Sarah

by Polen, Teri

  The crowd was screaming, the excitement high, and I knew there wasn’t much time left. I could hear Finn behind me in the keeper’s box, shouting out the position of the opponents around me. As I brought my leg back and prepared to take a shot, I heard Finn’s voice, the tone different, more panicked and insistent, yelling, “On your left, Shannon! Left!”

  And then everything went black.

  Chapter 9

  What was that irritating sound? Like the constant buzzing of a weedeater. It just kept going on and on and wouldn’t shut up, like when Erin talked about shoes, just nonstop noise grating on my nerves. Was that the cause of this pounding, throbbing headache that pulsed with every beat of my heart? I’d swear my brain was bouncing around in my skull. Even my eyes hurt, like they were too big for my head. What had happened to me?

  The last thing I remembered was Finn yelling at me to watch my left side. Did I get hit? I’d been injured playing soccer before – you can’t play as many years as I had without getting hurt. My left hand had a permanent impression of soccer cleats from a game five years ago when an opponent had stepped on me and was in no hurry to move on.

  But this – I’d never felt pain like this in my life. Along with the headache, the left side of my body felt like I’d been hit by a semi-truck and dragged for a few miles.

  And what was that weird smell? Not the smell of freshly cut grass or sweaty soccer players – but a clean smell, like an antiseptic. Where was the murmuring of the crowd and the thump of cleated feet trampling the grass? And since when did the soccer field get so soft?

  But that constant drone was still going on, like a jackhammer battering my skull.

  “Stop. Someone make it stop, please,” I heard a voice say. It’s like they could read my mind.

  “Cain? Did you say something?” Mom’s voice being that close pretty much confirmed I wasn’t on the soccer field any longer.

  “Cain, baby, I was so worried!” Erin. I should have known it was her voice making the monotonous sound of the weedeater. How had I never noticed that shrill pitch before?

  “Cain, are you awake, sweetie?” Mom asked, now with the embarrassing term of endearment.

  I was afraid if I opened my eyes, they’d roll out of my head, but figured that couldn’t hurt any worse than the pain I already felt, so I decided to give it a shot.

  Slowly, I attempted to open one eyelid – and immediately closed it again. The light coming through the blinds was like a knife stabbing my eyeball.

  “For the love of all that’s holy, someone close the blinds before my brain explodes.” I don’t know who took pity on me, but I sensed the room get a little darker and then opened one eye in a narrow slit.

  “Oh, Cain, I’m so glad you’re alright!” Erin said, throwing her body across my chest, wrapping her arms around my neck and jostling my head. Which made me feel like vomiting. On her.

  “Would someone get her off me? Get her out of here, please!”

  “Cain? I can’t believe you’re talking to me like that! I’ve been here for two hours waiting for you to wake up and you’re treating me like I’m some annoying clingy girlfriend. I could have gone out with Hillary and Lauren instead of waiting here for you, but….”

  “Please, just shoot me now, put me out of my misery, I’m begging you.” At least I wouldn’t have to listen to her incessant whining wherever I’d wind up.

  “Erin, dear, maybe you should leave and let Cain get some rest. You can call tomorrow and check on him,” Mom said, using the tone Maddie and I knew meant ‘Do as I say, no arguing, no negotiating.’

  “Fine. I’ve got plenty of other things to do anyway,” Erin replied, spinning on her heel and marching out of the room without saying goodbye.

  Thank God.

  Silence, blessed silence. Cracking open the other eye, the needles of pain I’d felt from the late evening sunlight streaming through the blinds was lessened somewhat with them shut. Still painful, but bearable.

  “Without touching me or moving me in any way and with quiet voices, can someone please tell me where I am and what happened?”

  “What do you remember?” Mom asked.

  My brain felt like mush, thoughts and memories swirling, flitting here and there as I struggled to grasp something. “I remember Finn yelling at me about someone on my left, then everything went black. But…” Despite my attempts to remember the moments right before I’d heard Finn, I drew a blank. “I can’t remember anything else about the game, the score, who we were playing. What’s wrong with me?”

  “You’re alright, Cain. The doctor said there could be some temporary memory loss. What’s the last thing you remember before you heard Finn?” Mom asked.

  Searching my memories, it seemed as if there were gaps – like something should be in that spot, but remained hidden. Then I had a memory that brought a smile to my face. “The movie? I had dinner with Lindsey after that, but before that some things are kind of fuzzy.”

  Mom’s gaze flickered to a space on my left.

  “Dude, that was two days ago.”

  Finn was here? I tried to turn toward his voice, but the ice picks stabbing my head didn’t allow for that.

  “Hold up, Cain, I’ll move around the bed. Don’t need to damage that brain more than it already is,” Finn said, coming into my line of sight.

  “Two days ago? What happened to me?”

  “You’re in the hospital, sweetie. You were injured in the soccer game,” Mom replied, her hand patting my shin.

  “Why can’t I remember?”

  “You’re concussed, bro. You probably shouldn’t try to think very hard, it might use up any remaining brain cells.”

