ASTADIUM FULL OF fans stood in the outdoor bleachers, cheering as the high school band entered the football field. From my perch halfway up the stands, I watched cheerleaders do cartwheels, jumps, and splits in anticipation of our team’s entrance. Tonight was an important game against our rivals, the Golden Elks.
My parents hated football, so I always got rides to games with Eden and her parents, who were avid fans. Eden’s father was the team chaplain, so he attended every game.
The noise of the crowd escalated when the first player burst through the large white banner painted with our school’s colors of red and white. Once the team had gathered around Coach Aaron, the opposing team entered from the other side of the field.
Eden elbowed me and pointed at Ty taking his spot on the field as quarterback. “Doesn’t he look amazing in his uniform?” She said it quietly enough that her mother, sitting next to her, wouldn’t hear.
“Yeah, he does.” The tight white pants the guys wore made their Herculean thighs obvious to any female who had an ounce of estrogen in her body.
I wished Eden wasn’t so shy. She was afraid to even talk to Ty, the guy she’d had a crush on for as long as I could remember.
I noticed Greg and his parents sitting ten seats down to my left. Christina sat beside Greg. I caught their eye and waved. They waved back.
A ref’s whistle signaled time for the kickoff. The ball flew through the air and was caught by a receiver. Seconds later, the clash of helmets and shoulder pads made me wince. I loved the game of football, but I hated the thought of what these guys were doing to their bodies.
Early in the second half, our Rising Sun Tigers took possession of the ball and found themselves in a fourth-down-and-one-yard position.
When the team came out of the huddle Eden’s dad leaned over. “Watch for a quarterback sneak.”
Ty took the snap and attempted to leap over the line of defense. The middle linebacker launched himself into the air, smacking our quarterback's helmet with his own.
Ty twisted and flew through the air, collapsing in an unnatural heap.
A loud gasp went up from the crowd. Most of the spectators stood.
Eden clasped her hand over her mouth. I put my arm around her shoulders. A hush fell over the stadium as coaches and managers gathered around Ty. He didn’t move.
A few rows to my right, a woman wearing a red-and-white team jacket thudded down the bleachers and ran onto the field.
“That’s his mom,” Eden murmured.
Eden’s father touched her shoulder. “I’m going down there.”
Eden followed him, and I followed her. I assumed they’d let us on the field since Eden’s dad was team chaplain.
Our feet pounding down the bleachers thundered in the death-like stillness. The eerie silence made me shiver.
Once we hit the turf we sprinted toward Ty, pushing through a crowd of people surrounding him. His lips were blue, his eyes closed, and his neck was twisted in an odd angle. The team physician was performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and CPR on him.
“Let’s give him some space,” Coach said, and we all moved back.
Ty’s mom spotted Eden’s father. “Pastor!”
Eden’s dad hugged her, and she sobbed into his shoulder.
I felt out of place, but no one shooed me away, so I stayed to support Eden.
The team physician laid a finger against Ty’s neck. “There’s no pulse.”
A wail rose from Ty’s mom.
Men with stretchers ran toward us. One of them shouted, “Ambulance is on its way.” Guys from both teams wiped at their eyes.
Ty’s mother grabbed the coach’s arm. “This is my pastor. I’d like him to pray over Ty while we’re waiting for the ambulance.”
“Sure, ma’am.”
Eden’s dad removed his baseball hat and knelt beside Ty’s motionless body. Eden grasped my hand. I squeezed it tightly.
As the physician continued his resuscitation efforts, the four of us huddled together on Ty’s other side. Players from both teams removed their helmets and bowed their heads.
“Holy Father,” Eden’s dad said, “we come to You on behalf of this young man. Oh, God.” He paused, as if grasping for the right words to say. “Have mercy on this boy’s life.”
Ty’s mom whimpered.
Eden dropped to her knees and touched Ty’s left hand. Her lips moved but no sound came out. Tears dripped onto the ground.
Ty’s chest heaved. Coughing wrenched his body. Everyone standing around Ty gasped. His mother sank to the ground and grasped his shoulders.
Eden covered her mouth with both hands and stood. She leaned against me as if she were about to faint. I caught her and steadied her.
All around me jaws dropped in amazement. Both teammates and opponents cheered and jumped around. The stadium exploded in applause.
Ty sat up. “Who touched me?” His voice was scratchy.
Eden darted a look at me.
“I felt a rush of energy pulse through my left hand.”
Eden knelt beside him. “I did that,” she whispered.
“Thanks.”
The coach rubbed Ty’s back. “Easy, buddy. You’d better lie back down.”
The paramedics came, put Ty on the stretcher, and carried him off the field. Ty’s mom threw her arms around him and kissed him before they carried him toward the locker room. She ran behind them.
Coach pointed at a young man seated on the bench. “QB 2, warm up.
You’re on the field!”
As if nothing Earth-shattering had happened, the game resumed. The yard had been gained, Rising Sun had first down, and a fifteen-yard penalty was assessed for a personal foul.
“Pastor,” Ty’s mom yelled over her shoulder, “follow us!”
Eden and her dad sprinted for the locker room. I followed close behind.
Inside was chaos, with paramedics and team doctors surrounding Ty.
“I feel fine,” Ty protested. “I don’t want to go to the hospital.”
“It’s just routine, son,” said one of the paramedics. “We have to check for concussion and make sure you’re OK.” They began to strap him to the stretcher.
Ty looked around. “Where’s that girl who touched me?”
Eden took a few steps toward him. “I’m the one.”
“You’re Eden, right?”
She blinked. “I didn’t realize you knew my name.”
“Will you visit me at the hospital?”
“Yeah, sure.”
Before the paramedics took off, I heard Ty’s mom talking on her cell phone, telling her husband to meet her at the hospital. Then she climbed into the ambulance and sat alongside her son. The rest of us returned to the stands.
Through the remainder of the game Eden and I sat speechless, even when the fans around us cheered.
Over and over I replayed in my mind what had happened on that field. My friend had touched Ty, and immediately after he was healed.
I’d read several Bible verses about spiritual gifts lately. One was the ability for someone to lay hands on the sick and pray for them to be healed. Did Eden have that gift?
I wanted to stand up and dance. Instead, I stared straight ahead, smiling from ear to ear.