Sarah & Allison More Than Hurt Feelings by
Rikki & Ginny Stories back to archives
Sarah arrived at the soccer game a few minutes before Allison got hurt.
Allison broke through the defense and took the pass from her winger. She was about to shoot when someone from the opposing team came up behind her and tried to poke the ball away. They both went down in a heap, Allison grabbing her knee. Her scream of pain was spine-chilling.
The referee hurried up and red-carded the opposing player, who seemed to be unhurt. Everyone else ran towards Allison. Sarah grabbed her cellphone and followed. She had to force her way closer to Allison, who kept saying, "It hurts," over-and-over. When the trainer tried to straighten her leg, Allison screamed in pain.
Sarah punched her mom's number into the phone, "Dr. Black."
Sarah blinked away tears, "Mom, it's me. I'm at Allison's soccer game and she's hurt."
"What happened, Honey?"
"She was on a break-away and got tackled from behind. She grabbed her knee and keeps saying 'It hurts'. When they tried to straighten her leg, she screamed so loud."
Sarah's mom knew she was on the verge of breaking down, "Sarah, listen to me."
"Yes, Mom," she sniffled.
"I need you to be strong for Allison right now. I want you to put her under. When you do, you can reduce the pain to a lower level. Then tell her that she can't straighten her leg until she sees me. I'll call her parents and meet you at the hospital. Let me talk to whatever medical personnel is there, OK?"
"OK, Mom. See you soon." She handed the cellphone to the trainer and knelt beside Allison.
Sarah put one hand on the back of Allison's neck and the other on her chin. "Allison, look at me." Allison looked at her but didn't say anything. "I'm here and you're safe. I've talked to mom and she's talking to the trainer. I want to help, but you have to work with me. OK?" Sarah knew that if Allison didn't feel safe, she would resist going under.
Allison whispered, OK."
Sarah bent down, "Quiet beach, darling." Allison's eyes closed and she relaxed a little. "Sunshine, can you hear me?"
"Yes," very quietly.
"I know you're hurting. The pain is starting to fade. Do you feel a little better now?"
"Yes."
"The pain continues to fade until you feel about like you do at the end of a normal game. OK?"
"OK."
"Now, you are unable to straighten your leg too. OK?"
"OK."
"They're going to take you to the hospital now. The pain will remain a dull ache and you'll be unable to straighten your knee until you see my mom at the hospital and she says it's ok. Can you do that for me?"
"OK."
While Sarah was working with Allison, the ambulance arrived. The EMT's were waiting with the stretcher. Sarah explained what she'd done and that she would be going with them. They gently picked Allison up and strapped her down on her side so there would be no pressure on her knee. They loaded the stretcher into the back of the ambulance. Sarah followed one of the EMT's.
Rikki grabbed her elbow before she got in the ambulance, "I'll follow a soon as I can."
"Thanks, Angelface," and they set out for the hospital.
Sarah's mom met them inside the Emergency Room entrance. She did a quick check of Allison's vital signs and motioned the EMT's towards an examination room. Sarah started to follow, but her mom stopped her. "Sarah, darling. I need you stay out here for now. Keep an eye out for Allison's parents and let them know what happened and that I'll come out as soon as I can. I think I know what's wrong, but I'll know for sure after a MRI. OK?"
"OK, Mom. I'll wait for Mr. and Mrs. White."
"Don't worry, honey. Allison will be ok." She turned and entered the examination room.
A nurse asked her if she wanted to administer any pain medication. "Not yet. The pain blocks are holding and I want to get Allison into Radiology ASAP."
About ten minutes later, Allison's mom and dad hurried in. Sarah stood up as they came over, "Don't worry, Mr. and Mrs. White. My mom is with Allison and she said she will come talk to us as soon as she knew something for sure."
"What happened?"
"I was watching when Allison broke away. She was about to shoot when a defender tried to steal the ball. They both went down in a heap and Allison hurt her knee. I called mom right away. She told me to put her under to reduce the pain and 'freeze' her leg. When we got here, they did a preliminary examination and rushed off to do a MRI."
"She's ok?"
"I don't know."
A few minutes later, Sarah's mom came through a door, followed by a woman with some papers. Allison's parents stood up, "How is she, Alice? Can we see her?"
"She's ok. Not yet. I wanted to let you know what we believe so far. I have an orthopedic surgeon looking at the films to be sure."
"What's the prognosis?"
"It looks like a partly torn MCL. It might heal itself with time and therapy. However, I would recommend that we surgically repair it. That way we're sure it heals correctly."
