Page 5

CHAPTER

THREE

EMMA

It’s been a rough day. We’re playing our third tournament of the season in Tulsa, and I’m not having my best outing, partially because I’ve been nauseous all day.

Over the last week or so, I’ve felt like I had some kind of stomach bug.

I brushed it aside and kept powering on through classes and practices.

But today, being in the heat is getting to me.

Coach walks over to me as I set up my tee.

“Emma, you need to try to aim for that straight to get as close as you can to the green on the other side of the hill. Use your 4-iron to get the drive you need to try to make up some ground in the standings. We really need your score to move up in order to win the tournament.”

“Yes, Coach.”

I know what I need to do, and I also know my team is counting on me, but I’m feeling worse and worse as the day goes by.

I’ve chugged some Gatorade, but that almost made me puke too, so I don’t think I’m dehydrated.

I just need to get through the next four holes, and then we’ll be done.

I’m going to crash for the rest of the weekend .

I walk back over to my bag and pull out my 4-iron, then walk back over to the tee. I gaze out over the green to try to gauge how much power I need to put into my swing. Then I line myself up with the tee, move my hips back and forth, and curve my back just right to get the power I need in this hit.

I pull my club back and swing. It sails a little farther to the right than I needed to or planned to. Shit . I look over at my coach, and she’s marking her clipboard. As I turn back to go to my bag, Mia walks up to me.

“Em, are you okay? You usually rock this course.” She takes my hand in hers.

Just moving my head back and forth is making me queasy so I look down and close my eyes. “I’m not really sure what’s going on, but I’ve been feeling bad all week. I think I must have caught some kind of bug or something. You know me; I never get sick.”

And that’s true. I’ve always been a healthy person, even as a kid.

“Okay, well if you want me to get you some water or anything, just let me know.” She squeezes my hand and lets go to take her turn.

We don’t use golf carts for our tournaments, so I have no place to sit and get out of the sun for a few minutes. I do grab a water from my bag and then lean against it, which is bent on its stand. The last thing I see is Mia taking her swing.

When I come to, my coach and Mia are on the ground next to me.

“What happened?”

“Em, OMG, I took my swing, and then I heard a thump behind me. For a minute, I thought I’d hit something, which made no sense because there was nothing behind me, but anyway … I turned around, and you were on the ground!” Her eyes are wild, and she’s moving her hands around while she speaks.

My coach gets on her walkie-talkie.

“Miranda, can you please meet us at the sixth hole? Emma Tucker just passed out.” She releases the walkie-talkie and leans over me. “Are you okay, Emma? Did you bump your head or anything when you fell?”

There’s no pain, so I shake my head.

“Good, good. Okay, let’s get you some ice packs and see if we can get you cooled down.

You probably just passed out from the heat.

It’s a hot one out here today.” She looks back at the official at this hole.

“I’m going to go tell him what’s going on.

Mia, pack up your bag and make your way to the seventh hole. ”

“Yes, Coach.” Mia nods, then looks back down at me. “Are you sure you’re okay? I don’t like leaving you here.”

“I’ll be fine. I’m sure Coach is right, and it’s just the heat.” As I say it, my stomach rolls. I sit up quickly and lean to the side just in time for vomit to come flying out of my mouth. Like, seriously, projectile type of vomiting.

“HOLY SHIT! Coach! She’s throwing up now!” Mia yells over to the coach.

I’m still leaning over because I don’t think I’m done puking yet. Then my ponytail falls over my shoulder just as I start to heave again. Mia takes it in her hand and holds it back from falling.

“Oh God, Em. I think I’m gonna puke. Girl, that stinks, and you know I’m a sympathetic puker!” Mia says with a gag.

I see Coach rush back over to me—well, I see her shoes.

“Okay, I think we need to call it a day for you, Emma. I’m going to get Miranda to call for a cart to come get you.

We’ll have you monitored in the clubhouse while we finish playing.

I want you to stay off your feet and drink some electrolytes.

If you think you can eat some crackers or something, try that too. ”

Not able to speak, I nod.

Mia releases my ponytail when I sit back up. “Babe, I’m sorry, but I have to go. Are you going to be okay?” She brushes some loose hair from my face.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Go. I’ll see you at the clubhouse. Don’t forget about the sharp dip in that hill on the eighth hole; you can’t see it from the green.”

