Free Full Court Devotion by Cami Checketts Page B

the
adrenaline kicked in. They’d finally be facing Luke, Porter, and Shawn. Shawn
was a thick dude who could play, but was a little out of shape.
    The
game started and Shawn stuck to Jamison, Porter went after Jacob, and Ty knew
he’d have Luke all to himself. He didn’t hold back, but drove to the hoop,
slamming it for the first two points.
    He
stole the ball from Luke on defense and headed back for an easy layup. The
crowd was screaming, “Tyyyy-reese,” just like his Aggie fans did and he felt
like he was on fire.
    Porter
sunk a three-pointer on the next play. Jamison slung shot it down the court to
Ty. Luke was on him quickly.
    “Guess
you were just toying with me yesterday,” Luke said.
    Ty
dribbled from his right hand to his left and dunked it over Luke left-handed.
“A little bit,” he admitted, tossing the ball to the ref.
    Luke’s
jaw clenched. He started fighting as hard as any college athlete Ty had played
against. Pushing and getting really rough.
    The
ref told him several times to calm down, but as the score got farther and
farther apart, Luke just put on more pressure. He didn’t play dirty, but he
didn’t quit either.
    The
game was almost over, with Ty’s team up thirty points, when Jamison shot from
the foul line. The ball bounced off the rim. Ty leapt into the air for the
rebound. Luke jumped next to him and slammed into his right side. Ty was thrown
off balance. He landed on the side of his left foot. It twisted awkwardly with
an awful snap that he both heard and felt. Pain shot through the middle of his
foot. He crumpled to the ground, gritting his teeth so he wouldn’t cry out.
    Luke
extended a hand and yanked him up. “You all right, man?”
    “Yeah.”
Ty grunted and tried to stand. His foot wouldn’t support him and he fell again.
The court spun and he was afraid he was going to throw up. The entire gym
erupted in sound, but he couldn’t focus on anything besides the throbbing in his
foot. He’d been injured before, but never like this.
    Jamison
and Luke each took a side and helped him up. He tried to support himself on his
right leg.
    “Coach
is going to kill me, coach is going to kill me,” Jamison kept repeating over
and over.
    “Kazlyn,”
Luke hollered, supporting Ty with an arm around his waist. “Get my truck!”
    Ty
wished he could see Kazlyn. He started to pray for the pain to go away and for
some miracle that his foot would be okay. Maybe it was just a sprain or
something. If Ty had just ended his basketball career… No, he couldn’t think
like that, he’d be fine.
    They
hobbled out of the gym, Porter and Jacob making a pathway through all the
concerned bystanders. Kazlyn had the truck waiting at the front entry. She
rushed around to meet him, tears streaming down her face. “Oh, Ty. Are you
okay?’
    He
tried to smile through the pain. “I’m good,” he managed through clenched teeth.
Luke and Jamison manhandled him into the truck. Jamison and Kazlyn jumped in
the back and Luke rushed around to the driver’s side after yelling, “Jacob,
would you bring my mom and Porter?”
    Ty
didn’t hear the reply. He leaned his head back against the headrest and closed
his eyes against the pain. A tear streamed under his lids and he brushed it
away, embarrassed. Kazlyn wrapped her arms around his shoulders from behind. He
reached up and grabbed onto her hands with one of his, grateful she was there.
    The
drive to the hospital was quick. They helped him into the emergency entrance
and were in a sparse room before long. The hospital was clean with no frills. A
big step up from the inner city hospital he’d gone to when he was twelve and had
dislocated his collar bone.
    His
foot was already swelling when the doctor entered the room. Jamison had finally
quit muttering and just sat in the corner looking miserable. Kazlyn kept a hold
of Ty’s hand and Luke paced. They all greeted the older doctor like they knew
and respected him.
    Doctor
Taggart shooed everyone out, had the