Chapter 41

The human body is a miracle, amazing that so many different things can work together to produce thoughts, movements and actions.

However, the body is not made for running full speed into large people or continually pounding your body into an opponent, who usually hit back.

Thus, a body needs time to recover from an activity like football and sometimes a body just does not function well after being treated to intense, physical activities, even when that body has not yet reached eighteen years of age.

The young men on the Petros High School football team were in excellent shape. The coaches saw to that. That is why they lifted weights, ran and stretched so much.

But for most of the group coming together on the morning following the win over Summerfield, they did not look or act like most high-school aged students.

Most of the guys who played took a beating. Their young bodies were protesting the aches and pains, wanting more rest. As they came into the locker room, they all looked to the side to see the message on the chalkboard that read: PETROS PANTHERS…DISTRICT CHAMPIONS!

Seeing that made them smile and feel a little better. They had worked long and hard to accomplish that and it was something they would remember for the rest of their lives.

Cole saw the reaction of the players when they saw the message. He was so proud of this group. Nobody thought it was possible for these guys to get where they were. Most people thought a playoff spot was possible, but certainly no district championship.

He waited until everybody was assembled and sitting down. Cole stood up and walked toward the chalkboard.

“Guys, I’m really proud of you,” he proclaimed. “I’ve been very fortunate to be successful here at Petros. We’ve won a bunch of district titles but I don’t think it’s ever been harder than it was this year.

“The odds were stacked against us but we came though and won the district. You guys just beat one of the better teams in our class. Relish that and remember it forever.”

The players’ faces were beaming with pride, no longer looking like they were the walking dead.

“I want you guys to remember how this feels,” he added. “I’ve said it before, but feel how great it is when you work hard and realize one of your goals. Not only in sports but in life. You weren’t afraid to succeed and look what it got you.

“I want you to enjoy the win last night but you need to let it go now. It’s time to start thinking about our next game.”

Cole was excited about the next opponent, Gilmore. This was a team that beat Petros, 35-6, in the playoffs last year to end the Panthers’ season. Now, he wanted some revenge.

“We’re in the playoffs now,” Cole advised. “You probably know this by now but we’ll play Gilmore here on Friday night.”

A cheer sounded through the room. The players also wanted a shot at the Gobblers and now they had it.

Most of the players remembered how bad the pounding was last year and lived with that memory for a year. Now, they were glad to get a chance to erase it.

It would not be easy, however. Gilmore was a good team again, a huge team that was as big and physical as anybody Petros had played.

The Gobblers had manhandled the Panthers last year, one of the worst physical beatings one of Cole’s teams had ever suffered.

Gilmore was just as good this year, even though it finished fourth in a difficult district. Cole had not watched film yet, but from talking to coaches, they all said Gilmore was probably even better.

Most of the starters were back from the year before. The Gobblers had gone through a season where several starters missed games because of injuries and they lost their first three district games when their best player, Adam Todd, was injured.

Todd had an excellent game against Petros last year, rushing for almost two hundred yards and four touchdowns. Once Todd returned along with the other starters, it was a different team, one that won the final four games by an average of thirty points.

Gilmore finished the season last night by beating a team that was ranked all season and undefeated in district play, 41-0, to clinch a playoff spot.

Cole thought Gilmore was easily one of the ten best teams in Class 2A now and was not a good draw for the Panthers. A district champion usually got an easy draw to open the playoffs but that was not the case for the Panthers.

When he got up this morning, Cole watched film of last year’s game, remembering how rough that night was.

He and Lucky also watched Gilmore beat Summerfield in the quarterfinals last year in a great game. Cole knew there would not be any kind of betting line, but expected his team to be the underdogs Friday night, not that he cared. Let everybody think that, Cole reasoned, that’s how it had been all year and the Panthers had proven everybody wrong.

Looking around the room, Cole knew many of his players were hurting. None were hurt seriously, just really banged up. Cole knew the running, stretching and lifting would do wonders, even better than pain pills.

“It’s time to go to work boys,” he added. “We got revenge on Summerfield. Now it’s time to pay back Gilmore.”

