Page 129 of The Strike Zone

Lux scratched along his jaw, his head tilted. “I’d say at least until you’re back on the field, and then maybe for another couple of weeks.”

“Cool cool, just so I know what to prepare for.”

“How are you feeling?” he asked, opening his backpack and pulling out a container, which he handed me along with a fork. “Thought you might like some pancakes.”

I glanced down at the stack, covered in maple syrup and raspberries. My favorite.

For a second I couldn’t speak, my throat was too thick. These drugs were messing with my brain. I was either going crazy or on the verge of tears. Or feeling deliriously happy and grateful that I had the best friends in the world, like right this second.

“You gave me a smiley face.”

“Special occasion.” He grinned.

I forked a mouthful of pancakes in, immediately deciding they were the best thing I’d ever tasted. “Deesarewelygoob.”

Ace poured out a glass of water and passed it to me. “How are you feeling?”

I took a large gulp, I could get used to being waited on like this. “I’m feeling okay, except I tried to get out of bed earlier and won’t be doing that again in a hurry.”

“Painful?”

“Never experienced anything like it,” I replied as a thought occurred to me. “Oh, hey, did we win?”

Ace grinned. “We sure did. And we’re gonna win again today.”

“That’s good news at least. Don’t want to have almost lost my balls for nothing.” My eyes sliced over to the TV. “I guess I’ll be watching here.”

“Have you seen the doctor? When are you getting out?”

I shrugged, taking another bite. “Don’t know. She came by this morning, but only to tell me the surgery went well. I’ll ask when I see her later, but it’s going to be a few days, I think.”

“Coach said you’re gonna be on the injured list for sixty days.”

I turned to Tanner, brows furrowed. “You saw him?”

He nodded. “Yeah, he was here last night.”

“Coach was?”

“Yep. Him, Shepherd, Lowe Slater, Payton, Hol, Radley…”

He paused. I waited to see if he was going to say Scout, but there was only silence. Maybe Ihadimagined her on the couch. Even before I felt the panic rising in my chest, the beeping on the monitor quickened. I shoved another mouthful of pancakes in, hoping to focus my brain on eating instead of how I would get Scout back.

“Oh, and Scout, plus one of the team docs and your assistant coach.”

“Scout?” Pancake sprayed everywhere as I blurted her name. Ace got up and passed me a paper towel. “Thanks.”

“Yeah, she was the first here. She was waiting when we got here, and she stayed.”

“She stayed?” I blurted again, this time without the pancake. I hadn’t imagined it, she really had been here. But that begged another question. “Then where is she now?”

No one had the answer to that, however, and I slumped back.

“She told Coach, by the way,” said Tanner from behind the copy ofGQhe’d found on the table.

I perked up again. “She told Coach what?”

“That it was her who’d asked you to keep them a secret and you shouldn’t be punished for it. If anyone should be punished, it should be her. She did it in front of Shepherd too.”

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