“Fuck this shit,” was all Sampson said in reply, but he clapped his hands as the huddle broke like the rest of us.
I jogged back to the line of scrimmage, lining myself up on the left side. Sampson was on the right, looking sullen.
The center snapped the ball to Parker in the shotgun formation, and I took off, running down the seam, noticing that the pressure from the pass rush was coming on strong and Parker would have to get the ball out quick or he would take a sack.
My route on this play was deep, and I ran as hard as I could, sure that by the time I got to where I was supposed to be, Parker would have seen the pass rush and checked down to Sampson, giving him the glory, assuming he could catch the fucking ball for once.
But as I whipped my head around to see, I watched Parker shake off one, then a second pass rusher and throw me a long bomb.
Oh shit, that was coming right at me. I timed it just right and jumped as high as I could, feeling the ball fall directly into my arms less than a second later.
It was a perfect pass and a perfect catch. I looked down as I came down and the field was a different color.
I was in the end zone. It was a touchdown!
And then the world went black and I knew nothing anymore except that I was falling.
CHAPTER 27 - LILY
Drake went up for the catch after Lance Parker managed to evade that monstrous Eagles pass rush, and made a spectacular catch.
I nearly jumped out of my clothes I was so happy!
And then I saw the hit from the safety as he came back down. It was a vicious hit, and all the happiness and exultation I felt died in my throat.
Drake crumbled to the ground and didn’t move. The ball was still in his hands and ever hit the ground, which meant it was a touchdown, but immediately the referees signaled an injury time out and the Patriots medical team ran out onto the field to attend to him.
Oh shit, please let him be ok, please. Just as he was having the game of his life, and now he got injured? This just wasn’t fair!
I gripped my notebook in my hands till my knuckles turned white, not able to do anything and feeling totally inadequate because of it.
I wanted to run out there and help him, but I wasn’t a doctor. There was nothing I could do from here but send him my thoughts and will him to wake up, stand up, and keep playing.
It felt like nothing, but it was all I had.
The cameras focused on Drake lying on the ground as the TV stations went to commercial break. A production assistant ran through the media section, looking around frantically for someone.
When he saw me, he ran up and threw himself in front of me. “You’re Lily Pearson, right?” he said, breathlessly.
“Yes, that’s right. What’s up?”
He put his hands on my shoulders. “You gotta come with me, they want to do a live interview with you right now!”
“Wait, what? Who? Why? Me?”
“Come on, I’ll explain on the way, we gotta go now!” He turned around and beckoned me back toward where he came. “Let’s go!”
I put my notebook away and hurried after him, questions swirling in my head. What was going on?
“I’m with ESPN. The game announcers are big fans of your work and they want to do a live interview with you about Drake Rollins and his quest to make the team.”
Of course, that made sense. It felt a little strange to do an interview while the subject of my work was lying on the field not 200 feet from me, but that was the nature of sports.
The assistant hustled me through interview prep and handed me a mic, and less than a minute later I was on camera. Annie Ross was nowhere to be found.
“Lily Pearson, with us from the Boston Globe, has been following Drake Rollins ever since the dustup the two had on draft day,” said the announcer both to me and the viewing audience. “We’ve all followed along with her daily dispatches from Patriots training camp. She’s here with us live right now. Lily, can you tell us a little bit more about Drake Rollins’ story?”
“Well, Tony,” I started, feeling a little odd talking directly into a camera but addressing a specific person, “Drake Rollins had a rough camp to start with, only learning he was going to be a Patriot less than three days before the start of training camp. He didn’t even get the playbook in his hands till the day he showed up.”
“And how has his progress been since?”
“It’s been really great, Tony! You and everyone has seen how he performed in tonight’s game. 11 catches for 149 yards and now a touchdown, those are some impressive numbers for an undrafted free agent.”
“They certainly are. Looks like he’s still on the ground now, medical staff are attending to him. What do you think of his chances to make the team, assuming he’s not seriously injured?”
“Of course all of us down here hope that it’s nothing serious, but I’ve been speaking to the coaches and I get the impression after tonight’s game that Drake Rollins will in fact be a New England Patriot this year.” It felt so good to say that.