Dr. Western laughed. “You are really good. I figured you’d ask. Sure. I was going to suggest it. It’d save you a couple of bouts with anesthesia. You’ll be without your leg for two months, best guess.”

“Two months?”

“It’s a real bad break. I’ve seen one like it take nearly six months till the patient was able to really use it.”

“What about till then?”

“Do you want the prosthesis? If so, I’ll put it on when I pull the leg off.”

“Yes.”

At eleven thirty they were back at the dorm. Kathy was wearing the prosthesis and plotting how she could keep the team from finding out what had happened. She never actually lied about the incident but she never told the whole truth. Wendy and Barb were the only ones who knew and they were sworn to secrecy. Kathy made it to practice the next day. She appeared to be a little stiff but as long as she played effectively, nobody would notice. With the other goalie out and the third string gal a bad choice she would play unless she was seriously hurt.

Several games passed and Kathy was playing well. They met their rival for the second time. Just before the half the girl who had hurt her in the first game tried the same thing. Kathy felt something give in her knee but it appeared to function so she ignored it. At half time she went into one of the stalls in the locker room and pulled the cover off the knee. Several of the bolts had been pulled loose. She got the wrench from her locker and tightened them. It took only a few minutes to fix the knee. She returned to the field

for the second half of the game.

On the way to the field the girl who had hit her walked past her and said. “Last game for you. You’re going to get it for what you did to my roomie. She’s got scars all over from it. I still don’t believe I didn’t bust your foot.”

A few minutes after the start of the quarter the girl made her move again. She stepped on Kathy’s foot when she was about to take a step. The bolt that held the prosthesis to the lower portion of the knee had been damaged and Kathy had not noticed it. The prosthesis remained on the ground as Kathy lifted her knee. Without feeling, she was unaware the limb was missing. The teammates on the sideline saw her lower leg separate from her body and her upper leg move like it was taking a step. In horror they saw her fall as she tried to put weight on a limb that was no longer attached. Kathy felt the resistance to the foot being lifted and lunged to pull it free. She felt it come free and continued toward the ball. Then, she felt herself falling unable to understand why there seemed to be no leg under her, followed by pain in the stump and her pelvis when she hit. This trip took her to a local hospital. Wendy was at the game and was able to get into the ambulance. At the hospital she stayed with Kathy. The doctor called Dr. Western and got the medical information. Kathy was taken to surgery. When it was over, she was encased in a cast around her pelvis. It was broken in two places.