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The phone had not stopped ringing all day. Other coaching friends, former players and friends called to congratulate him and also get and share information.

Cole needed some sleep badly so he eventually went back to the office and pulled the plug on the phone. It took a while for sleep to come, but it finally found him, a deep, restful slumber.

He was still sleeping soundly when hands fell on him, shaking him awake.

Cole rubbed his eyes to get them open. Standing above him was Lucky, looking quite shaken.

“You gotta come,” Lucky pleaded.

Cole jumped up, the sleep shaken away.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“They had a wreck.”

“Who had a wreck?” Cole asked, fearing that it was Lloyd.

“D.J. and Garrett.”

Cole quickly put on his shoes and followed his son, who relayed information.

Apparently D.J. and Garrett had decided to continue celebrating after this morning’s practice. They drove out in the woods to a cabin that belonged to Garrett’s father and managed to get some beer for the trip.

The boys drank all the beer at the cabin and eventually decided to drive back to town to get some more.

As they came into the city limits, Garrett tried passing a car in a no-passing zone, failing to see the semi coming from the other direction until it was too late. He tried cutting back into his lane, lost control, went into the ditch and the truck flipped several times.

Neither of the boys wore their seat belts and were ejected from the car.

Cole and Lucky quickly got in the truck and took off to the hospital in Hodgen. He had never acquired a cell phone and now regretted it.

Cole prayed all the way to the hospital for the safety of the two boys. He was not concerned with whether they could play the next week. That thought never entered his mind. He just hoped the injuries were not serious and they were okay.

Looking at his son, Cole could tell Lucky was scared of losing D.J. They had their differences this year, but it was impossible to be friends for that long and not feel bad if something happened to a friend.

By the time they arrived at the hospital, there was already a large crowd waiting. Cole saw the boys’ parents were there, along with relatives, friends, classmates and teammates.

Stub was there, of course, probably one of the first to arrive. He had a scanner at his house that was never turned off. He looked very concerned when Cole saw him, a look shared by many of the others.

Cole rushed to visit with him.

“How are they?” he asked.

“Not good,” Stub answered, shaking his head. “Garrett couldn’t feel anything in his legs and the doctors are afraid he might be paralyzed.”

It was a blow Cole had not expected, making him feel like something just kicked him in the stomach. His breath left and he had trouble breathing for several seconds.

“What about D.J.?”

“Not good, either,” Stub added. “But not as bad. He’s got a broke jaw, broken arm and several busted ribs.”

The joy everybody in this room felt the previous night and earlier in the day was gone. Cole felt sick. Boys that age should not have to go through something like this. It was hard enough for adults.

Cole looked around and saw many tears flowing, the people trying to wipe away the moisture with tissues.

The parents of the two players were sitting on opposite sides of the room, each probably blaming the other boy for the accident. Several people were trying to console them, an act that did not seem to be working.

More people arrived over the next hour, filling the room with more people than there was room.

The students formed together on one side while the adults were on the other. So many people were in the waiting room there wasn’t room for the people coming into the emergency room needing attention.

Many of the students were in prayer circles, praying continuously. The adults weren’t, but Cole wished they were.

He had such a sick feeling about this. Sure, Cole was disappointed the boys had apparently been drinking, but that was the least of his worries. Now he was more concerned about the boys getting through this and if Garrett would ever regain use of his legs.

They waited almost two hours before a doctor came out, a tall young man with hair as black as the night and wearing a pair of thick glasses. He had a mustache that was not thick enough and a face that sported many blemishes. The doctor summoned D.J.’s family. As they were escorted into another room, D.J.’s father sought out Cole.

“Please come with us,” he asked, a look of dread forming on a face that appeared to have aged years in the last few hours.

Cole nodded and walked alongside them. They walked into a small office that only had enough room for the doctor, D.J.’s mother and grandmother to sit.

“How is he?” asked his mother. Her eyes were red as apples and swollen from the tears.

The doctor clasped his hands together on the desk and looked at the people gathered in front of him. He was young for a doctor, Cole thought, then banished that line of thinking.

