Dayyan puts his arm around him as he asks the question, and David slumps against him. “Lou hit the ground neck first and he says it cracked. That’s why we didn’t move him.”
Now the neck brace makes sense. “He has no sensory loss, he can feel his arms and legs, he can move his fingers and toes.”
That’s good. That’s the best possible scenario. I breathe a sigh of relief as the paramedics transfer Louis to the stretcher.
“I want to go with him.” In three long strides, David is back at my brother’s side. Louis smiles through the pain. “Can I come with him?”
“Only family or coaches.”
“I’m his partner. We’re together.”
“Family or coaches.”
“I think your presence is needed.” Dayyan pushes me decisively toward the scene.
“I’m coming with him. Dayyan can take you to the hospital.” The voice of the voice output is much calmer than my own could ever be in this situation.
“Who are you?”
“That’smy brother.”
The hospital isn’t far away, but Louis disappears into the emergency room far too quickly and I’m left sitting in the waiting area. Dayyan and David are on their way. They’ve packed up David and Louis’s things and should be there in the next twenty minutes.
The scene of Lou’s fall plays in slow motion in my head. It happened so fast. For a brief moment, I thought he was dead, but David was too calm for that. Fortunately, my mind quickly dismissed the idea. But it could have happened; he could’vebroken his neck and everything would’ve been over. So quickly, in a heartbeat, just gone.
“Any news yet?” David comes running into the waiting area, completely out of breath, looking at me imploringly. When I shake my head, he collapses into the chair next to me.
“Fuck. That asshole had been targeting him the whole game, and I didn’t react.”
“Louis was too fast and too agile for him, he was frustrated.”
“Probably. Is he in the MRI?” I nod in confirmation.
“Where’s Dayyan?”
“He’s looking for a parking spot. He dropped me off at the main entrance.”
We wait almost two hours before we’re finally allowed to see Louis. He’s lying in a darkened room, awake and in good spirits. No ICU. David is waiting outside the door with Dayyan so I can speak.
We already know that, fortunately, nothing is broken, but his spine is badly bruised, and the doctors suspect a concussion. That’s why they want to keep Lou in overnight for observation.
“Fuck, I was so scared. At first I thought you were unconscious, and then the emergency doctor arrived.”
Louis reaches for my hand. “I’m sorry I scared you that much. This is standard protocol at our club when spinal injuries are suspected. Better safe than sorry.”
Handball is a tough sport, so it’s not surprising there are clear guidelines for such cases. “I’m just glad that the suspicion wasn’t confirmed.”
“Me too.”
“Would it be okay with you if I sent David back in and we left? I hate hospitals.”
Louis nods and grins. “Thanks for coming with me anyway and distracting me on the ride.”
I told him dirty jokes with my phone. I was desperate and clueless, and that was the first idea that came to mind. Maybe inappropriate, but hey, I’m the little brother, not an emergency counselor, and the paramedic had a really hard time to pull himself together. I give my brother another big hug, then head for the door.
The first step out of the hospital is liberating. I take a deep breath in and out. Again. My legs are shaking and my vision is blurry.
“It’s all right. Just a concussion. Nothing dramatic happened.” Dayyan hugs me tightly. His body presses firmly against mine. There’s no one else in the world I’d rather be standing here with, no one else I’d rather be held by. No one else could have calmed me down like this. My heart has never beaten like this for anyone else, not even for Danny.
