Date: July 4, 2010
Ti: 2:00 PM
Location: Ridgeview Community Hospital
The midday sun cast a warm glow over the hills surrounding Mouth of Wilson, Virginia. A gentle wind stirred the tall grass along Route 16 as a lone van pulled into the gravel parking lot of Ridgeview Community Hospital.
Nestled quietly between dense clusters of trees and the distant flow of the New River, the hospital stood like a calm refuge in the midst of wilderness, serving the people of Grayson County and the neighboring mountain communities for decades.
Inside the van, four figures erged one by one.
Ethan Albarado stepped out first, adjusting his jacket as he looked at the modest white building ahead. Beside him was Lucas Graves, who squinted slightly under the afternoon sun, his yellow eyes scanning the structure with quiet curiosity.
Evan Cooper climbed out next, pulling the door shut behind him and taking a breath of the clean, mountain air. He looked back toward the last passenger.
"Louie," Evan called, "you sure you want to co?"
Louie Gee Davas, the youngest among them, hopped down from the back seat with a wide grin, brushing a snack wrapper from his lap.
"I’m coming," he said eagerly, shouldering his small backpack. "I’ve never visited soone in a hospital before! Besides, Aiden’s my teammate too, right?"
Ethan raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Truthfully, the plan was only for three of them to go—Ethan, Lucas, and Evan. But Louie had insisted, practically begging to tag along until Ethan gave in with a sigh.
Evan, holding a small clipboard in one hand, motioned toward the hospital entrance.
"Alright," he said. "Co on. I know where his room is. I’ve visited a 2 tis already."
The automatic doors opened with a soft whoosh as they stepped inside. The cool air inside the lobby was a sharp contrast to the sumr warmth outside. Pale walls, polished linoleum floors, and the faint scent of antiseptic greeted them.
Lucas looked around, his expression growing distant as he took in the clean hallways, the quiet nurses behind the reception counter, and the soft beeping of machines deeper within.
His thoughts drifted.
"(This hospital...)" he thought, narrowing his eyes. "(It’s not like the one where Dad stayed when he was in a coma... That place felt colder. Sadder.)"
He clenched his fist slightly.
"(This one feels different... calr... but still a little lonely.)"
"Lucas."
Ethan’s voice snapped him out of it.
He looked up to see Ethan already several steps ahead, glancing over his shoulder.
"Let’s go." Ethan said.
Lucas gave a small nod, snapping out of his thoughts and quickly catching up. Louie, humming softly to himself, followed close behind, looking left and right at the quiet hallways with open curiosity.
They walked through a corridor with soft yellow lighting, passing several closed doors. Nurses moved gently around them, so pushing carts, others jotting notes on clipboards. A few glanced at the group of teens but said nothing.
Evan led them confidently, taking a turn toward the west wing.
"His room’s just up ahead." he said over his shoulder. "Room 218."
Ethan’s steps slowed slightly. He wasn’t sure how Aiden would react to visitors—especially a group like this. But he knew it was necessary.
Today wasn’t just a visit.
It was about connection. And healing.
And more than anything else...
It was about showing Aiden White that he was still part of the team.
Even with his injury.
Even from a hospital bed.
As Evan reached for the handle and gently pushed the door open, a voice rang out from inside—loud, firm, and filled with frustration.
"I’m going to play basketball... My ankle is gonna be healed in a month!"
The door creaked wider, revealing Aiden seated on the hospital bed, his left leg elevated and wrapped in bandages. His face was flushed with emotion as he stared at the tall figure beside him—his older brother, Noah White, arms crossed, calm and composed as always.
Everyone paused at the doorway.
Aiden’s words still lingered in the air like a storm cloud, but the mont he saw the group standing there—his teammates—his expression shifted. His voice stopped cold in his throat.
His eyes scanned the room.
First, he saw Evan Cooper—the one person among them that Aiden considered more than just a teammate. Evan was the captain, yes, but also soone who visited him, who cared enough to show up more than once. To Aiden, Evan was a friend.
