Planning on Forever (22 page)

We never end up making it to dinner. Instead, I grab an
apple and a water on our way out. Pushing the speed limit, he drives me back up
to the school, and we pull in the parking lot with only a minute to spare.
Kissing him quickly, he wishes me good luck, and I’m off, running towards the
field.

The girls are already stretching, and the students and
fans are starting to pile in the bleachers, when I get there. Collin, Matt, and
Travis wave to me before walking up to find a seat. My nervous butterflies
start to fade after kickoff, and once the game gets underway. Our cheers are
going perfectly; the stands are completely full, without an open seat to spare.
Students crowd the fence around the field, and we are up by one touchdown at
the half.

It’s time.

Once the football teams clear the field to the locker
rooms, my squad and I take the field. The crowd is on their feet, hooting and
hollering, welcoming us as we take our places. Our squad has won three state
finals for our routine, so unlike other schools that ignore the half time show,
our school looks forward to it. After getting into formation, our background
music starts playing over the loud speakers. We start without a hitch. Our
lines look perfect, our cheers sound great, and every fly goes up flawless.
We’re proving ourselves worthy of our championship title.

After my last landing, something doesn’t feel right,
though. One of the male cheerleaders that’s supposed to catch me on my left
side is sweating profusely and looks really pale. I shoot him a look, silently
asking him if he’s okay; he nods his head yes, giving me no reason to worry. My
first flight is again flawless, the second and third one goes just as well, but
the fourth one doesn’t go so well. Instead of being caught, I land on my back,
my head slamming hard on the ground. I try to get up, but my vision goes blurry
with a sharp pain rushing through my head. Closing my eyes, to block the light
from my eyes, I notice a heavy surge overcome me, and I pass out.

– COLLIN –

I’m really looking forward to seeing Alexa cheer
tonight. Being that I was always on the field playing, I’ve only seen her cheer
a hand full of times. Don’t let anyone tell you anything different,
cheerleaders work their butts off just as much as any athlete does. Just like
any sport, they work out to stay fit, and practice daily. Our school’s
cheerleaders are amongst the best of the best, and some of the top cheerleaders
in the state. Therefore, it’s exciting when they showcase their new routine
during the homecoming halftime show every year.

By no surprise, their routine starts out flawlessly. All
you see are girls flying every which way; others doing flips across the front.
Of course, Alexa’s flying the highest, standing out amongst all of them. It’s
crazy to watch. I can tell the big part is coming, because the three large guy
cheerleaders hover around Alexa, with the rest dancing closing around them. And
then all of a sudden, we see Alexa fly up in the air, out of the middle, one
after another. She has to be up at least twenty five to thirty feet in the air
each time. It’s like she’s a sling shot being shot straight up, over and over
again. I don’t know how she can do this stuff.

All of a sudden, on the last one, we hear a loud smack
on the ground. All the cheerleaders immediately crowd around her. Feeling my
stomach drop, I jump out of my seat and rush to the field, keeping my eyes
fixed on the huddle the whole time; hoping to see one of her arms or legs move,
indicating that she’s okay, but they never do. Pushing everyone aside, I make
my way to where she is laying, lifeless. Making sure I don’t move her, I hold
her hand and plead that she open her eyes.

“Alexa, sweetheart… Can you hear me? It’s me, Collin.
Open your eyes, baby. Open your eyes.” But she doesn’t. Not a flutter, twitch…nothing.

Oh please, God. Please make her wake up. Please make her
be okay
. This cannot be happening right now.

Hearing the ambulance make their way onto the field, I
hold her hand tight, as they rush to her side.

“Please, sir. You’re going to have to move,” one of the
paramedics says to me.

“No, I’m not letting go of her,” I say, leaving no room
for discussion.

Not bothering to argue, he continues to help the others
put her neck in a brace, and move her onto a stretcher.

“I’m here, Alexa. I’m not going anywhere,” I whisper in
her ear as they start rolling her to the waiting ambulance.

“I'm going with her!” I yell to the paramedic that’s
about to shut the back doors on me, after they get her inside.

