Chapter 852: A Ray of Starlight
"Witnessing the rise of the 49ers again is the most beautiful thing."
Ryan said calmly, with no complaints, no indignation, no cynicism, and no emotional fluctuations. There was a sense of relief in his words, as if he had accepted his fate.
In fact, Lu Ke couldn't argue. Given the current medical conditions, ALS is an incurable disease, and there is not even an effective treatment to stop its progression.
Even if Lu Ke knew this was giving up and surrendering, even if he knew this was resignation and leaving it all to fate, he couldn't say, "You can't give up hope." He couldn't say, "Your ending might be different," and he couldn't say, "Try harder and hold on," because those would be irresponsible lies.
Compared to Jonathan, Ryan was more at peace, but also more bitter. The two years of struggling he had gone through were beyond what others could imagine.
Everyone knows that the end of life is death, but not everyone knows when the end will come. Lu Ke would never know what it feels like for a person to receive a death notice, but he knew that even before death came, he hoped to be able to shine like a summer flower.
All those grandiose words came to a halt when his eyes fell on Ryan's thin shoulders. It was different to face Jonathan than to face Ryan.
Lu Ke's gaze shifted to the number 14 jersey and he said, "Do you know what that sentence means?" Ryan didn't know why, but he couldn't turn his head. Lu Ke had to add, "The sentence on the jersey."
Ryan was slightly stunned.
Of course, Ryan knew what the sentence was. When Jonathan first gave him the jersey, he had read it carefully, but after that, the sentence gradually became part of the jersey, just like the number 14. It had become one with it, and he had never thought about what that sentence meant again.
"You know, sickness, old age, and death are things everyone has to learn, but no one can escape them. Even after going through them over and over again, we still can't truly learn how to accept them," Lu Ke said, looking out the window. "Just like injuries. We all know that injuries on the football field are inevitable, but when they actually happen, we still can't accept them. We start to complain, we start to fight, we start to struggle."
"Death and separation are destined to happen, so everyone is trying in their own way to shine brightly in their limited journey, trying to prove that they once existed. But unfortunately, not everyone can do it. Only a very small part of them are bright stars twinkling in the night sky, while others are faint and small lights, ordinary and unremarkable. When they disappear, it seems like no one even notices."
"But people forget that without these small lights, the brilliance and greatness of the bright lights would not be as great."
In the entire hospital room, only Lu Ke was speaking quietly. This was a side of Lu Ke that Ryan had never seen before. There was no decisiveness and dominance from the football field, and no friendliness and focus from the practice field. He was like a boy next door, so approachable that he didn't give off any aura of stardom, but he still radiated a kind of unyielding determination, shining with a warm light like the sun.
Suddenly, Lu Ke turned his head and looked at Ryan, giving him a big smile. "You know what? To this day, I still miss John Wold, my college teammate. He and I were both practice players. In our senior year, we both made it onto the backup team."
"Our talent wasn't very good. We couldn't compare to Logan and Marcus, let alone prodigies like Cam Newton and Andrew Luck," Lu Ke suddenly became excited. "But it was John who, in the final game of the 2010 NCAA season, connected with me for a successful game-winning touchdown against the USC Trojans in the last moment. God, on that catch, he was like Peter Pan. He almost took flight. It was unbelievable."
Even though it had been a long time, every time he recalled it, Lu Ke couldn't help but savor it. The youth, the wantonness, and the exuberance were still vivid in his memory.
"And then what happened?" Ryan couldn't help but ask, because he had never heard the name John Wold. In the 2011 NFL Draft, the three most famous musketeers from UCLA were the current San Francisco 49ers' "Iron Triangle," but John Wold's name was not among them.
"He retired," Lu Ke said casually.
"Ah," Ryan gasped.
Lu Ke, however, showed no sadness. "One Hollywood fairytale is enough for me." His self-deprecating humor made Ryan chuckle.
"John's talent was limited, and the space for white receivers is getting smaller and smaller. Even if he had entered the draft that year, he would most likely have gone undrafted. So, after careful consideration, he chose to retire and keep those beautiful memories in his college days forever," Lu Ke finished his story.
