Page 82 of The Battery
It wasn’t chilly enough to start a fire, but we did so anyway to set the mood. We sat on a shaggy rug in front of the gas fireplace in the living room. The large ottoman was pushed forward so we could lean our backs against it. Cans of seltzer sat around us while we pored over one of Leo’s composition notebooks reviewing our plans and expectations for the next two weeks. He had revealed to me that management discussed my return and planned to use me as a setup man for the Wild Card Series. Then,whenwe made it to the pennant, they’d bring me in as a closer. The unexpected move would work in our favor.
October first, second, and third would see us playing the Ottawa Diamonds. I’d be up against the one who sent me to the ICU and, if anything, I was looking forward to talking with Lawson again to show him how I was doing. Leo wanted me to practice more in the morning with the chest protector. I had been wearing it all evening right through dinner just to get usedto it. Finally, I was able to take it off while we sat in the firelight, sipping on fizzy raspberry and lime drinks.
Our knees and toes brushed together while we worked through the notebook, our heads practically glued to each other while looking at the pages together. When we finished after about a half hour, Leo snapped the notebook closed, then stretched his right arm to drape across my shoulders.
“We need to talk about focus,” Leo said as his eyes watched the dancing, gas-fueled fire.
Our physical relationship hit the brakes when we started to focus more on the game. Our emotional bond held strong. We talked more than we ever did before, but once again, I had sensed Leo throwing up those walls when it came to intimacy. Earlier in the day he claimed to really understand me and who I was. I could say the same to him. Gone were the raw, physical interactions between us to just get off and get to sleep. Leo couldn’t do merely that anymore. He was tied to me emotionally and he wasn’t ready to go down that path. Ergo, no sex because that came with love.
He had another focus. I didn’t blame him. For some bizarre reason, it just made me adore him even more and look forward to the future.
“You don’t have to say anything,” I told him. I thumbed the tab of my seltzer can. “I understand where you’re at. I get it. Nothing else matters right now other than getting to the pennant and winning. I’m with you, Leo. One hundred percent.”
“Actually,” he said, surprising me, “you’re only partially right.” I turned so I could look at him. He kept his eyes forward. “When we win against the Diamonds, we’ll need to play the next series, which will get us to the pennant. Between the second series and the pennant, we’ll have a few days off.”
“Aren’t we scheduled to do a few charity events then?”
Leo nodded. “That doesn’t take up the whole time. There will be practices, yes. But they give us enough downtime to breathe.”
“Do you have something in mind?”
He shifted his arm so that he could run his thumb along the back of my neck. The hair stood on end. I reached out my left hand to rest on his knee.
“Can I take you somewhere for the night?”
“Yes,” I said before he even finished speaking.
“We’ll have two nights to ourselves. And I want it to be just us. No talk about the game. No practice. It would be like baseball didn’t exist. Just you and me. Whaddya say?”
I took a moment to find the right response. If I read between the lines correctly, I knew exactly what to expect.
“Sounds like it’s gonna be heaven.”
He nodded. Repositioned his entire arm over my shoulders. “It will be,” he said in that quiet, hopeful voice of his, the one used just for me.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Leo
We won thefirst game against the Diamonds and lost the second. Now, back in Lexington on home turf, we were facing off for the third time to decide our fate. It was a night game. Outside the stadium the sky had gone black, but inside, the harsh lights made it seem like daytime in the summer. Temperatures fell to the mid-fifties. Nothing to shiver against and indeed everyone considered this perfect baseball weather.
The Diamonds. Fierce and friendly competitors all at the same time. I could not have asked for a better start to winning our way to the pennant. The same went for Cody, I knew. He didn’t play the first two games, but he would play as setup man in this one. The Diamonds didn’t know he was playing, and it’d be his first game since taking the hit. They wouldn’t be expecting him.
Cody hung with me in the dugout at the bottom of the first. The Diamonds scored a run, so they were off to a good start. We sat squeezed in the corner, as usual. He had his chest protector on and, beneath his jersey as it was, it didn’t look overly bulky or noticeable. I had one foot up on the lowest rail in front of me, leaning toward the field, while Cody sat on the edge of his seat, back straight. He had been prattling on about how the Assholes would come up and lightly punch his chest, like they were boxing.
I didn’t pay attention. I kept my eyes forward. My eyes took in the field but it had been overlain with a vision of the future. Cody had proven himself to be particularly adept atcompartmentalizing. True to my word, we stayed clear of each other the past couple of nights. Kept the touchy-feely stuff to a minimum. Stayed far, far away at night when I had business to take care of before sleeping. He had yet to pack up his things and head back to Freddie’s. He no longer needed the special bed or to sleep at a forty-five-degree angle. He knew he could leave. He knew I knew. Yet neither of us brought it up.
I didn’t want him to leave. If he decided, I wouldn’t stop him. But, for once I thought I would ask him to stay.
He had asked a question that pulled me from my thoughts. “What?” I asked.
“I said you’re up soon,” Cody said through a polite laugh. “Aren’t you watching?”
I realized he was right. I popped to my feet. Rome had made it to second base. Freddie was on first. Alvarez was batting and I needed to be on deck.
I nearly shit myself when instinct almost forced me to give Cody a quick peck on the cheek.
Gotta watch yourself, I thought as I breezed past Cody and headed to the circle. I grabbed my bat and, like usual, watched the pitcher instead of taking a few practice swings. Alvarez struck out. The announcer called my name and number and…