“He will be fine, eventually,” the doctor replied. “He has a broken arm and two broken ribs. His jaw was dislocated and he lost a couple of teeth.”

The doctor’s manner was straightforward. He was used to breaking bad news to families and while what happened to this boy was bad, it was nothing compared with some of his cases.

The relief washed over D.J.’s family, glad he would be okay. It might take a while and D.J. would go through some tough times, but there should not be any lasting effect.

“When can we see him?” asked the father.

The doctor rose to his feet and placed his hands in the pockets of his pants.

“He’s resting now,” the doctor stated. “As soon as he wakes, we’ll let you know. It’ll be a while so if you need to get something to eat, I’d advise you do that now.”

The family left the room and walked back down the hallway to the waiting room. They were so relieved that D.J. was going to be fine, but did not want to seem too happy since Garrett appeared to be in a lot worse shape.

Cole had just sat down when another doctor appeared in the waiting room, a female doctor he had never seen before. She appeared to be a little younger than Cole. Her long brown hair was put up in a bun. The exhaustion was evident on her face, nearing the end of a shift that had been too long and hectic.

Cole noticed she was rather tall and had an athletic build like athletics was once part of her life.

As she waited for the family to join her, the doctor removed her glasses and let them dangle in front of her on a strap.

Garrett’s family was large, both in numbers and size. They slowly walked toward the doctor and followed her down the hall and into the same room. Cole was not invited but accompanied the family to visit with the doctor.

The family was so big several members had to stand out in the hallway, straining to hear what was said.

The doctor waited for everybody to get settled. Her voice was soft and Cole could tell she was upset about Garrett’s condition.

“It looks like Garrett broke a bone in his lower back,” the doctor advised. “We’re calling in an orthopedic doctor to examine him, but at this time it appears to be a fracture of a vertebrae. Hopefully it will change, but it does not appear Garrett has any feeling in his lower extremities.”

“Just what the heck does that mean?” Garrett’s mother asked. She was a large woman, so big she barely fit in the seat. She wore a dress that looked like it could double as a sheet on a queen-sized bed. Her hair was a mixture of black and gray, a greasy mess that had not seen a comb in some time. She twiddled her fingers while glaring at the doctor. “We speak English round here and would appreciate you doing the same, not giving us any of that educated stuff.”

“Now mother,” Garrett’s father started to protest, but was quickly put back in his place.

“You just keep that mouth shut,” she snapped, glaring at her husband. She nodded back at the doctor, who was not amused by this little act.

“Right now, he does not have any feeling or use of his legs,” the doctor said.

“You mean my baby’s paralyzed?” the mother asked.

“We don’t know yet. The orthopedic doctor will be able to give you much more information.”

“How come you can’t do it? Ain’t you a doctor?”

“Yes, but I don’t specialize in that field of medicine,” the doctor answered, remaining calm.

“Well, you best take care of my boy or I’ll be coming after everybody here with a fury they ain’t never seen.”

“We are all on the same side here, ma’am.” The Long family was not really big on personal hygiene and the odor in the room was quite oppressive. Cole knew the doctor was tired of this and really did not want to put up with this angry person, but kept her cool.

It was rather stressful, but Cole did not see any reason for Garrett’s mother to lash out at the doctor like it was her fault. The doctor had not spent the afternoon guzzling brew and then driving, Garrett had.

The doctor then stunned Cole by hugging Garrett’s mother. He had seen so many doctors who showed no concern for their patients and this made him feel much better.

The doctor moved to the doorway and shook hands with everybody as they filed out of the room. Garrett’s mother eyed the doctor with concern while walking by, afraid another hug might be coming her way. The doctor’s pager went off. She retrieved it from a pocket, looked at the message then put it away.

As Cole walked past, she looked at him and he saw the pain in her blue eyes crying out. It had been a rough day for the doctor, starting with a baby who was mistreated by the mother. They had been unable to save an old man who had a heart attack and now this, a young man who probably lost the use of his legs for the rest of his life before he graduated high school. Plus, there was the usual cases with cuts, breaks and coughs that never seemed to quit.