  “You’re such an ass, Finn,” I said, really wanting to do him bodily harm right now.

  “Hey, we’ve all got parts to play, just doing mine.”

  “You were hit on your blind side by a boy from the other team and when you fell, your head struck the ground pretty hard. You were unconscious when they brought you off the field and only woke up after the CT, although you probably don’t remember that. The doctor said you may experience some short term memory loss and not to panic if everything doesn’t come back to you right away. You really scared me, Cain,” she said, her eyes tearing up.

  “Sorry, Mom,” I said, reaching for her hand and squeezing it. This must have been terrifying for her. Seeing me injured and being back here at the hospital had to have brought back painful memories of Dad.

  “I was scared too, Cain. I was afraid you wouldn’t wake up and would leave us like Daddy did,” Maddie said, peeking out from behind Mom with red-rimmed eyes, her chin quivering. Seeing that look on her face chiseled away a piece of my heart. She’d been so quiet, I hadn’t even known she was in the room. And Maddie was never that quiet.

  Mom brushed her hand over Maddie’s head. “I know she’s too young to be in here and is technically breaking the rules, but I found a sympathetic nurse who also has young children.”

  “I’m sorry I scared you, Maddie,” I replied, letting go of Mom’s hand to stroke Maddie’s cheek. “I promise I’m not going anywhere and I’ll be home tomorrow. We’ll read extra to make up for missing tonight, okay?” She nodded, a lop-sided grin lighting up her face as she sniffled and wiped away her tears.

  “Come here, baby girl,” Finn said, picking up Maddie, her arms wrapping around his neck as her head dropped to his shoulder. It had to be close to her bedtime. “It was Morgan, the centerback. I don’t know what his problem was, but he must have thought he was on a football field, the way he tackled you. You were getting ready to take a shot on goal and I yelled at you to watch your left, but you didn’t hear me. The ref red carded his as..
,” glancing at Maddie in his arms, Finn stopped himself from saying the word I knew he was really thinking. “Um, red carded him and threw him out of the game.”

  “Was that before or after your yellow card, Finn?” Mom asked.

  I groaned. “What did you do this time?”

  “It was like there was a contract on you, Cain. I’ve never seen anyone get hit that hard in a soccer game. Then when I saw you go down, you weren’t moving and I thought…,” Finn looked away, unable to continue. He rarely showed this much emotion.

  Mom reached across me and patted one of Finn’s hands that was supporting Maddie. “He went after the guy and it took three of your teammates to hold him back. He beat me to your side, even though I jumped the fence, and probably would have hurt the boy myself if Finn hadn’t gotten there first.”

  I stared at Mom, knowing my face was a picture of horror and embarrassment. “You went on the field?”

  “Totally justified,” Finn said, able to speak again. “It was bad, Cain. They strapped you to the board and took you away in the ambulance with your Mom. I took Maddie and followed in my car and missed the rest of the game. Don’t know if we won or lost.” He’d been swaying side to side with Maddie, who was now sound asleep on his shoulder, a trail of drool on the sleeve of his jersey.

  I felt horrible for what I’d put them through. No wonder my head felt like it was three times normal size if I’d taken a hit that hard. “I’m sorry you were so worried.”

  “We’re just relieved you’re alright, sweetie. Your CT was clear, other than the concussion, but they want to keep you here overnight for observation. Do you want me to stay with you?”

  “No, I’m good, you and Maddie go home. I’ll probably just sleep some more.”

  “Are you sure?” she asked, her forehead creased with worry.

  “I’m positive. Go home and rest.”

  Mom had always been able to tell when I was lying, like she could probe my inner thoughts, and she was doing it now. “If you’re sure, but call me if you need anything, alright?” she said, gently kissing the top of my forehead. “I’ll be back to pick you up tomorrow morning.”

  Finn transferred Maddie from his arms to Mom’s, and she glanced back at me once more as she went out the door. Finn lingered a while longer. “Just say the word, bro, and I’ll kill the guy who did this to you. You didn’t even have a chance to defend yourself.”

  “I appreciate the gesture, but dial it back, because you’d never last a day in jail. Seriously, though, thanks for sticking around and, uh, everything.” Eloquent, I wasn’t.

  “I got your back, you got mine, right? So, dinner with Lindsey after the movie marathon. You don’t remember anything after that?”

  “Why? Did I forget something important? I’m guessing I’m still with Erin since she was here. That screeching voice will probably replay in my nightmares tonight.”

  Finn had a funny look on his face, an expression I’d never seen before. “Nothing we need to talk about right now. I gotta say, though, the way you talked to Erin when you woke up gave me hope. Try to remember how good that felt when you’re off the meds. An Erin-free existence. I know it’s a personal dream of mine.”

  No denying it – I felt lighter when she wasn’t around. Or maybe it was the meds. But my body felt heavy and ached and I wanted sleep more than anything right now. “Not that I’m kicking you out, but I’m fading fast.”

  “Get some rest and I’ll be over tomorrow after school.” Finn might have said more, but I was already gone.