“I’m on it! See you in a bit. Huggies!” She blows me a kiss as she grabs her bag and starts walking.

Miranda, our team trainer, comes driving up in a golf cart right next to me. “Emma, how are you feeling?” She exits the cart and walks over to me. “Yuck,” she whispers.

“Yeah, sorry about that. Couldn’t get to a garbage can,” I say sarcastically.

She just laughs. “Okay, let’s get you up and back down the hill.”

From my position on the ground, I turn to my side and push off the ground with my hands. When I stand, a wave of nausea and dizziness hits me again, and Miranda must see it on my face because she grabs my arm to steady me.

“Whoa, you okay? Do you think you can walk a few feet to the cart?”

I nod and try to stand still for a minute. I’m racking my brain, trying to figure out who has been sick lately. None of my roommates have had any viruses, and all of my classes have been full, so I don’t think anything is going around.

Miranda helps me get to the seat, and once I’m sitting, she rounds the cart and walks over to my golf bag and sets it in the back of the cart.

“Do you need some water to rinse out your mouth?”

“That would be great. I think my water must have fallen when I fell. Do you see it on the ground anywhere?”

She looks around the grass and shakes her head. Leaning down, she looks under the cart and says, “Found it.”

When she stands, she hands me the water, then takes her seat behind the wheel.

I open the bottle and swish some of the water around in my mouth. Before she starts driving, I spit it out the side of the cart. “Sorry, I know that’s gross. ”

“Doesn’t bother me. I see all kinds of things with the teams I work with.” She laughs.

Our speed on the way to the clubhouse is a little fast, but she probably doesn’t want me to puke in the cart while she’s driving. Can’t say I blame her.

We reach the clubhouse, and she parks near the back entrance. “Do you need to use the restroom before we get you settled?”

“No, I’m good. I just want to sit down in the air-conditioning for a bit. I’m hoping that will help me feel a little better.” I move my legs from the cart and stand slowly. I don’t feel dizzy anymore, so I’ll take that as a win.

Miranda takes my arm and leads me into the building. We make our way to a room that has a small couch, two oversized chairs, and a coffee table in the center. There’s also a fireplace in here, but thankfully, it’s not running.

I can see the course through the floor-to-ceiling windows and watch as people move around outside. Some of the teams are likely finishing up by now. Livi and Peyton were a few holes behind me and Mia, so they probably won’t be back for a while.

Miranda leads me to one of the chairs. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to go grab you some ice packs and some Gatorade.”

“Thanks, Miranda. Should I put my feet up or anything?” I ask.

“Try just sitting for a few minutes, but if you feel like you need to lie down, absolutely do it,” she tells me, hurrying out of the room.

Underneath my golf skirt are shorts, which have a pocket I keep my phone in. I pull it out and start googling to see if there is anything going around right now. As I’m looking, Miranda comes back into the room with a cold cloth, some ice packs, and some Gatorade.

“I got you the orange flavor; I hope that’s okay. Our choices were limited.” She hands me the drink.

I open the bottle and carefully sip it. It’s not turning my stomach, so I take that as a good sign and try to drink some more. When I put the cap back on, I set it on the coffee table in front of me. Miranda hands me the ice packs and cold cloth.

“Try putting the cloth on the back of your neck first. If that doesn’t seem to help, go ahead and add in the ice packs for a bit.”

“Okay, thanks, Miranda. You don’t have to sit in here with me. I’ll be fine. Just tell me where the bathroom is, in case I feel like I’m going to be sick again.”

She tells me where to go, then leaves the room.

I place the cold cloth on the back of my neck and lean back on the chair. I must drift off because the next thing I know, Livi is standing next to me, telling me it’s time to get on the bus to go back to Walker.

Our drive back to campus takes a few hours, and I’m not feeling as bad as I was, so the girls fill me in on what I missed from the tournament once the coach has given us her speech.

As soon as we get home, I hop in the shower and practically dive into bed, even though it’s early for a Saturday night. My friends are planning to go out, but there’s just no way.

They all stop in before they leave to check on me. As soon as I hear the door to the apartment close and lock, I shut my eyes and sleep.

The sun is shining right through my blinds in my room. It must be pretty early still, but once I’m up, I can’t fall back to sleep.