“And remember, have fun.”
Lily inhaled deeply as the first note of her floor music rang out.
Go. She stepped forward, arms sweeping delicately through the air with the rhythm of the music, her hips swiveling into an elegant pivot. Her first few movements were all dance elements, fluid and natural to her. The floor had always been her playground. Lily knew how to take up space here, how to own the air around her body.
She moved her way to the corner, heels aligning perfectly, preparing herself for her first big tumbling pass. The beat dropped. Arms pumped as she propelled herself forward in three powerful strides, launching her body into the air, twisting and flipping, landing perfectly on beat—exactly how she had trained for it. Lily couldn’t help the smile that tugged at her cheeks as the crowd cheered and she moved through her choreography to set herself up for her next pass.
Sixty seconds to go. Don’t think, keep it tight, let it rip, and stick it.
Again, Lily launched herself into the air, but halfway through the second rotation of her twist, she felt it. Something was off, she was half a beat early.
Oh no.
Time felt frozen as she tried to figure out a correction, a way to compensate for her mistake, but then the floor was beneath her, heels slamming into the padded surface. She heard a pop, followed by a pain ripping through the back of her leftcalf as if someone had taken a searing hot knife and sliced the muscle. She clutched her leg, her balance giving out, sending her toppling to the floor.
Lily couldn’t hear anything over the whooshing of her heart pounding in her chest as white-hot pain licked its way up her leg. She was pretty sure her music was still playing, but the pain—the pain. She slammed her palm into the floor as she gritted her teeth, trying to breathe through the throbbing, unable to help the way her vision went fuzzy.
The next thing she knew, she was looking up at the arena lights twinkling above her, slowly coming into focus, and she became loosely aware of people moving around her. Had she passed out? That was definitelynotgood.
“Vitals are stable. Spinal check, clear.”
Lily shifted uncomfortably as a uniformed medic squeezed her calf.
“Thomson test indicates a tear.”
“Okay, let’s boot her.”
Lily listened to their voices as the same medic quickly immobilized her foot.
“What’s going on?” she asked numbly.
“Looks like a potential Achilles tear. We’re going to get you all ready for transport and then off to the medical facility for some imaging. The team doctor will meet you there.”
“What about my moms?” she asked, suddenly feeling the need to have both of them by her side. “Is someone getting them? They texted me where they’re sitting. If you just get me my phone—” She tried to stand up but the medic placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, keeping her down.
“Lily, don’t try to stand up. It’s okay. Someone is getting your moms. We need to get you up and off the floor now. On the count of three, we’re going to move you to the gurney.”
Twenty minutes later, her moms slipped into the room she had been placed in shortly after arriving at the medical center. Her mom was, unsurprisingly, on the phone, talking quickly in a hushed tone as words like ‘specialist’ and ‘triage priority’ came Lily’s way. Meanwhile, her mama pulled up a chair next to her cot, scooting closer, brushing her hair gently in that comforting way Lily always craved when she was upset.
“Hi,” Lily said, tiredness creeping into her voice. The room felt floaty, no doubt the effects of the pain medication the medics had given her.
“Hey, love.” Beth’s voice was gentle, filled with understanding. Lily was grateful that she seemed calm, rather than panicked, as she had expected. Calm was exactly the vibe she needed right now.
“I’m sorry if I scared you,” Lily said preemptively, trying to get ahead of a lecture she wanted to avoid. “I knew in the air that something was off and…” Her voice trailed off at her mama’s gentle squeezing of her hand.
“You’re okay, and that’s all that matters to us.”
Lily searched the blue eyes that mirrored her own, looking for a deeper disappointment lying somewhere beneath the surface, but she couldn’t find it.
“Nobody texted Wren, right? She’s got a game today, which means tech blackout—no phones, no socials. I don’t want her to know what’s going on until after she plays. I know she’ll be worried about me.”
Her mama opened her mouth to answer, but her mom’s movement on the other side of the room pulled their attention as she slid her phone back into her pocket. “Our second opinion will be here within two hours from San Diego. Nell called in a favor and is arranging transportation.”
Lily groaned. Her mom was always doing stuff like this—just a little over the top. “Mom, I haven’t even seen the teamdoctor yet. Don’t you usually need a first opinion before getting a second?”
“We’re doing our due diligence, Lils. Your contract with the Gymnastics Federation entitles you to seek medical assessment outside what the team provides.”
Oh yes,thecontract. “Okay fine, but promise me you’re not going to get weirdly intense with the team doctor.” Lily shifted her gaze to her mama, silently pleading for backup.
