A/N: This one's for you TNM123 I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 23: The Last Man On The Bench

Coach calls the game off, not that anyone wants to continue when the ambulance turns up or when it drives off with Avi and Esther inside. It was lucky that Coach was there because he was the only one who wasn't in some state of shock, bar Beauden's family who just didn't have American cell reception. It's a scary situation Avi's yelling and several key persons panicking, including Kevin who always knows what to do, but didn't. Esther was crying out for someone to help him, and that only got worse when he blacked out from the pain with tear-stained cheeks.
     Kirstie stood back and cried, she could just tell it was bad and she wanted to help but she couldn't. She couldn't even comfort Esther through this, she couldn't because of what she'd done to Avi at the party. Kirstie is the last person who should be with them right now, well her and the two men that did this to him.
     Everyone was still for a while after the siblings left, until Kirstie charges at Jeremy, shoving him from his daze and gaining a little attention from other team members. Then she shoves Puck, she shoves him and he doesn't say a word, she wants a damn reaction. Why weren't they giving her what she wanted?
     "It's your fault!" She screams, shoving Jeremy again and again, but he couldn't even bring himself to spare her a glance, he kept his eyes closed, taking the blows. She goes to kick him, but before she can someone stops her. They pull her away with an arm around her waist, more lifting her because she won't cooperate in the least, still swinging at Jeremy.
     "That won't help Kirstie," Beauden tells her as he puts her down.
     "I'm gonna kill him!" She screams pointing at Jeremy, at least this seems to alarm him because his eyes fly open.
      "No you're not," Beauden tells her, turning her away from the situation. Scott and Mitch step in to completely block her view of the men she wants to kill. Kevin solemnly walks over too and Kirstie can see the tears sitting in his eyes. It almost makes her forget her anger, almost, as she pulls him into a tight hug. He has far more right to be upset than she did, Avi was just a teammate to her, he is Kevin's best friend.
      "You two should go to the hospital," Scott tells Kevin and Kirstie. Kevin nods while Kirstie shakes her head.
      "I don't care what kind of argument you two had, whether you're together or just having sex or whatever it was, I don't care, you're coming with me," Kevin practically snaps making half the teams jaws drop and Kirstie's face go bright red. "Besides I can't drive like this, I need you to drive me," Kevin says, wiping his tears as if his statement hadn't just rocked the entire team.
     It takes Mitch a moment to get over his shock but when he does he speaks with confidence and sass. "If you don't want to go for Avi, which I know you do Kirstie, then go for Esther, she's your best friend isn't she?" He raises an eyebrow.
      Kirstie doesn't know what to say, in fact she's still not over the embarrassment of her secret being out.
     "I thought Marley was her best friend," Scott says, but quickly gets whacked in the stomach by the shorter man beside him.
     "It's both of them," Mitch hisses.
     "Please Kirstie, come with me," Kevin pleads.
     She starts nodding, still unable to find words.
     "We'll come along later when we get some news," Beauden says as the two walk off.
     "No, I'm sorry, I have to say it, they were sleeping together?!" Scott says wide eyed. "How did I not know?"
     "Because they didn't want you to," Beauden shrugs. "They didn't want me to but Marley told me."
     "You knew?" Mitch asks.
      Beauden nods, "Like I said though, they didn't want me to. But it was between them so it's nobody else's business and pretty small in the scheme of thing now wouldn't you say?" he raises an eyebrow to the silence of the rest of the team.

...crouch...set...bind...

Kevin and Kirstie walk into the pristine hospital, but they have no idea where to go from there.
     "I guess we should find the part where they do x-rays and what not?" Kevin says, choking up on the word 'x-ray.' Kirstie clutches Kevin's arm as they look over a map on the wall.
      "There's a whole wing for... that," Kirstie points out. "I guess we should go there," she adds and the two of them follow the signs throughout the hospital to get them where they need to be.
      They were walking quickly, or so they thought until a lady with a cane speeds past them with a man that is probably her husband. Then a moment later another man runs past them until he catches the older couple.
     "Someone's in a hurry," Kirstie tries to joke.
     "That's Avi's family," Kevin says.
     "What?" Kirstie asks in a panic before the two of them run off after Avi's mom, dad and brother.
      They don't quite let themselves catch up, not even when they see Esther pop out of a room and embrace the three of her family members. They knew his family needed to see him first, but Esther notices them just as she's about to walk back into the room.
      "Kevin! Kirstie!" She calls and runs the small distance between them. She throws herself into Kevin's arms and they hug tightly for a couple of moments before she pulls Kirstie in. Esther doesn't cry much, it takes a lot to bring tears to her eyes, so this must be seriously bad.
      "Do you know anything?" Kirstie asks as they pull away from each other, but the big sister doesn't answer. She takes one of Kevin's hands and one of Kirstie's and leads them towards the room she'd come from.
      "I have to tell mom and dad at the same time," he breath catches. "I can't say it more than once, okay."
     The three of them enter the room where Avi was in bed, still out cold, or maybe they'd drugged him for the pain. His mom and dad were right beside the bed, his mom clutching his hand and sat on the seat that has been pulled right up, his dad is on his knees beside her. Avi's brother is just behind them leant on the chair, his knuckles turning white. His brother and dad turn to look at the three that enter the room but his mom won't take her eyes off her son.
     "Mom, dad, Josh, I have to say something," Esther speaks as bravely as she can. She has the full attention of everyone person who's awake in the room. As she talks, relaying what the doctor has already told her is when Kirstie notices the neck-brace and the only words she remembers hearing from Esther are "Damaged" and "Broken."

A/N: Do you guys hate me yet?

This is a video of what I tried to describe that happened to Avi...

https://youtu.be/YERQQAOyE70

This video is Rugby League, not Rugby union like what the teams play in the story. But I couldn't find a better tackle that clearly demonstrates how dangerous tackles with intent can be.

Also ignore that there's three guys making the tackle, it could be done with two.

Hannah.