Chapter 802: A Bitter Redemption
"Victory! We won!"
"Ahhh, we won!"
"Kyle, Kyle, you're a hero! Hahaha!"
Cheers and screams surrounded Kyle. The empty spaces in his vision were all filled with a boiling red wave of humanity. The happiness and joy of victory made Kyle smile broadly. Then, he saw Lu Ke, who had taken off his helmet, slapping Kyle's shoulder hard. He didn't say much, but his eyes were enough.
After the NFC Championship game, Kyle had constantly been blaming himself, and the guilt had been torturing him. Then, during the offseason, he went through injuries and recovery. The ups and downs made Kyle lose confidence and he was on the verge of giving up.
Lu Ke noticed his low spirits and deliberately stayed after practice to talk to him twice. After that, Lu Ke always led by example, working hard every day and focusing on improving himself. He didn't continue to wallow in guilt but instead sprinted toward the new season with all his might. This, in turn, also made Kyle start to pick himself up again.
Now, he had finally done it.
Lu Ke's gaze was the best form of affirmation and support.
Kyle also couldn't help but laugh happily. He saw Lu Ke's outstretched right hand, ready to pull him up to stand and celebrate this hard-won victory together. Kyle deliberately showed a look of disdain, pushed Lu Ke's right hand away, and mumbled, "I'm not unable to stand." He seemed to be complaining.
Lu Ke didn't mind and jokingly patted his hands together before standing up.
Kyle still hadn't let go of the football in his right hand. He supported himself on the ground with his left hand, trying to get up, but a sharp, tearing pain came from his right knee. Before he could react, his left hand gave out, and he fell back down.
Kyle's face was hidden inside his helmet, and his facial expression couldn't be seen clearly. Lu Ke didn't think much of it. He thought Kyle was just joking. He stretched out his right leg and said with a chuckle, "This is your last chance. There won't be a next time."
Kyle's entire face contorted. He took deep breaths, and beads of sweat seeped out of his forehead one after another. It was as if all his strength had been exhausted. He was completely unable to move, and even the strength to speak and shout had disappeared. The pain in his left knee spread out like ripples, and his whole body felt limp and weak.
"Kyle?" Lu Ke vaguely sensed that something was wrong. He called out again, but he still didn't get a response. He quickly knelt down, with a smile still on his face, not thinking too much. "Kyle, what's wrong?"
Then, Lu Ke saw Kyle's painful, sweat-drenched face. His heart sank, and a sense of foreboding came over him. But he didn't want to admit it. He subconsciously patted Kyle's arm. "Kyle, if this is a prank, you've succeeded. Your acting is too realistic. You've scared me now."
"Bambi. I... I'm not doing too well," Kyle stuttered, struggling to take off his helmet. The sweat on his head became even more obvious, and his flushed cheeks were filled with pain. "I... I..." Kyle tried to say something, but he just stuttered in place. As he spoke, Kyle's eyes welled up with tears. Before he even realized it, Kyle was stunned.
Lu Ke was stunned.
Injury.
In a sport as physical as football, even with no-contact plays, accidental injuries can still occur. What's more, Kyle, who had just secured the ball, became the target of everyone. In the layers of pressure, he completely lost the ability to resist and could only passively protect himself.
But what exactly happened? How did he get injured? Was it related to the overly aggressive scramble between the two special teams? Or did Kyle's impatience cause the injury? Was it a re-aggravation of an old injury? Or was it a new injury? Was it just a strain? Or was it something more serious?
This was unknown.
Lu Ke was a little stunned and couldn't help but shiver.
Because Lu Ke knew what Kyle had gone through during the entire offseason, what shackles he had carried, what efforts he had made, and what pressure he had endured. He had finally overcome his injury and returned to the field, diligently doing his job on the special teams. After his last brilliant moment in the first week of the regular season against the Green Bay Packers, he had now, for the second time, won the game for the team with his excellent performance. But now, he might be facing the heavy blow of another injury.
This was unfair.
Lu Ke closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and temporarily suppressed his thoughts. He quickly stood up and ran toward the coaching staff on the sideline, shouting loudly. He had lost all of his composure and calmness on the field. In a flustered manner, he found the team doctor, Walter Hudson.
Everything that followed became filled with bitterness.
