was just as competitive as the rest of them. I had to admit that as much as I disliked rugby, he was a skilled player. He was fast and strong, and best of all, he played fair. I watched him streak toward the goal and slam the ball into the ground. Whenever one of the other players grabbed him or knocked him to the ground, he was up again in a matter of seconds. He was unfaltering. Eventually I stopped wincing about potential scrapes and bruises, stopped worrying about his safety, and started feeling proud of him. I cheered and waved Molly’s pom-poms in the air whenever he had the ball.
By halftime Bryce Hamilton was ahead by three points. Xavier jogged over to the sideline where I ran to meet him.
“Thanks for coming,” he panted. “I know this probably isn’t your thing.” He gave me his endearing half-smile as he tipped a bottle of water over his head.
“You’re amazing out there,” I said, pushing back the wet hair that was plastered across his forehead. “But you’ve got to be careful, the Middleton boys are huge.”
“Skill over size,” he said.
I looked in anguish at a long scratch across his forearm. “How did this happen?”
“It’s just a scratch.” He laughed at my concern.
“It might be just a scratch to you, but it’s a scratch on
“So is everything marked as property of Bethany Church or just the arm?”
“Every inch of you, so be careful.”
“Yes, Coach.”
“I’m serious. I hope you realize you can’t lecture me about safety ever again,” I said.
“Babe, injuries are inevitable. It’s all part of the game. You can play nurse afterward if you like.” He threw me a wink over his shoulder as the horn sounded for play to resume. “Don’t worry, I’m invincible.”
I watched him jog lightly back to his teammates and noticed that the boy in the leather jacket was still standing by the opposite sidelines. His hands were dug deep in his pockets. I still couldn’t see his face.
With ten minutes till the end of the game, the Bryce Hamilton boys looked as if they had victory in the bag. The opposition’s coach was doing a lot of head shaking and had to keep mopping sweat from his brow. His players looked furious and desperate. It didn’t take them long to employ dirtier tactics. Xavier had the ball and was running up the field when two of the Middleton players charged at him like freight trains from either side. Xavier swerved in an attempt to avoid a collision, but the others swerved with him and closed in. I cried out when one of them threw out his leg and caught Xavier around the ankle. It sent him tumbling forward so that the ball slipped from his grasp. I saw his head connect with the ground and his eyes snap shut as he winced in pain. The Bryce Hamilton players made a furious protest, and the referee blew his whistle to indicate foul play but it was too late.
Two boys ran over to help Xavier, who was still prostrate on the ground. He tried to get up but his left ankle was sticking out at a peculiar angle, and when he tried to put weight on it, he grimaced and slipped. His teammates supported him as they helped him over to a bench and the medic scurried over to examine the extent of the damage. He seemed unsteady — like he might be about to pass out.
From where I stood, I couldn’t hear what they were saying. I saw the medic shine a light in Xavier’s eyes and shake his head at the coach. Xavier gritted his teeth and dropped his head in frustration. I tried to push past the girls to get to him, but Molly restrained me.
“No, Beth, they know what they’re doing. You’ll just be in the way.”
Before I could argue, Xavier was being helped onto a stretcher and into the ambulance that was always waiting in the event of an accident. I stood frozen as the game resumed now that the crisis had passed. The ambulance drove off the track and onto the road. I noticed vaguely through my panic that the boy on the sidelines had disappeared.
“Where are they taking him?” I asked.
“To the hospital, of course,” Molly said. Her face softened when she saw my eyes fill with tears. “Hey, it didn’t look too serious — probably just a sprain. They’ll bandage him up and send him home. Look,” she pointed at the scoreboard. “We’re still going to beat them by six points.”
But I felt no cause for jubilation now and excused myself to get home to Gabriel and Ivy so I could ask them to drive me to the hospital. I summoned them in my mind as I ran, in case they weren’t at home. I was so distracted with worry for Xavier that I collided head-on with Jake Thorn in the parking lot.
“Well, somebody’s in a hurry,” he said, helping me up and brushing off the dust clinging to my coat. “What’s the problem?”
“Xavier had an accident during the rugby game,” I said, rubbing my eyes with my fists like a small child. At that point I couldn’t have cared less what I looked like — I just needed to see that Xavier was okay.
“Dear me,” Jake drawled. “That’s unfortunate — is it serious?”
“I don’t know,” I said, my voice choked. “They’ve taken him to hospital to be checked out.”
“I see,” Jake replied. “I’m sure he’ll be okay. It’s the nature of the game.”
“I should have known,” I said angrily, more to myself than to him.
“Known what?” Jake asked, peering closely at my face. “This isn’t your fault now, is it? Don’t cry. ..”
He stepped forward and closed his arms around me in a hug. His embrace wasn’t anything like Xavier’s; his body was too lean and thin to be very comfortable, but I sobbed into his shirt all the same and let him hold me. When I tried to pull away, I found his arms still locked tightly around me and had to wriggle to break free.
“Sorry,” Jake said, a strange look in his eyes. “Just making sure you’re all right.”
“Thanks, Jake. But I really have to go now,” I said, tears stinging my eyes and my words spilling over one another.
I ran up the main steps and down the deserted central corridor of the school and saw with flooding relief the figures of Ivy and Gabriel heading toward me.
“We heard you calling,” Ivy said when I opened my mouth to tell her the story. “We know what happened.”
“I need to get to the hospital right away. I can help him!” I cried.
Gabriel stepped in front of me and grasped my shoulders. “Bethany, calm down! You can’t do that now, not if he’s already being looked after.”
“Why not?”
“
“But he needs me.”
“What he needs is for you to be sensible about this,” replied Gabriel. “Xavier is young and healthy. His injury will heal naturally and no suspicions will be raised. If you want to speed up the process later, fine; but for now you need to keep your head. He’s not in any real danger.”
“Can I at least go and see him?” I asked, hating the fact that they were right, which also meant Xavier’s recovery would be delayed.
“Yes,” Gabriel replied. “We’ll all go.”
I didn’t like the local hospital. It was gray and sterile and the nurses’ shoes squeaked on the linoleum floor. I could feel grief and loss as I soon as I stepped through its automatic doors. I knew there were people there who would not recover; victims of car accidents or incurable diseases. At any given time someone could be in the process of losing a mother, father, husband, sister, or child. I could feel the pain contained within the walls like a stinging slap in the face. This was the place from which so many made their journey to Heaven. I was reminded of the many souls whose transition I had been able to ease — it was remarkable the number of people who reconnected with their faith in their last days on earth. There were so many souls here in desperate need of guidance, of reassurance, and it was my duty to attend to them. But, as usual, the moment I pictured Xavier’s face, any feelings of responsibility or guilt dissolved from my mind, and I could think of nothing but finding him.
I followed Ivy and Gabriel quickly down the wide passageway with fluorescent lighting and hospital furniture. Xavier was in a room on the fifth floor. His entire family were leaving as we arrived and they spilled out into the passageway.
“Oh, Beth!” exclaimed Bernie when she saw me, and suddenly I was surrounded by members of Xavier’s family, all passing on pieces of information as to his condition. Gabriel and Ivy watched in amazement.
