: 28: Silent Night in Oklahoma

　　From Houston to Oklahoma, the straight line distance is 665 kilometers. It takes a day to drive, but it takes less than a few hours to fly. After all, both places belong to the west.
　　 But because the NBA game ended very late, and Link was still having some unhappiness with his trash manager in the rental house. Therefore, when Link arrived in Oklahoma City, it was already three in the morning.
　　 Oklahoma City is not like New York or Los Angeles. There is not so much feasting here in the early morning. As soon as he got off the plane, Link felt that everything was quiet, and the whole city seemed to be shrouded in silence.
　　 Walking out of the airport, there was no one on the street, only his shadow under the street lights.
　　 It is December, and the average temperature in Oklahoma City is only 2.8°C. Although Minnesota and Toronto, which are more than ten degrees below zero than the start, the climate in Oklahoma is very comfortable. But in this quietly early morning, looking at his lonely figure, Link, who was standing on the street, couldn't help but zip up his jacket.
　　 Tonight, maybe the worst night he had ever had after crossing over.
　　 "University of Oklahoma Medical School." After stopping a taxi, Link told the driver his destination in a low voice.
　　 Taxi timing always observes Link in the back row through the rearview mirror from time to time. If he remembers correctly, the driver saw this Chinese player on TV fighting for the Houston Rockets a few hours earlier. It stands to reason that he shouldn't be in Oklahoma.
　　 Originally, the driver wanted to talk to Link about many things, but seeing Link didn’t seem to be in a good mood, the driver couldn’t bother. He believed that Link's rush back must have something to do with that shocking event.
　　 At the same time, Link also picked up the phone and started to scan the news. The pages about basketball news are all occupied by Zike Upshaw. This may be the most famous night for the Blues and Upshaw, but this way of being famous is worrying.
　　 And according to the news reports, Link probably figured out what happened.
　　Today, in the Oklahoma Blues' home game against the Long Island Nets, the last 40 seconds of the fourth quarter. Zick Upshaw is as hard as ever to pursue his matchup.
　　 At this moment, Upshaw suddenly covered his chest with his hands, and fell to the ground with his face down, motionless.
　　 In the beginning, no one knew what happened. Some people think Upshaw is injured, but there is absolutely no possibility that any kind of injury will cause the player to faint directly.
　　 After the referee and the players called Upshaw many times and did not respond, Upshaw was immediately taken to the hospital for rescue. Then Link received a call from Upshaw's mother Martha.
　　 After reading the news again, Link covered his head with sorrow. He didn't know if there was a guy named Zike Upshaw who had a sudden cardiac arrest on the basketball court in the world before he crossed over.
　　 Maybe, maybe not. But Link is sure that no matter whether Upshaw has survived or not, he is nothing more than the past of this world. Because as a traverser, Link never remembered that in December 2010, he had heard of a player named Zike Upshaw.
　　 No one knows that a 26-year-old professional player who worked hard for his NBA dream fell on the basketball court. No one knows what a good guy Zike Upshaw is...
　　 Link turned off the phone screen and stopped reading the news about Upshaw. He didn't want his emotions to collapse the moment he saw Upshaw's family.
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　　 "Link, my child, I don't know what Zike did wrong, why should he be punished like this."
　　 The moment Link saw Upshaw's mother, the helpless black woman fell into Link's arms.
　　 Link wore two big dark circles under his eyes. He didn't sleep all night, and he had just been swept out by the NBA and fired his manager.
　　 But at this time, looking at Upshaw who was lying on the hospital bed all the time wearing a ventilator, Link suddenly felt that his business was not worth mentioning.
　　 "It's okay, Martha. Zike will be fine. The current medical level is very advanced. Don't worry, I am willing to bear all his medical expenses."
　　Upshaw had done a lot for Link, but at this time Link didn't know what he could do for Upshaw. The only thing he can do is to share some financial pressure for this already difficult enough family.
　　 "Zike he...has a heart attack since he was a child?" Link asked cautiously, remembering the small pill box that Upshaw used to carry at all times.
"No, he only occasionally said that his chest was uncomfortable, but he didn't tell us anything else. After the doctor's examination, he did not find out the cause of his cardiac arrest...Zike is still being rescued. , He is not even out of danger."
　　 Facing Link's question, Martha shed tears again.
　　 Seeing this situation, Link didn't ask any more. The blow suffered by this kind lady has been big enough.
　　 Just like this, Link has been waiting with Upshaw's family. They all believed that this strong guy would wake up.
　　 However, just like Link fantasizing about what he can do in the NBA, the manager who fantasizes about himself must think of himself wholeheartedly. He believed that Upshaw would surely escape the dangerous illusion, and it was also disillusioned.
　　 Ten hours, twelve hours, fifteen hours, twenty-four hours... Upshaw was still lying there quietly, without blinking his eyes.
At 4 o’clock in the morning on December 13, 48 hours after Link rushed to the hospital, the doctors involved in the rescue walked out of the ward sweating profusely, looked at Link and his family of Upshaw, and said the sentence In the TV series, the streets are already rotten, but when I really hear it, I can't beat my heart.
　　 "Sorry, we tried our best."
　　 Two consecutive days of treatment, everyone tried to pull him back from the line of life and death. Grim Reaper held the sickle at the other end and watched the young man's body pull in it.
　　 It succeeded, and the advanced medicine defeated it. Sudden cardiac arrest, Upshaw's life will not have the next chapter.
　　 crying? faint? Tearing? Nothing. At that moment, there was only silence around Link.
　　 It feels like the moment he returned to Oklahoma City the morning before yesterday. Dark, helpless, lonely.
　　 Upshaw’s mother was stunned for a few minutes, then gradually raised her head to look at Link. She took out an envelope from her handbag and handed it to the Chinese man in front of her, "Zieke wrote this to you, and his teammate found it in his locker. I originally hoped he would give it to you. But now ......"
　　 Link hurriedly took the envelope. UU Reading www.uukanshu.com In this age when the Internet is so developed, the communication method of letter writing has almost disappeared. But it is clear that Upshaw wants some words to be preserved, not just a few strings of codes in a huge database.
　　 After handing the envelope to Link, Martha walked into the ward and cried bitterly. This strong woman couldn't hold it anymore.
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　　My brother Link,
　　 I hope everything is fine for you in Houston and see you enter the NBA. I am happy for you from the bottom of my heart. Why write? At first I thought this idea was just too stupid. But I still can't express my inner joy through a few text messages. I still feel that I can express my joy and pride by writing something by myself.
　　 I knew from the beginning that your hard work will definitely be rewarded. I also went to Europe to play a few years ago. To be honest, the salary there is much higher than that in the Development League. But I still came back, why? Isn't it all for the NBA? Congratulations, you have achieved what we all desire.
　　 Of course, all this is just the beginning, and the days after that will be difficult. You may struggle for the next ten-day contract, and you may have to fight your teammates on the training ground for playing time. Maybe, hahahaha, you may worry about your rent. But no matter what happens, you can't give up.
　　Because you are also my desire and spiritual support for entering the NBA, if you fall, my dream will be broken.
　　 That's it, the game is about to start, I'm going to play. I hope that tomorrow morning, I can see the news of your second ten-day short contract.
　　Go forward bravely, buddy.
　　Zike.