There were no ups and downs, no shocking waves, and it was even a little boring. Reality is not a movie or a novel after all.
"But for me, John will always be the most important part of my memory," the faint smile on Lu Ke's face had a hint of resilience.
Suddenly, Ryan asked curiously, "Is he even more important than Logan and Marcus?"
Lu Ke chuckled, but he thought about it seriously and finally nodded in affirmation. "Yes. For John and me, Logan and Marcus were once out-of-reach starting players. Of course, I've known Logan for almost a lifetime, and our friendship is irreplaceable. But in practice and in football, John and I both came from the practice squad. This experience is irreplaceable."
After saying that, Lu Ke raised his right hand and pointed to Ryan's jersey. "That's what that sentence means."
Ryan lowered his head and found the sentence on his shoulder.
"To Ryan Baldwin,
What if they say, who cares if one more light goes out, in a sky of a million stars, it flickers? Yes, I do.
Lu Ke."
Involuntarily, Ryan read the sentence aloud. The familiar syllables came together, creating a completely different rhythm, which was wonderful.
Lu Ke's voice followed. "Yes. In a sky of a million stars, who would notice if one light went out? In the vastness of the universe, who would notice the end of a life?"
Ryan suddenly realized that this was him.
He slowly, slowly turned his head. A simple action for an ordinary person consumed all his energy, making him feel incredibly difficult. But he didn't give up. He completed the entire movement with determination, his gaze fixed on Lu Ke's face.
Finally, he met Lu Ke's eyes, those bright eyes like obsidian.
"Yes, I do," Lu Ke said.
Involuntarily, a smile appeared on Ryan's face. Yes, he did. He liked that sentence.
There were no long speeches, no profound theories, and no mention of Ryan's illness, but a surging excitement and emotion were bubbling and boiling inside Ryan's heart. Because at this moment, Lu Ke's words had reignited Ryan's passion.
He was a fan, not a patient. Just a pure fan, a San Francisco 49ers fan.
Sure enough, Lu Ke followed up by saying, "Ryan, this is our season. We are on the right track, and we will continue to persevere, moving toward our final goal, and we look forward to reaching the finish line. That's what I think. What about you?"
Lu Ke's smile was so firm and bright. "I hope all the Niners will walk with us all the way. I mean, every single Niner, even the most insignificant ones, the ones whose names I can't even remember."
A strong smile appeared in Ryan's eyes. "Are you saying I'm an insignificant light?"
Lu Ke's jaw dropped. "..."
Ryan burst into laughter at his dumbfounded expression. Although his laughter sounded weak, as if he was trying to control it to avoid making his breathing unstable, the familiar Ryan was back.
Lu Ke laughed in a daze and gently shook his head. "Don't you want to see us return to the top?"
"Are you talking about this year? Or next year? Give me a deadline. Otherwise, if you say it will take ten years to get to the top, that might be a little difficult for me," Ryan said, starting to joke again. His self-deprecating words were endearing.
Lu Ke didn't answer directly. He just went on to say, "If we make it to the Super Bowl, would you be willing to come and watch the game in person?"
Ryan looked at Lu Ke quietly, also refusing to back down. "Are you talking about this year?"
This time, Lu Ke didn't answer. The two of them just exchanged glances without giving in. But in the end, Lu Ke lost. How could he argue with a patient? He was the bigger person and showed his generosity. "I look forward to the day you come to the game."
Lu Ke left. He didn't stay in the hospital for too long. He appeared quietly and left quietly.
Jonathan personally escorted Lu Ke out of the hospital. From beginning to end, he felt it was a little unreal that Lu Ke had just appeared at the hospital.
When he returned to the room, Ryan was still sitting on the edge of the bed. It seemed like he had heard the movement and asked, "Jonathan, is that you? My muscles are a little numb now. Can you help me get back on the bed? Also, didn't you go to get the notebook and pencil? I should start my physical therapy for today."
Jonathan stood there, his nose suddenly stinging, but he gave a big smile and nodded repeatedly. "Okay. Okay. I'm coming to help."
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