"What color today?" Christen asks as Kelley picks out her fingernail polish colors.

Today is the gold medal match of the Olympics and we are playing Great Britain.

We beat Japan in the quarter finals 3-0 then we beat Australia in the semi-finals 2-0 to reach todays game.

"Red and blue for the fingers and white for the thumbs." Kelley says then starts painting my nails.

I rest my head on Kelley's back and listen to her heart beat as she completes our pregame routine.

"Alright I'm done." Kelley says minutes after she started so I wrap my arms around my twin and hug her.

"Love you Kelloggs." I say.

"Love you Strides." Kelley says.

After our hug the team heads out to stretch and warm up.

Some time later the team finishes warming up so we head back into the locker room and I change into my aqua blue keepers kit. Once everyone's dressed Jill does her speech then the starters head to the tunnel and I stand in line behind Alex.

A few minutes later we walk out of the tunnel and onto the pitch then we stand for the anthems. After the anthems finish we take a picture of the lineup then Alex goes for the coin toss. Seconds later Alex comes over and we do our team huddle then everybody heads to their position and waits for the Brits to kick off which happens a few seconds later.

The first half of the game starts very fast and if the first 15 to 20 minutes are anything to go by then this is about to get entertaining as fuck.

In the 21st minute the Brits intercept a pass and they all stream towards our goal. Stanway runs toward my twin with the ball and right before Kelley closes her down she threads the ball to Erin Cuthbert. Cuthbert sprints towards goal then, right before she enters the 18 yard box, she slams her foot into the ball sending it towards the far post.

I jump to save the ball and the last moment I get a palm to the ball and push it over the bar then I fall to the ground.

"YES YOU BEAUTIFUL HUMAN." Kelley yells as the team pick me up and hug me.

"Focus." I say then get ready for the corner.

One of the Brits sends a ball to the far side of the box and right to Toni Duggan. Toni volleys the ball right at me and I parry it away for another corner. The Brits take the corner quickly and the ball comes close to me I run out and punch the ball away.

Suddenly I'm flying through the air and the next thing I know I feel metal on my spine then I hear the loud ringing of, I assume, me hitting the post.

I want to scream out in pain, but nothing happens.

No sound come out of my mouth

Oh fuck

I can't feel my legs.

WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME?

"Astrid what hurts?" Becky asks.

Both teams are crowded around me.

"Astrid can you hear us?" Alex asks, but I can't get anything to come out.

I blink once hoping she or someone understands.

"Alright blink once for yes and twice for no got it?" Alex says and I blink once.

Lindsey comes over and pours water into my mouth and lets me drink.

"Can you talk now?" Lindsey asks.

"Y-Y-Yes." I stutter.

"What hurts?" Christen asks.

"I-I-I c-c-can't m-m-move o-o-or f-f-feel m-m-my l-l-legs."

WHY AM I STUTTERING?

"HURRY UP." I hear Kelley yell.

"Help" I beg and look at Tobin. "Please."

"MOVE." One of our AT's shouts.

The two teams scatter then our AT's, Team GB's AT's, and some Japanese paramedics get to work on me. They ask me a bunch of questions and I do my best to answer them, but eventually I give up and just stare up at Tobin as she strokes my face.

"It'll be okay." Tobin whispers as I'm put on a backboard. "Everything will be okay baby."

"1...2...3..." Someone says then I'm lifted onto a Gurney.

I'm then wheeled off the field and I guess towards an ambulance

"WAIT." I hear a voice yell then the gurney stops moving and Jill, Dawn, Ash...basically the whole team hover over me

"Who do you want to go with you?" Jill asks.

I look at Dawn.

"Let me get my stuff." Dawn says and disappears.

Ever since I came on the team Dawn and I have been good friends. During the World Cup we would talk a lot about random things...mostly stuff involving math since we're both math nerds.

"I'll see you soon." Tobin says and kisses my forehead.

I grab her hand and squeeze three times then she squeezes mine three times.

"Let's go." Dawn says then the EMT's start rushing me to the ambulance.

