The first thing Ellie noticed when she surfaced was the pain. Her whole body ached but her head and knee felt like they were on fire. Despite the white hot pain, she felt chilled to the core. Her body began to tremble uncontrollably. Somewhere above her, Ellie could hear voices, though they sounded far off. She heard one of them say “…going into shock…” A moment later she felt a warm hand on her shoulder and it took her a moment realize someone was calling her name. She tried to open her eyes but the light was so bright she had to close them again. She tried to speak but it only came out as a moan. ”I know Ellise, stay with us okay?” Ellie tried to nod but the slight movement sent a wave of shooting pain through her and everything faded away once more.


The paramedics unloaded the stretcher and wheeled Ellie into the ER. Ellie’s eyes slowly opened and she squinted against the bright lights to see people in white coats around her. Words like “fracture” “contusion” and “concussion” filtered their way through her ears as she tried to make sense of what was happening. Everything seemed to be moving so quickly and her brain too slow to process, turning everything around her into a blur that left her dizzy. The nurses flitted around her, poking and prodding, covering her in blankets, checking vital signs, and asking her questions. It wasn’t until one of them attached a tube to her arm that the pain finally began to dull.

Some time later Coach’s voice filtered through the background noises of the nurses’ and the beeping machines. Whether it had been minutes or hours, Ellie wasn’t sure. She opened her eyes slowly and blinked, ”Kevin…”, she whispered, surprised to see him but extremely grateful that he was there. She slipped her hand out from under the covers and reached for him, tears gathering in her eyes. She wanted him to hold her and tell her it was going to be alright.

Nova_Alchemist: