Across the Line
Casey Reardon plays for his local under-14s rugby league team. During
a regular Sunday game he scores the winning try but is knocked out by
an opposition player. When Casey wakes up, he’s the same but just
about everything else is different.
Is he losing his mind? Or has he stumbled across an alternate reality?
Excerpt
Tino was yelling at me to run. I raced from the twenty-metre line
towards the opposition. Their winger had grabbed the ball and was
sprinting up close to the sideline. Just as I reached him, he dropped
it. Cold. I picked it up.
The ref didn’t call a knock-on so I just ran, and ran. I must have run
seventy metres down the length of the field. My legs were aching as I
dived for the try line and found myself sliding over the dead-ball
line.
I heard the deafening cheer as something slammed into my head. Pain
speared through me and everything went black.
I opened my eyes slowly. At least I was alive, I thought, as I tried
to get up. A medic had arrived and was telling me to stay still.
I swayed a bit as they helped me up, and I felt like I was going to be
sick. A medic took one arm and someone else, I don’t know who, took
the other and walked me off the field.
‘Great run, Casey,’ a voice said as they sat me down on the bench. I
looked up, expecting to see the coach, but it wasn’t him. It was some
other guy, wearing the wrong colours. Our colours were blue and
purple; you couldn’t miss us. This guy was wearing yellow and brown.
I just stared at him.
‘Casey,’ he said, ‘you took a nasty hit to the head. Their prop
forward landed on you just as you went over the dead-ball line. You
okay?’
I shook my head to try to clear it. Who was this guy anyway?
‘Let’s get you to the hospital,’ one of the medics said, ‘just to get
you checked out. You got parents here?’
‘No, my dad’s not here today.’
‘Okay, let’s go then.’
Dad had taken Mikey, my little brother, to his soccer game this
morning and dropped me off on the way.
‘What’s your phone number and we’ll call your dad,’ he said,
matter-of-factly. ‘He can meet us there.’
Everything was still a bit blurry and I was having trouble balancing.
I gave them Dad’s mobile number, I think.
At the hospital they ran me through a cat scan and some other tests.
Finally I was glad to climb into a nice clean bed with fresh white
sheets. The nurse brought in some sandwiches and laid them on the tray
in front of me.
‘The doctor will be in soon. Why don’t you have something to eat?’
I picked up a sandwich and looked at it, turning it over in my hand. I
felt too tired to eat.
‘Its hospital food, Casey. Don’t expect too much,’ she said, grinning.
‘When your mum arrives the doctor will speak to her about your
condition.’
‘My mum?’ I exclaimed, dropping my hand, and the sandwich.
‘Yes, she’s on her way here.’
Was this a joke? ‘My mum died three years ago.’
The nurse’s face lost all its colour. ‘Oh, I’m so sorry. There must
have been a mix-up. I’ll just check at the desk.’
She disappeared and I looked out the window, across the carpark. Just
the time I needed my mum and she wasn’t here.
I hadn’t thought a lot about her lately but now, with my head all
banged up, I was. And now I could feel tears rushing to my eyes.
Embarrassed, I wiped them away.
Just then the door opened and the doctor walked in. He had on a white
coat and a stethoscope. I didn’t realise who it was for a second; I
wasn’t used to seeing him in uniform.
‘How are you feeling, Casey?’ Dr Azzopardi asked, his forehead creased
in concern.
‘Okay, I guess,’ I muttered, reaching for my sandwich.
‘You’re not in any pain, are you?’
‘No, I’m fine.’
‘Okay, well your tests were clear but we thought it would be best just
to keep you in overnight, for observation. You never know with these
knocks to the head.’
‘Sure,’ I said, between mouthfuls.
‘You can probably go home first thing in the morning. And hey, you
scored the winning try!’
‘Way to go,’ I said, brightening a little. ‘Were you there?’
‘Of course, you know I never miss any of Tino’s games. Unless there’s
an emergency, of course. Anyway, your mum will be here soon.’
Not again! If this really was Dr Azzopardi then he would know my mum
wasn’t around any more.
‘My mum.’ It was more of a statement than a question.
‘Yes, she’s on her way. We had trouble finding her; she was with Lily
at a soccer game across town.’
‘Lily?’
‘Your sister.’ He paused. ‘Are you sure you’re all right, Casey? Could
be just the shock setting in,’ he nodded to himself.
Just then the door opened again. And in walked Mum, with a blonde girl
in tow. If she was a boy, she would have been Mikey. It was
unbelievable.
‘Casey!’ Mum exclaimed, coming over to the bed and wrapping her arms
around me. ‘Are you okay, darling?’
I don’t know what happened then. I must have blacked out.
When I woke up I was still in the hospital bed and Mum was sitting on
the chair beside me.
I closed my eyes, and opened them again, but she was still there. This
wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be happening.