Then his gaze moved toward Ethan Albarado and Lucas Graves, both of whom had once been benchwarrs. He hadn’t thought much of them before. They had been quiet players, unnoticed. Teammates, but distant.
But now... they were here.
Lastly, his eyes landed on Louie Gee Davas, standing near the back of the group. Slim, with
ssy hair and wide eyes, Louie gave a small, almost awkward wave.
In that mont, Aiden’s mind flashed back—to a mory not too long ago.
"(That kid... the one who tried out for the team...)"
He rembered a younger, first-year student who had stood confidently during tryouts, despite his thin fra. A kid who had hustle, heart, and a handles (in short he is a prodigy . But Coach Fred didn’t pick him—too small, too fragile, he had said.
And yet here Louie stood.
Still part of the team.
Still wearing the Vorpal practice jersey.
Louie gave a sheepish smile and said with a shrug, "Well... things happened."
Aiden blinked. He didn’t know how to respond.
Noah, watching the tension quietly unfold, gave his younger brother a firm pat on the shoulder. Then he turned to the group.
"It seems like I need to leave you guys to talk things out," Noah said calmly, his deep voice carrying warmth and quiet wisdom
.
Everyone nodded.
Even Aiden—though he didn’t say anything, just gave a small nod, eyes still on the group.
Noah offered one last glance toward his brother before he stepped past the group and walked out, gently closing the door behind him.
Silence fell for a mont.
Not awkward.
Just... heavy.
Ethan looked at Aiden carefully. Lucas kept his hands in his pockets, his expression unreadable. Louie, being Louie, simply rocked on his heels like he was waiting for soone to say sothing funny.
"So," Aiden finally said, his voice rougher now, "You guys really all ca here...?"
"Of course," Evan replied without hesitation. "We’re your team. We wanted to see you."
Aiden leaned back into his pillows slightly. He swallowed hard, trying to act cool, but the redness creeping up his ears gave him away.
"Even... them?" he asked, nodding toward Ethan and Lucas.
"Even them," Evan said again, a smile forming. "Especially them."
Ethan stepped forward slightly.
"We’re all in this together now," he said plainly. "No benchwarrs. No weak links. Just players who care."
Aiden looked at him, and for a second—just a second—Ethan thought he saw a bit of that wall Aiden always kept up start to crack.
Aiden stared at him, the corner of his mouth twitching.
"You’re still that bastard who was so full of himself... just because you were good at basketball."
There was no malice in his voice—just that classic Aiden edge, sharp but familiar. His words ca out more like a habit than a genuine insult.
Louie just chuckled and leaned against the wall with a shrug.
"I’ll take that as a complint."
His tone was light, but his eyes said sothing else. Respect. Like he knew Aiden didn’t say things like that unless he cared.
Aiden exhaled through his nose, then shifted his eyes toward the others.
"hmm. Just what are you guys really doing here?" he asked, his voice dropping a bit softer. The question wasn’t accusatory. It sounded more like... confusion. As if he hadn’t expected them—any of them—to co all this way.
He glanced at Ethan for a mont, brows knitting slightly. Then his gaze shifted to Lucas, who stood quietly at the back with arms folded and eyes calm.
There was a flicker of sothing behind Aiden’s eyes, recognition, maybe. Or curiosity. Or doubt. He didn’t know why they were here. He just knew it didn’t make sense in his head.
That’s when Lucas took a small step forward, his tone quiet, asured.
"Ethan wants to talk to you... alone."
His voice was gentle, respectful but firm enough to signal that it wasn’t just a casual visit.
Aiden blinked once, turning his attention fully to Ethan now. He tilted his head slightly, trying to read him.
The silence that followed wasn’t heavy, but it lingered.
Ethan didn’t say anything—he just stood there, waiting, hands still in his pockets, calm but clearly serious.
Aiden’s lips parted, almost uncertain, but then he let out a light sigh and nodded once.
