Page 24

“Fuckin’ Anderson needs his phone taken away.” Coach pinches the bridge of his nose. “Look, you’re a good kid, son. But one more day isn’t going to hurt. I get why you did what you did. Like I said, you’re a good egg. But I need to look out for your best interest as well as this team’s.
“And I can’t risk having my best pitcher rushed back to the hospital because he passes out on that mound. I know you were cleared, but I, as your coach, am saying you’re sitting out this game. It’s one more game. Then you are back on that field and racking up the strike outs. Okay?”
I let out a huff. “Yeah, Coach. One more game.” With that, I I stand up from the couch, spin on my heel and head out, not even turning back into the locker room. Instead, I head up toward the offices. I walk through the tunnels until I find myself at the office of my best friend.
I knock on the door and wait to get let in.
“Come in,” a sweet voice says from behind the door.
Slowly, I open it and see Phoenix sitting at her desk, typing away with Raven on the floor next to her desk.
“There’s my favorite little human.” I immediately kneel down and pick up Raven.
“Drew! Shouldn’t you be getting ready for the game?” Phoenix eyes me.
I blow out a breath. “I’m sitting out again. Coach’s orders. Though, supposedly, this will be the last one.” The irritation in my voice is evident because I hear her sigh.
“That’s bullshit, but I trust Coach Bertelli. So, if he thinks you sitting out one more game is the right move, then it’s one more game. Besides, you wouldn’t have started this game anyway,” Phoenix adds.
“Yeah, yeah. I haven’t played in a week. Who says I wouldn’t have started?” I shrug.
Phoenix looks over at the giant game calendar on her wall and smiles. “Because you play against the Chicago Ravens this weekend. And you know you need to pitch that first game.”
My lips tip up. Yeah, I do. My rivalry with a good friend of mine, Kyle Moody, hasn’t died down one bit since we were both drafted to the Major Leagues. “Fuckin’ Moody.”
“Moody. Exactly. And you know you need to be sharp and ready to take them on. So, while I get you are upset, Drew, Coach Bertelli knows what he’s doing. He needs you ready to go this weekend.” Phoenix offers me a smile.
Raven babbles and dances in my arms as she tries to recite the words to the Cocomelon song playing on the TV in the office. I give her a kiss on the forehead and place her back on the floor. She goes back to her toys and making noise.
“I know. Fuck, I-I’ve just got a lot on my mind, and I need a way to get it out, I guess,” I confess.
“It’s that woman you saved.” She doesn’t ask it, she states it. She knows me better than I know myself sometimes.
I nod. “I just can’t get her out of my head. The way she looked, the pain I felt for her.” I rub my chest. “And she took off. I couldn’t help her.”
“You can’t save everyone, Drew,” Phoenix says softly.
“I know, but she needed help. They should have kept a better eye on her.” My voice is thick with emotion.
“From someone who was once scared out of her mind, sometimes fear doesn’t let you make rational decisions. All you know is what’s in front of you. Broken pieces of the puzzle. And when you try to put it together, well, it can be overwhelming. She ran because she didn’t know what was going on. John says he’s searching missing persons and trying to see if anyone reported someone who looked like her missing.”
“But what does it matter? She’s gone. Las Vegas is a big place.” I run my hand through my hair. “I would have preferred making sure she was okay with my own eyes. I should’ve just seen her that same day.”
“Look, focus on the game. Focus on what you are doing after the game. I heard the guys are going downtown for some concert tonight on Fremont Street.” Phoenix gets up and walks over to Raven, picking her up and giving her a kiss and hug.
“Focus on a game I’m not playing?” I throw back.
“You know you need to be there for the team, so don’t give me that shit. The team needs you, even if you aren’t playing. Focus on that. Focus on tonight. Focus on having a good time with friends and teammates. Focus on practice tomorrow. Focus on the games this weekend.”
I sigh. “That’s a lot of focusing.” I chuckle. “So, focus on everything else. Got it.” Looking down at my watch, I check the time and see that I need to get back to the locker room. I turn on my heel and head back toward the door. “Thanks, Phoenix. Just, if you hear anything?—”
“I will make sure you know. Now get fucking down on the field. Don’t make me trade you.” She smirks as she lets out a chuckle.
“You wouldn’t dare. Who else would get to drive you crazy on a daily basis?”
Phoenix shrugs. “Evans, Anderson, Davis…”
“Yeah, yeah.” I shake my head, smiling as I leave, closing the door behind me.