Page 127 of Home Run

“That’s awesome.” I replied, looking around for myphone before realizing I had nothing with me. Everything had been left at Yankee Stadium. “Shit, can you message one of the boys and ask him to get all my stuff from the lockers. My phone is there… my wallet…”

“Sure.” She said, plucking hers from her purse, and shooting off a text at lightning speed, probably to Lux. “Also, everyone’s talking about how you ran off the field.”

I grimaced. Yeah, I was going to get into shit for that. But right now it wasn’t a problem I cared too much about, and hopefully Penn Shepherd could find a little humanity in him to understand why.

Then find a little bit more when he found out I wouldn’t be making it back for tomorrow’s game, because my ass was staying right here.

“Check this out.”

I took Holiday’s phone, open on TikTok to see a video of me sprinting off the field, vaulting onto the roof of the dugout and into the executive seats where Millie had fainted. I hadn’t even noticed Jupiter had hit a home run, or the noise of the crowds cheering him on. Everything had silenced around me.

And because of Jupiter’s home run, no one had realized what was happening until I’d failed to pass home plate on my way to reaching Millie. I just remembered silence - something I thought had been borne from my anxiety watching the medics place her on stretcher, but I’d been wrong.

The stadium was silent.

The Yankees on the field were all staring in the direction I’d run, all my teammates had come out of the dugout andwere peering over its roof to figure out what was happening.

But I hadn’t been able to concentrate on anything except Millie, laying unconscious as the medic inserted a drip in her arm.

Scrolling through, there had to be a hundred videos all from different angles of the same thing – ESPN, FOX Sports, NBC Sports, random fans uploading their own takes – and me leaving as I gripped onto the stretcher. Then there was the commentary-

“I tell you, Steve, if Tanner Simpson ever gives up baseball, he could compete in hurdles. That was some leap.”

“I hope she’s okay. I think that looked like Tanner Simpson’s girlfriend, who’s expecting their first child.”

“I’d be leaping over the dugout too.”

“I think if you were leaping over anything, Mike, we’d need two stretchers.”

I switched it off and passed it back to Holiday.

“You guys won tonight, that’s all Shepherd will care about.” She said, misreading my expression. “Don’t worry.”

“I know, but that’s not it. Watching that, see Millie collapse. I’ve never been so terrified of losing something...” I tried to make it through, but I failed.

My voice broke and I dissolved into sobs as Holiday wrapped her arms around me, like she’d done a million times over the years.

“I know, but she’s okay and the baby’s okay.”

I peered up at her, wiping my eyes with the only clean part of my shirt I could find, and grinned. “He. We’re having a boy, the doctor told me.”

“A boy.” Holiday gasped. “Ohmygod. I’m having anephew. This is the best news.” She pulled me into another bone crushing hug, before letting out a peel of laughter. “You know what this means?”

I glanced at her, eyes wide with excitement before letting out a chuckle. “Yeah, new favorite grandson.”

“Tanner… Tan?”

Lifting my head from the pillow on the couch, it took me a second to realize where I was and that Millie was staring at me. Then another second to stumble off the couch and rush to the bed.

“Heyyy.”

“What happened?” she asked, her fingers brushing over the band-aid before focusing on the drips sticking out from the crook of her elbow. “Where am I?”

Taking her hands, I kissed the tips, “You don’t remember?”

She shook her head.

“You collapsed at the game. Your appendix nearly burst, and you were rushed to hospital. You had surgery this morning to remove it, and then you were in recovery for a while.” I glanced at the clock. “You came back here a couple of hours ago and you’ve been asleep ever since. Your mom’s just left but she’ll be back later. Radley was here too, but she had to go to class.”

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