Page 18 of Wait For It

“The staff is bound by HIPAA laws, as well as the NDA they signed on your arrival. You’re good,” a well-dressed man stated as he opened a door directly to the left of where I was sitting.

I held up my hand as he approached, but instead of recognizing it as a way of asking for help, he high-fived my palm and continued on down the hall.

No problem.

Expecting someone to help me without the use of my voice hadn’t been my best plan. I would just keep looking until the key turned up, though. Something dangled from a corkboard on the door the man had just exited, and I wondered how I’d missed it before. I pulled the object into my hands just as the door swung inward, and a man on crutches hobbled out.

With a triumphant grin, I waved the key before offering it to him. It should have been inherently obvious what I was asking him to do, but instead of taking it and freeing me from my prison cell on wheels, the man looked down with disgust.

“Oh, you’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” he said with a bitter laugh, the rubber soles of his crutches squeaking loudly against the linoleum floor as he turned away.

It wasn’t until he disappeared from view that I realized I’d been duped once again. I wasn’t holding a key. Just a piece of paper with the wordsK. Reedtypewritten across the top.

Oblivious to my escape attempt, the aide reappeared and pushed my chair in the opposite direction the man had gone.

I was trapped.

Maybe it wasn’t the injury. Perhaps to an animal locked inside a cage, eventually, everything began to resemble a key.

Chapter Four

Killian

“It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone.”

-A. Bartlett Giamatti

The Snap Heard ‘Round the World:

Is MLB’s Golden Boy Finished?

The Houston Hurricanes have acknowledged that center-fielder, Killian Reed was forced to undergo emergency surgery after suffering a torn ACL, MCL, and meniscus during a one-game playoff to advance to the ALDS.

Reed, 26, was hurt as he rounded toward second base after a fiasco of a play against the Kansas City Bears. This injury is considered career-threatening for Reed, despite this being his best year yet.

He set career highs with 37 homers, 32 stolen bases, and 103 RBIs for the Hurricanes and has been invaluable as a clubhouse leader for manager Burt Morosi.

Morosi still believes that Reed will be back next season, regardless of the injury. “You don’t want to see any of your players hurt, but if anyone can come back from this, it’s Killian. He’s a smart kid, and I truly believe he’ll make an impact in someone’s life while he’s recovering.”

Garrett Sanchez, the Bears’ third baseman who snagged Reed’s chopper, has other thoughts. “Look, he’s a fantastic player, and if he comes back, my guess is that he’ll be even better than he was before. But, if he doesn’t—and, I’m not saying he’s done—he might make an even bigger impact in his second career.”

Sanchez seems to believe that Reed could have his pick of jobs.

“He’s a guy with an amazing skill set. If he came back as manager or batting coach, I imagine he’d be very successful. He’ll land on his feet wherever he ends up.”

With Reed at the helm, the Hurricanes were favored to clinch the ALCS after making their first post-season appearance in eight years.

If Reed manages to return to the lineup next season, the Hurricanes can’t predict how productive he’ll be right away.

As you may remember, Los Angeles Rangers shortstop, Mike Cole suffered a torn ACL and meniscus two seasons ago. After undergoing surgery in July, he missed the remainder of the season. He returned the following year to one of his worst seasons yet—his .717 OPS was nearly 200 points lower than his performance a year before. After struggling through a rocky season, Cole hung up the cleats.

Reed is undoubtedly a more accomplished hitter than Cole—and nearly every other player in MLB history. And while no two injuries are alike, one cannot help but view Cole as a cautionary tale for the Hurricanes because, for the first time in years, uncertainty surrounds one of MLB’s most preeminent players.

Goddamn Sanchez.

I threw the magazine aside with a growl and dropped back against the pillows. Hinting I was done—as soon as I was out of this hellhole, maybe I’d pay him a little visit.

Let’s see if he backs up his statement when I’m in front of his smug little face.

---