“Are you family?” he responds, obviously annoyed.

“They're not here...Please!” I beg. He sighs and looks
at me for a minute.

“Okay, hurry up and get in.”

Without wasting another second, I jump in and sit next
to her head, holding her hand again, and whispering to her that she’s going to
be okay.
She has to be okay
. The paramedics get to work, taking her
vitals, hooking her up to an IV, and putting an oxygen mask over her mouth. She
looks so helpless.

“Is she going to be okay?” I ask them.

“We won't know until we get her to the ER.”

Once the back doors to the ambulance open, they rush her
through the emergency room doors. One of the nurses brings me to the waiting
room.

“We'll let you know as soon as we find anything out.
Does she have family that you can call for her?” The nurse asks.

“Yes…yes, I’ll call them,” I respond in a blur.

Once I’m able to catch my breath and regroup, I call her
parents. Luckily, I never did delete her father’s cellphone number out of my
phone.

“Collin?” her dad answers.

“Yes, Hi Mister Arnold. It's Collin...Alexa has been in
an accident...”

“What? How… is she okay?” he questions, barely able to
speak.

“I don't know...she fell and hit her head during her
routine... they just brought her back in the emergency room...I don't know
anything yet.”

“We’re leaving right now, but it's going to be a couple
of hours before we get there,” he says, sounding flustered.

“Don't worry Mister Arnold, I’m not going anywhere, and
I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything.”

Just as I am about to call the club where Nolan works,
he comes flying through the entrance to the emergency room.

“Where is she? My girlfriend, Alexa Arnold. She was just
brought in. Where is she?” he yells, impatiently at the lady behind the desk.

“Sir, you’re going to have to have a seat. We’ll let you
know when we hear something.” she says in the most polite voice possible.

“I need to see her, I need to be with her!” he demands.

“I am very sorry, Sir, but no one can be back there with
her right now.”

Seeing that he’s not going to give up, I walk over to
him to try and calm him down. As soon as he notices me, he turns and hugs me;
clearly happy to see me.

“Oh, thank god you're here man. What the hell happened?”

I tell him as much as I know; how it happened, where it
happened, and everything up until now.

Rubbing his hands over his face, he says, “Jesus Christ.
I should’ve been there!”

“There’s nothing you could’ve done. It’s not your fault,
and you’re here now,” I console, patting him on the shoulder.

We sit there for what feels like hours with no news.
Alexa's parents finally arrive along with Amanda and her boyfriend. Her parents
fill out some paperwork, but aren’t given any more information on her status
then we were given, which is nothing. Nolan doesn’t stop pacing the room,
looking up at every person that walks by in nervous anticipation.

“What is taking so long? Why hasn't anyone come out?”
Nolan asks to no one specifically. Alexa's mom stands up and puts her arms
around him for comfort. He instantly breaks down in her arms. “She has to be
okay,” he whispers into her shoulder. You can’t help but feel awful for the
man–he’s a wreck. There’s no questioning how much he loves Alexa. I don't know
what I’d do if anything ever happened to Summer. I’d probably be acting the
same way.

Finally, a doctor in scrubs and a white jacket walks in the
room. We all stand up, anxious to hear what he has to say. The doctor asks if
they want to talk in the hallway, but her father tells him that it’s okay for
all of us to hear.

“Mister and Misses Arnold, your daughter has experienced
a severe concussion. We did a CAT scan which fortunately came back showing no
bleeding or cerebral swelling. Her vital signs are stable and strong. She did
gain consciousness but was in quite a bit of pain when she woke; once we
received her scan results and confirmed that everything looked good, we went
ahead and gave her some pain medication. She is now resting comfortably and
will be moved her into her own room soon. I'd like to keep her here for the
next twenty-four to forty-eight hours for observation.”

“Can we see her yet?” Nolan asks.

“Yes, but while she is in the ER, we can only allow two
visitors at a time. Once she is in her own room, it is up to the nurse’s
discretion.”

The doctor asks if there are any other questions. After
everyone murmurs no, he walks away.

We all sigh with relief. She's okay...She's going to be
okay.