
The game started and Shawn stuck to Jamison, Porter went after Jacob, and Ty knew he’d have Luke all to himself. He didn’t hold back, but drove to the hoop, slamming it for the first two points.
He stole the ball from Luke on defense and headed back for an easy layup. The crowd was screaming, “Tyyyy-reese,” just like his Aggie fans did and he felt like he was on fire.
Porter sunk a three-pointer on the next play. Jamison slung shot it down the court to Ty. Luke was on him quickly.
“Guess you were just toying with me yesterday,” Luke said.
Ty dribbled from his right hand to his left and dunked it over Luke left-handed. “A little bit,” he admitted, tossing the ball to the ref.
Luke’s jaw clenched. He started fighting as hard as any college athlete Ty had played against. Pushing and getting really rough.
The ref told him several times to calm down, but as the score got farther and farther apart, Luke just put on more pressure. He didn’t play dirty, but he didn’t quit either.
The game was almost over, with Ty’s team up thirty points, when Jamison shot from the foul line. The ball bounced off the rim. Ty leapt into the air for the rebound. Luke jumped next to him and slammed into his right side. Ty was thrown off balance. He landed on the side of his left foot. It twisted awkwardly with an awful snap that he both heard and felt. Pain shot through the middle of his foot. He crumpled to the ground, gritting his teeth so he wouldn’t cry out.
Luke extended a hand and yanked him up. “You all right, man?”
“Yeah.” Ty grunted and tried to stand. His foot wouldn’t support him and he fell again. The court spun and he was afraid he was going to throw up. The entire gym erupted in sound, but he couldn’t focus on anything besides the throbbing in his foot. He’d been injured before, but never like this.
Jamison and Luke each took a side and helped him up. He tried to support himself on his right leg.
“Coach is going to kill me, coach is going to kill me,” Jamison kept repeating over and over.
“Kazlyn,” Luke hollered, supporting Ty with an arm around his waist. “Get my truck!”
Ty wished he could see Kazlyn. He started to pray for the pain to go away and for some miracle that his foot would be okay. Maybe it was just a sprain or something. If Ty had just ended his basketball career… No, he couldn’t think like that, he’d be fine.
They hobbled out of the gym, Porter and Jacob making a pathway through all the concerned bystanders. Kazlyn had the truck waiting at the front entry. She rushed around to meet him, tears streaming down her face. “Oh, Ty. Are you okay?’
He tried to smile through the pain. “I’m good,” he managed through clenched teeth. Luke and Jamison manhandled him into the truck. Jamison and Kazlyn jumped in the back and Luke rushed around to the driver’s side after yelling, “Jacob, would you bring my mom and Porter?”
Ty didn’t hear the reply. He leaned his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes against the pain. A tear streamed under his lids and he brushed it away, embarrassed. Kazlyn wrapped her arms around his shoulders from behind. He reached up and grabbed onto her hands with one of his, grateful she was there.
The drive to the hospital was quick. They helped him into the emergency entrance and were in a sparse room before long. The hospital was clean with no frills. A big step up from the inner city hospital he’d gone to when he was twelve and had dislocated his collar bone.
His foot was already swelling when the doctor entered the room. Jamison had finally quit muttering and just sat in the corner looking miserable. Kazlyn kept a hold of Ty’s hand and Luke paced. They all greeted the older doctor like they knew and respected him.
Doctor Taggart shooed everyone out, had the nurse give him a dose of morphine in his IV, then probed and twisted his ankle and foot before the medicine kicked in. Ty clenched his teeth, clinging to the bed. The doctor asked some questions, then ordered a bunch of x-rays. The medicine made the x-rays bearable.
They wheeled Ty back into the room and the doctor returned with the results within minutes. It must’ve been a slow day at the little hospital. “Son, do you want anyone with you?”
“Kazlyn,” he murmured, exhausted from the stress and the effects of the morphine.
Kazlyn rushed into the room half a minute later. She hurried to his side to take his hand. He smiled up at her. Thankfully he wasn’t hurting anymore, just terrified of what this doctor had to tell him.
“You’ve suffered what’s called a Lisfranc fracture. The ligaments in the midfoot are torn, the first and second metatarsals are separated, and the second metatarsal is fractured.”
Ty sucked in a breath and forced himself to clarify, “Torn and separated as in stretched and they’ll heal or…”
“Torn as in completely shredded, ripped apart.”
“Surgery?”
“Yes.” The doctor held his gaze.
No! Ty wanted to scream. He couldn’t go through surgery. His foot couldn’t be messed up. What about all his plans?
Kazlyn clung tighter to his hand. Her breath was coming hard and fast and Ty was afraid she was crying.
“I’ve called a friend who’s an orthopedist in Billings. He’ll see you in the morning.”
