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With my knees pressed to my chest bound by my arms, I curled into a tiny ball, wishing on a star this throbbing sting would go away. I’d never in my life had cramping quite like this before and I wasn’t sure what to think of it. I squeezed my eyes tight and chewed my bottom lip raw in a matter of minutes. The only thing that shot through my mind was getting to the hospital immediately.
Thing was, I didn’t think I was capable of driving. The pain was that intense. Nausea coiled my stomach and I fought to keep the contents I had for dinner with Hayden down.
Glancing at the clock, it was too early to call anyone, but I needed someone. Madeline was my first thought since she’d come with me to see Dr. DeLang, but something in my gut told me not to call her. The only other person I felt comfortable calling was Hayden. It was either him, or I drove myself.
I shot Hayden a quick text hoping he’d see it when he woke up. I told him I needed help and I was sick. In the meantime, I would take a heavy dose of Motrin—my go to drug—and soak in a hot bath. But trying to stand hurt and it caused me to hunch over and stop. Taking a deep breath, I slowly stood up again, a hand pressed to my stomach this time. As I walked, I could swear my muscles were being ripped to shreds. With this kind of pain, I knew there was no way I could train today. It just wasn’t physically possible. That being said, I was terrified to call Kova and tell him, especially with how things left off between us. It was awkward, and I’d be surprised if he’d even answer me anyway.
I turned on the tub and waited for it to fill, I leaned down and pulled out a carton of Epsom Salt and a bottle of Motrin. I dumped a generous amount into the hot water and swirled my fingers around the filling tub. My mom always had this stuff in the house and swore it would heal internal ailments. Once I started training at World Cup, it became a staple in my condo.
Rising up from the tub, a sharp pain shot through my belly. I cringed, gushing out a loud breath. Even leaning over at this angle was agony. Whatever it was, I prayed a doctor could diagnose it and heal me by tonight.
I was a hot mess.
Stripping off my clothes, I looked in the mirror and my eyes widened. I was pale and looked like death. My eyes were hollow and the color weak. There were yellow tinted bruises all around my hips and I was skinnier than ever. Cruella De Vil, also known as my mother, would be proud of my weight loss.
I filled the glass cup I kept in my bathroom with water. The back of the ibuprofen bottle said two pills, but I was going to take four like I typically did. I quickly washed the orange pills down and drank another glass of water before stepping up to the side of the bathtub.
Lifting my knee, I dipped my foot into the water, hating the first steamy touch. I drew in a long, tired breath and exhaled before sinking into the water.
Once my entire body was in, I leaned back on a plastic pillow and propped my knees up, then closed my eyes. The water came up to my neck and I sighed in contentment. I sat completely motionless, trying to relax and allow whatever magic the Epsom Salt contained to do its job. Hopefully the pain relievers would kick in because not being able to move wasn’t working for me.
A good five minutes into my bath, and I tightened my stomach as a blaze of fire erupted inside. The throbbing in my back still hadn’t gone away. I panted and started a countdown for the pain to actually leave. When I reached one, I slowly stretched out my right leg, then my left. My hips were beginning to feel pinched and I knew I needed to release them to full position.
The hot water and pain relievers were finally loosening up my muscles. Being as tired as I had been lately, my eyes rolled shut and I dozed off i
n the tub, with the tenderness in my stomach floating away.
Somewhere in the back of my mind my phone was ringing, but it wasn’t the right sound. It was faint, and a heavy pounding was waking me up.
“Adrianna!”
I rustled, feeling water splash around me. My eyes popped open and I jumped, realizing I had fallen asleep in the bath.
“Fuck.”
Hayden was yelling my name, probably waking my neighbors up, probably petrified something happened to me.
I wrapped a towel around my body and yelled, “I’m coming!” as I headed to the door. A quick glance at the clock and I had my answer as to why Hayden was blowing up my phone and pounding on my door like a lunatic. It’d been over an hour since I sent him the text message. Apparently exhaustion took control whenever it wanted to.
Quickly, I unbolted the locks and opened the door.
“Adrianna, where have you been? I thought something was wrong with you! Are you okay?” He rubbed his forehead after throwing the questions at me. “What happened?”
Once he stepped inside, I locked the door. I wrapped the towel around me tighter and said, “I’m so sorry for worrying you, Hayden. I fell asleep in the tub.”
“Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?”
I flinched. “I know. It was reckless of me.”
“Everything okay?”
“Not really. My stomach hurts pretty badly. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I need to skip practice today and go to the doctor.”
The look on Hayden’s face mimicked mine. Distress. He knew missing gym was a huge no. He nodded his head and said, “Go get dressed and I’ll call the gym and relay the message for you.”
A tender smile eased my face. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”
As quickly as possible, my feet padded across the carpet into my room. Before I shut the door, it dawned on me that Hayden himself was late for practice.
