Steve had been sitting still, eyes closed and relaxing as much as possible as Laura and Gwen worked on removing his bandages. He never realized that Amber O'Leary was in the room until he heard her speak to Gwen. His eyes popped open and he began to rise until Laura placed her hand on his chest and gently pushed him back. He saw Gwen step in front of Amber in an obvious attempt to keep her away from him. What a time and place for Gwen and Amber to meet!
"You're an amazing woman, Gwen," laughed Amber as she stepped forward and wrapped Gwen in a tight embrace. Steve felt some relief that Amber was working to defuse the situation, but wondered if it would be good for him in the long term. How would Gwen react to Amber's stories of their meeting over a year ago?
"You must realize that I can't steal that guy from you," whispered Amber into Gwen's ear. "I already have a great guy and he'll probably propose to me at Christmas. I want to be your best friend, or at least one of them. Steve is an amazing guy, but you're perfect for him. You're even willing to fight for the guy! I really like that."
As Gwen digested Amber's words, her arms came up to return the embrace. "I'm sorry if I acted a bit possessive, but you're so beautiful and I saw you have dinner with him at Dominick's a few weeks ago. I hate to admit it, but I was really jealous. You're so beautiful!"
Steve was close enough to hear the two women's conversation. Gwen had seen him with Amber? That was news. Small wonder Gwen had been so aloof the past few weeks! Thinking about it, he was lucky she still cared enough to drag his ass out of the river. She thought he was seeing Amber for a romantic date! Amber was at least 24 and wouldn't be interested in a kid like him. How could Gwen even think he and Amber would be involved in any way?
"Gwen, I could use a little help here," called Laura. "Steve really needs to take a shower before we bandage him again. Let's get this off him and get out of the locker room so these kids can shower. The testosterone is getting pretty pungent in here."
Gwen quickly returned to Laura's side and helped her remove the bloody bandages from Steve's torso, as Laura spoke to Steve. "Take a nice long shower and get some pants on. After everyone's done, call Gwen. We'll come back in and wrap you up one last time before I stitch you up tomorrow at the hospital."
Coach Watkins cleared his throat to speak. "I know it's a bit unusual to have so many people in the locker room, especially females. But this is an unusual situation. We're the state champions! The next governor of our great state is here, along with his wife and daughter. Our local reporter, Amber Stahl is here, as is Dr. Laura Masters. Many of the players' parents are here, and proudly so.
"As you may, or may not know, after every victory, it's been our tradition to award the game ball to the person the team felt contributed the most to our victory. During the regular season, a player could only win the honor once. For the title game today, all bets are off and everyone has been considered.
"It's a real honor for me today to present the game ball for the championship game. This honor is an unanimous choice by our team. We've had an exciting season and the past few days have been a roller coaster ride. How this team was able to put aside all the distractions and focus on the game, I'll never know.
"I've given a lot of thought to the events of the other day when Glen's nephews where trapped in that submerged car. In the entire crowd of hundreds, and perhaps thousands, only one person committed himself to diving into that cold water to save those kids. That was Steve. Only one person jumped into the water to help Steve even before he surfaced. That was Gwen Anderson. Only one person realized that Gwen would not be able to pull Steve up that bank and jumped into the icy waters to help her. That was Billy Marsh.
"I've been kicking this around since the whole thing happened. What was wrong with me? With the other parents, and the other players? Why is it that none of us risked our lives to help those kids in that car, or even Gwen and Steve afterward? Am I a coward? Are all of us cowards? I've done some soul searching about this. I've finally reached the conclusion that most of us all acted in a normal human fashion. We stood there horrified and uncertain as to what we should do. There are a few people that do not think through situations like that. They simply decide what needs to be done and take action. Steve is one of those rare types.
"It doesn't make the rest of us less human, or less brave. It simply shows that Steve has certain rare qualities the bulk of humanity lacks, especially under stressful situations. Gwen has those qualities. Billy Marsh exhibited them as well. Any of us could have attempted to do what they did, but we watched. Our reaction was the average, or normal reaction. Don't beat yourself up over it, but appreciate greater than average courage when you see it. And we sure saw it!
"To get to the point, the team has decided to award the Sparta State Championship game ball to Gwen Anderson! The team believes that her actions two days ago saved Steve Hammer, and our football season."
Steve had been watching Gwen as Coach Watkins delivered his speech. She blushed at the mention of her name for saving the children and Steve, but when the coach handed her the game ball; her mouth fell open in stunned amazement. Tears formed and rolled down her cheeks. She accepted the ball in one hand and hugged the coach with the other arm as everyone cheered.
Then Jared White, the big defensive end, stepped up to Gwen with open arms and declared, "You owe us all a hug, Girl!"
Without hesitation, Gwen rushed to him and gave the burly black senior a kiss and a hug. Soon she was hugging and kissing every player that stepped in line. The tears never stopped, even as her smile seemed to grow with every hug.
Jared eventually moved next to Steve and slapped him on the back. "That's a great girl you've got. I always thought she and her smart friends felt they were better than us, but she's a regular girl. Well regular, except for nicer tits and a prettier face than anyone else in the school."
Just as Jared finished his statement, Gwen appeared in front of them. "I heard that, Jared White! Don't think you're going to get away with that kind of talk!"
"I'm sorry, Gwen," apologized Jared. "I was just joking..."
Gwen quickly pulled Jared's face down and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. As she released him she laughed, "Don't make a habit of talking about me like that, but I'll take it as a compliment today, Big Guy! I'm too excited to be upset. Now for your hug and kiss, Steve!"
