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       #Post#: 1091--------------------------------------------------
       The Friendship Test - Chapter 15 - A Slight Misstep
       By: Dragons Den Date: February 15, 2015, 9:31 am
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       The Friendship Test - Chapter 15 - A Slight Misstep
       All week long, the three women met up as they had been doing for
       all those weeks prior.  Only this week was very different.
       Every night, Sophia and Danni would get in the cage together and
       simply go at it.  Technically, it was still sparring, though it
       frequently ventured into something a little more competitive.
       Sophia was starting to believe in herself... and after getting
       to Danni a few more times, she was actually feeling pretty
       confident.  Even a little excited.  When Danni had first
       suggested training this way, Sophia had expected it to show just
       how far away she was from being a title threat.  Instead, she
       now knew she could compete with one of the best in the game.
       Danni, meanwhile, was almost as surprised as Sophia.  She
       believed her friend was capable of more than she'd showed to
       date,  but what she was seeing now was well beyond what she'd
       expected.  Was Sophia a legitimate threat to her title?  She had
       shown that she could be, though Danni was confident she still
       had a significant edge.  But Sophia had a long climb ahead of
       her if she wanted a shot at the championship.  If she could work
       her way through the rankings and get hold of that top
       contender's slot... well, by then it might be a different story.
       The more immediate concern was the sheer exhaustion that was
       overtaking both of them.  They were going all out each night
       after a full day of their normal training.  Steph had said she
       had noticed Danni's fatigue earlier in this little escapade.
       She could only imagine what she looked like, now.
       But, Sophia was determined to keep at it.  The Open Fight Night
       event was about a month away, and Sophs had hinted at the
       possibility of issuing a challenge soon.  Though she hadn't
       spelled it out, Danni suspected she was planning to call out
       Elodie Frege.  Without even knowing it, Elodie had become a
       litmus test for Sophia.  If she was going to make this stick,
       she would have to get past Elodie.  No... she would have to go
       through Elodie.
       The more dedicated Sophia became, the more determined Danni was
       to help her see it through.  Another bad loss to Frege could
       undo everything they'd accomplished.  That simply couldn't be
       allowed to happen.
       Saturday came, and they all agreed it would be better to get
       some extra rest and start a little later.  They would later
       realize they'd have been much better off to just take the day
       off.
       It was late afternoon.  Even with the late start, they'd been at
       it for hours.  The two welterweights were facing off in the
       cage, once again.  Sophia was pressuring Danni, forcing her to
       cover up and retreat under a barrage of combinations.  Danni
       took a step back... not quite setting her foot the way she
       wanted.  Her ankle rolled and down she went.
       Sophia pulled up immediately, realizing something was wrong.
       "Hey," she said, "you alright?"
       Danni wanted to say "yes."  She wanted everything to be fine.
       But, even before the adrenaline subsided, she knew that it
       wasn't.  She tried to stand, willing the problem to go away.  No
       such luck... the ankle screamed as soon as she put her weight on
       it, and she quickly fell back to the canvas.
       "Sh*t. Danni!" Sophia freaked and followed her friend to the
       mat, kneeling beside her. "Let me get a look at it," she said
       reaching for her friend's leg.
       "Ow!  Sh*t!  Don't touch it!" Danni said as Sophia tried to get
       a better look.
       It was kind of hard to tell what the damage was. Of course, it
       didn't help that Sophia wasn't exactly qualified to diagnose the
       extent of an ankle injury. But what she lacked in knowledge, she
       almost made up for in empathy.
       Bri was in the cage in a flash, kneeling beside the two stable
       leaders. "The f*ck did you do, Sophs?"
       "Nothing!" Sophia said, having a mild panic attack. "It just
       happened."
       "She didn't do anything.  I slipped," Danni interjected.  But
       the two Dragon teammates did not appear to be listening.
       "You broke Danni f*cking Harris," Bri whined.
       "I did not!" Sophia protested.  "It's just a sprained ankle or
       something. I think. I don't know."
       "I'm not broken.  I just need a minute," Danni said.
       Sophia turned to Bri, a bit flustered. "Will you call an
       ambulance already?"
       "No, no," Danni cut in.  "No ambulance."
       Bri leaped up to her feet, not wasting a second. "Sh*t, of
       course." She raced out of the cage and towards the locker rooms
       to fetch her phone.
       "HELLO!" Danni yelled after her. "Am I still here?  I don't need
       an ambulance!"
       But Briana was already gone.