Walter entered the field immediately and checked Kyle's injury. Then, he called for the medical cart to come onto the field. This meant that Kyle's knee was currently unable to support his body or walk. He had to be carried off the field on a stretcher for further examination to know the extent of the situation.
The celebrating San Francisco 49ers teammates gradually became aware of the situation. The joy of victory was inevitably tinged with a complex mix of emotions. Although they knew that injuries were inevitable, they couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness when they actually faced it.
The medical cart's arrival was too conspicuous for anyone to ignore. The rolling volcano in Candlestick Park gradually calmed down. The sudden accident disrupted the celebratory rhythm of the victory. All eyes quietly fell on Kyle, watching everything with disbelief. Their hero was leaving the field in such a manner.
Even Kirk and Teddy were caught off guard.
Lu Ke stood there, with his hands on his hips, feeling a little helpless. The feeling of powerlessness was too stifling. It weighed heavily on his chest, and an indescribable anger began to grow. When his eyes landed on Kyle, the bitterness in his mouth completely erupted.
Kyle was a little dazed. He didn't seem to have fully realized what had happened. He calmly sat on the stretcher. Unintentionally, he noticed Lu Ke, and the corner of his mouth curved into a smile. He gave Lu Ke a fist bump, indicating that he was fine.
His calm and composed appearance was as if he hadn't been injured at all, but his right hand was still clutching the football, unwilling to let go for a long time.
Lu Ke couldn't bear to watch.
They were all professional players, and they probably had a rough idea of Kyle's condition. What's more, if Lu Ke remembered correctly, that was the location of Kyle's old injury. If it was a re-aggravation of an old injury...
But Lu Ke couldn't show it. Because Kyle had just won the game for the team, and in order not to affect the team's celebration, Kyle was acting so nonchalant. Lu Ke couldn't ruin Kyle's good intentions.
So, Lu Ke raised his hands high, suppressing the sadness and bitterness, and once again showed a smile. He started clapping for Kyle, giving him applause and respect, and dedicating the victory to Kyle.
Then came Logan, then Ginn, then Marcus... The members of the offense all crowded around Lu Ke, and other teammates also gathered around. They all watched Kyle leave, expressing their best and most sincere wishes with applause—
Hoping that this was just a false alarm or a minor injury that he would recover from quickly.
At Lu Ke's call, and at the call of all the San Francisco 49ers players, a unified shout and cheer once again rang out in Candlestick Park. But all of this was not for the team's absolute soul, Lu Ke, but for Kyle Williams, who had been diligently sprinting toward victory even on the special teams.
"Kyle! Clap! Clap! Kyle! Clap! Clap! Kyle! Clap! Clap!"
No need for too many words. They were expressing their support for the team with their actions. One shout, one clap. This was enough to reflect the warmth and weight of their souls.
Shouts merged one after another. The cheers of seventy thousand fans rolled in like thunder, echoing over and over again in Candlestick Park. The endless echoes overlapped with the shouts again, releasing two or three times the energy, causing the air to surge.
That was the heartbeat of Candlestick Park.
Kyle sat on the medical cart, his calm expression suddenly freezing. He watched the massive wave of red humanity in front of him in disbelief, stunned with confusion and surprise. Suddenly, his vision blurred, and hot tears fell down his cheeks. He awkwardly hugged the football in his right hand. The tears wouldn't stop, and he completely broke down.
This was his moment, a unique moment.
He did it. He had finally done it.
He had once again won the hearts of this stadium. He had once again won the support of these fans. But... but his injury was an unpredictable time bomb that cast a shadow over everything. Was it possible that he would never be able to return to this field again? Would he never be able to hear that deafening cheer again? Would he never be able to run wildly for victory again?
It was both happiness and bitterness, both joy and sadness. The more spectacular the red wave was, the heavier the emotional complexity in his heart became. Kyle's shoulders drooped heavily. He disappeared into the player tunnel, helpless and vulnerable, but the overwhelming cheers still didn't stop. Instead, they became even louder and more powerful. "Kyle! Clap! Clap! Kyle! Clap! Clap!"
In this moment, the 49ers were more united than ever before, not just for victory, not just for Lu Ke, but for this team, the team they loved. Every single member of the team was their hero!
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