Chapter 23: Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

The doctor was in the waiting area speaking with Jason's parents "The results from the scans have confirmed that he doesn't have any internal bleeding or any other potentially long term damage."

Jason's parents breathed out in relief. The doctor continued "The only damage sustained from his fall is the laceration located an inch above his right brow and a mild concussion that shouldn't have any long standing effects on his health.

He should be okay to go back to school in three days but he should abstain from any strenuous activity for ten days. My recommendation is that he stays here for three days for observation just to be safe"

Jason's mom was a little worried after hearing that her son had suffered a concussion but she felt reassured after hearing that it wouldn't impact him long term.

Jason's mom was still hugging Tory as she asked the doctor "Is it okay if we go see our son now?" The doctor nodded his head.

"That's okay but make sure to talk one at a time. He should also avoid looking at screens or monitors for the next couple of days.

Also don't be worried if he seems easily distracted or if he responds a little slower than usual. He should return to normal by the time he is discharged."

Both of his parents were happy to hear that they could finally see their son after having waited for hours.

Giorgio and Jerome stood there awkwardly. They both wanted to ask if they could go in with them to see Jason but they also felt like it would be inappropriate to ask.

Jason's mom saw the expression on their faces. She thought for a second before nudging her husband with her elbow. She then tilted her head to the two of them.

Jason's dad saw her gesture and took a deep breath before walking over "The two of you can come in as long as you use this chance to sincerely apologize to my son." The two of them eagerly nodded.

A nurse guided them to Jason's room. They opened the door and saw Jason laying in a hospital bed with a white sheet pulled up to his chest. He was hooked up to a machine that monitored and displayed his vitals.

The first thing his parents noticed was the three inch long section of stitches that laid horizontally above his brow.

Jason heard the door opening. He opened his eyes and turned his gaze in that direction and saw his parents along with Tory, Jerome and the producer from the show. He smiled "Sorry. I really thought I could win."

Jason's mom wanted nothing more than to just run to her son and hug him as tight as she could. But she fought that urge.

She slowly walked to her son. She gently held his face with both of her hands before kissing the top of his head. As his mom kissed him he felt hot droplets hit his face. His own eyes began to moisten.

Tory stood by the side as she watched the touching scene. After a few minutes Jason's mom looked back and gestured for Tory to come over.

Tory looked over to Jason's dad. She felt like he should get the chance to see his son up close before she did. Jason's dad simply smiled as he patted Tory on the back before nudging her towards Jason.

Tory nodded and walked over to Jason. As she got closer she could see the stitches more clearly. She started crying after seeing how the skin above his brow had to be forcefully pulled together.

Jason noticed Tory as she slowly walked over to him. He could see her puffy red eyes and the random strands of hair that clung to her face.

Jason felt sorry for her and his parents. He knew that he put them through a lot with this whole ordeal.

When he took up the rematch against Jerome he obviously couldn't have known that this would happen.

But he was also selfish in not considering the consequences that it would have had on everyone around him. All he was thinking about at the time was basketball.

He should have known better. If he had sustained a serious injury it would have affected his family, his friends and his team.

Jason hugged him mom and Tory "Sorry. I'll try to be more careful next time." Tory laughed with tears in her eyes "You are so stupid. And I'm even more stupid for letting you do that"

Jason's mom hugged the both of them "Sometimes things just happen. No matter how hard you try to plan and prepare things just happen. That's what life is"

Jason felt a slight headache so he closed his eyes in order to try and relax "I really am sorry Mom, Dad, Tory. After I get out of here let's go out and shop a bit. I just won a thousand dollars after all."

Tory and Jason's parents laughed after hearing him say that. The all spoke for the next thirty minutes. A lot of the conversation was asking Jason if he really felt okay.

Tory suddenly remembered something. She pulled Jason's cellphone out of her pocket "They gave me your cellphone after they took off your clothes and changed you into the hospital dress.

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I turned it off so that it wouldn't run out of battery in case you needed to use it but the doctor said you shouldn't spend too much time looking at screens yet."

She turned his phone back on and instantly saw a bunch of missed calls and texts "Uh Jason. You might have a little bit of a situation"

Jason looked at her questioningly "What do you mean?" Tory was able to easily open Jason's phone because it didn't have a password set "You have a bunch of missed calls from Kyle, Samantha and your coach"

Jason felt another headache come along 'Jesus! Please don't let this be a big deal. Please. All I want to do is play basketball'

Jason had Tory call Kyle for him. She dialed his number and put it on speakerphone. Kyle's voice could be heard.

Kyle was sobbing on the other end "He's dead mom! He has to be. I've been trying to call him for two hours! Hello?"

Jason sighed "Thanks for killing me off Kyle. I'm glad you're not the director in charge of the movie" It took a second for Kyle to recognize Jason's voice "huh? Jason!"

He heard Kyle drop his phone and then rush to pick it up "Jason! You're not dead! Mom he's not dead!" Jason could hear a woman's voice on the other side "I told you baby. You really should trust the opinion of a medical professional more."

Jason was confused about something "How did you know something happened to me?" Kyle was silent for a few seconds "Uh I don't know how to tell you this Jason. But everyone kinda knows." Jason was stunned when he heard that.

Kyle sent Jason a link to the news segment talking about him. All he could do was listen to the video since the doctor told him to avoid looking at screens for the next few days.

After the video finished everyone turned to Giorgio and Jerome. Giorgio's face was whiter than a sheet of paper as all the blood had seemingly left his face.

All the major news stations were running with a similar story. They were reporting that Jerome was embarrassed about losing to a kid much younger than himself in front of the cameras and a crowd.

And that he took revenge by asking for a rematch and then sending Jason to the hospital. This hurt not only Jerome's reputation but it was hurting the show. There were even people posting about how the show should be cancelled.

He muttered to himself "That can't be right. I would have gotten a call by now if something had happened?" He pulled out his phone only to see that the battery was dead.

He turned to Jerome"How about your phone Jerome?" Jerome checked his pockets only to find that he didn't have his phone on him "I think I left it in the trailer back at the mall"

Giorgio had borrowed Jason's phone to make a call and for thirty minutes he had to listen to his boss yell at him.

"Giorgio you limp dick brick shitting dumbfuck! What the hell kind of shit storm did you get into!? I got the station heads breathing down my god damn neck!"

Giorgio apologized "I am so sorry sir. I promise I will take care of this whole thing. I will get it all sorted out."

The man on the other side of the phone continued "You better get it done you bargain bin knockoff Italian prick. You know how many people wanted to be in charge of the Californian players?

There were a shit ton of people who wanted to be where you are now. I went out on a limb putting you in charge of California. If you can't fix this the whole show might be in jeopardy!"

The call ended and Giorgio's legs buckled. He had to put his hand on the wall to keep himself upright. His entire face was filled with droplets of sweat.

He took a deep breath and tried to compose himself before walking back into the room. He smiled and gave the phone back to Jason who then handed the phone to Tory.

Giorgio thanked Jason "Thank you for letting make that call. I am terribly sorry for what happened at the mall Jason. And please don't worry about the hospital bill. Our network will be taking care of that."

Jason nodded. He looked at Giorgio and could tell that something was wrong "Are the news stories causing problems for the show?"

Giorgio hesitated to answer. He looked at Jason's parents who both gave him a nod of approval. Jason's mom was petting her son's head " You can tell us the truth. I think our Jason can handle it."

Giorgio decided to be honest and let them know the situation over at the network. Jason's parents silently processed the situation in their minds.

No one knew what would be the best way to handle this situation. Surprisingly it was Jason who broke the silence "I think I know how we can fix this whole thing."

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