Page 4 of Despite It All
I smile at my girl as she beams at Anna. Stevie may not have adadper se, but she has so many people who love her, and that’s all I can really ask for.
“Hey guys, sorry we’re a little late,” I say, and take the seat at the end of the table.
Stevie is to my right, next to Anna, then my other sister Waverley and her daughter Annabelle at the other end. Then Winry and her best friend Ivy are on the other side with little Georgia in the middle.
“No worries, our waitress hasn’t even been by yet,” Winry says. “Anna was just filling us in on how her brother is coming to stay with her for a little while.”
I turn to Anna. “Oh, that’s nice. I didn’t know you had a brother.”
“Yup, one older brother. He travels a lot for work but is taking some time off so he thought he’d come annoy me for a little while. He’s coming in from Seattle on a later flight. Thankfully, he got a rental car and is driving to my house once he gets in. I hate going to the airport.” Anna shudders.
“Why do you hate the airport?” Stevie asks, because why questions are her favorite questions.
“Just makes me anxious, kiddo.” Anna shrugs. “J doesn’t mind it at all, so it’s not bad for everybody.”
“Didn’t he spring this visit on you?” Waverley asks next. “Couldn’t he just stay with your parents in Charleston?”
“He could, but he kind of bought the house I’m staying in, and it came with the stipulation that he could crash in the guest room any time.”
“Why did he buy your house?” Stevie asks with the genuine curiosity of a four-year-old.
Anna looks down at her and wraps an arm around her shoulder. “He’s got a good job, so when he offered, I took him up on it. He’s really a good brother, but I haven’t seen him for more than a few days during the holidays in such a long time, so I’m kind of glad he’s coming.”Anna turns to me. “Which reminds me, he may tag along with me to Stevie’s birthday party, if that’s okay?”
“Oh yeah, that’s fine. You know my family. There will be no shortage of food or activities so the more the merrier.” I shrug. I probably won’t even realize he’s there.
Chapter 2
“We’re getting there, Jett. Your range of motion looks better every week,” Nick, the team’s physical therapist, says. “I think at this rate, we could get you back practicing in May, maybe even pitching a few games by the end of the season.”
“That’s the goal,” I say as I toss some of the workout bands in the basket.
It’s been almost six months. Six fucking months since I completely obliterated my left rotator cuff and had to have it surgically repaired. Six weeks stuck in a sling and eighteen weeks of constant physical therapy. I’m fucking over it.
I have been the starting pitcher for the Seattle Mavericks for the past seven years, and all of my hard work has come to a complete stop. All because this prick on one of my old buddies’ teams kept stealing bases the whole damn game.At the bottom of the sixth, he went to steal second, and when I turned to throw to first, I managed to tear my rotator cuff three centimeters.
“Davidson told me you're taking two weeks off, though. Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Nick raises an eyebrow and his forehead wrinkles.
Fuck yes,is what I want to say but instead, I say, “Yeah, I want to spend some time with my family before things get hectic again. I’ll still work out while I’m there. Been years since I’ve taken a vacation longer than a weekend. Might as well take advantage now.”
“Alright, but you have to make time to do these exercisescorrectlywhile you're there.” He makes sure to stress the “correctly” part.
Do I want to get back to pitching? Yes, I do, but damn, this guy needs to chill out. At this point, I’m at my max for physical therapy sessions.
Nick’s not a bad guy. He’s very knowledgeable and has helped tremendously. However, if he doesn’t stop micromanaging every workout I do, I’m going to lose it.
“I will. There’s a gym in town, I’m sure. And considering we’ve been at this for months, I’m pretty positive I can do them in my sleep.” I toss the last of the equipment in another basket and check the clock hanging on the wall. “I gotta get going. I need a shower then I’m headed straightto the airport. My flight leaves in a few hours. I’ll see you in two weeks.”
I clap Nick’s back before making a beeline for the locker room, not giving him any chance to try to talk through any more moves to do with my shoulder.
I take a quick shower, throw on some clean clothes, and grab my bag. If I'm lucky, I may get out—
“Hey Jett, where are you off to?” Adam asks, walking into the locker room. “Me and some of the guys were just about to go for a run. You in?”
Adam is our team's catcher. We've worked together ever since we both got drafted and he’s the teammate I’m closest to. I’m not typically a very social guy, which is the complete opposite of Adam. Hence how I hoped to sneak out of here while he wants to do a team run.
“Sorry, man. Got a plane to catch. I’m headed to the airport now.”
“Oh, yeah. Spending some time with your folks right?”