“Will he be able to play basketball?” Kazlyn asked quietly.
The doctor shifted his gaze to her. “I’m no expert, but I doubt it. The Lisfranc fracture isn’t something that heals easily. After surgery you could be on crutches for months.”
Ty swallowed hard. All of his dreams of winning th
e Mountain West Conference and making it to the NCAA tournament this year were gone. His plans to play in Europe might be gone, as well. Despair overwhelmed him. The doctor gave Kazlyn a card for the doctor in Billings and explained the pain meds he was prescribing. Ty could hardly listen. His future, as he’d planned it, was gone.
The nurse wrapped his foot tightly, then fitted Ty with crutches and gave them a couple of prescriptions to fill.
Kazlyn hovered over him while they waited for the discharge papers. She was the only bright spot he could find. Just seeing her brave smile and feeling her hand in his made him think he could get through this nightmare. But then Ty realized that everything he’d had to offer her if this relationship got serious, like he hoped it would, was gone. Would she be interested in an injured man? If he couldn’t play in Europe, could he even get a coaching job? How was he going to help his sisters and mom now?
Darkness overwhelmed him. How could this have happened to him? He was a good guy. He tried to treat others right. How could the Lord let this happen?
Luke’s face appeared above Kazlyn’s. He was the last person Ty wanted to see right now. His career was over and he couldn’t help blaming Luke. It wasn’t a Christian thing to think, but he still felt it. Had Luke hit him on purpose? The glare Kazlyn sent Luke’s way made Ty feel warm all over.
“Get out of here,” Kazlyn commanded.
Luke stared at her, pleading with his eyes. “I want to talk to Ty.”
“So you can make fun of him or hurt him again? No!”
Her brother towered over her, but this beautiful woman was willing to fight for him. Ty loved it.
Luke sighed. “I was only taking care of you…” He glanced at Ty then back at Kazlyn. “Like Dad would’ve done.”
She tossed her blonde hair. “Dad wouldn’t have acted like this. He would’ve trusted my judgment. Plus, Dad would never have treated anyone unkindly.”
Luke clenched and unclenched his fist. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
Kazlyn stared at him for a few seconds before giving him a nod. “Thank you.”
Luke hugged her against his side. “I’m sorry,” he repeated, tenderly brushing a lock of hair from her face. “Can I talk to Ty now?”
Kazlyn leaned into his hug for a second. “Do you want me to leave?”
Luke shrugged. “It’s fine with me if you stay.” He looked at Ty.
Ty nodded, wishing he knew what Luke was going to say and wishing even more that he could foresee how he was going to respond. He offered a brief prayer for forgiveness to be in his heart. He needed divine intervention for so many reasons right now.
Luke stared at him with such anguish. “I’m so sorry, Ty. You have to believe that I didn’t push you on purpose. I was going for the ball. I would never try to hurt you…not like this.”
Ty stared at Luke for several seconds. Luke didn’t squirm or look away and Ty could read the truth in his eyes. The warmth of forgiveness flowed through him. “I believe you.”
Luke swallowed. “Thank you. I’m really sorry you got hurt.”
“You and me both.”
“What’s Doc saying?”
“It’s not good. A Lisfranc fracture, ligaments torn, bones broken and separated in the middle of my foot. Meeting with a specialist in Billings in the morning.”
Luke shook his head mournfully. “Could I drive you to Billings tomorrow?”
“I’d appreciate that.” He looked shyly at Kazlyn. Should he keep asking her to be with him or let her go? If he didn’t have anything to offer her by way of a future, he should just say goodbye now. But, he needed her, needed her like he’d never needed anyone in his life.
“Can I come, too?” she asked.
Ty exhaled and smiled. “I would love that.”
***
The night’s sleep was miserable with the tight wrapping cutting off circulation to his foot and the worry gnawing away at his heart. Telling him he couldn’t play basketball was like saying he couldn’t eat or sleep. Basketball was who he was.
A knock on the guest room door around two a.m. was a welcome relief. “Ty?” Jamison called softly as he cracked the door. “You awake?”
“Yeah, man, come in.”
Jamison crept slowly to the edge of the bed. Ty couldn’t see him very well in the darkened room. “How you feeling?”
“Pretty good. The pain isn’t too bad.”
“You talked to coach?” Jamison was never one to waste time.
“Just my mom. Figured I’d wait until after I saw the specialist tomorrow to break it to coach. Keep hoping maybe this doctor was wrong.”
“I’m so sorry, man.”
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“Doesn’t make me feel any better.”
Ty grunted. “Tell me about it.” He clutched the bedspread in his fingers.
“What did your mom say?”