He held out his hand and shook hands with her.

“Thank you,” he said.

She nodded, a small smile forming. The doctor quickly left to see what the latest trauma was in the waiting room.

As Cole walked along with the family back to the waiting room, he saw others had arrived. The tears were still flowing and the prayers were going. Cole was starving and decided to get something to eat. Lucky was not hungry so he went in search of the hospital cafeteria.

While walking away, Cole turned and took one last look at the doctor standing outside a room, writing something on a patient’s charts. He wondered how anybody put up with what she had to go through. Some people thought his job was difficult, but it was nothing compared to that of a doctor.

The cafeteria was empty when Cole arrived. He got a soft drink and a ham sandwich out of a machine and sat at a table overlooking the window presenting a beautiful view of the valley below.

He asked for blessings on the food and silently prayed for the two boys who were injured. When he opened his eyes, Cole caught movement to his right and saw the same doctor walking toward a table, carrying a trey.

She picked a table close to Cole and placed the tray down. The doctor removed the few items she had selected and arranged them in front of her.

The doctor did not notice Cole until she sat down and moved on her salad bowl. She smiled and nodded at him, recognizing him from her visit with Garrett’s family.

He smiled back and nodded, then returned his attention to the sandwich. Cole had eaten many sandwiches in his life and his experience with food out of a machine was not usually good. But this sandwich was good.

“Aren’t you Cole Lester?” she asked.

“Yes,” he managed to answer, his mouth half-full of a sandwich.

“I’ve seen your picture in the paper,” she added, fiddling with her salad with a fork. “Congratulations on winning that game last night.”

“Thanks. I just wish we were still celebrating.”

“So do I. I’m just glad both of the boys made it through the wreck.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen a lot of things over the years. But never had two of my boys do something like this.”

“I’m sorry if I got a little upset,” she added. “I lost my brother when he was about that age in an auto accident and all this reminded me of that day.”

“It’s okay. I don’t think anybody noticed or would care if they had.”

While sitting and carrying on the conversation, Cole realized it had been quite a while since he talked this long to somebody of the opposite sex.

“You were good with the family,” he mentioned. “I could tell you cared. The other doctor didn’t even seem to know D.J.’s name, just wanted to get on with the next case.”

“He’s a good doctor. There are just so many patients to see and not enough time to do it. Plus, I think you get a little dulled to the pain and suffering after a while. It’s either do that or go crazy. I haven’t gotten to the point where I’m dull, though.”

“I hope you don’t or go crazy, either.”

She started in on a bite of salad when her pager went off. The doctor grabbed it out of her pocket, looked at the message and started putting things back on the tray.

“I have to go,” she stated.

“I’ll clean all that up for you,” Cole volunteered.

“Thank you,” she added while walking away.

“God bless you.”

She stopped in her tracks and turned to face him.

“Thank you so much. I really needed that.”

The news of the accident spread quickly, of course. That’s the nature of the beast in a town the size of Petros. It is the job of every person in a small town to spread bad news to everybody else as quickly as possible. It’s like whoever is first to spread bad news or juicy gossip feels like they should be honored for knowing something somebody else does not know.

The parking lot of the hospital soon was full of people from Petros, trying to comfort each other and be one of the first to know the latest information so they could pass it on to people not here.

Lucky was having a rough time dealing with this. He had lost his mother in a car accident and now seeing two teammates in a car accident brought back memories that had not surfaced in a while.

He had never been close to Garrett, not many had, but D.J. had been such a good friend since they were old enough to walk.

People used to say it was the “Three Musketeers”. Happy, D.J. and Lucky seemed to be together all the time, playing sports or just hanging out. Some of his best memories were ones shared with D.J.

It left Lucky wondering if he failed D.J. by not trying to remain friends even after the problems they had. Or that he had messed up by not witnessing to D.J. and Garrett.

That might have made the difference. They might have not felt the need to get drunk and drive in that condition. He had been so focused that Lucky failed to see who sat down beside him.

“Hello Lucky,” she said.

