Fragility of Life

Finally my career was taking off after all the years of effort and hard work. I always knew that my support system weren't just blowing smoke when they told me how talented I am. I graduated first in my class and started my own law firm three years after practicing at a small town office. I never stopped at the first feeling of achievement. I always knew there would be more.

The first few years were the toughest. Trying to put together a team that had the experience, credentials, and the type of gumption I saw when I looked at myself in the mirror was tough. Every box needed to be checked off before I would put my stamp of approval behind them. Case after case were flying in. As a team our win percentage was off the charts. Without a doubt the dream was becoming reality for me. Year three was personally a tough one. I lost a dear friend of mine that I called "brother." For a brief moment I had trouble sleeping and the dreams at night turned into nightmares of a life that wasn't fulfilled entirely.

I had to try and think of the good times to help me through. I thought back to when I was in high school and was a top three recruit as a quarterback. I had every college in the country scouting me and sending letters of intent for me to sign. I remember how life at the time seemed perfect. I was playing the sport that I loved, my girlfriend was captain of the cheerleader squad, we won state back to back before my senior year, and all my friends and family attended every game. The night of the homecoming game was especially monumental for me. I knew how life or anything in it wasn't promised. So I had made up my mind that after the game I was going to ask my girlfriend to marry me. Right on the fifty yard line. We were both over eighteen and our families had an extremely tight bond with each other. They always talked of us eventually going down that road, so being me, I brought the road to us a little sooner than expected.

It was amazing! She said yes, and the entire school went nuts. I knew that I was going to play professional football and wanted someone who knew me before I became famous was extremely important to me. She knew the real me. We got married two weeks before the state championship game. I remember asking if it would be okay if I took my ring off for the game and Tammy getting so upset. So, I played with it. We were up by seven at the two minute warning in the fourth quarter. All we had to do was run the clock out and the three peat was done. Third down and three, coach called the audible and changed the running play to a slant that picked up ten everytime. I hiked the ball and my target got planted at the line, so I rolled out looking to maybe run or hit another target down field when I heard a sound I'll never forget. It sounded like a car wreck, with a balloon popping at the same time. I got blind sided, and hit low. It was over! I tore everything in my left knee.

The letters stopped coming and the invites to the campuses were ghost like. My support system never failed me. It was letter after letter. Balloons and flowers filled the hospital room. I had visitors that I'm sorry to say, I didn't even really know. It was cool though. After graduation that year, Tammy and I moved to California and went to college. We were both able to pick up academic scholarships which helped tremendously for the career choices we were trying to obtain. In the second year of school Tammy got pregnant and all her efforts to stay consistent with classes eventually failed. She was able to do some work from home while I was in class. I also worked so we could get a small place off campus to feel more like the family style of living instead of the partying that the dorms were offering.

It was a long period that we battled through but we were better for it when it was all said and done. With the schools being so good out here it was hard to make the decision to move to Las Vegas but that's where I wanted to open the firm. We had high school football games to attend every Friday night. Our son was a quarterback like his old man and his twin sister was a cheerleader like her mom. It was the best part of the move. Our son Scott wasn't picked to be the quarterback at the school in California, because their parents paid the booster club nicely before hell week. He almost quit before we decided to move.

It was becoming the normal life and a good one at that to say the very least. I couldn't have been any more proud of the way the children handled the move and the way they rose to new heights in their own lives. Still the increased work load had me sitting in my office at times and staring off into the distance. My wife said it was like I wasn't there. A couple of times I heard her yell my name before I snapped out of it. I would ask her why she yelled and she said because the first three time she said my name it was like I wasn't in there.

It started happening more and more often. So we went to the doctor and had my brain checked out. My parents thought that maybe all the hits to the head playing football as a kid maybe caught up to me. My wife said it was probably the work load I put on myself, and that we just needed a vacation. So after the appointment and before the results came back we planned a trip to Cancun. We planned on laying out and just relaxing. A month later we headed out and made sure that the parents came by to check on the kids.

It was the third night on the beach when my wife said she wishes I would have never gotten hurt playing football, and we were able to live that life. She said that I have never been as happy as I was back then, and that I am burning myself out. She said that if things didn't get better that she would want to separate for a while so I could figure out what I wanted most. All I could think at the time was how this wasn't the relaxing vacation topic I needed to help me out. I remember staring into the ocean, seeing the sun reflecting off into my eyes almost blinding me. I never blinked, just stared until the light looked green. Not sure if that was myself going blind, but it didn't bother me. I just tried to relax the rest of the week and got back to work.

Three days after being back at the office I started working on a case defending a drunk driver. The man was thirty three years old and about to lose his freedom. He struck a car after running a red light. One of the individuals was sent to the emergency room unresponsive and the other was released with some minor injuries. The man was going through a divorce and was drinking away his sorrows when he nodded off at the wheel. I felt some compassion for the individual considering I was making some serious decisions as far as my marriage was concerned. Late night after late night I was drifting off more and the green light from the beach was what I would see when I wasn't able to think clearly or was thinking deeply. Not really sure.

It was late one evening when I received a call from my mother. She started telling me how the man I was defending was going to fry! She said he took away her child and she could never forgive him for what he had done. Just as I started to respond, "whaaaa?" I remember looking around my living room and seeing my wife right before the green light blinded me and I passed out. I heard a voice. It sounded like my dad. "Son", "Son!" Then I heard another voice saying, "just relax." "He's coming to." I slowly started to open my eyes when I saw my dad holding my mom and a nurse messing with some cords that were attached to me.

"Oh my baby!" my mom exclaimed. "You're awake!" Dad, calm mom down please. Where are Tammy and the kids? Are they here? They just stared at me. The nurse said, "it's ok." Just waking up. I asked what was ok. "Dad, where's my wife?!" Son, just relax. You have to ease into this. Ease into what?, I asked. What the hell is going on? A doctor came in and introduced himself to me and asked how I was feeling. I said, "pissed!" Why are you angry? No one will tell me where my damn family is at! Let me try and help you out with that one, the Dr. said. What's the last thing you remember? I saw a green light and passed out. Where were you? I was in my house with my wife and kids. Then the doctor said, "I want to show you something that I think will help you out just a bit." He handed me a mirror and when I looked at myself I started screaming! No! I was eighteen!

My parents explained how I was in a coma for the last six months after being struck by a drunk driver. Tammy wasn't able to handle the stress of thinking you might not wake up and hasn't been here to see you for quite a while. Every three hours since you have been here the nurse would flash a green light in your face three times to try and stimulate your brain. That's probably the light you were seeing. We are just so happy you came back to us son. I asked how my knee was and they said it healed up after six weeks. But no structural damage. Just broken from the impact on the driver's side. "How did you know about your leg?" my dad asked. It's a long story. Maybe another time. I just need time to think.

After a few months of rehab, I was able to throw the football again. I received a call from the University of Southern California asking me if I would be willing to walk on and try out for the team. Believe it or not, I made the team. After three games and the starter tearing the ligaments in his left knee, I was named the starting quarterback. After three National Championships and realizing that life is fragile and anything can happen at any moment, I entered the NFL Draft and was picked third by the Los Angeles Rams. I wound up marrying the nurse that gave me the green light treatment and she is now my personal physical therapist. I guess good things come in threes too. One last thing, The End!