“‘This too shall pass.’” Ty half-laughed. “She’s upset, but we’ve been through worse.” He shrugged. Losing his dad was definitely worse than this.
Jamison sighed. “Wish it was already in the past. I’ll let you rest.” He shuffled toward the door.
“Goodnight.” Ty lay there brooding, and his mom’s voice repeating in his mind, “This too shall pass,” wasn’t really helping. The thought of not being able to play basketball ripped at him, but the thought of not being worthy of Kazlyn, of having nothing to offer her shredded him completely.
Sobs worked their way up his chest. His body shook. He clenched a fist to his mouth to stop the sound from coming out.
One wrong fall. One wrong twist of his foot and his future was over. How could he help his sisters and Mom now? How could he even dream of a future with Kazlyn?
Why had this happened to him? Why?
He rolled to his right side, folded his arms, bowed his head, and begged the Lord to help him through this. Just getting through tonight and tomorrow was all he could ask for, but he wanted to beg for some kind of miracle.
Chapter Thirteen
The drive to Billings was uncomfortable. Luke and Kazlyn tried to talk with Ty, but he was quiet, obviously nervous about what the specialist would say. He held on tightly to her hand as she sat between him and Luke in the truck. She kept picturing him falling on the court. It had been awful to watch this strong, amazing man be injured. She’d prayed hard last night for him to heal and for him to be able to deal with the injury, especially if it was the end of his career.
They made it to the doctor’s office and waited over an hour in the examination room. The door burst open and a small, balding doctor stormed in, holding the x-rays they’d brought with them from Snow Valley.
He sat down on a chair across from the three of them, looked at Ty and said, “I have no idea how you screwed up your foot this badly.”
Ty extended his hand. “I’m Tyrese Wilson. Who the heck are you?”
The man shook his head and Ty’s hand. “Doctor Shaffer. Son, your foot’s a mess. We’ll take an MRI to confirm, but you’ll need reconstructive surgery. We can schedule it here for next week or if you prefer to have a doctor in Cache Valley do it, you can meet with one of them. Honestly, I might recommend the latter. Cache Valley Orthopedics, or even better the University of Utah, deal with a lot more Lisfranc fractures than I do.”
Ty stared at the ground. “I’ll need to talk to my mom and my coach and see what they recommend.”
“I understand.” He placed a small hand on Ty’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, son, but there’s no way you’re playing basketball this year.”
Ty took a long breath and then nodded. “What about next year? I had some offers to play in Europe.”
The man shook his head. The look in his eye was not promising. “Possibly. But you’ve got to understand, son, your midfoot supports you during high-impact athletics, and with the damage you’ve done.” He sighed. “The ligaments you injured got their name because a surgeon in Napoleon’s army used to amputate the foot when someone was ripped off their hor
se and their foot got caught in the stirrup.”
Kazlyn wanted to tell the doctor they didn’t need a history lesson right now, but at least Ty’s foot wasn’t getting amputated.
The doctor sighed again. “I’ve personally never seen an athlete recover from this and play competitively. But, you’ll have to see how recovery goes.” He patted Ty on the shoulder. “Sorry to ruin your Christmas.”
He walked out of the room without saying goodbye and Ty muttered, “More like ruin my life.”
Luke shifted in his chair, staring a hole in the shiny floor. Kazlyn was at a loss for how to comfort Ty and was grateful when he used his crutches to lumber to his feet and they escaped the doctor’s office.
They went to a fun bakery, Harper and Madison, for a sandwich. She could tell Ty was trying to be upbeat, but he was failing miserably.
After they picked up their delicious-looking sandwiches, that no one was hungry for, Luke banged his fist on the table. “Dude, I am so sorry.”
“Luke.” Ty shook his head. His voice was low and scratchy. “Please, don’t blame yourself. This is tough enough without me worrying about how to comfort you.”
Luke pressed his lips together for a second. He finally nodded. “You’re right. What can we do to help you, Ty?”
Kazlyn was grateful Luke had obviously softened toward Ty. Now, if they really could help him.
“Just being here is helping.” Ty squeezed Kazlyn’s hand then let go. “Really. You don’t know how much I appreciate that neither of you are giving me empty reassurances and I’m sorry that you have to watch me be such a downer.”
Kazlyn reached around his waist and hugged him. She really had no words of comfort, though.
“I don’t want to pretend I know what you’re going through,” Luke said. “But, when I gave up my job at Boeing, I felt like I’d lost everything I’d worked for, every dream. I hated it.”
“How did you come out of it?” Ty asked, a bit of hope lighting his dark eyes.
Luke picked up a huge club sandwich and took a bite. “Who said I’d come out of it?”
Kazlyn winced.
“Ouch.” Ty’s shoulders rounded. He played with the pickle on his plate.
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