When we get to the ambulance one of the EMT's heads the the cabin part of the ambulance and starts the ambulance while the other one starts doing...things.

I don't know what she's doing, I'm not a doctor.

A minute after we get into the ambulance we speed away from the stadium.

"Dawn?" I question and look at the Englishwoman.

"Yeah Astrid?"

"This is bad isn't it?"

"Yeah Astrid." Dawn says then she sighs. "I think it's pretty bad."

"Great." I mumble then shut my eyes.

I guess I fell asleep because when I open my eyes I am in a room with machines that are beeping.

"Your awake." Dawn says then I turn and face her.

"What happened?"

"Well you fell asleep so they doctors let you sleep while they ran their different imaging tests."

"And what's the diagnosis?" I ask.

"This is gonna sound weird, but thankfully you have sensory nerve damage."

"I'm guessing that's treatable."

"By surgery yes." Dawn says as three people in scrubs come into the room.

"We're here to move Ms. O'Hara to her room." One of the people in scrubs says.

"Alright." Dawn says and gathers her stuff.

The people in scrubs do a lot of things to the machines I'm hooked up to then they take me up stairs to my room. Once I'm situated in a room, Dawn turns on the tv and finds the game on an English station

"I guess my injury pissed them off." I say when I see the girls beat Great Britain 4-0.

"I guess so." Dawn says as her phone rings then she answers it. "Hello...Oh hey Jill...sensory nerve damage...They're doing surgery...Okay I'll text you her room number...bye Jill."

"And here come the US women." The announcer says as the team come out of the tunnel.

"Where'd they go?" I ask.

"After the game ended Jill told them to go pack their things so they could go to the hotel and change after the ceremony before they come up here." Dawn says.

"Oh." I say. "Probably shoulda realized that."

Dawn and I watch the medal ceremony then I fall asleep again.

"Astrid...Astrid...Astrid wake up." Someone says while rubbing my arm.

"Stop." I mumble then rub my eyes and look towards the sound of the voice. "Oh hey Kels...Hey Jill...Hey Pressy."

"How are you feeling?" Jill asks

"I want Toby." I say.

"Are you in any pain?" Christen asks

"I want Toby."

"Need anything?" Kelley asks

"I want Toby."

"She's on her way Strides. She just had to get you two's things from the hotel."

I look at my twin then turn away and look out the window at the Tokyo skyline. While I'm looking out the window I hear Kelley sigh then I hear three sets of feet leave the room.

Sometime later there's a knocking on the door then the door burst open.

"Okay so I got your suitcase, your pillow, your gold medal, and everything you left in our room." Tobin says as she paces up and down beside my bed.

"Tobin." I say, but I get ignored.

"Are you in pain? Do you need anything? Food? Water? Morphine?" Tobin rambles while pacing.

When my girlfriend is next to me I grab her hand and stop her pacing. Tobin then faces me so I smile at her then pull her down so she's sitting next to me. I remove my hand from hers then bring my hand up to Tobin's beautiful face and caress it.

Tobin leans into my touch then she places her hand on mine and closes her eyes. When my girlfriend opens her eyes again I move my hand to the back of her neck then pull her down and softly kiss my forward.

"Breathe Boo Bear." I whisper against her lips. "I need you to breathe."

"Sorry." Tobin whispers "How are you?"

"Okay I guess."

"Astrid." Tobin says and strokes my cheek. "Be honest please."

"I'm scared Toby." I whisper and try not to cry. "I'm so scared."

"It's okay to be scared Astrid." Tobin says and strokes my face.

"What if I can't move my legs again?"

"Then I'll love you as much as I do now." Tobin says as someone knocks on the door. "it's open."

A few people in scrubs come into the room along with Jill and Dawn.

"It's time." Jill says and I nod.

Jill and Dawn hug me then Tobin hugs me and kisses me. I'm then rolled out of the room and towards the OR.

As I'm being rolled to the OR all of the girls stand on either side of the hall and watch as I'm rolled the OR. After the first few girls pass by I close my eyes and lay my head back in a bid to stop from crying.

I almost make it to the OR without crying, but I can't thanks to my twin.

"I love you Astrid."