He was shaken out of his thoughts and turned to see who was talking to him. Lucky was stunned to see it was Gabby. She also had been crying and as usual had not bothered to put on makeup.

She wore a black sweatshirt that was way too big and a pair of gray sweat bottoms along with tennis shoes. It was obvious the accident had disturbed a day of lounging around the house.

Lucky had successfully avoided her for a long time and was hoping she had gotten the message.

It wasn’t that he hated her. Lucky could not hate anyone, but Gabby was not on a top-10 list of friends.

“Hello,” he responded, wishing she would sit some other place. Lucky still got a funny feeling to be around her and as soon as he noticed her, that feeling went haywire.

“I’m sorry,” she stated, looking into his eyes.

“Excuse me?”

“I said that I was sorry,” she repeated. “I never got the chance to tell you that since you avoid me like I have the plague.”

Lucky smiled even though he didn’t really feel like it.

“I made a bad mistake and made poor choices.”

“You seem like everything’s been going good for you.”

Gabby smiled, wiping away a tear with the back of her hand.

“I broke up with D.J. last week,” she added. “He wanted me to do something I didn’t want to do.”

Lucky required no more information on that. Still, he wondered why Gabby felt the need to tell him.

“I know you probably hate me for what happened to you,” she added.

“I don’t hate you.”

She nodded, wiping away some more tears. Now she used the shirtsleeve to do the work.

“I’m glad things are working out for you and what’s her name,” Gabby stated.

“Toni.”

“Lucky, I hope we can be friends again. I had more fun when we hang out than any other time since we moved to Petros.”

Lucky wanted to ask why she went back with D.J. then, but let it pass.

“I don’t think a person can have too many friends,” he pointed out.

Gabby nodded. The tears were streaming at such a pace now that it was almost impossible to wipe them all away. Lucky saw a box of tissues and got them for her.

Gabby watched him do this, thinking that was something D.J. would never do.

“I told him he shouldn’t be drinking,” Gabby remarked, blotting her eyes with the tissue. “I knew Garrett would get him in trouble.”

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Most of the crowd stayed late into the night, hoping to hear some news. But all that came from the medical staff was they were waiting for tests to determine the damage.

Eventually, they drifted away, knowing the lives of two teammates, classmates or fellow residents of Petros had changed forever.

A town that had such joy only hours before was now in mourning. Two of their own were hurt and that pain was shared by many. It took until Monday for word to start circulating that Garrett was paralyzed from the waist down and would probably never regain the use of his legs.

D.J. was not as bad, but would probably miss the rest of football season unless the Panthers went deep into the playoffs.

Lucky spent hours at the hospital, wanting to help out any way possible. He was sitting alone in the waiting room Monday night when D.J.’s mother saw him. She came over and sat beside him.

“Hello, Lucky,” she said.

Lucky looked at her and could tell she was exhausted. D.J.’s mother had always looked young for her age, but appeared to have aged several years over the last few days. Her hair was usually perfect but now appeared to be in a frenzy.

The clothes were wrinkled, something that would never happen in normal circumstances. Her white blouse looked like it had been slept in and the tan slacks were not much better. She was an attractive woman for her age who took a lot of pride in her appearance, but seemed to not care at this point.

“Hello,” he responded, waiting for her to sit down. “How’s he doing?”

“I don’t know. He really isn’t talking.”

“I wish there had been some way I could have kept him out of this.”

“We all do, Lucky. D.J. started going down the wrong path. I believe God was sending him a message to get cleaned up or worse troubles will visit him.”

“I hope he got the message.”

“So do I,” she added. “But D.J. is a stubborn person, as I’m sure you know. When a person dances with the devil, you gotta pay the price.”

She was originally from Mississippi or Alabama and Lucky always loved to hear her accent.

“Would it be okay if I talked to him?”

She looked at him with concern, not knowing if that would be good for either boy. It had bothered her a great deal when she found out what her son and Garrett did to Lucky, who never did anything to hurt anybody.