       Sophia remained kneeling beside Danni. "I don't know what to do.
       Do we put ice on it?"
       "Oh, are you talking to me now?" Danni said.
       Moments later, Briana returned, phone still in hand. "They're on
       their way," she called from across the room. "Should be quick."
       "Great," Danni said, with a thick layer of sarcasm.
       Sophia shouted back, "Bri, grab an ice pack."
       "Ah, good idea." Briana turned and vanished again, leaving
       Sophia and Danni alone in the room once more.
       With no choice but to wait for the ambulance to arrive, Danni
       gave up her protest.  Instead, she tried to reassure her friend.
       "Sophs, you need to calm down," she said.  "I turned my ankle.
       That's all."
       "No, that's not all," Sophia said.  "You've been putting
       yourself on the line to try and help me, and your reward is that
       now you're hurt?"
       "Would you stop?" Danni said.  "It's nothing.  I'm going to be
       fine.  And this isn't your fault."
       By the time Briana returned, the first aid squad was already on
       scene.  They quickly assessed the injury, splinted Danni's ankle
       and readied her for transport to the hospital.  Everyone was
       calm and friendly, and yet the whole thing took on the feel of
       barely controlled chaos.  Danni let most of it go, resigning
       herself to the fact that this was how it was going to be.  But
       when they were preparing to physically lift her onto the
       stretcher, she flatly refused.
       "No one is lifting me anywhere," she said firmly.  "Just help me
       to my feet, and I'll do it myself."
       The first aiders weren't thrilled, but they seemed to know
       better than to argue.
       Though Danni insisted she would be fine on her own, Sophia was
       adamant that she was going with her.  Danni quickly up the
       fight, deciding that if coming along made Sophs feel better,
       then she would just let it be.
       They agreed that Sophia would follow the ambulance in her own
       car, which would have the benefit of assuring them a ride home,
       after everything was sorted out.
       Once they arrived, the unloading procedure was just as chaotic
       as the departure had been.  Danni was pulled from the ambulance
       and wheeled through a giant set of double-doors.  The emergency
       room itself was shockingly empty, allowing her to be assigned a
       room immediately.  She was transferred from the stretcher to the
       hospital bed, and this time she wasn't given an option.  An
       array of medical personnel, both first aiders and ER staff
       quickly lifted the sheet under her and carried her over to the
       hospital furnishing.
       The first aid squad was just packing up when Sophia arrived.
       Both she and Danni thanked them for their help, and they went on
       their way.
       The light patient load also allowed Danni to be seen
       immediately, and a handsome young Latino man entered within
       minutes and introduced himself as Dr. Ruiz.
       The visit was short, since there was very little that could be
       done at that moment.  He told Danni he couldn't tell for sure
       what was going on until they could get an x-ray performed, which
       he would order, right away.  While they waited, they would ice
       down the ankle to keep it from swelling
       Both girls admired the view as they watched him leave.
       "Maybe this isn't so bad," Danni mused.
       "It does have it's bright spots," Sophia agreed.
       In the center of the ER was an oval-shaped configuration of
       desks and counters, covered in paperwork and an array of
       computer equipment.  Dr. Ruiz took a seat in front of one of the
       monitors, most likely entering his notes and instructions for
       Danni's care.
       Danni's eye was drawn to the far wall.  Scrawled across it in
       large, attractive lettering were the words "Welcome to Oceanview
       Medical Center."
       "Oh, sh*t!" she exclaimed.
       "What?" Sophia said, as her panic was renewed.  "What is it?"
       Danni looked back to the doctor just in time to hear him say,
       "Can you please page Dr. Leone?" into the receiver cradled next
       to his head.
       Dr. Patricia Leone was a longtime resident physician at
       Oceanview.  No doubt, there was a note in Danni's file to
       contact her if Danni were ever treated at the hospital.
       Why?
       Because Danni knew her better as the head of the Rampage Sports
       medical staff.
       How could I be so stupid? Danni chastised herself.  How could I
       not have asked where we were going?
       "What is it?" Sophia asked again.
       Danni ran her fingers through her hair as she realized there was
       nothing she could do to halt the events that had just been set
       in motion.
       "We just got caught," she answered.
       #Post#: 1109--------------------------------------------------
       Re: The Friendship Test - Chapter 15 - A Slight Misstep
       By: RampageSports Date: February 15, 2015, 9:56 pm
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       Not sure what happened to the formatting of the original post,
       but I think I've got it fixed, now.
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