"This means she's done with soccer for now?"
"Yes, either way, and probably basketball too. But there's no reason to think she won't be 100% again. It will take a couple of months to heal and 6-9 months of re-hab, depending on how hard she works and follows instructions."
Sarah piped up, "We'll all make sure she listens."
"What's your decision; do we go in and fix it or wait?"
Allison's parents looked at each other, "Fix it."
"Mrs. Rose has the release papers for you to sign. Then we'll go see Allison." They signed where the lady indicated and gave her their insurance and other information.
The four of them entered the treatment room where Allison was resting. Sarah ran over and picked up Allison's hand, "Hey, Sunshine. How're you holding up?" Sarah's mom stopped to talk to a doctor.
"Hey, Munchkin, Mom, Dad. That's what you're here to tell me, isn't it?"
Sarah's mom stood beside the bed, "When you got tackled, you partly tore the medial collateral ligament in your knee. That was why it hurt so much and you couldn't straighten your leg. It is possible that it will heal with time, but I have recommended to your parents that we operate and make sure."
"So, soccer is done for the season?"
"I'm afraid so, and probably basketball too. In either case, you're looking at 9-12 months for healing and re-hab."
Sarah could tell that Allison was trying to keep from crying, "So, when do we do this?"
"We're getting ready now. They will be in soon to prep you. This is an arthroscopic procedure." Sarah's mom indicated the back of Allison's knee. "The surgeon will make a small incision here and go in to repair the ligament. That will reduce the healing time a bit. The procedure will take 1-2 hours. You'll spend a few days in the hospital while we make sure everything is ok, and then go home. How fast you adapt to crutches will determine how long you're home bound."
"Rikki can pick up your assignments and we'll all work together to make sure you don't fall behind," Sarah continued.
"Mom, Dad, may I talk to Sarah for a moment alone, please?"
"Sure, Honey. We'll be right outside."
When the door closed, "Munchkin, I'm scared."
"I would be surprised if you weren't."
"This is my first major injury. I've had sprained ankles and knees before. A few days on the sideline and I'm back in. This is the first time I won't be able to compete for a long period of time. How do I know I'll be ok? How do I know I'll be able to compete again? At the same level?" Allison was almost wailing in despair.
Sarah grabbed her ears to get her attention. "Sunshine, I understand. Can I guarantee that you'll be 100% at the end of this journey? No, nobody can. Mom said that with hard work, chances are good that you'll be so close to 100% that it won't make a difference. The end result is up to you. Do you trust me?"
"You know I do, with my life."
"I believe you can do this. I will be with you every step of the way. I trust my mom to get you to the starting line. Then we'll work hard until you're ready to compete again. Your parents and mine are both behind us, ready to help. Your teammates are behind you. Rikki and Ginny will help. I'll be here when you come out of surgery. I'll be the first face you see. Ready now?"
Allison whispered, "Yes."
"Louder!"
"Yes," a little more forcefully.
"That's what I'm talking `bout!"
While they'd been talking, the nurses and staff had come in to prepare Allison. Sarah moved aside but did not leave, in case Allison got scared again. They checked her id bracelet to make sure they had the right person, pre-medicated her, checked and marked the knee to be operated on, and generally got her ready for the procedure. They transferred Allison to a gurney and wheeled her out. Sarah followed, picking up Allison's parents.
Outside the surgical suite, Sarah's mom turned to her, "I'll be in the operating room, watching. As soon as we're done, I'll come out and let you know how it went."
"Thanks, Mom...Thanks, Alice."
A little more than an hour later, Sarah's mom came out. "It went well. The tear was smaller than we thought. Repairing it went quickly. We checked out the rest of the knee while we were in there. She should be fine."
"When can we see her?"
"She's in recovery now." Turning to Allison's parents, "We'll be moving her to a room in a couple of hours. Why don't you get something to eat, Sarah is going to help me."
"Thanks, Alice. We'll get something from the cafeteria and be back soon."
"Sarah, grab your books and follow me." Sarah picked up her book bag and followed her mom through another door. Down a short hallway, they turned at a door marked 'Recovery Room'. Inside, Sarah could see Allison on one of the beds; pale, IV's in the back of each hand, cast on her knee, eyes closed. Her mom pulled up a chair and indicated that she should sit.
"Someone will be around to check Allison's vitals every 10 minutes or so. I'll come by too. What I want you to do is keep an eye on Allison between times. Let someone know if she wakes up or appears to be in distress or anything unusual happens. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Mom. Can I hold her hand?"
