Page 125 of The Strike Zone

“Excuse me, Nurse,” started Lux, exuding way more calm than Ace and Tanner, who looked aghast at the possibility of someone not being a baseball fan. “Can you please tell us where we can find Parker King?”

The nurse pulled out her chair, her eyes scanning across the three boys.

I couldn’t tell if she recognized them or whether her nose was turned up purely because of how dirty they were in her clean hospital. To be fair, given half of Lux’s uniform was red from where he’d skidded on the diamond, she had a point.

“No, but the two who came in with Mr. King are in the private waiting room, down the hall to the right. They’ll be able to update you.”

My head shot up. “There’s another waiting room? Didn’t think to tell me that?”

“Hey, honey, you’re not the first girl coming in here claiming to be a girlfriend. You ain’t gonna be the last.”

I hoped the glare I fixed on her as I walked away told her exactly what I thought of her. Tanner burst through the doors of the waiting room the same way he’d exited the elevator, where we found one of the team doctors with an assistant coach.

“How is he? Can we see him? Why are you in here?”

“Easy, Simpson.” The doctor poured out some half-and-half into his coffee and stirred it. “He’s still in surgery.”

“SURGERY?” cried the four of us.

Any remaining blood drained out of Ace’s face and he dropped into the nearest chair, his face in his hands. Lux sat next to him and wrapped his arm around Ace’s shoulder.

“This isn’t your fault, man. Could have happened to anyone.”

“Can someone tell us what actuallyhashappened?” asked Tanner.

The coach’s eyes flicked over to the doctor, clearly waiting for the expert to explain. In hindsight, he didn’t really want to speak the words.

“Ruptured testicle.”

All three boys winced. Tanner looked like he was about to puke. I have to say I felt pretty nauseous myself.

“Didn’t he wear a cup?” I asked in an attempt to break the silence.

“Yep, but the force of the ball had it bouncing off his glove, and he was squatting forward, which caused it to hit at the wrong angle. The cup is cracked, that should tell you all you need to know.”

I glanced at Ace, his head now between his knees.

“Does he need his balls amputated?” Tanner whispered, his face the same color as Ace’s.

Coach and the doctor shrugged in response. No one wanted to think about Parker and his balls, especially if he lost them.

“How long is he going to be in surgery for?”

“We don’t know.”

I was just about to ask if anyone wanted me to go and find snacks, if only for something to do, when the door burst open and in ran Radley, who immediately hugged Lux, followed by Holiday, looking as glamorous as ever in a pair of ripped jeans and a vintage Fleetwood Mac T-shirt.

“Hol? What are you doing here?”

“Came along for the ride. Radley and I were watching on TV; Lux messaged to say he was coming here, so we headed over. Any excuse to see that handsome agent of hers.”

Tanner’s eyes darted back to the door. “Is Millie with you?”

I swear he looked relieved when Holiday shook her head and took a seat next to me. “Are you doing okay?”

I nodded, slowly. It was the first time anyone had asked me, and the first time I’d even considered the notion that maybe I wasn’t, especially when my eyes filled with tears.

“I’ll be better once we hear about Parker.”

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