Dancer Girl

James was the first person out to me. He must have been waiting in the wings. He knew this would happen if he let her keep going.

"Oh my God. Are you okay? What am I asking? Of course you aren't okay, I heard that crack over the music." He kept rambling.

Ms. Wingert was the next to arrive on the scenes. She had the stage hand lower the curtain. She figured the audience didn't need to see me like this. "Sweetie," she started. "They called an ambulance, they're on their way. They'll fix this."

Everyone else started trying to say something soothing. They were all fake though. They didn't want to seem like the horrible people they were. That's okay though, because even if I cared what they had to say, I hadn't heard it over my own anguished cries.

Paramedics showed up after what felt like forever. They put me on the gurney and when I was in the ambulance they sedated me. I could no longer feel my injury, and it was a relief.

The paramedic sitting with me asked me for my basic information. He didn't try to make small talk with me. I liked it better that way, though. It left me to think.

We pulled into the hospital and they sent me to the emergency room. They wheeled me away to the x-ray room almost immediately.

Afterwards I sat in the emergency room waiting for the results. They didn't let anyone in to see me, which was fine by me. A doctor came after forever.

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but you shattered your tibia." He said. "You've had shin splints for a while now, and when they go untreated and you continue doing strenuous work, you create a fracture. This however, was much worse than usual. The bone has shattered. Not only will this require surgery to fix, but even then, you may not be able to use your leg. Not the way you used to at least."

I stayed silent during his spiel. He was just taking a long time to say what I had figured out back in the ambulance. Back in the theatre even. I messed up. And now, because I messed up so bad, I won't be able to dance again.