I’d just won a world title but I was inconsolable. My potential crack at the real prize, the road race title has been scuppered by my scapula – hey that nearly rhymes. Rhyme or not that slip earlier today, well the resulting injury, means that my chances of becoming junior boys world champion are now down to nil. Oh I’ll still be a junior next year but I won’t be competing for the boy’s prize will I?
“Where is that idiot?” Josh’s voice queried.
“She can’t be far away.” Manda offered.
“Drew? Where are yer, man?”
I don’t really want company right now but they won’t give up until they find me will they?
“Here.”
Josh located my position and appeared with Mand in close attendance.
“There youse are, everyone’s been looking fur youse like.”
“You okay?” Mand enquired more compassionately.
“Apart from the bruises.”
“Wit yer hiding for, man?”
“Just needed some space.”
Mand sat down on the wall next to me, “Caro told us about the shoulder.”
“She tell you I’m out for Sunday?”
“Aye man, there’s always next year.”
“Is there? I’ll be Gaby for real by then.”
“And?” Mand demanded.
“This was my one shot at the boy’s title.”
“Jeez, Gab, you really do have some hang ups about being a girl don’t you? What’s so great about winning the lad’s title? You get the same gong, same jersey.”
“But it’s not the same,” I offered.
“Aye, you’ve got more chance of taking tha hens’ title like,” Josh supplied.
Mand gave him a ‘look’, “he’s right you know Gab, look at Switzerland, you were miles ahead of the rest of us girls.”
Us girls, thanks Mand.
“So, we gonna eat like?” Josh enquired.
“Josh!” Mand and I chorused.
“What’s up Steve?”
“Too much boss man, too much,” Steve sighed dropping into a seat opposite Mr Toynbee.
“Bond?”
“In one, it’s not broken but the docs have prescribed a few days rest, so Sunday is out.”
“Sugar, I’d best talk to Dave, reserve?”
“Caroline’s on it.”
“Let me know as soon as eh?”
“Will do.”
“And, Steve.”
“Boss?”
“These things happen, that’s why we have a backup plan.”
“Sure, it’s just so damn frustrating, the kid’s flying.”
“See you later,” Laura called over as she followed the rest of the team out of the hotel for the morning training session.
“Yeah later.” I allowed with a sigh.
I watched wistfully as they set off to terrorise the Danish countryside, flippin’ shoulder. So okay other bits are somewhat bruised this morning, my knee’s feeling a lot better though, apparently I bent my pedal when I crashed which meant I wasn’t pedalling properly hence the pain. At least I didn’t get too much road rash this time.
“What you up to, kiddo?”
“Not a lot, I can’t ride can I?”
“I thought it was your shoulder?” Dad noted.
“It is.”
“Well get your kit on, you’re not getting out of training that easily, you can have an hour on the turbo.”
“Da-ad,” I moaned.
“Ten minutes in the garden.”
“Yes, Dad.”
Have to say, Dad can read me like a book. Once I was riding, my mind was taken off of my self-pity and my concentration moved to my level 2 session. By the end of the session I’d worked through my frustrations and moved my thoughts into a much more positive place.
“Good session, Drew, get yourself showered and we’ll go take a look at Roskilde eh?”
“Whatever.” I agreed as I mopped the sweat from my brow.
“Bond!”
“Hi Chris.” Dave replied, wiping the sweat from Drew’s bike.
“What do you reckon?”
“I’m not keen on this.”
“Can’t say I am either but even if he just rides round it’ll fuel the others.”
“Hmm.”
“So, what do you think? How’d it go?”
“Well he’s favouring the knee some and he was clearly in some pain by the end of the session but he hit all the points, I’d say about ninety percent.”
“Ninety percent of Drew is like a hundred and ten of most of the others. You said anything?”
“No and I won’t unless we decide to go with this Tom foolery, I know what she’ll say.”
“You gonna be around here?”
“No, I’m gonna take her into Roskilde for a couple of hours, you’ve got my mobile.”
“Sure, I know we haven’t always seen eye to eye Dave but thanks for even considering this.”
“Thank me if it happens, we should be back about two.”
Dave watched Toynbee scuttle back into the hotel, it’s a damn fool idea, how he’d got caught up in it he didn’t know.
“There you are.”
“You wanna try getting out of a pair of bibs one handed.”
“Hop in then, we’ll get some lunch, there’s a place down on the fjord apparently.”
“Whatever.”
Yeah, that’s Drew alright, Dave sighed.
The Mercedes covered the few kilometres of motorway across to Roskilde in not much more than ten minutes.
“Wonder what that is?”
“What kiddo?”
“On that sign, Vikingskib Museet.”
Dave had already seen, in fact had been looking for the brown tourist attraction sign.
“Could be something to do with Vikings I guess.”
“Dur, we’re in Denmark, everything’s to do with Vikings,” Drew stated.
“Guess we could go find out, its only two K.”
“If you like.”
It might be Saturday but traffic heading into the town was fairly light, their progress being hindered more by control than volume. The ‘Vikingskib Museet’ was well signposted and soon they were dropping down toward Roskilde Fjord.
“Looks like some sort of museum,” Dave suggested spotting a sign for a car park.
“This is where we were coming wasn’t it?”
“Was it?” Dad attempted the innocent stance.
“You know it was, so what is this place?”
“Okay, I admit it, I’ve wanted to come here for years, it’s the Viking Ship Museum.”
Drew rolled his eyes, “whatever.”
