Tanel

All of us were shocked. The plane was going to leave in short notice so we had not much time. I called my father to book myself a ticket for tomorrow night as I needed to stay in Italy in case of emergency. He had his secretary dealing with the problem as myself was going to wander around Rome.

Before I sent players off to the airport I asked just in case does Cristovao has a mobile phone, but he didn't have one. As I was lacking money I rushed into the closest cash-machine as I was short of money. I was going through my purse, but I didn't have my Italian credit cards there so I couldn't take out the cash. I planed to take a cab to drive around couple of places in the town.

I had just 5 euro's in my purse, quite unimpressive for a rich son, the team bus had gone already so I couldn't borrow anyone either. Other thing bounced on my head, where was he going clubbing. I phoned back to couple of teammates already in the airport and I found out that it was Egon Disco Club, a nightclub where I had gone myself once.


It wasn't too far away as I found out from the information office so I decided to walk there, meanwhile talking to my father to organize me some money in the offices of his company so I could travel a cab.

I reached the club after ten minute walk and I knocked at the office doors there, some guy opened and I asked about Cristovao with the picture of him from the Crotone match which I had printed out in the hotel offices. He said he had seen him and as he was going home at around 3 AM local time, he saw that guy getting ran over by a car.

Cristovao wasn't any of my favourite guys in the team, but it felt like someone threw a hot bucket of wax on me. "Oh...", I said and standed there for couple of seconds digesting what happened without moving a muscle, before I asked, "Do you know where they took him."

The guy said he didn't know, but he explained me where the nearest hospital was and I followed his intstructions. But they said no guy named Cristovao was signed in there last night. I asked do they have any information about other hospitals check-in's, but they said no. Though one of the guys said that I can use a phone in hospital and call up most of the places and see is there anyone there.

I finally got mine after the 5th call, but it was far far away. But since my father offices were near, I did a little run there and asked my money which I got. I immediately took a cab.

As I got into the hospital I met the old looking doctor who did a surgery to him yesterday. He explained me the situation - no broken bone's, but there was some damage to his right foot and some facial injuries, he said that at the moment he was laying down under narcohosis from the surgery as a quite large piece of the headlight of the car that hit him needed removing from his leg.

I also asked doctor that can he leave tomorrow night to Portugal and he said that it's okay. I explained to him who I am and who is Cristovao.

Cristovao himself soon woke up and I went to visit him with the doctor who told him about the surgery. The questions about how long he can't train doctor answered that it'll most probably take just around week eventhough the leg may not feel right for quite more time, but that feeling should come back soon.

I told Cristovao that the others had left Rome and we were going to do that tomorrow night. After that I went to some nearby hotel and took myself a room for the night, meeting a lovely bunch of Portugese tourists there and one of them was from Matosinhos and we talked with him in the night.