"O-okay, I guess?"
His voice cracked just a little, maybe from the surprise or maybe from the vulnerability that ca with suddenly being the focus.
He stretched his arms and walked out with a casual pace, but even his footsteps felt like they understood the weight of the mont.
Lucas gave Ethan a small nod and stepped back.
Evan and lucas leaving the two in the room.
Louie, of course, hesitated for a second—but then with a sigh and a shrug, he followed Evan and Lucas out of the room, his voice fading out with a "Don’t take too long, cap."
The door closed softly behind them.
Now it was just Ethan and Aiden.
Two teammates. Once distant.
One in a bed, broken but proud.
The other standing, uncertain but resolved.
Ethan took a breath and stepped forward, his expression serious now, not because he had sothing rehearsed, but because he was ready to speak honestly.
...
anwhile, outside the hospital room...
The hallway was quiet, save for the soft hum of the air conditioning and the distant beep of monitors behind closed doors.
Lucas Graves leaned casually against the wall with his arms folded, his golden-yellow eyes scanning the tiled floor. Evan stood beside him, hands in his jacket pockets, posture tense but composed. Louie, the youngest of them, rocked gently back and forth on the heels of his shoes, trying to distract himself from the sterile hospital atmosphere.
Then, a calm but firm voice broke the silence.
"Hey."
All three of them turned at once.
Standing a few feet away was Noah White, tall and broad-shouldered, his expression unreadable. His eyes, dark and focused, looked older than his actual age, carved from years of responsibility and frustration. The resemblance to Aiden was there—the jawline, the eyes—but where Aiden still held onto youthful fire, Noah’s face was guarded.
Evan straightened slightly and offered a polite nod.
"Hello, Noah."
Noah didn’t acknowledge the greeting right away. His gaze went past Evan and Louie, locking directly onto Lucas.
"Are you trying to bring my brother back to the ga," Noah said, tone low and serious, "even though he has an ankle injury? He won’t be the sa as he was before."
Lucas blinked at him—he wasn’t expecting such a direct confrontation.
But instead of backing down, he gave a small, encouraging smile. His posture remained relaxed, but his voice was steady.
"Yes," Lucas said simply, without hesitation. "Why are you deciding that he can’t play the sa way as before?"
There was no sarcasm in his tone—just pure confidence and belief in Aiden.
Noah narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Listen... Number 10."
Lucas tilted his head, confused.
"Number 10?"
"Yep. That jersey of yours—Number 10, right? Graves. Number 10."
Lucas chuckled softly.
"Just call Lucas. Anyway... you still didn’t answer my question."
There was a pause. Noah took a slow breath in through his nose, as if weighing his words carefully. Then, his voice ca out rougher, less controlled.
"You don’t know what it feels like to have ankle injuries."
Lucas raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
Noah looked away for the first ti, his gaze drifting to the far end of the hallway. His jaw clenched briefly, and when he spoke again, it was quieter.
"You don’t know what it’s like to have everything you’ve built—your movent, your control, your rhythm—taken from you overnight. I was a player too. A damn good one. Until I wasn’t."
Lucas’s smile faded slightly.
He wasn’t smiling because he underestimated the pain. He was smiling because he believed in recovery. In second chances.
Noah continued, now turning back to face him.
"My brother was on the rise. And now? Now he’s stuck in a hospital bed, and people like you co around talking about hope and cobacks."
There was a brief silence.
Then Lucas nodded.
And with surprising calmness, he said:
"You’re right. I don’t know what it’s like to live through that kind of pain. But you know what I do know?"
Noah didn’t answer.
"I know that people don’t just break physically. They break here—" Lucas tapped his chest, over his heart. "—when the people around them stop believing."
The hallway was quiet again, the words lingering in the air.
Louie glanced at Evan, who gave the smallest nod of approval, staying out of the exchange but clearly on Lucas’s side.
Lucas t Noah’s eyes again, unwavering.
To be continue
Reviews
All reviews (0)