  Chapter 10

  Having a concussion had its perks. Mom catered to my every whim, something I could get used to. Erin hadn’t called – also a perk. She was probably waiting for me to apologize – not happening. The downside was that I still had no recollection of anything after dinner with Lindsey on Sunday, and the few days prior to that were filled with some gray areas. Maybe going back to school tomorrow would jog my memory.

  “Cain, you have a visitor,” Mom said, poking her head through my bedroom door.

  “Tell her I’m in a coma, incoherent, abducted by aliens – I really don’t care, just please, don’t let Erin in here.”

  “Um, it’s not Erin,” she chuckled, “although she is a girl. A very pretty one. She said her name was Lindsey.”

  My doofus expression must have told Mom everything.

  “I see. That certainly explains things. I’ll send her up,” she said, a knowing look on her face.

  Lindsey came to see me, so she must care a little, right? Wait, Lindsey was here to see me and I hadn’t showered, combed my hair, or brushed my teeth since, when? Yesterday morning, I thought. Springing out of bed, I dodged the minefield of debris on my floor to get to the bathroom. Where I leaned against the sink to get my balance. Shouldn’t have moved that fast with a bruised brain. When the room stopped spinning, I attended to what personal hygiene I could in hopes of not sending her running out the door in horror. The goal was to get her closer to me, not further away.

  I’d just gotten back in bed when I heard a light knock at my door.

  “Cain? Can I come in?”

  “Yeah, come on in, Lindsey.”

  Opening the door slowly, she peeked around the corner at me, seeming a little hesitant about coming in. Seeing her was like the sun breaking through the clouds and I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face.

  “Come on in and sit down.”

  “Um, where should I sit?”

  Good question. My desk chair was covered up with dirty or clean clothes, I forgot which, and the gamer chairs were across the room in front of the TV. That left my bed.

  “Oh, sorry,” I said, shoving stuff onto the floor. Eby had been in a semi-comatose state on my bed and raised his head, looking highly annoyed at the disturbance.

  “Wow, that’s a really big cat.”

  “He’s not fat, just a little over-fluffy. Sorry about the mess. I think there’s room for you now,” I said, after clearing a space at the foot of my bed.

  Lindsey sat down and Eby, being the nosy cat he was, sauntered over and sat directly in front of her, his gaze intent on her face.

  “Okay, that’s kind of freaky. What’s he doing?”

  “Yeah, he’s a little quirky, but a great judge of people. He’s deciding if you meet his standards. Do you like cats?”

  “Um, on a case by case basis, I guess. My social acceptability has never been decided by a cat. Does he ever blink?”

  Eby must have deemed Lindsey acceptable, because he crawled into her lap and rubbed his head under her chin, his purring echoing through the room. He had a loud motor.

  Grinning, I said, “You must be good people since Eby gave his approval.”

  “Thanks, I guess?” she said, petting him as he curled up against her leg. “With the question of my character out of the way, I just wanted to see how you were. That was a scary hit you took yesterday. Finn texted to let me know you were alright, but I wanted to see for myself. I hope it’s okay that I came over without calling.”

  “Yeah, I’m glad you did.” Cue the goofy smile again. If my lack of personal hygiene didn’t drive her away, my inner dork would.

  “Do you know the guy that hit you? It seemed so personal, like he was out to get you. And Finn was a pit bull after you hit the ground. The guy was lucky Finn wasn’t able to get to him.”

  “I’ve played against that other guy for the past three years, but I don’t know him. Finn’s a good friend. He’s always had my back.”

  “Does your head hurt?” Lindsey asked, still petting Eby, who was now lying spread-eagle on his back, a sucker for the attention.

 
“I still have a slight headache, but the worst thing is the amnesia. I don’t remember anything after having dinner with you Sunday evening, and some things from a few days before that are fuzzy.”

  “But you remember what happened at dinner, right?” she asked, teasing me.

  “Yeah, I remember,” I said, glancing down and pulling at the threads on my comforter. Then I felt the warmth of her hand over mine, and I flipped my hand over to entwine our fingers.

  “That’s good to know. You know, Cain, if you wanted to get out of coming to my concert this week, you could have said something. I mean, don’t you think this was a little over the top?”

  “I guess I’m not a half-assed kind of guy,” I smirked. “Seriously, I plan on coming to see you play. Just let me know the time.”

  “Will you be bringing a date?” she asked, peering at me through a fringe of blonde hair that had fallen over her forehead.

  “Absolutely not.”

  “Good,” she replied. “That’s really good.”

  As Lindsey played with Eby and talked about our assignment for English, I noticed the attic door behind her slowly inch open about a foot, creaking as it moved. Eby froze, then flipped over to a crouch and stared at the door as it continued to swing open a few more inches.

  Lindsey turned to see where the noise came from. “Well, that’s weird. Where does that door lead?”

  Before I could answer, Eby went into defense mode, his fur bristling and a low growl emanating from his throat. After a scathing hiss, he leaped from the bed and shot through the bedroom door.

  “Okay, that was even weirder. Is there a cat torture chamber in there I’m not aware of?”