"Very gently. You don't want to compromise the IV. Talk to her too. She can hear you."
Sarah worked on her English homework while waiting. Nurses came by, interns, her mom, to check on Allison. Sarah was reading aloud from Elizabeth Barrett Browning's 'Sonnets from the Portuguese' when Allison's eye fluttered open.
Allison recognized Sarah, but was unsure of where they were at. She hurt. She looked down and saw a cast on her knee and IV's in the back of each hand. She listened to Sarah read:
"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of Being and ideal Grace. I love thee to the level of every day's Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light. I love thee freely, as men strive for Right; I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise. I love thee with the passion put to use In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith. I love thee with a love I seemed to lose With my lost saints,--I love thee with the breath, Smiles, tears, of all my life!—and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death."
"Hey, Munchkin," very quietly.
It took a moment for Sarah to realize that Allison had spoken. She stood up and brushed Allison's hair back, "Welcome back, Sunshine. How're you doing?"
"OK, I think. I could use a drink of water."
"Let me see if that's allowed." Sarah caught the eye of a nearby nurse, who came over. "Can you let Dr. Black know Allison is awake? Is it ok to give her some water?"
"I'll notify Dr. Black. Just a sip until the doctor comes, OK."
Sarah poured Allison a drink from the carafe. She lifted Allison's head a bit and held the cup to her lips, "Just a sip, now. The nurse will let mom know you're awake."
"Where are we?"
"In the Recovery Room at the hospital. You just woke up from the surgery on your knee. Are you in pain?"
"Not much. Did we win?"
"I don't know. I came with you in the ambulance. I'll find out."
Sarah's mom came up, "Welcome back, Ally. How're you feeling?"
"Pretty good, Dr. Black."
Sarah's mom checked Allison's vital signs, took out one of the IVs, and made some notes on her chart. "Everything seems ok. I'm going to get you moved into a room."
They followed Allison's gurney into the room. Once she was settled, everyone arrayed themselves around her bed. "What can we bring you from home, darling," her parents started.
"If I'm going to be here a few days, my schoolbooks to start. And a few pairs of t-shirts and shorts, my comb and brush, toothbrush, anything else you think I might need."
"We can do that. We'll see you in the morning. Night, sweetheart."
"Night, Mom, and Dad."
Sarah turned to her mom, "I want to stay until Allison gets to sleep."
"That's ok with me if it's ok with Ally. I want to talk to you outside for a minute."
Allison agreed, "I would appreciate it if Sarah could stay awhile."
When they were outside Allison's room, Sarah's mom began, "I want you to promise me that you won't use Allison's trigger to ease her pain. A little pain is good. It means she's making progress. A lot of pain means she's probably working too hard and may suffer a setback. If you're concerned about the amount of pain Allison's in, find me or a nurse. If you want to help her get to sleep occasionally, like tonight, that's ok. Nothing else. Promise?"
"I promise, Mom. I understand."
Rikki and Jessica walked up. "How's Allison?"
"She came through OK. She slightly tore her MCL. What was the score of the game?"
"We won 3-2. The ref said the foul was flagrant and awarded us a penalty kick. That put us ahead. Can I see Allison?"
"Just for a minute. She needs her rest. I'll be back in an hour or so. I have to make sure Allison's records are all tied up and check on some other patients."
"See you soon." Rikki and Sarah went back into Allison's room, "Look who I found wandering the halls."
"Hey, Rik. Did we win?"
"Sure did. I just wanted to be sure you're ok and bring you your bags."
"They tell me I'll be fine though soccer and probably basketball are done for this year."
"That's a bummer. I'll come back tomorrow. I just wanted to bring your bags by and tell you about the game. Get some rest, OK?"
" 'Nite." Sarah resumed working on her English homework.
It started as just a whisper of a sliver of a sound. Sarah ignored it. It got a little louder. Sarah realized it was Allison, crying. "Sunshine?"
"I'm scared, Munchkin."
"I know. That's why I stayed. Would it help if I held your hand?"
"I don't think so."
Sarah lowered the bed-rail on the side away from Allison's cast, "Can you scoot over a little?" Allison moved a bit and Sarah gingerly climbed up beside her. She caressed the back of Allison's neck and whispered, "Quiet beach, darling. Sleep now, darling." Allison went to sleep and Sarah carefully hugged her close.
When Sarah's mom came back, she found the girls asleep next to each other. She closed the door and left instructions for the night staff to leave them alone as much as possible.
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Copyright 2005 Donal