She also knew most boys would rejoice if a person who had done something like that wound up hurt, but knew that was not the case for Lucky. Many people had made an appearance, but Lucky had been at the hospital most of the time and his concern was genuine. He wasn’t concerned with appearances any more than she was at the moment.

He just really cared and for that she was grateful.

“I don’t know how he’ll react,” she warned him.

“That’s okay,” Lucky replied. “I just want to see him.”

She nodded and rose from the chair, steadying herself with her right hand on the next chair. They walked down the hall slowly, their feet making a squeaking noise on the tile floor. The lights were turned down so low it was hard to see the door numbers.

They came to a stop and turned to their right.

“Let me go in first,” she advised. “I want to make sure he’s awake and it’s okay for you come in.”

Lucky nodded and leaned against the wall. The hospital smell was one he did not care for. Two nurses were milling around their station, apparently with nothing to do. They talked softly and laughed. He did not understand how they could be happy in a place that was so sad and depressing.

The smell was one of the things he remembered from years ago. Lucky knew that smell even after all the years had passed.

She opened the door halfway and motioned for him to come in.

It was the typical hospital room with two beds, a couple of chairs and a television hung high on the wall. The first bed was empty. In the second bed, D.J. was laying down, the top of his head wrapped with gauze.

His left arm was suspended in the air and it looked like his entire upper torso was covered with some kind of wrap. His nose was swollen badly and both eyes were black and nearly shut from the swelling, making his eyes barely visible.

There were several lines and monitors running into and out of him.

D.J. was watching television, the volume so low it was hard to hear. Monday Night Football was on with the Cowboys playing at Chicago. Lucky remembered D.J. could not sleep without a television on and it must be the same in the hospital.

Lucky slowly walked across the room and sat down in a chair next to the wall. D.J. looked at him through the narrow slits of his eyes, but it was hard to see any reaction. Lucky scooted the chair closer to the bed.

“Hey, D.J.,” Lucky began. “How are you feeling?”

D.J. looked at him like Lucky had just won the prize for asking the dumbest question in the long history of dumb questions.

“Not that great,” D.J. answered. “Or I wouldn’t be in a hospital bed.”

It wasn’t off to a great start, Lucky realized, and hoped visiting D.J. was not a mistake.

“I guess that’s true. I think it’s a law or something that when you visit somebody in the hospital that you ask how they’re doing.”

D.J. nodded and looked back to the television. This was not going all that well, but Lucky refused to give up yet.

“I’m sorry about what happened,” he added.

“Yeah, so am I,” D.J. responded, never turning his eyes away from the television, even though a commercial for acne medicine was airing. Not exactly enthralling television, at least to Lucky.

Lucky wanted to holler at him, tell D.J. to stop feeling sorry for himself and to remind him that it was his own stupid act that got him in this situation. That was what he wanted to do, but Lucky knew that would not help heal their friendship.

As he sat waiting for D.J. to say something, Lucky realized this was a waste of time. D.J. did not want to see him or have anything to do with him.

“I just wanted to come by and see you,” Lucky mentioned, rising from the chair. “I hope you get to feeling better and if there’s anything you want or need, just let me know.”

Lucky walked across the room, wondering why he had been dumb enough to expect D.J. to change. It would take a lot of prayer to get that accomplished, or an act of God.

As Lucky put his hand on the doorknob, he heard a soft voice coming from the room.

“I’m sorry,” the voice said.

Lucky turned around, shocked to hear those words.

“I am, too,” Lucky responded, leaning against the door.

“Don’t leave,” D.J. pleaded, his voice breaking. “I’ve really messed up.”

Lucky came back across the room and sat back down in the chair. They wound up talking for almost an hour. The conversation was a little uncomfortable at first, but slowly changed back to a pair of lifetime friends having a reunion.

The nurse finally had to chase Lucky out of the room. It had been an amazing transformation, brought about by two simple words. For at least a while, D.J. returned to his former self, laughing, joking and telling stores about old times.

“I’ll come back as soon as I can,” Lucky remarked, while getting escorted across the room. “I’ll be praying for you.”

“Thanks,” D.J. responded, a smile stretching from ear-to-ear.

Chapter 42