It was free entry for me — just as well with adult entry a hefty 100 Danish Krone, whatever that is in proper money. The man made island that we were now on featured various buildings housing displays and demonstrations of Viking life along with several real ships and a ship yard where they are building a replica longship.
Dave mooched around taking pictures, most of the information was in German as well as Danish and English so they had at least some clue as to what they looked at.
“Skibhalle?” I queried.
“That’ll be that place.” Dad suggested pointing to the huge concrete edifice a short distance away on the fjord shore.
“I suppose we have to go look?”
“We don’t have to,” he offered.
Seriously, that was never gonna happen was it.
“I’m guessing there’s toilets inside.”
“I should think so.”
Doodle-dit, doodle-dit.
“Go on, I’ll meet you inside kiddo.”
“Sure,” Drew agreed.
Doodle-dit, doodle-dit. Dave pulled out his phone and checked the caller id.
“Bond.”
“Dave, it’s Chris, can you talk?”
“I’m on my own if that’s what you mean.”
“We couldn’t get a flight for plan B.”
Sugar.
“Dave, you there?”
“Yeah, I’m here.”
“I know you aren’t keen but even getting him on the start line would be good for moral.”
“No promises, I’ll ask.”
“Thanks Dave, can’t be fairer than that.”
Maddy Bell © 02.08.2014
Comments
Ooh, suspense
Wassigonnado? Heh - spell checker didn't like that. Drew's fitness and musculature could surely support the injury through a "gentle 90%" amble round the course..
"Reach for the sun."
If!
If they put 'her' on the starting line, can Drew really give only 90%?
>i<
Yet again they are NOT acting in Drew's best longterm interest
First all those years of tricking him into dressing as Gaby.
Then they learn she really IS Gaby so what do they do. Delay surgery SHE needs all because Drew is such a fine racer.
Now they want her to race against doctor's advice.
Oh they will justify it as "What Drew wants". But does she really know what she wants in the long term?
They are risking a lifetime of physical problems, even the end of her racing career all for one race, one shot at Drew becoming the teen world champion.
Drew is too competitive to hold back to 90% short of collapsing in pain when her knee blows out.
That they are even considering her appearing at the start line... GRRRRR!
They know Drew will try to race cracked kneecap or not.
Maybe it is time for Drew/Gaby to assert her self and get HER way for once.
If she wants to race so be it but it must be her choice. She should not be guilt tripped into it.
The medical excuse of the cracked kneecap COULD be just the cover for her long delayed operation to fix her genitals.
Another great chapter, Maddy. You make us care what happens to this fictional person.
John in Wauwatosa
John in Wauwatosa
Uhhh...
The knee was fine, it was in pain during the last part of the ride because the pedal was bent to an awkward angle. As someone who rides regularly and has occasionally had to ride a bent up bike, I can assure you that is a very reasonable plot point.
It's the shoulder that's been fractured, scapula to be exact. And apparently only bad enough for the doc to recommend rest but not insist on a cast. I've ridden with worse and don't have lingering deformities or infirmities. To be exact, I've ridden after breaking my thumb flipping over my handlebars when hitting a curb. When I finally did get to a doctor the doctor was seriously worried I might not ever regain full use of my thumb, yet, here I am, full use of my thumb regained.
As someone who rides regularly, the shoulder will impede Drew somewhat, but not significantly, and shouldn't be too aggravated by riding to the point of becoming significantly worse. That said, I would be surprised if there were NO consequences from this, but I'd be equally surprised if it was anything worse than a good long recovery period after the race which would enable finally getting her genitals fixed fully.
I also have to point out that they've been trying to give Drew all the choices. Drew chose to try to compete one last time as a male, they actually tried convincing her to compete as a female, but gave up very quickly when they realized they were only aggravating her.
Abigail Drew.
Thank You Very Much...
For this entire series, I have spent the last few days reading it all the way from the first chapter of the first book, following the twists and turns of Drew's / Gaby's journey, and have enjoyed it immensely. Now the hard part will be waiting for each new chapter.
I've never raced on a bike, although I have enjoyed casual bike riding for many years. I loved reading Drew's adventures and mishaps at the various events, and the slow fall into being Gaby more openly as he was tricked or cajoled, or he blundered into portraying himself as Gaby time and time again. I also enjoyed his time as WeinKönigin where he had to be in that role for various community events.
The process of discovering his female sexual organs and their eventually maturing, as well as finding out that he was sterile as a male, was another factor that seems to have tipped the balance toward him being Gaby more and more often.
Once again, thank you for writing this amazing story, I can't wait for Drew's/Gaby's adventures to continue.
They have to ask?
Believing she wasn't racing on Sunday was the source of Drew's sour demeanor. Dave's pretty tolerant of Drew's use of 'whatever' every time Dave suggested they do something. Some parents might have laid into their kid, but Dave being tolerant makes him distinctly different.
Plan B called for bring a replacement racer from the UK. Problem being, as with most flights, trying to get a last minute booking is all but impossible.
The only possible solution? Drew races on Sunday, hairline fracture of her scapula and all her road rash. And Dave has to ask Drew if she'll race hurt on Sunday? That'd be like asking if Drew wants ice cream.
One thing to note after Drew bit the dust. The computer never made it back onto her bike, which left Drew speed and time blind. Could the extra effort Drew put into making up lost be due to a lack of depending on the computer for information? She had to fly blind, guessing speed and time. Maybe she'd do much better without a computer mounted to the handlebars. Maybe she'd be even faster if she wasn't also aware of time and speed. Maybe the computer has been a distraction to all on the team.
Others have feelings too.